RELEVANCE OF GUIDANCE AND COUNSELLING IN OVERCOMING PSYCHO- EDUCATIONAL NEEDS OF STUDENTS

Provision of Guidance and Counselling Services is one of the educational policies of the Federal Government to cater for the apparent ignorance of many young people about career prospects and personality maladjustment among school children. This paper, therefore, discusses the relevance and importance of Guidance and Counselling in the implementation of educational policies Vis-a-vis problem areas that Guidance Counsellor could tackle for the purpose of educational development

Ophthalmic disorders among students of School for the Deaf

Aim: This study aimed at determining the prevalence and pattern of ophthalmic disorders amongstudents of School for the Deaf, Akure, Ondo State, Nigeria.Methodology: This is a cross sectional descriptive study was conducted in October, 2011 aspart of activities marking the Annual Physicians’ week of Nigerian Medical Association (NMA),Ondo State. Ethical clearance was obtained from the Ethical Review Committee of FederalMedical Centre, Owo prior to commencement of this study. The permission of the SchoolAuthority was also obtained before the commencement of this study. The respondents wereselected by simple random sampling technique. All enrolled participants were interviewed withthe aid of the study instrument (questionnaire) by the authors and interpreters (school teachers).Results: The respondents comprised of 91(56.9%) Males and 69 Females (43.1%). Nearly all therespondents;158(98.8%) were deaf and dumb. Most respondents; 116(72.5%) had ocularexamination in the past. Few respondents; 118(73.75%) had ophthalmic disorder. The commonest ophthalmic disorder was refractive error which was found in 16 respondents(38.1%). Myopia was diagnosed in 9 respondents.CONCLUSION: Most of the respondents were deaf and dumb. Few respondents hadophthalmic disorder. The commonest ophthalmic disorder was refractive error. Myopia was themost predominant refractive error. There is need for periodic ocular screening and treatment atthe School for the Deaf.

Incidence of Bacterial Septicaemia in Ile-Ife Metropolis, Nigeria

A retrospective study of septicaemia was conducted in Ile-Ife metropolis with a view to determine its incidence and changes in the predominant aetiological agents. Six hundred and fifty (650) subjects, aged from one day to seventy years and above were examined. They all had clinical features suggestive of septicaemia and were on admission at the Obafemi Awolowo University hospital Complex, Ile-Ife, Nigeria. Their blood specimens were seeded into thioglycolate and glucose broths and incubated at 37 °C for 7 days. Subcultures were performed after 1, 2, 3, 4 and 7 days respectively. Growth (positivity) in the broths was assessed using conventional diagnostic methods namely macroscopy (visualization), Gram filming (microscopy) and culture. The bacterial isolates harvested were subjected to in-vitro antibiotic susceptibility tests using the disc diffusion method. Etiology was established in 204 out of 650 subjects indicating an incidence of 31.4%. This difference in prevalence among different age groups was statistically significant (P < 0.01). The males (112/650, 17.2%) appeared to be more susceptible to septicaemia than the females (94/650, 14.5%) in all the age groups. This variation had no statistical significance (P > 0.01). Monomicrobial septicaemia had a higher prevalence (92.2%) than polymicrobial septicaemia (7.8%). Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli constituted 43.8%. Most of the offensive microbes were facultative anaerobes (91.7%) while very few were strict aerobes (6.8%) and strict anaerobes (1.5%). The isolated anaerobes were Peptostreptococcus sp. (0.5%) and Bacteroides fragilis (1%). The in vitro susceptibility of the bacterial isolates to antibiotics indicated 76.4-95.6% sensitivity to vancomycin, zinnat, peflacin and fortum. However, they were 60 – 90% resistant to penicillin, ampicillin, tetracycline and septrin. This study confirmed the diverse nature of bacterial etiologies of septicaemia in the area; the need for the use of thioglycolate broths, first subcultures on or before 24 h instead of starting off for after 48 h of incubation, complementary application of macroscopy, Gram filming and culture including antibiotic susceptibility test as an integral part of diagnosis and management of septicaemia is hereby advocated, most especially in the developing countries of the world

Simple Processing Method for Recycling Poultry Waste into Animal Feed Ingredient

Poultry wastes (PW) namely broiler litter (BL), caged-­‐layer droppings (CLD) and layer litter (LL) were evaluated for nutrient composition and microbial loads in order to select the most suitable for use as a feedstuff. Broiler litter had the highest amount of crude protein (16.8%) and a phosphorus content of 0.49%. There were more bacteria (cfu/g) in all the test materials than fungi. The total heterotrophic bacteria (THB) load was lowest in BL at 2.8 ×106 cfu/g. The total heterotrophic fungi (THF) load of 1.1 × 102 cfu/g was lowest for CLD. Total microbial load (TML) was lower in BL with a value of 1.4 x106 cfu/g. Klebsiella edwardsii was prevalent in all the test materials, while the fungi identified were moulds. Broiler litter also had the least number of identified microorganisms. The crude protein (CP), phosphorus (P) content, and the TML showed BL as the most suitable PW that can be processed as a feedstuff. The processing method developed in this study for recycling poultry litter into feedstuffs potentially useful for integration into animal-­‐feeding systems for non-­‐ruminants is simple, feasible and cheap

Awareness, knowledge and uptake of preconception care among women in Ife Central Local Government Area of Osun State, Nigeria

Background: The well-being of women and children is one of the major determinants of the health of any nation and can help predict future public health challenges for families, communities, and the health care system. One of the ways to achieve this is the embracement of preconception care to increase the chances of healthy outcomes of pregnancy for both mother and child.Objectives: This study aimed at addressing the following objectives: to determine the level of awareness and knowledge of preconception care, to describe the practice of preconception care among women and to identify factors responsible for not seeking preconception care.Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional survey design was utilized, using a quantitative method of data collection which involved the use of a structured questionnaire. The Sample for the study were women recruited from 11 primary health care facilities in Ife central local government area.They were 375 women met in the clinics during the period of data collection who gave their consent. Descriptive statistics as well as Chi-square analysis was done to show statistical sigificance association at P&lt;0.05.Results: The findings from the study showed that the mean age of respondents was 31.1±7.36 with the age range of 19-49. Most (63.5%; n=238) of the respondents were aware of preconception care and the main source of awareness was the antenatal clinic. However, two leading components of preconception care that respondents have utilized in the past were folic acid supplementation and taking healthy nutrients. Even though most of the respondents were knowledgeable about preconception care, the result showed that majority (65.9%, n=247) of the respondents have not sought the care before pregnancy while only 34.1% (n=128) have asked about it in the hospital. A significant association was found between respondents educational level and knowledge of preconception care (X2=24.76, df=3, p=0.001. Lack of awareness and knowledge of benefits of preconception care were major factors identified.Conclusion: The need for massive awareness and education on preconception care is highly important for people to utilize it more effectively.Keywords: Women, Preconception Care, Maternal and Child Morbidity, Pregnancy Outcom

Seizure variables and cognitive performance in patients with epilepsy

Background and Purpose Epilepsy is highly prevalent in developing African countries with significant morbidity, social stigmatization, poor quality of life and preventable mortality. There are scanty reports on the contributions of seizure variables like seizure types, frequency of seizures, duration of epilepsy, age at onset and anti-epileptic drugs to cognitive disturbances in Nigerian Africans. This study assessed the effects of seizure variables on the cognitive performances of patients with epilepsy. Methods The cognitive functions of 41 patients with epilepsy and 41 controls were assessed with a computerassisted cognitive test battery, Iron Psychology (acronym - FePsy) using the simple and complex reaction time tasks for mental speed, recognition memory test (RMT) for memory and continuous performance test for attention. Results The cognitive performances of the patients using complex reaction time and the recognition memory tasks were worse than those of the controls (pConclusions The seizure variables negatively affected cognitive performances of Nigerian patients with epilepsy. Cognitive assessment is recommended as part of regular evaluation of patients with epilepsy

Ophthalmic manifestations in patients with intracranial tumours

Introduction L’étude a pour but d’apprécier les manifestations ophtalmologiques des patients présentant des tumeurs cérébrales au Nigéria dans un hôpital tertiaire. Méthode Il s’agit d’une étude rétrospective avec une revue des tumeurs cérébrales dans le Neurosurgical Unit of Obafemi Awolowo University Teaching Hospitals Complex, Ile- Ife de janvier 2003 à décembre 2007. L’analyse des données, diagnostique, acuité visuelle, et prise en charge, ont été analysées selon la fréquence en utilisant avec la version 1 11 SPCS . L’acuité visuelle a été classifiée selon celle de l’OMS. Résultat Sur un total de 94 patients, 88 patients ont été revus. Il s’agissait de 53 patients de sexe masculin et 35 de sexe féminin. La moyenne d’âge était de 36.2 plus ou moins 20 ans. 14 patients ont été pris en charge par les ophtalmologistes. La répartition des tumeurs était la suivante: méningiomes, 36,4 %, craniopharyngiomes, 13,6 % et gliomes, 9,1 %. 67,9 % des patients se plaignaient de troubles visuels à l’admission dont 46,6 % avec une baisse importante et 12,5 % une vision double. Il a été objectivé une artrophie optique dans 23,9 % . 46 malades (52 %) étaient aveugles et 14 (16 %) avaient un trouble visuelimportant. Conclusion Les troubles visuels sont des manifestations cliniques fréquentes de présentation des tumeurs cérébrales. Une information médicale précoce est requise

Age features of O2 mass transfer regimes in adolescents’ body at rest

The results of complex studies of the quantitative relationship between the stage-by-stage mass transfer of O2 and the efficiency of cardiorespiratory system functioning in relation to its consumption in adolescents’ body under conditions of relative rest are presented. The results obtained show that in adolescents, the modes of mass transfer of O2 in the body and the nature of the respiratory and circulatory systems functioning in relation to its consumption have a number of age-related differences compared with adult men. So, in adolescents, the external respiration system at rest functions less economically than in adults. Each liter of O2 consumed by adolescents is extracted from almost 3 liters more than in adults the amount of air ventilated per minute through the lungs. The volumetric indicators of blood circulation are also higher in adolescents, which may indicate the influence of neuro-humoral rearrangements in the body during the pubertal period. The coefficient of oxygen utilization by tissues from arterial blood in adolescents turned out to be significantly higher, which may characterize a higher tension of tissue metabolic processes

The Distribution of the Enzyme Arginase in the Tissues of Selected Cichlidae Species: Tilapia zillii, Sarotherodon galilaeus and Oreochromis niloticus

The paper reports the tissue distribution of the enzyme arginase in three different Cichlids: Tilapia zilli, Sarotherodon galilaeus and Oreochromis niloticus, from the Aiba and Osinmo reservoirs, located in the southwestern Nigeria. The tissues of S. galilaeus showed very high activity of arginase as compared with the other two species. The liver of O. niloticus and the gut of T. zillii showed very high activity of arginase in the Osinmo reservoir. The high arginase activity observed in the tissues of these organisms is attributed to ureotelism and is similar to the result obtained for tilapia, Alcolapia grahami, from lake Magadi, Kenya