Ajobiewe Jo’s scientific contributions

Hepatitis B virus (HBV) infections is one of the most common cause of maternal morbidity and mortality. Studies on seroprevalence of HBV among pregnant women attending antenatal clinic at Federal Medical Centre, Keffi, Nasarawa state, Nigeria was carried out. A total of 106 serum samples of pregnant women attending the antenatal clinic were obtained and HBV was detected using HBV test kits. Out of 106 serum samples of pregnant women attending the antenatal clinic, the prevalence of HBV infection was 28(26.4%). The prevalence of HBV among the pregnant women was highest among those within the age group 21-25yrs (57.9%) The prevalence of HBV was also high among pregnant women with informal education (37.0%) and farmers (31.6%) as well as the single (51.4%) and those with history of blood transfusion (32.2%) and first trimester of pregnancy (34.4%) respectively. The prevalence of HBV among the pregnant women in relation to socio-demographic factors of the pregnant women were statistically significant (P < 0.05) in agreement with World Health Organization (WHO) findings.

A crucial element of universal healthcare is health insurance, which offers financial protection against the expenses of utilizing medical services. Nigeria is one of several African nations where a sizable amount of current health spending is made up of out-of-pocket expenses. The percentage of out-of-pocket spending has remained steady over the past 20 years. The Federal Medical Center (FMC) Jabi in Abuja is where the investigation was conducted. FMC Jabi institution is situated in Nigeria's northern central region. Clients who visited the research facility were given questionnaires by the interviewer. The poll included 500 customers, including men and women between the ages of 25 and 60. The vast majority of them (78%) were above the age of 30. There were 200 men and 300 women present, accounting for 40% of the total. The male: female ratio was 1:1.5, 109 (21.8%) and 17 (3.4%) people were single or divorced despite the fact that 339 (67.8%) of the participants were married. A total of 317 (63.4%) participants, or 100 (20%) and 83 (16.6%), are not public officials or employees of the government. More than half of the participants had monthly incomes below the minimum wage. Household heads are working part-time or being unemployed more frequently these days. In contrast to the WHO requirement of 40% or less, which implies catastrophic household health spending, the mean values of patients who could afford to enroll in the NHIS, undergo extensive medical diagnostics, and purchase pharmaceuticals were/those that cannot stands at 34 (CI 31.8-36.2)/122 (CI 119.8-124.2)/60. The study's findings show the impact of out-of-pocket expenses and payments on access to universal healthcare in the twenty-first century, but the values obtained may be woefully insufficient to inform governmental policy decisions about the amount of money needed to fund the suggested package for patients under the national health insurance program (NHIS). This is true because household health costs are significantly influenced by socioeconomic position..

Original Research Article The continuous use of antibiotics for the treatment of bacterial infections has led to the increase in bacterial resistance to these antibiotics. Many bacteria, including Staphylococcus aureus are currently multi-drug resistant, which poses a great problem to the medical and pharmaceutical industry [1]. This research was conducted to investigate the antimicrobial properties of Syzygium aromaticum against the above-mentioned organism. The plant extracts were Hot water, Cold water, and Ethanol, and the susceptibility of the organism was tested using agar well diffusion and disk diffusion methods. The plant extracts showed antimicrobial activity on the isolate used i.e. Staphylococcus aureus. From the result, the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) was 0.24mg/ml, and the Minimum bactericidal concentration (MBC) was 3.91mg/ml. The Diameter Zone of Inhibition in (mm) against the plant concentration in (mg/ml) parameters were 500mg/ml and 250mg/ml. The values of the diameter zone of inhibition against the plant concentrations ranged from 16mm to 0mm while control ranged from 38mm to 10mm. The Phytochemical components determined in Cloves were Alkaloids,

Original Research Article The aim of this research work was to investigate the prevalence of Bovine Onchocerciasis affecting cattle in Karu F.C.T Abuja between March, 2017, and August, 2017. The method adopted in the study was a random survey carried out on the prevalence of Bovine onchocerciasis in Karu FCT area of Nigeria. A total of 300 cattle were sampled for species of Onchocerca parasite. The animals were of four major breeds, namely; Garawa, Bunaje, White Fulani and Abora. Three species Bovine onchocerciasis encountered during this study were Onchocerca gutturosa, Onchocerca duckei, and Onchocerca gibsoni. The result showed that, of this number, 146 (48.66%) were infected with the various species of Onchocerca namely; Onchocerca gutturosa 92(63.0%), Onchocerca duckei 51(34.93%), and Onchocerca gibsoni 3 (2.05%). Prevalence of Bovine onchocerciasis were higher in animal aged (5-6yeas) followed by those between (3-4 years) and lastly those age 7 years and above. Calculated Chi Square, λ 2 was higher than tabulated λ 2 hence the prevalence of infection of the various breeds of the cattle by onchocerca species was significant (P<0.05). In conclusion, the prevalence of Onchocerca species infection in various breeds of Cattle in Karu local government area of Nasarawa state of Nigeria was very significant (P<0.05).

The remarkable activity of honey varieties in inflammatory complications is increasingly favorable due to its ability to induce antibodies to produce cytokines in eliminating bacterial infection and other related skin irritations. We investigated this assertion earlier documented in different studies about the potency of honey varieties in four selected hospitals within Nigeria. We also observed in this current work that the potency of honey obtained from different sources varied due to its composition of acids and proteins. Statistical technique, such as ANOVA was used to compare the mean difference of potency of honey in four selected hospitals within Nigeria. The test showed that the mean difference of the potencies of honey in three selected hospitals are not significant (P>0.05). The result of our in-vitro studies showed that honey had powerful antibacterial activities against different species of bacteria. We thus, concluded and suggested that among the countless varieties of honeys produced worldwide, some might have superior antibacterial activities that were yet to be discovered.

Seroprevalence of HIV among pregnant women attending antenatal clinic in Kumo General Hospital was studied in 350 sera. The sera were obtained from women of different age group, occupation, social background including tradition (by tradition we mean people's ways of life common in that locality). Screening was carried out using Abbot determine test strips and Gene 11 HIV 1 and 2. The Bio-data information of the women was gathered through questionnaire administration. Out of the 350 sera collected, 12(3.4%) were reactive for HIV. There was high prevalence among age group 21-30 (2.1%) followed by age group 11-20 (0.9%). High prevalence was also observed among the unemployed pregnant women (2.1%). Women who had no risk factor were also noted to have had high prevalence (1.7%); Spouses of seropositive pregnant women and those with no risk factor had 42% and (33%) prevalence respectively.

Arthritis is fast becoming chronic disease of rheological and compromised public health consequences, most especially on the quality of human corporate life and existence. The aim of this current study is simply to consider the level of awareness of the therapeutic effects, if any, of Grasshoppers on Arthritis. To some ethnic groups, insects provide 5-10% of protein, fat, calories, vitamins and minerals per year. This work's main objective is to critically appraise the level of awareness of the food value of Grasshoppers and its therapeutic potentials on arthritis patients. As useful information on these parameters could suggest the fountain and the basis of these claims and assertions. The method adopted in this current study randomly assigned and administered informed consent questionnaires to unisex participants attending some four hospitals' orthopedic departments within F.C.T. Abuja in Nigeria. Also they were fed with 25g of fifteen roasted grasshopper daily as afternoon snacks for eight months continuously without break. Using the unpaired t-test, we observed that the percentage curative rate in these unisex volunteers, though very high, showed no significant difference among the male and female participants aged 40 to 80 years (P>0.05). Majority of those interviewed within the community randomly selected actually seem to know about the importance and the usefulness of Grasshopper as far as therapeutic and food potentials are concerned.

Milk is a highly nutritious food that can be obtained from a variety of animal sources and is used for human consumption. Raw milk is generally considered an ideal growth medium for microorganisms, since it provides ideal conditions and nutrients for their growth. This study was aimed at assessing fungi and parasites present in fresh cow milk. 50 samples of fresh cow milk were collected randomly from five herds and subjected to parasitological and fungal assessment. 2 ml of each the milk samples was subjected to centrifugation, decanted and stained with Lugol's iodine to view for parasites. 2ml of each sample was spread over the surface of Potato Dextrose Agar to encourage the growth of fungi. Aspergillus spp., Mucor spp., and Rhizopus spp. were the fungi found. The number of fugal colonies was 126, 23, 7 and 19 for yeasts, Rhizopus spp., Aspergillus spp. and Mucor spp. and respectively. Cryptosporidium spp. and Toxoplasma spp. were the parasites found. The high amount of microorganisms emphasizes the need for pasteurization and sterilization.