Volume 24, Issue 1, March 2023

The workforce in sub-Saharan Africa faces stressful conditions while commuting on the road and while at 

Actinomycetes are threadlike or filamentous, Gram positive bacteria that form branching filaments with hyphae and asexual spores. The hyphae are usually septate or coenocytic in nature. The aim of this study was to investigate the microbial ecological distribution of marine actinomycetes isolated from the Lagos Atlantic Ocean, South West Nigeria. Marine (soil and water) samples were collected from about 10 m deep from Lagos Lagoon and Atlantic Ocean. Starch Casein agar was prepared aseptically.

Today, occupational exposure to harmful substances is common in many nations across the globe. This occupational exposure in many countries is highly unregulated. Using the bronze casting industry as a case study, there is a heightened interest in bronze artwork but its creators (bronze casters) haven't been given much thought when it comes to exposure to toxicants. Bronze casting can result in exposure to harmful material into the body and this can have an impact on reproductive health.

Helicobacter pylori is a Gram-negative microaerophilic bacteria with a spiral (helical) morphology which is usually found in the stomach. H. pylori infection is one of the most common bacterial infection worldwide and in children of lower ages. Reports show that this bacterium is associated with simple dyspepsia, heartburn and peptic ulcer diseases, most commonly leading to upper gastrointestinal bleeding and ultimately to the severe compilation of gastric malignancy. Diabetes mellitus is an important factor that increases the susceptibility and risk of various infections in the host.

Occupational exposure to bronze borne toxicant is entirely unregulated in many countries. The foundry industry is known to contain a lot of toxic metals and the exposure of foundry workers to these metals may result in prooxidant/antioxidant imbalance and can act as an intermediate in the formation of an oxidative stress state. This aim of this study was to investigate the levels of total antioxidant capacity, malondialdehyde and C-reactive protein among bronze foundry workers in Benin City, South-South Nigeria.

Drosophila melanogaster serves as an important research model organism in the fields of genetics and developmental biology. Recent studies have indicated the use of Drosophila in a number of other studies such as metabolic, nanotoxicological and immunological studies. Rearing of fly in the laboratory condition is an important task to work with this organism. To maintain the growth and development of the flies where the components of the food play important roles, this is done by mixing the compounds with fly food in proper concentration.

The extent of illumination within work places contributes to the productivity and wellbeing of the employees. Due to its relevance, health and safety organizations around the world have continued to instruct and enlighten employers on the necessity to place satisfactory lighting equipment’s and mechanisms in place to guarantee the constant safety and wellbeing of their employees. This research is aimed at accessing the illuminance levels in office work stations in the Faculty of Life Sciences, University of Benin.

The use of plant extracts to treat diseases in herbal medicine has the potential of causing toxic effects, though of natural origin, it may not be safe. This study evaluated the effect of aqueous and methanolic extract of Annona muricata stem bark consumption in normal rats. Fresh stem bark of Annona muricata (Sour soup) was collected, pulverized, extracted with distilled water or methanol (Aqueous or Methanolic extract). The rats were divided into six (6) groups of five (5) rats per group, for aqueous or methanolic extract.

 Leaves and essential oils for therapeutic purposes are important traits in lemongrass (Cymbopogon citratus). In this study, the genetic diversity of ten C. citratus accessions collected around Nigeria was investigated using simple sequence repeat (SSR) and inter simple sequence repeat (ISSR) markers. Also, we determined the chemical content of C. citratus essential oil. In this study, the essential oil was extracted using hydro-distillation and the constituents of the oil were determined with gas chromatography-mass spectrophotometry (GC-MS).

 Resistance to currently available antibiotics has been on the increase and many plant extracts have been known to treat various diseases caused by resistant strains of bacteria. This study was aimed at determining the antibacterial activity of ethanol extract of Annona senegalensis leaf against clinical isolates of Staphylococcus aureus, Salmonella typhi and Pseudomonas aeruginosa.