Corrosion of food grinding discs in gastro-intestinal environment.

The need for food size reduction before consumption has led to the use of motorized grinding machine which operates on energized rubbing of two grooved cast-iron discs, and this unintentionally results in tribological degradation and corrosion of grinding discs into the ground food. The objective of this study was to carry out an assessment of corrosion susceptibility of grinding discs from different manufacturing methods in simulated gastro-intestinal environment. Six grinding discs from three states in Nigeria were selected for this study, based on manufacturing methods namely: rotary, cupola, and pit furnaces. Experimental techniques used for the study included: X-Ray Fluorescence spectroscope for determination of chemical composition and X-Ray Diffractometer was used for phase identification. Corrosion susceptibility of grinding discs on interaction with pseudo-body fluid was studied using potentiodynamic polarization scan and product analysis (gasometric) methods in simulated gastro-intestinal environment, typical of human stomach, as electrolyte. The electrolyte contained 2 g/L NaCl acidified to pH of 1.7 with HCl and regulated at 37 °C. Optical microscopy of the electrochemical samples was done for corrosion damage assessment. The key finding from the study was that all the grinding discs contain iron and silicon as dominant alloy elements, which existed predominantly as iron carbide and ferrosilicon phases. Corrosion of the discs in simulated gastric solution was well profound irrespective of the manufacturing method, though, with varying degree among the discs. The outcome of this study is applicable to food industries where cognitive measures may have to be taken on materials selection to minimise the risk of food contamination from materials corrosion.

Cross-sectional prevalence and pattern of non-anaemia severe malaria among 2-10 year olds in Sokoto in Northwestern Nigeria.

Malaria is highly prevalent in Nigeria and accounts for approximately 40% of global malaria mortality. However, most reports on severe malaria in Nigeria are from hospital-based studies without accurate information from communities; thus, malaria-related deaths in the community are left untracked. This study aimed to describe the prevalence and pattern of severe malaria in a community in Northwestern Nigeria. A cross-sectional study was conducted among 2-10-year-old children in Sokoto, in August and December 2016, to determine the endemicity of malaria based on Plasmodium falciparum prevalence rate (PfPR2-10) and to describe the disease pattern. Severe malaria was diagnosed according to the World Health Organisation criteria. Data were described using Stata version 15. The prevalence of non-anaemia severe malaria was higher than expected (2.6%), considering the endemicity pattern which was mesoendemic based on a PfPR2-10 of 34.8%. The mean age of children with severe malaria was 3.73 years, and the male-female ratio was 2:1. However, 54.0% of the patients had hyperparasitaemia. A relatively high prevalence of non-anaemia severe malaria was found in Wamakko. This finding suggests the need to identify and treat cases in the community using modifications of current strategies, particularly seasonal malaria chemoprophylaxis.

Assessment of Hepatitis B Viral Infection as a Predictor of Hepatic Enzymes and Compounds Alteration among Antenatal Patients.

Worldwide, hepatitis B viral (HBV) infection continues to be a major public health issue. The study was aimed at assessing HBV infection as a predictor of hepatic enzymes and compounds alteration among antenatal patients in Kano State, Nigeria. Sera were screened for HBV markers using immunochromatograhy and ELISA. Serum levels of alkaline phosphatase (ALP), asphatate aminotransferase (AST), alanine aminotransferase (ALT), albumin and bilirubin were also determined. Out of the 160 patients, 6.9% and 31.3% tested positive for HBsAg and HBcAb, respectively. None tested positive for HBeAg. These markers also appeared in other combinations. Of the HBsAg seropositives, 72.7% showed abnormal levels of both AST and ALP, 36.7% showed abnormal levels of both total and direct bilirubin, 9.1% showed abnormal levels of albumin, and none showed abnormal levels of ALT. HBsAg seropositivity shows significant association with ALP elevation (p = 0.02).The study revealed that few subjects (1.3%) that tested positive for HBsAg and HBeAb with normal ALT were in the inactive carrier phase of chronic hepatitisand6.9% that were seronegatives for all HBV markers equally had altered hepatic enzymes. The presence of HBeAg in the serum during HBV infection seems to cause a marked elevation of ALT level, while the reverse happens if HBeAg is absent. HBV infection can alter levels of hepatic enzymes and compounds and thus serve as one of its predictors, however; pregnancy can also lead to some of these alterations, which makes it difficult to establish the origin of these alterations among antenatal patients.

Inhibitory and apoptosis-inducing effects of Newcastle disease virus strain AF2240 on mammary carcinoma cell line.

Breast cancer is the malignant tumour that developed from cells of the breast and is the first leading cause of cancer death among women worldwide. Surgery, radiotherapy, and chemotherapy are the available treatments for breast cancer, but these were reported to have side effects. Newcastle disease virus (NDV) known as Avian paramyxovirus type-1 (APMV1) belongs to the genus Avulavirus in a family Paramyxoviridae. NDV is shown to be a promising anticancer agent, killing tumour cells while sparing normal cells unharmed. In this study, the oncolytic and cytotoxic activities of NDV AF2240 strain were evaluated on MDA-MB-231, human mammary carcinoma cell line, using MTT assay, and its inhibitory effects were further studied using proliferation and migration assays. Morphological and apoptotic-inducing effects of NDV on MD-MB-231 cells were observed using phase contrast and fluorescence microscopes. Detection of DNA fragmentation was done following terminal deoxyribonucleotide transferase-mediated Br-dUTP nick end labeling staining (TUNEL) assay, which confirmed that the mode of death was through apoptosis and was quantified by flow cytometry. Furthermore, analysis of cellular DNA content demonstrated that the virus caused an increase in the sub-G1 phase (apoptotic peak) of the cell cycle. It appears that NDV AF2240 strain is a potent anticancer agent that induced apoptosis in time-dependent manner.