The association between sperm quality and asymptomatic chlamydial infection in infertile men at a private fertility clinic in Nigeria

Background: Association between chlamydia trachomatis infection and male infertility is debated in literature. There is little or no information from Nigeria. The study aimed to determine the prevalence of chlamydial infection and its association with sperm quality parameters among asymptomatic men that present for infertility treatment in a Nigeria facility.Methods: A cross-sectional study conducted at a private assisted conception clinic in Lagos, Nigeria among 138 men seeking infertility care. Seminal fluid analysis and IgG Chlamydial serology were performed for each participant. Data obtained were analysed using SPSS; p was significant at <0.05.Results: Of the 138 men screened, 13.9% were Chlamydia-positive. Twenty-one per cent of clients who tested positive to Chlamydia had predominantly immotile sperm, compared with 10.2% without the infection; 26.3% with non-progressive motility had Chlamydia, compared with 2.8% men who were not infected. These differences were statistically significant (p = 0.001). More of those (57.9%) with Chlamydia (compared to 33.1% without) had significant leukocyte counts (p = 0.037). There were no statistically significant differences in sperm count and percent motility between serologically positive and negative men.Conclusion: Positive Chlamydia serology is associated with non-progressive motility and leukocytospermia in infertile Nigerian men.Keywords: Chlamydia, semen analysis, infertilit

Progress From Selection of Some Maize Cultivars' Response to Drought in the Derived Savanna of Nigeria

Field experiments were conducted to investigate the variations in sixteen maize genotypes in relation to drought tolerance. The experimental set up was subjected to drought stress after five weeks of planting for three weeks before data on morphological and yield characters of maize genotypes were [DBO1] obtained for three cropping years. Plant height and grain yield of Bodija yellow maize were the highest overall. There was a significant difference among genotypes for drought stress resistance and Bodija yellow maize showed the most tolerance, while TZBR Comp 1 – C1 S2 510 genotype was the least. First principal component axis (Prin 1) had the highest contribution to the variation of the morphological, yield and drought tolerance traits. Prin 1 was highly related to the morphological and yield characters more than to the drought resistance. [U2] Plant height was negatively and strongly correlated (p<0.01) with stem height, number of leaves, stem girth, leaf length, leaf width and week after planting, but negatively correlated with the drought resistance. Therefore, Bodija yellow maize should be considered as parent material in breeding for the development of drought tolerant traits in maize

Women Abuse Screening Tool: A Validation Study on Nigerian Pregnant Women

Domestic violence is identified across the globe as a menace as it poses a threat to the mental health of its victims, the significant others of the victim and the security of a nation at large. In some cases, the victim of domestic violence is a pregnant woman and harm is caused not only to a woman but her fetus also and this calls for urgent psychological assessment and intervention. Although there is no doubt that psychological tests are effective in the assessment of domestic violence, using the psychometric properties obtained from a different population may produce generate inaccurate findings. This paper therefore attempts the validation study of Women Abuse Screening Tool (WAST) using a sample of 379 pregnant women attending antenatal clinic at the State Specialist Hospital, Osogbo, Osun State, Nigeria. The study derived a Cronbach’s Alpha Reliability of 0.758, p \u3c.05 and a Guttman split-half coefficient of 0.683, p \u3c.05. Furthermore, concurrent validity of Women Abuse Screening Tool (WAST) and Ongoing Abuse Screen (OAS) was established as 0.29, p\u3c.05. The norms of the instrument were given as 2.38 for tolerable level of domestic violence and 5.79 for severe and pathological level of domestic violence. Authors conclude that Women Abuse Screening Tool has acceptable psychometric properties to justify its usage for the assessment of level of domestic violence among pregnant women in Nigeria and other nations with similar socio-cultural backgrounds

Growth Pattern of Pseudomonas aeruginosa in different wastewater media

Restaurant wastewater are a major cause of environmental pollution with the indiscriminate release of the effluent to the environment resulting in blocking of drainages and eutrophication thereby causing serious threat to aquatic life. The growth pattern of a dietary rich oily wastewater degrading bacteria strain, Pseudomonas aeruginosa in different wastewater media composed to mimic the possible constituents of restaurant wastewater was investigated in this study. There was noticeable microbial growth in the synthetic and domestic wastewaters after 48h while the detergent wastewater and heated oil-detergent wastewater did not support the strain's growth. The decrease in the fat content with a corresponding increase in the ash content after 120h was due to the test strain's metabolic activity, which is slightly higher in domestic wastewater than the heated oil-detergent solution. Also, the potassium (K+), Mg2+, Fe2+ and Ca2+ contents increased within the same period in both media except in the domestic wastewater where the Ca2+ content reduced. Protease enzyme activity (46.440mM/min) was considerably higher in the domestic wastewater than lipase (3.322mM/min) and amylase activity (14.244mM/min) after 72 hours of incubation. The pristine genetic properties of Pseudomonas aeruginosa altered when cultured in various wastewaters probably due to variation in the composition of the substrates

Conversion of lignocellulose from palm (Elaeis guineensis) fruit fibre and physic (Jatropha curcas) nut shell into bio-oil

Harmful gases are released into the atmosphere through burning of residues which is commonly practiced in Nigeria and can be attributed to climate change issues. Agricultural residues have the potentials to be used as energy and chemical source and meet its deficit in the country. This paper focuses on utilization of lignocellulosic materials obtained from two agricultural residues through renewable technology to produce bio-energy and chemical feedstock. The lignocellulosic materials were extracted from palm fruit (Elaeis guineensis) fibre and physic nut (Jatropha curcas) shell, and pyrolyzed under low temperature and pressure at various particle sizes. The main properties of solid (lignocellulosic) materials were tested and the bio-oil produced was analyzed using GC-MS. Results show proximate analyses (volatile, ash and fixed carbon contents) and ultimate analysis (carbon, oxygen, nitrogen, magnesium, phosphorus and zinc). The pH value of the bio-oil from both residues increased with increase in temperatures. The density, viscosity and calorific value of the palm and physic residue oil are 831.99 and 947.5 kg/m3, 0.695 and 1.58 cPa at room temperature, 22.33 and 14.169 kJ/g, respectively. Aromatics and other compounds are major dominant compounds in the palm fruit fibre oil which is characterized for bio-fuel production. Physic nut shell oil contains aromatic ethers, cyclic ethers, secondary amides and organic halogen compound which are important chemical feedstock. Conversion of these residues to useful products will alleviate the energy supply deficit, improve social and economic development, promote clean and healthy atmosphere of the nation and significantly contribute to global climate change mitigation

Screening for diabetes mellitus in a Nigerian family practice population

Background Diabetes mellitus is a non-communicable disease with a rising prevalence worldwide. Most of the increase in prevalence is projected to be in the developing countries. As it is recognised that the onset of the disease and its complications predate the symptoms, it is expedient that screening procedures are undertaken to diagnose the disease in the individual as early as possible to minimise the risk of complications. Diabetes mellitus is a chronic disease necessitating life-long therapy, usually with drugs. This creates a life-long financial burden on the family, especially in low socio-economic communities in West Africa, where the majority of the population still lives on less than one dollar a day. This affects the wellbeing of the entire family, hence the need for early detection, prompt and adequate management of the disease and avoidance of its complications. Methods The study is an incidental screening to determine the prevalence of diabetes mellitus, its risk factors and the clinical characteristics of diabetics in a Nigerian family practice population. Four hundred and twenty subjects aged 15 years or older were recruited by systematic random sampling in a family practice in South West Nigeria over a three-month period. Data collected include the subjects\' socio-demographic data, family history of diabetes mellitus and hypertension, and history of tobacco and alcohol use. The subjects\' weight and height were measured and their body mass index (BMI) calculated. Each subject was examined for peripheral neuropathy, lens opacity and hypertension. Fasting blood glucose was measured using a glucometer and urine was tested for albumin. Those with a fasting blood glucose of greater than 6.1 had a fasting blood glucose determination by the standard spectrophotometric method. Results Ten (2.38%) subjects were known diabetics, while 57 (13.6%) were known hypertensives. Ten (2.38%) new diabetics were identified, and 7.5% of the females compared to 5.8% of the males were diabetic. Alcohol intake, obesity, age above 44 years and a positive parental history of diabetes were the significant risk factors (p < 0.01) for diabetes in the study. Proteinuria and peripheral neuropathy were the significant complications (p < 0.01). Conclusions It is concluded that diabetes is a common problem in our practice, with a prevalence of 4.76%, half of which was previously undiagnosed. Alcohol intake, obesity, positive parental history and age over 44 years were the identified risk factors. Peripheral neuropathy, proteinuria and high blood pressure were the identified complications. It is recommended that routine screening of people at high risk of diabetes mellitus in family practice be commenced. The glucometer, a relatively cheap item of equipment in the practice, is a highly useful, sensitive and specific tool for this purpose. South African Family Practice Vol. 49 (8) 2007: pp. 1

SELECTED WELFARE PARAMETERS OF BROILER CHICKENS ON DIFFERENT FEED QUANTITY AND TIME

This study was conducted to determine welfare of broiler chickens fed ad libitum and restricted feed during early (08.00hour) and late (16:00hour) of the day. One hundred and eighty (21d old) broiler chickens were randomly allocated to 4 treatments in a 2x2 factorial arrangement comprising of ad libitum and restricted feeding (75% of ad libitum) quantity at 8 and 16 hours feeding time in three replicates. Data were collected on leg problem, dust bathing, body temperature, mortality and haematology. Result revealed that neither feed quantity nor time had significant (P&gt;0.05) effect on leg problem, dust bathing and mortality of broiler chickens. Broiler chickens under ad lib feed quantity and 16:00hours feeding time had (P&lt;0.05) highest body temperature (40.93oC) while those under ad libitum morning (08:00hours) recorded the least (40.75°C). Pack Cell Volume had similar (P&gt;0.05) increase from 26.75% at the beginning (21d) to 31.25 (%) at 56d with broiler chickens under restricted feeding and fed at 16:00hours feeding time. Basophil count reduced from a range of 0.5-2% (P&lt;0.05) to 1% (P&gt;0.05) with restricted feeding. Also eosinophil reduced from 2-4% (P&lt;0.05) range to 0-2.5% (P&gt;0.05) with restricted feeding while birds under ad lib increased from 0-1% (P&lt;0.05) at 21d to 2.75% (P&gt;0.05) at 56d. Better welfare (good body temperature) of broiler chicken could be achieved with early feeding time irrespective of quantity. However, restricted feeding could be explored in broiler production where reduced basophil, eosinophil and stress are vital for enhanced welfare and performance. &nbsp; &nbsp

Identifying patients at high risk for obstructive sleep apnoea syndrome in Nigeria: A multicentre observational study

Background: Obstructive sleep apnoea is associated with significant health consequences. A significant proportion of hospitalized patients at risk for obstructive sleep apnoea were never identified and referred for polysomnography for diagnosis. The objective of this study was to determine the factors associated with high risk for obstructive sleep apnoea and use it to identify patients at risk for the condition in tertiary hospitals in Nigeria.Methods: This was a multicentre observational study of adult patients hospitalized in three selected hospitals from 15th January to 17th March 2015. Berlin questionnaire and Epworth sleepiness scale were used to assess for obstructive sleep apnoea risk and excessive daytime sleepiness respectively. Additional questions on traditional risk factors for obstructive sleep apnoea were also obtained.Results: Nine hundred and twenty-six patients were recruited into the study. Respondents’ mean age was 44.3 years ± 15.2years, 486 (52.5%) were females and 556 (60.0%) had one or more medical co-morbidity and none of the patients had a previous diagnosis of obstructive sleep apnoea. Factors that were independently associated with high risk for obstructive sleep apnoea include systemic hypertension(aOR-10.33;95%: CI 6.42-16.61), obesity(aOR-7.87;95% CI: 4.33-14.29); excessive daytime sleepiness (aOR-3.77;95% CI:2.28-6.22), tobacco smoking (aOR-2.99;95% CI: 1.76-5.07), snoring in a first-degree relative (aOR-1.83;95% CI: 1.19-2.81); and the use of sedative (aOR-1.82;95% CI: 1.06-3.15).Conclusions: This study shows that patients with systemic hypertension, obesity, excessive daytime sleepiness, history of smoking, snoring in a firstdegree relative and use of sedatives are at high risk of obstructive sleep apnoea. None of the patients at high risk had a previous diagnosis of sleep apnoea by a physician, highlighting the diagnostic challenges of this condition. The results of this study will assist health care professionals in early identification of individuals at risk of obstructive sleep apnoea and subsequent referral for a sleep study

Determinants of Contraceptive Options among Postpartum Women Attending Selected Health Care Facilities in Nigeria: A Cross-Sectional Study

Introduction: Differences in availability and choices of contraceptive methods among postpartum women have been found to influence their quality of life as the fertility rate is very high, and the contraceptive usage rate persistently remains low in Nigeria. Objectives: This study assessed the determinants of contraceptive options among postpartum women in Nigeria. Methods: Two Local Governments were randomly selected from the four Local Governments. Within these two local governments, five health facilities were selected. A multistage sampling technique was used to select the 240 respondents, while a structured questionnaire was used to collect data. Results: Findings from the study indicated that 81.7% of the respondents have planned to have their current baby, and about 65.4% of the women have resumed sexual activities since delivery. Of those who have resumed sexual activities, the majority, 91.1% did so 6 weeks after delivery. Some form of contraceptive usage was prominent among 59.2% of the respondents, as the most common contraceptive method used was withdrawal (24.8%). Contraceptive prevalence was slightly lower for urban respondents than rural respondents, although the relationship was not significant. Also, there was a statistically significant relationship between the current use of contraceptives and resumption of sexual activities since delivery (p = .001), resumption of menstruation (p = .001), and information received about postpartum family planning (p = 0.013). Conclusion: Findings from this study emphasize the urgent need for enhanced accessibility and availability of contraceptive methods, with a parallel emphasis on targeted interventions and effective communication strategies to promote contraceptive uptake and family planning. Addressing these determinants is vital in improving postpartum women's overall quality of life in the study area