Ladoke Akintola University of Technology

About: Ladoke Akintola University of Technology is a education organization based out in Ogbomoso, Nigeria. It is known for research contribution in the topics: Population & Adsorption. The organization has 2786 authors who have published 3066 publications receiving 36850 citations. The organization is also known as: Oyo State University of Technology & LAUTECH.

Rural Livelihood and Food Consumption Patterns Among Households in Oyo State, Nigeria: Implications for Food Security and Poverty Eradication in a Deregulated Economy

Abstract: KEYWORDS Rural livelihood; food security; poverty eradication and deregulated economy ABSTRACT Food security is a fundamental objective of development policy and also a measure of its success. Achieving food security is still a major problem for households in most rural areas of Nigeria; therefore the associated symptoms of food crisis are found throughout the country, though with differences based on occupation, agro- ecological, socio-economic factors and rural versus urban location. This paper analyses the livelihood and food consumption patterns among households in rural Oyo State, Nigeria. Analysis of data on a sample survey of rural households in three adjoining local government areas of Oyo State show that a household member consumes N3,465.13 worth of carbohydrate foods; N750.54 of proteins and N191.43 of vitamins. On the average, a household member consumes N1469 wroth of food per month; though with the modal amount skewed towards the civil servants and artisans. Results of the analysis further show that there are short falls of 18% and 11% in carbohydrate and protein intake respectively in three years. The general livelihood patterns indicate that farmers who produce more of food consumed in the study area have the least disposable income to cater for life's basic needs. The results of the study have implications for food security and poverty eradication, especially in a deregulated economy. Therefore, promoting agricultural policies with appropriate price incentives that focus on intensification; diversification and resource-stabilizing innovations will create more wealth for all categories of rural households. In all, more rural financial and agricultural extension services are needed; these will improve the conditions needed for increased productivity and capital accumulation.

Chemical speciation of some heavy metals and human health risk assessment in soil around two municipal dumpsites in Sagamu, Ogun state, Nigeria

Abstract: Environmental and health risk posed by heavy metals from municipal landfill cannot be over emphasized. However, the toxicity and fate of metal in the soil is dependent on its chemical form and therefore quantification of the different forms of metal is more meaningful than the estimation of its total concentration. This study investigated the chemical form and potential hazards of heavy metal pollution at two municipal landfills in Sagamu, Ogun state, Nigeria. Soil samples were collected around the landfills and chemical form of Cu, Zn, Cd, Pb, and Fe were studied, using the Tessier Five-step sequential chemical extraction procedure. The results showed that Cu and Fe were speciated into residual fractions with averages of 23.9 and 31.3% respectively, while Cd and Zn were associated with Carbonate fractions with respective averages of 20.3 and 20.6%. The order of mobility and bioavailability of these metals are: Cd > Pb > Cu > Zn > Fe. A comparison of the result of total extractible metals with sta...

Molecular epidemiology of hepatitis D virus circulating in Southwestern Nigeria

Abstract: Hepatitis B virus (HBV) and hepatitis D virus (HDV) infections are major public health problems in sub-Saharan Africa. Whereas it is known that HBV infection is endemic in Nigeria, there is only little data about HDV prevalence available. Here, we assessed the HDV seroprevalence and determined the HDV and HBV genotypes distribution among HBsAg positive individuals in Southwestern Nigeria. This cross-sectional study involved 188 serum samples from HBsAg positive outpatients recruited at four tertiary hospitals in Southwestern Nigeria. Anti-HDV antibodies were detected by ELISA while HDV-RNA was detected by RT-PCR. Sequencing followed by phylogenetic analyses and HBV genotype-specific PCR were used to characterize HDV and HBV genotypes, respectively. Out of 188 HBsAg positive serum samples, 17 (9 %) showed detectable HDV-RNA. Anti-HDV antibodies test was possible from 103 samples and were observed in 4.9 % (5/103) patients. There was no significant difference in HDV prevalence between four main cities across the country. 64.7 % of HDV-RNA positive samples were from males and 35.3 % from females (P < 0.05). No significant associations were observed with regard to HDV seroprevalence and available demographic factors. Phylogenetic analyses demonstrated a predominance of HDV genotype 1 and HBV genotype E among the HDV-RNA/HBsAg positive patients. In conclusion, our study showed a high prevalence of HDV infection in HBsAg carriers and the predominance of HDV genotype 1 infection in Nigerian HBV endemic region. The findings contribute to a better understanding of the relevance of HDV/HBV co-infection and circulating genotypes.

Assessment of Clinical Diagnosis, Microscopy, Rapid Diagnostic Tests, and Polymerase Chain Reaction in the Diagnosis of Plasmodium Falciparum in Nigeria

Abstract: This study compares the performance of clinical diagnosis and three laboratory diagnostic methods (thick film microscopy (TFM), rapid diagnostic test (RDT), and polymerase chain reaction (PCR)) for the diagnosis of Plasmodium falciparum in Nigeria. Using clinical criteria, 217 children were recruited into the study out of which 106 (48.8%) were positive by TFM, 84 (38.7%) by RDT, and 125 (57.6%) by PCR. Using a composite reference method generated from the three diagnostic methods, 71 (32.7%) patients were found to be truly infected and 90 (41.5%) truly uninfected, while 56 (25.8%) were misidentified as infected or noninfected. When each of the 3 diagnostic methods was compared with the composite reference, PCR had sensitivity of 97.3%, specificity of 62.5%, positive predictive value (PPV) of 56.8%, and negative predictive value (NPV) of 97.8%; microscopy had sensitivity of 77.2%, specificity of 72%, PPV of 66.9%, and NPV of 81.1%, while RDT had sensitivity of 62.3%, specificity of 87.4%, PPV of 67.7%, and NPV of 84.5%. PCR test performed best among the three methods followed by TFM and RDT in that order. The result of this study shows that clinical diagnosis cannot be relied upon for accurate diagnosis of P. falciparum in endemic areas.