BackgroundThe association between ABCC8 gene C49620T polymorphism and type 2 diabetes (T2D) in populations of diverse ethnic backgrounds has been reported. However, such occurrence in an African population is yet to be established. This case-control study involving 73 T2D and 75 non-diabetic (ND) patients investigated the occurrence of this polymorphism among T2D patients in Nigeria and assessed its relationship with body lipids of patients.MethodsDemographic and clinical characteristics of patients were collected and lipid profile indices including total cholesterol (TC), triglyceride (TG), low density lipoprotein (LDL) and high density lipoprotein (HDL) were assayed. Restriction fragment length polymorphism-PCR (RFLP-PCR) was employed to genotype the ABCC8-C49620T polymorphism using PstI restriction enzyme.ResultsThis study revealed significantly (p < 0.05) higher prevalence of the T allele of the ABCC8 gene in T2D patients (33.1%) compared to ND patients (28.0%). The mutant TT genotype was also higher than the CC and CT genotypes in T2D patients compared to ND patients but did not show any significant risk (p>0.05) of T2D for the unadjusted codominant, dominant and recessive models. Following age adjustment, the mutant genotypes (CT and TT) showed significant (p<0.05) risk of T2D for all the models with the recessive model presenting the greatest risk of T2D (OR: 2.39, 95% CI: 1.16-4.91, p<0.018). The TT genotype significantly (p<0.05) associated with high level of HDL and reduced levels of TC, TG and LDL in non-diabetic patients but was not associated with any of the demographic and clinical characteristics among T2D patients.ConclusionsABCC8 C49620T polymorphism showed possible association with T2D marked by predominance of the mutant TT genotype in T2D patients. However, the relationship between TT genotype and lipid abnormalities for possible beneficial effect on people suffering from T2D is unclear.

Within Enugu and Anambra States, Nigeria, identification of fishes has been based on morphological traits and do not account for existing biodiversity. For DNA barcoding, assessment of biodiversity, conservation and fishery management, 44 fish sampled from Enugu and Anambra States were isolated, amplified and sequenced with mitochondrial cytochrome oxidase subunit I (COI). Twenty groups clustering at 100% bootstrap value including monophyletic ones were identified. The phylogenetic diversity (PD) ranged from 0.0397 (Synodontis obesus) to 0.2147 (Parachanna obscura). The highest percentage of genetic distance based on Kimura 2-parameter was 37.00 ± 0.0400. Intergeneric distances ranged from 15.8000 to 37.0000%. Congeneric distances were 6.9000 ± 0.0140–28.1000 ± 0.0380, with Synodontis as the existing synonymous genus. Confamilial distances in percentage were 16.0000 ± 0.0140 and 25.7000 ± 0.0300. Forty-two haplotypes and haplotype diversity of 0.9990 ± 0.0003 were detected. Nucleotide diversity was 0.7372, while Fu and Li’s D* test statistic was 2.1743 (P < 0.02). Tajima’s D was 0.2424 (P > 0.10) and nucleotide frequencies were C (17.70%), T (29.40%), A (24.82%), G (18.04%) and A + T (54.22%). Transitional mutations were more than transversions. Twenty species (99–100%) were identified with the e-value, maximum coverage and bit-score of 1e−43, 99–100 and 185–1194, respectively. Seventeen genera and 12 families were found and Clariidae (n = 14) was the most dominant among other families. The fish species resolution, diversity assessment and phylogenetic relationships were successfully obtained with the COI marker. Clariidae had the highest number of genera and families. Phylogenetic diversity analysis identified Parachanna obscura as the most evolutionarily divergent one. This study will contribute to fishery management, and conservation of freshwater fishes in Enugu and Anambra States, Nigeria.

Biofertilizer can be defined as preparation that contains microbes capable of nitrogen (N)-fixation and phosphate solubilization that promote plant growth. These groups of microbes, classified as Plant Growth-Promoting Bacteria (PGPB), colonize the rhizosphere and the soil. In this work, liquid biofertilizer was produced from whole orange, banana and grape, wheat and rice chaff, Moringa oleifera leaves, soil, and brown sugar (as carbon source) mixed with water and cultured in an anaerobic condition for two weeks. The sieved culture was stored in a tightly sealed PVC container at room temperature for biochemical analysis of microbial population. Nitrogen fixing bacteria (Azotobacter sp.) and phosphorus solubilizing bacteria were isolated using Ashby's Mannitol Azotobacter medium and Pisvikoya's PSB medium respectively, while Bacillus sp. was isolated using Bacillus agar. Field experiment was carried out to investigate the performance rates of the biofertilizer against those of the Nitrogen/Phosphorus/Potassium (NPK) chemical fertilizer and the control, on the growth of corn (Zea mays). The experimental design consisted of three treatments of the Biofertilizer, Chemical fertilizer (NPK) and Control, conducted in three replicates. Data collected were analyzed using one-way ANOVA at P < 0.05. The results showed significant improvement in growth and yield of maize on which biofertilizer was applied as against those treated with NPK and the Control. The plants treated with the biofertilizer did not show signs of insects attack, which were easily observed on the blades of those treated with NPK and the control.

Though the rs5219 E23K variant of the KCNJ11 gene is commonly known to be associated with Type 2 diabetes (T2D) in Caucasian and Asian populations, little or none of such findings have been revealed in Nigeria. Hence, this study was aimed to assess the relationship between E23K polymorphic variant of the KCNJ11 gene and T2D in a Nigerian population. A case-control study involving 73 T2D patients and 75 non-diabetic (ND) patients aged above 30 years was conducted. Demographic, clinical, and anthropometric data was collected and the fasting blood glucose (FBG), total cholesterol (TC), triglyceride (TG), LDL-c and HDL-c were assayed. The KCNJ11 E23K polymorphism was genotyped by RFLP-PCR using BanII restriction enzyme. There was predominance of the mutant A allele as well as the homozygote AA genotype (92.5%) in both T2D and ND patients than the wild G allele and homozygote GG genotype (7.5%). The Engwa GA, et al. 2 Genetics and Molecular Research 17 (1): gmr16039889 heterozygote AG genotype was completely absent in the T2D and ND patients. The AA genotype showed no significant risk of T2D when compared to the GG genotype (OR: 1.183, 95% CI: 0.345-4.059, p= 0.790) in. Genotype frequencies did not violate the Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium in the study population (χ2=0.071; p=0.790). HDL-c was significantly higher (p=0.002) in patients with the GG genotype compared to the patients with the AA genotype. In conclusion, the KCNJ11 E23K polymorphism was not associated with T2D though there was predominance of the mutant A allele in the study population.

The prevalence of Urinary Tract Infections (UTI) among pregnant women was carried out in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology of five (5) different hospitals in Enugu metropolis. Four hundred and eighty (480) pregnant women whose ages ranged from 20 -40 years were recruited in this