Chromosomal and molecular characterization of Aethomys

Aethomys is a common and widespread rodent genus in the African savannas and grasslands. However, its systematics and taxonomy are still unclear as no study has covered the entire range. In fact it might not be a monophyletic genus and perhaps should be split into two subgenera, Micaelamys and Aethomys. In this paper, we present findings based on the cytogenetics and the entire cytochrome b sequence of two species from Zambia (A. kaiseri) and Tanzania (A. chrysophilus), and we compare them with the sequences of a South African species (A. namaquensis) and other allied muroid genera. Comparison of the banded chromosomes revealed complete G-band homology between the autosomes of the two species. However, the X and Y chromosomes clearly differ in size and in C- and G-banding, being much larger in A. kaiseri. Comparison of the cytochrome b sequences places the separation between A. kaiseri and A. chrysophilus at 4.49 Mya, a period of intense speciation in other African muroids. The resulting phylogeny strongly supports the idea of a paraphyletic group, suggesting the need to elevate the previously described subgenera to the genus rank

Impact of Dual co-teaching on the Understanding of Genetics by Grade 12 Pupils at Chambishi Secondary School in Kalulushi District of Zambia

The study investigated the impact of dual co-teaching on the understanding of genetics at Chambishi Secondary School in Kalulushi District of Zambia. A two-group pretest-posttest true experimental research design was used in which quantitative datawere collected using a genetics achievement test and a Likert type questionnaire. The study sample consisted of 120 respondentswho were drawn from all the six grade 12 classes and 1 biology teacher who worked as a co-teacher. Descriptive statistics suchas means, standard deviations and median were used to summarize the data while the hypotheses were tested at 0.05 alpha levelusing Mann Whitney U test and independent t-test using SPSS version 20. The major findings of the study were that the experimental group which was exposed to dual co-teaching posted a higher achievement rate in genetics assessments and improved attitude compared to the control group. The results also showed that there no statistically significant difference in theperformance of males and females in genetics. The improved performance was due to the fact that dual co-teaching createsstronger and more creative lessons through improved student-teacher relationships, additional supports and diversity in theclassroom. The study recommended that dual co-teaching should be institutionalized and explored in other subjects

Factors and determinants associated with home based deliveries among women in Muteteshi area, a peri-urban of Kapiri, Zambia

Background: In most rural areas of Zambia, over two thirds of births recorded annually, occurred at home than in health facilities. This study was aimed at determining the factors associated with home based deliveries among women at Muteteshi peri-urban locality,in Kapiri district of the country. Consequently, it was vital to ascertain whether the female’s literacy standards, age groups, husband or other reasons might influence their preference in place of delivery (pod). Study design and methodology: Structured questionnaires were used to collect data from a cross-section, involving a target sample of 120 females, aged in ranges of 16-24, 25-34 and those more than 35 years old. Data entry and analysis was done using IBM SPSS Statistics version 22. Multivariate analyses were performed to compare variable proportions on crosstabs, using the Pearson Chi-square tests. Only results yielding the p-value of less than 0.05 were considered to be of statistical significance. Results: The child deliveries associated with age groups were found significant at p-value 0.004, between home and health facility deliveries and were categorized with 68.8-31.3%, respectively, from the women age group of 25-34 n=48; 44.4-55.6%, respectively, from the women age group of 16-24 n=36 and 80.6-19.4%, respectively, from the women age group above 35 n=36. The influence from the woman’s husband on the choice of place of delivery, was significant at p –value 0.022, with only 30.8% of respondents getting an affirmative authority for using either a home or health centre delivery(51.4-48.6% n=37) while the majority of 67.5% of respondents got negative answers in using health facilities from their spouses (72.8 - 27.2% n=81. Factors associated with home deliveries were: distance, computed at 64.1%; emergency abrupt labor at 17.9% and with no reason at 17.9%.Overall, 65% of women delivered at home while only 35% delivered from health facilities. Conclusion; Home based deliveries are still very common in comparison to health centre based deliveries, among the muteteshi peri-urban community. Major factors hindering the health facility deliveries for women were the distance from health facilities and the influence of choice from their husbands

Awareness study on the availability, prevalence and knowledge in use of contraceptives among female adolescent pupils in Ndola, Zambia

Adolescents in Zambia face numerous sexual and reproductive health risks, stemming from early and unprotected sexual activities. The engagement in these casual sex practices has contributed to high incidences of abortion, unwanted pregnancies and subsequently, a higher numbers of dropouts from school among female adolescents. Key factors underlying with this problem is the paucity of knowledge on sexual education amongst these age groups, coupled with the taboo cultures surrounding the free accessibility and use of contraceptives. The main objectives of this study were: (a) to determine the availability of contraceptives amongst teenagers in schools, (b) the prevalence and preference in contraception use and (c) the extent of knowledge at which contraceptives were known among pupils. To this effect, a cross-sectional study was carried out at Kanini Secondary school in Ndola, Zambia. Using a questionnaires with standard questions featuring over 12 contraceptive methods, data was collected from a total of 110 pupils, aged 13 to 18 who were randomly selected from grades 10 to 12. A statistical package of SPSS for windows, version 20 was used to enter and analyze data. Categories of variables were compared using the Pearson’s Chi-Squared Test and only the significance of p-value < 0.05 were considered. Results on the awareness and prevalence of contraception among teenagers showed that oral contraceptive pills, male and female condoms were highly significant with p-value < 0.000 while injectable and natural contraceptives were only significantly known at p-values 0.010 and 0.002, respectively. Despite the awareness of existing contraceptives however, only 12.7% of respondents had shown interest in using contraception while 87.3% were for the idea of unprotected sex. A further choice of 25 sexually active adolescents from the 110 pupils revealed that the non-use of contraceptives was almost 50 by 50, with 40.0% of pupils found not using contraception each time they had sex. Compounding reasons were that 87.3% of respondents that did not use contraception felt that the practice was weird and bad while only 17.7% of respondents felt that the use of contraception was a good. Worse still, the frequency ratio of unprotected sex was 14:1, between the vulnerable ages of 13 and 15 to 18 year olds. Results of this study represent a general perception among pupils in the urban, peri-urban and rural schools of Ndola district in Zambia

HIV among Under-Five Children in Lubuto an Urban Population Setting of Ndola, Zambia; Prevalence and Related Factors

Background: As of 2014, the perseverance rate of infants contracting HIV among children born to mothers infected with HIV in Zambia was 5.5%, with an estimate of 25 new child infections occurring each day. Showing that the burden of paediatric HIV is unacceptably high. Prevention of mother-to-child transmission (PMTCT) of HIV represents a critical opportunity for reducing the burden of paediatric HIV. The objective of this study was to determine the prevalence of HIV among under five children in Lubuto an Urban Population setting and find out factors associated with this prevalence. Method: The study was a cross-sectional study. Data was collected using standardized questionnaire from mothers with under-five children. It was entered and analysed using SPSS. Proportions of various variables were compared using the Chi-square test and only results yielding p value of less than 0.05 were considered to be of statistical significance. Results: There was a total of 361 mothers interviewed, representing 357 singletons and 2 sets of twins. The prevalence rate among Under-fives in Lubuto was 4.7%. None of the risk factors studied, namely: (a) maternal age, (b) level of mother’s education, (c) place of delivery, (d) who delivered,(e) mode of delivery and type of feeding practices, were associated with HIV. Conclusion: The prevalence rate among under-five children was slightly below the target of the Zambia National AIDS Strategic Framework 2014-2016 which aims at reducing the risk of MTCT of HIV to less than 5% by the end of the breastfeeding period by 2016

Field evidence for aseasonality of reproduction and colony size in the Afrotropical giant mole-rat Fukomys mechowii (Rodentia: Bathyergidae)

The giant mole-rat, Fukomys mechowii is a cooperatively breeding subterranean mole-rat exhibiting a reproductive division of labour in which usually one, or occasionally two, females are responsible for procreation. In a field study that involved complete excavation of 32 burrow systems, mean colony size was 9.9 individuals (range 7–16). Pregnant reproductive females were found throughout the study period (September 2005 until June 2006), supporting preliminary evidence that reproduction occurs throughout the year. Of the 32 colonies sampled, 10 of 14 in which the reproductive female could be identified as pregnant contained a single reproductive female, while four had two females breeding simultaneously (plural breeding). The population sex ratio was skewed towards females at 1:1.46. Autopsy of pregnant reproductive females (n = 18) revealed that the production of two (10/18 pregnancies) or three (7/18) offspring was the norm, with one case of four embryos being present. These new data increase our fragmentary knowledge of the natural history of this little-studied species.Key words: Fukomys mechowii, Bathyergidae, Cryptomys, colony size, seasonality, reproductive skew