Cataract Surgery Informed Consent Survey

To evaluate the importance patients attach to informed consent and the information they are given during counselling for cataract surgery. A total number of sixty one patients who came for cataract surgery during the eye camp in Owo in August, 2006 were randomly selected using simple random sampling and interviewed. Most respondents attached importance to informed consent and considered it as a legal document. The information the respondents considered most important was the chances of restoration of vision after operation. Chances of vision restoration was very important to the respondents. Keywords: Informed consent, cataract surgery. The Nigerian Medical Practitioner Vol. 51 (6) 2007: pp. 133-13

Eye Care Preferences Among Rural Nigerians

This is a cross sectional community based study that determined the eye care seeking dispositions of the adult Nigerians using the inhabitants of Afon a rural community in Kwara State, Nigeria as a case study. A total of three hundred and thirty nine (339) adult inhabitants of the Community were selected using cluster sampling technique. Semi-structured questionnaires were administered on the respondents by the author and three assistants. Most respondents (62.5%) resorted to orthodox eye care while a few (8.8%) sought traditional eye care. Others (26.3%) received no treatment at all while 2.4% sought spiritual and other combinations. The preferred mode of eye care was the orthodox care. Keywords: Eye Care, Preferences, NigeriaNigerian Journal of Surgical Sciences Vol. 17 (2) 2007: pp. 116-12

Community Acceptance of Collaboration Between Ophthalmologists and Traditional Healers in Rural Nigeria

This is a cross sectional community-based study that determined acceptability of collaboration between ophthalmologists and traditional eye care providers in Afon a rural community in Kwara state, Nigeria. The views of traditional healers and ophthalmologists were also sought. This study was conducted between March and April, 2005 as well as September,2007. A total number of three hundred and thirty nine adult inhabitants of the community were selected by the authors using cluster sampling technique. Semi-structured questionnaires were administered on the respondents by the author for correspondence and three assistants. Information regarding bio data and view of respondents on prospects of collaboration between ophthalmologists and traditional eye care providers were obtained. A focus group discussion was held between the author for correspondence and thirty two traditional healers practicing in the community in April,2005 to establish their readiness for collaboration with ophthalmologists .One hundred and one ophthalmologists practicing in Nigeria were interviewed during the annual congress of the Ophthalmological society of Nigeria in September,2007 to establish their views on collaboration with traditional healers. Majority (77%) of the respondents in Afon community expressed support for collaboration between ophthalmologists and traditional healers while 20% did not support collaboration. The thirty two traditional healers practicing in the community were ready for collaboration with ophthalmologists. Majority of the ophthalmologists interviewed (57.6%) were against collaboration with traditional healers. Collaboration between eye care providers and traditional healers is acceptable to Afon community and traditional healers. However most Nigerian ophthalmologists are against collaboration with traditional healers. There is need for flexibility on the part of all concerned for any meaningful collaboration between ophthalmologists and traditional healers. Nigerian Medical Practitioner Vol. 52 (3) 2007: pp. 70-7

Sex-biased and body condition dependent dispersal capacity in the endangered saproxylic beetle Osmoderma eremita (Coleoptera: Cetoniidae).

International audienceThe dispersal capacity of rare and endangered insect species has rarely been estimated even though it is essential for their management. For these species, laboratory based experiments are considered more appropriate for determining dispersal capacity as well as the factors influencing it. We aimed to characterize dispersal capacity of the endangered saproxylic beetle Osmoderma eremita (Scopoli, 1763) (Coleoptera: Cetoniidae). We studied the influence of sex and body condition on several parameters of dispersal (seven parameters of flight capacity measured in laboratory and pre-flight behaviour observed in the wild). Tethered flight experiments, conducted on 30 individuals collected in several regions of France, revealed: (1) maximal single flight distance of 1,454 m and maximal total flight distance of 2,361 m; (2) higher flight capacity in females than males; (3) flight speed and take-off completion decreasing with increasing body condition only for females. Additionally, 32 individuals displaying pre-flight behaviour in the wild showed similar interacting influences of sex and body condition: females initiating pre-flight behaviour had lower body condition than males. Thus, males and females have different dispersal strategies. We propose that body condition influences on dispersal capacity should be considered for species conservation by, for instance, managing adult food resources at the landscape scale and need to be taken into account in introduction programmes