The impact of medical tourism and the code of medical ethics on advertisement in Nigeria

Advances in the management of clinical conditions are being made in several resource poor countries including Nigeria. Yet, the code of medical ethics which bars physician and health practices from advertising the kind of  services they render deters these practices. This is worsened by the incursion of medical tourism facilitators (MTF) who continue to market healthcare services across countries over the internet and social media thereby raising ethical questions. A significant review of the advertisement ban in the code of ethics is long overdue. Limited knowledge about advances in medical practice among physicians and the populace, the growing medical tourism industry and its attendant effects, and the possibility of driving brain gain provide evidence to repeal the code. Ethical issues, resistance to change and elitist ideas are mitigating factors working in the opposite direction. The repeal of the code of medical ethics against advertising will undoubtedly favor health facilities in the country that currently cannot advertise the kind of services they render. A repeal or review of this code of medical ethics is necessary with properly laid down guidelines on how advertisements can be and cannot be done.Key words: Advertising, consumer health information, health facilities, health policy, healthcare provider, facility regulation, medical ethics, medical tourism, nigeria, physician

SMS-Based Event Notification System

Existing mass Short Message Service (SMS) mailing systems are designed to work with a specific SMS gateway hence resulting in user lock-in to a SMS vendor. Also, some SMS gateways support scheduling of SMS message to be sent at a later time and date, others do not support it. Moreover, those gateways that support scheduling don't mostly allow users to cancel scheduled SMS message. This study has successfully designed and developed an enterprise class mass SMS mailing system that support multiple users as well as multiple SMS gateways, providing a unified interface and common set of features across many SMS gateways which prevent vendor lock-in as users can choose among multiple SMS vendor gateways. Another major feature provided by the new system is the introduction of SMS message scheduling. This feature makes SMS message scheduling possible across all SMS gateways including those that do not internally support scheduling. Moreover, users can also cancel any scheduled message if the need be. Keywords: Mailing Systems, Lock-In, Scheduling, SMS, SMS Gateway, SMS Vendor

The relationship between chlamydia infection and infertility at the Lagos University Teaching Hospital, Lagos, Nigeria

Context: Infertility affects 10–15% of couples worldwide and tubal factor is a major component in sub-Saharan Africa. Pelvic inflammatory disease due to chlamydia infection is a known risk factor for tubal infertility. Objective: This case-control study was carried out to determine the relationship between chlamydial infection and infertility as seen at the Lagos University Teaching Hospital, Lagos, Nigeria. Methodology: This was a case-controlled study of 180 participants recruited from the Gynaecology Outpatient and Family Planning Clinics of the Lagos University Teaching Hospital, Lagos, Nigeria (LUTH). The cases were 60 females diagnosed to have tubal infertility and 60 other infertile females with patent tubes. The control group comprised of 60 females attending the family planning clinic. The females were tested for serum chlamydia IgG antibody using a kit that detects serovar specific Chlamydia trachomatis antibody. Endocervical swab samples were also tested for chlamydial antigen using a kit that detects C. trachomatis genus specific lipopolysaccharide antigen. The results were collated and analyzed using the statistical package for the social sciences (SPSS) version 18. Results: All the females tested negative for chlamydia antigen. The odd ratio for having a case testing positive for chlamydial antibody compared to control was 4.0 [95% CI = 1.47–10.88]. The odd ratio for infertile females with blocked tubes compared with those who had patent tubes testing positive for chlamydia antibody was 3.52 (95% CI: 1.46–8.49). Conclusion: This study suggests an etiological relationship between chlamydial infection and infertility in general and tubal infertility in particular

Has economic growth reduced poverty in Nigeria? A critical analysis of the last two decades

Purpose — This paper aims to examine how Nigeria's economic growth over the past two decades has contributed to poverty reduction.Method — This study adopted the desktop research method of qualitative and quantitative data and used various sources, including academic journals, publications, books, articles, and reports. The National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) of Nigeria, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the Human Development Report, the World Bank Indicators, and the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) Statistical Bulletin are all places where secondary statistical data comes from.Result — Nigerian economy has experienced significant growth over the last two decades, but poverty rates in the country remain high. We also discovered that the Nigerian economy's high level of inequality, corruption, jobless growth, and monocity are some issues that have hindered the translation of economic growth into significant poverty reduction.Recommendation — Based on the analysis of this research and the peculiarity of the Nigerian economy, this paper recommends that diversification of the economy, investment in public services, and policies that encourage pro-poor growth are effective strategies that would lead to more significant poverty reduction. In addition, there is a need to study the nature of inequality in Nigeria. An in-depth study needs to be done on income inequality and the multidimensional forms of inequality prevalent in the country.Contribution — Research on economic growth and poverty in Nigeria mostly concentrated on the relationship between these variables. Only a few studies have investigated why the poverty rate continues to rise amid economic growth. This study tries to fill this gap and contribute empirically to the current literature on economic growth and poverty in Nigeria by studying the economic situations and factors surrounding the country's rising poverty rate

The Effects of Moisture Content on the Temperature of Some Selected Soil Samples in the Presence of Internal Heat

The effect of moisture content on the temperature of some selected soil samples in the presence of internal heat was studied. The governing equation was modeled using Bosenneque’s approximation base on some necessary assumptions by which the transfer occurred. These equations were non-dimensionalized by employing some standard dimensionless parameters and later reduced to ordinary differential equations using perturbation method. This was then solved analytically. The various effects of the physical parameters that materialized were examined on the unsaturated and saturated forms of some selected soil samples. With the aid of Matlab software, the numerical results were graphed for visual examination. It was observed that the presence of moisture content in these soils helped in boosting their temperatures as the solar radiation and internal heat increase

The Effects of Moisture Content on the Temperature of Some Selected Soil Samples in the Presence of Internal Heat

The effect of moisture content on the temperature of some selected soil samples in the presence of internal heat was studied. The governing equation was modeled using Bosenneque’s approximation base on some necessary assumptions by which the transfer occurred. These equations were non-dimensionalized by employing some standard dimensionless parameters and later reduced to ordinary differential equations using perturbation method. This was then solved analytically. The various effects of the physical parameters that materialized were examined on the unsaturated and saturated forms of some selected soil samples. With the aid of Matlab software, the numerical results were graphed for visual examination. It was observed that the presence of moisture content in these soils helped in boosting their temperatures as the solar radiation and internal heat increase

The Effects of Moisture Content on the Temperature of Some Selected Soil Samples in the Presence of Internal Heat

The effect of moisture content on the temperature of some selected soil samples in the presence of internal heat was studied. The governing equation was modeled using Bosenneque’s approximation base on some necessary assumptions by which the transfer occurred. These equations were non-dimensionalized by employing some standard dimensionless parameters and later reduced to ordinary differential equations using perturbation method. This was then solved analytically. The various effects of the physical parameters that materialized were examined on the unsaturated and saturated forms of some selected soil samples. With the aid of Matlab software, the numerical results were graphed for visual examination. It was observed that the presence of moisture content in these soils helped in boosting their temperatures as the solar radiation and internal heat increase

A Comparison of the Effects of Solar Radiation on Sandy-Loam and Clay-Loam Soils with Convective Boundary Condition

A comparison of the effects of solar radiation on sandy-loam and clay-loam soils with convective boundary condition was made. The dimensional governing equations (the continuity, momentum and energy equations) were converted to non-dimensional form using some set of dimensionless quantities, which resulted to a pair of partial differential equations of second order. With the use of perturbation method, these equations were reduced to ordinary differential equation and then solved analytically. Using the numerical values of the thermal conductivities of sandy-loam and clay-loam soils, a good comparison was made between the effects of the solar radiation parameter and internal heat generation parameter on the two soil samples. These results were worked out with the use of Matlab R2009b and visibly displayed on graphs for clearer illustration. For a rise in the intensity of solar radiation and mounting internal heat, the temperature of the soils increased generally. However, the proportion of moisture content influenced the level and the rate at which the temperature is boosted in both soil samples