Sources of drug information and their influence on the prescribing behaviour of doctors in a teaching hospital in Ibadan, Nigeria

Background: Pharmaceutical drug promotion is a means of informing health professionals about new drugs. The approach is often times unethical and inappropriate and may promote irrational prescribing. Dearth of information on impact of pharmaceutical drug promotion on prescribing behaviour of doctors in developing African countries has necessitated this study. We therefore aimed to determine the sources of drug information for doctors working in a teaching hospital in Nigeria and to assess the self-reported impact of the sources on their prescribing behaviour. Methods: A total of 163 doctors working at the University College Hospital (UCH), Ibadan in Nigeria were evaluated with a questionnaire for their demographics and sources of drug information. For doctors who relied on drug promotion, they were asked to self-report and self-rate their opinion on extent of interactions with pharmaceutical companies as well as how such interactions had impacted on their prescribing behaviour. Apart from the demographics, each question was evaluated with a typical five-level Likert item. Data analyses were with simple descriptive statistics. Results: Of the 400 doctors working at UCH, only 40.8% participated in the study. Drug information was sourced from colleagues (161, 98.8%), reference books (158, 96.9%), pharmaceutical sales representatives-PSRs (152, 93.2%), promotion materials (151, 92.6%), scientific papers/journals/internet (149, 91.4%), and drug promotion forum/product launches (144, 88.3%). Each source was highly utilized but there was no wide variation in their pattern of use. According to the self-report of over a half of the respondents, PSRs was an accurate and reliable drug information resource; PSRs increased their awareness of the promoted drugs; and their prescribing behaviours were influenced by information from PSRs. Conclusion: Respondents tend to rely on a broad range of drug information resources which include potentially inappropriate resources such as PSRs. Since this study was based on self-report, the influence of drug information resources reported by the respondents on their prescribing behaviour may have been underestimated. Measures should be taken to minimize interactions between PSRs and the respondents.Key words: Drug, prescription, information source, promotion, pharmaceutical company, influence, doctors, Nigeri

THE INFLUENCE OF CONTEXT ON PRIVACY CONCERN IN SMART TOURISM DESTINATIONS

A study of existing literature research shows that mobile application development and usage is now an essential aspect of everyday life. The privacy concerns of the users towards the application provided on the mobile devices that make use of their data is still a problem. This study highlights the need for mitigating the privacy concern of the users towards mobile applications used in smart tourism destinations and develops a framework based on the review of previous research and literature. The framework proposed by this study supports the relationship between personal beliefs and the environment, with the moderating effect of use context. This research is empirically driven and discusses the relationships between the study item's privacy concern, use context, and behavioral intentions within the context of the mobile application

Physico-chemical composition of sweet orange (Citrus sinensis. cv Agege 1) with fruit maturity in an organic production system

This study investigated changes in the physical, biochemical and proximate composition of sweet orange (cv. Agege 1) with fruit maturity in a 7 year old orchard cultivated under organic production system of the tropical humid climate. The experiment was conducted for two consecutive early seasons between November 2014 and May 2016 at the Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta. Nigeria. Sweet orange trees were fertilized with 10t/ha poultry manure/tree twice in a year and fruits were harvested from 90 days after fruit set to 240 days after fruit set to evaluate for quality changes. Fruit and peel weight, juice volume, seed numbers and total soluble solids (TSS) contents of the sweet orange increased significantly (p<0.05) with fruit maturity. However, vitamin C content, titratable acidity and firmness decreased with fruit maturity. The peel colour of the fruits remained green with maturit

ADSORPTION CHARACTERISTICS OF MANGO LEAF (Mangifera indica) POWDER AS ADSORBENT FOR MALACHITE GREEN DYE REMOVAL FROM AQUEOUS SOLUTION

The adsorption of malachite green (MG) dye on mango leaf powder (MLP) was investigated in a batch process. The adsorbent prepared was characterized by Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy. Operational parameters such as initial dye concentration, contact time and solution temperature governing the adsorption process were studied and evaluated. Equilibrium data were fitted to both Langmuir and Freundlich isotherm models, Langmuir model gave the best fit. The maximum monolayer coverage Q0 was 4.49 mg/g. Kinetic parameters, rate constants, equilibrium sorption capacities, and related correlation coefficients of pseudo-first-order and pseudo-second-order models were calculated and discussed; the pseudo second-order model provided the best correlation with R2 ≥ 0.99. Thermodynamic functions such as Standard free energy (ΔG0), standard enthalpy (ΔH0), and standard entropy (ΔS0) were also calculated. The adsorption process was found to be feasible, spontaneous and endothermic in nature.Keywords: Mango leaf powder, Malachite green, Equilibrium, Adsorption, Thermodynamic

Examining the satisfaction level of construction workers on safety management in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

The importance of the construction industry in Saudi Arabia cannot be overemphasised as it provides the infrastructure required for other sectors of the economy to grow, thus reflecting the level of economic development in the country. However, in Saudi Arabia, the construction industry is recognized to be the one of the most hazardous with high levels of accidents and fatalities. This research aimed to examine construction Health and Safety practices in Saudi Arabia, and to identify means of facilitating improvements within the practices. It also discusses about safety climate. The research adopted a quantitative approach in which a survey questionnaire was distributed and returned at 60% response rate. The survey data was analysed through descriptive statistics using the SPSS statistical software. The findings showed that the Saudi construction industry has made improvements in Health and Safety standards, however there are opportunities for further improvements. There are on-going efforts to maintain reasonable Health and Safety standards of employees on-site, their conditions off-site particularly those of migrant employees on fixed term contract labour are difficult. Unpaid wages and lack of welfare facilities contribute to physical and psychological stresses that are linked to impaired on-site performance, lack of motivation, lack of productivity and a lack of interest in adhering to Health and Safety guidelines. The study concludes that it is possible to improve construction Health and Safety through effective enforcement of existing Health and Safety laws, enacting legislation for off-site Health and Safety for migrant workers, maintaining a fund for social security and improving regulation of commercial and contractual transactions. This study contributes to knowledge in the areas of government policy and decision making in health and safety implementation for the construction industry

POSTGRADUATE STUDENTS SELF-CONTROL AND ATTITUDE TOWARDS VIRTUAL NETWORKING WITHIN TWO SELECTED UNIVERSITIES IN NORTHEAST CHINA

The main purpose of this study was to assess post-graduate students’ self-control and attitude toward virtual networking. One hundred and twelve (112) postgraduate students from two selected universities in northeast China were chosen to answer a 19-item questionnaire investigating their self-control level and attitudes toward virtual networking. The results from using a one-way between subjects ANOVA revealed that no significant difference existed between age groups and attitude to virtual networking while significant difference was found between age groups and self-control with regards to virtual networking. Next, using the independent-samples t-test no significant difference was found when attitude towards virtual networking and gender were compared. Also no significant difference existed when self-control and gender were compared. Finally, using Pearson Correlation no significant relationship was found between the amounts of time spent online for academics and self-control. Furthermore, there was no significant relationship between time spent online for academics and attitude towards virtual networking.  Article visualizations

Measles outbreak investigation in an urban slum of Kaduna Metropolis, Kaduna State, Nigeria, March 2015

Introduction:&nbsp;despite availability of an effective vaccine, the measles epidemic continue to occur in Nigeria. In February 2015, we investigated a suspected measles outbreak in an urban slum in Rigasa, Kaduna State, Nigeria. The study was to confirm the outbreak, determine the risk factors and implement appropriate control measures. Methods:&nbsp;we identified cases through active search and health record review. We conducted an unmatched case-control (1:1) study involving 75 under-5 cases who were randomly sampled, and 75 neighborhood controls. We interviewed caregivers of these children using structured questionnaire to collect information on sociodemographic characteristics and vaccination status of children. We collected 15 blood samples for measles IgM using Enzyme Linked Immunosorbent Assay. Descriptive, bivariate and logistic regression analyses were performed using Epi-info software. Confidence interval was set at 95%. Results:&nbsp;we recorded 159 cases with two deaths {case fatality rate = 1.3%}. 50.3% (80) of the cases were male. Of the 15 serum samples, 11(73.3%) were confirmed IgM positive for measles. Compared to the controls, the cases were more likely to have had no or incomplete routine immunization (RI) [adjusted odds ratio (AOR) (95% confidence interval (CI)]: 28.3 (2.1, 392.0), contact with measles cases [AOR (95% CI)]: 7.5 (2.9, 19.7), and having a caregiver younger than 20 years [AOR (95% CI)]: 5.2 (1.2, 22.5). Measles serum IgM was positive in 11 samples. Conclusion:&nbsp;we identified low RI uptake and contact with measles cases as predictors of measles outbreak in Rigasa, Kaduna State. We recommended strengthening of RI and education of care-givers' on completing RI schedule

Pediatric chronic kidney disease: Manifestations and evaluation

Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is unique in children due to varying etiology, manifestation, and impact. Whereas it is far a lesser burden compared with adult CKD, childhood CKD has a psychosocial impact on caregivers, impair growth, quality of life, and ultimately associated with increased mortality. We summarize the manifestation, diagnosis, and evaluation of a child with CKD, whose early detection, and appropriate management will improve their outcome. Thus, we hope this will be valuable to the general medical practitioners, and pediatricians in the care of children with CKD

Capital Inflows and Industrial Performance in Nigeria: Including the Excluded

Africa most populous black nations remain underdeveloped, mainly due to shambolic industrial sector performance. Rising problems of insecurity, corrupt practices, consumerism structure have made gains from capital inflows minimal. Little is empirical credence has been leaned to the capital inflow-industrial output growth relationship in Nigeria. This anomaly has resulted in shortsighted policy formulation and attendant consequences. This paper examined international capital flows and industrial performance in Nigeria. The paper employed the two-step Engle and Granger estimation procedure and the Granger Causality to estimates parameters of the indices of industrial output growth and capital inflows to Nigeria. Findings revealed that labour participation, gross fixed capital formation, foreign direct investment (FDI) and portfolio investment have a significant positive relationship with industrial performance in Nigeria. Findings also revealed unidirectional causality from labour participation, gross fixed capital formation, foreign direct investment (FDI) and portfolio investment to industrial performance in Nigeria. Based on the findings, the Nigerian government should create an enabling environment to attract more capital inflow that could augment domestic resources with the sole aim of growing the industrial sector

Development of a microcontroller based automobile speed limiting device and alarm control system

Road accident due to overspeeding is a common occurrence in a developing nation such as Nigeria. Therefore, the need for a device capable of notifying a vehicle driver when the allowed speed limit of an area is exceeded arises. In this work, a microcontroller based automobile speed limiting device and alarm control system was designed and developed. The core components employed for the system design include Arduino Nano microcontroller, 1602 liquid crystal displays (LCD) module, light-emitting diodes (LEDs), buzzer, 18650 battery, I2C, infrared detectors and push buttons. Data gathering and circuit designs were implemented with microcontroller as focal point using suitable design models. Performance test was carried out on the developed system and the device’s reading error was determined. The developed automobile speed limiting device and alarm control system was functional and performed satisfactorily during testing. The reading error of the device was evaluated as 5.83%. The developed speed limiting device, apart from being suitable and efficient for vehicle speed measurement, could also be deployed for general applications requiring speed measurement