Discover Nigerian Academic Research

Sumaila Omuya RAIMI, Human Anatomy - Ahmadu Bello University, 2015

This study is aimed at evaluating the effect of peak milk and three crown milk on hyperglycemic male Wistar rats. Twenty five (25) male adult Wistar rats were grouped into five (5) each containing five (5) rats. Groups I - IV were administered cholesterol serially diluted in distilled water and high fat diet ( 50% commercial grower feed, 30% groundnut meal and 20% groundnut oil) for a period of about 8 weeks. For group V which are the negative control group were fed with commercial growers feed without treatment. At the end of the 8 weeks, blood sample was collected from the tip of their tail for confirmation of the induction of hyperglycemia then followed by treatment. Group I were treated with three crown milk and group II were treated with peak milk while group III were treated with standard drug (glibenclamide) for a period of 2 weeks. The animals were sacrificed, both blood and tissues (liver) samples were collected for analysis. The result obtained from the blood analysis were subjected to statistical analysis at (p<0.05) using EZ analyser 3.0 statistical software tool. The result indicate that the peak milk and three crown have anti-hyperglycemic effect at (p <0.05) and both milks have an ameliorative effect on the serum levels of the biochemical parameters: liver enzymes; alkaline phosphatase, alanine aminotransferase and aspartate aminotransminase (p<0.05) and lipid profile; triglyceride, cholesterol, low density level lipoprotein and high density level lipoprotein (p<0.05). The two brands of milk have ameliorative effect on the histomorphology of liver. This effect was shown by the decreased vacuolisation caused by the induction of hyperglycemia.

Shukurah Omowunmi ABDULKAREEM, Public Health - Kwara State University, 2020

Sawmill workers in Nigeria are exposed to numerous hazards and are at risk of various health problems. This necessitates an urgent need for occupational risk assessment and risk control measures that will ameliorate health status of concern individual.

Islamiyyat Olabisi SALIMON, Environmental Management and Toxicology - Kwara State University, 2023

The study examined the air parameters which are PM2.5 PM10, and TVOC. Evaluation of air quality monitoring data demonstrated that all emissions from charcoal kilns exceeded the prescribed limit during production as stipulated by WHO (1995). Charcoal production is found to contribute to the high levels of PM2.5 PM10, and TVOC. The charcoal workers who work within close proximity to charcoal kilns are subjected to high emissions generating a potential health risk. Traditional charcoal kilns use highly inefficient technology and release significant amounts of air emissions. Based on the empirically reviewed work, the study concludes that charcoal production has significant effect on air quality. Priority should be given to the establishment of air monitoring stations in all urban centers of the country in order to provide accurate and continuous information on air quality. The study therefore recommended that adoption of efficient modern charcoal p

Rukayat ABDULRASHEED, Community Medicine - Ahmadu Bello University, 2023

The cause of over 99% cases of cervical cancer is the Human Papilloma Virus. This can be transmitted through different kinds of sexual intercourse, skin to skin contact, however, protective devices like condoms and dental dams are not known to provide total protection against it but can reduce the risk of transmission. This virus with over 200 strains causes a range of cancers and can affect both men and women, causing penile cancer in men amongst others, although, only the strains 16&18 are responsible for cervical cancer development.In 2006, the US food and drug agency (FDA) licensed the first HPV vaccine. Early 2021, Nigeria proposed the introduction to HPV vaccine as part of the routine national immunization by rolling out both the vaccine and awareness simultaneously at communities which might not be the best approach as awareness should proceed provision in order to achieve acceptance and uptake, this has not been implemented. About 74% of 14 million new cases of HPV infection yearly occur in young men and women between the ages of 15-24 which makes university students at high risk as the majority are between the ages of 18-24 years. Studies in Nigeria has shown that, less than 18%-36% of university students had ever heard of HPV infection and vaccine.

Oluwatimileyin Odunogo ADEDOTUN, Public Health - Kwara State University, 2020

Associations between body mass index (BMI) and blood pressure (BP) have been consistently observed, but remain poorly understood. One unresolved question is whether there is a linear relationship across the entire BMI range (Halsted, 2001). Epidemiological investigations have been hindered by several factors. The association, however consistent, is rather modest in magnitude, and large sample sizes are therefore required in order to make estimates with any degree of certainty. Furthermore, the use of BMI has been questioned because percent body fat, absolute fat mass and body-fat distribution, or other relevant biological quantities, may not be linearly related to BMI across the entire range of possible values or across different population subgroups. Finally, the effect of treatment in many populations truncates the distribution of blood pressures and therefore reduces the correlation that would be observed between BMI and blood pressure in untreated settings. (Lee, et al. 2011).

Maryam SALMAN, Human Physiology - Ahmadu Bello University, 2021

Azanza garckeana commonly known as Goron tula is widely consumed in Northern Nigeria owing to its numerous therapeutic effects. The aim of this study is to determine the effect of methanol fruit pulp of Azanza garckeana on blood glucose level. The acute study was conducted on nine rats which were grouped into three groups with three animals each. Group one served as control and were treated with 10% Tweene 80. Groups two and three were treated orally with 300 mg/kg and 2000 mg/kg of methanol fruit pulp of Azanza garckeana respectively for two weeks. The sub-acute study was conducted on a total of thirty-two (32 n) animals which were divided into four groups each consisting of eight rats. Group one served as the control group and were administered 10% Tweene 80. Group two, three and four were treated with 300 mg/kg, 600 mg/kg and 1200 mg/kg of the extract. The route of administration was oral throughout. The sub-acute study was carried out for twenty-eight (28) days. The blood samples were collected at a weekly interval at the end of week one, two, three and four. The result of the acute study showed that there was no observable changes in both behavioural pattern and physical appearance therefore the extract is considered non-toxic at both high and low doses. The blood glucose result showed no difference between the groups which means that the extract does not have significant ability to cause changes in blood glucose level. In conclusion, methanol fruit pulp extract of Azanza garckeana does not have significant effect on blood glucose level of adult male Wistar rats.

Kaosarat IBRAHIM, Health Education - University of Ilorin, 2023

Drug Abuse has become a prevalence case among secondary school students in this recent time, many secondary school students engage in taking one form of drug to another. This study investigated the perceived causes and effects of drug abuse on the wellbeing of secondary school students in Ilorin West Local Government Area, Kwara State. The purpose of the study is to investigate the perceived causes and effects of drug abuse on the wellbeing of secondary school students in Ilorin West Local Government Area, kwara state.

Abdullahi Ibrahim JALO, Pharmacy - Ahmadu Bello University, 2023

For a long time, it was believed that students studying health related courses required only knowledge and skills to be effective professionals. It is now clear that becoming a professional is a complex process involving not only knowledge and/or skills but also the formation of a professional identity. The aim of this study was to explore perceptions of final year pharmacy students of Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria about their professional identities and the competencies they had acquired during their undergraduate training. The study was cross sectional and used a structured questionnaire to collect data in October 2023. The study questionnaire was subdivided into three sections. The first section collected information about respondents’ demographic characteristics. Items in the second section explored respondents’ perceptions of their professional identity and the final section contained 26 behavioral statements as contained in the International Pharmaceutical Federation (FIP) global competency framework. Descriptive statistics were used to report the results obtained. A total of 104 responses was obtained out of 123 students selected, producing an 84.6% response rate. Majority of the respondents were male (51.9%) and aged between 21-25 years (52.9%). Most of the respondents considered themselves pharmacists (74%) and reported having an understanding of their roles as pharmacists (95.2%). Of the 9 potential professional identities for pharmacists provided to respondents, medicines advisor was the most selected identity (90.4%) while the least selected one was unremarkable character (26.9%). Respondent’ agreement with the behavioral statements ranged from 77.9% to 99%. In conclusion, respondents identified with several professional roles and perceived themselves as capable of carrying out the selected FIP behavioral statements.

Giwa Tolulope Deborah, Aquaculture - University of Ilorin, 2019

Quality of fish as raw material is partly predicated on the stress it passes through before death and method used of fish slaughtering also contribute to it. Effect of different slaughtering methods on rigor mortis, muscle pH and blood hematological variables were investigated. Slaughtering methods employed include: percussive stunning, salt stunning, ice slurry asphyxia and electrical stunning methods. 10 Clarias gariepinus and Heteroclarias each was used for the study. C. gariepinus and Heteroclarias had a pH range of 7.1 -7.4 and 6.9 – 7.2 respectively. No significant difference (P < 0.05) exist in the glucose, sodium, chloride, potassium, osmolality, lactate and cortisol concentration of the C. gariepinus slaughtered using the stunning methods while the highest concentration of urea (2.65±0.07) was observed in the blood of fish killed by ice slurry asphyxia. There was significant difference (P < 0.05) in the urea concentration (4.85±0.07) of Heteroclarias killed by ice slurry asphyxia followed by that slaughtered using salt stunning method (4.30±0.14). Heteroclarias killed using electrical stunning method recorded the highest glucose (7.40±1.27) in its blood which could be as a result of the stress it passed through. The study concluded that killing fish using ice slurry asphyxia impacted more stress on the fish, followed by electrical stunning method. Further research using large sample size is hereby recommended.

Khairat Olamide BASHARU, Biochemistry - University of Ilorin, 2023

Oxidative stress is associated with benzene exposure. Thus benzene toxicity may be ameliorated by antioxidants. Gallic acid has been reported to be an antioxidant. However, it has not been evaluated for its protective effect against benzene toxicity. Therefore, the study was carried out to investigate the prophylactic effects of gallic acid on the activities of selected antioxidant enzymes and concentrations of selected oxidative stress markers in the kidney of mice with benzene-induced oxidative stress. Thirty mice were randomly divided into six groups (A-F) of five mice each. Group A was orally administered distilled water while mice in Groups B, C, D, E and F were orally administered 50 mg/kg body weight of ascorbic acid, 25, 50, 100 mg/kg body weight of gallic acid respectively for 14 days before administering 150 mg/kg body weight of benzene orally to mice in groups B-F for 2 weeks (six days per week). The activities of selected antioxidant enzymes and concentrations of oxidative stress markers in the kidney were then determined. The results revealed that benzene significantly reduced (p<0.05) superoxide dismutase (SOD) and catalase (CAT) activities in negative control when compared to the normal controls. Ascorbic acid and gallic acid at all doses were able to significantly revert (p<0.05) the effect of benzene on these parameters by increasing (p<0.05) the activities of superoxide dismutase and catalase compared to negative control. The results suggest that one of the mechanisms by which gallic acid prevents the toxic effects of benzene in the kidney is by enhancing the activities of SOD and CAT.

Aisha ABDULWAHEED, Human Anatomy - Ahmadu Bello University, 2023

Stress is not a situation or a condition during an adverse condition, as it is generally assumed. In fact, it is a way by which the body overcomes a demanding or undesirable situation. Every day, young and old experience stress at some level. According to the American Psychological Association of Stress (2020), it has been estimated that nearly 2 in 3 adults (65%) are faced with stress. In Drosophila Melanogaster, heat stress can deplete energy level reserves in them. A transient thermal stress can induce a lasting 'memory effect' on body fat storage in Drosophila melanogaster, which can reduce their survivorship. This study was carried out to determine the effect of heat stress at different time ranges on Drosophila melanogaster. Whirlch wild type Drosophila melanogaster was populated and then grouped into four groups with 30 flies of 3 replicate each and were maintained in a plastic vial on standard cornmeal food at 25°C. The control group flies were maintained under normal temperature, while the experimental group flies were induced with 20 mins, 30 mins, and 40 mins heat shock respectively. This experiment lasted for 15 days. We recorded the climbing performance of flies and ran a statistical analysis using One-Way ANOVA followed by a post Hoc Tukey test, and we discovered a significant decrease (*p=<0.05) in the climbing performance of flies induced with heat shock compared to the control group, also we observed a significant increase (*p=<0.05) in the MDA level of flies induced with heat shock when compared with the control group. And a significant decrease (*p=<0.05) in the GSH level was observed when compared with that of the control.

Ohitoto salamatu MUHAMMAD, English and Literary Studies - Federal University of Lafia, 2023

Meaning generation is a pivotal factor for effective communication. Politicians in their speeches performed different speech acts. The electorates are most often constraint and find it hard to get meaning. This is because most approaches developed to explain how meaning is generated rely on linguistic knowledge of the language user without looking at the extra-linguistic factors, therefore making those approaches to be inadequate. This accounts for this study, a pragmatic analysis of Bola Ahmad Tinubu’s acceptance speech. It is geared toward unearthing hidden meaning as well as the effectiveness and implication of speech acts in conveying his intended meaning to Nigerians.

Hussaini Kehinde MOHAMMED, Statistics - Federal University of Technology, Minna, 2023

This paper examines the relevant issue of insecurity in Nigeria and its implication for socio- economic development, with the available data on the level and magnitude of insecurity in Nigeria exposes an increase over time, which constitutes serious threat to lives and properties, obstructs commercial activities and discourages local and foreign investors, all which suppresses Nigeria’s socio-economic growth. This rising wave of insecurity has not subsided but has assumed an unsafe facet which is threatening the communal existence of the country as one geographical entity. The overall view of the paper written, it is recommended that government should restructure and decentralize security architecture, increase capital expenditure on security and provide the enabling environment for people to work especially in the area of security of lives and property. The real solution lies in government accelerating the pace of economic growth by creating an economy with a relevant social, economic and physical infrastructure to support business and industrial growth. This research work investigated restructuring national security for economic growth in Nigeria for the period 1999 to 2020, In a bid to actualize the main objective of this study, a good number of literature materials were reviewed and data were collected from secondary sources such as the various editions of CBN Statistical Bulletin and Annual Abstract Statistics. The data were analyzed using Multiple Linear Regression (MLR). The selected variables are (i.e. Gross Domestic product, terrorism risk index, discomfort index, Life expectancy at birth and unemployment rate).

Aisha Danladi MUSA , Nursing Science - Ahmadu Bello University, 2023

The study was carried out to assess nurses' attitudes and practices towards Patient Teaching in Ahmadu Bello University Teaching Hospital (ABUTH), Zaria. The objectives of this study are to assess nurses' attitudes toward patient teaching, to find out whether nurses practice patient teaching in ABUTH, to identify strategies and types of patient teaching adopted by nurses in ABUTH, to determine challenges nurses encounter in patient teaching in ABUTH, Zaria. A cross-sectional descriptive study was used for the study. Relevant literature was reviewed. A sample size of eighty-seven (87) was used for the study. Online questionnaires were used to collect data from the respondents. The data collected was analyzed using Statistical Package for Social Sciences version 25. The findings in this study reveal that the majority of the respondents (79.1%) strongly agreed that they view patient teaching as a core responsibility for nurses, 97.7% of the respondents engaged in patient teaching, and 51.7% said they use the unplanned (informal) method of teaching. 40.2% of the respondents use the discussion method (one-to-one/group discussion) to teach adult patients, 42.5% of the respondents use storybooks as a teaching tool for children, 37.9% of the respondents indicated a conducive environment as a strategy for patient teaching. 65.5% indicated that they encounter shortage of staff, 77.0% of the respondents indicated that cultural and religious beliefs prevent them from patient teaching. Based on the findings, it was concluded that the Nurses in Ahmadu Bello University Teaching Hospital Zaria have a positive attitude and practice towards Patient Teaching and it was recommended that the ways to improve nurses' attitude and practice of patient teaching is by employment of more nurses to enable them to have time to teach patients, provision of adequate teaching materials, and a conducive environment.

Abdulhakim Dangana MUSA, MicroBiology - Ahmadu Bello University, 2023

Fungal contaminants of dried date fruits were isolated from three (3) locations in Samaru, Zaria. A total of 30 samples were collected from the sample collection sites namely Samaru Market, front of Suleiman Hall, and opposite North Gate, ten (10) samples from each. Samples were cultured on Potato Dextrose Agar (PDA) after which they were sub-cultured onto Malt Extract Agar (MEA) to obtain pure isolates. A total of 60 isolates were isolated from the 30 total samples obtained, with 20 isolates gotten from each sample collection sites. Basic slide culture technique was used for the identification and characterization of the isolates based on the presence of distinct features. The fungal contaminants identified were Rhizopus oryzae, Aspergillus niger, and penicillium spp.