Cultural Sensitivities and Health

Culture is that complex whole which includes knowledge, belief, art, morals, law, custom, and other capabilities acquired by man as a member of the society. Its components include knowledge, beliefs, norms, techniques, folkways, mores, laws, values, material culture, and universal culture. Health programs and interventions are more effective when they are “culturally appropriate” for the populations they serve. Each medical encounter provides the opportunity for the interface of several different cultures: the culture of the patient, the culture of the physician, and the culture of medicine. Peripheral, evidential, linguistic, constituent involving, and sociocultural strategies enable the health worker practice culturally sensitive healthcare delivery. Cultural targeting and cultural tailoring are applied to groups and individuals, respectively, by taking their peculiarities into account in making health care available to them. A combination of both approaches is recommended for optimal health outcomes. Cultural competency is the answer to the need for previously lacking cultural consideration in planning and delivering care. It enables the health worker overcome organizational and clinical barriers which continually impede efficient and effective healthcare delivery

Social Control in Precolonial Igboland of Nigeria

This study is a descriptive investigation of the traditional system of social control and order maintenance in the Igbo nation of Nigeria in Africa. It discusses how the Igbo employed customary standards of conduct and negative sanctions for breach of norms to control its people prior to the advent of the Europeans, colonization, and prisons. Employing ethnographic methodology, the paper describes what constitutes serious deviance and the stringent penalties imposed for their contravention in pre-colonial Igboland. Specifically, the Igbo employed the services of council of elders, age-grade associations, title-making associations, oracles, “Dibia” fraternities (medicine men), secret societies, the myth of reincarnation and non-transmigration, and the invocation of spirits of the ancestors (“mmanwu” and ancestral worship) to preserve collective conscience. Finally, the paper suggests a re-evaluation by current government in Igbo nation to determine a possibility of co-opting certain elements of pre-colonial systems into the 21st century social control in Igbo states

A comparative study of pregnancy outcome among women with preeclampsia and normotensive at the Alex Ekwueme Federal University Teaching Hospital Abakaliki, Nigeria

Background: Preeclampsia is a pregnancy specific multisystem disease and it is associated with increased maternal and perinatal morbidity and mortality. Any factor(s) which could reliably predict the likelihood of serious complications would be very valuable in predicting the associated adverse outcome. Objective of this study compare maternal and fetal outcomes of preeclamptic patients with normotensive control in Alex Ekwueme Federal University Teaching Hospital, Abakaliki, Nigeria.Method: This was a 4-year retrospective case-control study of the pregnancy outcomes among preeclamptic and normotensive women managed in our facility between 1st January 2012 and 31st December 2015. Data analysis was done using Epi Info software 7.2.1.Results: During the study period there were 6,585 deliveries among which 92 of the patients were managed for preeclampsia. This gives a prevalence of 1.4% or 14 per 1000 deliveries. There was no difference in the age and parity of the control. Most of the preeclamptic patients managed over the study period were unbooked for antenatal care in the facility (p value <0.0001). Preeclamptic patients were more likely to be delivered preterm (p value was <0.0001), and by caesarean section compared to the control. They were also more likely to have babies with low birth weights and poorer fetal outcomes. There was no difference in maternal mortality between both groups.Conclusion: Preeclampsia is associated with the unbooked status and poorer perinatal outcome compared with normotensive women. There is need to encourage women to book for antenatal care for prompt identification and management of these women

Anti-N-methyl-d-aspartate receptor encephalitis triggered by emotional stress

© 2019, Copyright © 2019 Baylor University Medical Center. A 22-year-old woman presented with disorganized behaviors, restlessness, and subacute decline in mental status in the setting of stress. Extensive workup for autoimmune diseases disclosed positive anti-N-methyl-d-aspartate (NMDA) receptor antibodies. We recommend that fertility preservation should be discussed and stress management should be considered in patients with a history of anti-NMDA autoimmune encephalitis because this can help in preventing relapse

Understanding reservoir heterogeneity using variography and data analysis: an example from coastal swamp deposits, Niger Delta Basin (Nigeria)

For efficient reservoir management and long-term field development strategies, most geologists and asset managers pay special attention to reservoir chance of success. To minimise this uncertainty, a good understanding of reservoir presence and adequacy is required for better ranking of infill opportunities and optimal well placement. This can be quite challenging due to insufficient data and complexities that are typically associated with areas with compounded tectonostratigraphic framework. For the present paper, data analysis and variography were used firstly to examine possible geological factors that determine directions in which reservoirs show minimum heterogeneity for both discrete and continuous properties; secondly, to determine the maximum range and degree of variability of key reservoir petrophysical properties from the variogram, and thirdly, to highlight possible geological controls on reservoir distribution trends as well as areas with optimal reservoir quality. Discrete properties evaluated were lithology and genetic units, while continuous properties examined were porosity and net-to-gross (NtG). From the variogram analysis, the sandy lithology shows minimum heterogeneity in east-west (E–W) and north-south (N–S) directions, for Upper Shoreface Sands (USF) and Fluvial/Tidal Channel Sands (FCX/TCS), respectively. Porosity and NtG both show the least heterogeneity in the E–W axis for reservoirs belonging to both Upper Shoreface and Fluvial Channel environments with porosity showing a slightly higher range than NtG. The vertical ranges for both continuous properties did not show a clear trend. The Sequential Indicator Simulation (SIS) and Object modelling algorithm were used for modelling the discrete properties, while Sequential Gaussian Simulation (SGS) was used for modelling of the continuous properties. Results from this exercise show that depositional environment, sediment provenance, topographical slope, sub-regional structural trends, shoreline orientation and longshore currents, could have significant impacts on reservoir spatial distribution and property trends. This understanding could be applied in reservoir prediction and for generating stochastic estimates of petrophysical properties for nearby exploration assets of similar depositional environments

Restorative Justice: Psychological Needs of Offenders and Implications for Safety & Security

Crime creates psychosocial needs for victims, offenders, and communities where they occur—whether it is homogeneous or heterogeneous. Unfortunately, the criminal justice system does not recognize and take steps to meet these needs. This failure stems from a mischaracterization of the state or government as the crime victim. Our contention is that this problem also emerges from the theoretical groundswell that posits that offender must pay for his or her crime through incarceration. The result of this skewed perception of crime and victimhood has not deterred crime as evidenced by the high rate of recidivism. Certainly, crime-created psychological and social needs, also referred to in this analysis as psychosocial needs, do exist. The overarching question for this analysis is: Does the traditional criminal justice system meet these requirements? Contrarily, the restorative justice system is a method of justice administration that focuses on meeting the psychosocial needs of victims, offenders, and communities. The goal of restorative justice may be realized through victim-offender conference, family group conference, and peacemaking circles. Our findings revealed that these programs are effective because their success is supported by factors such as high rate of participation; the satisfaction of victims, the offenders and the communities where the crime occurred; as well as the programs’ popularity

AGRONOMIC EVALUATION OF SOME RICE GENOTYPES IN NSUKKA

ABSTRACT The performance of eleven rice genotypes obtained from National Cereals Research Institute, Badeggi, Nigeria and a local check were evaluated in Nsukka for two cropping seasons. Statistical analyses were performed on the agronomic and yield related traits and biotic stresses measured on the rice genotypes. Combined analysis of variance was estimated using mixed models of random years and fixed treatment on the genotypes&apos; traits measured. There was significant (p = 0.05) genotypic differences in all the traits and biotic stresses measured in both years. The genotype ITA 324 gave the highest yield of 3.9 t/ha in both years. There was significant genotype by year interaction (G x Y) with most of the traits indicating differential genotypic expressions. The highly significant differences in the agronomic characters and biotic stresses measured gives room for further selection. Thus, genotypes that showed higher resistance to the stresses and had higher yields will be favoured in selection

Experimental and Theoretical Studies of (E)-N'-1-(4- propylbenzylidene)nicotinohydrazide as Corrosion Inhibitor of Mild Steel in 1 M HC

The efficiency of a novel Schiff base namely (E)-N'-1-(4-propylbenzylidene)nicotinohydrazide (PBNH) was investigated as corrosion inhibitor of mild steel (MS) in 1M HCl using weight loss technique at 303 and 313 K. It was established that corrosion rate of mild steel increases with increase in temperature and concentration of HCl. Results showed that PBNH considerably inhibited the corrosion of mild steel in a 1 M HCl solution and inhibition efficiency is about 70% at 4 × 10–4 M PBNH at both temperatures. The inhibi� tion efficiency of PBNH increased with an increase in concentration and temperature. The adsorption model obeys the Langmuir adsorption isotherm and the kinetic–thermodynamic model and the value of free energy of adsorption, indicated that the adsorption of PBNH was a spontaneous process and was both an elec� trostatic�adsorption (physisorption) and adsorption on the basis of donor�acceptor interactions (chemisorp�tion). Thermodynamic parameters calculated show the spontaneity and endothermic nature of the process and also reveal the favourable affinity of PBNH towards the mild steel surface. Quantum chemical calcula�tions based on PM3 method was performed on PBNH and calculated parameters gave useful information to explain the interaction between the surface of metal and PBNH

Bioflocculant production by a consortium of Streptomyces and Cellulomonas species and media optimization via surface response model

AbstractSpecies of actinobacteria previously isolated from Tyume River in the Eastern Cape Province of South Africa and identified by 16S rDNA sequence as Cellulomonas and Streptomyces species were evaluated as a consortium for the production of bioflocculant. Sucrose, peptone and magnesium chloride were the nutritional sources which supported optimal production of bioflocculant resulting in flocculation activities of 91%, 82% and 78% respectively. Response surface design revealed sucrose, peptone and magnesium chloride as critical media components following Plackett–Burman design, while the central composite design showed optimum concentration of the critical nutritional source as 16.0g/L (sucrose), 1.5g/L (peptone) and 1.6g/L (magnesium chloride) yielding optimal flocculation activity of 98.9% and bioflocculant yield of 4.45g/L. FTIR spectrometry of the bioflocculant indicated the presence of carboxyl, hydroxyl and amino groups, typical for heteropolysaccharide, while SEM imaging revealed an interwoven clump-like structure. The molecular weight distribution of the constituents of the bioflocculants ranged 494.81–18,300.26Da thus, an indication of heterogeneity in composition. Additionally, the chemical analyses of the purified bioflocculant revealed the presence of polysaccharides and proteins with neutral sugar, amino sugar and uronic acids in the following concentration: 5.7mg, 9.3mg and 17.8mg per 100mg. The high flocculation activity of the bioflocculant suggests commercial potential

Body Mass Index, Blood Pressure and Serum Cortisol Level as Stress Index in Symptomatic HIV/AIDS Male Subjects on Antiretroviral Therapy Negative to Malaria Parasite in Nnewi, Anambra State, Nigeria

Background: HIV infection is a risk factor for a variety of endocrine problems. Objectives: This study investigated the body mass index (BMI), Systolic blood pressure (SBP), Diastolic blood pressure (DBP) and serum cortisol level as stress factor/index symptomatic HIV/AIDS male subjects on ART who are negative to malaria parasite in Nnewi, Anambra State, Nigeria. Methods: A total of 274 adult male participants aged between 18 and 60 (42 ±13) years were randomly recruited at the Voluntary Counseling and Testing (VCT) Centre in Nnamdi Azikiwe University Teaching Hospital and grouped based on WHO criteria for staging HIV into symptomatic HIV (stage 11) infected male participants on ART (A: n=69), Symptomatic HIV subjects not on ART (B: n= 69), Asymptomatic HIV positive subjects (C: n= 68) and HIV seronegative subjects (D: n= 68). Blood samples were collected from the participants for the determination of HIV status by immunochromatography and HIV confirmation by Western Blot. Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay (ELISA) was used to assay for cortisol level. Results: The results showed a significantly increased BMI and decreased mean serum cortisol level in HIV/AIDS seropositive participants on ART than in those, not on ART (p&lt;0.05). Also, the BMI and mean serum cortisol level were significantly decreased and increased respectively in&nbsp; HIV/AIDS seropositive participants not on ART than in Asymptomatic HIV positive subjects and control respectively (p&lt;0.05). However, the mean SBP and DBP did not differ significantly between the groups studied (p&gt;0.05). Conclusion: This study revealed a decreased stress index in HIV/AIDS subjects on ART with hypercortisolism and lower BMI in symptomatic HIV participants, not on ART. Keywords: HIV; AIDS; Malaria uninfected male subjects; Cortisol; Blood pressure; Antiretroviral therapy