Mistreatment among undergraduate medical trainees: A case study of a Nigerian medical school

Background: Several international studies have shown that abuse or mistreatment is a regular phenomenon faced by medical students. However, there is limited information on medical student abuse/mistreatment in Nigeria. The study was therefore conducted to assess the prevalence and patterns of mistreatment experienced by Medical Students in the University of Calabar.Materials and Methods: A descriptive cross‑sectional study was conducted among 451 undergraduate medical trainees in the University of Calabar. Systematic sampling was used in recruiting participants into the study. A self‑administered questionnaire was then employed to obtain information on patterns of mistreatment experienced by medical undergraduates. Data were analyzed using Statistical Package for Social Scientists version 19 and level of significance set at <0.05.Results: More than a third (35.5%) of all respondents interviewed had experienced one or more forms of mistreatment during their training, with 38.5% of them experiencing it weekly. The most common form of mistreatment experienced was verbal abuse (52.5%), and the main perpetrators of these incidents were medical consultants, (18.6%) other cadre of doctors (17.3%) and lecturers (14.4%). Being in the clinical level of study and aged above 25 years were significantly associated with experiencing mistreatment in this study (P < 0.05). However, only 8.8% reported these incidents.Conclusion: With more than a third of undergraduate medical trainees experiencing mistreatment, development of appropriate strategies for the prevention and reduction of these incidents are strongly recommended.Keywords: Abuse, medical students, mistreatment, Nigeri

PROPAGATION OF ELECTROMAGNETIC WAVES IN SOME PUBLIC BUILDINGS IN CROSS RIVER STATES, NIGERIA

A Digital Community-Access (or Cable) Television (CATV) Analyzer with 24 channel spectrum 46 – 870MHz have been used to measured the received signal strength level, RxLev in four buildings (two office buildings and two residential buildings) in Calabar city at 519.25MHz. The results obtained indicated an average penetration loss of approximately 6dB with a standard deviation of 2dB. This is in accordance with several other studies done on this subject. In general, an increase has been found in the average signal strength when the receiver is moved upward in a building, the worst case situation being at ground floor

Haematological and immunological effect of coadministration of extracts of Vernonia amygdalina and Azadirachta indica on normal and diabetic rats

This study evaluated the effect of co-administration of extracts of Vernonia amygdalina Del. (VA) and Azadirachta indica Linn.(AI) on haemapoietic and immunological indices of normal and diabetic rats. White blood cells which were non-significantly decreased (p>0.05) in diabetic control rats relative to the normal control, respectively increased and decreased non-significantly (p>0.05) upon administration of the combined extracts of VA and AI to diabetic and non-diabetic test rats. Packed cell volume, haemoglobin content and red cell count as well as its derived factors (mean cell volume, mean cell haemoglobin and mean cell haemoglobin concentration) of both diabetic and non-diabetic rats were not affected by the treatment, relative to their respective controls. As compared to insulin treatment, the combined extracts significantly increased (p<0.05) mean cell haemoglobin concentration (MCHC) of diabetic rats. Platelets number which was non-significantly lower (p>0.05) in diabetic control rats as compared to non-diabetic control was further decreased non-significantly (p>0.05) upon administration of the combined extracts and insulin. Diabetes induction significantly increased CD4+ count (p<0.05) as compared to the normal control. This was however decreased significantly (p<0.05) upon treatment with the combined extracts and insulin. The combined extract similarly decreased CD4+ counts in normal test rats as compared to the normal control. Combined extracts of VA and AI is non-haematotoxic and may possess some anti-inflammatory properties when used as a management against diabetes mellitus.Key words: Diabetes, haematological and immunological indices, Vernonia amygdalina, Azadirachta indica

Influence of Brine Salting on the Quality Attributes of Smoke-dried Catfish (Clarias anguillaris) Stored at Ambient Temperature

Salting is a method of fish preservation in many countries of the world. It can be used in combination with drying or smoking. Salting of fish removes water and lowers the water activity, thereby reducing the water available to support microbial growth which causes spoilage. The objective of this study is to investigate the influence of brine salting on the quality attributes of smoke-dried catfish (Clarias anguillaris) stored at ambient temperature. The quality attributes of the smoke-dried fish stored for 0-6 weeks at ambient temperature (28 ± 2°C) were evaluated. Smoking was done using a traditional kiln, with charcoal as the source of energy. The proximate composition, total volatile base nitrogen (TVB-N), peroxide value (PV), microbiological and sensory characteristics of smoked catfish were assessed using standard methods. The smoking process reduced the moisture content of catfish from 73.6 to 8.65%, and increased the protein, fat, and ash contents significantly (P ≤ 0.05). The TVB-N of unsalted catfish increased from 4.30 to 36.4mg N/100g within 6 weeks of storage while the PV increased from 1.61 to 24.0 meq g/kg. The TVB-N and PER values for unsalted smoked fish were within the acceptable limit at 4 weeks of storage, but exceeded the limit at 5 weeks. Brine salting reduced the total viable count (TVC) and yeast and mould count (YMC) of the smoked product; the extent of reduction depended on the concentration of brine. A concentration of 6% brine was found to be a suitable level for catfish. The bacteria isolated from the smoked fish samples belonged to the genera Bacillus, Klebsiella Lactobacillus, and Staphylococcus while the fungi belonged to Aspergillus, Fusarium and Penicillium. Sensory scores showed that unsalted smoked catfish stored from 0 to 4 weeks, and the brine salted samples stored from 0 to 6 weeks, had good quality

Effects of engaging communities in decision-making and action through traditional and religious leaders on vaccination coverage in Cross River State, Nigeria: a cluster-randomised control trial

BACKGROUND: Vaccination coverage levels fall short of the Global Vaccine and Action Plan 90% target in low- and middle- income countries (LMICs). Having identified traditional and religious leaders (TRLs) as potential public health change agents, this study aimed at assessing the effect of training them to support routine immunisation for the purpose of improving uptake of childhood vaccines in Cross River State, Nigeria. METHODS: A cluster-randomised controlled study was conducted between 2016 and 2019. Of the 18 Local Government Areas (LGA) in Cross River State, eight (four urban and four rural LGAs) were randomized into the intervention and control study arms. A multi-component intervention involving the training of traditional and religious leaders was implemented in the four intervention LGAs. Baseline, midline and endline surveys collected information on children aged 0-23 months. The effect of the intervention on outcomes including the proportion fully up-to-date with vaccination, timely vaccination for pentavalent and measles vaccines, and pentavalent 1-3 dropout rates were estimated using logistic regression models using random effects to account for the clustered data. RESULTS: A total of 2598 children at baseline, 2570 at midline, and 2550 at endline were included. The intervention was effective in increasing the proportion with at least one vaccine (OR 12.13 95% CI 6.03-24.41p<0.001). However, there was no evidence of an impact on the proportion of children up-to-date with vaccination (p = 0.69). It was effective in improving timeliness of Pentavalent 3 (OR 1.55; 95% CI: 1.14, 2.12; p = 0.005) and Measles (OR 2.81; 96% CI: 1.93-4.1; p<0.001) vaccination. The odds of completing Pentavalent vaccination increased (OR = 1.66 95% CI: 1.08,2.55). CONCLUSION: Informal training to enhance the traditional and religious leaders' knowledge of vaccination and their leadership role can empower them to be good influencers for childhood vaccination. They constitute untapped resources in the community to boost routine immunisation. Pan African Clinical Trial Registry (PACTR) PACTR202008784222254

Coronin 1C harbours a second actin-binding site that confers co-operative binding to F-actin

Dynamic rearrangement of actin filament networks is critical for cell motility, phagocytosis and endocytosis. Coronins facilitate these processes, in part, by their ability to bind F-actin (filamentous actin). We previously identified a conserved surface-exposed arginine (Arg30) in the β-propeller of Coronin 1B required for F-actin binding in vitro and in vivo. However, whether this finding translates to other coronins has not been well defined. Using quantitative actin-binding assays, we show that mutating the equivalent residue abolishes F-actin binding in Coronin 1A, but not Coronin 1C. By mutagenesis and biochemical competition, we have identified a second actin-binding site in the unique region of Coronin 1C. Interestingly, leading-edge localization of Coronin 1C in fibroblasts requires the conserved site in the β-propeller, but not the site in the unique region. Furthermore, in contrast with Coronin 1A and Coronin 1B, Coronin 1C displays highly co-operative binding to actin filaments. In the present study, we highlight a novel mode of coronin regulation, which has implications for how coronins orchestrate cytoskeletal dynamics

Morphometric Characteristics of the Lower Orashi River, Niger Delta Region, Nigeria

The study examined the spatial analysis of the morphometric characteristics of the Lower Orashi River, Niger Delta Region, Nigeria. The river course was segmented into 30 equal distances of 4.8m from each other and at each point, the morphometric parameters like width, depth, and flow velocity. The discharge was measured from these parameters. Descriptive and inferential statistics were employed for data analysis while results are presented using tables and graphs. Results showed that width of the river ranged from 77.90m to 2788.00m with the mean width of 318.83m. The depth ranged from 2.10 to 7.60m with the mean depth recording 4.14m as it was higher at the upper section of the river while it becomes lower as it is entering the Atlantic Ocean. Furthermore, width was significantly correlated with the depth (r= -0.556, p<0.05), cross sectional area (r= 0.989, p<0.05) and discharge (r= 0.987, p<0.05).  Also, elevation was significantly correlated with cross sectional area (r= -0.506, p<0.05) and discharge (r = -0.511, p<0.05). More importantly, the cross sectional area was correlated with discharge (r=0.995, p<0.05). The study concluded that there is significant variation existing in the morphometric parameters namely width, elevation, cross sectional area and discharge among the segments along Orashi River. The study therefore recommended that the water course should be reduced of human activities to reduce the rate of soil loss or discharge and to boost the river floor with adequate morphological property

Varietal differences influence arsenic and lead contamination of rice grown in mining impacted agricultural fields of Zamfara State, Nigeria.

In Zamfara state, Nigeria, rice is cultivated in fields contaminated with Pb (lead) from artisanal and illicit mining activities. Rice grown in such contaminated agricultural areas risks not only Pb contamination but also contamination from other toxic elements, like arsenic (As); co-contamination of Pb and As in rice cultivated in mining impacted areas has been previously reported and rice is a hyperaccumulator of As. A field study was conducted with ten different commonly-cultivated Nigerian rice varieties in the mining-impacted farmlands of Dareta village, Zamfara State. The aim was to determine the optimal rice variety for cultivation on these contaminated farmlands; an optimal variety would have the lowest contaminant concentrations and highest essential elements concentrations in the rice grains. A total of 300 paired soil and rice plants were collected. The mean As and Pb concentrations in paddy soils were 0.91 ± 0.82 mg kg-1 and 288.5 ± 464.2 mg kg-1, respectively. Mean As (30.4 ± 15.1 μg kg-1) content in rice grains was an order of magnitude lower than the Codex recommendation of 200 μg kg-1 (for milled rice) while the Pb content in all the rice varieties (overall mean of 743 ± 327 μg kg-1) was approximately four times higher than the Codex recommendation of 200 μg kg-1. Contrary to previous studies, a negative correlation was observed between As and Pb in rice grains across all the varieties. Rice variety Bisalayi was the variety with the lowest Pb transfer factor (TF = 0.08), but the average Pb concentration in rice grain was still above the Codex recommendation. Bisalayi also had the highest TF for iron. Variety ART_15, which had the lowest As uptake (TF = 0.10), had the highest TF for essential elements (magnesium, potassium, manganese, zinc, and copper). In areas of Pb contamination, Bisalayi rice may therefore be a suitable variety to choose for cultivation