Primary and repeat surgical treatment for female pelvic organ prolapse and incontinence in parous women in the UK : a register linkage study

Peer reviewedPublisher PD

Impact of Teaching Experience on Teachers Attitude towards the Use of Instructional Television (ITV) in Bayelsa State Nigeria

The main thrust of this study is to find out the teachers’ attitude generally toward instruction television (ITV), also to find out the impact of length of work experience on its use. This survey study was carried out in selected secondary in Ekeremor LGA of Bayelsa State. The mann-whitney U test was used in the analysis because it is based on ordinal scale intervals. On the general attitude of teachers towards the use of instructional television, the smaller U (47) is higher than the critical U is (2.3) the null hypothesis was rejected and retained the alternate hypothesis of there is no significant difference in attitude and secondary school teacher towards the use of (ITV). Also, the use of ITV based and the length of teaching experience, the computed U value (32) and the smaller U is (3.0), the null hypothesis was rejected and retained the alternate hypothesis of there is no significant difference in attitude among secondary teachers with different length of teaching experience towards the use of instruction television in Ekeremor L.G.A of Bayelsa State Nigeria. The study portrayed that they have a favorable disposition towards the use of ITV and it was recommended that some television stations should broadcast well tutored and design suitable lesson to learners

Factors associated with episiotomy among parturients delivering in a tertiary care centre in Nigeria

Background: The use of routine episiotomy is now less favoured among obstetricians. Given considerable evidence, it use increases maternal morbidity without evidence to support maternal or neonatal benefit. Objectives: To determine the current rate of episiotomy among parturients delivering at Federal Medical Centre, Owo, Ondo State, Nigeria and to identify factors associated with episiotomy.Methods: The retrospective study was conducted using the delivery records between 1st January 2012 and 31st December 2012. Information was obtained from the delivery register and medical records. There were 802 booked patients who had singleton vaginal deliveries between the studied periods. A total of 728 of these patients’ case records were obtained for analysis using SPSS 17.Results: The incidence of episiotomy was 9.3%. Those age <20 years, nulliparous, those who had assisted breech and instrumental deliveries had more episiotomy (P <0.0001). All the instrumental deliveries and most assisted breech deliveries (67%) were taken by the doctors. Episiotomies were more common when doctors took deliveries (Doctor vs. Nurses: 28.6% vs. 5.8%) (P <0.0001).Conclusion: While this study has identified factors associated with episiotomy, the episiotomy rate remain within normal rate at the studied centre. It is pertinent that health care providers always bear in mind the standard indications for episiotomy. This will go a long way in reducing the episiotomy rate and maintaining the recommended WHO rate of 10%.

USABILITY EVALUATON OF USERS’ EXPERIENCE ON SOME EXISTING E-COMMERCE PLATFORMS

Internet has become increasingly popular nowadays. Several million of websites have been built and used for electronic buying and selling. Many designers have begun to focus their attention on whether these platforms can really be used to the satisfaction of users. Hence, the need to evaluate users’ experience on E-Commerce platforms. This research compares five platforms (Jumia, Ali-Express, Konga, Amazon and Jiji) based on users’ review through the use of online questionnaires for evaluating the platforms. From the data retrieved, Jumia, Konga and Ali Express recorded a total number of 105, 67 and 45 respondents representing 47.29%, 31.08% and 20.27% of the used sample population respectively. Amazon and Jiji recorded 2 and 3 respondents respectively accounting for 0.9% and 1.35% of the total population size. Attention should be given to attractive and easy-to-Navigate E-Commerce platform designs for users to have good user experience

Performance analysis of gray code number system in image security

The encryption of digital images has become essential since it is vulnerable to interception while being transmitted or stored. A new image encryption algorithm to address the security challenges of traditional image encryption algorithms is presented in this research. The proposed scheme transforms the pixel information of an original image by taking into consideration the pixel location such that two neighboring pixels are processed via two separate algorithms. The proposed scheme utilized the Gray code number system. The experimental results and comparison shows the encrypted images were different from the original images. Also, pixel histogram revealed that the distribution of the plain images and their decrypted images have the same pixel histogram distributions, which means that there is a high correlation between the original images and decrypted images. The scheme also offers strong resistance to statistical attacks

Identification and genotyping of Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex infections at the human/domestic animals/wildlife interface in Nigeria and South Africa

The relevance of the use of molecular tools in the global epidemiology of Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex (MTBC) cannot be undermined. Molecular epidemiological studies of the MTBC in Nigeria are not extensive, and to date, there has only been one detailed report. More strains are therefore needed to be genotyped in order to give a clear indication of disease transmission chains and to highlight routes of infection particularly with respect to zoonotic tuberculosis. This study therefore focuses on the identification and genotyping of MTBC isolates in south western Nigeria, with emphasis on interactions occurring at the human/livestock interface. The molecular epidemiology of M. bovis strains in Hluhluwe-iMfolozi Park in South Africa was also undertaken. Prior to this study, a pilot study was initially done to establish techniques, using samples from Belgium. Mycobacterium bovis strains were first identified in Belgium using the Multiple locus [variable number of tandem repeats] (MLVA) technique and analysis was done using capillary electrophoresis. In this study, the Belgium isolates were repeated using MLVA and analysis by agaorse gel electrophoresis and the two analysis techniques compared. Human isolates (136) and livestock isolates from cattle (50), pigs (12) and goats (5) isolated in Nigeria were also used and species identification of the members of the MTBC were done using the deletion analysis PCR technique amplifying RD1mic, RD2seal, RD4 andRD9 regions as well as spoligotyping. Seventy four positive MTBC strains (humans and livestock) were genotyped using 16 VNTR loci. The discriminatory ability of the 16 loci MLVA was compared with spoligotype data on 33 MTBC strains. Mycobacterium bovis isolates from buffalo in HluhluweiMfolozi Park (HiP) South Africa, were also genotyped using the 16 loci MLVA and spoligotyping. Results indicated that agarose based MLVA is as discriminatory as the capillary based MLVA. Furthermore, the relevance of molecular techniques in the rapid identification and genotyping of members of the MTBC, especially in a tuberculosis endemic setting like Nigeria, is also highlighted. This was clearly seen in the identification of undescribed spoligopatterns of the LAM 10-CAM M. tuberculosis strains in humans as well as the identification of undescribed M. bovis spoligopatterns in livestock isolates. The prevalent M. bovis strain (SB0944) in Nigeria was also identified in a human isolate. Also, two classical M. bovis strains were identified in two human isolates obtained from cattle traders, thus suggesting the influence of close interaction between infected animals and man as a means of zoonotic tuberculosis transmission. Mycobacterium tuberculosis was also identified in three isolates, from cattle, pig and goat; with the goat isolate having a spoligopattern (EAI5) typical of strains indigenous to East Africa and India. This study demonstrated the prevalent strains of M. bovis and M. tuberculosis circulating in Nigeria with SB0944 the predominant M. bovis spoligotype and LAM10-CAM the predominant M. tuberculosis spoligotype. The MLVA results revealed the occurrence of interspecies transmission of mycobacterial species, which was seen as isolates from different animal species having identical VNTR profiles and thus belonging to the same genotype. In the HiP, two strains of M. bovis were identified, a strain previously described in cattle and buffalo in other regions of South Africa and a new undescribed strain, thus giving an indication of the circulating strains in HiP and also suggesting possible sources of introduction of novel species in HiP. The relevance of a detailed molecular epidemiological study was clearly demonstrated in both Nigeria and HiP. Strain relatedness and interactions occurring at human/livestock interface and domestic/wild life interface could also clearly be demonstrated.Dissertation (MSc)--University of Pretoria, 2008.Veterinary Tropical Diseasesunrestricte

Dependence on Forest Resources, and Community Perception of Existing Management Strategies of Akure-Ofosu, Oluwa, and Akure Forest Reserves in Southwest Nigeria

A good understanding of community use and perception of existing forest conservation and management practices plays a significant role in achieving conservation objectives. This study investigated the level of dependence on forest resources, and community perception of existing management strategies in Akure-Ofosu, Oluwa, and Akure forest reserves in southwest Nigeria using appropriate standard methods. A semi-structured questionnaire and key informant interviews were used to engage a total of 150 households and three community heads within 5 km of the forest reserves, including Ala-Elefosan, Onipetesi, and Aponmu communities respectively, for data collection. Data obtained revealed that majority (72, 94, and 76%) of respondents in Ala-Elefosan, Onipetesi, and Aponmu respectively, depend on the forestland for crop farming, which could account for the alarming rate of decline in forestlands. A large number of the respondents across the study areas also reported that existing conservation strategies are reinforcing household poverty as they are not able to farm freely within the reserve. The study further gave credence to the high dependence on the forest reserves to meet the basic needs and subsistence of forest communities and concluded that current management measures hold the possibility for conflicts and illegal activities in the region. It is therefore suggested that an integrated approach that engages the forest communities in the decision-making processes through inclusive governance, and measures that can address the mutual exclusivity between livelihoods and conservation should be put in place