Extents of sharp practices in credit allocation and utilization among staff and beneficiaries of the Bank of Agriculture in Oyo State

One of the strategies employed in the implementation of Agricultural Transformation Agenda (ATA) is to harness the roles of major stakeholders along the nodes of agricultural value chain. Pivotal among these are the financial institutions, one of which is the Bank of Agriculture (BOA). However, financial institutions are not immune to the widespread incidence of sharp practices (SPs) and corruption that have crumbled similar laudable programmes. Thus,the extent of SPs in credit allocation and utilization among staff and beneficiaries of BOAin Oyo State was examined.Simple random sampling technique was employed to select 135 respondents comprising 110 beneficiaries and 25 officers of the BOA for the study from the total number of registered BOA beneficiaries and staff. Primary data were obtained through questionnaires and interview schedules and analysedusing descriptive statistics - frequencies and percentages.Of the beneficiaries, 39.7% and 52% of the credit officers were between the ages of 41 and 50 and 51.8% of the beneficiaries were livestock farmers. Credit diversion and breach of contractual agreement were major forms of SPs respondents engaged in. High rate of default as well as lateness in the disbursement of farm credit were major problems in credit allocation and utilization. In conclusion, most of the respondents had unfavourable perception towards SPs, showing that they know it is counter-productive. Ironically, they engaged in it. The study recommends appropriate mechanisms including thorough monitoring, reward and sanction should be used to curb the SPs.Keywords: Credit allocation and utilisation, Sharp practices, Bank of Agriculture

Congenital Ichthyosis in a Nigerian preterm neonate: A case report and review of the literature

Congenital ichthyoses are relatively uncommon skin disorder s wi th worldwide occurrence. The ichthyoses are heterogenous disorders of keratinisation characterised by scaling of the skin of varying severity. This report describes a case of congenital ichthyosis in a preterm, male Hausa infant which happened to be the first case managed at the OOUTH, Sagamu. The infant was managed using stringent thermoregulation, optimal hydration, use of topical emollient and antibiotics. Although, the skin disorder resolved within fifteen days of treatment, the infant thereafter developed inguinoscrotal hernia and hydrocephalus necessitating surgical consult. The case is reported to highlight the good outcome of the cutaneous disorder following conservative management in a low-resource setting.Keywords: Collodion baby, Congenital ichthyosis , hydrocephalus, newborn, Sagam

Vernonia amygdalina and Ocimum gratissimum as grain protectants against Maize Weevil (Sitophilus zeamais Motschulsky)(Coleoptera: Curculionidae)

Aqueous leaf extracts of two naturally growing plants in Nigeria viz: Vernonia amygdalina and Ocimum gratissimum were admixed with maize grains infested with maize weevil, Sitophilus zeamais Motsch. in the laboratory at 30±30C and 75±2% relative humidity. The plant extracts showed efficiency against the test insect with respect to adult mortality, larval and progeny emergence and percentage grain damage. Adult mortality was highest (88.9%) in maize grains treated with 3% (v/w) of the leaf extracts 3 days post treatment. It was observed that leaf extracts of V. amygdalina and O. gratissimum applied at 3% per 30 g maize grains caused significantly higher (P<0.05) adult mortality than the 1% rate of treatment during storage. There was significant difference in the rates of treatment of V. amygdalina causing grain damage compared to the control. The results suggest the ability of using these plant extracts for maize protection against maize weevils with V. amygdalina showing greater potential.Keywords: Vernonia amygdalina, Ocimum gratissimum, Sitophilus zeamais, mortality, emergence, grain damageNigerian Journal of Technological Researc

Pro-inflammatory Cytokine Response and Genetic Diversity in Merozoite Surface Protein 2 of Plasmodium falciparum Isolates from Nigeria

Background: Polymorphisms in Plasmodium falciparum merozoite surface protein-2 (msp-2) and associated parasite genetic diversity which varies between malaria-endemic regions remain a limitation in malaria vaccine development. Pro-inflammatory cytokines are important in immunity against malaria, understanding the influence of genetic diversity on cytokine response is important for effective vaccine design. Methods: P. falciparum isolates obtained from 300 Nigerians with uncomplicated falciparum malaria at Ijede General Hospital, Ijede (IJE), General Hospital Ajeromi, Ajeromi (AJE) and Saint Kizito Mission Hospital, Lekki, were genotyped by nested polymerase chain reaction of msp-2 block 3 while ELISA was used to determine the pro-inflammatory cytokine response to describe the genetic diversity of P. falciparum. Results: Eighteen alleles were observed for msp-2 loci. Of the 195 isolates, 61 (31.0%) had only FC27-type alleles, 38 (19.7%) had only 3D7-type alleles, and 49.3% had multiple parasite lines with both alleles. Band sizes were 275–625 bp for FC27 and 150–425 bp for 3D7. Four alleles were observed from LEK, 2 (375–425 bp) and 2 (275–325 bp) of FC27-and 3D7-types, respectively; 12 alleles from AJE, 9 (275–625 bp) and 3 (325–425 bp) of FC27-types and 3D7-types, respectively; while IJE had a total of 12 alleles, 9 (275–625 bp) and 3 (325–425 bp) of FC27-types and 3D7-types, respectively. Mean multiplicity of infection (MOI) was 1.54. Heterozygosity (HE) ranged from 0.77 to 0.87 and was highest for IJE (0.87). Cytokine response was higher among 0.05) but with neither parasite density nor infection type. Conclusion: P. falciparum genetic diversity is extensive in Nigeria, protection via pro-inflammatory cytokines have little or no interplay with infection multiplicity

Right ventricular systolic function in hypertensive heart failure

OA Oketona,1 MO Balogun,2 AO Akintomide,2 OE Ajayi,2 RA Adebayo,2 TO Mene-Afejuku,3 OT Oketona,1 OJ Bamikole2 1Fort Nelson General Hospital, Fort Nelson, BC, Canada; 2Cardiology Unit, Department of Medicine, Obafemi Awolowo University Teaching Hospitals Complex, Ife, Osun State, Nigeria; 3Department of Medicine, Metropolitan Hospital Center, New York, NY, USA Background: Heart failure (HF) is a major cause of cardiovascular admissions and hypertensive heart failure (HHF) is the most common cause of HF admissions in sub-Saharan Africa, Nigeria inclusive. Right ventricular (RV) dysfunction is being increasingly recognized in HF and found to be an independent predictor of adverse outcomes in HF. This study aimed to determine the prevalence of RV systolic dysfunction in HHF by several echocardiographic parameters.Methodology: One hundred subjects with HHF were recruited consecutively into the study along with 50 age and sex-matched controls. All study participants gave written informed consent, and had a full physical examination, blood investigations, 12-lead electrocardiogram, and transthoracic echocardiography. RV systolic function was assessed in all subjects using different methods based on the American Society of Echocardiography guidelines for echocardiographic assessment of the right heart in adults. This included tricuspid annular plane systolic excursion (TAPSE), RV myocardial performance index (MPI), and RV systolic excursion velocity by tissue Doppler (S′).Results: RV systolic dysfunction was found in 53% of subjects with HHF by TAPSE, 56% by RV MPI, and 48% by tissue Doppler systolic excursion S′. RV systolic dysfunction increased with reducing left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) in subjects with HHF.Conclusion: A high proportion of subjects with HHF were found to have RV systolic functional abnormalities using TAPSE, RV MPI, and RV S′. Prevalence of RV systolic dysfunction increased with reducing LVEF. Keywords: right ventricle, systolic function, TAPSE, RV MPI, RV S′, hypertensive heart failur

Determinants of women's satisfaction with maternal health care: a review of literature from developing countries.

BACKGROUND: Developing countries account for 99 percent of maternal deaths annually. While increasing service availability and maintaining acceptable quality standards, it is important to assess maternal satisfaction with care in order to make it more responsive and culturally acceptable, ultimately leading to enhanced utilization and improved outcomes. At a time when global efforts to reduce maternal mortality have been stepped up, maternal satisfaction and its determinants also need to be addressed by developing country governments. This review seeks to identify determinants of women's satisfaction with maternity care in developing countries. METHODS: The review followed the methodology of systematic reviews. Public health and social science databases were searched. English articles covering antenatal, intrapartum or postpartum care, for either home or institutional deliveries, reporting maternal satisfaction from developing countries (World Bank list) were included, with no year limit. Out of 154 shortlisted abstracts, 54 were included and 100 excluded. Studies were extracted onto structured formats and analyzed using the narrative synthesis approach. RESULTS: Determinants of maternal satisfaction covered all dimensions of care across structure, process and outcome. Structural elements included good physical environment, cleanliness, and availability of adequate human resources, medicines and supplies. Process determinants included interpersonal behavior, privacy, promptness, cognitive care, perceived provider competency and emotional support. Outcome related determinants were health status of the mother and newborn. Access, cost, socio-economic status and reproductive history also influenced perceived maternal satisfaction. Process of care dominated the determinants of maternal satisfaction in developing countries. Interpersonal behavior was the most widely reported determinant, with the largest body of evidence generated around provider behavior in terms of courtesy and non-abuse. Other aspects of interpersonal behavior included therapeutic communication, staff confidence and competence and encouragement to laboring women. CONCLUSIONS: Quality improvement efforts in developing countries could focus on strengthening the process of care. Special attention is needed to improve interpersonal behavior, as evidence from the review points to the importance women attach to being treated respectfully, irrespective of socio-cultural or economic context. Further research on maternal satisfaction is required on home deliveries and relative strength of various determinants in influencing maternal satisfaction