A Study on Cervical Cancer Screening Amongst Nurses in Lagos University Teaching Hospital, Lagos, Nigeria

Cancer of the cervix is the commonest genital tract malignancy in the female, and it has been ranked second to breast cancer. It has positive association with infection of human papillomavirus. Cervical cancer incidence and mortality have declined substantially in western countries following the introduction of screening programmes. This present study investigated the knowledge, attitude and practice of nurses in Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH) towards cervical cancer screening as they are important health personnel that are suppose to educate women on the need for cervical cancer screening. The study is a descriptive cross-sectional survey of the knowledge, attitude and practice of 200 nurses in LUTH towards cervical cancer screening. The results obtained showed that 99% of the respondents were aware of cervical cancer and that 92% of the respondents were also aware of the causative organism of cervical cancer (human papillomavirus). Their major sources of information were through electronic media (43.9%) and health professionals (37.4%). Furthermore, the respondents were quiet aware of Pap smear (91%) as one of the screening techniques of cervical cancer and had good attitudes (89%) towards Pap smear, but most of them had never done it before. The study further revealed that majority of the respondents did not know colposcopy as one of the screening techniques for cervical cancer. Finally, it has been made known from this study that nurses have good knowledge of cervical cancer but have limited understanding of the types of cervical cancer screening techniques and poor disposition towards undergoing cervical cancer screening. It may thus be recommended that institutions should periodically organise seminars and training for health personnel especially the nurses which form a group of professionals that should give health education to women about cervical cancer. This training may be done as part of the orientation programme to newly employed staff

The Knowledge and Attitude towards Childhood Immunization amongst Mothers Attending Antenatal Clinic in Lagos University Teaching Hospital

Immunization remains one of the most important public health interventions and a cost effective strategy to reduce both the morbidity and mortality associated with infectious diseases. Over two million deaths are delayed through immunization each year worldwide. Childhood immunization is an act of inducing immunity to a child by applying a vaccine that almost guarantees protection from many major diseases. This present study aims to assess the knowledge and attitude of mothers attending antenatal clinic in Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH) towards childhood immunization as the findings obtained may serve as the basis for effective intervention. This study is a descriptive cross-sectional survey of the knowledge and attitude of 274 mothers attending antenatal clinics in LUTH towards childhood immunization between April and June, 2009. The results showed that almost all the respondents were aware of immunization and that immunization could prevent childhood illness (93.8%; 98.1%) respectively. However, some of the respondents (28.8%) felt immunization will make their children brilliant. A large percentage of the respondents (45.5%) thought that polio vaccines ought to be given five (5) times while only 8.6% knew it should be given four (4) times. There were significant (P<0.05) relationships between age of respondents; ethnicity; level of education; occupation and attitude to immunization. However, there was no significant (P>0.05) relationship between religion and attitude to immunization. Although majority of the mothers were aware of immunization services, their knowledge of immunization schedule as well as of vaccine preventable diseases is poor. A better understanding of routine immunization schedule is important in the design and implementation of immunization programmes. Educating mothers about the vaccines and vaccine preventable diseases, and improving their performance are recommended

Perception of community pharmacists on abuse of psychotropic medications among the consumers

Purpose: Abuse of medications implies that the user is using them for reasons other than those indicated in the prescribing literature. Psychotropic medications are those capable of affecting the mind, motions, and behavior of humans. This study sought to determine the perception of community pharmacists about the pattern of psychotropic medication abuse among their customers.Methods: A descriptive, cross-sectional study carried out among community pharmacists in Surulere axis of Lagos State, Nigeria, by census sampling method using a structured questionnaire.Results: Majority of the respondents (74.7%) were male and within ten years of practice experience (85.1%). About four-fifth (84.4%) of the respondents perceived that psychotropic medications were being abused by customers purchasing such medications from them. Caffeine-based analgesics ranked highest (85.1%) among the drugs perceived to be abused while dextromethorphan-containing cough syrup, sedative antihistamine, codeine-based analgesics, tramadol, oral decongestant, and benzodiazepines were perceived to be equally abused (84.4%). Male customers were perceived to abuse psychotropic medications more than their female counterparts and abuse of tramadol and codeine-based analgesics were specifically noted to be higher in customers younger than 26 years of age.Conclusion: Consumer psychotropic medication abuse at community pharmacies was perceived to be ignificant in Lagos community pharmacies

Contextualizing Sustainable Infrastructure Development in Nigeria

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Insect Pest Profile of Leaf Amaranth (Amaranthus hybridus L) and Prevention Herbivory Using Oil-Based Extracts of Alium sativum L, Xylopia aethiopica Dunal and Eucalyptus globolus L

Pest profile of Amaranthus hybridus was recorded in a single organic agro-ecosystem in Southwestern Nigeria between November-December in 2016 and January-February 2017, during the dry season. Activities of different pests were monitored to identify those responsible for the most significant damage. Vegetable oil-based extracts of Alium sativum, Xylopia aethiopica and Eucalyptus globolus were prepared and applied on A. hybridus as protectants against herbivory by phytophagous insects and damage to foliage was assessed. Thereafter, the extracts were rated based on the mean percentage damage (MPD) recorded in different plots in relation to the treatments. A total of nine pests were recorded from three insect Orders namely, Orthoptera (62.5%), Coleoptera (12.5%) and Lepidoptera (25%) and they were grouped into Major, Minor or Occasional pests based on their activities. Two lepidopterans, Spoladea recurvalis and Psara basalis (Family: Crambidae) were responsible for the most significant damage. All the extracts reduced damage with a statistically significant difference (P&lt;0.05) compared with the control. The MPD in X. aethiopica-, A. sativum- and E. globolus-treated plots and the control plots were 10.9%, 8%, 14% and 31.2% respectively when the amaranth was due for harvest in the first trial. The MPD to the amaranth in the treated plots during the second trial was between 13.6% and 16.3% when the harvest was due while the MPD in the control was 54.9%. The performances of E. globolus and X. aethiopica were comparable and they were relatively more effective in protecting A. hybridus against phytophagous pest attacks.</jats:p

Insect Pest Profile of Leaf Amaranth (Amaranthus hybridus L) and Prevention Herbivory Using Oil-Based Extracts of Alium sativum L, Xylopia aethiopica Dunal and Eucalyptus globolus L

Pest profile of Amaranthus hybridus was recorded in a single organic agro-ecosystem in Southwestern Nigeria between November-December in 2016 and January-February 2017, during the dry season. Activities of different pests were monitored to identify those responsible for the most significant damage. Vegetable oil-based extracts of Alium sativum, Xylopia aethiopica and Eucalyptus globolus were prepared and applied on A. hybridus as protectants against herbivory by phytophagous insects and damage to foliage was assessed. Thereafter, the extracts were rated based on the mean percentage damage (MPD) recorded in different plots in relation to the treatments. A total of nine pests were recorded from three insect Orders namely, Orthoptera (62.5%), Coleoptera (12.5%) and Lepidoptera (25%) and they were grouped into Major, Minor or Occasional pests based on their activities. Two lepidopterans, Spoladea recurvalis and Psara basalis (Family: Crambidae) were responsible for the most significant damage. All the extracts reduced damage with a statistically significant difference (P&lt;0.05) compared with the control. The MPD in X. aethiopica-, A. sativum- and E. globolus-treated plots and the control plots were 10.9%, 8%, 14% and 31.2% respectively when the amaranth was due for harvest in the first trial. The MPD to the amaranth in the treated plots during the second trial was between 13.6% and 16.3% when the harvest was due while the MPD in the control was 54.9%. The performances of E. globolus and X. aethiopica were comparable and they were relatively more effective in protecting A. hybridus against phytophagous pest attacks

An Appraisal of Facilities Management Practice in Nigeria: A Perceptual Survey

Facilities management has transformed over the years from what was traditionally perceived to be mere facilities maintenance to a profession that integrates the management of an organization's buildings and infrastructure in order to create an environment that supports the primary objectives of that organization. This research aims to investigate the current state of facilities management practice in Nigeria using three major cities in the south-south geo-political zone as multi-case study. The study used both questionnaire and interview surveys to collect data from respondents who have had immense experience in the practice of facilities management. Findings reveal that there is a significant level of improvement in the practice of facilities management, with Real estate rated the component with the highest volume of activities while lack of awareness was rated the greatest challenge facing the profession in the zone. It was recommended that government at both state and federal should put in place proactive measures to encourage and expose the benefits of facilities management