Mistreatment among undergraduate medical trainees: A case study of a Nigerian medical school

Background: Several international studies have shown that abuse or mistreatment is a regular phenomenon faced by medical students. However, there is limited information on medical student abuse/mistreatment in Nigeria. The study was therefore conducted to assess the prevalence and patterns of mistreatment experienced by Medical Students in the University of Calabar.Materials and Methods: A descriptive cross‑sectional study was conducted among 451 undergraduate medical trainees in the University of Calabar. Systematic sampling was used in recruiting participants into the study. A self‑administered questionnaire was then employed to obtain information on patterns of mistreatment experienced by medical undergraduates. Data were analyzed using Statistical Package for Social Scientists version 19 and level of significance set at <0.05.Results: More than a third (35.5%) of all respondents interviewed had experienced one or more forms of mistreatment during their training, with 38.5% of them experiencing it weekly. The most common form of mistreatment experienced was verbal abuse (52.5%), and the main perpetrators of these incidents were medical consultants, (18.6%) other cadre of doctors (17.3%) and lecturers (14.4%). Being in the clinical level of study and aged above 25 years were significantly associated with experiencing mistreatment in this study (P < 0.05). However, only 8.8% reported these incidents.Conclusion: With more than a third of undergraduate medical trainees experiencing mistreatment, development of appropriate strategies for the prevention and reduction of these incidents are strongly recommended.Keywords: Abuse, medical students, mistreatment, Nigeri

PROPAGATION OF ELECTROMAGNETIC WAVES IN SOME PUBLIC BUILDINGS IN CROSS RIVER STATES, NIGERIA

A Digital Community-Access (or Cable) Television (CATV) Analyzer with 24 channel spectrum 46 – 870MHz have been used to measured the received signal strength level, RxLev in four buildings (two office buildings and two residential buildings) in Calabar city at 519.25MHz. The results obtained indicated an average penetration loss of approximately 6dB with a standard deviation of 2dB. This is in accordance with several other studies done on this subject. In general, an increase has been found in the average signal strength when the receiver is moved upward in a building, the worst case situation being at ground floor

Haematological and immunological effect of coadministration of extracts of Vernonia amygdalina and Azadirachta indica on normal and diabetic rats

This study evaluated the effect of co-administration of extracts of Vernonia amygdalina Del. (VA) and Azadirachta indica Linn.(AI) on haemapoietic and immunological indices of normal and diabetic rats. White blood cells which were non-significantly decreased (p>0.05) in diabetic control rats relative to the normal control, respectively increased and decreased non-significantly (p>0.05) upon administration of the combined extracts of VA and AI to diabetic and non-diabetic test rats. Packed cell volume, haemoglobin content and red cell count as well as its derived factors (mean cell volume, mean cell haemoglobin and mean cell haemoglobin concentration) of both diabetic and non-diabetic rats were not affected by the treatment, relative to their respective controls. As compared to insulin treatment, the combined extracts significantly increased (p<0.05) mean cell haemoglobin concentration (MCHC) of diabetic rats. Platelets number which was non-significantly lower (p>0.05) in diabetic control rats as compared to non-diabetic control was further decreased non-significantly (p>0.05) upon administration of the combined extracts and insulin. Diabetes induction significantly increased CD4+ count (p<0.05) as compared to the normal control. This was however decreased significantly (p<0.05) upon treatment with the combined extracts and insulin. The combined extract similarly decreased CD4+ counts in normal test rats as compared to the normal control. Combined extracts of VA and AI is non-haematotoxic and may possess some anti-inflammatory properties when used as a management against diabetes mellitus.Key words: Diabetes, haematological and immunological indices, Vernonia amygdalina, Azadirachta indica

Effects of engaging communities in decision-making and action through traditional and religious leaders on vaccination coverage in Cross River State, Nigeria: a cluster-randomised control trial

BACKGROUND: Vaccination coverage levels fall short of the Global Vaccine and Action Plan 90% target in low- and middle- income countries (LMICs). Having identified traditional and religious leaders (TRLs) as potential public health change agents, this study aimed at assessing the effect of training them to support routine immunisation for the purpose of improving uptake of childhood vaccines in Cross River State, Nigeria. METHODS: A cluster-randomised controlled study was conducted between 2016 and 2019. Of the 18 Local Government Areas (LGA) in Cross River State, eight (four urban and four rural LGAs) were randomized into the intervention and control study arms. A multi-component intervention involving the training of traditional and religious leaders was implemented in the four intervention LGAs. Baseline, midline and endline surveys collected information on children aged 0-23 months. The effect of the intervention on outcomes including the proportion fully up-to-date with vaccination, timely vaccination for pentavalent and measles vaccines, and pentavalent 1-3 dropout rates were estimated using logistic regression models using random effects to account for the clustered data. RESULTS: A total of 2598 children at baseline, 2570 at midline, and 2550 at endline were included. The intervention was effective in increasing the proportion with at least one vaccine (OR 12.13 95% CI 6.03-24.41p<0.001). However, there was no evidence of an impact on the proportion of children up-to-date with vaccination (p = 0.69). It was effective in improving timeliness of Pentavalent 3 (OR 1.55; 95% CI: 1.14, 2.12; p = 0.005) and Measles (OR 2.81; 96% CI: 1.93-4.1; p<0.001) vaccination. The odds of completing Pentavalent vaccination increased (OR = 1.66 95% CI: 1.08,2.55). CONCLUSION: Informal training to enhance the traditional and religious leaders' knowledge of vaccination and their leadership role can empower them to be good influencers for childhood vaccination. They constitute untapped resources in the community to boost routine immunisation. Pan African Clinical Trial Registry (PACTR) PACTR202008784222254

Coronin 1C harbours a second actin-binding site that confers co-operative binding to F-actin

Dynamic rearrangement of actin filament networks is critical for cell motility, phagocytosis and endocytosis. Coronins facilitate these processes, in part, by their ability to bind F-actin (filamentous actin). We previously identified a conserved surface-exposed arginine (Arg30) in the β-propeller of Coronin 1B required for F-actin binding in vitro and in vivo. However, whether this finding translates to other coronins has not been well defined. Using quantitative actin-binding assays, we show that mutating the equivalent residue abolishes F-actin binding in Coronin 1A, but not Coronin 1C. By mutagenesis and biochemical competition, we have identified a second actin-binding site in the unique region of Coronin 1C. Interestingly, leading-edge localization of Coronin 1C in fibroblasts requires the conserved site in the β-propeller, but not the site in the unique region. Furthermore, in contrast with Coronin 1A and Coronin 1B, Coronin 1C displays highly co-operative binding to actin filaments. In the present study, we highlight a novel mode of coronin regulation, which has implications for how coronins orchestrate cytoskeletal dynamics

Varietal differences influence arsenic and lead contamination of rice grown in mining impacted agricultural fields of Zamfara State, Nigeria.

In Zamfara state, Nigeria, rice is cultivated in fields contaminated with Pb (lead) from artisanal and illicit mining activities. Rice grown in such contaminated agricultural areas risks not only Pb contamination but also contamination from other toxic elements, like arsenic (As); co-contamination of Pb and As in rice cultivated in mining impacted areas has been previously reported and rice is a hyperaccumulator of As. A field study was conducted with ten different commonly-cultivated Nigerian rice varieties in the mining-impacted farmlands of Dareta village, Zamfara State. The aim was to determine the optimal rice variety for cultivation on these contaminated farmlands; an optimal variety would have the lowest contaminant concentrations and highest essential elements concentrations in the rice grains. A total of 300 paired soil and rice plants were collected. The mean As and Pb concentrations in paddy soils were 0.91 ± 0.82 mg kg-1 and 288.5 ± 464.2 mg kg-1, respectively. Mean As (30.4 ± 15.1 μg kg-1) content in rice grains was an order of magnitude lower than the Codex recommendation of 200 μg kg-1 (for milled rice) while the Pb content in all the rice varieties (overall mean of 743 ± 327 μg kg-1) was approximately four times higher than the Codex recommendation of 200 μg kg-1. Contrary to previous studies, a negative correlation was observed between As and Pb in rice grains across all the varieties. Rice variety Bisalayi was the variety with the lowest Pb transfer factor (TF = 0.08), but the average Pb concentration in rice grain was still above the Codex recommendation. Bisalayi also had the highest TF for iron. Variety ART_15, which had the lowest As uptake (TF = 0.10), had the highest TF for essential elements (magnesium, potassium, manganese, zinc, and copper). In areas of Pb contamination, Bisalayi rice may therefore be a suitable variety to choose for cultivation

Correlated local distortions of the TlO layers in Tl2_2Ba2_2CuOy_{y}: An x-ray absorption study

We have used the XAFS (x-ray-absorption fine structure) technique to investigate the local structure about the Cu, Ba, and Tl atoms in orthorhombic Tl-2201 with a superconducting transition temperature T$_c$=60 K. Our results clearly show that the O(1), O(2), Cu, and Ba atoms are at their ideal sites as given by the diffraction measurements, while the Tl and O(3) atoms are more disordered than suggested by the average crystal structure. The Tl-Tl distance at 3.5 \AA{ } between the TlO layers does not change, but the Tl-Tl distance at 3.9 \AA{ } within the TlO layer is not observed and the Tl-Ba and Ba-Tl peaks are very broad. The shorter Tl-O(3) distance in the TlO layer is about 2.33 \AA, significantly shorter than the distance calculated with both the Tl and O(3) atoms at their ideal $4e$ sites ( $x=y=$0 or $\frac{1}{2}$). A model based on these results shows that the Tl atom is displaced along the directions from its ideal site by about 0.11 \AA; the displacements of neighboring Tl atoms are correlated. The O(3) atom is shifted from the $4e$ site by about 0.53 \AA{ } roughly along the directions. A comparison of the Tl L$_{III}$-edge XAFS spectra from three samples, with T$_c$=60 K, 76 K, and 89 K, shows that the O environment around the Tl atom is sensitive to T$_c$ while the Tl local displacement is insensitive to T$_c$ and the structural symmetry. These conclusions are compared with other experimental results and the implications for charge transfer and superconductivity are discussed. This paper has been submitted to Phys. Rev. B.Comment: 20 pages plus 14 ps figures, REVTEX 3.

Hemangiopericytoma in the sacrococcygeal space: a case report

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Introduction</p> <p>A hemangiopericytoma is a rare, soft-tissue tumor of vascular origin derived from a pericyte of Zimmerman, which is a modified smooth muscle cell that surrounds the small blood vessels. Hemangiopericytomas can occur wherever there are vascular capillaries. However, there are no previous reports of a hemangiopericytoma in the sacrococcygeal space.</p> <p>Case presentation</p> <p>We describe the first reported case of a hemangiopericytoma found in the sacrococcygeal space. A 47-year-old Japanese woman presented with a palpable tumor on the left side of her anus. Preoperative imaging indicated that the tumor was in the sacrococcygeal space without invasion of other organs. A complete resection was performed via a parasacral incision. The histological and immunohistochemical staining patterns supported the diagnosis of a hemangiopericytoma.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>A complete resection without piecemeal excision is the best way to treat a hemangiopericytoma. Recognizing the presence of a hemangiopericytoma in the sacrococcygeal space requires appropriate surgery.</p