Analysis of the key factors for small and medium-sized enterprises growth using principal component analysis.

Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs) significantly contribute to national economic development worldwide. However, numerous factors affect the growth of SMEs, particularly in developing economies. Due to the complexity of these variables, it is challenging to determine where to begin improving SMEs.

The antioxidant/anti-inflammatory protective effects of rutin against ethanol-induced testicular perturbation in rats: Involvement of the immunosuppressive indoleamine 2,3-dioxygenase.

This study investigated the influence of rutin against EtOH-induced testicular impairment in rats and the involvement of the indole-aminergic pathway. Four groups of eight rats each were orally exposed to drinking water (Group 1), EtOH (5 g/kg bwt, Group 2), R (5 g/kg bwt, Group 3), and EtOH + R (5 g/kg bwt + 50 mg/kg bwt, Group 4) via gavage for 15 days. Results showed that exposure to EtOH significantly (p < 0.

The COVID-19, tuberculosis and HIV/AIDS: Ménage à Trois.

In December 2019, a novel pneumonic condition, Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID- 19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), broke out in China and spread globally. The presentation of COVID-19 is more severe in persons with underlying medical conditions such as Tuberculosis (TB), Human Immunodeficiency Virus/Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome (HIV/AIDS) and other pneumonic conditions. All three diseases are of global concern and can significantly affect the lungs with characteristic cytokine storm, immunosuppression, and respiratory failure.

Impact of social media-based intervention in reducing youths' propensity to engage in drug abuse in Nigeria.

Drug abuse is one of the serious social problems facing the globe today. There have been cases of young people under the influence of drugs; engaging in different crimes such as kidnapping, rape, and armed robbery. The goal of this study was to test the effectiveness of social media-based intervention in reducing drug abuse propensity among youths in Nigeria.

Knowledge, attitude and perception of West Africans towards COVID-19: a survey to inform public health intervention.

Background: The first case of the novel coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) in West Africa was first confirmed in Nigeria in February 2020. Since then, several public health interventions and preventive measures have been implemented to curtail transmission of the causative agent, the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). Therefore, this study was performed to assess the knowledge, attitudes, and perceptions of West Africans towards COVID-19.

Local Linear Regression and the problem of dimensionality: a remedial strategy via a new locally adaptive bandwidths selector.

Local Linear Regression (LLR) is a nonparametric regression model applied in the modeling phase of Response Surface Methodology (RSM). LLR does not make reference to any fixed parametric model. Hence, LLR is flexible and can capture local trends in the data that might be too complicated for the OLS.

Maize streak virus research in Africa: an end or a crossroad.

The economic importance of the maize streak virus disease to the African maize production dynamic is to be appreciated now more than ever due to the preponderant influence of a changing climate. Continued dependence on a single major-effect quantitative trait locus (QTL) called Msv1 on Chromosome 1 of Maize (Zea mays L.) is not guaranteed to ensure durable resistance to the causal pathogen.

Presentation and management outcome of childhood corrosive oesophageal injury in Benin City.

Background: Corrosive ingestion in children occurs usually at home and frequently results in debilitating strictures. Prevention and early intervention programs are very important for good outcomes.

Aims And Objectives: This study aims at examining the immediate causative factors and problems of this subset of patients with a special focus on treatment and outcome.

Dataset on the effect of different pretreatment on the proximate analysis, microbial and sensory evaluation of dried banana during its storage.

Pre-treatment on banana slices is usually carried out to stop discolouration of the fruit by oxidative reactions, in raw presentation of the fruit especially in fruit salads. Drying is an old long preservation method for fruits and vegetables. In drying banana fruit, discolorations do occur and an attempt to stop the discoloration while maintaining quality (shelf life) is studied in this work.

Prevalence of Antibiotics Resistant Strains in Nigerian Ready-to-eat Foods.

The Listerial flora and bio-load associated with 411 ready-to-eat (RTE) foods sold at several locations in southern Nigeria was evaluated using phenotypic procedures which included serial dilution and pour plate techniques. Selected strains phenotypically identified from the RTE foods were further identified using virulence gene markers and 16srRNA amplification procedures. All the 90 strains cultured from the RTE foods were subjected to antibiogram analysis using disc diffusion.

Transcriptome sequencing reveals key potential long non-coding RNAs related to duration of fertility trait in the uterovaginal junction of egg-laying hens.

Duration of fertility, (DF) is an important functional trait in poultry production and lncRNAs have emerged as important regulators of various process including fertility. In this study we applied a genome-guided strategy to reconstruct the uterovaginal junction (UVJ) transcriptome of 14 egg-laying birds with long- and short-DF (n = 7); and sought to uncover key lncRNAs related to duration of fertility traits by RNA-sequencing technology. Examination of RNA-seq data revealed a total of 9977 lncRNAs including 2576 novel lncRNAs.

In vitro toxicity and in silico docking analysis of two novel selective AH-receptor modulators.

The mediator of dioxin toxicity, aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AHR), has also important physiological functions. Selective AHR modulators (SAHRMs) share some effects of dioxins, except for their marked toxicity. We recently characterised toxicologically two novel SAHRMs, prodrugs IMA-08401 and IMA-07101 in rats, demonstrating that they are far less deleterious than the most toxic AHR-agonist, TCDD.

Estrogenic Activities of Food Supplements and Beers as Assessed by a Yeast Bioreporter Assay.

Mounting evidence of the effects of endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs) in humans has led to assaying a vast array of food items (processed or packaged) as possible sources of human exposure to estrogens. In this study, we investigated the current situation in this respect of different food supplements and beer brands. Eleven food supplements and 24 beer brands were obtained from Helsinki, Finland.

Development of iFOX-hunting as a functional genomic tool and demonstration of its use to identify early senescence-related genes in the polyploid Brassica napus.

Functional genomic studies of many polyploid crops, including rapeseed (Brassica napus), are constrained by limited tool sets. Here we report development of a gain-of-function platform, termed 'iFOX (inducible Full-length cDNA OvereXpressor gene)-Hunting', for inducible expression of B. napus seed cDNAs in Arabidopsis.

Pathogenic potentials of Aeromonas species isolated from aquaculture and abattoir environments.

The present study elucidated the presence of antibiotics resistance, virulence genes and biofilm potentials among Aeromonas species isolated from abattoir and aquaculture environments in Benin City, Nigeria. A total of 144 wastewater samples were obtained from two independent aquaculture and abattoir environments between May and October 2016. Aeromonas species were isolated on Glutamate Starch Phenol Red (GSP) agar and confirmed using API 20NE kits.

Multi-drug resistant Vibrio species isolated from abattoir effluents in Nigeria.

Introduction: The antibiogram of Vibrio species isolated from abattoir effluents in the Niger Delta region of Nigeria was investigated in lieu of their public health significance.

Methodology: Vibrio species were isolated and identified using standard microbiological and molecular techniques; while antibiogram of isolates was tested and interpreted according to the disc diffusion method described by Clinical Laboratory Standards Institute.

Results: Forty eight (48) out of 150 presumptive isolates (32%) were confirmed to be Vibrio spp.

Recent perspectives on the anticancer properties of aqueous extracts of Nigerian .

Innovative developments are necessary for treating and defeating cancer, an oftentimes deadly group of diseases characterized by the uncontrolled growth and spread of abnormal cells. Breast cancer (BC) is the second leading cause of cancer-related deaths of women in the USA, and prostate cancer (PC) is the second leading cause of cancer-related deaths of American men. Although some efficacious BC drugs are pharmaceutically marketed, they affect the quality of life for some patients because they are toxic in that their usages have been accompanied by side effects such as stroke, thrombosis, slow heart rate, seizure, increased blood pressure, nausea, emesis, and more.

Dietary exposure of Nigerians to mutagens and estrogen-like chemicals.

Food and drinking water are poorly delineated sources of human exposure to chemical food mutagens and endocrine-disrupting chemicals. In this study, we investigated the presence of mutagens and chemicals exhibiting estrogenic activity in the daily diet of Nigerians, using in vitro assays. Commercially processed foods or snacks and various brands of pure water sachets were extracted by solid-phase extraction and liquid-liquid extraction, respectively.

The Nigeria high glycemic index starchy foods, obesity, and the environment.

Background: Glycemic index has generated a lot of debate for nearly 30 years, especially as it relates to the control for the treatment of diabetes.

Objectives: This study determined the glycemic index (GI) of ten processed Nigerian foods and revealed their similarity in the release of glucose on consumption.

Methods: The food items tested were made from yam tubers, cassava tubers and local cereals.