COVID-19 Pandemic: Medical and Pharmacy Education in Nigeria

No abstract available

Assessment of information infrastructure on adoption of agronomic practices among small scale farmers in Ido Local Government, Oyo State

The objective of this study was to assess information infrastructure on adoption of agronomic practices among small scale farmers in Ido Local  Government Area. Multi-stage Sampling Procedure was used in selecting the respondents for the study. One hundred and twenty questionnaires were administered in twelve (12) villages. Data collected were statistically analyzed using inferential statistics such as Chi-square and PPMC. The study revealed that majority (81.7%) of the respondents strongly agreed that they sourced their information from Contact farmers. The study also showed that myriads of constraints are always encountered by the small-scale farmers of which the major constraint is illiteracy with a percentage  of 81.7%. The study revealed that increased production is a very beneficial factor in respect to benefit of agricultural information infrastructure with (63.5%). The study revealed that majority of respondents’ (35.6%) chose Etisalat as the most preferred network. The result shows that gender (x2  =0.9777, P =0.986), education(x2 =28.518, P =0.239) and members of farming association (x2 =9.969, P =0.126) has no significant relationship on adoption of information infrastructure of respondents, while, age (x2 =248.40. P =0.001), Marital status(x2 =182.115, P =0.003) has significant  relationship on the adoption of information infrastructure. PPMC result shows that there is significant relationship between the sources of  information and preferred network infrastructure (r = 0.209, P =0.033) in the study area. Therefore it is recommended that problem in adoption practices will be solved if barriers to information infrastructure happen to be eliminated. This calls for a well-coordinated policy intervention  compatible with the dynamics of rural institutions and other location bottlenecks. Keywords: Assessment, Information infrastructure, Adoption, Small scale, Farmer

COVID-19 Pandemic: medical and pharmacy education in Nigeria

No abstract available

Traumatic splenic rupture in pregnancy with favourable pregnancy outcome: Case report

Trauma complicating pregnancy is one of the causes of deaths that are not captured in the maternal mortality ratio, yet it occurs in about 1 in 15  pregnancies. This is a report of a case of splenic rupture occurring after a vehicle hit a pregnant woman who was a pedestrian. Splenectomy was done and, in spite of having a hemoperitoneum of about 2 litres, she recovered without further complication and was able to sustain the pregnancy to term, with the delivery of a healthy female infant. Clinicians should seek to exclude splenic rupture in cases of blunt trauma to the abdomen during  pregnancy because of the risk of severe haemorrhage, shock, and possibility of pregnancy loss. Key words: Haemoperitoneum; Pregnancy; Splenectomy; Trauma

Performance and productivity changes in microfinance banks in South-West Nigeria

The Nigerian Microfinance sub-sector is yet to attain the desired level of global best practice. This paper thus investigated the performance and productivity changes of MFBs in South-West Nigeria, from 2006 to 2010, having had the Microfinance Policy launched in 200. From the use of relevant accounting ratios, the study revealed that only 16% of the sampled MFBs met the recommended maximum PAR value of 5% in 200. It was also revealed that 31% of the sampled MFBs reported a debt/equity ratio above the recommended value of 2 in 2006, while 32% had gearing of over 2 in 2010. The Malmquist productivity index revealed that the MFBs experienced fluctuating performances in their productivity changes, with pure technical efficiency improvements in 2007 and 2009. Overall, the performance and productivity changes experienced by the MFBs depicted a sub-sector with huge potentials and hence require nurturing to achieve its goals

Biology Education and Bio Entrepreneur Opportunities in Nigeria

Nigeria has been experiencing various socioeconomic and environmental challenges such as unemployment, poverty, insecurity and climate change within the past few decades. These challenges are traceable to a lack of synergy between capital and nature.  Knowledge and skills in various fields of biology such as Bioeconomics and Bio-entrepreneur are potent tools for building a strong synergy between capital and nature to enhance sustainable socio-economic development in the nation. This paper focuses on how biology education can be utilised to develop and promote Bio-entrepreneur opportunities among Nigerian youths for sustainable national development. The paper provided overviews of concepts such as biology education, bio-entrepreneur, bio-economics and so forth. The millennium development goals and the 21st-century skills within the context of sustainable development in Nigeria. Finally, the paper advocated for urgent realignment of biology and science education for sustainable national developmen

Knowledge, Attitude and Perception towards Snoring among Respondents in Ekiti State, South West Nigeria

Background: Snoring is a clinical condition that causes some serious social and health problems among populace. Objective: This study was to determine the prevalence, knowledge, attitude and perception of respondents in Ekiti, South western Nigeria toward snoring. Methodology: This was a cross-sectional descriptive study conducted among adult population in three local government areas of Ekiti State, South-West Nigeria. A multistage random sampling technique was adopted to select 241 respondents for this study. A simple random sampling by balloting was used to select one Local Government Area (LGA) each from the three senatorial districts. This study was carried out inform of an outreach programme over a period of 4 months from January to April, 2019. A pre-tested interviewer semi-structured open ended questionnaire was used to collect quantitative data on socio-demographic variables, knowledge, attitude and perception of the respondents on snoring. Data generated were descriptively analyzed using Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) Version 20.0 and the results were presented in tables, charts and adjusted odd ratio. Results: A total of 241 respondents were analyzed, made up of 88 (36.5%) males with a male to female ratio of 1:1.7. The mean age was 38.6 years (SD ± 10.3). The age group 30-39 years has the highest response which constitutes 38.6%. Majority (91.3%) were Christian and 172 (71.4%) were married. The estimated prevalence of snoring among couples was 30.7%. Only about 109 (45.2%) of the respondents were adjudged to have positive attitude. Factors such as occupation, education, knowledge and attitude were found to be significantly related to the perception of respondents about snoring at 0.05 levels. Conclusion: The prevalence of snoring in this study was 30.7%. Despite good knowledge and perception of snoring among the respondents, less than half of them has positive attitude towards snoring. It is important to identify the causes of snoring and treat them immediately to avoid complications

Linking economic growth, urbanization, and environmental degradation in China: What is the role of hydroelectricity consumption?

Achieving environmental sustainability has become a global initiative whilst addressing climate change and its effects. Thus, this research re-assessed the EKC hypothesis in China and considered the effect of hydroelectricity use and urbanization, utilizing data from 1985 to 2019. The autoregressive distributed lag (ARDL) bounds testing method was utilized to assess long-run coin-tegration, which is reinforced by a structural break. The outcome of the ARDL bounds test confirmed cointegration among the series. Furthermore, the ARDL revealed that both economic growth and urbanization trigger environmental degradation while hydroelectricity improves the quality of the environment. The outcome of the ARDL also validated the EKC hypothesis for China. In addi-tion, the study employed the novel gradual shift causality test to capture causal linkage among the series. The advantage of the gradual shift causality test is that it can capture gradual or smooth shifts and does not necessitate previous information of the number, form of structural break(s), or dates. The outcomes of the causality test revealed causal connections among the series of interest. © 2021 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland

Mortality from gastrointestinal congenital anomalies at 264 hospitals in 74 low-income, middle-income, and high-income countries: a multicentre, international, prospective cohort study

Summary Background Congenital anomalies are the fifth leading cause of mortality in children younger than 5 years globally. Many gastrointestinal congenital anomalies are fatal without timely access to neonatal surgical care, but few studies have been done on these conditions in low-income and middle-income countries (LMICs). We compared outcomes of the seven most common gastrointestinal congenital anomalies in low-income, middle-income, and high-income countries globally, and identified factors associated with mortality. Methods We did a multicentre, international prospective cohort study of patients younger than 16 years, presenting to hospital for the first time with oesophageal atresia, congenital diaphragmatic hernia, intestinal atresia, gastroschisis, exomphalos, anorectal malformation, and Hirschsprung’s disease. Recruitment was of consecutive patients for a minimum of 1 month between October, 2018, and April, 2019. We collected data on patient demographics, clinical status, interventions, and outcomes using the REDCap platform. Patients were followed up for 30 days after primary intervention, or 30 days after admission if they did not receive an intervention. The primary outcome was all-cause, in-hospital mortality for all conditions combined and each condition individually, stratified by country income status. We did a complete case analysis. Findings We included 3849 patients with 3975 study conditions (560 with oesophageal atresia, 448 with congenital diaphragmatic hernia, 681 with intestinal atresia, 453 with gastroschisis, 325 with exomphalos, 991 with anorectal malformation, and 517 with Hirschsprung’s disease) from 264 hospitals (89 in high-income countries, 166 in middleincome countries, and nine in low-income countries) in 74 countries. Of the 3849 patients, 2231 (58·0%) were male. Median gestational age at birth was 38 weeks (IQR 36–39) and median bodyweight at presentation was 2·8 kg (2·3–3·3). Mortality among all patients was 37 (39·8%) of 93 in low-income countries, 583 (20·4%) of 2860 in middle-income countries, and 50 (5·6%) of 896 in high-income countries (p<0·0001 between all country income groups). Gastroschisis had the greatest difference in mortality between country income strata (nine [90·0%] of ten in lowincome countries, 97 [31·9%] of 304 in middle-income countries, and two [1·4%] of 139 in high-income countries; p≤0·0001 between all country income groups). Factors significantly associated with higher mortality for all patients combined included country income status (low-income vs high-income countries, risk ratio 2·78 [95% CI 1·88–4·11], p<0·0001; middle-income vs high-income countries, 2·11 [1·59–2·79], p<0·0001), sepsis at presentation (1·20 [1·04–1·40], p=0·016), higher American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) score at primary intervention (ASA 4–5 vs ASA 1–2, 1·82 [1·40–2·35], p<0·0001; ASA 3 vs ASA 1–2, 1·58, [1·30–1·92], p<0·0001]), surgical safety checklist not used (1·39 [1·02–1·90], p=0·035), and ventilation or parenteral nutrition unavailable when needed (ventilation 1·96, [1·41–2·71], p=0·0001; parenteral nutrition 1·35, [1·05–1·74], p=0·018). Administration of parenteral nutrition (0·61, [0·47–0·79], p=0·0002) and use of a peripherally inserted central catheter (0·65 [0·50–0·86], p=0·0024) or percutaneous central line (0·69 [0·48–1·00], p=0·049) were associated with lower mortality. Interpretation Unacceptable differences in mortality exist for gastrointestinal congenital anomalies between lowincome, middle-income, and high-income countries. Improving access to quality neonatal surgical care in LMICs will be vital to achieve Sustainable Development Goal 3.2 of ending preventable deaths in neonates and children younger than 5 years by 2030