Factors influencing adherence to paediatric antiretroviral therapy in Portharcourt, South- South Nigeria

Introduction: The efficiency of antiretroviral therapy (ART) depends on a near-perfect level of patientfs adherence. Adherence in children poses peculiar challenges. The aim of the study was to determine the adherence level and factors influencing adherence among HIV-infected children and adolescents in University of Port Harcourt Teaching Hospital, Nigeria.  Methods: A cross-sectional survey of HIV-infected children and adolescents on ART using self-report by the caregiver/child in the past one month. Results: A total of 213 caregivers and their children were interviewed. A hundred and sixty-two (76.1%) had adherence rates .95%. Only 126 (59.2%) were completely (100%) adherent. The commonest caregiver-related factors for missing doses were forgetfulness 48(55.2%), travelled 22(25.3%) and drugs finished 16(18.4%), while the childrelated factors were refused drugs 10(11.5%), slept 8(9.2%), and vomited 8(9.2%). Sixty-eight (31.9%) caregivers reported missing clinic visit and reasons given were travelled 18(26.5%), caregiver ill 12(17.6%) and family  problems 9(13.2%). Predictors of poor adherence include mother as the primary caregiver (OR 3.32; 95%CI, 1.33-8.67), younger than 5years (OR 2.62; 95%CI, 1.30-5.31) and presence of a co-morbidity (OR 3.97; 95%CI, 1.92-8.33). Having a medication reminder strategy (OR 6.34; 95%CI, 3.04-13.31), regular clinic visits (OR 8.55; 95%CI 4.01-18.45)and status disclosure (p=0.008) predicted a better adherence. The  caregiverfs age (p= 0.11), education (p=0.86), socioeconomic status (p=0.89), gender of the child (p=0.84), type of ART (p=0.2) and duration of ART (1.0) did not significantly affect adherence. Conclusion: Adherence is still suboptimal. Since barriers to Paediatric ART adherence are largely caregiver-dependent, identifying and addressing these barriers in eachcaregiver-child pair will improve adherence and patient outcome

Problems Affecting Managers Job Performance In Government Parastatals: Cross River State Water Board

The study focused on problems affecting manager’s job performance in government parastatals: Cross River State Water Board. The study aimed at determining relationship between manager’s job performance and job stress. Secondly,to access the significant relationship between manager’s job performance and training. Also, to ascertain the relationship between manager’s job performance and Job security. To evaluate the relationship between manager’s job performance and work environment and to significant relationship between manager’s job performance and organizational cultural. The study adopted exploratory research design (cross-sectional) and descriptive research design (in-depth interview). Data were analysed using the Ordinary Least Square (OLS) method. The study revealed thatJob stress had effect on manager’s job performance. Training had impact on manager’s job performance. There is significant relationship between manager’s job performance and Job security. There is significant relationship between manager’s job performance and Work environment. Organizational cultural had effect on manager’s job performance. The paper concluded that Job stress does have effect on manager’s job performance in Cross River State Water board. Training has effect on manager’s job performance in Cross River State Water Board. Key words: Job performance, job stress, training, job security, Work environment, organizational cultur

Investigation of the chemical composition and biological activity of Xylopia aethiopica Dunal (Annonacae)

The phytochemical composition and physicochemical properties of oil extractable from the fruits of Xylopia aethiopica were determined. Extracts’ effects on cell membrane stability and prostaglandin synthetase activity were also evaluated. X. aethiopica oil extracted with chloroform: methanol (2:1, v/v) mixture contained carbohydrates, glycosides, flavonoids, saponins, tannins and phytosterols. The characteristic volatile and sweet smelling nature of X. aethiopica was predominantly inherent in this fraction. The sterol content was 64.30 mg/100 ml; with a high degree of unsaturatedness as evident in its high iodine value (85.76). High pressure liquid chromatographic analysis of the lipid extract revealed a fatty acid profile of palmitic acid (19.21%), palmitoleic acid (0.81%), stearic acid (4.54%), oleic acid (39.12%), linoleic acid (25.98%) and linolenic acid (1.10%). Investigation of the effect of the extract on hypotonicity- induced haemolysis of human red blood cells produced by water showed that the methanol extract of X. aethiopica (XAME) stabilized the red blood cells against the haemolytic action of distilled water. The lipid extract, on the other hand did not show any protective action against the osmotic shock. Xylopia aethiopica fruits may therefore be helpful in the maintenance of the integrity of the cellular membranes. The lipid extract also, in vitro, exhibited a prostaglandin synthetase substrate activity, whereas the methanol extract enhanced the synthesis of prostaglandins using X. aethiopica oil as  substrate. The presence of appreciable quantity of unsaturated fatty acids, stabilization of the cellular membrane integrity, promotion of the  biosynthesis of the hormone-like substances, prostaglandins, may be responsible for the usefulness of X. aethiopica fruits in the healing of wounds, inflammatory disorders and treatment of post-natal pains.Key words: Xylopia, linoleic acid, membranes, haemolysis, pains

Large area quantitative analysis of nanostructured thin-films

Proposed and verified method offers an unique quantitative large scale nanostructures' evaluation.This is the accepted manuscript. The final version is available at http://pubs.rsc.org/en/Content/ArticleLanding/2015/RA/c4ra16018e#!divAbstract

Pectoral Muscle Removal in Digital Mammograms Using Region Based Standard Otsu Technique

Mammography is usually the first preference of imaging diagnostic modalities used for detection of breast cancer in the early stage. Two projections Cranio Caudal (CC) and Medio-Lateral Oblique (MLO) which depict different degrees for visualizing the breast are used during digital mammogram acquisition and the MLO view shows more breast tissue and Pectoral Muscle (PM) area when compared to CC view. Although, the PM is a criterion used to show proper positioning, it can result in biased results of mammographic analysis like: cancer detection and breast tissue density estimation, because the PM area has similar or even higher intensity than breast tissue and breast lesions if present. This paper proposed a Region Based Standard Otsu thresholding method for the elimination of PM area present in MLO mammograms. The proposed algorithm was implemented using 322 digital mammograms from the Mammographic Image Analysis Society (MIAS) database, and the difference between the PM detected and the manually drawn PM region by an expert was evaluated. The results showed an average: Jaccard Similarity Index, False Positive Rate (FPR) and False Negative Rate (FNR) of 93.2%, 3.54% and 5.68% respectively and also an acceptable rate of 95.65

Development of an Alumni Feedback System for Curriculum Improvement in Building Technology Courses

In this fast-paced world, the needs of the world of work and the global market is changing at an unprecedented speed. Therefore, institutions of higher learning need to constantly adjust their programs to fit into these needs. The study aimed to develop an alumni feedback system for curriculum improvement in Building Technology courses. The study highlighted the benefits of an alumni feedback system compared to a manual questionnaire method or other methods of curriculum improvement. The web-based system was designed through use case and system block diagrams. Thereafter, the webbased system was programmed using HTML, CSS, MySQL and PHP. Screenshots of the web-based system was presented. The alumni feedback system comprises of background information of the alumni, perception test on the impact of the course content and a review of the course content for curriculum improvement. Since this is a preliminary study, future studies would be based on analyzing data obtained in the database in terms of the numerical and text data. This study can be adapted for other programmes for the purpose of curriculum improvement

An overview of anti-diabetic plants used in Gabon: Pharmacology and Toxicology

© 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.Ethnopharmacological relevance: The management of diabetes mellitus management in African communities, especially in Gabon, is not well established as more than 60% of population rely on traditional treatments as primary healthcare. The aim of this review was to collect and present the scientific evidence for the use of medicinal plants that are in currect by Gabonese traditional healers to manage diabetes or hyperglycaemia based here on the pharmacological and toxicological profiles of plants with anti-diabetic activity. There are presented in order to promote their therapeutic value, ensure a safer use by population and provide some bases for further study on high potential plants reviewed. Materials and methods: Ethnobotanical studies were sourced using databases such as Online Wiley library, Pubmed, Google Scholar, PROTA, books and unpublished data including Ph.D. and Master thesis, African and Asian journals. Keywords including ‘Diabetes’ ‘Gabon’ ‘Toxicity’ ‘Constituents’ ‘hyperglycaemia’ were used. Results: A total of 69 plants currently used in Gabon with potential anti-diabetic activity have been identified in the literature, all of which have been used in in vivo or in vitro studies. Most of the plants have been studied in human or animal models for their ability to reduce blood glucose, stimulate insulin secretion or inhibit carbohydrates enzymes. Active substances have been identified in 12 out of 69 plants outlined in this review, these include Allium cepa and Tabernanthe iboga. Only eight plants have their active substances tested for anti-diabetic activity and are suitables for further investigation. Toxicological data is scarce and is dose-related to the functional parameters of major organs such as kidney and liver. Conclusion: An in-depth understanding on the pharmacology and toxicology of Gabonese anti-diabetic plants is lacking yet there is a great scope for new treatments. With further research, the use of Gabonese anti-diabetic plants is important to ensure the safety of the diabetic patients in Gabon.Peer reviewedFinal Accepted Versio