University of Nigeria, Nsukka

About: University of Nigeria, Nsukka is a education organization based out in Nsukka, Nigeria. It is known for research contribution in the topics: Population & Health care. The organization has 10211 authors who have published 13685 publications receiving 138922 citations.

Evaluation of Genome Wide Association Study Associated Type 2 Diabetes Susceptibility Loci in Sub Saharan Africans.

Abstract: Genome wide association studies (GWAS) for type 2 diabetes (T2D) undertaken in European and Asian ancestry populations have yielded dozens of robustly associated loci. However, the genomics of T2D remains largely understudied in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), where rates of T2D are increasing dramatically and where the environmental background is quite different than in these previous studies. Here, we evaluate 106 reported T2D GWAS loci in continental Africans. We tested each of these SNPs, and SNPs in linkage disequilibrium (LD) with these index SNPs, for an association with T2D in order to assess transferability and to fine map the loci leveraging the generally reduced LD of African genomes. The study included 1775 unrelated Africans (1035 T2D cases, 740 controls; mean age 54 years; 59% female) enrolled in Nigeria, Ghana, and Kenya as part of the Africa America Diabetes Mellitus (AADM) study. All samples were genotyped on the Affymetrix Axiom PanAFR SNP array. Forty-one of the tested loci showed transferability to this African sample (p < 0.05, same direction of effect), 11 at the exact reported SNP and 30 others at SNPs in LD with the reported SNP (after adjustment for the number of tested SNPs). TCF7L2 SNP rs7903146 was the most significant locus in this study (p = 1.61 × 10(-8)). Most of the loci that showed transferability were successfully fine-mapped, i.e., localized to smaller haplotypes than in the original reports. The findings indicate that the genetic architecture of T2D in SSA is characterized by several risk loci shared with non-African ancestral populations and that data from African populations may facilitate fine mapping of risk loci. The study provides an important resource for meta-analysis of African ancestry populations and transferability of novel loci.

Comparative phytochemical and antimicrobial screening of some solvent extracts of Samanea saman (fabaceae or mimosaceae) pods

Abstract: Antimicrobial activity of distilled water (DE), methanol (ME), ethanol (EE) and ethyl acetate (EAE) extracts of Samanea saman pods was investigated by well-diffusion method against five pathogenic organisms: Bacillus subtilis (B. subtilis), Staphylococsus aureus (S. aureus), Escherichia coli (E. coli), Pseudomonas aeruginosa (P. aeruginosa) and Candida albicans (C. albicans). Only ME showed measurable inhibitory activity against both B. subtilis and S. aureus and at concentrations of 20 and 10 mg/ml whereas EAE inhibited only S. aureus at a concentration of 20 mg/ml. Qualitative phytochemical screening of the different solvent extracts of the S. saman pods indicated varied presence of the phytochemicals. However, acidic compounds, proteins and fats/oils were absent, but all the tested solvent extracts except DE showed moderate presence of reducing sugars. Furthermore, while ME and EAE indicated high presence of carbohydrates, DE and EE showed only moderate presence of carbohydrates. On comparison, ME has more of the secondary metabolites followed by EE and EAE and then, DE. The study apparently highlights the biochemical basis for possible use of the S. saman pods (especially the methanol extract) in ethno-medication. Key words: Samanea saman, fabeaceae, phytochemical, antimicrobial, ethno-medication, narrow spectrum.

The perspective of e‐learning and libraries in Africa: challenges and opportunities

Abstract: Purpose – This paper aims to examine and discuss the crucial roles libraries play in e‐learning; the challenges and opportunities facing the e‐learning program and the library's involvement.Design/methodology/approach – To elicit the necessary information, a literature review of studies done on e‐learning and libraries was done. Materials were sourced online and offline to build the literature of this work. The paper gives an overview of e‐learning and types; benefits of e‐learning; the infancy stage of e‐learning, libraries, and e‐learning technologies; starting points for libraries and e‐learning and challenges facing e‐learning.Findings – A lot of challenges are facing the successful implementation of e‐learning in institutions and also the role of libraries in enhancing e‐learning needs a lot of issues to be addressed as library's involvement in e‐learning is found to be very crucial.Practical implications – This paper establishes that libraries are the heart of institutions and so, are meant to play ...