An assessment of the role of government health related policies in improving the oral health status of Nigerians

Achieving good oral health is now considered an important component of good health for any population and the inclusion of an oral health component in national health policies is a good strategy for promoting oral health. This paper sought to examine the existing health-related policies of the Nigerian government in order to determine the position accorded oral health within the policy framework and to determine the role of these policies in improving the oral health status of Nigerians. A detailed search of electronic sources and Nigerian government documents to identify the major health related policies of the government in the last decade was conducted. The policies identified and analysed were the Millennium Development Goals (MDG’s), Vision 20:2020, National Economic Empowerment and Development strategy (NEEDS), the seven point agenda and the primary health care policy. The analysis from this report indicates an exclusion of oral health from the framework of most of the policies designed by the Nigerian government. The most important barrier identified for excluding oral health is the inability of the oral health workforce to influence the policy process in Nigeria since policymaking is largely a political issue. Oral healthcare professionals in Nigeria need to be actively engaged in the politics of policymaking in order to promote the inclusion of oral health in the health related policies of government. This should stimulate positive action concerning oral health in the Nigerian polity

ANTIPLASMODIAL POTENTIAL OF Garcinia kola (HECKEL) STEMBARK EXTRACT IN ALBINO MICE

Garcinia kola stem bark forms part of recipes used traditionally for the treatment of malaria. In view of the prevalence of malaria in Nigeria, this study investigated the phytochemical, mineral and proximate components, as well as antiplasmodial activity and toxicological effect of Garcinia kola stem bark extract against Plasmodium berghei infected mice. The plant sample was screened for phytochemical, mineral and proximate components using standard laboratory techniques. Thirty five mice were divided into seven groups of five mice each. Malaria was induced in all the groups intraperitoneally with 0.2 mL of infected blood containing about 107 of P. berghei parasitized red blood cells, except group 6 (extract only) and group 7 (normal control). Group 1 received 100 mg/kg bodyweight of the extract orally. Group 2 received 200 mg/kg of the extract. Group 3 received 300 mg/kg of the extract. Group 4 received 5 mg/kg of chloroquine. Group 5 (induced but untreated control). The haematology, liver function enzymes and histopathology of the liver were carried out using standard protocols.  The plant was rich in alkaloids, iron and fibre. The extract treated groups (1-3) showed significant decrease (p≤0.05) in parasitemia level after seven days of treatment. There was no significant difference in AST, ALT, ALP, bilirubin and GGT activities in all the extract treated groups compared to the control. No pathological changes were evident in histopathology of all the groups treated with various concentration of the extract. The result obtained from this study confirmed the antiplasmodial activity of methanol extract of G. kola stem bark. The highest inhibition of P. berghie parasite was observed at dose 300 mg/kg comparable to chloroquine, with no hepatoxicity which confirmed the safety of G. kola. The phytochemicals and nutritional components could be responsible for the observed antiplasmodial activity of the plant.   &nbsp

Nigerian Science Teachers’ Perceptions of Effective Science Teaching and their Classroom Teaching Practices in Junior Secondary Schools in Lagos State, Nigeria

This study explores science teachers’ perceptions of effective science teaching and their classroom teaching practices. The study was carried out from a population of junior secondary schools in Lagos State, Nigeria. A purposive sample of 78 basic science teachers selected from 61 junior secondary schools from three Education Districts of the state was used for the study. A research instrument tagged effective teaching characteristics questionnaire (ETCQ) was used to elicit information from the teachers. The questionnaire has a test-retest reliability coefficient of 0.83. Data collected were analyzed using frequency counts and simple percentage. The findings indicated that the science curriculum used in schools was overloaded with content to be memorized by learners for examination purposes and that most science teachers engaged students mostly in explanation and demonstration, whole class discussion and note copying. The findings further showed that effective science teaching is characterized by student-centered activities associated with students being attentive, reading notes, doing homework, asking and responding to questions and engaging in regular hands-on practical inquiry-based activity and carrying out their own observations among others. Finally, recommendations for improving science teaching for junior secondary schools in Lagos State were proffered. Keywords: Effective teaching, teacher-centered, perceptions, practical work, teaching resource

A Survey of the Oral Health Knowledge and Practices of Pregnant Women in a Nigerian Teaching Hospital

To describe the self-reported oral health knowledge, attitudes and oral hygiene habits, among pregnant women receiving antenatal care at the  Lagos State University teaching Hospital (LASUTH). A cross-sectional questionnaire-based survey was conducted at the LASUTH antenatal clinic during the period January – June 2008. Most of the respondents demonstrated a reasonable level of oral health knowledge and positive attitudes towards oral health. However, there were gaps in the oral health knowledge of the women surveyed. The relationship between the level of oral health knowledge and ethnicity (p=0.856), level of education (p=0.079), age category (p= 0.166), and trimester of pregnancy (p=0.219) were not statistically significant. In addition, the women’s knowledge and attitude towards oral health was not reflected in their oral hygiene practices. There is a need to provide oral health education for pregnant women during antenatal care in order to highlight the importance of good oral health in achieving good health for both the mother and her baby

A Survey of the Oral Health Knowledge and Practices of Pregnant Women in a Nigerian Teaching Hospital

To describe the self-reported oral health knowledge, attitudes and oral hygiene habits, among pregnant women receiving antenatal care at the  Lagos State University teaching Hospital (LASUTH). A cross-sectional questionnaire-based survey was conducted at the LASUTH antenatal clinic during the period January – June 2008. Most of the respondents demonstrated a reasonable level of oral health knowledge and positive attitudes towards oral health. However, there were gaps in the oral health knowledge of the women surveyed. The relationship between the level of oral health knowledge and ethnicity (p=0.856), level of education (p=0.079), age category (p= 0.166), and trimester of pregnancy (p=0.219) were not statistically significant. In addition, the women’s knowledge and attitude towards oral health was not reflected in their oral hygiene practices. There is a need to provide oral health education for pregnant women during antenatal care in order to highlight the importance of good oral health in achieving good health for both the mother and her baby

Nephroprotective effects of the aqueous root extract of harungana madagascariensis(L)

In African traditional medicine, decoctions from different parts of Harungana madagascariensis (L.) are highly valued in the treatment of various human diseases including drug related renal disease. In the current study, effects of pretreatments with single daily oral 100–500 mg/kg/day of the root aqueous extract of Harungana madagascariensis were investigated in acute and repeated dose acetaminophen nephrotoxic rats for 24 hours and 14 days, respectively, using renal function parameters–serum urea (UR), uric acid (UA) and creatinine (CR). Effects of the extract pretreatments on the hematological and renal histological profile in acetaminophen nephrotoxic rats were also evaluated. Results showed that treatment with intraperitoneal acetaminophen for 24 hours and 14 days induced significant (p\u3c 0.05, p\u3c 0.01, p\u3c 0.001) elevations in the serum concentrations of UR, UA and CR, varying degrees of tubular necrosis on histology and varying degrees of alterations in the hematological parameters in acute and repeated dose acetaminophen nephrotoxic rats, respectively. However, pretreatments with graded oral doses of the extract significantly (p\u3c 0.05, p\u3c 0.01, p\u3c 0.001) attenuated elevations in the serum concentrations of UR, UA and CR, and improved diffuse tubular necrosis in both models of acetaminophen nephrotoxicity. The extract also significantly (p\u3c 0.05, p\u3c 0.01, p\u3c 0.001) improved packed cell volume (PCV), hemoglobin (Hb), and total leucocyte count (TLC) levels but non-significant (p\u3e 0.05) increase in the mean corpuscular volume (MCV), mean corpuscular hemoglobin (MCH), and mean corpuscular hemoglobin concentratio

Module 18: Assessment, monitoring and evaluation

This module looks at assessment, monitoring and evaluation frameworks that are necessary for the successful adoption of climate-smart agriculture (CSA). Focus is placed mainly at the subnational and national levels. However, some case studies address activities at the farm or project level. The module presents an overview of important climate change-related assessment, monitoring and evaluation activities in policy and programme processes and project cycles. The purposes of these activities, baselines, and associated concepts are also described. Details are provided about how to conduct assessments relating to policies and project justification and design, as well as monitoring and evaluation. In the last section, the specific challenges to assessment, monitoring and evaluation in the context of CSA are reviewed and some guiding principles for addressing them are offered