Mass Media as Means of Initiating Community Developmental Programmes in Akoko North West Local Government Area, Ondo State, Nigeria

The study examined the mass media as means of initiating community developmental programmes in Akoko North West Local Government Area of Ondo State, Nigeria. The study adopted descriptive research design of the survey type.The sample for the study consisted of 120 respondents in Akoko North West Local Government Area of Ondo State, Nigeria.  The study raised four research questions which the data were collected through questionnaire and also tested and analyzed with descriptive statistics. The findings showed that the mass media was the best platform for mobilizing people of the community for participation and also attracts government attention to communities for developmental programmes. Based on the findings of the study, it is recommended that residents’ collaboration and empowerment form of participation is encouraged by NGOs and development agencies

Anthropometric Estimates and Comparative Evaluation of Diagnostic Methods for Malaria Parasitemia in Pregnant Women and newborn babies in Southwestern Nigerian Communities

Malaria in low-birth-weight newborns affects the prognosis. The anthropometric estimates and comparativeevaluation of diagnostic methods for malaria parasitemia in pregnant women and newborn babies in southwestNigerian communities was investigated in this study. Demography, BMI of mothers and anthropometric data of thenewborn children were analysed for malaria infection risk. Venous blood sample from pregnant mothers (n=112)attending routine antenatal clinics and the cord blood during delivery of the newborn (n=112) were analysedPlasmodium infection and comparative evaluation of the diagnostic performance of Rapid Diagnostic Test (RDT),Giemsa Microscopy and PCR assay were evaluated for specificity and sensitivity using the multivariate logisticanalysis. Among the pregnant women from various tribes, 90.9% were of the Yoruba tribe, 70.2% had secondaryschool education, 63.6% belonged to mid-income class, 72.7% had received Intermittent preventive treatment (IRT)and 37.5% slept under ITN (p<0.05). A significant decrease in average BMI of the malaria positive mothers fromall study locations (28.18 Kg/m2, 25.05 Kg/m2 and 26.30 Kg/m2) was observed compared to the average BMI of thenon- infected pregnant mothers (p= 0.034). The anthropometric values of infected babies significantly decreased inchest circumference ranging between 20.44 to 21.83cm compared 23.15cm in uninfected babies (p<0.05). The average malaria parasite density in infected mothers and babies (18,345 and 6,486 per 200WBC) with higher prevalence of 11.78% and 8.00% respectively of Plasmodium falciparum was found in infected mothers and infected babies respectively, compared to other Plasmodium species. Higher Plasmodium detection rate by PCR (21.62%) for both mothers and babies compared to microscopy and RDT was recorded. Poor education, poverty and poor use of preventive measures are major risk factors for the high prevalence of malaria among pregnant women. PCR-based methods should be considered as part of diagnosis for early detection of mother-to-child transmission ofmalaria and reduction of risk of infection for the newborn particularly in endemic area

Exposure to anti-malarial drugs and monitoring of adverse drug reactions using toll-free mobile phone calls in private retail sector in Sagamu, Nigeria: implications for pharmacovigilance

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Adverse drug reactions (ADRs) contribute to ill-health or life-threatening outcomes of therapy during management of infectious diseases. The exposure to anti-malarial and use of mobile phone technology to report ADRs following drug exposures were investigated in Sagamu - a peri-urban community in Southwest Nigeria.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Purchase of medicines was actively monitored for 28 days in three Community Pharmacies (CP) and four Patent and Proprietary Medicine Stores (PPMS) in the community. Information on experience of ADRs was obtained by telephone from 100 volunteers who purchased anti-malarials during the 28-day period.</p> <p>Results and Discussion</p> <p>A total of 12,093 purchases were recorded during the period. Antibiotics, analgesics, vitamins and anti-malarials were the most frequently purchased medicines. A total of 1,500 complete courses of anti-malarials were purchased (12.4% of total purchases); of this number, purchases of sulphadoxine-pyrimethamine (SP) and chloroquine (CQ) were highest (39.3 and 25.2% respectiuvely). Other anti-malarials purchased were artesunate monotherapy (AS) - 16.1%, artemether-lumefantrine (AL) 10.0%, amodiaquine (AQ) - 6.6%, quinine (QNN) - 1.9%, halofantrine (HF) - 0.2% and proguanil (PR) - 0.2%. CQ was the cheapest (USD 0.3) and halofantrine the most expensive (USD 7.7). AL was 15.6 times ($4.68) more expensive than CQ. The response to mobile phone monitoring of ADRs was 57% in the first 24 hours (day 1) after purchase and decreased to 33% by day 4. Participants in this monitoring exercise were mostly with low level of education (54%).</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>The findings from this study indicate that ineffective anti-malaria medicines including monotherapies remain widely available and are frequently purchased in the study area. Cost may be a factor in the continued use of ineffective monotherapies. Availability of a toll-free telephone line may facilitate pharmacovigilance and follow up of response to medicines in a resource-poor setting.</p

Bypassing shortages of personal protective equipment in low-income settings using local production and open source tools

Free and open-source hardware, 3D printing, and the use of locally sourced materials can be valuable tools for local problem solving, as proven by the production of more than 400 reusable face shields and masks in a Nigerian community to bypass PPE shortages during the COVID-19 pandemic

Inter-relationship of plasma markers of oxidative stress and thyroid hormones in schizophrenics

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>The relationship of oxidative stress to thyroid hormones has not been studied in the schizophrenics. The present study determined the status and interrelationship of plasma markers of oxidative stress, nitric oxide and thyroid hormones in thirty (17 males and 13 females) newly diagnosed patients with acute schizophrenia before initiation of chemotherapy. Twenty five (13 males and 12 females) mentally healthy individuals served as controls. Patients and controls with history of hard drugs (including alcohol and cigarette), pre-diagnosis medications (e.g. antiparkinsonian/antipsychotic drugs), chronic infections, liver disease and diabetes mellitus were excluded from the study. Plasma levels of total antioxidant potential (TAP), total plasma peroxides (TPP), nitric oxide (NO), malondialdehyde (MDA), thyroxine (T4), tri-iodothyronine (T3) and thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH) were determined in all participants using spectrophotometric and enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) methods respectively. Oxidative stress index (OSI) was calculated as the percent ratio of total plasma peroxides and total antioxidant potential.</p> <p>Findings</p> <p>Significantly higher plasma levels of MDA (p < 0.01), TPP (p < 0.01), OSI (p < 0.01), T3 (p < 0.01) and T4 (p < 0.05) were observed in schizophrenics when compared with the controls. The mean levels of TAP, NO and TSH were significantly lower in schizophrenics (p < 0.01) when compared with the controls. The result shows that T3 values correlate significantly with MDA (p < 0.05) and TPP (p < 0.01) in schizophrenics.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>Higher level of TPP may enhance thyroid hormogenesis in schizophrenics. Adjuvant antioxidant therapy may be a novel approach in the treatment of schizophrenic patients.</p

Effectiveness of the Use of Chloroquine plus Chlorpheniramine in the Management of Acute Uncomplicated Malaria

To evaluate the effectiveness of chloroquine (CQ) plus chlorpheniramine (CP) combination in the treatment of uncomplicated malaria in the community outside the strict followup and compliance of hospital-based studies. In an open randomized study, patients with symptomatic acute uncomplicated malaria in a rural community in Southwestern Nigeria were allocated to receive supervised (Group1) or unsupervised (Group2) chloroquine plus chlorpheniramine (CQ-CP) using the 14daymodification of theWHOfield test. One hundred and sixty of 196 enrolled patients completed the study. Children in both groups received CQ (25mg/kg) over three days plus CP 6mg (patients 5years) followed by 4mg 8 hourly for 7days. Adults received 1500mg over 3 days in combination withCP, 8mg stat followed by 6mg 8 hourly for 7days. D7 and D14 cure rates were 95.5% and 91.4% in Group 1 versus 87.7% and 77.14% for Group 2 (p=>0.05). Mean PCT and FCT were 2.27±0.84d and 2.56±1.4d versus 2.62±1.36d and 2.7±0.82d in Groups 1 and 2 respectively (p=>0.05). Six patients who earlier failed unsupervised therapy responded to the combination under supervision. CQ-CP is effective in the treatment of acute uncomplicated falciparum malaria in the community. However, poor compliance may compromise this cheap and effective regimen.Keywords: Effectiveness chloroquine chlorpheniramine malaria

Effects of Nutritional Status and Supplementation on Resumption of Menstruation Amongst Parturient Nigerian Women

Context: Breastfeeding patterns, ethnic variation and nutrition have been shown to influence the return of menstruation after childbirth, but the role played by nutritional status requires further elucidation, particularly in a place like Nigeria where undernutrition is common. Objectives: To determine the effects of nutrition and breastfeeding pattern on the duration of lactational amenorrhoea in Nigerian women. Subjects and Methods: Marginally malnourished mothers (162) were randomised into two groups [A & B] for comparison with a third group [C] of well-nourished mothers. Mothers in Group A (83 subjects) received supplements in the form of specially formulated biscuits while those in Group B (79 women) & Group C (85 women) received none. The subjects were visited 3 times a week to ensure compliance with the supplements and to collect information on breastfeeding pattern and duration of lactational amenorrhoea. Results: There were no significant differences in the duration of postpartum amenorrhoea in the three groups of mothers, being 270, 220 and 234 days for Groups A, B and C respectively. Wide individual variations were observed in the duration of amenorrhoea in each group of mothers despite the fact that they generally had similar patterns of breastfeeding. The energy expenditure patterns in the supplemented and unsupplemented mothers were similar. Conclusion: Nutritional status and supplementation do not seem to influence the duration of lactational amenorrhoea in this group of Nigerian women. Subtle physiological differences between individual women may account for the wide individual variations observed in the time of resumption of menstruation after childbirth in the subjects. Key Words: Breastfeeding, Lactational Amenorrhoea, Nutritional Status, Menstruation. [Trop J Obstet Gynaecol, 2002, 19: 39-43]

Potential contribution of prescription practices to the emergence and spread of chloroquine resistance in south-west Nigeria: caution in the use of artemisinin combination therapy

Abstract Background Prescription practices have been shown to influence the emergence of anti-malarial drug resistance. Thus efforts in this study were devoted to evaluating the prescribing practices prior to introduction of the artemisinin based combination therapy (ACT) in Nigeria and its potential contribution to emergence of chloroquine resistant malaria in south-west Nigeria, in order to forestall a similar situation with the ACT. Methods A retrospective quantitative study was designed to examine case records of patients treated for malaria in either a government or a private hospital in Ibadan, south-west Nigeria, over a 20-year period, cutting across three phases of resistance to chloroquine in Nigeria: pre-resistance, emerging resistance and dissemination of resistance. Patient prescriptions were examined for use of anti-malarial drugs, sub-therapeutic doses of chloroquine, co-administration of anti-histamines with chloroquine. Descriptive statistics of frequency and percentage were used to describe trends in the parameters assessed using EPI-info. Results Case record files of 2,529 patients were examined. Chloroquine was the main drug used in treatment of malaria throughout the periods studied, with frequency of prescription at both sites ranging from 91.4% to 98.3% during the pre-resistance years. It was administered as standard doses during the pre resistance years. Anti-histamines, especially promethazine, were routinely co-administered with chloroquine at this period too. However, the practice of prescribing sub-therapeutic doses of chloroquine at the private health care facility coincided with the latter phase of emerging resistance and phase of dissemination of resistance. Frequency of prescription of sub-therapeutic doses increased from 6.7% in 1983 (pre-resistance years) to 43.6% in 1997 (dissemination of resistance phase) at the private health care facility. Frequency of co-administration of anti-histamines with chloroquine also reduced during the period of dissemination of resistance. Conclusion The results from this study describe a lack of adherence to national treatment guidelines, especially in the private sector, and a relationship between prescription practices and dissemination of drug resistant falciparum malaria. As Nigeria adopts the use of ACT, there is an urgent need to improve malaria treatment practices in Nigeria in order to prolong the clinical shelf-life of the combination.</p