Nigerian Scientist Develops Remedies for Diabetic Patients

Diabetes, often referred to by doctors as Diabetes Mellitus (DM) is one of the metabolic diseases in which the person has high blood glucose (blood sugar). The disease is as the result either because insulin production in the body is inadequate, or because the body's cells do not respond properly to insulin, or both. Patients with high blood sugar will typically experience frequent urination, they will become increasingly thirsty and hungry. Diabetes is classified into type 1 DM, type 2 DM and gestational Diabetes, which affects few females during pregnancy.  Type 1 is when the body does not produce insulin, which constitutes approximately 10% of all diabetes cases while type 2 is when the body does not produce enough insulin for proper function. Type 2 constitutes approximately 90% of all cases of diabetes worldwide. As of 2015, an estimated 415 million people were reported to be suffering from diabetes worldwide according to the International Diabetes Federation, with type 2 approximating to the 90% of the cases. This represents 8.3% of the adult population, with equal rates in both women and men. In Africa, more than 14 million cases are reported, accounting for about 4.3% of average adults and responsible for more than 401, 276 deaths per year. Unfortunately, Nigeria, the most populous country in the continent has the highest burden of diabetes in Africa with more than 3.2 million diabetic patients and the incidence of the disease is currently increasing at an alarming rate.

Overweight and obese people have a much higher risk of developing type 2 diabetes compared to those with a healthy body weight. People with a lot of visceral fat, also known as central obesity, fat belly or abdominal obesity, are especially at risk. Being overweight/obese causes the body to release chemicals that can destabilize the body's cardiovascular and metabolic systems. Being overweight, physically inactive and eating the wrong foods may all contribute to the risk of developing type 2 diabetes. Researchers from Imperial College London reported in the journal Diabetologia that drinking of one bottle (non-diet) of soft drink can raise the risk of developing type 2 diabetes by 22. The scientists believe that the impact of sugary soft drinks on diabetes risk may be a direct one, rather than simply an influence on body weight.

In Africa, Diabetes is a common disease among the people above the age of 40 years, people have learnt to live with diabetes through various controls and managements. People with type 1 diabetes need to take insulin injections for the rest of their life while monitoring their blood-glucose levels by carrying out regular blood tests and following a special diet. However, the category of people suffering from type 1 are few compared to the rest diabetic patients. People with early stage of type 2 diabetes may be able to control it by losing weight through consistent physical exercise, following a healthy diet, and monitoring their blood glucose levels. However, type 2 diabetes is typically a progressive disease - it gradually gets worse - and the patient will probably end up have to take insulin or any appropriate medication after series of tests by medical experts. At present, the synthetic oral medications used in the treatment of diabetes have characteristic profiles of serious side effects to many patients. The side effects may include gastrointestinal discomfort and nausea, liver and heart failures  as well as diarrhea. In addition to these side effects, the medications may rather be costly and beyond the affordability of the majority of the African populations. These limitations coupled with an exponential increase in the prevalence of type 2 diabetes trigger researchers to scientifically investigate a number of African plants as possible alternative therapies for the treatment of type 2 diabetes. Unfortunately, basic research on type 2 diabetes is usually hard-to-execute in African countries because of some procedural issues and lack of appropriate animal models.

A Kano born, Nigerian citizen, Dr. Mohammed Auwal Ibrahim, took a challenge of scientific development and validation of anti-diabetic plant-based remedies as well as the identification of novel chemical leads (as anti-diabetics) from African plants. The research work was successfully conducted at the School of Life Sciences, University of KwaZulu-Natal (Westville Campus), Durban 4000, South Africa.

Interestingly, Dr. Ibrahim research work was focused on the development of newer, more effective and less toxic remedies against the type 2 diabetes. Several commonly found African plants were used for the research that took some years to be accomplished. Among the promising plants were Khaya senegalensis (Madaci in Hausa) and Cassia singueana (Runhu in Hausa).  He used a number of molecular techniques involving in vitro and in vivo models to demonstrate the potentials of some African plants in the management of type 2 diabetes. Furthermore, other molecular techniques were used to elucidate the mechanisms of actions of these plants at molecular level. In addition, a number of analytical tools such as nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) was successfully used to identify (with structural elucidation), for the first time, the pure bioactive anti-diabetic compounds (components) from those plants. Subsequently, the potentials of these compounds for the development of novel and possibly more effective chemotherapeutic drugs against type 2 diabetes were demonstrated. The results have shown that these plants have the potentials for future development and commercialization as anti-diabetic herbal-based product that could benefit African diabetics.

  As commendable as Dr. Ibrahim's research work is, it is not yet Uhuru; the development of drugs for human consumption has to follow international standard procedure.  The first step of the procedure usually involves the tedious process of identifying a single chemical entity (molecule) from either a plant, microorganism or through synthetic chemistry that has the potential to cure a particular disease. The second step is testing the molecule in a preclinical trial and the last stage is undergoing clinical trials of the molecule against the particular disease. According to medical specialists, these  tests are conducted by Panel of experts within a minimum period of ten years and the molecules must passed these testes successfully before they are approved as drugs. It is gratifying to note that Dr. Ibrahim's work has successfully passed through the first step that involves rigorous basic research to identify the single bioactive molecule (from the selected plants) with potentials to cure type 2 diabetes. Overall, the Nigerian Scientist identified four new molecules with these potentials. Hence, those molecules have to pass through rounds of pre- and clinical trials before they can eventually become drugs and be allowed to be used by the general public. This may take next five years or more.  One can understand why new drugs have to undergo this rigorous and tedious process to safeguard human lives. However, the time taken by the process is giving a sleepless night to some stakeholders; how can this time be shorten while equally safeguarding the human lives? It is due to this long period of time (10 - 15 years), the drug discovery process takes, that recently Indians and Chinese (South Africa coming up also) came up with the new concept of “reverse pharmacology”. A reverse pharmacology is a situation in which, once a plant material is scientifically identified  to cure a particular disease and it is safe and once scientific investigations have confirmed  the claim to be true. The available data will simply be reviewed, packaged and then   process for the herbal drugs commercialization initiated. Within one to two years, the herbal products will be made available to the consumers. This has resulted in the massive influx of Indians and Chinese herbal-based remedies in to Nigeria with its attendant consequences on our already shaken economy.  Interestingly however, even in this context, Dr. Ibrahim has also made such studies and confirmed that three plant materials have the potentials to be developed as anti-diabetic herbal remedies along this line.  Hence, with Nigerian’s long history of traditionally curing diseases with plants, the prospect of “reverse pharmacology” approach to treating diabetes in Nigeria is a bright one. The stakeholders should work in this direction for the benefits of Nigerians.

Fortunately, Dr. M. A. Ibrahim came back to Nigeria and is currently lecturing at the Department of Biochemistry, Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria. He is willing, through his university to partner with the relevant government agencies and pharmaceutical companies to initiate commercialization of scientifically validated anti-diabetic herbal remedies for the benefit of Nigerians and citizens of other African countries. The idea of "reverse pharmacology" should be adopted by the Nigerian Society to meet the health challenges of the Diabetes and perhaps other diseases. The ball is in the court of the Nigerian Authority and the Nigerian medical experts. 

This article appeared on page 48 of Leadership Friday 22/1/2016 see link 

                               Dr. Muhammad Auwal Ibrahim in his Lab.

NAERLS Pushes Biogas Technology in Nigeria

NAERLS – WAAPP (Nigeria) – GAWAL Collaborative Effort: Pushing Biogas Technology in Nigeria

Search for alternative energy generation and consumption for both domestic and commercial activities has been a major challenge especially in a developing country like Nigeria. Several methods and procedures are being used to generate energy, which is a livewire for human development. One of the most recent energy researches that yielded a tangible result is the ‘bio- gas’ technology. Biogas is produced through fermentation of animal waste and other biomass in a digestion chamber. Biogas is a mixture of methane (45 to 70 %) and carbon dioxide.

The bio-gas technology is today famous in China and India because of the high energy for small scale industries and domestic requirements of the population especially in the rural areas. The Chinese people discovered they need great amount of energy to run many of their country-side (cottage) industries at the minimal cost in order to break even. Thus, the intensification of research in this area by the Chinese government: the efforts have today yielded the result of a bio organically managed gas generation technology.

The bio-gas technology works for both the rural and urban dwellers. The construction requires a piece of land where to cast a ‘bio-gas digester’ which will house some amount of water and organic materials. The interaction between the organic materials and the water allows for organic decomposition which eventually generates body of clean gas ready for use. The digester is often built adjacent to toilet, animal pen. The digester can equally be built around the orchard for easy usage of waste fluid as manure.

In Nigeria, the biogas technology has been limited to research works in Universities and Research Centres where its generation and use were investigated, verified and in most cases kept on shelves. However, in recent time, West Africa Agricultural Productivity Programme (WAAPP-Nigeria) and Green Agriculture West Africa Limited (GAWAL) are collaborating with the National Agricultural Extension and Research Liaison Services (NAERLS) Ahmadu Bello University Zaria to disseminate the biogas technology to farmers in Nigeria. Already, biogas digesters were built in Enugu, Ondo, Edo, Kwara, Oyo, Plateau states and Abuja for the biogas production. The plants are working efficiently. These digesters were built with actively participation of rural dwellers, notably farmers. The idea is to pass the awareness and the knowledge of the technology to the beneficiaries thereby increasing its adoption.

Interestingly, the biogas technology is simple; the biogas plant consists of two units; digester and gas holder. The digester is an underground chamber that contains the animal waste in the form of slum with a partition wall dividing it into semi-circular compartments. Two slanting pipes are fitted to reach the bottom of the chamber on either side of the partition wall acting as inlet and outlet pipe for the system.  The gas holder is a drum like structure of mild stone, dips in the slurry and rests on suitable base inside the digester.

The gas generation process occurs in two stages; in the first stage, the organic substances contained in the waste are acted upon by bacteria breaking up the material into chain of simple acids. On the second stage, another kind of bacteria act on the acid to produce methane and carbon dioxide. Generally, the gas plants are made in different sizes ranging from 2 to 150 m³. The smallest size of 2 m³ requires 2 to 3 cows for the supply of cow dung. Gas volume of 0.037 m³ can be produced 1 kg of wet dung and cooking requirement of 0.227 m3 of gas per person per day is needed while 0.425 m³ gas per horsepower – hour is required for a motive power.  The digester can equally be built around the orchard for easy usage of waste fluid as manure. The sludge can is used for fertilization of crops as organic manure. What a double advantage.

Biogas is just a replacement to firewood. Firewood is becoming scarce and its continuous use is causing deforestation. It is reported that Nigeria loses over 350,000 ha annually to advancing desert; the visible sign of this phenomenon is the gradual shift in vegetation from grasses, bushes and occasional trees, to grass and bushes; and in the final stages, expansive areas of desert-like sand.  Thus, the use of biogas as an alternative to firewood is a step to the right direction. It is hoped that the bio-gas technology, if favorably adopted by many Nigerians will help resolve energy crises being experienced by Nigerians. Invariably too, this will increase and accelerate cottage industries that will boost the economy and provide jobs in the rural areas. In this way, Nigeria will be able to check it rural urban migration which has been linked by analyst to the menace of crimes in our cities. The NAERLS engineers are already working on how to modify the Chinese prototype for easy and increase adoption by Nigerians. The Chinese model that is propagated by the WAAPP/NAERLS is 14 m³ that supply the energy requirements for cooking and lightening and refrigeration  three houses containing three families with average of five members of each house hold. The 14 m³ capacity gas plant requires up to four hundred thousand Naira to build. Usually, the amount of energy need and number of resident connection determines the size of the digester.

Considering the dire need of energy in Nigeria, the biogas technology can facilitate the taking up of cottage industries as foundation for rural development and poverty alleviation. However, its promotion for wider adoption requires the active financial support of both local and state governments. This might be a step towards addressing massive unemployment in Nigeria.

News paper Version of the Article 

Federal Polytechnic Bauchi Produces Environmentally Friendly Wood/Charcoal stoves

Friendly Wood/Charcoal stoves

No doubt, the global warming is actively facilitated by action of man in his diverse practices to produce and creates wealth for human development. Global warming is a term used to describe a gradual increase in the average temperature of the Earth's atmosphere and its oceans, a change that is believed to be permanently changing the Earth's climate. Climate change has serious devastating effects on the people and the environment; examples of these effects are the floods, droughts and desertification manifesting globally. The main driver of global warming is burning fossil fuels for energy – in power plants, in heating systems, in cars, and everywhere else fuel is consumed. Globally, fossil fuels are consumed at an unsustainable rate. While the developed countries have been the major source of greenhouse gases, many developing economies are on the precipice of unsustainable emissions. Another major cause of the global warming is the emission of carbon dioxide (CO₂) into the  atmosphere as a result of burning of biomass. Recent reports indicate that in developing countries, about 730 million tons of biomass are burned each year, amounting to more than 1 billion tons of carbon dioxide (CO₂) emitted into the atmosphere.

 In Nigeria and sub-Saharan Africa, women and young children are exposed to indoor cooking smoke in small particulates, up to 20 times higher than the maximum recommended level by World Health Organization (WHO). It is estimated that smoke from cooking fuel accounts for nearly 4 million annual deaths globally as indicated by the recent reports WHO and UNDP (2014). This figure is much more than the deaths from Malaria or tuberculosis. This ugly trend has elicited efforts by International organizations and governments to address the causes and remedies of the global warming, which is a serious threat to people and environment. 

Federal Polytechnic Bauchi (FPB), an Institution of higher learning located in Bauchi, North Eastern region of Nigeria is among the few organizations working assiduously to address the challenges of climate change. From 2006 to date, the researchers and their students  from the Department of Agricultural and Bio-environmental Engineering in collaboration  with their colleagues from the Mechanical Engineering  Department of the Polytechnic have produced "Nigeria improved Energy Efficient Stoves (NIEES)” of various sizes and capacities.  NIEES were subjected to series of tests and evaluation using international standard and they were proved to be very efficient in both in fuel consumption and reduction in cooking time when compared to the ordinary stoves. They reduce fuel consumption by up to 80%, that is saving 80 % of the kerosene when compared to the normal stoves. Similarly, NIEES can save cooking time by up to 60 %, example; a cooking that can take one hour using ordinary stove will take only twenty four minutes to be accomplished.  NIEES employs an innovative technology that ensures adequate air for complete combustion to take place and draft air to neutralize smoke under the pot leaving the stove with little or no visible smoke.

So far, Federal Polytechnic Bauchi has produced five different sizes and capacities of NIEES targeted at different needs for the various communities; They include:

1.     Institutional (Mega) for boarding schools and community clinics, this can cook meal for 500 plates at a time

2.    Institutional (A1) for large families and commercial eateries, this can cook meal for 200 plates at a time

3.    Super Stove (Jumbo) for IDPs, large families and eateries, this can cook meal for 80 to 100 plates at a time

4.    Super Stove (SD) for average families of 5 to 9 plates

5.    Save 90 for bachelors, students, campers and newly weds

Some of these stoves are ideal for school feeding programs, feeding fo humanitarian intervention (IDPs), hospitals, prisons, and other institutional feeding arrangements.

Another interesting angle to the NIEES project is the ability of the Polytechnic to develop alternative to the use of wood charcoal. This is done by converting biomass such as shrubs and small branches into briquettes that serve as fuel for the stoves thereby eliminating the need to fell trees for firewood. This singular commitment of the Federal Polytechnic, Bauchi of providing a lasting solution to the traditional inefficient stoves attracted international recognition when in 2011 the Polytechnic won the prestigious ‘Best innovated invention award‘ for Nigeria. The award was the result of assessment of the popular ‘Save 80 stove’ (NIEES), which was rated as the "best stove"  for emission reduction, multiple pot supports, saving fuel, time and a touch of African culture.

This breakthrough of the Federal Polytechnic Bauchi was not kept on shelves within the Polytechnic premises, efforts were made in making the stoves available to the users. This was done through partnership with Development Initiative for African Women (DIFAW), an NGO based in North East. Through this partnership, over 3,000 stoves of different capacities were made and distributed to people nationwide. Specifically, DIFAW sponsored the training of women/youths on charcoal making as well as the operation and maintenance of the NIEES. Thereafter, the trainees from Imo state received 1,250 stoves, Rivers state received 1,015 stoves and from Gombe state received 780, respectively.  This means that the Polytechnic has trained more than 2,000 people for the  charcoal making as well as the operation and maintenance of the NIEES

Thus, through NIEES project, The Polytechnic  has provided an easy and cost-efficient method of cooking, which simultaneously improve maternal and child health, protect the environment and contribute to social and economic benefits for communities through the use of low-cost, energy-efficient cooking stoves in addition to the increase in productivity.

The need to promote the use of NIEES  among the Nigerian households as a strategy to address effects of climate change cannot be overemphasized in addition to various advantages to the users. Reputable organizations like "The Nigerian Great Green Wall" should come forward to support massive production and use of NIEES as a strategy to checkmate desertification, which has emerged as a major planetary threat.  Government at all levels (Federal, State and LGA) in collaboration with NGOs have to provide support to Nigerian families to acquire the energy saving stoves while the Polytechnic has to be ready to provide necessary training on operation and maintenance to the users through collaboration with the NGOs like DIFAW

The newspaper published version

Federal Polytechnic Bauchi Biomass Briquettes

Curtailing Desertification in Nigeria: FPB Biomass Briquettes, a Viable Alternative to Firewood 

Desertification is an environmental problem that leads to environmental degradation whose cost to humanity is enormous. Associated with the problems of environmental degradation are the deepening poverty, inequality and social marginalization which have also resulted in diminishing human security. In various parts of Nigeria especially among the rural dwellers, the pressure on the ecosystem and land is increasing, with growing rate of unsustainable exploitation of land due to population increase and drought. Poverty and environmental degradation are linked in a vicious circle in which people cannot afford to take proper care of the environment. Poverty has been and remains a major cause and consequence of environmental degradation and resource depletion. Desertification is both an environmental and developmental problem. It affects local environments and populations’ ways of life. Its effects, however, have more global ramifications concerning biodiversity, climate change and water resources. The degradation of terrain is directly linked to human activities constituting a major obstacle to the sustainable development of Nigerian agriculture.

The effect of desertification in Nigeria is enormous, over 350,000 ha of arable land is affected by desertification in Nigeria. It has been estimated that about 45 % of Adamawa, Bauchi, Borno, Gombe, Jigawa, Kano, Katsina, Kebbi, Sokoto, Yobe, and Zamfara States are affected by desertification and wind erosion. These states, with a population of over 50 million people, account for 38% of the country's total land. The causes of desertification in Nigeria were catalogued in the report of National Action Programme to Combat Desertification in the Federal Ministry of Environment. In the report, some specific causes of desertification were identified, among the major ones are excessive wood extraction for fuel and construction, bush burning  and uncontrolled land clearing for agricultural purposes. In these nine frontline states, the indiscriminate cutting of trees for firewood is the major cause of deforestation, which accelerates desertification in the area. The challenge to stakeholders is how to stop the inhabitants of these areas from felling of trees as energy source for cooking. Stopping this environmentally unfriendly practice   requires providing a better alternative source of energy to the people in the area.

The challenge was taken by Federal Polytechnic Bauchi (FPB) in collaboration with Development Initiative for African Women (DIFAW), an NGO based in North East. Federal Polytechnic Bauchi used its formidable team of researchers to develop biomass briquettes as a veritable alternative to firewood for cooking in both rural and urban areas. The feat was achieved after two years (2012 to 2014) of quality research work. 

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