383 research outputs found
Sort by
Ceylonocotyle, Bothriophoron, and Calicophoron species Parasitic in some Nigerian Cattle
No full textPublished Journal article.The following genera Ceylonocotyle, Bothriophoron and Calicophoron were recovered from the inner walls of stomachs
of cattle slaughtered in abattoirs in the North and South of Nigeria. Some parasites were flattened and diagnostic
features taken while some were sectioned in the median saggital plane from where the histology and morphology of the
pharynx, genital atrium, acetabulum and testis were analysed for identification. Ceylonocotyle dicranocoelium.
Bothriophoron bothriophoron, Calicophoron calicophorum, and Calicophoron microbothrioides were identified.
Photomicrographs of the features used in identifications were made and are here presented. Damage to host tissues of
the reticulum and rumen was in the majority of cases severe when Ceylonocotyle dicranocoelium was present but the
other species did less damage to rumens and reticulum. Parasite loads ranged between 20 and 200 parasites in the
infected animals and frequencies of occurrence in cattle were 10% for Ceylonocotyle dicranocoelium, 2 % for B.
bothriophoron, 15% for C. calicophorum, and 5 % for C. microbothrides. All the described parasites are being reported in
Nigeria for the first time.NUST Research Board and United Nations Development Programme
Open Access: Research Output Gone Viral!
No full textPresented as part of the Activities of the International Open Access Week at National University of Lesotho, 22 October 201
An Assessment of the Records Keeping Status in Some Selected Health Institutions of Matabeleland South Province, Zimbabwe
No full textThis is an Open Access article published online by JHIA and distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons
Attribution Non-Commercial License presented at the 8th Health Informatics in Africa Conference (HELINA 2013).Records keeping is important for a functional health delivery system in the
management of important information. It forms the indispensable informational and logical link between
the different levels of health care both in terms of the referral of patients, supervision, outreach services,
the supply of health commodities and disease management. It is an important component of the health
care delivery system. The purpose of the study was to find out the range and types of records kept by the
health centres, clinics and hospitals; to find out if there are electronic records keeping systems used by the
health institutions; to determine the records management and records keeping systems used by the health
centres, clinics and hospitals and comparing them to internationally recommended standards; to find out
the skills and experience of staff who manage records at different levels
Assessing the Impact of Drug Resistance on the Transmission Dynamics of Typhoid Fever
No full textThis is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License,
which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.Typhoid fever continues to be a major public health problem in the developing world. Antibiotic therapy has been the main stay of
treating typhoid fever for decades.The emergence of drug-resistant typhoid strain in the last two decades has been a major problem
in tackling this scourge. A mathematical model for investigating the impact of drug resistance on the transmission dynamics of
typhoid fever is developed. The reproductive number for the model has been computed. Numerical results in this study suggest
that when a typhoid outbreak occurs with more drug-sensitive cases than drug-resistant cases, then it may take 10?15 months for
symptomatic drug-resistant cases to outnumber all typhoid cases, and it may take an average of 15?20 months for nonsymptomatic
drug-resistant cases to outnumber all drug-sensitive cases
Evaluation in vitro of an experimental antibacterial silk suture
No full textEvaluation in vitro of an
experimental antibacterial silk suture is a published article of the textile technology department.Because of good clinical performance and low cost, silk braided surgical suture becomes
one of excellent and widely used sutures. But as a kind of nature protein fiber, silk easily
trend to microbial infection. Beyond that, braided structure may increase the risk of hide of
bacteria. Hence, the project of this study is to develop a novel antibacterial silk braided
suture. Silk braided sutures were treated with antimicrobial solution which added
antimicrobial agent ZL into 5% PCL solution. Then sutures were tested for in vitro efficacy
against S. aureus and E. coli by a zone of inhibition assay, and sustained efficacy assay,
release of antibacterial property, SEM photographs against S. aureus. Sutures with
antibacterial solution exhibited distinct zones of inhibition against S. aureus and E. coli. They
also kept antimicrobial property against S. aureus for 7 days, which was almost equal with
coated VICRYL* Plus suture. The highest release concentration of treated suture was
1.53?g/ml, which was lower than Cmax of ZL, proved the safety of antibacterial silk suture.
SEM photographs gave both the change of the surface and different bacteria growth
situations on the surface before and after treating
Requisite managerial skills for Small to Medium Enterprises (SMEs) to enhance development and business growth.
No full textPublished in the Chronicle Newspaper of 2013 on the productivity column.Small to Medium Enterprises (SMEs) are gaining recognition the world over as being key
players to economic growth and poverty alleviation. Zimbabwe is one nation that is a
developing country and has an SME sector that is very active. The sector however is
limited on requisite managerial skills to be effective. This statement is not meant to
undermine the successes that some SMEs have scored but to highlight an important gap
that can assure sustainable continuous improvement. One of this author?s previous
articles tackled the role of SMEs in the economy and highlighted some critical success
factors. This article develops and highlights the need for managerial skills that will ensure
SMEs are led towards both growth and global competitiveness
Enhancing Lean Manufacturing Using the Value Stream Mapping Tool In Pharmaceutical Operations: A Case Study Of A Pharmaceutical Manufacturing Company in Zimbabwe
No full textValue Stream Mapping (VSM) is a lean manufacturing technique used to analyze and improve
value-addition. It emanates from developments on the Toyota Production System (TPS) but
with wide application outside the automotive industry. VSM helps identify and eliminate waste
in the service and production sectors. This paper details application of VSM in the
pharmaceutical sector using two product lines at a manufacturing company. Results obtained
show improvements in critical lean metrics. The Future State Map (FSM) developed shows a
lean operation that ensures harmonious flow of both materials and information that was
achieved through systematic elimination of waste
Molluscan Esterase Activity As a Biomarker of Aquatic Pollution Caused By Monocrotophos.
No full textPresented at the ANCAP(African Network for Chemical Analysis of Pesticides)Conference in August 2004.There are many analytical protocols for detecting levels of agrochemicals~inaquatic systems. Methods of analytical chemistry can provide information of the exact concentrations in water samples. However they do not provide information on the potentially harmful effects on the organisms in the aquatic environment as biological markers have been shown to. Biomarkers of environmental quality should be tested under field situations if they are to be accepted outside academic circles and become part of national policies in environmental monitoring programs. We have previously shown that exposure of Lymnaea natalensis to organophosphates caused dose and time dependent inhibition of esterase activity. Here we report on the effects of monocrotophos on esterase activity in L. natalensis under field simulated conditions.Juvenile snails reared outdoors were exposed to single dose (5, 12, 15, 20 and 25ppb) of monocrotophos dissolved in either Matopos (pristine) or Umguza (polluted)dam water for 1, 7 or 14 days. Water was not changed for the duration of exposure. Post mitochondrial supernatants of whole snail homogenates were used to measure esterase activity. Cholinesterase activity was measured using acetylcholine iodide while carboxylesterase activity was measured using a-naphthyl acetate and 4nitrophenyl acetate. Esterase activity was significantly reduced in a dose responsive manner for aIr substrates. The degree of inhibitioll. varied depen,ding on the water source. Our results also indicated a decrease with time in degree of inhibition of esterase activity, suggesting a recovery with time of the snails from pesticide poisoning. On comparing data from the two dams higher inhibitions were observed in snails exposed to Matopos dam water than those exposed to Umguza dam water. Umguza dam water is highly contaminated with industrial effluents and therefore expected to have a higher microbial load and increased pesticide decomposition rate when compared to Matopos dam water, which is relatively pristine. Our results have shown that esterase activity is very sensitive to presence of organophosphates with inhibitions of up to 92 % observed within 24 hours of exposure. Altered esterase activity therefore has a potential use as a biomarker for detecting organophosphatepollution in water samples.African Network for Chemical Analysis of Pesticide
Altered Esterase Activity Due To Pesticide Exposure In The Aquatic Snail Physa Acuta.
No full textPresented at the first meeting of Federation of African Societies of Biochemistry & Molecular Biology in 1998.The effect ofpesticides on the xenobiotic metabolising enzymes of the aquatic snail Physa acuta was studied. Adult snails reared in the laboratory were exposed daily for three days to the following pesticides: 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid, deltamethrin, endosulphan, malathion and pirimiphos-methyl. Cytosolic fractions prepared from the snails showed
that pesticide exposure had no effect on the glutathione or glutathione dependent enzyme activities. General esterase activity using two different substrates was reduced significantly by exposure to the organophosphate pesticides malathion and pirimiphos. Exposure to the other pesticides did not cause any substantial changes in the esterases activities. The nature of this inhibition is not yet apparent. It is likely, however, that the changes are due to a competitive type inhibition by the pesticides for the active site of the enzyme.Federation of African Societies of Biochemistry & Molecular Biology (FASBMB
Alteration of some Hepatic Enzyme Activities by Gastrointestinal Helminth Parasites in Domesticated Ostritches.
No full textOriginal Journal ArticleUsing the conventional methods for parasitological examinations of the salt floatation and direct smear, ten ostriches
infected with internal parasites were identified. Ten birds that were without internal parasites were used as the controls.
The metabolizing enzymes glutathione peroxidase (GPX), DT -diaphorase (DTD) and succinate dehydrogenase (SDH)
were assayed accordingly using liver samples from the control and infected birds. Malondialdehyde (MDA), a marker of
lipid peroxdation, was also assayed. Results showed that cestode eggs occurred at twice the amount of nematode eggs in
the faeces of infected ostriches. Infected birds showed significantly higher DTD activity when compared to non-infected
birds (Student?s t test, p < 0.05) whilst the activities of SDH and GPX were statistically not altered (Student?s t test p >
0.05). MDA levels were significantly elevated in infected birds compared to controls (Student?s t test, p < 0.001). These
results suggest that infected birds are under oxidative stress due to the parasitic infection .
Key words: Cestodes, nematodes, glutathione peroxidase, DT-diaphorase, Succinate dehydrogenase, malodialdehydeResearch Board, National University of Science and
Technology, Bulawayo, Zimbabwe