Parental satisfaction with quality of health care of children with sickle cell disease at the University of Benin Teaching Hospital, Benin City

Background: Parents play a major role in determining where and when to access care for their children. Assessing parental satisfaction with the health system will be a pointer to attitude towards health institutions compliance with treatment and achievement of better treatment outcome, especially in the care of children with chronic diseases such as sickle cell disease (SCD). This study determined parental satisfaction with quality of health care of their children with SCD at the University of Benin Teaching Hospital (UBTH), Benin City.Methods: The study was a descriptive survey. A structured questionnaire with a five point Likert scale was used for data collection from parents of children with SCD. A mean score of 3.0 and above was used as an acceptable response for high level of satisfaction. The maximum allowable score was 5.Results: Parents of children with SCD had a good perception of the health facility with a high mean score of 4.35 ± 0.43. Parental satisfaction was high (mean score ranged from 3.49 ± 0.68 to 4.31 ± 0.50) across the entire construct. The highest and lowest levels of satisfaction was found in the domain “visit to the doctors (mean score was 4.31 ± 0.50) and “staff communication” (mean score 3.49 ± 0.68) respectively. Socio-demographic and economic factors did not significantly affect parental satisfaction with quality of health care.Conclusion: Parental satisfaction with quality of health care was high in this study. Areas with least level of satisfaction such as “communication with staff” and “care from the laboratory” should be reviewed for improvement.Keywords: Parental Satisfaction, Quality, Healthcare, Children, Sickle Cell Disease

Culture–bound syndromes and the neglect of cultural factors in psychopathologies among Africans

One of the major problems in psychiatric practice worldwide is inability to reach a consensus as regards a globally acceptable classificatory system for the different psychopathologies. Consequently, apart from the WHO’s International Classification of Diseases (ICD) that is expected to be universally applicable there are regional-based classificatory systems in some parts of the world. In Africa, a number of culture bound syndromes (CBS) have been described which have not been given international recognition. The possible consequences of this non-recognition are highlighted in this paper. Unfortunately there are serious constraints such as the relatively small number of psychiatrists on the continent, and inadequate funding for mental health research, which militate against producing an African classificatory system. Nevertheless, it is proposed that reports of African psychiatrists emanating from their research and clinical experience should be accorded adequate recognition in the WHO so as to assign these CBS their rightful placement in the International classificatory system.Key Words: Culture-Bound Syndromes; African Psychiatry; Classification; Recognition

Development of A Dual-Fired Dryer for Augmentation of Fish Preservation

Food serves as one of the basic requirements for the well-being of every living being, but improper handling during post-harvesting stage to cater for the rainy day in the midst of insufficient energy source, is one of the factors responsible for food insecurity, especially in the developing countries. This study focused on the construction and evaluation of an adaptable dual-fired fish dryer. The dryer, designed to reduce moisture content of fish from 80% to 8% for proper product shelf life, has a rated drying capacity of 12 kg of fish per period of 4 hours per batch, while working on either electricity or natural gas as source of heat energy. Locally available materials were used in the construction of the device. The rig developed cost one hundred and forty-eight thousand eight hundred and twenty Naira (N148, 820.00). It was evaluated using salmon fish. The dryer is more efficient when electrically fired than when gas-fired and has the maximum drying and thermal efficiencies of 84.67 % and 92.93 % when operated at 85oC while the corresponding values when operated on gas are 36% and 62.65% respectively. Keywords: Food insecurity, Fish, dryer, Performance evaluation, Preservation, Incom

Psychiatric morbidity in two urban communities in Nigeria

Background: There is a welter of evidence for an inverse relationship between socio-economic status (SES) and mental health. The relationship is grossly under researched in the developing countries. Objective: To ascertain rates of gross psychiatric morbidity and some demographic correlations in two communities with different socio-economic standards. Design: A cross-sectional community based study. Subjects: Random samples of two socio-economically dissimilar communities (N1 = 189, N2 = 148) were assessed for psychiatric morbidity. Results: Rates of psychiatric morbidity obtained for the lower status community (Ajegunle) and the higher status community (Victoria Island/Ikoyi) on the GH Q-12 were 26.5 and 14.2 respectively and the corresponding figures on the SRQ (non-psychosis) were 41.8 and 18.2 and on the SRQ (psychosis) 61.5 and 31.7. A large number of positive socio-demographic correlations between cases and non-cases were obtained on SRQ and GHQ-12 in both communities. Family history of psychiatric illness significantly differentiates cases from non-cases on all measures of morbidity. Conclusion: The socio-economic inequality demonstrated should be minimised by evolving a social welfare policy in Nigeria and other developing countries that is responsive to the survival needs of the populace and ensures equitable distribution of resources across socio-economic strata. There is dire need for further research into the complex bearings of the link between social status and psychological wellness in the developing world.East African Medical Journal Vol. 85 (8) 2008: pp. 368-37

Demographic factors as correlates of doctoral degree completion in Nigeria library schools

A review of literature revealed that doctoral students in Nigeria library schools do not complete their studies at the university recommended time frame. This study therefore examined demographic factors as determinants of doctoral degree completion in Nigeria library schools. The objectives were to find out the average time-to-completion of doctoral degree in Nigeria library schools; ascertain the importance of demographic factors such as gender, age, job designation, work status and marital status to time to completion of doctoral studies in Nigeria library schools; find out if mode of study affects time to- completion of doctoral studies in Nigeria library schools. The study adopted descriptive research of the survey type. From 26 library schools in Nigeria, 11 were purposively selected. The population comprised 235 doctoral degree holders. Total enumeration of the 235 doctoral degree holders was used. A self-constructed questionnaire was used to collect quantitative data and out of the 235 copies administered, only 183, representing 77.9% were returned and found usable for this study. The only hypothesis in the study was tested using Spearman Rank Order Correlation. This was tested at 0.05 level of significance. Results showed a relationship between demographic factors and time-to-completion, while it takes an average of 5.7 years to complete doctoral degree in Nigeria library schools irrespective of mode of study.

Substitution of Maize with Cassava and Sweet Potato Meal as the Energy Source in the Rations of Layer Birds

Three hundred and sixty layer hens (36 weeks old Isa Brown) were fed a maize based diet in which sweet potato meal and cassava meal replaced maize in the basal diet during a 12-week trial period. Hen-day egg production was significantly (P< 0.05) depressed lJy cassava meal while birds fed diets with maize and sweet potato meal were not significantly different from each other in hen-day eeg production. Cassava meal significantly reduced (P< O. 05) metabolizable energy intake while there was no significant difference in the crude protein intake of birds fed sweet potato and cassava meal. There was, however, no significant effect from replacing maize with sweet potato or cassava meal on egg, weight, feed intake, shell thickness, Haugh unit, feed/dozen eggs or feed/kg egg (p<0.05). The maize control diet was superior (P< O. 05) in the digestibility of crude protein while energy digestibility was depressed (P< 0.05) with the cassava diet

Long stay patients in a psychiatric hospital in Lagos, Nigeria

Objective: In the face of recently introduced government health reform and the dwindling number of available beds for acutely ill patients, a cross sectional study was carried out on long-stay patients at the 100 years old psychiatric hospital Yaba, Lagos, Nigeria with a view to discharging most of them. Method: Necessary consent was obtained from the Hospital Research and Ethical Committee. All the long-stay patients were evaluated with a specially designed proforma to elicit socio-demographic, clinical and long-stay variables. Further more, each of them had clinical assessment to make diagnosis in accordance with ICD - 10 and finally, the subjects were also assessed with the Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale (BPRS). Results: Fifty-one (51) subjects; that is, occupying 10.7% of the hospital functional beds fulfilled the criteria of long-stay. They included 36 (70.6%) males and 15(24.4%) females. The mean age was 47.3±16.5 years with age range of 18-92 years. The average length of stay was 11.4±15.0 years and range of 0.5 to 57 years; with significant gender difference (males higher than females) (t =3.51,

E-PAYCHEQUE FRAMEWORK WITH CONTACT ELECTRONIC CARD AND FINGERPRINT BIOMETRIC FOR CASHLESS SMART CAMPUSES

Identity theft in financial transactions is a very rampant problem among students in most institutions of learning. Currently, in order to minimize financial theft, most schools dole out paper based “paycheques” to students, which usually contain the name, personal identification number (PIN) and the value of money deposited by the students to the cashier. However, anybody bearing the PIN of another student can conveniently assume the identity and defraud the legitimate owner. This often generates a lot of rancor among students and it is a major concern for management especially in the high schools. In this work, we developed an e-Paycheque framework for secured cashless campuses. To be recognized on the web application within the framework, each student must possess a Smart ID card that is preconfigured with their unique fingerprint template and the value of deposited cash for transaction purposes. Since no two humans have the same fingerprint, financial transactions will only be possible for the legitimate owners of cards on the platform. This will in no small measure curb identity theft with respect to financial transactions on the campuses and also fast track the pace of achievement of the cashless policy in Nigeri

Effect of cold temperature storage on the quality attributes of pawpaw and guava leathers

The effect of cold temperature storage on the quality attributes of pawpaw and guava leathers was evaluated. Pawpaw leather was significantly higher than guava leather in calorific content, water activity, pH and total mould count throughout the duration of storage. However Guava leather was higher in texture. Sensory scores in relation to period of storage showed that Guava leather gave better result in overall acceptability at zero, one and two months of storage at 8 ± 10C. Guava leather also gave better sensory qualities in fruitiness, smell, chewiness, toughness, colour, and overall acceptability when varietal influence is considered. Guava leather is better accepted. (African Journal of Biotechnology: 2002 1(2): 61-63

Language And Communication: An Introduction To Approaches To Meaning And Text Analysis

This paper explores the concept of language and communication. It gives an exposition to the study of meaning as it diachronically investigates the theories and approaches to meaning. The crux of the study is that language is central to linguistic communication. It explains concept of meaning in language with the various theories of meaning, such as the traditional referential, ideational, behavioural, and contextual theories of meaning. It also examines some modern theoretical developments on meaning. It carries out the pragmatics and critical discourse analysis of some selected texts to demonstrate the application of some of the approaches to meaning in Language. It concludes on the ground that an understanding of approaches to meaning in language would enhance the development of knowledge and promote successful communication in various situations. &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp