Vol 21, No 2 ,2020: African Scientist

Dry eye disease is a public health issue especially in postmenopausal women. The aim of this study was to compare the visual and ocular symptoms scores in postmenopausal women with and without dry eye using the 5-item Dry eye questionnaire (DEQ-5) and Ocular surface disease index (OSDI) and to correlate the results between the DEQ-5 and OSDI in postmenopausal women with and without dry eye. Fifty-five participants (33 dry eye subjects and 22non-dry eye subjects) completed the two questionnaires (DEQ-5 and OSDI).

Pleurotus tuber-regium also known as the King tuber mushroom is an edible gilled fungus native to the tropics, belonging to the Pleurotaceae. Recent studies have shown its ability to reduce intraocular pressure when compared with antiglaucoma medications in animal models. Manometry has been the time proven and accurate method of determining intraocular pressure especially for research purposes. This study investigated the intraocular pressure reducing ability of P. tuber-regium when compared with Latanoprost (0.005%) in normotensive feline eyes.

The edaphic enzyme profiles associated with compounded top herbicide; Glyphosate impacted and control soils sourced from a commercial farm setting and a fallow land were determined using routine methodologies. The commercial farm establishment and the fallow farm were sited in Amukpe and Adavware communities both located in Sapele Local Government Area, Delta State, Nigeria. The amylase and invertase content of the soils ranged from 11.43 µg glucose/g soil ± 0.24 to 52.15 µg glucose/g soil ± 0.68 and 55.46 µg sucrose/g soil ± 1.25 to 548.13 µg sucrose/g soil ± 15.56 respectively.

Ethanolic root extract of Anacardium occidentale L. was evaluated for antimicrobial activities against selected clinical isolates. Bacteria and fungi pathogens obtained from the laboratory unit of a functional health facility for this study included Escherichia coli, Kblesiella pneumoniae, Staphylococcus aureus, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Proteus vulgaris, Streptococcus sp., Candida albicans and Aspergillus niger. The identities of the bacteria spp. were re-established following standard physical and biochemical routines.

One of the bacterial pathogens implicated worldwide in intestinal illnesses is diarrheagenic Escherichia coli (DEC). This study was conducted to determine the antagonistic effects of Lactobacillus species isolated from soursop (Annona muricata) and pineapple (Ananas comosus) fruits against DEC isolates using agar well diffusion protocol. Lactobacillus species were isolated from a collection of pineapple and soursop fruits obtained from open markets in Benin City, Nigeria using culture-based methods. The antimicrobial-metabolites producing ability of Lactobacillus spp.