Pre-donation screening of blood for transfusion transmissible infections: The gains and the pains - experience at a resource limited blood bank

Objective: To determine whether or not pre-donation testing of blood donors affords substantial cost savings without compromise to blood transfusion safety. Predonation testing of blood donors for Transfusion Transmissible Infections (TTIs) is done in most developing countries because substantial cost savings are made from resources, materials and man-hours which would have been spent to procure infected blood units.Simple rapid test kits used in pre-donation testing is not as sensitive as the Enzyme Linked Immuno-sorbent Assay (ELISA) method used in post-donation screening in a quality assured manner.Design: It is a retrospective study where records of pre- and post-donation tests done in donor clinic of University of Ilorin Teaching Hospital, between January and December 2010 were retrieved. All processes and inputs were evaluated and costs calculated for predonation testing by simple rapid  techniques and post donation screening by ELISA.Results: 5000 prospective donors were tested in the study period. The cost of single rapid Pre-donation testing was less than that of single ELISA Postdonation screen. The cost of double rapid Pre-donation and Post donation ELISA screen exceeded the cost of single post donation ELISA screen. Substantial cost savings were made when single rapid Pre-donationtesting is relied on. More blood units were found reactive for the TTIs with the more expensive Postdonation ELISA.Conclusion: Pre-donation testing of blood donors was not cost effective. Although, there is an apparent savings if pre-donation testing is not followed by postdonation ELISA testing, it is done at a compromise toblood transfusion safety.Key words: pre-donation, post-donation, TTIs screening

Knowledge, use and sensory evaluation of red palm oil Ogi by caregivers in Makurdi, Nigeria

Vitamin A deficiency is one of the major public health challenges in many developing countries affecting mainly children under 5 years of age and contributes to severity of life-threatening infections such as diarrhoea and measles. Over the years, several effective strategies have been adopted to combat vitamin A deficiency with the attendant challenge of sustainability. Food-based approaches based on vitamin A-rich, locally available food sources are considered sustainable and could help in filling this gap. The use of red palm oil among other locally available pro-vitamin A foodstuffs is recommended for incorporation into complementary foods given to children under 5 years of age by health workers in Nigeria. This study was conducted to ascertain the level of awareness, use and sensory evaluation of red palm oil ogi (a cereal-based porridge) by caregivers of under-fives within Makurdi, Nigeria. Data were obtained through a cross-sectional survey and two focus group discussions. The survey involved 100 respondents that were purposively sampled from three well patronized health facilities rendering post-natal services in Makurdi. The results of the survey were analyzed using descriptive statistics. The focus group discussions involved 17 members in two separate groups and responses were sorted and summarized. The results show that though caregivers consider red palm oil as a taboo-free cooking ingredient, knowledge on its use in ogi was low (11%). However, some caregivers were willing to adopt red palm oil ogi provided the method of preparation is demonstrated and presents no adverse effects on the child. Ogi prepared with 5 and 10% red palm oil (w/v) scored 6.8 and 6.6 for maize, 5.9 and 6.0 for millet, respectively for overall acceptability on a 9-point Hedonic scale while ogi without red palm oil was the most acceptable. This study has identified low awareness in the use of red palm oil ogi among caregivers of under-fives in Makurdi; ignorance about red palm oil’s nutritional benefits and  appropriate preparation methods as well as actual concentration of red palm oil to be employed as some of the critical gaps in the use of red palm oil ogi in alleviating the burden of vitamin A deficiency among children under 5 years of age in Makurdi, Nigeria.Key words: Knowledge, Red palm oil, Og

Blood donation trend in a tertiary hospital in Nigeria

Background: Voluntary donors who ought to be the main source of donor blood are relatively few in Nigeria. There is therefore a need to study current patterns of blood donation and design strategies for improvement. Objectives: To determine the types , age and sex distribution of blood donors in a tertiary Hospital in Nigeria. Method: This retrospective study was conducted in the University of Ilorin Teaching Hospital. The study covered the 5 year period from 2004-2008.Information on the types of donation and the demographic characteristics, and blood groups of donors were extracted from the donor register. Results: A total of 21694 units of blood were donated during the 5 year study period. Of these, 99% were from male and 1% from female donors. Majority of donors gave blood as family replacement donations while voluntary donations constituted 2.2% and autologous donations 0.1% of the total. Nearly half of the total number of donors and about three quarters of voluntary donors fell in the young adult age range of 20-29years. Conclusion: Voluntary blood donation which gives the safest blood is not common in Nigeria. Female donors are scarce. Youths and students in the age bracket of 20-29 years are the most appropriate targets for intensive voluntary blood donation advocacy. Key words: Blood donation, tertiary hospital, voluntary donors, female donor

Effects of heat treatment on deformation characteristics of medium carbon steel

The effects of heat treatment on bending deformation, tensile strength and hardness of RST 37 medium carbon steels were investigated. Steel rod samples of ø12 mm diameter, 100 mm length, and % weight composition of 0.39 wt % C, 0.70 wt % Mn and 0.80 wt % Si and traces of alloying elements were tested. The samples were austenitized at 1123 K, annealed, normalized, quenched and tempered. Mechanical tests conducted on the sam-ples were bending, hardness, ultimate tensile strength, % elongation, breaking strength, yield strength, and yield ratio. The results showed that annealed, normalized and tempered samples exhibited high springback, while the hardened samples showed relatively low springback. As the tensile strength or yield strength increased, ductili-ty or total elongation decreased. The hardness was found to decrease with increasing springback. Journal of Applied Science and Technology Vol. 13 (1 & 2) 2008: pp. 81-8

Effects of Interrupted Power Supply on the Viability of SAGM and CPDA1 Stored Erythrocytes

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Survey of facilities for appropriate training in blood transfusion in Anglophone West Africa

Background Several different categories of professionals, including graduate and specialist medical personnel, nurses and medical laboratory scientists amongst others are engaged in blood transfusion establishments worldwide. Some knowledge by workers outside their own specific specialty and a high degree of integration are required for effectiveness in blood services.Objective To survey training facilities for blood transfusion in Anglophone West Africa for appropiateness, and to identify areas of deficiency requiring rectificationMethods The contents of training curricula of various institutions were scrutinized. Serving members of blood establishments were interviewed to ascertain their background professional training and present role in their blood establishments.Results Sufficient numbers of graduate and specialist medical personnel nurses and medical laboratory scientists are being produced in the Region, to provide workforce for blood transfusion establishments. However, there is deficiency of knowledge across professions with resultant suboptimal integration of roles, and effectiveness of the services. Some categories of personnel are not appropriately trained and not placed in career schemes.Recommendations  Supplementary training is recommended for all categories of personnel, to promote efficiency and effectiveness in blood establishments

Haemostatic Parameters During Pregnancy In Ilorin, Nigeria

The objective of this study was to document the effect of pregnancy on some haemostatic parameters (Prothrombin time [PT], activated partial thromboplastin time [APTT], fibrinogen concentration, euglobin clot lysis time [ELT], and platelet count) in different trimesters of pregnancy. One hundred and eighty women with non-complicated pregnancy within the age range of 17-40 years (mean± SD 27.1±3.9years) were recruited for the study and sixty non-pregnant, normotensive apparently healthy age-matched women were used as control. All haemostatic parameters evaluated were determined using standard techniques. Significant differences were observed between the haemostatic parameters studied and controls except for platelet count. Prothrombin time was significantly shorter (p<0.001) and fibrinogen significantly higher (p<0.001) as pregnancy advanced but, other parameters were not influenced by the gestational age. There was a significant difference between the fibrinogen level in older subject compared with subject of younger age group with a mean of 5.5g/l and 4.0g/l (p<0.05) respectively. There was no significant relationship in the haemostatic parameters with parity and educational level of all the subjects. In conclusion, the results of haemostatic screening tests in this study suggest some degree of activation in pregnant women. Keywords:  Haemostasis, Pregnancy, Nigeri

Influence of Independent and Proximate Variables on Condom Use in Selected States in Nigeria

The study examined the influence of individual and proximate factors in determining condom use. Current use of condom and condom use during last sex were used as proxies for consistent condom use. Data on 3,797 sexually active respondents of reproductive age was analyzed from the 2007 USAID-COMPASS midline evaluation on basic family planning and reproductive health outcomes in five Nigerian states. About 9% of respondents were current users, while 11% used a condom during last sex. Younger and more educated respondents were more likely to report condom use. Of the 23 variables, four were statistically significant (