Traditional/Alternative Medicine: An Investigation into Identification, Knowledge and Consumption Practices of Herbal Medicine among Students with Hearing Impairment in Ibadan, South-Western Nigeria

The use of traditional medicine as alternative or complimentary therapy is gaining prominence in primary health care worldwide. This is because of the efficacy in the management of mild, chronic seemingly incurable ailments/diseases. Though the publicity is on the increase from country to country in the world, however, one cannot conclude that the information has reached all classes of people. This study therefore investigated identification, knowledge and consumption practice of herbal medicine among the hearing-impaired. The study adopted survey research design. A total of 50 students with hearing impairment were selected from different locations in Ibadan, Oyo State, Nigeria. Traditional medicinal inventory was used to collect data with reliabilities of 0.72, 0.80 and 0.67 respectively based on perception, knowledge and consumption practices. Two research questions were answered and two hypotheses tested. Result revealed wrong perception and low knowledge of traditional/alternative therapy. Also, there was no significant difference in the identification and consumption practice and no significant influence of religion on consumption practice among the respondents. Based on the results, it is recommended that proper education should be given to students with hearing impairment about traditional medicine. Keywords: Alternative medicine, Students, Hearing-impaired, Cultural belief, Nigeri

HERBAL RECIPES USED FOR THE TRADITIONAL MANAGEMENT OF INFANTILE DERMATITIS IN ODEDA, SOUTHWESTERN NIGERIA

Background: The period of infancy, spanning through the neonatal stage to two years, is characterized by a series of health challenges for the affected child and concerned parents. This study conducted in Odeda Local Government Area of Ogun State, Nigeria was aimed at investigating the plants used in the traditional management of infantile dermatitis and other neonatal skin infections with emphasis on the role of SPICES. Methods: Structured questionnaires (and personal interview) were administered to 36 nursing mothers (age range, 15 – 50) and 30 herbsellers (age range, 21 – 60) in the LGA. The herbsellers prescribed recipes used in the management of general skin diseases including abscess, chicken pox, eczema, flaky skin spots, measles, rashes, ringworm, and small pox. Results: The survey yielded 69 plants belonging to 38 families and forming 25 polyherbal and mono-recipes. Fabaceae, Rutaceae, Euphorbiaceae, Annonaceae, Poaceae, Meliaceae, and Amaryllidaceae had high species representation. Trees (40.58%) were the most frequently used plant habit while leaves (40.58%) formed the most frequently used plant part. Decoction and infusion using pure water were the methods of preparation suggested. Administration ranged from drinking extracts (2-3 teaspoonfuls) three times daily, to bathing with warm extracts of the plants and the use of coconut oil as cream. Traditional black soap and Shea butter also featured in the herbal remedy for bath and as cream respectively. Local sponge was preferred for bathing. Conclusion: This study has documented the alternative medical approach in the management of infantile skin diseases. The cultural relevance of plants calls for sustainable use of plant resources. This research finds application in primary health care, microbiology, and in cosmetic industries for the development of new or improved baby skin care products. Further research should be conducted to confirm the claimed ethnomedicinal values as well as evaluate possible harm of crude plant extracts to skin structures of infants

Association between convalescent plasma treatment and mortality in COVID-19: a collaborative systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized clinical trials.

Funder: laura and john arnold foundationBACKGROUND: Convalescent plasma has been widely used to treat COVID-19 and is under investigation in numerous randomized clinical trials, but results are publicly available only for a small number of trials. The objective of this study was to assess the benefits of convalescent plasma treatment compared to placebo or no treatment and all-cause mortality in patients with COVID-19, using data from all available randomized clinical trials, including unpublished and ongoing trials (Open Science Framework, https://doi.org/10.17605/OSF.IO/GEHFX ). METHODS: In this collaborative systematic review and meta-analysis, clinical trial registries (ClinicalTrials.gov, WHO International Clinical Trials Registry Platform), the Cochrane COVID-19 register, the LOVE database, and PubMed were searched until April 8, 2021. Investigators of trials registered by March 1, 2021, without published results were contacted via email. Eligible were ongoing, discontinued and completed randomized clinical trials that compared convalescent plasma with placebo or no treatment in COVID-19 patients, regardless of setting or treatment schedule. Aggregated mortality data were extracted from publications or provided by investigators of unpublished trials and combined using the Hartung-Knapp-Sidik-Jonkman random effects model. We investigated the contribution of unpublished trials to the overall evidence. RESULTS: A total of 16,477 patients were included in 33 trials (20 unpublished with 3190 patients, 13 published with 13,287 patients). 32 trials enrolled only hospitalized patients (including 3 with only intensive care unit patients). Risk of bias was low for 29/33 trials. Of 8495 patients who received convalescent plasma, 1997 died (23%), and of 7982 control patients, 1952 died (24%). The combined risk ratio for all-cause mortality was 0.97 (95% confidence interval: 0.92; 1.02) with between-study heterogeneity not beyond chance (I2 = 0%). The RECOVERY trial had 69.8% and the unpublished evidence 25.3% of the weight in the meta-analysis. CONCLUSIONS: Convalescent plasma treatment of patients with COVID-19 did not reduce all-cause mortality. These results provide strong evidence that convalescent plasma treatment for patients with COVID-19 should not be used outside of randomized trials. Evidence synthesis from collaborations among trial investigators can inform both evidence generation and evidence application in patient care

A comparative Study on the Knowledge of Cleft Lip and Palate among Antenatal attendees in urban and Sub-urban Health Facilities in Lagos, Nigeria

Background: Several countries have reported a low level of awareness and knowledge of cleft lip and palate (CLP) in their populations. Little is known about the level of awareness and knowledge of CLP in Nigeria among antenatal attendees.Objective: The aim of the study is to evaluate and compare the awareness and knowledge of oro-facial cleft among antenatal attendees at sub-urban and rural health facilities in Lagos state.Methods: A cross-sectional descriptive study was undertaken on pregnant women attending the antenatal clinics in two sub-urban and two urban health facilities in Lagos state. Data was obtained by interviewer administered questionnaire. Information requested in the questionnaire include biodata, awareness using images of orofacial cleft and knowledge was also assessed among the respondents.Results: Atotal of 424 respondents participated in this study (one hundred and ninety seven respondents from rural facilities and 227 from Sub-urban facilities). Forty eight percent had tertiary education, while only 1.7% had received no form of formal education. Thirty percent were Professionals/ large scale business owners and 7.5% were petty traders/laborers. Of all the respondents 77.8% had notheard of cleft lip and 85.6% of cleft palate. A total of 61.7% and 54.1% of the respondents from the rural health facilities had some knowledge of cleft lip and palate respectively, while at the sub-urban facilities only 38.3% and 45.9% had heard of cleft lip and palate respectively.Conclusions: The knowledge and awareness of orofacial cleft lip and palate was low among antenatal attendees in this study. The knowledge and awareness was lower in urban facilities than sub-urban health facilities. There is a need to include awareness about orofacial cleft in the health promotion programs targeting mothers attending antenatal clinics, particularly urban facilities. Keywords: Knowledge; antenatal attendees; orofacial cleft&nbsp