Patient satisfaction with services at a tertiary hospital in south-east Nigeria

Background Patients’ views of the services they receive in a healthcare service help identify critical areas that may need improvement. This survey set out to determine patients’ satisfaction with quality of general services and specifically with staff attitude and the hospital environment, while on admission at a teaching hospital in Enugu, south-east Nigeria.MethodsThis was a descriptive cross-sectional study using a structured self-administered questionnaire on 170 patients (54% females and 46% males, aged between 20 and 65 years), post admission, selected by multistage sampling. ResultsLess than half (47.3%) of the patients were satisfied with care received on admission. More than half of them (51.8%) were satisfied with the cleanliness of the hospital environment and how power supply was maintained in the hospital (62.4%). Doctors (90%), nurses (64.1%) and records staff (60.6%) were considered courteous and professional. Most patients were satisfied with the level of privacy given to them in their course of hospital stay (67.6%) and with the cost of laboratory investigations (51.8%). ConclusionDespite more than half of the surveyed patients being satisfied with some specific aspects of services given while on admission, those satisfied with the overall experience were less than half. Therefore, periodic patient satisfaction surveys should be institutionalized in this facility to provide feedback for continuous quality improvement

A Panchromatic Spectral Population Synthesis Model for Young Star-Burst Galaxies

The study of the properties of galaxies to possibly map their formation and evolutionary paths is an active research field both from observational and theoretical point of view. Great observational efforts are continuously devoted to map the spectral energy distribution (SED) of galaxies in the local universe and at high-redshifts over all wavelength range, by surveying the sky with both ground and space-borne instruments. Surveys in different spectral bands have revealed galaxies with drastically different activity levels and energy budgets, symptoms of underlying disparate basic physical properties. It is these basic properties that one aims to uncover in order to get insights on the complex behaviour of mass assembly and recycling in galaxies. The fundamental tools necessary for this task are spectral synthesis models. These models are based on the availability of a complete library of stellar evolution models, that homogeneously cover the range of stellar masses, metallicities, and evolutionary phases that contribute to the integrated SED of a galaxy. From these and a library with a complete coverage of the stellar parameters, the integrated SED of simple stellar populations (SSP) can then be computed. To compare the theoretical SED with the observed one, it is important to account for, at very least, the main processes producing radiation and affecting the radiation path, i.e. stars, ionized gas nebulae for the main recombination lines and continuum emission, core-collapsed supernovae (CCSN) for the non-thermal radio emission, and the interaction between stellar radiation and dust grains in the interstellar medium (ISM). In this thesis, I focus on a major revision and extension of the SSP models based on the PAdova TRieste Stellar Evolution Code (PARSEC) that is used to compute stellar evolutionary tracks used for population synthesis purposes.. By means of PARSEC stellar tracks, I compute, at five different metallicities (0.0001 - 0.02) and four different IMF upper mass limits (40 - 350$M_{\odot}$), the integrated stellar light, the line and continuum emission (effects of ionized nebulae on this light) and of the non-thermal emission predicted by young SSPs. I then use the new SSP models in combination with the radiative transfer code GRASIL (GRAphites and SILicates) to include the stellar extinction by dust and the ensuing IR emission, therefore providing a panchromatic UV-to radio SED modelling. I calibrate and apply this new model to observations. Thereafter, I carry out a critical investigation of the effect of metallicity, IMF upper mass limit and star formation regime (star bursting versus normal star forming) on star formation rate (SFR) and dust attenuation properties of star forming galaxies. This allowed for the provision of a consistent set of SFR calibrations, that are explicitly dependent on metallicity and IMF upper mass limit and also on the age of the starburst, at wavelengths ranging from UV to radio. Finally, I considered the possible use of the radio slope to identify the the IMF upper mass limit where i showed that the method is well suited for high-redshift objects with a prolonged star formation

Evaluation of Four Botanical Fungicides and Situational Review on Vigna ungiculata(L.Walp.) Anthracnose pathogen, Colletotrichum spp. Sacc & Mang.

ABSTRACT The completion of this research involved the revision of about seventy one referred subject related journals and academic materials. The parasitic organism Colletotrichum destructivum O`Gara was associated as the actual causal pathogen of cowpea anthracnose. Of all the twenty different pathogens linked with the various cowpea fungal diseases, in this work, only Colletotrichum (C. destructivum) was found to have the virulence and propensity of afflicting a 100% infection on a single susceptible cowpea crop each at a given pathogenic situation. Twenty Colletotrichum species along with their specific primary hosts were identified in this work. The study also provided eighteen plant families under the pathogenic affliction of Colletotrichum identified alongside eighteen different plant families representing the entire plants and plant materials screened for biofungicidal properties within a span of eleven years. The screened botanicals of four plants of Azadiractha indica, Cymbopogon citratus, Ocimum gratissimum, and Xylopia aethiopica were effective in reducing the spore germination and radial growth of Colletotrichum destructivum O`Gara in vitro and the growth of the pathogen in vivo. Cold water botanicals of C. citratus were the best in reducing the growth of the pathogen in vitro and in checking the spread of anthracnose disease of cowpea in vivo. An evaluation with cowpea (Vigna unguiculata) indicated the extracts applied before or after pathogen inoculation to be significantly effective in reducing the size of pathogen induced lesion

Economic Development, Social Dislocation and Political Turmoil in Sub-Saharan Africa: A Pooled Time-Series Analysis and a Test of Causality

This study focuses on economic development and political turmoil in post-independence Sub-Saharan Africa. There has been a resurgence of interest in the region following the end of the Cold War. In 1997 U.S. president Bill Clinton took a 12-day tour of the region. In 1999 the U.S. Congress (106th Congress) passed the Growth and Opportunity Act and the Hope for Africa Act, designed to encourage political stability and economic development in the region. Although most Sub-Saharan African countries attained independence from colonial rule in the 1960s, more than 30 years of self-government have brought little economic development and political stability to the region. This study attempts to analyze, theoretically and empirically, the relationship among economic development, social dislocation and political turmoil. Social dislocation, as defined in this study, means "urbanization," and it is used as an exogenous variable to model and test the hypothesized causal relationship between economic development and political turmoil. This study employs pooled cross-sectional time-series and seemingly unrelated regression analyses, as well as Granger-causality, to examine the hypothesized relationships and causality in 24 Sub-Saharan African countries from 1971 to 1995. The results confirm the classical economic development theory's argument that an increase in economic development leads to a decrease in political turmoil. The result of the pooled analysis is confirmed by a SUR analysis on the strength of the relationship at the individual country level in 21 of the 24 countries. However, an indirect positive relationship exist between economic development and political turmoil through social dislocation. At lag periods 1 and 2, I found a causal ordering leading from economic development to political turmoil, indicating a causal relationship from economic development to social dislocation and from social dislocation to political turmoil

HYPOGLYCAEMIA AS A CONSEQUENCE OF PRE-OPERATIVE FASTING: MYTH OR REALITY?

Background: The fatal risk of pulmonary aspiration of gastric contents during anaesthesia had since been recognized and consequently preoperative fasting guideline is usually prescribed to prevent this. Concern about development of hypoglycaemia during prolonged fasting has often been expressed, especially in children. AIM: This study is intended to determine the fasting blood glucose in preoperative patients of different age groups who were fasted for varying duration of time, and determine whether indeed hypoglycaemia occurs during inadvertently prolonged fasting which we often encounter in our practice setting. Methodology: A prospective cohort study of fasting blood glucose (FBG) of patients presenting for elective surgery in the principal investigator\u27s operating rooms at the National Orthopaedic Hospital, Enugu, Nigeria was carried out. Blood glucose meter was used for estimation of glucose in capillary whole blood of the patients and the obtained data were analysed using SPSS version 16.0 statistical software. Comparison of mean values was done using the Chi-square test with statistical significance put at P < 0.05.  Results: Out of one hundred and thirty three patients studied with mean age of 30.2 ± 19.60 years (range: 1-72 years), and mean duration of fasting 12.73 ± 2.01 hours, (range: 8-16 hours), the mean fasting blood glucose was found to be 91.49 ± 13.36mg/dl (range: 58 - 124mg/dl). No relationship was found between age and FBG (Pearson\u27s correlation coefficient, r = 0.025). Likewise duration of fasting did not relate with FBG (Pearson\u27s correlation coefficient, r = 0.088). One patient (0.8%) had hypoglycaemia, with blood glucose of 58mg/dl. Conclusion: Hypoglycaemia as a consequence of pre-operative fasting is rare, even in non-infants fasted for considerably long hours. Neither patient\u27s age, gender, nor duration of fasting had any significant influence on the fasting blood glucose of the patients. Keywords: Hypoglycaemia; Pre-operative fasting; Whole blood; Plasma

HYPOGLYCAEMIA AS A CONSEQUENCE OF PRE-OPERATIVE FASTING: MYTH OR REALITY?

Background: The fatal risk of pulmonary aspiration of gastric contents during anaesthesia had since been recognized and consequently preoperative fasting guideline is usually prescribed to prevent this. Concern about development of hypoglycaemia during prolonged fasting has often been expressed, especially in children. AIM: This study is intended to determine the fasting blood glucose in preoperative patients of different age groups who were fasted for varying duration of time, and determine whether indeed hypoglycaemia occurs during inadvertently prolonged fasting which we often encounter in our practice setting. Methodology: A prospective cohort study of fasting blood glucose (FBG) of patients presenting for elective surgery in the principal investigator's operating rooms at the National Orthopaedic Hospital, Enugu, Nigeria was carried out. Blood glucose meter was used for estimation of glucose in capillary whole blood of the patients and the obtained data were analysed using SPSS version 16.0 statistical software. Comparison of mean values was done using the Chi-square test with statistical significance put at P < 0.05.  Results: Out of one hundred and thirty three patients studied with mean age of 30.2 ± 19.60 years (range: 1-72 years), and mean duration of fasting 12.73 ± 2.01 hours, (range: 8-16 hours), the mean fasting blood glucose was found to be 91.49 ± 13.36mg/dl (range: 58 - 124mg/dl). No relationship was found between age and FBG (Pearson's correlation coefficient, r = 0.025). Likewise duration of fasting did not relate with FBG (Pearson's correlation coefficient, r = 0.088). One patient (0.8%) had hypoglycaemia, with blood glucose of 58mg/dl. Conclusion: Hypoglycaemia as a consequence of pre-operative fasting is rare, even in non-infants fasted for considerably long hours. Neither patient's age, gender, nor duration of fasting had any significant influence on the fasting blood glucose of the patients. Keywords: Hypoglycaemia; Pre-operative fasting; Whole blood; Plasma

A TRIAL TO PREVENT VIBRIO CHOLERAE IN ALBINO MICE USING AUTOGENOUS BACTERIN

This study was carried out to evaluate the protective effects of autogenous bacterin against Vibrio cholerae ETOR type isolated from Ubahudara and Aruolah streams in Uli community, Ihiala L.G.A, Anambra State.  A total of 16 water samples were drawn from each stream and screened for the presence of Vibrio cholerae using pour plate method. The colonies generated from the primary isolation wassub cultured, characterized and identified using their colony description, morphological and biochemical characteristics. The pathogenic potentials of the organism on mice were investigated by challenging the mice orally using 0.5 ml of the inoculum (108cells/ml). The infected mice were kept under observation for two weeks for clinical signs, mortalities, gross lesions, histopathological changes and re-isolation from the internal organs after sacrificing the mice. The protective effect of bacterin was investigated using in vivo method. The result revealed that Vibrio cholerae ETOR type was significantly (P˂ 0.05) seen more in Ubahudara stream (67.44%) than Aruolah stream (32.56%). There were gross clinical abnormalities; kidney and liver congestion, perihepatits and fluid accumulation in the intestines. The histopathological examination revealed marked mono nuclear cell infilteration, disintegration of cartilage surrounding the bronchiole, necrosis of the tubules of kidney and red pulp of the spleen. The mean counts of the organism were significantly (P˂ 0.05) most in the lungs, followed by the spleen, kidney and the liver was the least. The results of in vivo activity showed that this autogenous bacterin was effective in reducing pathological changes. Its effect was significant (P˂ 0.05) when compared with the infected non-treated mice. Thus, this study has proven the efficacy of bacterin in preventing Vibrio cholerae ETOR type in albino mice for short term. Key words: Vibrio cholerae, autogenous, bacterin, histopathologica

Comparison of Reinforcement Loading on the Mechanical and Physical Properties of Palm Trunk Ash and Polyethene Composites

A comparison experiment of reinforcement loading on the physical and mechanical properties of palm trunk ash and polyethene composites was carried out. The effect of physical and mechanical properties of reinforced low density polyethylene of both virgin and recycled with palm trunk ash was compared using tensile test, hardness test, flexural test and micro structural test determination. The equipment used in determining physical and mechanical properties of the composites materials  include metal mould, sieves, digital weighing balance, hack saw, grinding machine, tensometer, universal material tester, digital Rockwell hardness tester and optical micro structural microscope. The matrix materials used for the formation of the composites are the virgin and recycled low density polyethene and palm trunk ash was used as filler material. The composites were prepared using percentage weight of 0%,10%, 20%, 30%, 40% and 50% of palm trunk ash. The conversion of waste materials to a valuable product was the major target of the author and the results showed that palm trunk ash (PTA) can be used as a reinforcing material on polymeric matrices of both virgin and recycled polyethene. The results of the RLDPE-PTA and VDPE-PTA showed that the virgin material was more effective than the recycled material and the quality of the recycled composites can be increased with an increase in the PTA. The Palm trunk ash at 50% increases the tensile strength thereby increasing the brittleness of the material and reducing the ductility. The tensile strength of VDPE-PTA and RLDPE-PTA obtained showed that proper mixture of palm trunk ash and low density polyethene composite are good engineering materials for reinforcement loading. The increase in PTA also decreases the flexural strength of the composite materials which shows that the 0% PTA composite materials have the highest flexural strength. It was also observed that the melting point of the composite materials increase with increase in palm trunk ash of both VDPE-PTA and RLDPE-PTA. Keywords: Comparison, Reinforcement, Properties, Palm Trunk Ash, Polyethene, Composite

Breeding strategies for identifying superior peach genotypes resistant to brown rot

A sustainable approach to control the incidence of brown rot in pre- and post-harvest management is to select genotypes with high contents of antioxidant compounds and tolerance to Monilinia laxa (Aderh. and Ruhland) Honey. In this study, 68 progenies of the ‘Babygold 9’ × ‘Crown Princess’ population from the EEAD-CSIC breeding program were screened under controlled conditions for a period of 3 years (2013–2015). Susceptibility to brown rot was evaluated after inoculating 20 healthy fruits per genotype with M. laxa. Brown rot incidence, lesion diameter, and colonization extent, as well as the severities of these issues, were calculated after 5 days of incubation. Physicochemical traits, such as fruit firmness and soluble solids content, were also recorded before and after storage. Titratable acidity, pH, and antioxidant composition were measured at harvest. Significant differences were found for pathogenic traits, as well as for contents of vitamin C, total phenolics, flavonoids, and anthocyanins, within genotypes in this population. Negative correlations were also found between the content of phytochemical compounds (such as anthocyanins and total phenolics), as well as disease incidence and severity. Differences in susceptibility to brown rot confirm the genetic variability available in these progeny. This allowed the selection of six genotypes highly resistant to brown rot of M. laxa, with high organoleptic properties and high phenol content, to be introduced in our peach breeding program.info:eu-repo/semantics/acceptedVersio

Evaluation of tolerance to brown rot caused by Monilia Iaxa (Aderhold and Ruhland) Honey, in peach germplasm (Prunus persica (L.) Batsch)

El melocotonero es uno de los cultivos frutales, de la familia de las rosáceas, de mayor importancia económica del mundo. Existen numerosas plagas y enfermedades que afectan a este cultivo, especialmente hongos patógenos de fruto que son infectivas en el campo, durante el tránsito y en el almacenamiento. Más del 50 % de la pérdida global en poscosecha se ha atribuido a la enfermedad de podredumbre parda causada por especies del género Monilinia, y en los últimos años la enfermedad ha sido tan acusada en el cultivo que ha producido el abandono de la producción de algunas variedades de fruta de hueso. En España, la enfermedad se ha asociado con más del 60 % de pérdidas de fruta después de la cosecha. Aunque existen ciertas opciones de control y tratamiento, la selección genética para la resistencia sigue siendo una alternativa ideal de manejo para el control de la enfermedad producida por la podredumbre parda, teniendo en cuenta su sostenibilidad y la compatibilidad ambiental. Esta tesis tiene como objetivo principal el fenotipado del germoplasma de melocotón existente en la Estación Experimental de Aula Dei-CSIC y de cultivares y progenies para la detección de tolerancias a la podredumbre parda producida por Monilinia laxa. El estudio se enfoca en la mejora de los cultivos de melocotones, en la Valle de Ebro de la zona ecológica mediterránea, a través del uso de variedades tolerantes o genotipos con características de buena calidad en relación a la enfermedad de la podredumbre parda. El Capítulo I establece un método de evaluación, al optimizar los protocolos disponibles, para detectar más fácilmente la tolerancia a la podredumbre parda por Monilinia spp. en germoplasma de melocotónero. Esto se logró con una revisión bibliográfica exhaustiva y la compilación de la información actualmente disponible sobre melocotón y el efecto resultante de la interacción (podredumbre parda) con las especies de Monilinia y las opciones de control y manejo disponibles.El Capítulo II examina el efecto de los factores fisicoquímicos del pH y la acidez titulable (TA) en la interacción huésped-patógeno entre el melocotón y M. laxa tanto in-vitro como in-vivo. Este estudio abarca la necesidad de conocer la evolución de la madurez de la fruta en las variedades de melocotones verdes y maduros en relación con la posible infección por Monilinia en frutos inmaduros en precosecha. El Capítulo III es una prueba de detección basada en la inoculación artificial de fruta para validar en varias líneas parentales del programa de mejora genética de melocotón ('Crown Princess', 'Big Top', 'Andross' y 'BabyGold 9'). Además, se incluyeron en el estudio cultivares con diferente contenido fenólico y precoces ('Tebana') o tardíos, como los cultivares tradicionales españoles de carne no firme ('Miraflores', 'Calanda Tardío' y 'Calante'). También se discute la correlación de los factores patogénicos con su composición bioquímica con respecto a los ácidos y los contenidos fenólicos en la pulpa. El Capítulo IV examina sesenta y ocho progenies de la población 'Babygold 9' × 'Crown Princess' del programa de mejora de EEAD-CSIC por susceptibilidad a la podredumbre parda de Monilia laxa. Los rasgos físicoquímicos, tales como la firmeza de la fruta y el contenido de sólidos solubles, se registraron antes y después del 4 almacenamiento. La acidez titulable, el pH y la composición antioxidante también se midieron en la cosecha para obtener la correlación con los factores patógenos.<br /