Prevalence of asymptomatic Co-Infection of Candidiasis and Vaginal Trichomoniasis among Pregnant Women in Abakaliki, South-Eastern Nigeria

One thousand five hundred (1500) pregnant women at their different trimesters who are within the age of 20 and 40 years were investigated for the prevalence of co-infection of Candida albicans and Tirchomonas vaginalis in Abakaliki, South-Eastern Nigeria between March and October 2010. Their personal biometric data and trimesters of gestation were documented. The vaginal swab specimen were examined using wet preparation technique, and culture. Germ-tube test was specifically used for the C. albicans. Three hundred and twenty six (22%) had asymptomatic coinfections while 412 (27.5%) and 355 (24%) had asymptomatic candidiasis and trichomonas as single infection respectively. Women within the age bracket of 31-35 had the highest prevalence of T. vaginalis (36.00%) while those within 36-40 years and 26-30 years had the highest prevalence of C. albicans (33.33%) and co-infections (43.00%) respectively. Women within their 3rd trimesters of pregnancy had the highest prevalence of 30.40% and 32.41% respectively for T. vaginalis and C. albicans, while those in their 2nd trimester had the highest prevalence in co-infections (30.00%). Keywords: Asymptomatic, prevalence, co-infection, Candida albicans, Tirchomonas vaginali

NETLAKE guidelines for automated monitoring system development. How to deploy a low cost option (Factsheet 003).

In this factsheet, we give an overview of one “low cost” platform system

Assessment of the Effects of Highly Active Antiretroviral Therapy on the Renal Function of Patients with HIV-1 in a Rural Setting of South Eastern Nigeria

A study to assess the effects of Highly Active Antiretroviral Therapy on the renal function of patients with HIV-1 in a rural setting of South Eastern Nigeria was conducted. One hundred and forty seven adult patients with mean age of 31 years comprising of 65 females and 82 males were enlisted for this study. This investigation was carried in the Federal Teaching Hospital Abakaliki where the subjects were registered and placed on antiretroviral therapy and evaluated for eighteen months with respect to renal function parameters such as creatinine and urea in correlation with CD4 T-cell count. Personnel factors such as age, sex and social status were also considered. The result revealed that 42 (28%) patients showed elevated serum urea and creatinine values above normal range as indicated by mean values of 71.6mg/dl and 3.92mg/dl from initial values of 50.71mg/dl and 1.24mg/dl at baseline respectively in the 18th month respectively the value are significant as p<0.05 and had a correlations coefficient of .975 .829 at 0.01 level with CD4+ T-cell. Also the CD4+ T-cell count increased from mean value of 81±16 cell/?l to 521±27 cell/?l at 18th months. The result shows that while the antiretroviral therapy may show good prognosis when considered on the basis of CD4+ T-cell turn over the impact on renal function is significantly deleterious. While the treatment of HIV infected person with anti retroviral is receiving wider attention, the side effects of these drugs are continually manifesting among some recipients especially in rural poor setting. This may not be unconnected with concomitant administration of other drugs such as antimalarial. There is therefore the need for proper monitoring of patients on antiretroviral therapy for adverse effect on renal function. Keywords: Assessment, antiretroviral, HIV-1, creatinine, urea, CD4+ T-cell

NETLAKE guidelines for automated monitoring system development. Factsheet 007: Communication options.

The purpose of this fact sheet is to provide some advice on the available methods to communicate with and retrieve data from your automated monitoring system

NETLAKE guidelines for automated monitoring system development. Factsheet 001: options for buoy design.

In this factsheet, we describe some of the options that can be used to house an automatic monitoring station (AMS) on a lake

Knowledge and Attitude towards Ebola Virus Disease among Secondary School Students in Abakaliki, South-east, Nigeria

Introduction: Ebola virus disease (EVD) is an acute haemorrhagic fever. It is also a zoonotic disease which has posed a serious public health problem in the West African Sub-Region. The study was conducted to determine the level of knowledge and attitude towards EVD among Secondary School Students in Abakaliki, Ebonyi State, Nigeria. Methods: A cross-sectional descriptive study was carried out among 318 secondary school students in Abakaliki, Ebonyi State, selected through multistage sampling method. Information and permission were obtained from the State Ministry of Education, Informed consent from the principals of the schools and their class teachers. Assent was obtained from selected students prior to the study. Data was collected with pre-tested semi-structured questionnaires and analyzed using statistical package for the social science (SPSS) version 20. Results were treated with strict confidentiality. Results: Majority of the respondents (85.5%) were between 15 to 19 years. Students in SSS 2 constituted the greatest proportion of respondents, 57.0% and 48.8% for public and private schools respectively. One hundred percent of the respondents had heard about EVD. Knowledge of EVD was generally poor for majority of the students in both schools, the proportion being higher in the public (65.8%), compared to the private schools (40.6%). Greater proportion (70.6%) of those in private schools had positive attitude to EVD compared to 53.8% in public schools. Conclusion: Respondents from private schools were more knowledgeable and exhibited more positive attitude than respondents from public schools. Recommendation: Sensitisation and health education of secondary school students on EVD

Comparative Analysis of Pre and Post-migration Livelihood Outcomes of Households with Absentee Heads in Osun State, Nigeria

Migration is often linked with a deleterious impact on rural area production and development. Although, the change of location for better opportunities also affect the lives and livelihoods of the migrant households’ in the rural communities. The study was a comparative analysis of the pre and post-migration living outcomes of absentee households’ heads in Osun State, Nigeria. A multistage sampling procedure involving the simple random sampling was used to select 120 absentee household heads. Data collected with interview schedule was subjected to descriptive statistics, t-test and correlation analyses. Findings showed that more men (76.7%) migrated, leaving women to become the interim household heads. It was found that migrants have a higher average monthly income level (₦44,400). Prior to migration, most families were in the lower financial well-being category (83.3%), while only 55% remained in that category after migration. This follows the result of the t-test which revealed that a significant difference (t=0.00; p<0.05) exists between the well-being of migrant’s household before and after migration. Thus, it was concluded that unless the rural push factors are removed, rural-urban migration will continue at an increasing rate because benefits and opportunities acquired in the process influence the well-being of the rural households. The study recommends that enabling environment, facilities and opportunities should be created in the rural communities to transform livelihoods and improve the wellbeing of the people via interventions by national and international agencies

Identity of Endogenous NMDAR Glycine Site Agonist in Amygdala Is Determined by Synaptic Activity Level

Mechanisms of NMDA receptor-dependent synaptic plasticity contribute to the acquisition and retention of conditioned fear memory. However, synaptic rules which may determine the extent of NMDA receptor activation in the amygdala, a key structure implicated in fear learning, remain unknown. Here we show that the identity of the NMDAR glycine site agonist at synapses in the lateral nucleus of the amygdala may depend on the level of synaptic activation. Tonic activation of NMDARs at synapses in the amygdala under low-activity conditions is supported by ambient D-serine, whereas glycine may be released from astrocytes in response to afferent impulses. The release of glycine may decode the increases in afferent activity levels into enhanced NMDAR-mediated synaptic events, serving an essential function in the induction of NMDAR-dependent long-term potentiation in fear conditioning pathways