Anti-Protozoan Activities of Stachytarpheta angustifolia on Some Haematological Parameters in Wistar Rats

This study focuses on the anti-protozoan activities of Stachytarpheta angustifolia (Tarkajiya; Hausa, Devil’s coach whip; English) on haematological parameters of Albino Wistar rats which is an unexplored study area. The work is aimed at the determination of the effects of S. angustifolia on Wistar Rats, when exposed to herbal extract on the haematological parameters of Wistar Rats infected with E. tenella Biomarkers. The plant was obtained whole; dried under the shade, made into a powdered form and aqueous extraction method carried by maceration technique. After infecting the experimental animals with the parasites; E. tenella, the following respective doses of 750 mg and 1500 mg were administered to the rats in groups of 3 and 4. Results obtained were analyzed using Analysis of Variance (ANOVA). It was discovered that no significant harmful effect on the rats was recorded, but 60 % of the parasites were killed. This work demonstrated that the herbal extract killed the parasites but induced minimal stress to the animals as shown by the low haematological parameters in the study.

Isothermal Modelling of the Adsorption of Cibacron Blue onto Bean Peel

Biosorption is a sort of sorption technology in which the sorbent is a substance that is biologically sourced. In today's world, biosorption is seen as a simple, inexpensive, and ecologically friendly way for removing pollutants from the environment. One of the branches of bioremediation that is utilised to decrease environmental pollution in the context of minimising improper textile waste disposal is this method. The sorption isotherm of Cibacron Blue onto bean peel were analyzed using ten models—Henry, Langmuir, Dubinin-Radushkevich, Freundlich, BET, Toth, Sips, Fritz-Schlunder IV, Baudu and Fritz-Schlunder V, and fitted using non-linear regression. Statistical analysis based on root-mean-square error (RMSE), adjusted coefficient of determination (adjR2), bias factor (BF), accuracy factor (AF), corrected AICc (Akaike Information Criterion), BIC and HQC showed that the Freundlich model was the best model in terms of overall best criteria. The calculated evidence ratio was 8 with an AICc probability value of 0.89 indicating that the best model was at least 8 times better than the nearest best model, which was Sips. The calculated Freundlich parameters KF (Freundlich isotherm constant) and nF (Freundlich exponent) were 5.369 (L/g) (95% confidence interval from 4.359 to 6.379) and 3.125 (95% confidence interval from 2.717 to 3.533). The Langmuir constant was utilized to calculate the maximum adsorption capacity QmL (mg/g) which gave a value of 27.83 mg/g (95% confidence interval from 23.69 to 31.98). The nonlinear regression method allows for the parameter values to be represented in the 95% confidence interval range which can better allow comparison with published results.

Characterization of Morganella sp. for its Paraquat Degradation Potential

One of the beneficial roles of the microbial population is their ability to convert toxic herbicides to lesser toxic compounds such as water and carbon (IV) oxide. Paraquat which is an acutely toxic herbicide is used on farmlands and has been found to affect human health. This study was aimed at characterizing bacteria with the potential to degrade paraquat. Previously isolated bacteria from culture collection labelled A-F were screened for their potential to degrade and utilized paraquat as the sole carbon source in Bushnell Hass agar media. Of the six isolates, isolate E (Morganella sp.) was observed to have the highest growth and tolerance to paraquat after 72 h of incubation at 37 ºC. Characterization study revealed that Morganella sp. can utilize and grow with optimum conditions of pH 6.5, the temperature of 30 ºC and can tolerate up to 400 mg/L paraquat concentration with an increase in growth as inoculum size increases. Thus, these findings showed that Morganella sp. can degrade toxic paraquat to a less toxic form and therefore can be a good isolate for the future bioremediation process of the pollutant.

Study of Ethnoveterinary Medicinal Plants Used by Pastoralists in Northern Gombe State, Nigeria

Ethnoveterinary is the total of all practices that enable man to prevent his livestock from diseases, alleviate and relieve suffering to bring about healing, and increase the production and productivity of livestock within a minimum cost. Overutilization, overexploitation, deforestation for fuelwood, and farmland expansion expose some of the plants to threaten. The study was carried out in three randomly selected districts in Northern Gombe State, Nigeria. Among all, 80% of the respondents are male among which 56% are 35 years and above. 43 plants were reported used as ethnoveterinary plants in the area (oral interview) among which only 28 were found to be present in the field (field assessment). Guiera senegalensis is the most abundant plant (7.85%) followed by Piliostigma reticulatum (7.23%), Combretum collinum and Detarium microcarpum (3.00% both). Fabaceae is the most abundant family (30.85%) of the identified plants followed by Combretaceae (15.25%). Plant bark is the most common part used in curing and preventing animals from diseases which subject some of the plants (Burkia africana) to nearly endangered states. 28 plant samples were collected, identified, pressed, and laid in Botany Department Herbarium, Gombe State University, among these, 2 plant samples were not successfully identified. It is recommended that regulatory bodies should be empowered to check the uncontrolled deforestation occurring in the area

Isolation and Characterization of a Molybdenum-reducing and Carbamate-degrading Serratia sp. strain Amr-4 in soils from Egypt

Physical or chemical procedures could efficiently remove contaminants including pesticides such as carbamates from high concentrations of toxicants. Bioremediation, on the other hand, is frequently a less expensive option in the long term when used at low concentrations. Isolation of multiple toxicants removing microorganisms is the goal of bioremediation. In this paper we report on the molybdenum reduction of the bacterium and its ability to grow on the carbamates carbofuran and carbaryl as carbon sources. Both the carbamates carbofuran and carbaryl cannot support molybdenum reduction when used as the sole carbon sources. Between pH 6.0 and 6.8 and between 30 and 34 oC, the bacterium is most efficient in converting molybdate to Mo-blue. For molybdate reduction, glucose was shown to be the strongest electron donor, with maltose and sucrose coming in second and third, respectively, and d-mannitol and d-adonitol coming in last. Phosphate concentrations of 2.5 to 7.5 mM and molybdate concentrations of 20 to 30 mM are also needed. Identical to that of a decreased phosphomolybdate, the Mo-blue produced by the new Mo-reducing bacteria has an absorption spectrum similar to prior Mo-reducing bacteria. Inhibition of molybdenum reduction was 73.3, 50.1, 50.1 and 20.7 percent, respectively, by mercury, copper, silver and lead at 2 ppm. The bacterium was tentatively identified as Serratia sp. strain Amr-4 after biochemical investigation. This bacterium's ability to detoxify a variety of toxicants is highly sought after, making it a significant bioremediation agent.

Determination of the Detection Limit of the Detection of GMO in Food Using the Isothermal Solid-Phase Recombinase Polymerase Amplification on Microfluidic DVDs

A major drawback of the current literature on bioassay development is that these tests are not made using statistically robust methods for establishing the limit of detection. As an alternative, researchers often make use of simple detection-limit methods that are only roughly indicative of the actual detection limit. We can only assume that this is due to a practical need for simplified processes, in addition to the notion that the limit of detection theory has already been lowered to practice for bioassays. A DNA sensor based on light intensity of the scanning laser on a DVD drive with microfluidic layer etched onto the polycarbonate surface of an ordinary DVD has been previously developed for fast screening of genetically modified organisms (GMOs). The resultant calibration curve showed a sigmoidal calibration curve but was not modelled according to any of the sigmoidal models available. The objective of this study is the remodel the data using the standard 4-PL model and to determine the Limits of Detection (LOD) based on the standard method. The LOD value obtained through the 4PL modelling exercise based on a pooled standard deviation method yielded an LOD value of 62 mg/g (95% confidence interval of 17 to 158), which was quite similar to the classical three standard deviation of the blank method but was lower than the rough estimation employed in the original publication.