July 2009

Immune response and possible causes of CD4+T-cell depletion in human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-1 infection

This review work examines immune response and possible causes of depletion of CD4+ T-cells in patients with human immunodeficiency (HIV)-1 infection. HIV has been accepted as a global problem however, the developing countries are the most affected by the epidemic. Countries in the sub-Saharan Africa seem to bear the bulk of the HIV burden among the developing countries with about 24.7 million (almost 63%) of all...

Author(s): O. O. Oguntibeju,  W. M. J. van den Heever and  F. E. Van Schalkwyk

July 2009

Elimination of acidic or oxidative stress for four probiotics with some chemicals in vitro

Lactobacillus bulgaricus or Lactobacillus helveticus was incubated in skim milk with addition of sodium citrate, calcium carbonate or sodium carbonate at 37°C for 24 h, whereas Bifidobacterium animalis or Bifidobacterium infantist was incubated in skim milk with addition of sodium D-isoascorbate, sodium L-ascorbate or L-cysteine at 37°C for 24 h in an anaerobic chamber....

Author(s): Xinhuai Zhao, Yu Zhang and Dan Li

July 2009

Antifatigue effects of polydatin from Chinese herb Polygonum Cuspidatum in swimming mice

This study evaluated the antifatigue polydatin from Chinese herb Polygonum Cuspidatum (PFPC) in ICR mice by swimming endurance test. Forty male mice were studied by being divided into 4 groups (ten for each group), as follows: Group I (control group, CG), Group â…¡ (low-dose group, LDG), Group â…¢ (medium-dose group, MDG) and Group â…£ï€ ï€ (high-dose group, HDG). The control group was...

Author(s): Xianqiong Ding, Keji Tang, Pingjun Lu and Ramesh Putheti

July 2009

Identification and susceptibility of Klebsiella and Enterobacter spp. isolated from meat products

Identification and susceptibility to 8 selected antimicrobial agents of Klebsiella andEnterobacter bacterial species was studied in 15 marketed meat samples (chicken, turkey-hen, beef, sheep, pig, dromedary, ostrich, and fish). The isolates were identified with the API 20E system, resulting in 7 clusters: Enterobacter aerogenes (2 isolates), Enterobacter cloacae (6),...

Author(s): Abdelmonem Messaoudi, Maher Gtari, Abdellatif Boudabous and Florian Wagenlehner 

July 2009

Effect of modified atmospheres on microbiological and sensorial properties of Apulian fresh cheeses

Commercial samples of fresh cheeses of the Apulia region (Italy) made from cow (Giuncata cheese) and goat milk (Primosale cheese) were studied to establish their microbiological and sensorial characteristics into package in air, under vacuum or different modified atmospheres (MAP). The combination made up of 75% CO2 and 25% N2 allowed the best preservation for Giuncata cheese, since it was able to slow...

Author(s): D. Gammariello, A. Conte, M. Attanasio and M. A. Del Nobile,

July 2009

Prevalence of risk factors for transmission of HIV and blood-borne viruses in a prison population

The objective of this study was to assess the factors which constitute risk of transmitting HIV and blood-borne viruses in a male prison. The setting for this study is Quthing district prison, Lesotho. It is a descriptive study that utilized semi-structured questionnaire administered in a face-to-face interview with participants. Collated data were analysed with the aid of SPSS computer software programme. One hundred...

Author(s): V. A. Akeke, M. Mokgatle and O. O. Oguntibeju

July 2009

An epidemiological survey of neonatal sepsis in a hospital in western Nigeria

The study examined occurrence of bacterial pathogens associated with neonatal sepsis in a hospital setting. A prospective cross-sectional study was carried out on neonates with sepsis who were admitted to the neonatal ward of Obafemi Awolowo University Teaching Hospital Complex, Ile-Ife, Nigeria over a six-month period. One hundred samples for microbiological evaluation were collected from the neonates excluding those...

Author(s): D. O. Awoniyi, S. J. Udo and O. O. Oguntibeju

July 2009

Assessment of bacteriological quality of ready to eat food (Meat pie) in Benin City metropolis, Nigeria

Eight triplicate samples of meat pie were randomly sampled from standard eatery and local kiosk in Benin City and analyzed microbiologically for the rates ofStaphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli. The mean microbial load on the fresh meat pie from the standard eatery ranged from 3x103 – 5x103cfu/g while the air preserved and refrigerated meat pie for (2 days) ranged between 2.3...

Author(s): S. Yah Clarence, C. Nwinyi Obinna and N. Chinedu Shalom

July 2009

Bacteriological contamination of the freshwater clam (Galatea paradoxa) from the Volta estuary, Ghana

This study was designed to generate information on the microbiological quality of the clam, Galatea paradoxa harvested from the Volta estuary in Ghana. Total Viable Counts (TVC) for heterotrophic bacteria, Total coliforms (TC) and Faecal Coliforms (FC) as indicators of faecal contamination, were evaluated in the rainy season (June - August) and in the dry season (January - February). G. paradoxafrom the...

Author(s): Adjei-Boateng Daniel, Amisah Stephen and Quagrainie, K. Kwamena

July 2009

The antimicrobial pattern and phytochemical properties of the leaf extracts of Senna podocarpa

Methanol extract of Senna podocarpa leaf was obtained using the cold extraction method. The extract was tested for antimicrobial activity against ten organisms, namely Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Streptococcus feacalis, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Shigella dysenteriae, Staphyloccoccus aureus, Escherichia coli,Microccoccus leutus, Salmonella typhi, Bacillus cereus, and Candida...

Author(s): O. A. Ogundare