Screening for Risk Factors: Adolescent Sexual Risk Behavior as a Symptom of Disordered Family Structure and Functioning.

Background: Adolescent transition is associated with risky sexual behavior. Evidence has demonstrated the impact of family factors mediated through parental attachment on adolescents’ decisions on sexual debut and practice. Health provider initiated focused intervention targeting  at risk adolescents and their families  is needed  but measures for family factors have not been incorporated into adolescents screening  instruments. This gap in literature and adolescent health packages demands attention. Aim and Objectives: This study aims to use the Family Circle and APGAR Questionnaire to elicit the pattern of parental attachment and perceived family functioning and their relationship with sexual debut with a view to recommending them as screening instruments. Method: Over 400 senior secondary school students randomly selected participated using self administered instruments including the Family Circle and APGAR Questionnaire. P value was set at 0.05. Results: The Family Circle elicited the pattern of parental attachment   and showed a significant relationship with sexual debut and parent adolescent communication on sexuality. The APGAR elicited the perceived family functioning among the respondents. A significant relationship was established between sexual debut and parents’ educational status and parents' separation. Conclusion: This study demonstrated the impact of disordered family structure and functioning on adolescent sexual practice mediated through parental attachment  using the Family Circle and APGAR questionnaire. The utility of these instruments in eliciting parental attachment and perceived family functioning makes them vital tools proposed for screening and detection of at risk adolescents. Key words: adolescent, parental attachment, family structure, functioning, sexual debut

Adolescent Transition: Impact on Pattern of Perceived Family Functioning, Parental Attachment and Relationship with Family Structure and Risk Behavior

Background: Family approach to adolescent care is advocated to harness family protective factors and reduce adverse factors for adolescent risk behavior. Family Physicians can take the lead in providing this care but data on adolescent transition and perception of their family processes is lacking in our locale. There is need to bridge this gap and broaden the perspectives for successful adolescent care.Aim and Objectives: To determine the pattern of perceived family functioning and parental attachment, the impact of family structure and relationship to risk behavior among adolescents using the APGAR Questionnaire and Family Circle.Method: Over four hundred secondary school adolescents randomly selected participated using self administered customized instruments. Data was analyzed using the SPSS 21.p value was set at 0.05.Results: Most respondents (56.3%) rated their families as highly functional but deficient in the Growth and Affection domains of the APGAR. Parental attachment was healthy for majority (91.4%) with mother attachment (86.9%)significantly higher than father attachment (57.7%). Divorce had significant negative impact on functioning and all dimensions of attachment worse than families with a deceased parent. Work separation negatively impacted functioning, parental attachment was preserved. Risk behavior prevalence was high (25.6%), had significant relationship with family structure, functioning and parental attachment.Conclusion: Parental attachment mediates the impact of family structure and functioning on adolescent risk behavior. Most adolescents had healthy parental attachment, in functional families but with deficiency in the Growth and Affection domains and Father attachment indicating needed intervention to optimize family conditions for positive adolescent development. Keywords: adolescent, family functioning, family structure, parental attachment, risk behavior.

Radiation and viscous dissipation effects for the Blasius and Sakiadis flows with a convective surface boundary condition

This study is devoted to investigate the radiation and viscous dissipation effects on the laminar boundary layer about a flat-plate in a uniform stream of fluid (Blasius flow), and about a moving plate in a quiescent ambient fluid (Sakiadis flow) both under a convective surface boundary condition. Using a similarity variable, the governing nonlinear partial differential equations have been transformed into a set of coupled nonlinear ordinary differential equations, which are solved numerically by using shooting technique along side with the sixth order of Runge-Kutta integration scheme and the variations of dimensionless surface temperature and fluid-solid interface characteristics for different values of Prandtl number Pr, radiation parameter NR, parameter a and the Eckert number Ec, which characterizes our convection processes are graphed and tabulated. Quite different and interesting behaviours were encountered for Blasius flow compared with a Sakiadis flow. A comparison with previously published results on special cases of the problem shows excellent agreement

Current status of malaria parasite among blood donors in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, Nigeria

This study was carried out to determine the prevalence of malaria parasite among blood donors at the  Police Clinic Port Harcourt, Rivers State, Nigeria. The standard parasitological techniques using both thick and thin blood films from the donors for the detection of malaria parasite was followed. Venous blood was collected from 200 blood donors and films were made on clean greese-free glass slide and stained with 10%Giemsa stains and viewed under the microscope using the oil immersion objective. Of the 200 samples examined, 56 (28.00%) were positive with Plasmodium falciparium. The highest prevalence among the males 53(26.50%) and between the ages 21-30years and only 3 (1.50%) of females were positive. Donors having the blood group O were more infected (60.70%) than the other blood groups and the lowest was blood group AB (5.40%). This result shows that there is a relatively high prevalence of malaria parasite among the blood donors in Port Harcourt, Nigeria. It is, therefore, recommended that malaria parasite screening test be included among other blood screening tests before any transfusion to avert the deleterious effects of malaria on recipients. © JASEMKeywords: Malaria parasite; Prevalence; Blood Donors; Port Harcourt; Rivers State

Methods of Extraction and Antimicrobial Susceptibility Testing of Plant Extracts

Plant extracts are widely used in pharmaceutical, food and cosmetic industry; however the effect of conventional methods of extraction described in this paper as cold and soxhlet method has not been investigated. Antimicrobial activity of Anchomanes difformis (Blume) Engl. leaf extracts have been described comparing cold and soxhlet method of extraction. The ammmt of extractable plant extract/phytochemicals, the solubility of the extracts and the susceptibility of the test organism to the extract had a correlation with the extraction methods. Cold extract had wider zones of inhibition and activity than soxhlet extract. Though there was no significant difference (P>0.05) between cold and soxhlet extracts on the entire test organisms, differences exist when compared individually. This paper revealed cold method of extraction as a better alternative to soxhlet method in antimicrobial susceptibility assay. However, the decision on the methods of extraction to be used could also be dependent on the ammmt of certain phytochemicals required and the solubility of the extracts in solvents after extraction

Work Place Motivation and Employee Productivity in the Nigerian Public Organizations: The Federal Radio Corporation of Nigeria (FRCN) Experience

Motivation has been variously seen overtime as the most vital tool, yet overlooked means of turning on the workers to give their best to attain organizational goals as well as achieve job satisfaction at the workplace. This paper examines the effect of workplace motivation on employee performance in the Nigerian public organizations with special attention on the South Eastern Federal Radio Corporation. To achieve the above objective, content analytical technique was adopted to carefully review works of renowned authors on the subject matter. The result of the study revealed that there exists a positive relationship between motivation and enhanced employee productivity. The study recommends that appropriate motivational techniques that could satisfy peculiar needs of the workforce should be provided. Keywords: Motivation, Incentives, Public Organization, Employee Productivity, Organizational Goals

In vitro Antimicrobial Screening on Anchomanes difformis (Blume) Engl. Leaves and Rhizomes Against Selected Pathogens of Public Health Importance

There is a need to establish scientific findings to many ethnobotanical uses of plants as phytotherapy which could find application in the pharmaceutical industry. Antimicrobial activity of Anchomanes difformis which is locally used in the treatment of diarrhea was investigated in this research. A. difformis leaf and rhizome were exhaustively extracted using ethanol, methanol and water as solvent in the ratio of 70:20:10. The antimicrobial activities were tested against pathogens of public health importance majorly the enterobacteriaceae and Candida albican. The zones of inhibitions ranged from 3-5 for rhizome extracts and 1-5 for leaf extracts at 100 l (0.1g/ml) MIC. The rhizome extracts contained phlebotannins, terpenoids and glycosides not found in leaf extracts while the leaf extracts contained steroids not found in rhizomes extracts among other phytochemicals present. Pseudomonas aeruginosa conferred resistance against the rhizome extract while Shigella flexneri conferred resistance against leaf extract. Differences in these observed susceptibility and resistance could be due to differences in their bioactive components. The rest of the organisms were found to be susceptible to both extracts showing that A. difformis had antimicrobial activity

Politics of Recruitment and Selection in the Nigerian Civil Service – An Ebonyi State Experience

Recruitment and selection exercise has been long recognized as the most important human resources functions designed to attract and subsequently choose the best applicants to be appointed and placed on job openings in organization. There is a growing realization that the recruitment and selection exercise has the potency to make or mar the success of any organization. This study is an attempt to examine the impact of politics on the process of recruitment and selection exercise in the Nigerian civil service with special attention on Ebonyi State civil service. The study adopted content analysis to critically review the views of other scholars on the topical issue. It was revealed that politics is a regular feature in the Nigerian civil service recruitment exercise. The effects of the exercise have been identified as the bane of the service which include – corruption, inefficiency, low productivity, indiscipline, etc. on the basis of the foregoing, the study posited that recruitment and selection exercise should be credibly handled by experts, hence the civil service commission should be composed of experts in human resource management. Also, the autonomy of the civil service commission should not only be in principle but in practice. The implication of the above is that lack of interference in the operations of the commission will enable it objectively and efficiently discharge its responsibilities with out fear and favour to ensure efficient public service delivery. Keywords: Recruitment, Selection, Politics, Civil service

Poor Health Care Access in Nigeria: A Function of Fundamental Misconceptions and Misconstruction of the Health System

Health care access in Nigeria is very limited in all dimensions due to factors within and beyond the health system. Misconception of primary health care and poor leadership resulted in a stunted health system development which has failed to align system structures and processes to the goal of achieving universal health access. Improving financial access through compulsory health insurance will not be enough to reverse this status without a holistic primary health care reform to correct the system misconstruction, achieve high quality health care that is efficient, acceptable to the people and therefore sustainable and capable of driving growth and development for the health system and the country. A primary health care movement consisting of health professionals within the country and the diaspora and other stakeholders is needed to drive this process and overcome the inertia of political leadership in this regard