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Economics of natural resources and the environment

This 11th edition of the book Modern Nutrition in Health and Disease, featuring the work of more than 190 expert authors and divided into five parts, fully explains and encapsulates the fundamentals of nutrition and its role in contemporary society, from mastering the basic science of nutrient metabolism and function to applying nutritional concepts to combat human disease. Part I comprehensively covers specific dietary components, including major dietary constituents, minerals, vitamins and other Other CABI sites 

Modern Nutrition in Health and Disease

Textbook of biochemistry with clinical correlations , 4th edn TM Devlin, ed pp xvii + 1186, illustrated Wiley-Liss, New York, 1997 £2995, hardback

This beautifully illustrated and well-written book, with an impressive array of authors, is aimed at both undergraduate and postgraduate level As the editor states in the preface, it is not intended to be a compendium of biochemistry but rather emphasises the biochemistry of mammalian cells The first 22 chapters cover …

Textbook of biochemistry with clinical correlations

A simplified method for the determination of the rate of synthesis of albumin after the i. v. injection of 14C-carbonate is described. A number of experiments to check the accuracy of the 14CO2 measurements is reported. Good agreement is obtained between the specific activity of urinary urea, measured by means of our method and by the manometric method. Recoveries of 101.9 and 101.1% respectively are found for 14C-urea added to plasma or urine. Endogenously formed 14C-urea shows a maximal specific activity 2—3 h after the i. v. injection of 14C-carbonate. Thereafter the specific activity of 14C-urea gradually decreases. Enzymic conversion with arginase and urease and analysis with an amino-acid analyser give the same values for the arginine content of an albumin hydrolysate. Good agreement between the rates ot synthesis and catabolism of albumin, determined respectively with 14C-carbonate and 131I-albumin, was obtained in individual patients. In a group of 6 patients an average rate of synthesis of 10.6 mg/kg · h and an average catabolic rate of 9.5 mg/kg · h were measured. The difference between this simplified method and the manometric technique lies in a direct measurement of the concentration of urea and arginine in the method described here in contrast to the conversion of urea and arginine to CO 2 in the manometric method. Advantages of the simplified method for the determination of the rate of synthesis of albumin are discussed. Es wird eine einfache Methode zur Bestimmung der Synthesegeschwindigkeit von Albumin nach i. v. Injektion von 14C-Carbonat beschrieben. Dazu wurden verschiedene Untersuchungen zur Prufung der Genauigkeit der 14CO2-Messungen durchgefuhrt. Wir fanden eine gute Ubereinstimmung zwischen unserer und der manometrischen Methode bei der Bestimmung der spezifischen Aktivitat des UrinharnstofFs. Es wurden Wiederfindungswerte von 101,9 und 101,1% erzielt, falls 14C-Harnstoff entweder Plasma oder Urin zugefugt wurde. Endogen gebildeter 14C-HarnstofF zeigte 2—3 h nach der i. v. Injektion von 14C-Carbonat eine maximale spezifische Aktivitat. Danach nahm die spezifische Aktivitat des 14C-HarnstofFs langsam ab. Sowohl die enzymatische Umwandlung durch Arginase und Urease als auch die Analyse mittels Aminosaure-Analysator ergaben gleiche Werte fur den Arginingehalt eines Albuminhydrolysats. Bei den einzelnen Patienten wurde eine gute Ubereinstimmung zwischen der Synthese- und Abbaurate von Albumin, bestimmt durch die Untersuchung mittels 14C-Carbonat bzw. 131J-Albumin,

A Simplified Method

Increasing industrialisation, continued population growth and heavy demand and reliance on petrochemical products have led to unprecedented economic growth and development. However, inevitably this dependence on fossil fuels has resulted in serious environmental issues over recent decades. The eco-toxicity and the potential health implications that petroleum hydrocarbons pose for both environmental and human health have led to increased interest in developing environmental biotechnology-based methodologies to detoxify environments impacted by petrogenic compounds. Different approaches have been applied for remediating polluted sites with petroleum derivatives. Bioremediation represents an environmentally sustainable and economical emerging technology for maximizing the metabolism of organic pollutants and minimizing the ecological effects of oil spills. Bioremediation relies on microbial metabolic activities in the presence of optimal ecological factors and necessary nutrients to transform organic pollutants such as petrogenic hydrocarbons. Although, biodegradation often takes longer than traditional remediation methods, the complete degradation of the contaminant is often accomplished. Hydrocarbon biodegradation in soil is determined by a number of environmental and biological factors varying from site to site such as the pH of the soil, temperature, oxygen availability and nutrient content, the growth and survival of hydrocarbon-degrading microbes and bioavailability of pollutants to microbial attack. In this review we have attempted to broaden the perspectives of scientists working in bioremediation. We focus on the most common bioremediation technologies currently used for soil remediation and the mechanisms underlying the degradation of petrogenic hydrocarbons by microorganisms.

Soil bioremediation approaches for petroleum hydrocarbon polluted environments

Crude oil, refined petroleum products, as well as polycyclic aromatic
hydrocarbons are ubiquitous in various environmental compartments. They
can bioaccumulate in food chains where they disrupt biochemical or
physiological activities of many organisms, thus causing carcinogenesis
of some organs, mutagenesis in the genetic material, impairment in
reproductive capacity and / or causing hemorrhage in exposed
population. The cause / effect of oil pollutant are usually quantified
by using biological end point parameters referred to as biomarkers.
Contamination of soil arising from spills is one of the most limiting
factors to soil fertility and hence crop productivity. These
deleterious effects make it mandatory to have a counter measure for the
petroleum hydrocarbon pollutant in the environment. Bioremediation of
petroleum hydrocarbon-contaminated environment is a potentially
important application of Environmental Biotechnology. In this approach
microorganisms are utilized under some specified conditions to
ameliorate the negative effects in a cost-effective and environmentally
friendly approach. The main strategies in bioremediation of oil spills,
which include bio-stimulation, nutrient application, bio-augmentation,
seeding with competent or adapted hydrocarbono-clastic bacteria or
their consortium, and genetically engineered microbes, are reviewed.
Although the promise of bioremediation is yet to be realized,
innovative areas in Environmental Biotechnology for oil spill clean up
are highlighted.

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Crude oil spills in the environment, effects and some innovative clean-up biotechnologies

Several environmental problems arising from man's activity have to be solved in a cost-effective and an environmentally friendly approach. In this paper, a framework for an integrated management and control of solid waste in the south-east zone of Nigeria is presented. The major activities include collection and transportation of solid waste to designated areas, separation of reusable components (recycling) and bioconversion of biodegradable (biowaste) components into organic fertiliser and biogas. These activities will involve the communities, the industries, Small and Medium-Scale Enterprises (SMEs) having the capacity of 'process and production integrated environmental technologies'. Biotechnological conversion of biowaste into enriched humus end product and biogas, and production of other goods and services using solid waste components as raw materials by the SMEs are the areas of 'additive environmental technologies'. The overall framework entails the application of modern- and future-oriented technologies that would provide the appropriate tools and direction for managing any backlog of solid waste and future pile-ups. Cooperation among government, public and research organisation is paramount.

Integrated environmental biotechnology-oriented framework for solid waste management and control in Nigeria

This study was embarked upon in order to evaluate the effects of the chloroform extracts of the leaves of Psidium guajava, Anacardium occidentale and Eucalyptus globulus and fruits of Xylopia aethiopica on hepatic marker enzymes of diabetic rats. The degree of hepatic damage caused by diabetes mellitus and the effects of the extracts were assessed using standard methods for assaying the activities of alanine aminotransferase (ALT), aspartate aminotransferase (AST) and alkaline phosphatase (ALP). All the extracts significantly (p<0.05) decreased the activities of ALT, AST and ALP with that of the P. guajava being the most protective. In addition, the P. guajava extract exerted more hepatoprotection than glibenclamide in terms of the AST and ALP activities. In conclusion, the chloroform extracts of the leaves of A. occidentale, E. globulus and P. guajava as well as the fruits of X. aethiopica exhibited remarkable protective effects on alloxan-induced acute liver damage and thus, may be used for treatment of some liver-associated disorders.

	 

	Key word: Alanine aminotransferase (ALT), aspartate aminotransferase (AST) and alkaline phosphatase (ALP), Psidium guajava, Anacardium occidentale, Eucalyptus globulus, Xylopia aethiopica, chloroform extracts, diabetes mellitus.

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Effects of some anti-diabetic plants on the hepatic marker enzymes of diabetic rats

The scientific evidence that aquatic animal’s model bio-concentrate polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in their tissue has been proven beyond reasonable doubt. The worry is how much of these c...

Estimation of residual polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons concentration in fish species: Implication in reciprocal corollary

The pytochemicals, nutritional and toxicological potentials of the ethanol extracts of the leaf and stem of Newbouldia laevis was investigated in this study. The percentage yields of N. laevis ethanol leaf and stem extracts were found to be 7.44 and 3.30% (w/w), respectively. The preliminary phytochemical screening showed that ethanol leaf and stem extracts contains alkaloids, flavonoids and tannins. The quantitative phytochemical analysis showed that the leaf and stem extracts contained respectively: alkaloids (14.74 ± 0.06 and 6.27 ± 0.0 mg/g), flavonoids (15.51 ± 0.04 and 5.18 ± 0.04 mg/g), cardiac glycosides (6.77 ± 0.02 mg/g), tannins (1.74 ± 0.11 mg/g), saponins (4.07 ± 0.06 mg/g), steroids (41.72 ± 0.02 mg/g) and terpenoids (8.67 ± 0.09 mg/g). The following amounts of vitamins and minerals were found in the leave and stem-bark extracts, respectively; vitamin A (5.19 ± 0.00 and 3.01 ± 0.00 mg/100 g), vitamin C (2.35 ± 0.55 and 1.05 ± 0.08 mg/100 g) and vitamin E (9.33 ± 0.02 and 4.08 ± 0.11 mg/100 g); minerals: Mg (76.12 ± 0.04 and 54.25 ± 0.04 mg/100 g), Fe (16.84 ± 0.06 and 1.19 ± 0.03 mg/100 g) and Se (3.08 ± 0.03 and 0.29 ± 0.07 mg/100 g). The acute toxicity test of the ethanol leaf and stem extracts showed no toxicity up to 5000 mg/kg body weight. Keywords: Newbouldia laevis , phytochemical properties, vitamins, minerals, toxicity African Journal of Biotechnology Vol. 12(40), pp. 5941-5949

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Investigation of some important phytochemical, nutritional properties and toxicological potentials of ethanol extracts of Newbouldia laevis leaf and stem

Victor N. Ogugua

Papers

Crude oil spills in the environment, effects and some innovative clean-up biotechnologies

Integrated environmental biotechnology-oriented framework for solid waste management and control in Nigeria

Effects of some anti-diabetic plants on the hepatic marker enzymes of diabetic rats

Estimation of residual polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons concentration in fish species: Implication in reciprocal corollary

Investigation of some important phytochemical, nutritional properties and toxicological potentials of ethanol extracts of Newbouldia laevis leaf and stem