Investigation of biological condition of fish species in lower Ogun River wetlands, Lagos, Nigeria

The study was carried out to investigate the biological condition of fish species in lower Ogun River wetlands. A total of 175 individual fish belonging to 10 species were collected from artisanal fishermen usingdifferent types of fishing gears. Two biological indices; condition factor “K” and growth exponent “b” obtained from length-weight relationship were used to determine the biological condition of the fishes. The conditionfactor (K) recorded during the study ranged between 0.55 in Liza  grandisquamis and 5.61 in Oreochromis niloticus. The growth exponent (b) ranged from 1.48 in Penaus notialis to 5.67 in Gymnarchus niloticus. Theregression coefficient of determination was significant for some of the fish with highest value of R2=0.98 for Sardinella madarensis. The study showed that most of the fish species in the study area are in poor biologicalcondition and exhibit allometric growth.Keywords: Allometric growth, condition factor, growth exponent, length-weight relationship

Sexual and Reproductive Health Behaviours among University Students in Namibia as Risk Factors in Acquiring HIV Infection

Background: Having multiple sexual partners is an important risk factor in acquiring HIV infection. It is also considered as one of the confounding factors in studies that implicated the use hormonal contraceptive as risk factor in HIV/STIs acquisition. Namibia is one of the countries in Africa with high HIV prevalence. With increasing burden of HIV infection among the youth globally, with about 31% of new HIV infection in 2008; occurring among people within the age 15-24. The need to understand the association between contraceptive use especially hormonal contraceptive and multiple sexual partners is important. More so that there are no studies on contraceptive use amongst young men and women in Namibia which is considered to be highly sexually active group, and especially on the association between contraception and multiple sexual partners (especially concurrent). The latter of which is considered to be a major perpetuating factor for HIV transmission, there is need to explore more on this area. Hence, the need to determine sexual and reproductive health behaviours among university students in Namibia as risk factors in acquiring HIV infection.Methods: Data was collected using questionnaires for quantitative cross-sectional survey among students in classes selected through simple random sampling in each stratum (University Campus). Relationship between independent variables (method of contraception, relationship status, misconceptions about the role of contraceptives in preventing STIs/HIV, transactional sex, HIV/STIs Risk perception) and dependent variable (multiple sexual partners) was measured using multivariate model of logistic regression analysis. Result: Condom (70.7%) was the most common birth control method used in the most recent vaginal sex, followed by withdrawal (20.6%) and 7.2% used birth control pills. Significant association was found between the use of birth control pills and multiple sexual partners, but there was no association between condom use and multiple sexual partners. Conclusion: Discussions on safe sexual behaviour and dual contraceptive should form important part of family planning counselling process, particularly when dealing with young people. This may aid reduction of HIV/STIs infection rate among the youth. Keywords: Contraception, Safe sexual behavior, Students, Multiple sexual partners, HIV/STIs, Yout

Pattern of arthralgia in an urban community in Southwestern Nigeria

Background: Arthritis is a common presentation among Nigerians, most especially in the elderly population. Easy access to over-the-counter drugs, paucity of data, and non-orthodox medical practice have underscored the need to examine the magnitude of the problem toward morbidity reduction risk factors. The objective of the study was to determine the pattern of arthralgia in Osogbo community in Southwestern Nigeria.Materials and Methods: This was a descriptive cross-sectional study  conducted between September 2010 and August 2011. Respondents were serially recruited as they presented to the randomly selected healthcare facilities. Interviewer administered questionnaires, and modified checklist were used for collecting clients information, physical examination, X-ray, and laboratory results. Data were analyzed using the SPSS software.Results: A total of 90 cases were screened, with a male to female ratio of 1:1.5 and age range of 50-59 years. Females were more affected among the studied respondents, and this was statistically significant (p < 0.05). About half (48.9%) used non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAID) for the pain, while about 17.8% used traditional herbs. Osteoarthritis of the knee was the most common radiological finding, constituting about 86.7% of the 30 respondents that had X-ray done. Only one case tested positive to rheumatoid factor in high-dilution titer. Notable complication of arthralgia in this study was loss of time off work in 46.6% of the respondents.Conclusion: Arthralgia of the knee joint was most common in the studied area, followed by that of hip and the ankle. Weight reduction strategies and prompt diagnosis and treatment were advocated. Since about half of the respondents used NSAID, the use of enteric-coated NSAID tablets would go a long way to minimize the unwanted side effects of NSAID, notably peptic ulceration and erosion.Keywords: Arthralgia, pattern, urban communit

Heavy Metals Assessment In Water, Sediments And Selected Aquatic Organisms In Lake Asejire, Nigeria

Rapid urbanization and industrialization in developing countries have been associated with production and deposition of hazardous wastes in aquatic environments. Heavy metals are major components of these wastes which have been implicated in several metal-related diseases and food poisoning in man. This study evaluated iron, lead, cobalt, nickel, chromium and cadmium concentrations in water, sediment, Nile Tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus) and African river prawn (Macrobrachium vollenhovenii) samples of Lake Asejire, Oyo State, Nigeria. The concentration of these metals was determined spectrophotometrically in three locations along the course of the lake. Results revealed that only iron and lead were detected in water samples. However, all the metals were found in sediments, Nile Tilapia and African river prawn. Iron had the highest mean concentrations (mg kg-1) of 2.392±0.015, 7.4314±1.184, and 1.6100±0.099 in sediments, fish and prawn respectively. Significant differences was found across each sample type for the metals determined. The detection of these metals in Lake Asejire call for close environmental monitoring and adequate public awareness. This is necessary to discourage further pollution which could lead to high metal concentration and metal poisoning

Birth controls (contraceptive) methods and human immunodeficiency virus/sexually transmitted infections risk perception among Namibian university students

Background: The question of why are so many of these young girls getting pregnant, is routinely asked, and sometimes contemptuously answered. Accurate information on effectiveness, failures and side effects of different methods of contraception use, have direct relation with the level of their usage among teaming youths.Methods: Data was collected using self-completed questionnaires for quantitative cross-sectional survey among students in classes selected through simple random sampling in each stratum (University Campus). Relationship between independent variables (method of contraception, misconceptions about the role of contraceptives in preventing HIV/STIs and Risk of infections) and dependent variable (multiple sexual partners) was measured using multivariate model of logistic regression analysis.Results: The most common contraceptive methods used by students or their partners were condom (71%), withdrawal (20.6%), and birth control pills (7.2%), only 2% used other methods as birth control method, in spite of that, 6.3% got pregnant or impregnated someone. There was a high incidence of multiple sexual partners among the respondents, only 23.3% of the respondents believed they were at risk of HIV/STIs infections, while 40.0% believed they were not at risk, 36.7% were not definite of their risk status and only 79.9% of the participants have tested for HIV infection to determine their status.Conclusions: The most important factor influencing the choice of contraceptive method among young people is its efficacy in prevention of pregnancy. Unprotected sex may not only lead to unplanned pregnancy but HIV/STIs infections and the risk of infection is increased with multiple sexual partners. Thus, the real need for early education on sex and sexuality and also suggest that Government at all level should step-up campaign on contraceptive use and associated risk of non-compliance

Survival, growth and feed utilization of the reciprocal hybrids of Clarias gariepinus (Burchell, 1822) and Heterobranchus bidorsalis (Geoffroy, 1809) in concrete tanks

An experiment was conducted to determine the survival rate, fertilization rate, growth performance and feed utilization of the reciprocal hybrids of Clarias gariepinus and Heterobranchus bidorsalis. Two genetic crosses were made: C. gariepinus (male) x H. bidorsalis (female)(Clariabranchus) and H. bidorsalis male x C. gariepinusmale (Heteroclarias. The experiment was divided into two phases; artificial propagation of the fish species using synthetic hormone and rearing the fry for 14 days; and rearing the 14 days old fry for 35 days. In the first phase of the experiment, survival of frys were estimated in each experimental unit (genetic cross) while in the second phase, growth and nutrient utilization were investigated. The result revealed that the highest %fertilization, hatching rate and %survival occurred in H. bidorsalisfemale x C. gariepinus male (Heteroclarias) and the differences were significant (p < 0.05). Percentage weight gain and specific growth rate were significantly (p < 0.05) higher in Clariabranchus than Heteroclarias. Based on the result of this study, reciprocal hybrids of Clarias gariepinus and Heterobranchus, bidorsalis is recommended for commercial aquacultural practices

Utilization of Ceramic Ware Waste as Complementary Aggregate in Hollow Masonry Unit Production

Continuous increase in ceramic ware waste from construction and demolition waste without good management practice has resulted in elevated volume of this waste category. However, utilization of this waste in masonry unit production could be a plausible option to solve this menace, particularly, in its ability to enhance masonry unit compressive strength. In this study, ceramic ware waste was utilized for hollow masonry unit production and three different natural fine aggregate to ceramic aggregate mix ratios of 100:0, 90:10, 80:20 and 70:30 were examined. Furthermore, the cement to total aggregate mix ratio considered was 1:7. Sequel to the process of aggregates mixing, casting, and subsequently demoulding, the masonry units were cured for 28 days prior to inspection for compressive test parameters. Results indicated that masonry unit with natural sand to ceramic waste mix ratio of 80:20 has the highest crushing strength at peak, yield and break point which were 60.903kN, 60.493kN and 53.863kN respectively. The compressive stress at peak and break were 6.57MPa and 6.50MPa in that order and Young’s modulus was 0.262GPa. Statistically, there were no significant differences at 95% confidence interval between the aggregate mix masonry units when the compressive strength indices were evaluated. Ceramics ware waste from demolition and construction waste is a suitable co-aggregate in hollow masonry unit production