African Art and the New Humanism

The following essay examines African art in line with the philosophy of New Humanism, and how it fulfils human dignity and value. The relationship of man and his creator is examined through art, vis-à-vis religion and man’s constant search for the reason for being. The theory of creationism which attributes the existence of everything in the universe to the direct creative act of the Supreme Being, and presents man as the apex and pinnacle of God’s creation is discussed. New Humanism is discussed as it aims at reconciling people to the original humanism, the sort of humanism pursued by the Renaissance Humanists. The paper takes a careful look at African art as an art of culture, philosophy and personality, as realistic views of life expressed in the symbolic structure of the work of art, IMAGE being the link. African art is characteristically humanistic, as what constitutes arts is determined by its effect on man, either positively or negatively. The paper concludes that, in structure, African art can be seen to consist of the following features; belief and ancestors. It is important to note that outside of God, full human dignity and values cannot be realized

Socio - demographic characteristics of HIV patients diagnosed at immunization centres in Calabar, South – south, Calabar, Nigeria

Introduction: The World Health Organization (WHO) estimated that 3.2 million children were living with Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) at the end of 2013, mostly in sub- Saharan Africa. Socio- economic and demographic factors do not only affect viral transmission but also the success of preventive strategies and treatment.Objective: To determine the socio -demographic characteristics of mothers, and the relationship between maternal and HIV status of their infants attending immunization clinics in Calabar.Methods: Using multistage sampling method, 330 subjects were enrolled and screened from 63 immunization centres. The sociodemographic characteristic ofeach infant’s mother was documented. The results of Rapid test for mothers and Dried Blood Spots (DBS) results for infants were compared.Results: Of the 330 subjects recruited, 173 (52.4%) were males while 157(47.6%) were females. Mean age of the infants was 9.20 ± 3.1 weeks. Twenty four mothers and infants tested positive for HIV antibodies. After confirmatory tests using HIV Deoxyribosenucleic acid (DNA PCR), 14(58.3%) out of 24 antibody seropositive infants were infected. The transmission rate after confirmation was 58.3%.Conclusion: Parental education, social class and low maternal Antiretroviral drug (ARV) use were responsible for transmission. It is therefore recommended that health education on ARV use during antenatal period and HIV status of mother baby pair be done at immunization centres. HIV positive mothers and babies should be promptly referred for therapy.Keywords: Immunization, HIV, Infants, DNA PCR, PMTCT, AR

Terminalia catappa Leaf Extract as a Capping Agent for ZnO Nanoparticle Synthesis via Sol-gel Method and its Microbial Effects on Selected Fungi and Bacterial

This study presents a reliable process for synthesizing ZnO nanoparticles using a green method. In this approach, we harness Terminalia catappa leaf extract as an effective chelating and capping agent to synthesize ZnO nanoparticles from zinc nitrate hexahydrate salt through a sol-gel method, employing Response Surface Methodology (RSM) and its microbial assessment. Optical properties of the ZnO nanoparticles were investigated using UV-visible spectroscopy, and determined their band-gap to range between 4.13 and 5.175 eV. To explore the outcomes, Response Surface Methodology (RSM), was employed which revealed that the Model F-value of 2.62 signifies the significance of the model for the response. Furthermore, when examining the contour plot relating the inhibition zone to temperature and plant extract dosage, we found that an increase in dosage and decrease in temperature resulted in an increase in the bandgap. This method of biosynthesizing zinc oxide nanoparticles through Terminalia catappa leaf extract offers effect against the bactieria and fungi such as; Escherichia -coli, Straphylococcus aureus, Pseudomonas aeuginosa and Trichophyton rubrum, Penicillium marnaffei, Atteneria spp respectively. Therefore, ZnO nanoparticles though this route gives an eco-friendly and more straightforward alternative to chemical and physical synthesis techniques for various environmental applications

Impact of opioid-free analgesia on pain severity and patient satisfaction after discharge from surgery: multispecialty, prospective cohort study in 25 countries

Background: Balancing opioid stewardship and the need for adequate analgesia following discharge after surgery is challenging. This study aimed to compare the outcomes for patients discharged with opioid versus opioid-free analgesia after common surgical procedures.Methods: This international, multicentre, prospective cohort study collected data from patients undergoing common acute and elective general surgical, urological, gynaecological, and orthopaedic procedures. The primary outcomes were patient-reported time in severe pain measured on a numerical analogue scale from 0 to 100% and patient-reported satisfaction with pain relief during the first week following discharge. Data were collected by in-hospital chart review and patient telephone interview 1 week after discharge.Results: The study recruited 4273 patients from 144 centres in 25 countries; 1311 patients (30.7%) were prescribed opioid analgesia at discharge. Patients reported being in severe pain for 10 (i.q.r. 1-30)% of the first week after discharge and rated satisfaction with analgesia as 90 (i.q.r. 80-100) of 100. After adjustment for confounders, opioid analgesia on discharge was independently associated with increased pain severity (risk ratio 1.52, 95% c.i. 1.31 to 1.76; P < 0.001) and re-presentation to healthcare providers owing to side-effects of medication (OR 2.38, 95% c.i. 1.36 to 4.17; P = 0.004), but not with satisfaction with analgesia (beta coefficient 0.92, 95% c.i. -1.52 to 3.36; P = 0.468) compared with opioid-free analgesia. Although opioid prescribing varied greatly between high-income and low- and middle-income countries, patient-reported outcomes did not.Conclusion: Opioid analgesia prescription on surgical discharge is associated with a higher risk of re-presentation owing to side-effects of medication and increased patient-reported pain, but not with changes in patient-reported satisfaction. Opioid-free discharge analgesia should be adopted routinely

Latex derived blends of poly(vinyl acetate) and natural rubber: thermal and mechanical properties

Poly(vinyl acetate) (PVAc) and natural rubber blends (NR) were prepared by low shear blending of the corresponding lattices. Thin films were cast using a doctor blade technique. SEM and DMA confirmed the essential immiscibility of the two polymers. Even when the poly(vinyl acetate) forms the matrix phase, it still contains domains encapsulated by a rubber phase where particles that resemble the original latex are visible. This incomplete droplet coalescence of the poly(vinyl acetate) is attributed to the fact that the rubber latex droplets were an order of magnitude smaller than the poly(vinyl acetate) latex droplets. Tensile testing revealed a nonlinear dependence of tensile strength and elongation on blend composition. Surprisingly good tensile yield strengths were obtained at intermediate to high PVAc contents. Thermogravimetric analysis of degradation in air and nitrogen atmospheres indicated independent degradation of the parent polymers.Financial support for this research from the Institutional Research Development Programme (IRDP) of the National Research Foundation (NRF), the University of the Free State and the University of Pretoria is gratefully acknowledged

Full factorial design approach to carbon nanotubes synthesis by CVD method in argon environment

Whereas meeting product quantity and quality are prime intent in process optimization of materials manufacturing, the application of the more reliable full factorial experiment has not been well-explored in optimization studies of Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) synthesis. In this study, statistical full factorial design of experiment was explored in the parametric studies of CNTs synthesis via acetylene-chemical vapour deposition (CVD). Bimetallic (Feî¸Co) catalyst supported on CaCO3 was employed for the synthesis of CNTs. The dependence of CNTs yield on the growth time (45/60 min), growth temperature (700/750 °C), acetylene flow rate (150/190 ml/min), and argon flow rate (230/290 ml/min) was investigated in the 24 factorial design of experiment. The growth temperature and acetylene flow rate were found to have the most significant effects on the yield of CNTs, and a maximum yield of 170% was obtained at growth conditions of 60 min, 700 °C, 190 ml/min acetylene flow rate, and 230 ml/min argon flow rate. Since acetylene undergoes polymerization or dissolution during non-catalyzed thermal decomposition, the significant effects of temperature and acetylene flow rate as illustrated by the factorial analysis suggests that the selective ability of the Feî¸Co/CaCO3 catalyst towards CNTs growth in the thermal decomposition of acetylene in CVD was mainly thermodynamics-controlled. Characterization of CNTs samples synthesized at different conditions shows that highest-yield conditions do not guarantee best quality properties. Keywords: Optimization, Full factorial design, Carbon nanotubes, Chemical vapour depositio

Childhood Diarrhoea in Calabar: an 8-year review

No Abstract.Global Journal of Medical Sciences Vol. 6 (2) 2007 pp. 85-9

Therapeutic and Safety Evaluation of Combined Aqueous Extracts of Azadirachta indica and Khaya senegalensis in Chickens Experimentally Infected with Eimeria Oocysts

Coccidiosis is a disease of economic importance in poultry causing morbidity and mortality. Reports show that Azadirachta indica and Khaya senegalensis have been used individually in the treatment of avian coccidiosis. We thus investigated the efficacy and safety of the combined aqueous extracts of these plants for the treatment of experimentally induced coccidiosis in broiler chickens using oocyst count, oxidative stress biomarkers, serum biochemistry, histology, and haematological parameters. The phytochemical screening revealed the presence of tannins, saponins, cardiac glycosides, and steroids in both extracts. In addition, alkaloids and flavonoids were present in Azadirachta indica. There was significant (p<0.05) dose dependent decrease in oocyst count across the treatment groups with 400 mg/kg of the combined extract being the most efficacious dose. Immunomodulatory and erythropoietic activity was observed. There were decreased intestinal lesions and enhanced antioxidant activity across the treatment groups compared to the negative control. Administration of the combined extract did not cause damage to the liver as ALT, AST, and ALP levels were significantly reduced in the uninfected chickens treated with the extracts compared to control suggesting safety at the doses used. The combined aqueous extracts of K. senegalensis stem bark and Azadirachta indica leaves were ameliorative in chickens infected with coccidiosis