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.

The unique resistance and resilience of the Nigerian West African Dwarf goat to gastrointestinal nematode infections

Abstract: West African Dwarf (WAD) goats serve an important role in the rural village economy of West Africa, especially among small-holder livestock owners. They have been shown to be trypanotolerant and to resist infections with Haemonchus contortus more effectively than any other known breed of goat. In this paper we review what is known about the origins of this goat breed, explain its economic importance in rural West Africa and review the current status of our knowledge about its ability to resist parasitic infections. We suggest that its unique capacity to show both trypanotolerance and resistance to gastrointestinal (GI) nematode infections is immunologically based and genetically endowed, and that knowledge of the underlying genes could be exploited to improve the capacity of more productive wool and milk producing, but GI nematode susceptible, breeds of goats to resist infection, without recourse to anthelmintics. Either conventional breeding allowing introgression of resistance alleles into susceptible breeds, or transgenesis could be exploited for this purpose. Appropriate legal protection of the resistance alleles of WAD goats might provide a much needed source of revenue for the countries in West Africa where the WAD goats exist and where currently living standards among rural populations are among the lowest in the world.

Effect of grain sizes on mechanical properties and biodegradation behavior of pure iron for cardiovascular stent application

Abstract: Pure iron has been demonstrated as a potential candidate for biodegradable metal stents due to its appropriate biocompatibility, suitable mechanical properties and uniform biodegradation behavior. The competing parameters that control the safety and the performance of BMS include proper strength-ductility combination, biocompatibility along with matching rate of corrosion with healing rate of arteries. Being a micrometre-scale biomedical device, the mentioned variables have been found to be governed by the average grain size of the bulk material. Thermo-mechanical processing techniques of the cold rolling and annealing were used to grain-refine the pure iron. Pure Fe samples were unidirectionally cold rolled and then isochronally annealed at different temperatures with the intention of inducing different ranges of grain size. The effect of thermo-mechanical treatment on mechanical properties and corrosion rates of the samples were investigated, correspondingly. Mechanical properties of pure Fe samples improved significantly with decrease in grain size while the corrosion rate decreased marginally with decrease in the average grain sizes. These findings could lead to the optimization of the properties to attain an adequate biodegradation-strength-ductility balance.

Relationship Between Exclusive Breastfeeding and Lower Risk of Childhood Obesity: A Narrative Review of Published Evidence.

Abstract: Background:The pattern of infant feeding during the first 1000-day period—from conception to the second birthday—has a significant influence on the child’s growth trajectory. The relationship between exclusive breastfeeding and lower risk of childhood obesity has elicited much scientific interest, given the fact that this form of malnutrition is becoming a global epidemic.Aim:This narrative review aims to examine the evidence in the literature linking exclusive breastfeeding with reduction in obesity in children.Literature search:Using appropriate search terms, PubMed database was searched for relevant articles that met the review objective.Results:Evidence for the protective effect of exclusive breastfeeding against childhood obesity have been provided by studies which explored 5 physiologic mechanisms and those that established the causality between breastfeeding and lower risk of obesity. The few studies that disputed this relationship highlighted the influence of confounding factors. A new insight on ...

Bio-inspired iron oxide nanoparticles using Psidium guajava aqueous extract for antibacterial activity

Abstract: Bio-inspired synthesis of iron oxide nanoparticles (FeONPs) has been carried out by eco-friendly, low cost, and facile method using an aqueous extract of Psidium guajava (PG) leaf as a potential reducing agent. The obtained FeONPs were characterized using X-ray powder diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), UV–visible spectroscopy, Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), vibrating sample magnetometer (VSM), and energy-dispersive spectroscopy techniques. The surface plasmon resonance peak of FeONPs was found to be 310 nm. The FTIR spectra analysis indicates the presence of various functional groups in PG extract that are responsible for the biosynthesis of FeONPs. The XRD confirmed that FeONPs were indexed into the cubic spinel lattice structure. The SEM and TEM analysis confirmed the spherical morphology of FeONPs with particle size ranging from 1 to 6 nm. The superparamagnetic nature of the formulated FeONPs was determined using VSM. The FeONPs formulated inhibit the growth of six human pathogenic strains with strong activity chiefly against Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus at low concentration when compared to other standard antibacterial drugs. It is noteworthy that the formulated FeONPs are efficient as an antibacterial agent.