Lipase production by strains of Aspergillus species isolated from contaminated body creams
October 2011
Aspergillus species isolated from contaminated body creams were screened for their ability to produce extracellular lipase. Of the 6 strains tested two, identified as Aspergillus niger AC-5 and AC-7 and one strain ofAspergillus fumigatus. AF-3 were capable of producing extracellular lipase in appreciable amounts. A. nigerAC-5 was the highest lipase producer, followed by A. fumigatus AF-3,...
Assessment of sorghum beer for alcohol and metal ions content and genotoxicity in mice bone marrow
October 2011
National well-being, life expectancy (LE), water quality, alcohol consumption etc, have been shown to be interrelated. In Lesotho, with LE below world average, one widely consumed beverage is a locally brewed sorghum beer, sesotho. Therefore, beers from four different sources were analyzed for metals, alcohols (mg/L) and mice bone marrow genotoxicity. The beers contained different (p<0.05)...
Iron and nitric oxide play key roles in the development of cardiovascular disorder
September 2011
Iron (Fe) is an essential but potentially harmful nutrient. On the other hand, nitric oxide (NO) is an inorganic free-radical gaseous molecule which has been implicated to play an unprecedented variety of roles in biological systems. Although complex relationships between Fe and NO have been demonstrated, there are still controversies as to what are the influences of Fe on NO balance in the development of cardiovascular...
Hydrogeochemistry of subsurface water around waste disposal sites in Hyderabad city, India: Geogenic and anthropogenic consequence
September 2011
Geochemical study of groundwater around major dumpsites in Hyderabad city India, this study was carried out to evaluate the groundwater quality. Approximately 4,000 tons of solid wastes are dumped in low-lying areas as landfills on daily basis affecting groundwater quality. The samples were collected from sixty location points in/around dumpsites and were precisely analysed for physicochemical characters by standard...
Prevalence of alcohol in autopsied medico-legal cases at the National Institute of Forensic Medicine, Jordan
September 2011
It is well established that drinking alcohol increases the risk of fatal injuries. The presence of blood alcohol in autopsied deaths is regularly encountered in medico-legal practices. The aim of this study is to investigate the prevalence and concentration of alcohol in 1731 medico-legal autopsies that were conducted in the National Institute of Forensic Medicine (NIFM), Jordan from January 2007 to December...
Metal quantification in cattle: A case of cattle at slaughter at Ota Abattoir, Nigeria
September 2011
In this study, cattle were assessed for the levels of metals in some organs. Six metals, Arsenic (As), Cadmium (Cd), Cobalt (Co), Chromium (Cr), Nickel (Ni) and Lead (Pb) were determined in twenty samples comprising four different parts (liver, kidney, muscle tissue and blood) from five cows at slaughter in a major abattoir in Ota, using flame atomic absorption spectrophotometer (S-series 712354v1.27), following...
Degradation of antibiotics by bacteria and fungi from the aquatic environment
September 2011
The potential of using bacteria and fungi from aquatic environment to degrade a mixture of two antibiotics, ciprofloxacin and erythromycin, was investigated. The antibiotics were added to river water at a concentration of 4 and 120 mg.L-1 for ciprofloxacin and erythromycin respectively. Three variations of the study unit were setup. The first having increased phosphate concentration; the second having slight...
Adsorption of Rhodamine B dye from aqueous solution onto acid activated mango (Magnifera indica) leaf powder: Equilibrium, kinetic and thermodynamic studies
September 2011
Acid activated mango leaf powder (MLP) was employed for removal of the rhodamine B (RB) dye from aqueous solution. Batch adsorption studies were carried out under varying conditions of dye concentration, adsorbent dose, particle size, contact time, pH, and temperature. Removal efficiency was 77% in 45 min with 6.0 pH, 25 g/L as dose, 250 mg/L RB concentration and 30°C temperature. The equilibrium data the best...
Evaluation of socio-economic impact of arsenic contamination in Bangladesh
September 2011
Groundwater arsenic contamination in Bangladesh is reported to be the biggest arsenic disaster in the world in terms of the affected population. Arsenic contamination in groundwater is recognized as the major threats to drinking water and is being the key environmental health problem of 21st century. In Bangladesh Arsenic was first detected in Chapai Nawabgonj, in 1993; since then higher levels of arsenic (exceeding the...
Laboratory outbreak investigation of sudden death syndrome in broiler chicken in Kathmandu Valley, Nepal
September 2011
The incidence of death of broiler birds above 40 days suddenly increased in the month of July to October 2008-2009 in Kathmandu Valley. Birds that were presented for post-mortem examination at the Central Veterinary Laboratory Tripureswor Kathmandu were usually found dead on their backs with wings out-stretched. Gross lesions recorded on post mortem examinations were muscle oedema, pulmonary, renal and liver congestion,...
Evaluation of the long-term effects of Urena lobata root extracts on blood glucose and hepatic function of normal rabbits
August 2011
Urena lobata is one of the medicinal plants used to treat diabetes in Nigeria. Its hypoglycaemic and anti-diabetic activities have been demonstrated. This study was designed to evaluate the long term effects of daily oral administration of aqueous extracts of U. lobata roots in normal rabbits. Parameters such as body weight, blood glucose and liver function tests were monitored at specific intervals in...
Immunostimulatory potential of Aristolochia longa L. induced toxicity on liver, intestine and kidney in mice
August 2011
Aristolochia longa L. (AL) (Aristolochiaceae) is used by Moroccan patients suffering from cancer during the course of their specific treatment. This practice has remained till date without scientific validation. To validate evidence for or against its continued use as antitumor product and afford data for further studies of this plant, the present investigation was carried out to evaluate the safety of an aqueous...
Fast monitoring of water distribution system with portable enrichment unit – Measurement of volatile compounds of coliforms and Salmonella sp. in tap water
August 2011
The aim of the study was to clarify if microbe enrichment cultures and monitoring of volatiles released by them could speed up the detection of indicator bacteria in water samples. The combination of Portable Microbe Enrichment Unit (PMEU) cultivation and ChemPro100i® chemical detector were used to detect the hygiene indicating bacteria. When the water distribution network of Kuopio city was studied in early...
Survey on the usage of plastic bags, their disposal and adverse impacts on environment: A case study in Jimma City, Southwestern Ethiopia
August 2011
Plastic bag wastes pose serious environmental pollutions and health problems in humans and animals. The situation is worsened in economically disadvantaged countries like Ethiopia. The objective of this survey was to assess usage of plastic bags and their environmental impacts in Jimma City of Ethiopia. A semi-structured questionnaire was used to collect data from 230 randomly selected respondents. The results indicated...
Cadmium toxicity exposure – Induced oxidative stress in postnatal development of Wistar rats
July 2011
Effect of cadmium on ovary increased reactive oxygen species (ROS) was studied in rat. Lipid peroxidation and the reactive oxygen species, hydrogen peroxide were increased in the ovary of Wistar rat administered with cadmium (50 and 200 ppm) in drinking water on 45 and 65 days of post natal development. Elevation of reactive oxygen species and lipid peroxidation is suggestive of tissue damage in the rat ovary due to...
Frequently-used agrochemicals lead to functional and morphological spermatozoa alterations in rats
July 2011
It is known that agrochemicals alter male reproductive functions. Previous studies from our lab have demonstrated the relationship between male fertility dysfunction and oxidative-nitrative stress. In this work, morphological and functional spermatozoa parameters were studied in a rat model sub-chronically (5 weeks) intoxicated with low doses (i.p. 1/250 LD50) of a mixture of dimethoate (D), glyphosate (G) and zineb...
Design of pilot device for municipal solid waste composting
July 2011
A mathematical model was developed for static composting process of municipal solid waste (MSW) based on the thermodynamics, kinetics of microbial growth, and hydrodynamics. A pilot scale aerobic ferment device was designed without leachate and malodor discharging. Its reasonable size, leachate collecting and recycling system, air distributing, and malodor recycling system were determined by the model and local...
Toxicity of Aluminum sulphate (alum) to Nubian goats
July 2011
This study was conducted to investigate the toxic effect of Aluminum sulphate (alum). Nine Nubian goat kids were divided into 3 groups, each of three goats. Group 1 animals were the undosed controls. Test groups were given alum at dose rates of 1 and 20% respectively for groups 2 and 3 for a period of 10 weeks after an adaptation period of two weeks during which the animals were X kept under ideal experimental...
Retinaranitidine as an alcohol dehydrogenase inhibitor in acute methanol toxicity in rats
June 2011
Methanol poisoning is a hazardous intoxication characterized by visual impairment and formic acidemia. The therapy for methanol poisoning is alcohol dehydrogenase (ADH) inhibitors to prevent formate accumulation. Ranitidine has been considered to be an inhibitor of both gastric alcohol and hepatic aldehyde dehydrogenase enzymes. This study aimed at testing ranitidine as an antidote for methanol acute toxicity and...
Micronucleus test in post metamorphic Odontophrynus cordobae and Rhinella arenarum (Amphibia: Anura) for environmental monitoring
June 2011
The genotoxic effect of cyclophosphamide and glyphosate in a commercial formulation were determined using the micronucleus test in peripheral blood erythrocytes of Odontophrynus cordobae and Rhinella arenarum, amphibians widely distributed in the Province of Córdoba, Argentina. For this, the basal frequency of the micronucleated erythrocytes (MNE) was determined by: 0.40±0.18 MNE/1000...
Removal of some heavy metal ions from their aqueous solutions by duckweed
June 2011
Duckweed was used to study adsorption of several metal ions (Fe2+,Cu2+, Zn2+ and Pb2+) from wastewater under different conditions .The dried leaves of duckweed were used at different adsorbent/metal ion ratios. The experimental conditions which includes, pH, contact time, initial concentration, and loading weight on the removal process were investigated. Bach adsorption was studied in a room temperature. The...
Influence of age on sub-chronic toxicity of the aqueous extract of the leaves of Calotropis procera on rabbits
May 2011
Calotropis procera is of the family Asclepiadaceae. The whole plant is toxic. The influence of age on sub-chronic toxicity of aqueous leaves extract was investigated in New Zealand White X local breed rabbits (Oryctolagus cuniculus) of both sexes. 200 mg/kg body weight of the extract was daily administered orally by gavages during 42 days. Vital signs, body weight change, mortality, serum biochemistry, hematology...
Evaluation of disease control and plant growth promotion potential of biocontrol agents on Pisum sativum and comparison of their activity with popular chemical control agent - carbendazim
May 2011
The superiority of chemicals over biocontrol agents in terms of effective and quick disease control was confirmed in this research but the ill effects of chemicals on human health and environment are a major set back to application of chemical pesticides in the long run. In the present work, biocontrol agents showed significant control on Fusarium wilt disease of pea but the results were not consistent...
Effect of sprouting on trypsin inhibitor of cowpea (Vigna unguiculata)
May 2011
With the increase role that legume protein plays in the world food supply, the nutritive quality related to trypsin inhibitor level is of major concern. The presence of trypsin inhibitors has been demonstrated in a wide variety of cereals and legumes. Rackis (1972) reported that an increase in nutritive value of soy flour paralleled the destruction of trypsin inhibitor activity. Liener (1974) suggested that trypsin...
Prospects and processes of human waste management in the rural areas of Nigeria
May 2011
The effect of indiscriminate defecation in the rural areas has degenerated into deadly disease such as, typhoid, tuberculosis, cholera, dysentery, diarrhoea etc. Even some of these killer diseases cause food poisoning when infecting human bodies by causing the various symptoms in some parts of the bodies, such symptoms include abdominal pains, diarrhea, gastroenteritis, prostration and vomiting. In the villages,...
Evaluation of environmental sulphide by stabilisation of the initial product of the pentacyanonitrosylferrate(II)-sulphide reaction
April 2011
Determination of environmental sulphide requires non-interference from other anions. Cyanide stabilisation of the transient red-violet product of the pentacyanonitrosylferrate(II)-sulphide reaction enables effective quantification of a 0.3 to 5 working range and a 0.2 μg ml-1 limit of detection. Sulphide in standard 2.0 μg ml-1 solutions was detected to within 2.4% standard deviation. The technique has...
Development of urea formaldehyde and polyethylene waste as a copolymer binder for emulsion paint formulation
April 2011
Urea formaldehyde (UF) resin was prepared and copolymerized with polyethylene waste (PE) to form (UF/PE) composite. The resulting composite was analyzed for formaldehyde emission and other physical properties such as viscosity, gel time, density, refractive index, melting point and moisture uptake. IR analysis of UF, PE and UF/PE showed chemical interaction between UF and PE resins. The level of formaldehyde emission...
Some priority heavy metals in children toy’s imported to Nigeria
April 2011
A total number of 51 toys manufactured from different countries were purchased and analysed to determine the level of lead, cadmium, chromium and nickel in the plastic components which was digested with concentrated HNO3 (CPSC-CH-E1002-08 method) and analyzed using atomic absorption spectrophotometer (AAS) to determine heavy metal concentration. The results obtained show that lead, cadmium, chromium and nickel were...
Ecotoxicology tests on microalgae from Córdoba, Argentina
April 2011
The eutrophication process involves important changes in the normal characteristics of water quality that may alter the balance between organisms. Microalgae particularly are very sensitive to changes. International standarized protocols were developed in order to detect water contaminants by their effects on microalgae, but it is important to evaluate contaminants over native species in our ecosystems. Using potassium...
A geographic information assessment of exposure to a toxic waste site and development of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE): Findings from the buffalo lupus project
March 2011
The Buffalo Lupus Project was a community-based participatory research partnership formed to address the relationship between an identified hazardous waste site and high rates of lupus and other autoimmune diseases in the surrounding community. Most cases identified began experiencing symptoms and were diagnosed in the periods when the site was inactive. Trends suggest that the impact of the site was more likely due to...
The socioeconomic impact of Arsenic poisoning in Bangladesh
March 2011
The purpose of this paper is to propose a methodology to analyze the health effects, how people cope with the socioeconomic consequences of the disease and to predict the beneficial effects of various alternative mitigation methods and recommends governmental measures for prevention of Arsenic poisoning. This research has been evaluated by the Bangladeshi Health Care system for its ability to recognize, isolate, report...
Effects of parathion on cardiac rate, ventilatory frequency and hemolymphatic gas levels in the estuarine crab Neohelice granulata (Decapoda, Brachyura)
March 2011
Adult crabs Neohelice granulata were exposed for 96 h to 0.125 mg/L of parathion under complete submersion. Crabs were then exposed to air for 6 h (emersion period) to be finally re-submerged. Cardiac rate and ventilatory frequency, as well as hemolymphatic pH, pCO2 and pO2 were measured at different times throughout the experiment. Cardiac rate was significantly lower in crabs exposed to parathion,...
Toxicologic characterization of a novel explosive, triaminoguanidinium-1-methyl-5-nitriminotetrazolate (TAG-MNT), in female rats and in vitro assays
March 2011
Sustainable use of training ranges requires the development of compounds that have a minimal impact on the environment when used in a weapon system. Triaminoguanidinium-1-methyl-5-nitriminotetrazolate (TAG-MNT) is a novel, explosive, military compound of interest for application in some weapon systems. Little is known of its toxicologic properties. To ensure the health of potentially exposed personnel...
Effect of cashew wine on histology and enzyme activities of rat liver
February 2011
Saccharomyces cerevisae SIL 59703 was used to ferment cashew apple juice supplemented with 30% Sucrose in the laboratory incubated at room temperature (28 ± 2°C) for six days (aerobic) and six weeks (anaerobic) for wine production. Toxicological effect of the wine produced was based on histology and enzyme activities of rats’ liver.Forty-two rats were divided into three groups: group I...
Biochemical and hormonal effects of cadmium in female guinea pigs
February 2011
Cadmium is a heavy metal toxicant, present widely in our environment and workplaces. In this study, the effects of cadmium on some biochemical and hormonal parameters of female guinea pigs were investigated. Single Intraperitoneal injection (ip) injection of 0.2 to 8.4 mg/kg of CdCl2 was given to female guinea pigs in proestrus state and observed for 24 h. Also, single ip injection of 3 mg/kg of...
Mutagenecity testing of phamarceutical effluents on Allium cepa root tip meristems
February 2011
Using macro analysis of root growth parameters and micro assay of the root tip meristems through the estimation of the mitotic indices and aberrant cells of Allium cepa root meristems, a study was conducted on three Pharmaceutical effluents discharged into agricultural lands. The chemical analysis of the effluents showed the presence of some potential mutagenic heavy metals (Pb, Cu and Zn) and Cyanide....
Beyond pest control: A closer look at the health implication of pesticides usage
February 2011
Television watching and sleep promotes obesity in urban and semi-urban children in India
January 2011
Obesity is an emerging problem in urban and semi urban Indian children; it is associated with several health problems and social consequences. Poor eating habits in all the children plays major role in the development and increases in childhood overweight and obesity. The present study was aimed to evaluate the dietary and physical activity patterns as determinants of overweight in a sample of children, along with...
Study on the leaching of mercury from compact fluorescent lamps using stripping voltammetry
January 2011
A study had been done on the determination of the amount of mercury present in an average CFL and the amount of mercury leached from the CFLs into the soil from where they are dumped. The extraction of the mercury from CFLs and the polluted soil was done by acid digestion. The electrochemical analytical method called Anodic stripping voltammetry (ASV) which is based on the potential dependent current...
Use of biochemical biomarkers in the ecological risk assessment of permetrin pesticide exposure
January 2011
Biochemical biomarkers were used in ecological risk assessment of pesticide exposure. The experiments were carried out on six weeks old poultry birds (Gallus domesticus) weighing between 400 and 600 g (12 birds) and were divided into four groups of three birds each. The poultry birds were exposed for four weeks to different concentrations (1, 5 and 10%) of a locally manufactured insect powder called...
The effects of lihocin toxicity on protein metabolism of the fresh water edible fish, Channa punctatus (Bloch)
January 2011
In vivo evaluations were made to assess the pesticide activity of lihocin against fresh water fishChanna punctatus and its ultimate mode of action on fish protein metabolism. Biochemical studies show that after exposing the fish to sub lethal dose of lihocin, total protein levels significantly decreased while FAA, glutamine, alkaline phosphatases, acid phosphatases, AlAT, AAT, GDH, AMP deaminase and adenosine...
High urinary iodine content (UIC) among primary school children in Ibadan, Nigeria, a public health concern
December 2010
Urinary iodine excretion is a good marker for the dietary intake of iodine, and is the index for evaluating the degree of iodine deficiency, correction and toxicity. A study, investigating the random urinary iodine level in school children in Ibadan, a South-Western cosmopolitan city of Nigeria, has not been evaluated, thus the emanation of this study. Random urinary iodine was measured in 300 primary school children in...
Experimental model to evaluate the effect of aqueous extract of ‘Buzhong Yi Qi Wan’ on the survival of Escherichia coli submitted to treatment with stannous ion
December 2010
Buzhong Yi Qi Wan’ is a combination of medicinal herbs widely used in Traditional Chinese Medicine to treat digestive and circulation disorders. It is an anti-inflammatory biocomplex with energizing and anti-cancer properties, and it should have an effect in natural killer cell (NK) activity, improving immunological capacity in elderly people. Substances present in the ‘Buzhong Yi Qi Wan’ extract could...
Analyses of the effect of para- phenylenediamine Takaout roumia on the osmotic stability of human erythrocytes
December 2010
This work analysed the effects of para- phenylenediamine (p-PD), a component in permanent hair dyes products on the osmotic stability of human’s erythrocytes. Hemolysis was monitored by measurement of absorbance at 412 nm following addition of erythrocytes to NaCl solutions of varying concentration. Absorbance was fitted to sigmoid regression curves given by Boltzmann equation, and hemolysis...
Influence of chemical speciation and divalent cations on cadmium toxicity during microbial biodegradation of crude oil
November 2010
Microbial metal toxicity had been attributed to metal concentration and bioavailability, the later factor being dependent on speciation; the distribution of metals into various physicochemical forms. This research was aimed at establishing a correlation between the nature of predominating ligands in natural environments which can associate with metals and influence toxicities to biodegrading microbes. Cadmium, a known...
Effect of amoxycillin/clavulanic acid (Augmentin 625®) on antioxidant indices and markers of renal and hepatic damage in rats
November 2010
Amoxycillin/clavulanic acid (Augmentin 625®) is an antibiotic which is being advocated by WHO as a drug for treatment of infection. Its efficacy and potential to inhibit microorganisms had led to their increased use. There is the possibility that the drug may have potential toxic effects on humans following consumption. The present investigation was therefore undertaken to study the status of antioxidant defense...
Studies on biochemical changes in the tissues of Labeo rohita and Cirrhinus mrigala exposed to fenvalerate technical grade
October 2010
Fenvalerate is one among the synthetic pyrethroids, preferred for its low persistence, low toxicity to birds and mammals, broad spectrum of action on plant pests and metabolites/degradation products non toxic to man and other vertebrates. However, it is highly toxic to fish causing severe alterations in the metabolism of the organism, sometimes proving to be fatal if the concentrations are high. The present study...
Ecological distribution of Macrozoobenthos in Hokera wetland of J&K, India
October 2010
In the recent years, several scholars working on Himalayan "Ecocrisis" reported that the wetlands in the region are suffering from severe biotic stress and that the damage ensuing is getting to the point of becoming irreversible. The Wetlands are intimately linked with the agro-ecosystems in the mountainous area of the Himalaya and the depletion has definite and obvious impacts on the overall socio-economic...
Evaluation of incidence, clinical characteristics and management in organophosphorus poisoning patients in a tertiary care hospital
October 2010
Acute poisoning with agricultural pesticides is an emerging global public health problem particularly in developing countries like India. Among the acute poisoning, organophosphorus poisoning (OP) is the most common and responsible for majority of deaths. In the present study, we aimed to correlate the incidence of acute OP poisoning with the type of pesticides, its clinical characteristics and quality of management...
Influence of pollutants on bottom sediment of sewage collecting Kalpi (Morar) River, Gwalior, Madhya Pradesh (M. P.)
September 2010
To investigate the nutrient value of bottom soil pH, conductivity, potassium, exchangeable potassium, total phosphorus, available phosphorus, organic carbon, total nitrogen, available nitrogen, calcium and magnesium were analyzed from monthly samples collected from six sampling stations during two year of study, that is, April 2002-March 2004 of study. Soil from station A was found unpolluted due to low level of...
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