A Study of Dental Abnormalities of Camels in Nigeria

Nigerian Veterinary Journal, Vol. 32(2): 2011; 92 - 9

The role of fluoride on eruption of mandibular molar of albino rats

Eruption of the tooth is a complex and highly regulated process which can be influenced by genetic, environmental and systemic factors. Fluoride is found naturally in water as well as in foods and dental products. The first mandibular molar is the first molar to erupt and it is essential for  mastication of food. We studied the effect of fluoride on the eruption of the first mandibular molar in albino rats. Fluoride at different  concentrations was added to the water of pregnant albino rats while sterile water without fluoride was given to the control pregnant dams. The pregnant dams were allowed to deliver, and the heads of their pups carefully decapitated, and mandibles dissected out on days 10, 12, 15 and 18 for assessment of eruption pattern of the first molar while also measuring the mandibular length and breadth. The mandibles were then processed for hematoxylin and eosin staining. On gross examination, some of the teeth developed intraosseously while others were located mucosally, pre-occlusally or occlusally. There was significant reduction in both the birth weight and mandibular length as the fluoride concentration increased compared to the control but a significant increment in the mandibular breadth between the experimental groups in comparison with the control group on day 15 (p value <0.05). These findings suggest that high concentrations of fluoride could delay mandibular molars’ eruption and also cause low birth weight. Key Words: fluoride, mandibular molar, tooth eruptio

Investigation of the Inhibitive Properties of Alchornea laxiflora leaves on the Corrosion of Mild Steel in HCl: Thermodynamics and Kinetic Study

Staff PublicationThe use of naturally occurring compounds as corrosion inhibitors is of potential interest because of their cost effectiveness, abundant availability and environmental acceptability. Therefore, the study investigates the inhibition efficacy of acid extract of Alchornea laxiflora leaves on mild steel in acidic medium using gravimetric method. Experiments were performed by varying the immersion time, concentration of extract and the temperature. The results showed that acid extract of Alchornea laxiflora leaves is a potential inhibitor for the corrosion of mild steel in acidic medium. The corrosion rate of mild steel in 1M HCl decreases with increase in the concentration of the extract. The inhibition efficiency increases progressively as the concentration of the extract increases but decreases with rise in temperature and the exposure time. The highest inhibition efficiency observed in the presence of the extract was 96 %. Activation energy was found to be 21.81 kJ mol-1 for the blank and increases to 82.57 kJ mol-1 in the presence of the extract. Thermodynamic parameters such as enthalpy change, entropy change and Gibb’s free energy were evaluated. Kinetics of the reaction in the presence of the extracts revealed that it follows a first order reaction and the half-lives increase as the concentration of the extract increases. Adsorption studies revealed that Langmuir adsorption isotherm is the best adsorption model applicable to the adsorption of the extract on mild steel surface. Preliminary investigation of the phytochemical con

Comparative study of storage methods of maize grains in South Western Nigeria

Laboratory experiment was conducted to assess the efficacy of different storage methods of maize grains in Ibadan (a humid tropical ecology) between year 2002 and 2003. The results shows that storage methods (SM), treatment (Tr), SM x Variety (V) and Tr x V interactions were highly significant for numbers of undamaged maize grains (P<0.05). Second order interaction (SM x Tr x V) was highly significant for undamaged maize grains, while first and second order interaction were also highly significant for initial kernel weight, kernel weight loss, remained kernel weight (RKW), percentage weight loss, tolerance level, as well as number of insects pest responsible for the damage

Comparative study of storage methods of maize grains in South Western Nigeria

Laboratory experiment was conducted to assess the efficacy of different storage methods of maize grains in Ibadan (a humid tropical ecology) between year 2002 and 2003. The results shows that storage methods (SM), treatment (Tr), SM x Variety (V) and Tr x V interactions were highly significant for numbers of undamaged maize grains (P<0.05). Second order interaction (SM x Tr x V) was highly significant for undamaged maize grains, while first and second order interaction were also highly significant for initial kernel weight, kernel weight loss, remained kernel weight (RKW), percentage weight loss, tolerance level, as well as number of insects pest responsible for the damage

In-patients' satisfaction with healthcare in a Nigerian tertiary health institution

Background: Patients' satisfaction is an increasingly common and important component of a comprehensive assessment of quality of care.Objective: This study was designed to determine inpatients' satisfaction with healthcare in a Nigerian tertiary health institution.Methods: Patients were majorly selected from the wards while a few were selected from the out-patients clinic during their follow-up period through a purposive sampling technique into this cross-sectional survey of a tertiary health institution in Nigeria. The instrument used was a selfdeveloped, patient-administered questionnaire on inpatients' satisfaction with healthcare. Data wereanalyzed using descriptive statistics of frequency, means, percentages, pie charts.Results: The participants (61 males and 59 females) had a mean total satisfaction score of 58.2% ± 12.1% and sixtysix (55.0%) participants reported good level of satisfaction. Participants within the age range 18-27 reported the highest mean satisfaction score of 47.8%±13.0%. Participants' mean satisfaction scores on healthcare provided by the health workers were 69.4% ±21.9% for health records staff, 78.5%±14.5% for hospital ward staff, 70.6%±13.6% for doctors, 68.5%±12.4% for nurses and 70.5%±15.1% for physiotherapists. The specific aspect ofservice where participants had the highest mean satisfaction score was electricity (72.9% ±21.2%) while the least mean satisfaction score was on ease of payment (42.5%±28.6%).Conclusion: Level of in-patients' satisfaction with healthcare at this Nigerian tertiary health institution appears good.Keywords: Patient-centred outcome, satisfaction, health institutio

Effect of mango mealybug and sooty mould attack on mango and the impact of the released

Introduction. The mango mealybug Rastrococcus invadens is a pest of horticultural crops, especially mango. Though this fact has been demonstrated and its parasitoid, Gyranusoidea tebygi, released for its control in many countries, quantitative information on the damage inflicted by the mealybug and post-release mango fruit production are still scanty. This study was therefore undertaken to investigate the damage caused by mango mealybug and its associated sooty mould on mango plants and to assess mango fruit production after the release of G. tebygi in 1989. Materials and methods. Laboratory experiments were set up to determine the effect of different populations of mango mealybug (0, 5, 10, 20, and 40 adults/cage) on the chemical constituents of mango leaves. The mould associated with the mango mealybug was identified and its effect on leaf temperature was studied. A mango orchard was studied for fruit production from the time of fruitlessness in 1990 to 1998 when fruit yield peaked. The resultant effect of the parasitism of mango mealybug by G. tebygi was monitored on the chemical composition of mango leaves during this period. Results. Protein, fat, carbohydrate, ash, crude fibre and moisture contents were depleted with increase in mealybug population. The isolated mould fungus Capnodium mangiferae was found to raise leaf temperature of infected mango seedlings. The population density of G. tebygi was found to be negatively but significantly correlated with mango mealybug population and positively correlated with mango fruit yield. Parasitism was highly correlated with mealybug population and yield, and was considered a major factor in the control of the pest and the subsequent increase in mango fruit yield. Rainfall did not have a significant impact on yield, mealybug population or sooty mould score. Discussion. The injury inflicted by R. invadens and its associated mould, and the enhancement of mango fruit production by the activities of G. tebygi on the mealybug were discussed

Knowledge of COVID-19, use of personal protective equipment and other safety practices of healthcare workers in Southwest Nigeria

Background: Healthcare workers have a higher risk of SARS CoV2 infection with implications for transmission of infection and the safety of workers and patients. Objective: To assess knowledge on COVID-19 and the safety practices among selected healthcare workers in southwest Nigeria. Methods: A cross-sectional study of 210 workers providing direct care to patients during the COVID-19 pandemic was conducted. Respondents were recruited through simple random sampling of members of online platforms of healthcare workers in Osun, Ondo and Ekiti States. Information on sociodemographic characteristics, knowledge of PPE and safety practices was obtained through a close-ended questionnaire. Results: The mean age of the respondents was 36.5±7.5 years. About 29% and 30% of respondents were from the State and Federal Government-owned Teaching Hospitals, respectively. A little above half (58.1%) had good knowledge of COVID-19, while 62.1% used PPE always when attending to suspected COVID19 cases. More than half (53.8%) had been trained on infection prevention and control (IPC), but only 34.3% adhered to good safety practices. Healthcare workers in State government-owned teaching hospitals had lower odds of good safety practices than those in Federal Teaching Hospitals (OR = 0.42, 95% CI = 0.19-0.93, p = 0.031). Conclusion: The knowledge of appropriate PPE and practice of safety precautions among healthcare workers is sub- optimal. This may predispose to increased COVID-19 transmission among healthcare workers, patients, and their families. Training and retraining healthcare workers, especially those from hospitals identified by the study as having poor safety practices, should be encouraged