Effective Teaching Practice Supervison: A Predictor of Teacher Trainees' Performance in Pedagogy

The quality of teachers prepared for basic education in Africa and othercontinents of the world is a consequence of the knowledge of contentacquired and the pedagogy. Effective teaching practice supervision coulddetermine the level of teacher trainees� performance in the art of teaching. The study investigated the differences in performance of teacher trainees who embarked on continuous Teaching Practice and Supervision � TP & S (of twelve weeks) and those of non-continuous teaching practice and supervision � TP & S (of six weeks in two installments). It equally examined whether there was a relationship or not in the performance of teacher trainees when they are team supervised and when they are not teamed supervised in pedagogy. Five hundred (500) teacher trainees were randomly selected assamples from two (2) colleges of education owned by Lagos StateGovernment of Nigeria. They are Adeniran Ogunsanya College of Education (AOCOED), Ijanikin and Michael Otedola College of Primary Education (MOCPED), Noforija-Epe. Their final assessment scores at the end of 2008/2009 teaching practice exercise were utilized. Using independent t-test statistic, it was found that those who embarked on continuous TP & S were able to perform significantly better than those who embarked on noncontinuous TP & S. However, using Pearson Moment Correlation Analysis (r), there was a significant relationship in the performance of teacher trainees when they were team supervised and when they were not team supervised at all. It was suggested among others that if teacher trainees should go on continuous TP & S, they would be more skilled and thus develop competence and dexterity in pedagogy since practice makes perfection. Team supervision of pedagogy was also suggested so as to curb subjectivity and biases, even as teachers are prepared for basic education.&nbsp

Toxicological Response of Poecilia reticulata, Hyla species and Culex species to Leachates from Olusosun Landfill, Lagos State, Nigeria

The effect of leachate samples from Olushosun dumpsite in Ojota, Lagos on the toxicological response of Poecilia reticulata, Hyla and Culex species was investigated using acute and chronic toxicity tests. Physicochemical parameters were analysed in the leachate prior to toxicological assessment against test animals. Computed results showed that pH 7.62 while the acute toxicity assay of leachate sample against test animals revealed a 96hr LC50 of 71.53ml/L, 58.34ml/L and 60.643ml/L for Poecilia, Hyla and Culex species respectively. On the basis of the 96hr LC50 values, the leachate was found to be more toxic against Hyla than Poecilia. The exposure of the Poecilia and Hyla species to sub-lethal concentrations (1/10th of 96hrs LC50) of leachate revealed varied biochemical responses over a 28 day period. The activity of Catalase, Superoxide Dismutase (SOD), Malondialdehyde (MDA) and Glutathione-S-Transferase (GST) showed significant increase (p<0.05) when compared to control in Hyla while the activity of GSH, SOD and CAT showed significant increase (p<0.05) when compared to control in Poecilia sp. Results from this study showed that leachate can induce adverse environmental effect on organisms. The acute and chronic toxicological response of the test animals could be incorporated into risk assessment of dumpsite leachate, design and management of landfill sites

Outbreak of Peste Des Petits Ruminants in West African Dwarf Goats in Eruwa, Southwestern Nigeria

In Nigeria, goats play a significant socioeconomic role in the life of rural people. Recently, there had been report of high mortality of goats especially the kids under one year with none of such among sheep reared together in Eruwa, Southwestern Nigeria. An investigation was conducted to ascertain the cause of the deaths. Clinical, pathological and serological findings were described. Serum samples of forty-two animals from affected goats of varied ages were tested for the presence of PPR antibodies by competitive enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (cELISA).Post mortem examination of three of the carcasses and histopathology of the lungs, segments of the oral mucosa and intestine were also done. The clinical findings observed include loss of appetite, oculo-nasal mucopurulent discharges, dyspnoea, profuse diarrhea and death, the findings led to the tentative diagnosis of PPR. Serum samples from fifteen out of twenty affected,10 out of 10 recovered and 7 apparently healthy goats were tested positive for the presence of PPR antibodies using cELISA. It was also observed that PPRV antibodies were more in goats below one and half years. However, no PPR antibodies were detected in sheep reared together with the goats. At histopathology, there were thickening of the alveolar septa walls with mononuclear cells and presence of varying numbers of macrophages and characteristic giant cells within the alveoli. This is apparently another documented case of PPR after thirty one years of the first report in this community. This showed that obvious concerted efforts in the control of the disease should be harnessed. Enhanced awareness and sensitization campaign among the stockowners towards adoption of annual vaccination of goats before the` onset of rain was recommended.Keywords: Peste des petits ruminants, outbreak, WAD goats, Serology, cELISA, NigeriaNigerian Veterinary Journal, VOL:32 (4) 331-33

Organic Residues Affect Soil P Availability, Cowpea Yield And Nutrient Uptake on a Near Neutral P-Deficient Alfisol in Southwestern Nigeria

In the moist savanna zone of West Africa, it has been suggested that application of organic residues may play central roles in increasing the availability of inherent soil phosphorus and the dissolution and utilization of phosphate rock (PR) by food crops. Laboratory incubation study was carried out with plant residues of different chemical compositions (leaves of Flemingia macrophylla, Leucaena leucocephala, and maize stover (Zea mays L.) in pots containing a P-deficient Alfisol from SW Nigeria with ground Togo PR for 3 months to determine the dynamics of Olsen extractable P in the absence of growing plants. Cowpea (Vigna unguiculata L. Walp) was planted in the incubated soils thereafter to evaluate treatment effects on cowpea yield and P uptake. A control treatment (no PR, no plant residues) was included for comparison. The pot trial was laid out as completely randomised design replicated four times. Generally, soil P availability increased with increasing length of incubation. Compared with the initial soil P value of 3.14 mg kg-1, after 12 weeks of incubation Leucaena +PR had the highest soil P (9. 9 mg kg soil-1), followed by Flemingia (7.9 mg kg soil-1) and Flemingia + PR (7.3 mg kg soil-1). Phosphorus availability following incubation of PR was 5.11 mg kg soil-1, 4.2 mg kg soil-1 for the control treatment, and 3.37 mg kg soil-1 for maize stover, which rather immobilized P throughout the incubation period. Cowpea plants grown on Flemingia and Leucaena incubated soils with and without PR produced higher number of pods, grain yield, and shoot dry matter than those grown on PR and maize+PR incubated soils. Total N uptake was not significantly different among the treatments but P and K uptake was significantly higher in plants grown on Leucaena+PR, Leucaena, Flemingia, and Flemingia+PR incubated soils than those grown on the control, PR, and maize+PR incubated soils. These results suggest that plant residues can be selected and incubated in near neutral P-deficient soils to enhance P availability and increase crop yield and P uptake.Key words: Alfisol, cowpea dry matter, length of incubation, Olsen extractable P, plant residues, Togo rock phosphate, West Afric

Knowledge and use of emergency contraception by medical doctors on internship in a tertiary healthcare facility in Nigeria

Context: Emergency contraception (EC) is widely used to prevent unwanted pregnancy and it is largely adopted in many countries as over the counter drug to improve access.Aims: To determine and compare the correct knowledge, attitude and current use of EC among newly graduated medical doctors (MDs).Settings and Design: A cross.sectional study conducted among 255 newly graduated MDs at the University College Hospital, Ibadan, Nigeria.Materials and Methods: A pretested self.administered questionnaire was used to obtain data from consenting participants.Statistical Analysis Used: Descriptive, bivariate, and multivariable analyses were performed, and statistical significance was set at 0.05. Statistical Package for Social Science version 15.0 (Chicago, IL, USA) software was used.Results: The mean age of the respondents was 27.2 years (standard deviation = 2.1). The commonest indication for emergency contraceptive use mentioned was rape.96.5%. About 70% support EC in Nigeria, while about a quarter (26.9%) routinely counsel women about ECP use. About 21% of respondents currently use EC. Logistic regression analysis revealed significant results for gender [odds ratio (OR) =3.64; 95% confidence interval (CI) OR = 1.31.10.01), religion (OR = 0.26; 95% CI OR =  0.11.0.630) and marital status (OR = 0.19; 95% CI = 0.07.0.56). Conclusion: The correct knowledge and professional disposition toward EC as a form of contraception is low. We recommend that in.service training  should focus more on EC to improve the quality of their knowledge and  attitude towards it.Key words: Emergency contraception, knowledge, Medical Doctor, Nigeri

Problems and Prospects of Poultry Rearing in Lagelu Local Government Area of Oyo State, Nigeria

World poultry production is increasing yearly yet the demand for the products has not been met. This study assessed the problems and prospects of poultry rearing in Lagelu Local Government Area of Oyo State, Nigeria. The study was carried out among poultry farmers with interview schedule of Eighty (80) farmers using structured questionnaires. The study examined social characteristics of poultry farmers, benefits of poultry production, needs and constraints of poultry production in the study area. Descriptive statistical analysis was used to analyze data. The study revealed that 73.80% of the respondents were males and 26.20% were females, 52.60% had tertiary education, 36.20% had secondary school education and 11.20% had primary school education. The result showed that 67.50% of the respondents had increase in egg production, 15.00% had average increase in egg production and 17.50% had no increase in egg production. The respondents had maximum income benefit with 15.00% always having high income, 51.20% low income and 33.80% indicated indifference in their income. In this research work, the poultry farmers shows various needs to boost their production, where 91.20% have problems of good storage facilities, 92.50% with problems of pest and disease control, 88.80% request for training for farmers and 53.8% aimed at credit facilities. The major problems that poultry farmers encounter in the study area are inadequate capital (100.00%), pest and disease (100.00%), lack of credit facilities (100.0%) and high cost of feeding (80.0%) of the respondents

Composition of Tree Species in Onigambari Forest Reserve, Oyo State, Nigeria

The tree composition of Onigambari Forest Reserve in Oyo State was evaluated by laying out a plot size of 50 x 50/m2 resulting to four plots per hectare. 104 and 93 stems per hectare were recorded. A total of 197 tree stands were encountered in the two compartments studied with family Sterculiaceae with species Cola gigantean, Cola millenii , Sterculia africana , Sterculia oblonga , Sterculia tragacantha , Triplochiton scleroxylon , Pterogota macrocarpa and Nesogordonia papaverifera .as the most abundant having 34 stands, followed by the family Papilionoideae with species Baphia nitida with 20 stands as the most abundance species. About thirty-nine percent of the tree species encountered were wildlings having a diameter at breast height of 64 10 cm. Less than one percent (0.50%) of the trees were of merchantable size. This could be a thing of concern and it calls for adequate resourceful and sustainable management techniques. Habits in Onigambari Forest Reserve are presented in Table 1. A total of forty-three (43) species of trees distributed into twenty (20) families were encountered. Family Sterculiaceae and Fabaceae was the richest with eight (8) species each followed by family Euphobiaceae with (5) tree species. Based on their habit, these species were classified into 100% trees. Furthermore, it is of the importance that the forest reserves be protected from illegal/indiscriminate logging among other anthropogenic activities in order to allow it regenerate

Pediatric Bacterial Meningitis Surveillance in Nigeria From 2010 to 2016, Prior to and During the Phased Introduction of the 10-Valent Pneumococcal Conjugate Vaccine

Background: Historically, Nigeria has experienced large bacterial meningitis outbreaks with high mortality in children. Streptococcus pneumoniae (pneumococcus), Neisseria meningitidis (meningococcus), and Haemophilus influenzae are major causes of this invasive disease. In collaboration with the World Health Organization, we conducted longitudinal surveillance in sentinel hospitals within Nigeria to establish the burden of pediatric bacterial meningitis (PBM). Methods: From 2010 to 2016, cerebrospinal fluid was collected from children <5 years of age, admitted to 5 sentinel hospitals in 5 Nigerian states. Microbiological and latex agglutination techniques were performed to detect the presence of pneumococcus, meningococcus, and H. influenzae. Species-specific polymerase chain reaction and serotyping/grouping were conducted to determine specific causative agents of PBM. Results: A total of 5134 children with suspected meningitis were enrolled at the participating hospitals; of these 153 (2.9%) were confirmed PBM cases. The mortality rate for those infected was 15.0% (23/153). The dominant pathogen was pneumococcus (46.4%: 71/153) followed by meningococcus (34.6%: 53/153) and H. influenzae (19.0%: 29/153). Nearly half the pneumococcal meningitis cases successfully serotyped (46.4%: 13/28) were caused by serotypes that are included in the 10-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine. The most prevalent meningococcal and H. influenzae strains were serogroup W and serotype b, respectively. Conclusions: Vaccine-type bacterial meningitis continues to be common among children <5 years in Nigeria. Challenges with vaccine introduction and coverage may explain some of these finding. Continued surveillance is needed to determine the distribution of serotypes/groups of meningeal pathogens across Nigeria and help inform and sustain vaccination policies in the countr

Associations between Emotional Distress, Sleep Changes, Decreased Tooth Brushing Frequency, Self-Reported Oral Ulcers and SARS-Cov-2 Infection during the First Wave of the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Global Survey

This study assessed the association between emotional distress, sleep changes, decreased frequency of tooth brushing, and self-reported oral ulcers, and the association between COVID-19 status and decreased frequency of tooth brushing. Using a cross-sectional online survey, data were collected from adults in 152 countries between July and December 2020. Binary logistic regression analyses were conducted to determine the associations between dependent (decreased frequency of tooth brushing, oral ulcers, change in sleep pattern) and independent (tested positive for COVID-19, depression, anxiety, frustration/boredom, loneliness, anger, and grief/feeling of loss) variables after adjusting for confounders (age, sex, level of education, employment status). Of the 14,970 participants data analyzed, 1856 (12.4%) tested positive for COVID-19. Respondents who reported feeling depressed (AoR: 1.375), lonely (AoR: 1.185), angry (AoR: 1.299), and experienced sleep changes (AoR:1.466) had significantly higher odds of decreased tooth brushing frequency. Respondents who felt anxious (AoR: 1.255), angry (AoR: 1.510), grief/sense of loss (AoR: 1.236), and sleep changes (AoR: 1.262) had significantly higher odds of oral ulcers. Respondents who tested positive for COVID-19 had significantly higher odds of decreased tooth brushing frequency (AoR: 1.237) and oral ulcers (AoR: 2.780). These findings highlight that the relationship between emotional distress and oral health may intensify during a pandemic.</p

Is self-reported depression, HIV status, COVID-19 health risk profile and SARS-CoV-2 exposure associated with difficulty in adhering to COVID-19 prevention measures among residents in West Africa?

Background: The aim of this study was to determine whether self-reported depression, coronavirus disease of 2019 (COVID-19) health risk profile, HIV status, and SARS-CoV-2 exposure were associated with the use of COVID-19 prevention measures.Methods: This survey collected data electronically between June 29 and December 31, 2020 from a convenient sample of 5050 adults 18 years and above living in 12 West African countries. The dependent variables were: social distancing, working remotely, difficulty obtaining face masks and difficulty washing hands often. The independent variables were self-reported depression, having a health risk for COVID-19 (high, moderate and little/no risk), living with HIV and COVID-19 status (SARS-CoV-2 positive tests, having COVID-19 symptoms but not getting tested, having a close friend who tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 and knowing someone who died from COVID-19). Four binary logistic regression models were developed to model the associations between the dependent and independent variables, adjusting for socio-demographic variables (age, gender, educational status, employment status and living status).Results: There were 2412 (47.8%) male participants and the mean (standard deviation) age was 36.94 (11.47) years. Respondents who reported depression had higher odds of working remotely (AOR: 1.341), and having difficulty obtaining face masks (AOR: 1.923;) and washing hands often (AOR: 1.263). People living with HIV had significantly lower odds of having difficulty washing hands often (AOR: 0.483). Respondents with moderate health risk for COVID-19 had significantly higher odds of social distancing (AOR: 1.144) and those with high health risk had difficulty obtaining face masks (AOR: 1.910). Respondents who had a close friend who tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 (AOR: 1.132) and knew someone who died of COVID-19 (AOR: 1.094) had significantly higher odds of social distancing. Those who tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 had significantly lower odds of social distancing (AOR: 0.629) and working remotely (AOR: 0.713). Those who had symptoms of COVID-19 but did not get tested had significantly lower odds of social distancing (AOR: 0.783) but significantly higher odds of working remotely (AOR: 1.277).Conclusions: The study signifies a disparity in the access to and use of COVID-19 preventative measures that is allied to the health and COVID-19 status of residents in West Africa. Present findings point to risk compensation behaviours in explaining this outcome.</p