Blood levels of some toxic metals in Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) Type 1- infection

Background: The introduction of antiretroviral therapy has reduced the mortality rate and increased the average life-expectancy of HIV-infected population. Infection probably due to the combination of the effects of environmental exposures and chronic inflammation and the role of mpact in infected individuals have been under-reported. Objective: To compare the plasma levels of cadmium (Cd), lead (Pb), mercury (Hg) and nickel (Ni) in HIV 1 –positive subjects receiving highly active anti-retroviral therapy treatment (HAART) and treatment-naïve subjects. Methods: The 300 study participants comprised 100 confirmed HIV-1 positive individuals on HAART, 100 HIV-1 positive HAART-naïve and 100 HIV-1 negative controls. Plasma levels of toxic metals were determined using inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometer (Agilent 7500, Norwalk, USA). Results: Plasma levels of toxic metals were significantly higher among HIV-infected subjects than controls (p <0.001), with only Cadmium concentration being significantly higher (p = 0.05) among the HAART-treated subjects than HAART-naïve subjects. Conclusion: High toxic metal levels may lead to increased oxidative stress and adverse prognostic outcomes. Periodic evaluation of the blood levels of some toxic metals in HIV-1 infected individual is suggested and preventive strategies against environmental pollution should be adopted

Assessment of Awareness Level of e-Learning Classroom Strategies of University Lecturers: Implication for Evaluation of Library and Information Science Resources

The emergence of information technology has brought a drastic change in the role of university libraries. University Libraries play key role in supporting e-learning implying that Library and information science personnel can significantly assist in the integration of information resources in the process of electronic learning. Thus, this study investigated lecturers’ level of awareness of e-learning classroom strategies. Descriptive survey design was adopted for the study. The sample comprised 149 lecturers teaching integrated science courses. Instrument used for data collection was a questionnaire titled Lecturers’ Awareness Level of E-learning Strategies (LALES). LALES was validated and the reliability index of the items was estimated at 0.897 using Cronbach’s Alpha method. The data collected were analyzed using mean and standard deviation to answer the research questions while the hypotheses were tested using t-test. Findings revealed among others, that the lecturers were partially aware of strategies to facilitate e-learning. Based on the findings, it was recommended among others that the Nigerian government should provide e-learning facilities through proper evaluation of Library and information science resources