Effects of Psidium guajava L. Leaf Powder and Aloe vera L. Gel on Shelf Life of Citrus sinensis L. Fruits

Postharvest loss of fruits is a critical problem due of rapid deterioration during handling, transportation and warehousing. Edible coating over fruits is utilised to boost their quality and shelf life. The effects of leaf extracts of Psidium guajava and Aloe vera gel on the elongation of the shelf life of orange fruits were evaluated. Orange fruits were treated with Guava leaf powder and A. vera gel to assess their effectiveness in extending their shelf life and quality in storage. Weight loss, firmness, post-harvest decay, marketability and shelf life of uncoated and coated samples were evaluated all through the period of this study. Fungi were also isolated from deteriorating samples. A. vera was able to preserve the orange samples for 21 days; P. guajava preserved them for 17 days while the untreated fruit samples stayed for 14 days. Three fungi viz: Botryodiplodia theobromae, Fusarium oxysporum and Rhizopus stolonifer were isolated from the decomposing orange fruits. The result shows that orange fruits coated with A. vera gel and guava leaf powder is effective in extending the shelf-life of orange fruits when compared to untreated fruit (control) in the following order: A. vera>P. guajava > control. The findings from this study indicate that plant extracts could be employed to prolong the shelf life and improve quality of orange fruits.

Profilistic Study of Bioactivities of Extracts of Gongronema latifolium Incorporated with Alum on some Clinical Bacteria

Profilistic study of bioactivities of aqueous, ethanolic and methanolic leaf extracts of Gongronema latifolium in combination with potassium aluminium sulphate (Alum) against some clinical bacterial pathogens were investigated by disc diffusion (DD) and Agar well diffusion (AWD) methods respectively. The leaf extracts at concentrations of 0.1-0.3g were reconstituted in sterile distilled water as well as 1.0-3.0g of alum prior to application. In-vitro bioactivity of various concentrations of the extracts and in combination with alum were evaluated by measuring diameter of inhibition zones (DIZs) respectively. Methanolic leaf extract (MLE) had the largest mean DIZs of 14.5�5 and 11.5�0mm on Escherichia coli and Salmonella typhi, with enhanced bioactivity of 19.5�7 and 17.5�7mm with alum against Bacillus subtilis, Sal. typhi and Pseudomonas aeruginosa by DD and AWD methods respectively. However, aqueous leaf extract (ALE) and ethanolic leaf extract (ELE) and their combinations depicted appreciable antibacterial activity on the pathogens but incomparable to MLE. Generally, there was enhancement of bioactivties with the incorporation of Alum to the leaf extracts (irrespective of solvent of extraction) on a dose response fashion particularly by AWD method. Furthermore, the low MIC values of less than 0.05 to 0.2mg/ml on the bacteria with MLE and ALE, validates their potency and broad spectrum activity. In contrast, the very large DIZs of Ciprofloxacin (CP) reflects the beneficial impact of purified chemotherapeutics against pathogens. Thus, the improved efficacy of these extracts with alum would justify future application in ethnomedicine as well as in nutraceuticals/pharmaceuticals or in food systems as 揼reen chemicals� or 揵iopreservatives�.

Glucose Enzymatic Modulation by Vernonia amygdalina in Streptozotocin- Diabetic Wistar Rats.

The present study examines the effect of some bioactive constituents of Vernonia amygdalina crude extract and fractions on enzymes involved in glucose metabolism and treatment of Diabetes Mellitus. Fresh Vernonia amygdalina leaves were extracted using ethanol. Four fractions from this extract were obtained by liquid-liquid fractionation technique using solvents of varying polarity and the bioactive compounds were identified by Gas Chromatography–Mass Spectrum (GC-MS) analysis. Resultant fractions were administered at 300 mg/kgBW to streptozotocin (60 mg/kg) induced diabetic wistar rats. The results shows that various fractions produced a fall in the fasting blood glucose level in diabetic rats; Chloroform (65.85%), ethyl acetate (69.65%) Benzene (45.59%) and Butanol (37.31%) and all fractions showed increase in the activity of glucose metabolic enzymes (hexokinase, pyruvate kinase, Glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PDH) and Diaphorase (NADPH) between 20–81%, significantly higher than that of the metformin (reference drug at 50 mg/kg). Administration of Crude ethanolic leaf extracts of Vernonia amygdalina at dose of 300 mg/kg produced a fall (81.45%) in the fasting blood glucose level and subsequent increase in glucose metabolic enzyme activity (hexokinase, pyruvate kinase, Glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PDH) and Diaphorase (NADPH) (20–35%) in the diabetic Wistar rats after 28 days of treatment. GC-MS analysis showed that the plant and its fractions possess hypoglycaemic bioactive constituents such as Phytol, Palmitic acid, stearic acid and oxirane. The findings suggest that Vernonia amygdalina extract reduced the hyperglycaemic effect of streptozotocin-induced diabetes through its effect on glucose metabolism by promoting enzymes of the glycolytic and the pentose phosphate pathway, a property attributable to its active chemical constituents.

Microflora of Three Dehydrated Vegetables.

Consumption of fresh vegetables is very common in Nigeria. One of the methods of increasing the availability of vegetables all year round is drying. There is need to determine the microbial quality/safety of the dehydrated vegetables in order to determine the risk of food borne diseases. The microorganisms associated with three dehydrated vegetables (bitter leaf, bell pepper and okra) were isolated, identified and enumerated. The moisture contents of the vegetables were determined and the effects of varying temperature levels on growth of microbial isolates recovered from the samples were studied. A total of nine bacteria, namely: Staphylococcus aureus, Acinetobacter iwoffi, Corynebacterium sp., Bacillus pumilus, Micrococcus sp., Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Flavobacterium sp., Bacillus sp., Micrococcus kristianae and eleven fungi: Aspergillus niger, A. flavus, Aspergillus spp., Penicillium spp., Cladosporium sp., Fusarium spp. were isolated. The mean for total colony forming units (cfu/g) for bacteria were 2.1x107cfu/g, 6.1x105cfu/g, 2.2x106 cfu/g for bell pepper, bitter leaf and okra, respectively while the mean for total colony forming unit (cfu/g) for fungi were highest (1.3 x 106cfu/g) in bell pepper while bitter leaf recorded the least (7 x 103cfu/g) mean for total colony unit for fungi. The mean for percentage (%) moisture content ranged between 16.6-25.8%.The optimum growth was recorded for all the bacteria and fungi at 37ºC and 30ºC; nearly all the isolates had their growth retarded at 45ºC. The recovery of several harmful microorganisms in this study suggest the need for proper handling of vegetables during processing and storage to minimize microbial contamination in order to protect consumers’ health.

Maternal mortality at the central hospital, Benin City Nigeria: a ten year review

Maternal mortality remains a major challenge in Nigeria. This retrospective study was conceptualized to document the number and pattern of obstetric deaths at the Central Hospital, Benin City, over a ten year period, to identify common causes of maternal deaths and proffer relevant interventions. The overall maternal mortality ratio (MMR) was 518/100,000. MMR was 30 times higher in unbooked as compared to the booked patients, while 60% of maternal deaths occurred within 24 hours of admission. The leading direct causes of maternal deaths were sepsis, hemorrhage, obstructed labor and preeclampsia/eclampsia, while the major indirect causes are institutional difficulties and anaemia. Low literacy, high poverty levels, extremes of parity and non-utilization of maternity services were associated with maternal mortality. Recommendations are made for public enlightenment campaign and advocacy activities aimed at mobilizing resources for reducing maternal mortality. Also, female education and poverty alleviation programmes will contribute to the reduction of the burden of maternal mortality (Afr J Reprod Health 2008; 12[3]:17-26)

Public health ethics: tradition, profession, and values

This article asks the difficult questionsÑ what is public health? and what is public health ethics? The articlealso recognizes that even though public health and biomedical ethics overlap, they have distinct aspects. The article examines the unique population-based perspective of public health and how it can be distinguished from patientcentered biomedical ethics. Additionally, public health scholars and practitioners often use ethical analyses with other forms of reasoning, particularly law and human rights. The article, therefore, explores the relationship among publichealth ethics, public health law and human rights. The various meanings of each form of reasoning are discussed, as well as the similarities and differences among them. The article concludes with a proposal for reconciling the inherent tradeoffs between public health and civil liberties. Prior to exercising compulsory powers, public health officials should examine the risk to the public; the likelihood that the intervention will be effective; the opportunity costs; the burdens on human rights and the policyÕs fairness.

Feeding practices of infants, and beliefs of mothers in Western Jamaica

An infant feeding survey was carried out in three parishes in Cornwall County, Jamaica, from March to August, 1984, in an attempt to determine the feeding practices of infants and beliefs of mothers in Western Jamica Forty-one Enumeration Districts (EDs were randomly selected from two strata. urban and rural, in proportion to the population distribution. Six hundred and fourteen households with children under 36 months of age were selected from 41 EDs. The results showed that prevalence of breastfeeding was 98.0%. Despite the high frequency of breastfeeding, infant formula was introduced very early, and only about half of the mothers introduced semi-solids and solids within one month of the recommended time. The most popular foods, identified as good foods, were also popular weaning foods. It is concluded that there is need for adequate rraining of both primary and secondary health-care staff, and reinforcemen of nutrition messages by frontline health workers. The collection of adequate baseline data in evaluating the effectiveness of nutrition education programmes is also important