Undergraduate Mentored Research Should Be the Foundation for Knowledge Creation in Universities

Research is an integral part of undergraduate training in many universities, including the University of Ibadan, but many times the expectations set for the students are cruelly low and the mentoring given to them is less than optimal, with the result that the quality of ‘knowledge’ produced thereby leaves a lot to be desired. This is all the more tragic because many of these undergraduates are highly intelligent and their curiosity is easily aroused. Their inquisitiveness and passion can lead to great new discoveries in science and technology, if properly nourishe

Knowledge of Cervical Cancer and Cervical Cancer Screening Methods Among Female Secondary School Students in Ibadan, Nigeria

Cervical cancer is the most common cancer of the female genital tract worldwide and a leading cause of cancer-related deaths. For many years, the cervical Papanicolaou smear or Pap Test has been the standard method for cervical cancer screening. Screening with a Pap test has been shown to reduce the cervical cancer incidence by 60-90% and mortality by up to 90%, especially when more than 70% of those at risk accessed the test. The objective of the current study was to ascertain the level of knowledge of screening for cervical cancer among female secondary school pupils, since they were or would soon be at risk of the disease. This cross-sectional descriptive study recruited 361 female secondary school students from three different schools in Ibadan. Data was obtained over a period of five months, using a structured self-administered questionnaire, and analysed using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 22. Of the 361 respondents aged 10 to 21, 78.7% had heard about cervical cancer but only 11% had good knowledge about it. Nearly 85% of the respondents had never heard about cervical cancer screening methods. Pupils attending private schools were more likely to have a better knowledge of cervical cancer screening methods than those attending public schools (p < 0.001). Majority of the secondary school students were not equipped with sufficient knowledge about cervical cancer, its causation and the screening methods to prevent it. Such information ought to be included in the curricula of secondary schools

Analysis on corrosion resistant of electrodeposited ternary Co-W-P alloy

The file attached to this record is the author's final peer reviewed version. The Publisher's final version can be found by following the DOI link.The interest in the electrodeposition of tungsten-rich binary and ternary alloys has increased in recent years due to their unique combination of electrical, tribological, electro-erosion and magnetic properties. A novel ternary alloy of Cobalt-Tungsten-Phosphorus (Co-W-P) for electroplating and operational parameters were proposed and optimised to give the best corrosion resistance. The development of a stable bath with relatively low pH levels and the use of complexing agents to stabilise it is critical to obtaining good quality films to increase its lifetime. The surface methodology and response were used as optimisation tools. The baths used for achieving this league without complexing agents were unstable. Analysis of the microstructure of the composite particle evaluates the 3D surface luminance structure and the profile structure of the electrodepositions of corrosion resistant of Co-W-P Alloy. Transverse-sectional views of the specimens were extracted and analysed, and the surface roughness, waviness profile, and Gaussian filter of the structures Co-W-P alloy were observed. Good quality Co-W-P alloy films were obtained using an electrochemical bath with the complexing agent. The coatings showed good adhesion on gloss. The characterisation of alloy morphology was performed using spectrometer fluorescence,Power Spectrum Density (PSD) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The excellent operating conditions for obtaining this film were a current density of 6 mA/cm 2 and pH 4.0

The African Surgical OutcomeS-2 (ASOS-2) Pilot Trial, a mixed-methods implementation study

Background: The African Surgical Outcomes Study (ASOS) showed that surgical patients in Africa have a mortality twice the global average. The working hypothesis is that patients die as a result of failure to rescue following complications in the postoperative period. The African Surgical OutcomeS-2 (ASOS-2) Trial plans to test the efficacy of increased postoperative surveillance in high risk patients for decreasing perioperative morbidity and mortality. This pilot trial aimed i) to evaluate the adequacy of data produced by the data collection strategies of the ASOS-2 Trial, ii) to evaluate the fidelity of implementation of the increased postoperative surveillance intervention, and iii) to understand the acceptability, appropriateness and feasibility of the intervention and the trial processes.Methods: The ASOS-2 Pilot Trial was a mixed-methods (quantitative-qualitative) implementation study focusing on the intervention arm of the proposed ASOS-2 Trial. The intervention is increased postoperative surveillance for high-risk surgical patients. The intervention protocol was implemented at all sites for a seven-day period. A post pilot trial survey was used to collect data on the implementation outcomes.Results: 803 patients were recruited from 16 hospitals in eight African countries. The sampling and data collection strategies provided 98% complete data collection. Seventy-three percent of respondents believed that they truly provided increased postoperative surveillance to high risk patients. In reality 83/125 (66%) of high-risk patients received some form of increased postoperative surveillance. However, the individual components of the increased postoperative surveillance intervention were implemented in less than 50% of high-risk patients (excepting increasing nursing observations). The components most frequently unavailable were the ability to provide care in a higher care ward (32.1%) and assigning the patient to a bed in view of the nurses’ station (28.4%). Failure to comply with available components of the intervention ranged from 27.5% to 54.3%. The post pilot survey had a response rate of 30/40 (75%). In Likert scale questions about acceptability, appropriateness, and feasibility of the ASOS-2 intervention, 63% to 87% of respondents indicated agreement. Respondents reported barriers related to resources, trial processes, teamwork and communication as reasons for disagreement.Conclusions: The proposed ASOS-2 Trial appears to be appropriate, acceptable and feasible in Africa. This pilot trial provides support for the proposed ASOS-2 Trial. It emphasises the need for establishing trial site teams which address the needs of all stakeholders during the trial. A concerted effort must be made to help participating hospitals to increase compliance with all the components of the proposed intervention of ‘increased postoperative surveillance’ during the ASOS-2 Trial.Keywords: Trial, cluster randomised, Trial, pilot, Implementation science, Mixed methods, Mortality, Surger

Trends in The Patterns of Cancers in Nigerian Women Over Five Decades

Cancers are major contributors to mortality among women in developing countries, with patterns changing over time. This study was done to ascertain the changes in trends and patterns of breast, cervical and ovarian cancers in women over two periods of one decade each, thirty-five years apart. Data on breast, cervical and ovarian cancers in Nigerian women over the two ten-year periods were obtained from the Ibadan Cancer Registry, using a well-structured proforma with extraction of information such as age, cancer sites and year of presentation. The extracted data were analyzed and related to information provided by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC). There were about 400 cases of breast, cervical and ovarian cancers from 1960 to 1969 with cervical cancer having the highest relative frequency, while about 3000 cases of these cancers were reported from 2004 to 2013, with breast cancer having the highest ratio frequency. The age group with the highest frequencies for the three cancer types from 2004 to 2013 was 40 - 49 years, while it was 60 – 69 years from 1960 to 1969. Mean ages at presentation were 48.96 ± 13.32, 54.40 ± 13.41 and 44.42 ± 16.99 years for breast, cervical and ovarian cancers respectively. Breast and cervical cancers are the two commonest cancers in Nigerian women over the five-decade period, with breast cancer overtaking cervical cancer as the most frequently diagnosed. The number of cancer cases recorded increased seven-fold and the peak age group at diagnosis of breast cancer dropped by about twenty years over the period

Abdominal pregnancy at the University College Hospital, Ibadan: a ten-year review

Fourteen cases of abdominal pregnancy managed at the University College Hospital, Ibadan, Nigeria, over a ten-year period (January 1994 to December 2003) were reviewed. The incidence ratio of abdominal pregnancy was one in 654 deliveries. It accounted for 4.3% of ectopic pregnancies. Age range was 20 to 43 years; 63.4% of the patients were unemployed and 50% were nullipara. Pre-operative diagnosis was possible only in half of the cases. Only two patients with advanced pregnancies and live fetuses (14.3%) were allowed to have conservative management while the others had immediate laparotomy. Live birth rate was 7.1%, but overall fetal survival rate was 0%. Fetal malformations were common, with talipes equinovarus and jaw abnormalities occurring in 49.2% and 14.3% respectively. Twelve patients (85.7%) who had complete removal of the placenta, though lost more blood, had better outcome than those with placenta left in-situ. The case fatality rate was 7.1%. (Afr J Reprod Health 2005; 9[1]: 123-127

The ASOS Surgical Risk Calculator: development and validation of a tool for identifying African surgical patients at risk of severe postoperative complications

Background: The African Surgical Outcomes Study (ASOS) showed that surgical patients in Africa have a mortality twice the global average. Existing risk assessment tools are not valid for use in this population because the pattern of risk for poor outcomes differs from high-income countries. The objective of this study was to derive and validate a simple, preoperative risk stratification tool to identify African surgical patients at risk for in-hospital postoperative mortality and severe complications. Methods: ASOS was a 7-day prospective cohort study of adult patients undergoing surgery in Africa. The ASOS Surgical Risk Calculator was constructed with a multivariable logistic regression model for the outcome of in-hospital mortality and severe postoperative complications. The following preoperative risk factors were entered into the model; age, sex, smoking status, ASA physical status, preoperative chronic comorbid conditions, indication for surgery, urgency, severity, and type of surgery. Results: The model was derived from 8799 patients from 168 African hospitals. The composite outcome of severe postoperative complications and death occurred in 423/8799 (4.8%) patients. The ASOS Surgical Risk Calculator includes the following risk factors: age, ASA physical status, indication for surgery, urgency, severity, and type of surgery. The model showed good discrimination with an area under the receiver operating characteristic curve of 0.805 and good calibration with c-statistic corrected for optimism of 0.784. Conclusions: This simple preoperative risk calculator could be used to identify high-risk surgical patients in African hospitals and facilitate increased postoperative surveillance. © 2018 British Journal of Anaesthesia. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.Medical Research Council of South Africa gran