Evaluation of a project to reduce morbidity and mortality from traditional male circumcision in Umlamli, Eastern Cape, South Africa:Outcome mapping

Background: Traditional circumcision is common among the amaXhosa in Umlamli, Eastern Cape. Circumcision is associated with high morbidity and mortality. The need to reduce complications was identified as a priority by the local community. The aim was to design, implement and evaluate a project to improve the safety of traditional circumcision.Method: A safe circumcision team was established and comprised health workers, community leaders and traditional surgeons. Outcome mapping involved three stages: intentional design, outcome, and performance monitoring and evaluation. The eight boundary partners were the initiates, parents, community leaders, traditional surgeons, the District Health Services, the provincial Department of Health, the emergency services and the police. Outcomes, progress markers and strategies were designed for each boundary partner. The team kept an outcome and strategy journal and evaluated hospital admissions, genital amputations and mortality.Results: Ninety-two initiates were circumcised, with two admissions for minor complications, compared to 10 admissions, two amputations and two deaths previously. More than 70% of the outcome measures were achieved in all boundary partners, except emergency services and the Department of Health. The key aspects were: the use of outcome mapping, the participatory process, a lower age limit, closure of illegal schools,  consolidation of accredited schools, training workshops for traditional surgeons, private treatment room for initiates, assistance with medical materials, pre-circumcision examination, certificates of fitness.Conclusion: This study has shown the value of community-orientated primary care initiatives to address local health problems. Key lessons were identified and the project could easily be replicated in communities facing similar challenges

Panicle insect pests of sorghum and pearl millet:proceedings of an International Consultative Workshop 4-7 Oct 1993 ICRISAT Sahelian Center Niamey, Niger

This workshop brought together national and international scientists from 12 countries to assess the economic importance of panicle-feeding insect pests of sorghum and pearl millet worldwide and review existing knowledge; provide concise and up-to-date information on current research on management tactics; develop research themes and priorities for their management in various cropping systems and agroecologies; and develop/strengthen linkages and enhance collaboration and partnership between international agricultural research systems, universities, and NARS, in order to achieve more effective technology transfer, resulting in increased and sustained productivity on farmers' fields. The sessions covered bioecology and crop losses, and management strategies (including host-plant resistance, crop management and biological control, and integrated pest management). Regional reports were presented from western, eastern, and southern Africa, Asia, and the Western Hemisphere. Discussions of working groups and recommendations are included. Presentations are reproduced in the original language of submission (English/French), followed by an extended swnmary in French/English as the case may be. The opening session addresses, objectives, discussions at the end of each session, general discussion session, and recommendations are in both language

Expressive Language Comparisons between Nigerian Children with Sli and those with Features of Asd

Abstract Controversy surrounds a suggestion of overlap between specific language impairment (SLI) and a subgroup of people with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) plus language impairments. This study examines syntactic complexity in 56 Nigerian SLI children matched for age, sex and socio economic status with 56 children with features of autism (FASD). They had a mean age of 4 years old. The ratio of boys to girls was 4:1 in favour of boys. The two groups were compared on their mean length of utterance (MLU) a standard measure of syntactic complexity in child language. The results adduced a significantly higher MLU in children with SLI than for the FASD group. There were 3 times as many non-verbal children in the FASD than in the SLI group. More SLI than FASD children had emerging grammars. The indication that syntactically, these were too mutually exclusive groups was discussed. Also observed was that language development in both groups appeared to be poorer than that documented in the West. Further research was suggested to explore the linguistic challenges inherent in each group

Resistant plasmid profile analysis of multidrug resistant Escherichia coli isolated from urinary tract infections in Abeokuta, Nigeria

Background: Multi-drug resistant Escherichia coli has become a major threat and cause of many urinary tract infections (UTIs) in Abeokuta, Nigeria.Objectives: This study was carried out to determine the resistant plasmids of multidrug resistant Escherichia coli isolated from (Urinary tract infections)UTIs in Abeokuta.Methods: A total of 120 Escherichia coli isolates were obtained from urine samples collected from patients attending inpatient and outpatient clinics presenting UTI; with their biodata. Antibiotics susceptibility was performed and multi-drug resistant isolates were selected for plasmid profiling. Plasmids were extracted by the alkaline lysis method, electrophoresed on 0.8% agarose gel and profiled using a gel-photo documentation system gel.Results: Escherichia coli isolates obtained shows high resistance to cloxacillin (92.5%), amoxicillin (90.8%), ampicillin (90.8%), erythromycin (75.8%), cotrimoxazole (70.0%), streptomycin (70.0%) and tetracycline (68.3%) while 85.8% and 84.2% were susceptible to gentamycin and ceftazidime respectively. Sixteen Escherichia coli strains were observed to be resistant to more than two classes of antibiotics. The resistant plasmid DNA was detectable in 6(37.5%) of the 16 multidrug resistant Escherichia coli having single sized plasmids of the same weight 854bp and were all resistant to erythromycin, cefuroxime, cloxacillin, amoxicillin, ampicillin and cotrimoxazole.Conclusion: This study has highlighted the emergence of multidrug resistant R-plasmids among Escherichia coli causing urinary tract infections in Abeokuta, Nigeria. There is a high level of resistance to many antimicrobials that are frequently used in Abeokuta, Nigeria.Keywords: Escherichia coli, UTI, R-plasmid, multidrug resis

Brief report: Validity and reliability of the Nigerian Autism Screening Questionnaire

Informant-report measures for screening symptoms of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and other neurodevelopmental disorders (NDDs) are needed for low-resource settings if early identification is to be prioritized because early developmental concerns are likely to be expressed by parents and other caregivers. This paper describes the initial psychometric evaluation of the Nigeria Autism Screening Questionnaire (NASQ). Parents and other caregivers completed the NASQ on 12,311 children ages 1 to 18 in a Nigerian population sample as part of the World Bank National General Household Survey conducted in the country in 2016. Factor analyses indicated a parsimonious three-factor structure with social communication/interaction, repetitive sensory motor, and insistence on sameness dimensions. Measurement invariance was excellent across age and sex. Reliability of the subscales and total scale was good, and item response theory analyses indicated good measurement precision in the range from below average to high scores, crucial for screening, and tracking ASD symptoms. Studies with gold standard ASD diagnostic instruments and clinical confirmation are needed to evaluate screening and diagnostic accuracy. The NASQ appears to be a reliable instrument with a clear factor structure and potential for use in screening and tracking ASD symptoms in future Nigerian samples

Genetic variation and diversity of pearl millet [Pennisetum glaucum (L.)] genotypes assessed for millet head miner, Heliocheilus albipunctella resistance, in West Africa

Pearl millet (Pennisetum glaucum L.), the major source of minerals and dietary energy for people living in the semi-arid regions of Sahel, is regularly damaged by millet head miner, Heliocheilus albipunctella. In order to identify the plant-based resistance sources for millet head miner along with high grain Fe and Zn, we have screened forty pearl millet genotypes, using an artificial infestation method. Analysis of variance revealed significant differences in the genotypes tested for head miner resistance. The genotypes Gamoji, ICMP 177001, ICMP 177002, ICMV 177003, ICMV IS 90311, LCIC9702, Souna 3, ICMV IS 94206 and PE08043 exhibited antibiosis resistance mechanism to Heliocheilus albipunctella with appreciable agronomy and grain yield when compared with the susceptible check ICMV IS 92222. The genotypes Faringuero, ICMV 167005, ICMV IS 99001, Sadore local, SOSAT-C88, and ICMP 177004 exhibited tolerance to head miner damage with good per se performance. The genotypes ICMP 177001, ICMP 177002, ICMV 177003, and Moro exhibited resistance to millet head miner and had consistent grain Fe content across seasons (ranging from 44 to 70 ppm). Association between the head miner resistance and morphological traits showed a positive and significant correlation of larval production index (%) with head miner damage (r = 0.59**). Grain Fe and Zn contents exhibited negative association with panicle length and grain yield indicating proper care should be taken in breeding for these traits. Hence, the identified resistance sources can be effectively utilized in breeding head miner resistant pearl millet OPV’s/ hybrids, with high grain yield including Fe and Zn concentrations, to overcome the hunger and malnutrition seen in populations living in the semi-arid tropics

Local Competition Between Foraging Relatives: Growth and Survival of Bruchid Beetle Larvae

Kin selection theory states that when resources are limited and all else is equal, individuals will direct competition away from kin. However, when competition between relatives is completely local, as is the case in granivorous insects whose larval stages spend their lives within a single seed, this can reduce or even negate the kin-selected benefits. Instead, an increase in competition may have the same detrimental effects on individuals that forage with kin as those that forage with non-kin. In a factorial experiment we assessed the effects of relatedness and competition over food on the survival and on fitness-related traits of the bruchid beetle Callosobruchus maculatus. Relatedness of competitors did not affect the survival of larvae. Larval survival substantially decreased with increasing larval density, and we found evidence that beetles maturing at a larger size were more adversely affected by competition, resulting in lower survival rates. Furthermore, females showed a reduction in their growth rate with increasing larval density, emerging smaller after the same development time. Males increased their growth rate, emerging earlier but at a similar size when food was more limited. Our results add to the growing number of studies that fail to show a relationship between relatedness and a reduction in competition between relatives in closed systems, and emphasize the importance of the scale at which competition between relatives occurs

Biological control of the millet head miner Heliocheilus albipunctella in the Sahelian region by augmentative releases of the parasitoid wasp Habrobracon hebetor: effectiveness and farmers’ perceptions

On-farm augmentative releases of the parasitoid Habrobracon hebetor (Say) for controlling the millet head miner (MHM) Heliocheilus albipunctella (de Joannis) were tested in Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger from 2007 to 2009. In addition, a survey of farmers’ perceptions of insect pests, with particular focus on MHM, and the biological control program (BCP) was carried out. There was a significant increase of MHM parasitization rate after the releases, with up to 97% mortality. The survey on farmers’ perceptions revealed a fair knowledge of the MHM and the ability of farmers to describe the pest and the damage it caused. Farmers claimed that the biocontrol agent H. hebetor is effective and perceived a significant gain in grain yield due to this control strategy. Implications of these findings for a large extension of the MHM biocontrol program are discussed

The Nigerian petroleum downstream sector and product pricing: Issues and the way forward

This research has been designed to explore critically the history of the downstream petroleum sector and the trend of pricing of Nigeria's petroleum products - looking closely at the contentious issue of subsidy and formulate a statistical model for the appropriate pricing of locally produced petroleum products. NESG Economic Indicators Vol. 13 (4) 2007 pp. 50-5