2024

The study was carried out at Iguzama Community in Ovia North East Local Government area of Edo state, Nigeria, to evaluate some soils for tomato cultivation. The study area consisted of two sites; Site A, a 4 hectare land, and site B, a 12 hectare land. Soil survey was carried out by the rigid grid method at a detailed scale, using the rigid grid method which produced four mapping units. Each mapping units was represented by a pedon and each pedon was appropriately described. Soil samples were analysed using standard procedures. The result of the land evaluation revealed that pedon 1a (1.65ha) representing 38%, pedon 2a (2.64ha) which representing 62%, pedon 1b (6.4ha) representing 53% and pedon 2b (5.69ha) representing 47% of the study area were not suitable (N) for tomato cultivation due to severe limitations in soil physical characteristics and fertility. Limitations in soil physical characteristics cannot be amended, thus the study area should not be used for tomato cultivation; however, the study area may be used for other purpose(s) for which it is found suitable.

This study evaluates the hematoprotective effects of ethanol leaf extract of Acalypha wilkesiana on Wistar rats exposed to 1,2-dimethylhydrazine (DMH), a carcinogen. The experiment involved nine groups of rats with varying treatments: normal control, positive control with DMH and Xeloda (Capecitabine), and several groups receiving different doses of Acalypha wilkesiana extract both before and after DMH exposure. Hematological parameters analyzed included Mean Corpuscular Volume (MCV), Mean Corpuscular Hemoglobin (MCH), and Mean Corpuscular Hemoglobin Concentration (MCHC). Results demonstrated significant changes in these parameters among treated groups. Rats treated with Acalypha wilkesiana extract exhibited increased MCV, MCH, and MCHC levels compared to controls, indicating potential hematoprotective properties. Specifically, groups receiving the extract showed improvement in red blood cell indices affected by DMH, suggesting its efficacy in mitigating DMH-induced hematological damage. These findings highlight the potential therapeutic application of Acalypha wilkesiana in managing hematological disorders caused by carcinogenic agents. Further research is necessary to elucidate the mechanisms of action and optimize dosage for clinical use. Overall, this research opens promising avenues for utilizing natural remedies to enhance patient well- being and combat hematological abnormalities

Milk is the fresh lacteal secretion from the mammary glands of mammals used in nourishing their young. It also serves as a significant food source for humans of all ages. However, milk can be easily contaminated by microorganisms and toxic substances such as aflatoxins during the stages of milking, processing, storage and transportation. The aim of this study was to isolate and characterize moulds from raw cow milk and its locally processed products, sold in open markets in Benin City. A total of 16 samples were obtained from two markets (Aduwawa and Oluku) in Benin City, Edo state. All samples were serially diluted and inoculated on Potato dextrose agar (PDA) using the pour plate technique. Pure cultures were obtained, and fungal isolates were identified based on the cultural and morphological characteristics. The pH of each sample was determined using an electronic pH meter (PH-98108) and the moisture contents of the samples were determined according to the method of AOAC. Fungal counts obtained in this study ranged from 0.10 ± 1.00 to 0.90 ± 0.30x10 3 Cfu/ml. Fungi isolated in this study include: Aspergillus niger, Aspergillus flavus, Penicillium digitatum, Rhizopus nigricans, Curvulavia lunata, Fusarium oxysporium, Cladosporium sp, and Penicillium sp. The most occurring fungi were Penicillium sp. and Aspergillus niger (23%) and the least occurring fungi (7.7%) were Rhizopus nigricans and Curvulavia lunata. Mean pH values of the samples ranged from 4.10 ± 0.30 to 6.20 ± 0.80 while the moisture content ranged from 6.00 ± 0.40% to 20.00 ± 0.70%. This study revealed the presence of mycotoxigenic moulds such as Aspergillus flavus and Aspergillus niger in locally processed milk products sold in open markets in Benin City. This may have resulted from unhygienic conditions during processing and storage of the milk products, and poor sanitary conditions of the milk handlers as well.

The coronavirus disease (COVID-19) has presented a major threat to public health worldwide. COVID-19 is the result of infection with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) that was first identified in Wuhan City, Hubei Province, China on December 2019. It is highly contagious and transmission is via respiratory droplets and direct contact. There are no specific antiviral measures available to treat COVID-19 but there are several treatment options that could be pursued as first-line therapy for COVID-19 which is the repurposing of drugs like Chloroquine, hydroxychloroquine, azithromycin, zinc, selenium, lopinavir/ritonavir and ivermectin. The aim of this project was to evaluate and monitor the adverse effects of the recommended drugs for the treatment of COVID 19 in the liver Proteins of Wistar rats. 60 rats were used for this study and the parameters that was assayed for was albumin, total protein, direct bilirubin and total bilirubin. Albumin was analysed using bromocresol green reagent, total protein was analysed using biuret reagent, and bilirubin by Evelyn and Malloy's method. The data generated were analyzed using Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 25.0 (IBM Inc. USA). The results showed that the Albumin of animals treated with Combination 7(2.93±0.14), Combination 8 (3.10±0.15) and combination 9 (3.08±0.15) were significantly lower than that of the control (4.17±0.18) (p<0.05). There was significant difference in direct bilirubin of experimental animals across most treated groups (p<0.05). It also showed that total bilirubin was significantly higher (p<0.05) in animals treated with ivermectin (0.93±0.10) and Lopinavir-ritonavir (0.92±0.06) when compared to control (0.47±0.07), and Total protein was significantly higher (p<0.05) in animals treated with ivermectin (8.62±0.45) when compared to control (7.02±0.22). In conclusion, the administration of these drugs adversely affected the synthetic and excretory functions of the liver. Regular assessment of liver function parameters, including albumin, total bilirubin, and total protein levels should be made compulsory in patients receiving COVID-19 drugs.

Benign prostate hyperplasia is a disease of ageing men. Oxidative stress is a promoter of the ageing process. This study evaluated the effect of the aqueous fraction of the ethanol leaf extract of Cassia alata l.[fabaceae] on antioxidant and lipid per oxidation status of male rats induced with benign prostate hyperplasia. Six groups of six rats each were induced with benign prostate hyperplasia by the subcutaneous administration of testosterone (4mg/kg). Groups 1, 2, and 3 received 50, 100 and 200 mg/kg doses of the fraction respectively. Group 5 rats (negative control) received 10 ml/kg of distilled water. Group 4 animals (standard control) were treated with finasteride (5mg/kg) while Group 5 rats (negative control) received 10 ml/kg of distilled water. Group 6 animals (normal control) were neither induced nor treated. All administration was daily for 28 days by oral gavage. Rats were sacrificed on the 29th day, blood was obtained, and serum enzyme activities of superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), and glutathione peroxidase (GPx) were measured with Elisa assay test kits. Malondialdehyde concentration was equally measured. The extract did not significantly (P<0.05) increase the activities of SOD, CAT, and GPx compared to the negative control, while MDA concentration was also not significant.

This study examines the relationship between exchange rate fluctuations and Nigeria's export performance with the overarching objective of assessing their impact on the country's economic development. The research aims to determine the extent to which exchange rate changes influence total exports and, consequently, the overall economic growth of Nigeria. Employing secondary data from the statistical Bulletin of the Central Bank of Nigeria, the analysis focuses on the relationship between exchange rates(EXR), interest rates(INT), inflation rates(INF), and trade balance(EX) as independent variables, and the GDP as the dependent variable. The findings reveal that inflation rates negatively affect GDP, while interest rates have a positive impact. Exchange rate volatility exhibits a negative correlation with GDP growth. The study concludes that exchange rate fluctuations significantly influence Nigeria’s economic performance, particularly its production capacity. Therefore, the implementation of an effective exchange rate regime is imperative. Such a regime would mitigate inflationary pressures enhance Nigeria’s balance of trade and bolster its production capabilities, ultimately fostering positive economic growth

Background: .The tetracycline class of antimicrobials demonstrates a broad spectrum of activity against various pathogens, encompassing Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria, as well as atypical organisms.However, their use for bacterial infections has been restricted in recent years due to the emergence of resistant organisms employing efflux and ribosomal protection mechanisms.However tetracycline has been used for therapeutic reasons in both humans and animals
Aim: The primary aim is to perform a quantitative and qualitative analysis on various brands of tetracycline found in pharmacies in Benin city. Method: Visual inspection was performed according to World health Organisation Visual Inspection of Medicines Template while the dissolution test was performed using the United State Pharmacopoeia modified method of spectrometry according to Ahmed et al was used and absorbance was taken at 362nm.
Results: The visual inspection showed that 90% of the brand inspected met the required standard according to the USP. The dissolution test showed that the percentage content in 20 40 and 60 minutes was within the range of 91.31 - 99.53, 92.62 - 99.53 and 97.83 - 99.57 respectively the spectrometry test shows that all the brands met up to the 90 -125% (USP).
Conclusion: The conclusion of this research shows that the analysed tetracycline brands follow the official monographs, except for the color deviation that was noted in the T7 tablets.

Background: Ear infections, particularly acute otitis media, are commonly encountered in clinical practice, often requiring antibiotic therapy. While aerobic bacteria have been extensively studied in these infections, anaerobic bacteria play a significant role that is sometimes overlooked. This study aimed to identify anaerobic bacterial isolates from patients with ear infections and determine their susceptibility profile to commonly used antibiotics. Methods: The study evaluated forty three patients from the Ear, Nose and Throat clinic of the University of Benin Teaching Hospital, Benin city over a period of two months. Clinical and demographic data of the patients were also collected which included age, gender, alcohol history, smoking history, medical history, among others. Ear swab specimens were collected and processed for anaerobic culture. Isolates were identified using standard microbiological techniques, and antimicrobial susceptibility testing was performed using the standard agar disc diffusion and minimum inhibitory concentration method. Results: A total of 76.47% of our study participants were female, and 23.53% were male. Participants aged 16-25 had the highest ear infection occurrence (38.24%). Pseudomonas spp, a facultative anaerobe, dominated the ear infections (47.06%) compared to other organisms isolated, which was more sensitive to Azithromycin(87.5%). Conclusion:.Patients aged 16-25 were more susceptible to ear infections. This study highlights the presence of anaerobic bacteria in ear infections and their varying susceptibility profiles to commonly used antibiotics. Understanding the antimicrobial susceptibility patterns of anaerobic isolates is crucial for guiding appropriate antibiotic therapy, especially in cases of treatment failure or recurrent infections

The contamination of water sources by untreated wastewater poses a serious public health risk due to the spread of pathogenic bacteria, particularly Gram-positive species. This study examined the microbiological properties of wastewater collected from commercial laundry shops in Benin City, Edo State, Nigeria. The research focused on enumerating total heterotrophic bacteria, isolating Gram-positive bacteria, and identifying their species based on morphological and biochemical characteristics. A total of eight (8) wastewater samples were collected in duplicates from two commercial laundry shops, with the samples divided into two categories: wastewater from washing and wastewater from rinsing. Microbial enumeration was performed using the spread plate technique on nutrient agar, while Mannitol salt agar was used for selective screening of Gram-positive bacteria. The bacterial isolates were characterized based on their morphological and biochemical properties using standard microbiological methods. Results revealed that the total heterotrophic bacterial counts were highest in the laundry washing wastewater samples, with values ranging from 102±2.3 × 10⁶ to 81±0.9 × 10⁶ CFU/mL. In contrast, significantly lower bacterial counts were observed in the rinsing wastewater samples, with counts ranging from 48±1.8 × 10⁶ to 25±2.4 × 10⁶ CFU/mL. Additionally, the bacterial counts varied by location, with Laundry Shop 1 recording 68±1.4 × 10⁶ CFU/mL and Laundry Shop 2 showing slightly lower counts at 57±1.6 × 10⁶ CFU/mL. The microbiological assessment of laundry wastewater revealed the presence of diverse bacterial species, with a total of 17 isolates identified and characterized. Staphylococcus aureus was the most prevalent isolate, accounting for 52.9% (9/17) of the total, followed by Staphylococcus spp. (41.2%) and Micrococcus spp. (5.9%). These findings highlight the potential health and environmental risks associated with untreated laundry wastewater, particularly due to the dominance of pathogenic and opportunistic bacteria. The study emphasizes the need for effective wastewater management practices in commercial laundry facilities to mitigate the spread of microbial contaminants. Future research could focus on advanced treatment technologies and their ability to reduce bacterial load in laundry effluent.

The IZYP field, located in the Niger Delta region, is an oil rim reservoir characterized by a combined drive mechanism involving both an aquifer and solution gas. The field has undergone primary recovery and conventional water injection, achieving a recovery factor of 19% and 28.5%, respectively. However, the late initiation of water injection led to substantial pressure depletion and solution gas liberation, compromising the reservoir's natural energy drive and hindering efficient hydrocarbon recovery. This study aimed to optimize the water injection strategy for the IZYP field to maximize oil recovery and resource utilization. A representative reservoir simulation model was developed through history matching, replicating the field's past production performance. Subsequent simulations evaluated the impact of modifying water injection timings and operational parameters on overall recovery factors. The optimized water injection strategy involved initiating water injection at an earlier stage (3,015 days or 1997), effectively maintaining reservoir pressure above the bubble point. This proactive approach minimized solution gas production and preserved the reservoir's energy potential. The optimized strategy yielded a substantial improvement in the ultimate recovery factor, increasing from 28.5% to 32.6% after 34 years of production. Comparative analyses of average reservoir pressure, gas-oil ratio (GOR), and recovery factor graphs illustrated the significant benefits of the optimized approach