The use of depot medroxyprogesterone acetate (DMPA) injectable contraceptive in Enugu, Nigeria.

CONTEXT: Contraception with Depot Medroxyprogesterone Acetate (Depo provera) is quite effective though not without side effects that may cause discontinuation amongst acceptors. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate client characteristics, their experiences and acceptability of Depo provera in Enugu and compare these with previous experiences elsewhere. MATERIALS AND METHOD: A review of the family planning records of new acceptors who used Depo provera between 1st January 2000 and 31st December 2005 at the family planning clinic of University of Nigeria Teaching Hospital, Ituku-Ozalla, Enugu. RESULTS: Within the study period, 684 new clients accepted Depo provera, accounting for 21.4% of all new acceptors for various forms of contraception. The mean [+/- SD] age and parity of the 590 acceptors whose records were available were 34.40 +/- 6.03 years and 5.52 +/- 2.02 respectively. Seventy percent (70%) of the clients had 5 or more children. Most (51.6%) had primary education. Seventy percent of clients with 5 or more children wanted no more children while 30% of those gainfully employed use of Depo provera for child spacing. Fifty seven percent of clients accepted Depo provera within a year following confinement and 80.2% of them were breast feeding. Complications occurred in 54.2% of all acceptors, with menstrual abnormalities occurring in 94.4% of them. Secondary amenorrhoea was the commonest menstrual anomaly occurring in 81.1% of clients with menstrual problems. Discontinuation in use Depo provera was 51.5% after the first one year. Irregular injection schedules and default were common with a continuation rate of 25.6% at the end of they observation period. However, the complaints of side effects appeared to wane beyond the second year of use. Three accidental pregnancies (0.5%) occurred during the study period. CONCLUSION: Depot medroxyprogesterone acetate injectable contraceptive is an effective method of contraception in Enugu. It is accepted mainly by clients that have completed their family and are breast feeding. Awareness of its side effects obviously enhances continuation.

Sarcoma botyroides of the cervix in a HIV positive 45-year-old woman: a case report.

UNLABELLED: Embryonal rhabdomyosarcomas (Sarcoma botyroides) are malignancies of connective tissue with abnormal cells which are thought to arise from skeletal muscle progenitors. It is a rare childhood malignant solid tumour and occurs in children mostly less than 10 years. It can occur at any age but two commonest peaks are 1-5 years (when approximately 66.6% occur) and 15-19 years accounting for the rest. Sarcoma botyroides which usually occurs in the vagina in childhood is rare in the female reproductive tract of adult women especially those over the age of 40. We report here a case of a 45-year-old HIV-positive woman who presented with profuse bleeding from the vagina with severe anaemia. Macroscopically, a cauliflower polypoid growth was seen protruding from the cervix into the vagina. Histopathological studies confirmed a diagnosis of sarcoma botyroides. CONCLUSION: The need for a high index of suspicion of sarcoma botyroides of the cervix must be borne in mind when making a diagnosis on all cervical polypoidal masses. Also the importance of looking out for lesions and malignancies on all HIV positive patients cannot be over-emphasized.

Secretion of lysine in a broth medium by lactic bacteria and yeasts associated with garri production using a synthetic gene.

Although cassava is an important food in the tropics, it has two major deficiencies which are carried over into those foods made from it: its content of toxic cyanogenic glucosides and its low content of protein and amino acids. Garri, a fermented cassava food, has previously been ameliorated using organisms which simultaneously secrete linamarase (to reduce the residual cyanide in the food), amylase (to contribute to the growth of fermenting organisms and increase the flavour) and lysine (to improve the amino-acid content of the food). Some of the organisms fermenting cassava for garri production produce appreciable quantities of linamarase and amylase, but they are low in lysine production. It was therefore decided to improve these organisms by transforming them with a synthetic lysine gene coding for an 8-lysine peptide cloned in pBluescript II SK phagemid vector under the control of lac promoter. The synthetic lysine polypeptide gene was successfully introduced into Escherichia coli DH5 alpha and several strains of Lactobacillus spp. and Saccharomyces spp. There was a dramatic increase in lysine secretion in the organisms, ranging from about 2.5 to sixfold, following transformation with the synthetic gene.

Improvement of garri quality by the inoculation of microorganisms into cassava mash.

Lactobacillus delbruckii, Lactobacillus coryneformis, and a Saccharomyces sp., previously found among 214 isolates to be the highest producers of linamarase, amylase, and lysine were inoculated separately or mixed into cassava mash and fermented with, or without dewatering, for 24, 48, 72, 96 and 120 h. At the end of the fermentation period, the mash was converted to garri by heating over a gas burner. The mash and the garri resulting from it were assessed for lysine and residual cyanide, while the garri was also studied for its organoleptic properties. The inoculation of the microorganisms into cassava mash produced a sharp drop in the cyanide content of the mash, particularly when the mixture of organisms was inoculated into undewatered cassava mash rather the single organisms. After 24 h, while the cyanide content of the control (uninoculated mash) mash was 3.06 microg/g in the dewatered mash, and 4.24 microg/g in the undewatered mash, the inoculation of a mixture of the three organisms caused the cyanide content in the inoculated mashes to drop by 150% to 1.96 microg/g (dewatered mash) and by 300% to 1.43 microg/g (undewatered mash). It also appears that the process of producing the garri from the mash by heating, caused a further reduction of the cyanide content: thus the garri always contained less cyanide than the mash from which it was made. The lysine content of the mash was also highest when all three organisms were mixed; it also tended to increase with increasing length of fermentation of the mash. Whereas the single organism most effective in reducing the cyanide content of mash was Lactobacillus delbruckii, in the case of lysine production, it was the yeast. The organoleptic properties of the garri which were assessed were flavour, texture, colour and general acceptability. In general these properties were superior at the P < 0.01 level in garri made from the undewatered mash in comparison with that from dewatered mash, especially when the mixture of organisms was used. The inoculation of the mixture of the three organisms produced a dramatic reduction in the time (24 h) taken for the highest 'general acceptability' score to be given by the tasters when compared with the singly inoculated organisms and the control, which attained this characteristic after about 96 h of incubation in mash.

Development of baking yeast from Nigerian palm-wine yeasts.

Two local strains of Saccharomyces cerevisiae, Nk, and Nk2, showed leavening activities of 103% and 102% of that of a commercial yeast strain on wheat flour and of 114% and 113% on composite dough with 40% (w/v) maize substitution. Yeast fusion products Nk/Ng, Nk/Nk1 and Nk/Nk2 showed activities of 104% to 113% on wheat flour and 111% to 131% on the composite dough. These advantages were maintained in the yeasts' baking properties and organoleptic qualities. The fusion products also showed enhanced osmotic tolerance, as indicated by good growth in 3%, 6% and 10% (w/v) NaCl and 50% (w/v) glucose. Viability of the fusion products, preserved by drying at 30 to 35°C, dropped to between 62% and 72% after 3 months.

Biotechnology and sustainable development in sub-Saharan Africa.

Whether development is defined by the long-standing economic parameter of per capita gross national product (GNP) or by the newly introduced Human Development Index (HDI), which is not based exclusively on per capita GNP, the countries of sub-Saharan Africa rank at or near the bottom of the developing world. Agriculture and agro-based processing are the mainstays of the economies of the majority of these countries. Because of this, and also because many of the diseases endemic in these countries are communicable, the application of modern biotechnology (including genetic engineering, tissue culture and monoclonal antibody technology) and related biotechnologies could play an important part in creating sustainable development in the region. There is, therefore, an urgent need to train more of the region's indigenous citizens, and to equip more laboratories, in modern biotechnology. It is suggested that, in order to accelerate the harnessing of the fruits of biotechnology, more countries in the region should affiliate with the International Centre for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology (ICGEB). It is further suggested that a regional equivalent of the ICGEB be built and the services of non-governmental biotechnology organizations used.

Purification and some properties of a starch debranching enzyme ofHendersonula toruloidea.

An extracellular, debranching isoamylase fromHendersonula toruloidea ATCC 64930, grown on starch, was purified 12-fold to an electrophoretically homogeneous state. The purified enzyme (estimated mol wt 83000) was optimally active at pH 6.0 and 50°C and remained active when held at 70°C (30 min) and at pH 6 to 8 for 24 h. Na(+), Fe(2+) and Ba(2+) (at 5MM) enhanced enzyme activity while Hg(2+), Zn(2+) and Cu(2+) (at 5MM) were inhibitory. The enzyme hydrolysed amylopectin (Km, 0.25 mg/ml), forming maltose, maltotriose and maltotetraose and hydrolyzed glycogen (Km, 0.29 mg/ml) and soluble starch (Km, 0.42 mg/ml) forming maltotriose and maltotetraose. Pullulan was not hydrolyzed.

Formulation of a flowable liquid concentrate of Bacillus thuringiensis serotype H-14 spores and crystals as mosquito larvicide.

Bacillus thuringiensis serotype H-14 spores and crystals, produced in 51 fermenters, were centrifuged and resuspended in emulsified palm olein to give 3.2 x 10(11) colony forming units (cfu)/ml. The suspension was mixed with a cassava-molasses-palm olein-charcoal (CMPC-2) mixture which served as the carrier, adhesive, dispersant and protectant. The final concentration of the formulation was 3.2 x 10(9) cfu/ml. The lethal concentrations capable of killing 50% of the test population (LC50) of CMPC-2 during 0, 1 and 2 years of storage at 32 +/- 4 degrees C were 0.056, 0.058 and 0.058 mg/ml respectively as against 0.054, 0.051 and 0.054 mg/ml for the Institut Pasteur Standard-1978 (IPS-78) during the corresponding period. The chi 2 tests showed that the results were homogeneous at P = 0.05. The relative potencies of the preparations were 964.3, 879.3 and 931 International toxic units (ITU) Aedes aegypti as compared with the 1000 ITU assigned to IPS-78. At 95% confidence limits there was no significant difference between the potencies of CMPC-2 and IPS-78. Field tests showed that CMPC-2 provided between 87.5 and 100% control of natural populations of Aedes spp. and Cutex spp. Sedimentation tests showed that CMPC-2 settled markedly during storage. This, therefore, required that the product be thoroughly shaken before use.

Preparation of a flowable liquid bacterial insecticide based on Bacillus sphaericus.

Fermenter-produced Bacillus sphaericus 2362 was formulated into a thick, dark flowable liquid concentrate containing 4.8×10(9) c.f.u./ml and charcoal as protector against ultraviolet light. The potencies of the formulation against L4 Culex pipiens quinquefasciatus before and after storage for 2 years were 5714 and 5862 International Toxic Units (ITU), respectively, when compared with a standardized B. sphaericus from the WHO at 1000 ITU. In field trials, treatment at 1.01/ha gave 96 to 100% control of mosquito larvae. B. sphaericus could be re-isolated in 5% of the samples 9 months after application.

Malting and brewing qualities of some Nigerian rice (Oryza sativa L.) varieties and some thoughts on the assessment of malts from tropical cereals.

The maiting qualities of six varieties of Nigerian rice were studied and compared with malts from sorghum and barley. A minimum of seven days was necessary for maximum yield of extract from malted rice. The beer brewed from the six rice malts were similar to each other and to those from sorghum and barley in analytical properties. The appropriateness of using methods designed for assessing barley malt should be re-examined for studying malts from tropical cereals. Meanwhile, it should be sufficient to determine the extract and the nitrogen content of the wort using the European Brewing methods to assess a tropical cereal for mall.

Use of unmalted sorghum as a brewing adjunct.

Hydrolysis of three varieties of unmalted sorghum by endogenous amylases produced sufficient maltose and glucose for subsequent brewing of beer. The optimal temperature and pH of the sorghum amylase activities varied between the three varleties. ß-Amylase was optimal when used at 60°C and pH 5 for two varieties but at 60°C and pH 6 for another. The optimal α-amylase activity was between about 72°C and 75°C for all the sorghum varieties. The activities of the amylases differed considerably between the species.

Medium for the production of primary powder of Bacillus thuringiensis subsp. israelensis.

Five media, formulated from the seeds of five legume varieties, dried cow blood, and mineral salts, were assessed for the growth and production of insecticidal properties of Bacillus thuringiensis subsp. israelensis. Bacterial powders prepared from the broth cultures were assayed against the larvae of Aedes aegypti, Culex quinquefasciatus, and Anopheles gambiae. A standard primary powder of B. thuringiensis subsp. israelensis (IPS78) was included in the assay for comparison. Good growth was obtained in all the media, and all powders were effective against the three types of mosquito larvae. The powder containing ground seeds of Voandzeia subterranean was the most effective and compared favorably with the standard (IPS78). The concentrations required to kill 50% of the larvae of Aedes aegypti, C. quinquefasciatus, and Anopheles gambiae were 1.13 X 10(-2) +/- 1.79 X 10(-3), 1.83 X 10(-2) +/- 2.55 X 10(-3), and 2.25 X 10(-2) +/- 1.88 X 10(-3) micrograms/ml, respectively. This investigation shows that the medium containing V. subterranean can be used for the production of B. thuringiensis subsp. israelensis primary powder.

Production of Bacillus sphaericus strain 1593 primary powder on media made from locally obtainable Nigerian agricultural products.

Five media, formulated from dried cow blood, mineral salts, and seeds from four species of legumes, were assessed for growth, sporulation, and insecticidal properties of Bacillus sphaericus strain 1593. Bacterial powders, prepared from broth, were assayed against Culex quinquefasciatus, Anopheles gambiae, and Aedes aegypti. Good growth and sporulation were obtained with all the media. The highest number of viable cells and spores per mililitre (8.6 X 10(8) and 8.1 X 10(8] were obtained in media containing ground seeds of Vignia unguiculata, Voandzeia subterranean, and Arachis hypogea. All powders were effective against C. quinquefasciatus and A. gambiae. Powders from media containing Arachis hypogea were the most effective with LC50's of 4.344 X 10(-3) +/- 1.650 X 10(-4) and 0.193 +/- 1.376 X 10(-2) micrograms/mL for C. quinquefasciatus and A. gambiae, respectively. Aedes aegypti larvae were only slightly susceptible to the powders. This investigation shows that these media can be used for the production of B. sphaericus 1593 primary powder.