Home Background Variables and Technical Vocational Training of Secondary School Students in Akwa Ibom State During Global Economic Meltdown

This study assessed the relationship between home background and students’ technical vocational training in secondary schools in Akwa Ibom State during global economic meltdown. The population for the study consisted of 2014 students from ten public secondary schools in Uyo metropolis. Five hundred students were randomly selected for the study. A reliability index of 0.86 was obtained using Pearson Product Moment Correlation (PPMC). Data were obtained using students vocational training questionnaire (SVCQ) and analyzed using Pearson Product Moment Correlation. We found that parents’ educational status and income correlated positively with students’ technical vocational training. Also, parental occupations had facilitatory influence on students’ technical vocational training. We suggest that school guidance/counselors be well vested with technical vocational guidance information through training and retraining in order to assist students make good career choices and escape poverty in the prevailing economic meltdown. Also, parents should refrain from imposing courses on their children and wards to ensure their diversification and stimulate the economy of the nation.Keywords: Home background, vocational training, parents’ education, occupation, income, global economic crisis

Training Needs of Cooperative Members and Marketing of Agricultural Products in Akwa Ibom State, Nigeria

During the harvest period of, most farm products get spoilt or sold at give away prices due to local glut. Thus, the relationship between the training needs of multi-purpose cooperative society members and the marketing of agricultural products in Uyo Local Government Area of Akwa Ibom State, Nigeria was studied. Using random sampling technique, we selected 500 respondents from a population of 902 registered members of cooperative societies in Uyo Local Government Area. Agricultural Marketing Training Needs Questionnaire (AMTNQ) was developed and used for data collection and the data were analysed using Pearson’s Product Moment Correlation (PPMC). There was a significant relationship between distribution or storage training needs and effective marketing of agricultural products. Public relations training needs also correlated significantly with the marketing of agricultural products by the cooperative members. We suggest that graduates and school leavers in the Niger Delta Region of Nigeria be motivated by the government, International agencies, the communities and parents to take up on- and off-farm businesses through incentives such as loans and trainings, using multi-purpose cooperative societies as platform.Key words: Training needs, cooperative societies, marketing, agricultural products

Instructional Variables and Students’ Acquisition of Employable Vocational Skills From Technical Colleges in Akwa Ibom State, Nigeria

This study focused on the impact of teacher quality, teaching methods, and access to training materials on students’ acquisition of employable skills in vocational technical subjects, for self employment in Akwa Ibom State, Nigeria. Three questions and three hypotheses were formulated and tested in the study. The population of the study comprised 240 senior technical II students in the six technical colleges in the state. A random sampling technique was used to obtain a sample size of 120 students for the study. A 28 - item structured questionnaire titled, Students’ Acquisition of Employable Skills Questionnaire (SAESQ) with a four-point rating response options were used for data collection. Mean, Pearson Product Moment Correlation (PPMC) and Regressional analysis were used for data analysis. The results indicated significant relationships between teacher quality, teaching methods and students’ acquisition of employable skills. We recommend the provision of modern workshop equipment and employment of qualified and experienced teachers for effective teaching/training of students of vocational and technical education in Akwa Ibom State

The tyrosine kinase inhibitor tyrphostin AG126 reduces renal ischemia/reperfusion injury in the rat

Background. We investigate the effects of tyrphostin AG126, an inhibitor of tyrosine kinase activity, on the renal dysfunction and injury caused by ischemia/reperfusion (I/R) of the kidney. Methods. Tyrphostin AG126 (5 mg/kg intraperitoneally) was administered to male Wistar rats 30 minutes prior to bilateral renal ischemia for 45 minutes followed by reperfusion for up to 48 hours. Biochemical markers of renal dysfunction and injury were measured and renal sections assessed for renal injury. Expression of inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) and cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) and formation of nitrotyrosine and poly (ADP) ribose (PAR) were assessed using immunohistochemistry. Rat proximal tubular cells (PTCs) were incubated with interferon-gamma (100 IU/mL), bacterial lipopolysaccharide (10 mug/mL), and with increasing concentrations of tyrphostin AG126 (0.0001-1 mmol/L) for 24 hours. Nitric oxide production was measured in both plasma from rats subjected to I/R and in incubation medium from PTCs. Results. After 6 hours of reperfusion, tyrphostin AG126 significantly reduced the increase in serum and urinary indicators of renal dysfunction and injury caused by I/R and reduced histologic evidence of renal injury. Tyrphostin AG126 also improved renal function (after 24 and 48 hours of reperfusion) and reduced the histologic signs of renal injury (after 48 hours of reperfusion). Tyrphostin AG126 reduced the expression of iNOS and nitric oxide levels in both rat plasma and in PTC cultures, as well as expression of COX-2. Tyrphostin AG126 also reduced nitrotyrosine and PAR formation, suggesting reduction of nitrosative stress and poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP) activation, respectively. Conclusion. Taken together, these results show that tyrphostin AG126 significantly reduces the renal dysfunction and injury caused by I/R of the kidney. We propose that inhibition of tyrosine kinase activity may be useful against renal I/R injury

High density lipoprotein (HDL) reduces renal ischemia/reperfusion injury

High-density lipoproteins (HDL) have been shown to reduce organ injury and mortality in animal models of shock via modulation of the expression of adhesion molecules and pro-inflammatory enzymes. As renal inflammation plays an important role in the development of ischemia/reperfusion (I/R) injury of the kidney, the aim of this study was to investigate the ability of HDL to alleviate renal dysfunction and injury in a rat model of renal I/R. HDL (80 mg/kg, intravenous) was administered to male Wistar rats 30 min before bilateral renal ischemia for 45 min followed by reperfusion for up to 48 h. After 6-h reperfusion, HDL significantly reduced (1) renal and tubular dysfunction, (2) tubular and reperfusion-injury, and (3) histologic evidence of renal injury. HDL also improved renal function (after 24-h and 48-h reperfusion) and reduced histologic signs of renal injury (after 48-h reperfusion). Administration of HDL significantly reduced the numbers of polymorphonuclear leukocytes (PMN) infiltrating into renal tissues during reperfusion, which was reflected by an attenuation of the increase in renal myeloperoxidase activity caused by I/R. Furthermore, HDL markedly reduced expression of the adhesion molecules, intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (ICAM-1), and P-selectin during reperfusion. The increase in renal malondialdehyde levels caused by renal I/R was also significantly reduced by HDL, suggesting attenuation of lipid peroxidation subsequent to oxidative stress. These results demonstrate that HDL significantly reduces renal I/R injury and severity of ischemic acute renal failure. It is proposed that the mechanism of protection involves reduction of the expression of adhesion molecules, resulting in reduction of PMN infiltration and oxidative stress

EUK-134 reduces renal dysfunction and injury caused by oxidative and nitrosative stress of the kidney

Background/Aims: Oxidative and nitrosative stress plays important roles in the pathogenesis of renal ischemia/ reperfusion (I/R) injury. Here we investigate the effect of EUK-134, a synthetic superoxide dismutase and catalase mimetic, (i) on renal dysfunction and injury caused by I/R in vivo and (ii) on proximal tubular cell (PTC) injury and death caused by oxidative and nitrosative stress. Methods: Rats, subjected to bilateral renal ischemia ( 45 min) followed by reperfusion ( 6 h), were administered EUK-134 (0.3 and 3 mg/kg, i. v.) prior to and during reperfusion, after which biochemical and histological indicators of renal dysfunction and injury were measured. The expression of poly( ADP-ribose) ( PAR) and inducible nitric oxide ( NO) synthase ( iNOS) and nitrotyrosine formation were determined immunohistochemically and used as indicators of oxidative and nitrosative stress. Primary cultures of rat PTCs, isolated and cultured from the kidney cortex, were incubated with hydrogen peroxide (H2O2; 1 mM for 2 h) in the presence of increasing concentrations of EUK-134 (1 - 100 muM) after which PTC injury and death were measured. The effects of EUK-134 on serum levels of NO in rats subjected to renal I/R or on NO production by PTCs incubated with interferon-gamma ( IFN-gamma, 100 IU/ml) and bacterial lipopolysaccharide (LPS, 10 mug/ ml) in combination for 24 h were also measured. Results: EUK-134 produced a significant reduction in renal dysfunction and injury caused by I/R. Specifically, serum creatinine levels, an indicator of renal dysfunction, were reduced from 227 +/- 11 (n = 12, I/R only) to 146 +/- 9 muM (n = 12, I/R + 3 mg/ kg EUK- 134). Urinary N-acetyl-beta-D-glucosaminidase activity, an indicator of tubular damage, was reduced from 42 +/- 5 (n = 12, I/R only) to 22 +/- 3 IU/l (n = 12, I/R + 3 mg/kg EUK-134). EUK-134 significantly reduced renal injury caused by oxidative stress in vivo ( reduction in PAR formation), and in vitro EUK- 134 reduced PTC injury and death caused by H2O2. However, EUK- 134 also reduced nitrosative stress caused by I/R in vivo ( reduction of iNOS expression and nitrotyrosine formation), which was reflected by a significant reduction in serum NO levels in rats subjected to renal I/R. Specifically, serum NO levels were reduced from 57 +/- 12 ( n = 12, I/R only) to 23 +/- 3 mM (n = 12, I/ R + 3 mg/kg EUK- 134). In vitro, EUK- 134 significantly reduced NO production by PTCs incubated with IFN-gamma/LPS. Conclusion: We propose that EUK- 134 reduces renal I/ R injury not only via reduction of oxidative stress, but also by reducing nitrosative stress caused by renal I/R. Copyright (C) 2004 S. Karger AG, Basel