Feeding habits, Overweight, Obesity and Hypertension and Associated Factors among Polytechnic Students in Ekiti State, Southwest Nigeria

Overweight and obesity is a risk factor to chronic non-communicable diseases. This study assessed level of overweight/obesity and blood pressure among students of a higher institution in Southwest Nigeria. This cross-section study involved 300 students of a public higher institution in Ado-Ekiti, Southwest, Nigeria. A validated self-administered questionnaire was used to collect data on personal characteristics, feeding pattern and lifestyle of the students. Body Mass Index (BMI) was categorized into normal weight (BMI<25) and overweight/obesity (BMI ≥ 25). Waist circumference and waist-hip-ratio (WHR) were classified as normal and at risk. Hypertension was defined as systolic blood pressure (SBP) ≥ 140 mmHg and diastolic blood pressure (DBP) ≥ 90 mmHg. Chi square test was used to establish relationship between variables at 5% level of significance. The mean age of the students was 22.25 years and 62.8% were above 20years. Monthly allowanceless than ₦30000.00 was received by 64.4% of the students, 47.3% skipped breakfast meal, 96% consumed carbonated soft drinks and 37.1% did not engaged in physical exercise. Prevalence of general obesity was 17.1% (BMI≥25); 7% and 15.5% were at risk of abdominal and central obesity respectively. Students in systolic pre-hypertension and stage I hypertension were 33.3% and 3% respectively whereas 15.5% and 2.4% were in diastolic pre-hypertension and stage I hypertension respectively. Female gender, monthly allowance less than ₦30000.00 and adolescent stage were associated with obesity. Older age, male gender and monthly allowance less than ₦30000.00 were associated with BP. Nutrition education is recommended for this population group

MARKETING OF FERMENTED CASSAVA FLOUR IN AKINYELE LOCAL GOVERNMENT AREA, OYO STATE

The study was carried out in Akinyele Local Government Area of Oyo State on marketing of fermented cassava flour (lafun) with the objective of examining the socio-economic characteristics of cassava marketers, determining the profit margin, ascertaining effect of some variables influencing the supply of cassava flour and identifying associated constraints. Primary data used for the study was collected from 80 respondents using simple random sampling technique. The empirical evidence from the analy- sis shows that the traders are predominantly female (70%) and mostly married (62.5%). The study further reveals that the marketing of lafun is a profitable venture at both the wholesale and retail levels with a profit of N6,890.32 per month. The quantity of cassava supplied was significantly determined by transportation cost (P0.01), marketing experience (P0.05), years of education (P0.10) and cost of storage (P0.05).The markets were observed to face transportation, storage and packaging problems. As trans- portation cost increased, the quantity of lafun supplied to market was also found to increase. The study recommends the assistance of government in the provision of infrastructural facilities

Quality of sleep in an HIV population on antiretroviral therapy at an urban tertiary centre in Lagos, Nigeria

Aim. To determine the prevalence of sleep disturbance and its associated characteristics in HIV-positive outpatients on HAART using the PSQI. Methods. Using a cross-sectional design, 300 patients attending the outpatient HIV/AIDS clinic at the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital were recruited. Baseline data obtained included the participants’ demographic data, educational qualification, and marital status. Their treatment history, including duration since HIV diagnosis, the most recent CD4 cell count, and current antiretroviral therapies, was obtained from their case records. Each participant completed the PSQI questionnaire and those with scores ≥5 were diagnosed with poor sleep quality. Results. The participants were made up of 70.7% females and 29.3% males. Their ages ranged between 18 and 74 years with a mean of 38.9 ± 10.3 years. According to the PSQI, 59.3% reported poor sleep quality. The mean score of those with poor quality sleep (9.2 ± 3.3) was comparable to that of those with good quality sleep (1.26 ± 1.4). \u1d443 < 0.001. Significant differences were observed in all the individual components of the PSQI (\u1d443 < 0.001). On multivariate analyses, the independent associations with sleep quality were the duration since HIV diagnosis (\u1d443 = 0.29), efavirenz based regimen (\u1d443 < 0.001), and lower CD4 cell count (\u1d443 < 0.001). Conclusions. Sleep disturbances are quite common in the HIV population even in the era of HAART. Early recognition via routine assessment and effective treatments could prevent the resultant complications and improve quality of life

MODIFICATION OF NIGERIAN BENTONITE FOR UTILIZATION IN OIL WELL DRILLING OPERATIONS

More than 80 bentonite clay deposit sites had been identified in Nigeria. Yet, almost all clay and additives used for drilling oil well are imported. The reason is partly that in their natural states, they do not swell while polymers in their raw forms remain unstable at high temperatures. This study aimed at evaluating the potentials of chemically modified Nigerian bentonite for application in the oil and gas industry. The Gombe bentonite from Gombe State was beneficiated using NAHCO3 and slurries were made by dispersion in distilled water. In the presence of other local additives, evaluation of the slurries was carried out on the basis of filtration loss and rheology at different temperatures (30, 60 and 85 oC) using a Central Composite Design (CCD). The clay sample was characterized for mineral and elemental compositions using X-ray diffractometer (XRD) and X-ray fractometer (XRF) while proximate analysis was carried out on the additives. At the optimum condition, the result shows a significant improvement in mud rheology and fluid loss at various temperatures which are in close agreement with the API recommended standard

Crack Mechanism of Different Concrete Grades under Compressive Loading: Application in Rigid Pavement

The growth of cracks in concretes under different loadings in various structures and their consequent diminishing effect on the lifespan of structures is an age long structural problem. This research investigates the influence of compressive loading on the crack mechanism of different concrete grades 1: 1 : 3 (M20), 1: 2: 4 (M15) and 1: 3: 6 (M10) using three brands of cements available in Nigeria namely Dangote (Type A), Elephant (Type B) and Bua (Type C). Particle Size Distribution (PSD), Aggregate Crushing Value (ACV), Aggregate Impact Value (AIV) was carried out on aggregates in accordance with relevant codes while; compressive test were performed on the hardened concrete while, the crack width was measured using microscopic technique. A coefficient of uniformity (Cu) of 4.00, AIV of 46 % and an ACV of 47.7 % were obtained for the aggregate which are suitable for rigid pavements construction. Maximum compressive strength value of 24.96 N/mm2 , 24.67 N/mm2 and 24.89 N/mm2 respectively was obtained for concrete M20 for Type A, Type B and Type C cement at the 28 day. A corresponding crack width of 0.97 mm, 0.89 mm and 0.93 mm was obtained while; a yield period of 57.66 sec, 58.33 sec and 53.33 was obtained respectively. Comparing with the International Organization for Standardization, concrete grade M20 any of the cement types is suitable for the construction of rigid pavements with heavy traffic volume while M15 is recommended for low traffic volume

Development of fuzzy logic-base diagnosis expert system for typhoid fever

Typhoid fever (TyF), caused by salmonella typhoid bacteria, represents one of the main public health challenge in various parts of the world. It is often treatable when diagnosed early, but if left untreated could lead to other medical complications. This study proposed an artificial intelligence means (arim) for diagnosis of TyF. The objectives are to find out the leading risk factors for TyF, develop fuzzy logic base-expert system, called Typhoid Responsive Expert System (TyRes), that can predict the ailment from symptoms and use TyRes to predict TyF in patients. Two sets of questionnaires were used for data collection. 325 copies were administered to the patients in 25 hospitals in Lagos, Abeokuta and Ifo, South-west Nigeria. Another set of 200 copies were administered to human medical experts (hme), 70 doctors and 140 qualified nurses, to capture hme knowledge about TyF and its symptoms. The data was analysed using Chi-Square to identify the main symptoms spotted by most of the hme. TyRes was implemented in Matlab 2015a using the main factors as input variables. Vomiting, high-temperature, weakness, abdominal-pains and loss-of-appetite were the input variables used to develop TyRes. When tested to predict TyF in 25 patients, 76% accuracy was derived when comparing hme predictions with TyRes results. It can be concluded that TyRes can mimic hme by 76% of all TyF predictions. The arim is considered reliable and can be used at home, school and health centres where hme are scarce