Factors associated with the compliance of recommended first postnatal care services utilization among reproductive age women in Benin Republic: an analysis of 2011/2012 BDHS data

Background: High maternal and neonatal mortality persist in Benin republic. Rates of decline are slow and factors influencing PNC services utilization are not well known. This study aims to assess factors associated with PNC services utilization among mothers and their newborns with special focus on the recommendation 2 of WHO guidelines on postnatal care of the mother and the newborn.Methods: This study analysed Benin’s 2011/2012 DHS data. A total of 16,599 women were interviewed where 8,275 eligible for the present study. Multinomial logistic regression was applied.Results: While 68.42% of mothers and their newborns received at least one PNC visit over postnatal period, the percent of newborns and their mothers with appropriate first PNC check-up was low, 19.95%. Factors explaining PNC uptake were place of residence, ethnic group, occupation, ANC attendance, place of delivery, baby birth size, household wealth status, mass media use, and to a lesser extent education attainment. Accessibility, number of living children followed by the birth order number, and desire for pregnancy appeared to be specific determinants to appropriate first PNC check-up. Mothers who attended more frequently ANC services were more likely to receive PNC check-ups. Mothers who delivered at private health facility were more likely to receive PNC check-ups.Conclusions: To increase the achievement of the recommended WHO PNC frequency, there is a need to: address unmet needs for Family Planning in Benin; to expend health education and counselling to encourage ANC attendance supervise by skilled personnel

A cautionary note on the association between meteorological parameters and COVID-19 pandemic

Will the increasing temperature and humidity stop the spread of coronavirus, like seasonal patterns seen in viruses like influenza? In the authors’ opinion, weather has little or no part to play in bringing an end to the pandemic. As soon as the World Health Organization (WHO) declared the COVID-19 a pandemic, many published articles reported temperature and humidity as potential weather parameter that could wane off the daily confirmed COVID-19 cases [1,2]. COVID-19 pandemic has set the globe on a medical emergency by constituting a threat to human existence. A holistic and non-medically related approach to the reduction in disease burden is urgently required. Most countries have gradually tightened lockdown policies and citizens are recommended to stay at home and preserve the physical distance. On the other hand, this concept demands critical review of the meteorological parameters and its relationship with the disease transmission, morbidity and mortality of COVID-19 which has been a subject of research since its outbreak. Several postulations to the uneven disease burden in various regions were adduced to the climatic variations.Peer reviewedFinal Published versio

Effect of Pregnancy and Childbirth on Sexuality of Women in Ibadan, Nigeria

A study of 375 antenatal attendees to assess women's views and experience in sexual matters during pregnancy and following childbirth. Explanatory variables included the perception women had of sex during pregnancy and after childbirth. Outcome variables were frequency and satisfaction of sexual activity. The commonest reasons for having coitus in pregnancy were marital harmony and facilitation of delivery. Libido rose throughout pregnancy but orgasms were less often experienced. The man-on-top position became less practised. Vaginal intercourse remained the commonest type. Masturbation and anal intercourse increased, while oral sex declined throughout. Marriage (OR 9.0, 95% CI 1.0–79.5) and current cohabitation (OR 13.6, 95% CI 1.6–113.4) were predictors of sex in pregnancy. Dyspareunia and partners' extramarital affairs were deterrent. Vaginal delivery and episiotomy were not significant predictors of postnatal sex. The respondents and their partners seem able to adapt to pregnancy changes and enhance their marital bonds. Anticipatory guidance and informed counselling may encourage this

Development of an Indigenously Made Diesel Fired Crucible Furnace

Most castings in Nigeria are imported, the poor performance of the manufacturing sector in Nigeria is indicative of the low state of the foundry industry of which majority are small–medium scale enterprises with an unsubstantial total productive cost and input to the upper limit of only between 5-20 million naira. This is quite very low compared to that in the US; put the market value of the annual casting shipments at 28-30 billion US dollars produced by approximately 3,200 foundries has been reported. These myriad of problems therefore, necessitated this research workThe technological advancement of any nation have been influenced and uplifted by the extent to which it can usefully harness and convert its mineral resources. The productions of metal in foundries and in all human lives have become a general practice. This work deals with the design, fabrication and performance evaluation of a diesel-fired crucible furnace suitable for use both in the rural and urban areas for casting of different types of metals using indigenously sourced materials and technology. The components of furnace were furnace casing, crucible, furnace cover, burner housing, furnace cover stand, base stand and burner. Mild steel sheet was used for the fabrication of the furnace, while the other components needed for the design were selected based on functionality, durability, cost and local availability. Experimental tests were performed to evaluate the performance of the furnace. The average heating rate of 19.54°C/min was recorded by the furnace and attained a temperature as high as 1420 °C. The furnace also had a melting rate of 454.55g/min for Aluminium. The thermal efficiency of the furnace was determined to be 10.80%. The low value was as result of the large energy wastage due to the type of insulator used in making the furnace wall. The furnace is environmental friendly without health hazards to the workers and can be moved from one place to another unlike the local one.Self-sponsore

Comparative study of cervical-vaginal microbial flora changes in women using Cu-T380A contraceptive device and LNG-IUS in Ibadan: a two-centre clinical COHORT study

Background: Intrauterine devices cause various changes in the female genital tract which might result in altered microbial flora and risk of genital infections. The aim of this study was to determine the change in bacterial flora of women using Copper-bearing T380A and levonorgestrel intrauterine system and the risk of genital infections.Methods: This was a two-center clinical cohort study of women using Cu-T380A IUD and LNG-IUS in Ibadan, Nigeria. The study was conducted from March to August, 2016 and it involved 130 women (66 Cu-T380A and 64 LNG-IUS) at 2 family planning clinics in Ibadan, Nigeria. The clients were clinically assessed before admission into the study and high vaginal and endocervical swabs were taken before insertion of the devices, and at 3 and 6months after insertion.Results: Fifty-seven clients with LNG and 63 with copper T380A completed the study. The mean age in LNG-IUS was 34.4years (SD= 6.3) and Cu-T380A was 35.4 years (SD=5.6). All participants had one sexual partner. There was no previous or current STIs/PID at recruitment. The organisms isolated included coagulase negative Staphylococcus (CNS), Staphylococcus aureus, Streptococcus spp, Escherichia coli, Candida spp, Neisseria gonorrhoeae and Klebsiella spp. Cu-T380A women had an increase or persistence of CNS, Staphylococci, Klebsiella and Candida at 3 months while in the LNG-IUS group only CNS increased. The HVS revealed that participants with Cu-T380A had higher risks (33.3%) for asymptomatic genital infections than the LNG-IUS (5.3%) group at 6 months (p value <0.001).Conclusions: Cu-T380A has a higher likelihood of altering the microbial flora in the cervix and vagina and therefore encouraging the growth of a variety of other organisms compared to LNG-IUS

Enhanced proactive planning approach: a crucial to an improved workers’ safety in Western Nigeria small scale industry

This study evaluated managements’ proactive planning approach (PPA) to enhance safety among workers in South-western Nigeria small scale industry (SSI). The main objective was to rate the managements’ efforts at eliminating risk among their employees. By worker participatory and psychological survey approach, three tools were used; workplace observation (visual), management safety culture (questionnaire) and managers interviews (oral). The survey included 200 workers, 120 supervisors and 80 managers, in 82 SSI. Four steps to a safety proactive action plans (PAP), (looking for clues, prioritization of identified potential hazard, making improvements to eliminate the risk and follow up), were rated by employees on a scale from 0 to 5. Paired t-test was used to appraise the significant difference between the managers’ mean scores rated by the supervisors and other workers. 77.1% of workers and 64.2% supervisors rated their managers as either “not done at all” or “poorly done”. Workers’ scores for managers PPA had statistically significantly lower ratings (mean = 1.09, SEM = 0.22) compared to that of the supervisors rating (mean = 1.55, SEM = 0.32), with t (14) = −1.185, p = 0.784. There is a closed poor performance perception gaps, of managers’ PPA, of the two groups of employees. It can be concluded that safety is not emphasized, by managers of SSI, as overriding priority and this may have contributed to high reported injuries among their workforce. Courses to enhance managements’ understanding for inclusion of safety among the leading priorities becomes necessary. This will reduce work-related risks and promotes occupational safety and health among the group of workers

The effects of etonorgestrel implant (ImplanonR) on the lipid profile of Nigerian women

Background: Provision of contraceptive methods with minimal side effects will enhance uptake of contraception particularly in Nigeria where contraceptive prevalence rate remains low. The safety profile of ImplanonR, a long‑acting hormonal subdermal contraceptive containing etonogestrel, has not been adequately evaluated among Nigerian women.Objective: To assess the effects of etonogestrel subdermal implant (ImplanonR) on lipid profile among Nigerian women.Materials and Methods: The study was a longitudinal follow‑up of 54 consenting women selected over a 6‑month period at the Family Planning Clinic of the University College Hospital, Ibadan. After ImplanonR insertion, each woman was followed‑up monthly for a period of 12 months. Fasting venous blood samples were collected for quantification of serum lipids prior to insertion of the implant, then at 1st, 3rd, 6th, 9th, and 12th months of follow‑up.Results: The mean age of the women was 34.4 ± 5.6 with a range of 22–47 years. The modal number of children was 2 ranging from 1 to 6. Total cholesterol (TC) levels showed a general tendency toward a rise. The rise was, however, only significant in the 3rd and 12th months of use. Serum triglycerides showed a tendency toward reduced levels, which were only significant at the 6th and 9th months of use. High‑density lipoprotein (HDL) levels were consistently and significantly elevated above baseline levels. Beyond the 3rd month, low‑density lipoprotein (LDL) levels were lower but not significantly compared with baseline levels. HDL/TC and HDL/LDL ratios were consistently and significantly elevated in comparison with baseline values.Conclusion: Etonogestrel implant seems to cause significant effects on the lipid profile of Nigerian women. The increases were mainly in the HDL fraction, which suggests that the atherogenic and cardiovascular disease risks are reduced. We recommend larger studies to confirm our findings.Keywords: Implanon; laevonorgestrel; subdermal implan

A Shoveling-related Pain Intensity Prediction Expert System for Workers’ Manual Movement of Material

In this study, a fuzzy-based expert system called the Pain Intensity Prediction Expert System (PIPES) was developed to predict pain severity risk (PSR) in shoveling-related tasks. The primary objective was to develop a non-changing rating risk assessment ergonomics tool that both efficient and comparable with those obtained from human ergonomics experts in the field of application. PIPES used fuzzy set theory (FST) to make decisions about the level of pain associated with a selected worker base on the measured task variables, namely scooping rate, scooping time, shovel load, and throw distance as input and PSR as the result. Values obtained from variable measurements from a sand shoveling task were run with PIPES, and the results were compared with the workers’ self-reported pain (WSRP) intensity using a numeric rating scale (NRS) tool. The result of validation showed that there was a strong positive relationship between WSRP NRS and PIPES NRS, with a correlation coefficient of 0.70. The independent sample t-test for mean difference showed that WSRP had a statistically significantly lower level of NRS (4.35 ± 2.1) compared to PIPES (4.75 ± 2.2), t (38) = - 0.591, p = 0.558. With a significance level of 0.001 at 95% confidence, the groups’ means were not significantly different. The study developed an expert system, PIPES, which can be used as a computerized representation of ergonomics experts, who are scarce. PIPES can be applied to construction industries, sand mine locations, and any workplace where materials are manually moved using a shovel

Evaluation of Inhibitive Performance of Acidic Extract of Eichornia Crassipeson Corrosion of Low Carbon Steel in 1M Sulphuric Acid Solution

Corrosion inhibition potential of Eichhornia crassipes extract on low carbon steel in 1 M sulphuric acid solution was investigated using gravimetric method and corrosion rate. The experiment was carried out for 3 hours at different concentration of Eichhornia crassipes extract and temperatures of 26.6°C, 40°C and 60°C. Arrhenius and improved Arrhenius equations were used to determine the thermodynamics properties of the reaction while the nature of the reaction was proposed by adsorption isotherms. The results showed that corrosion rate decreased in the presence of the extract except in 60oC. Inhibition efficiency also increased with extract concentration with the highest (82%) occurring at room temperature and 5% concentration. Inhibition efficiency decreased with increase in temperature with almost no inhibition at 60oC, this is associated with physisorption. Activation energy () and activation enthalpy () both had positive values and they increased in the presence of Eichhornia crassipes extract, those for inhibited solution were higher than those for uninhibited solution, these can also be attributed to physisorption. Inhibition  reaction obeyed Langmuir adsorption isotherm. Gibbs free energy () calculated for the reaction is -8.509 to -11.767 kJ mol-1

Inhibitive Action of Water Extract of Spondias Mombin on Corrosion of Low Carbon Steel in 0.5 M Sulphuric Acid

Corrosion inhibition of water extract of Spondias mombin on low carbon steel in 0.5 M sulphuric acid was investigated in this paper. Fresh leaves, fruits and bark of this plant, washed properly, ground separately using small amount of distilled water to extract the juice at a ratio of 500 ml (distilled water) to 1 kilogram of plant were used for this experiment. Corrosion inhibitors of 0.4 g/ml, 1 g/ml and 2 g/ml were made from the filterate. Low carbon steel coupons suspended with twine inside 250 ml container of 0.5 M sulphuric acid in the presence of different concentrations of the extracts at room temperature for 35 days. The coupons were retrieved at 7 days interval, and the initial and final weights were recorded.  Inhibition efficiency for the leaves extract increased with concentration and got to its peak on the 7th day, that of the fruits extract initially increased with concentration until 1 g/ml after which there was a decline, its highest value was also recorded on the 7th day. The best inhibition efficiencies (in the range of 76.32% to 83.21%) for Spondias mombin water extract were observed in 0.4 g/ml bark extract throughout the days of the experiment, the highest being recorded on the14th day. It can be concluded that Spondias mombin water extract is a good corrosion inhibitor of low carbon steel in 0.5 M sulphuric acid at room temperature, with the best being the bark extract which inhibited for up to 35 days