Barriers to contraceptive uptake among women of reproductive age in a semi-urban community of Ekiti State, Southwest Nigeria

Background: Globally, unplanned pregnancy and sexually transmitted infections (STIs) persist as a significant threat to women’s reproductive health. In Nigeria, despite huge resources committed to family planning programs by stakeholders, contraceptive use has been very low. This study aimed at unraveling the barriers to the use of modern contraceptives among women of reproductive age (15-49 years) in Ise-Ekiti community, Ekiti State, Southwest Nigeria.Methods: This study was a cross sectional study among women aged 15-49 years. A multi-stage sampling technique was used in the recruitment of respondents from the community. An interviewer-administered questionnaire was used to collect data. Data were analyzed using SPSS version 15.Results: Although contraceptive awareness among respondents was high 496(98.6%), only 254 of the 503 respondents were using modern contraceptive methods giving a Contraceptive Prevalence Rate (CPR) of 50.5%. Among those not using any form of contraceptives, some identifiable barriers to contraceptive use includes desire for more children, 62(39.5%), partner disapproval, 40(25.5%), and fear of side-effects, 23(14.6%). Factors associated with contraceptive uptake include marital status (p=0.028), educational level (p=0.041) and religion (p=0.043) with traditional worshippers having the least uptake.Conclusion: This study showed that awareness to modern forms of contraceptives does translate into use. The identified barriers to contraceptive uptake suggest the need to improve uptake of contraceptives through a community-based and culturally acceptable intervention as doing this will go a long way in addressing some of these barriers.Keywords: Contraceptives uptake, barriers, women of reproductive ag

Chapter 31 - Application of nanochitosan in tagging and nano-barcoding of aquatic and animal meats

Nanochitosans obtained from crustacean shells are biodegradable and biocompatible offering valuable functional, nutritional, and binding properties. Their low toxicity favors diverse industrial applications in various research models and can enable their use in the tagging of commercially sold aquatic and animal meat, easily contaminated by microbial sources during packaging, storage, and transportation. In this capacity, nanochitosans have been applied in fingerprinting for tracking and identifying the manufacturing and expiry dates of commercially sold meats and fish, as well as delivery of antioxidants and antimicrobials in these food products without affecting product consistency, composition, and organoleptic property. This chapter reviews current research on chitosan-based nanoparticles as barcodes and biosensors in tagging and monitoring aquatic and animal meats; and highlights methods of fish tagging and coding, and the benefits as well as the properties of materials used as biosensors in nano-barcoding of fish and meat

Nanochitosan derived from marine bacteria

Nanochitosans are polysaccharides produced by the alkalescent deacetylation of chitin and comprise a series of 2‐deoxy‐2 (acetylamino) glucose linked by ß‐(1‐4) glycosidic linkages. These are naturally formed from the deacetylation of shellfish shells and the exoskeleton of aquatic arthropods and crustaceans. Reports of chitosan production from unicellular marine bacteria inhabiting the sea, and possessing distinct animal‐ and plant‐like characteristics abound. This capacity to synthesize chitosan from chitin arises from response to stress under extreme environmental conditions, as a means of survival. Consequently, the microencapsulation of these nanocarriers results in new and improved chitosan nanoparticles, nanochitosan. This nontoxic bioactive material which can serve as an antibacterial agent, gene delivery vector as well as carrier for protein and drug release as compared with chitosan, is limited by its nonspecific molecular weight and higher composition of deacetylated chitin. This chapter highlights the biology and diversity of nanochitosan‐producing marine bacteria, including the factors influencing their activities, survival, and distribution. More so, the applications of marine bacterial nanochitosans in transfection and gene delivery; wound healing and drug delivery; feed supplement development and antimicrobial activity are discussed

Utilization of nanochitosan for enzyme immobilization of aquatic and animal-based food packages

Studies have identified the properties of enzymes, functionalized molecules, and compounds in food industry applications as edible coatings and encapsulations, that assure prolonged food quality and standards. These molecules present benefits of longer shelf-life by delayed deterioration and inhibition of the proliferation of spoilage and mycotoxigenic microorganisms. However, challenges of reduced nutrient levels, miniaturized size, and low chemical stability remain concerning. Chitosan polymers naturally formed from the deacetylation of shellfish shells and exoskeletons of aquatic arthropods and crustaceans offer improved benefits when functionalized into nanoparticles as nanochitosans. These polysaccharides produced by the alkalescent deacetylation of chitin, comprise a series of 2-deoxy-2 (acetylamino) glucose linked by ß-(1-4) glycosidic linkages. This chapter considers the health impacts and

Chapter 21 - Utilization of nanochitosan in the sterilization of ponds and water treatment for aquaculture

Water pollution constitutes the leading cause of infant mortality, neonatal deformities, and shrinkage of man’s average life expectancy. Pollutants come from point and nonpoint sources; and water pollution arises from the discharge of wastewater containing undesirable impurities used for domestic, agricultural, and industrial purposes. More so, high nutrient and wastewater runoffs from fish production systems contribute to the fouling and eutrophication of recipient water bodies. Hence, aquaculture which is inextricably linked to the natural environment is challenged by the dearth of appropriate water quantity and quality, militating against fish, and fishery production. Nanochitosans as polysaccharides produced by the alkalescent deacetylation of chitin, comprise a series of 2-deoxy-2 (acetylamino) glucose linked by ß-(1-4) glycosidic linkages. They are naturally formed from the deacetylation of shellfish shells and exoskeletons of aquatic arthropods and crustaceans. The unique attributes of chitin confer a wide range of biotechnological applications on the polymer, observed in flocculation as a wastewater treatment and purification route initiated by chitosan. This chapter highlights nanochitosan properties of aquaculture relevance; and elucidates the purification potentials of nanochitosan, compared to inorganic coagulants and organic polymeric flocculants. Effects of chitosan on contaminants and microorganisms, as well as applications in fish pathogens detection, fish disease diagnosis, and control are discussed

Mullerian agenesis with primary amenorrhea: A case report of a normal phenotypic female

Meyer–Rokitansky–Kuster–Hauser syndrome is a rare congenital abnormality occurring sporadically in females. It is the most common cause of primary amenorrhea. Affected persons usually appear normal on physical examination. This is a case of a 25-year-old woman who presented with primary amenorrhea and, subsequently, had diagnostic laparoscopy to confirm the diagnosis of Mullerian agenesis

Lidocaine 10% sprays versus oral diclofenac sodium for pain relief in women undergoing hysterosalpingography for infertility workup: A randomized clinical trial

ABSTRACTBackground Tubal disease is the leading cause of female infertility in the West African sub-region and hysterosalpingography (HSG) is the first-line imaging technique in its assessment. HSG is an acutely painful procedure. Various studies on analgesia for HSG were inconclusive. We compared the efficacy of 10 mg lidocaine 10% spray and 50 mg oral diclofenac sodium for pain relief during HSG.Methods This randomized clinical trial was carried out at the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Obafemi Awolowo University Teaching Hospitals Complex (OAUTHC) Ile-Ife, Nigeria between December 2019 and December 2021, among one hundred and eight eligible women undergoing HSG as part of their infertility workup. Ethical clearance was obtained from the ethics committee of the hospital with Protocol number ERC/2019/01/14. They were randomized into two groups. One group of 54 patients received 10 mg of 10% lidocaine spray and an oral placebo, while the second group of 54 women had 50 mg of oral diclofenac sodium and normal saline spray. Pain scores were assessed using a 10 cm visual analog scale at cervical traction, instillation of contrast media, and thirty minutes after HSG. The mean pain scores, the need for additional analgesia, and the occurrence of adverse drug reactions were compared between the two groups.Result Those in the oral diclofenac group had significantly lower pain scores than the 10% Lidocaine group 30 minutes after HSG; 1.13 ± 1.06 Vs. 2.04 ± 1.26 (p < 0.001). The additional analgesic requirement also showed no statistically significant difference between the two groups.Conclusion This study showed that oral diclofenac sodium is comparable to lidocaine spray for pain relief during HSG. It also has the additional benefit of improved quality of life 30 mins after HSG as evidenced by effective pain relief. Consideration should be given to the use of oral diclofenac sodium for pain relief during and after HSG in well-selected patients