A Survey on Ophthalmia Neonatorum in Benin City, Nigeria (Emphasis on gonococcal ophthalmia)

The purpose of the study was to investigate the incidence of gonococcal ophthalmia neonatorum considering its ability to lead to childhood blindness through corneal ulceration and scarification. Eye swabs were obtained from 330 neonates of 1-5 days in the hospitals of study. Of these, 248 yielded growth and six bacterial genera were identified using standard techniques. Staphylococcus aureus was the most prevalent (60.5%) while Neisseria gonorrhoeae accounted for 1.7%. Susceptibility patterns of bacterial isolates to four antibiotics were determined using Disk-diffusion tests. Staphylococcus aureus and Neisseria gonorrhoeae showed 62.5 and 100% susceptibility to Erythromycin while 66.7% of Escherichia coli and Klebsiella and 62.5% of Pseudomonas aeruginosa were susceptible to Gentamicin. The incidence of gonococcal ophthalmia neonatorum for the period of study was 8.9 (cases per 1,000 live births). Prevention is through ocular prophylaxis by the application of either 1% silver nitrate ophthalmic solution or 0.5% erythromycin ointment to the neonates’ eyes some hours after birth. This would help to preserve vision and reduce to the barest minimum the incidence of childhood blindness

The right to life or the right to compensation upon death: Perspectives on an inclusive understanding of the constitutional right to life in Nigeria

This paper discusses the right to life in its most inclusive sense. It argues that the right to life cannot be seen only in the light of the deprivation of life, but more importantly, in the light of the sustenance of life. Accordingly, that the right to life should be broadly interpreted to encompass all its components and that some of its important components are contained in the non-justiciable provisions of our Constitution. The paper further argues that by assimilating the provisions which the Constitution declares non-justiciable with the right to life, such provisions become justiciable without disturbing the their otherwise non-justiciable character since they are not enforced on their own force but on the force of the justiciable right to life provisions of the Constitution.Keywords: Right, Compensation, Life, Death, Constitutio

An Audit of Written Instructions Sent to the Laboratory for Fabrication of Fixed Prosthodontic Appliances in a Tertiary Health Institution in Nigeria

Objective: To audit the prescriptions sent by dental practitioners to the dental technicians for fixed dental prostheses.Methods: This was an audit of all written instructions for fixed dental prostheses sent to the advanced conservative dentistry laboratory of the University of Benin Teaching Hospital, Benin City, Nigeria. Data of interest were status of requesting dental surgeon, type of prosthesis, age of thepatient, gender of the patient, next appointment date, disinfection status of the impression, metal alloy requested, design of the margin, number ofpontics and design, surfaces to be covered by metal only, occlusal scheme, shade, diagram for illustration and the type of porcelain glaze.Results: Various types of fixed prostheses were requested with porcelain fused to metal single crowns accounting for more than half. The quality ofwritten instructions was clear only in 2.0% of the prescriptions while 56.8% had no instructions at all. There was no statistically significant relationship between the cadre of the dental practitioner making the request and the quality of written instructions. There was statistically  significant association between types of prosthesis requested and provision of diagrammatic illustration on the written instruction.Discussion: Fixed prostheses are usually fabricated in the dental laboratory by dental laboratory technicians using impressions of the mouth made by dental practitioners. The quality of prosthetic restorations has been shown to be a reflection of the skills of the dentist and dental technicians as well as communication between them.Conclusion: There is need for improved quality of written communication between the dentists and the laboratory personnel. Key words: Fixed prosthodontics, quality, written instructio

The relevance of judicial decisions in international adjudications: Reflections on Articles 38(1)(d) and 59 of the statute and the practice of the International Court of Justice

This thesis was submitted for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy and awarded by Brunel University.In classical international law, States alone were the makers and subjects of the law. Times have changed. Contemporary international law admits, not only States as its subjects but also individuals and international organisations; it controls not just the needs of States but also the needs of individuals as it continues to venture into areas which, in the classical era, were exclusively reserved to domestic law. The fact that international law now applies to entities other than States is no longer a subject of controversy both in theory and practice. On the contrary, the question relating to whether international law could originate from a source other than through the consent of States in the positivist sense of the law has remained a question of controversy. The question has been made more complex by the multiplicity of international institutions created by States and vested with authority to perform the functions entrusted to them under international law. The functions they perform influence the behaviours and expectations of both States and individuals; but the powers they exercise belong to the States which delegated the powers. Since the powers are delegated by States, it should follow that the powers be confined by the very fact of delegation to the functions for which the powers had been granted. Such powers cannot be used for any other purpose, perhaps. With this in mind, the question sought to be answered in this work is whether the powers granted to International Court of Justice to “decide disputes” – article 38(1) of the Statute of the Court) – implicates the power of judicial lawmaking. In other words, whether rules and principles arising from the decisions of the Court can be properly referred to as rules and principles of international law. The question becomes quite intriguing when placed within the context of article 38(1)(d) and article 59 of the Statute of the Court on the one hand, and the practice of the Court and of the States appearing before it on the other hand. Articles 38(1)(d) provides: “subject to the provisions of Article 59, judicial decisions and the teachings of the most highly qualified publicists of the various nations, as subsidiary means for the determination of rules of law.” By article 59: “The decision of the Court has no binding force except between the parties and in respect of that particular case”. Notwithstanding the language of the above provisions, it is shown in this work that like judges in municipal law, judges in the ICJ lay down rules and principles having legal implications for the decisions in subsequent cases as well as for the conduct of States, in general, regarding areas within the degrees of the settled case-law of the Court. It is accordingly argued that to the extent that rules and principles in the decisions of the Court are relevant as rules and principles of international law (in subsequent decisions of the Court) to the determination of international law rights and obligations of States, judicial decisions in article 38(1)(d) are a source of international law. This is notwithstanding the unhelpful language of paragraph (d) and the influence of article 59. Concerning article 59, the writer argues that the article has no bearing on the authority of judicial decisions in article 38(1)(d); its real function being to protect the legal rights and interests of States from a decision given in a case to which they were not parties

Bursting the broadband bubble

This thesis was submitted for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy and awarded by Brunel University.Broadband has revolutionised the way the Internet is used and has become the critical enabling infrastructure of our modem and knowledge-based economy. Its widespread introduction has not only greatly enhanced the speed at which information online can be accessed, but also the range and sophistication of the content available. It is still penetrating the telecommunication market and is seen by some as the most significant evolutionary step since the emergence of the Internet. However in the rush to achieve market share, there is a risk that insufficient attention may be paid to quality issues, the central theme of this research. The research addresses the issues of broadband quality with a stated objective of assessing broadband quality by means of an integrated framework that encompasses factors beyond strict technical characteristics of broadband networks. Indeed, the concept of quality is a multi-facetted one, for which various perspectives can be distinguished. In this work, broadband quality as perceived by users, ISP and Government in the United Kingdom (UK) is looked at and a survey report is given and analysed. The aim of this doctoral research was to provide much needed empirical broadband quality framework that would guide the service provider as well as the UK government in the provision of quality broadband to its consumers. It will also stand as a benchmark to countries wanting to provide quality broadband to its citizens. A survey research approach was employed to achieve the overall aim and objective of this research. This was conducted using the response of 133 participants located in various boroughs in the UK. The results of the survey show that quality, though desired by many, has been short-changed by the desire to have access to the Internet via broadband at the lowest cost possible. However, this has not encouraged some consumers to switch to broadband from dial-up service despite continuous low prices being offered by service providers. Furthermore, the results also indicated that focusing on broadband quality will improve and promote investment in broadband capacity and decrease the uncertainty in consumer demand for applications such as multi-media content delivery, enhanced electronic commerce and telecommuting that exploit broadband access

Setting the law straight: Tanganyika Law Society & anor v. Tanzania and exhaustion of domestic remedies before the African Court

The rule of exhaustion of domestic remedies is an integral part of the right of individuals to bring international claim against a State. This rule is expressly required in the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights and the Protocol of the African Court on Human and Peoples’ Rights. Nevertheless, as the various types of domestic remedies and the various circumstances in which they are pleaded by respondent States are still unfolding, the jurisprudence of the African Court is understandably at an infantile stage and continues to undergo development and refinement. This short comment examines the view of the African Court, following that of the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights, that non-judicial remedies are not valid remedies that need to be exhausted before claims are brought before the African Court by individuals. It is argued that this is an unduly wide and indiscriminate proposition that would have the effect of unjustifiably excluding administrative remedies that may have effectively remedied a breach if approached by individuals before coming to the African Court. It was consequently argued that there is need for reconsideration now before the view becomes too entrenched

Incidence Of Sexually Transmitted Diseases Amongst Potential Semen Donors In University Of Benin Teaching Hospital, Benin City, Nigeria

The incidence of Sexually Transmitted Diseases in Prospective Semen Donors where investigated using Standard Laboratory Procedures. 30 Prospective Semen Donors were screened for common STDs/STI at the Human Reproductive Research Programme /Invitro Fertilization Centre of the University of Benin Teaching Hospital. The incidence rates are Staphylococcus aureus (20%), followed by Chlamydia trachomatis (6.7%) while Klebsiellia spp, Treponema pallidum, Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV), Escherichia coli and Hepatitis B Virus were detected with incidence rate of 3.3% each respectively. Ten percent (10%) of the prospective semen donors had evidence of polymicrobial infection excluding HIV. The risk of sexually transmitted diseases or infection should be of great concern to couples undergoing therapeutic artificial donor insemination. Keywords: STDs/STI, Artificial Insemination, Semen Donors

Result Of Seroprevalence Of HIV Amonst Undergraduate Students Of Government Approved Private University In Edo State

The seroprevalence of HIV amongst undergraduate students of a Government Approved University of Edo State was studied. Out of 1020 students randomly selected from the various faculties or departments, qualitative detection of anti bodies to HIV were detected in (4.3%) male and (2.3) female. There was a significant difference in seroprevalence rate between the male students and female category as

Gender differences in oral health attitudes and behaviour among Nigerian clinical dental students

Objective: This study aims to use the modified Hiroshima University Dental Behavior Inventory (HU-DBI) to determine the differences in oral health attitudes and behaviour between male and female clinical dental students at the clinical level in University of Benin.Method: This study included 141 clinical dental students made up of 85 males and 56 females of the University of Benin. Participation was voluntary and all participants remained anonymous. Demographic information was obtained including age, gender and years of study. The duration of study was from February to May 2010.A modified English version of HU-DBI survey which consists of 22 1temswith dichotomous responses (yes-no) was used in this study.Result: Of the total 154 clinical (4th, 5th and 6th years of study) dental students, a total of 141 clinical dental students participated in the study by completing the questionnaire giving a response rate of 91.56%. The age of the students ranged from 18 to 35 years with a mean age of 25.26 + 3.5 years. Statistically significant   differences (p <0.05) were found between males and females dental students for items: 2 (I have been to a   dentist office before), 14 (I worry about having bad breath), 17 (I eat a lot of refined sugar containing snacks in-between meals) and 19 (I worry about the colour of my teeth).The total mean score between male and female dental students was significant (P< 0.05).Conclusion: The results from this study were in agreement with studies in other countries showing that there are gender differences in some aspects of oral health attitudes and behaviour, and as a matter of fact, improving professional behaviour of the dental students is needed to be improved so as to improve their oral health attitude in order to serve as a positive model for their patients, families and friends. Key words: Oral health attitude, dental behaviour, dental student