Book Review

William G. Martin, ed., Making Waves: Worldwide Social Movements, 1750-2005. London: Boulder

Epistemological Issues in the Making of an African medicine: Sutherlandia (Lessertia Frutescens)

The scientific clinical trial of the African traditional medicine, Sutherlandia (Lessertia frutescens) forms an interface between the indigenous local knowledge of people living with Aids, traditional health practitioners and that of science and global health. Up till now, no cross-disciplinary studies have been done on epistemological questions concerning especially the knowledge and understanding of ‘proof ’ of efficacy concerning an African traditional medicine. This paper draws together insights and analysis from the anthropology and sociology of health and healing in discussing the intersecting fields of knowledge and experience of pharmacology, phytotherapy and related fields, as well as that of biomedical and traditional health practitioners, and of research subjects involved in the making of clinical trials of sutherlandia (lessertia frutescens) in South Africa.Keywords: South Africa, African medicine, bio-medicine, sutherlandia (lessertia frutescens) clinical trials

Biafra in the present: trauma of a loss

This paper forms part of a wider attempt at engaging the issues of nation-building, war, and trauma within the context of a developing sociology of trauma. It focuses, specifically, on Biafra, a recurring issue in the political and economic discussions in Nigeria. It delimits the focus to trauma. The Igbo perception of their increased marginalisation in the scheme of things in contemporary Nigeria brings to the fore the idea of Biafra, an Igbo attempt to create an Igbo nation-state which subsequently resulted into the war which foreshadowed many of the conflicts that would threaten to ‘shatter’ many post-colonial Africa. The war was traumatic: it inflicted fear and suffering. With the use of cultural trauma and the notion of the loss of assumptive world, the paper suggests that its loss was more traumatic because of the shattering of the cognitive representation of Biafra, an entity which was to bring a sense of belonging and connection that would cohere the Igbo being. In the wake of the loss of Biafra, the assumptive world of the Igbo was shattered. The paper suggests further that current recollection of Biafra by the Igbo serves as an illustration of the ‘collective trauma’ of its loss. The theoretical basis for the argument in this paper is that Biafra is rooted in the psyche of the Igbo.Keywords: trauma, assumptive world, Igbo, Biafra, nation buildin

University Education and Gender Equity in the new millennium: Mapping the Demographic Terrain at the University of Ilorin for new challenges

Any useful discussion on Gender and Higher Education in the context of development must be anchored within particular ideologies since each of the three concepts is value-laden. For instance, it is possible to analyse the eight (8) Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), prominent among which is the “promotion of gender equality and women empowerment”, as the logical concomitants of the neo-liberalist ideology propelling the on-going process of globalization. Through this new politico-economic agenda, nations of the world have tacitly accepted their respective short-comings. The poor ones have pledged to govern better and invest in their people through improved health care and education, while the rich ones have pledged their support for poor ones through aid, debt relief and fairer trade. The concept of equity /inequity, whether of gender, race or creed, must be situated within a broad, all-subsuming theory of oppression reminiscent of Young’s (1990) five faces of oppression, namely exploitation, marginalization, powerlessness, cultural imperialism and violence. This would clearly indicate that the problem is not simply about inclusivity vs exclusivity, as inclusivity has qualitative as well as quantitative implications.Peer Reviewe

The management of diabetes among the rural poor in South Africa

The objective of this study was to examine the management of diabetes mellitus Type 2 among the rural poor in South Africa. The focus group method was used. Data was elicited from 20 group sessions over a 20-week period on health beliefs and attitudes and rural-dwelling diabetes sufferers’ strategies for managing the condition. The study shows poor knowledge of diabetes and poor self-management as delineated in the medical literature. The focus of the rural dwellers’ self-management of diabetes was hypoglycaemic control through regular consumption of very-high-calorie food, the type of which have been found to lead to a diet that has very high carbohydrate, high in saturated fatty acids, excess salt and unrefined sugar. The rationale for this is the misconception that hypoglycaemia is a product of low food intake, which would seem to suggest their perception of illness and health belief than the understanding of chronic illness. It was concluded that the government and health care professionals have to do more to develop interventions to facilitate good self-management of diabetes among the rural people. Such interventions should address the sufferers’ knowledge of diabetes.Key Words: Care interventions; Chronic Illness; Diabetes; Focus Groups; Health Belief; Health Monitoring; Health Policy; Rural Health; South AfricaRésuméL’objectif de cette étude était d’examiner le traitement du diabète sucré de type 2 chez les ruraux pauvres en Afrique du Sud. La méthode du groupe de discussion a été utilisé. Les données ont été recueillies auprès de 20 séances de groupe sur une période de 20 semaines sur les croyances et les attitudes de santé et les stratégies des ruraux vivant diabète malades du pour la gestion de l’état. L’étude montre une mauvaise connaissance du diabète et une mauvaise estime de gestion que délimité dans la littérature médicale. L’objectif de l’auto-gestion des populations rurales de diabète était le contrôle hypoglycémiant par la consommation régulière d’aliments à très haute teneur en calories, le type qui ont été trouvés à conduire à un régime qui a très riche en glucides, riche en acides gras saturés, l’excès de sel et de sucre non raffiné. La raison à cela est l’idée fausse que l’hypoglycémie est un produit de faible apport alimentaire, ce qui semble suggérer leur perception de la maladie et de la santé conviction que la compréhension de la maladie chronique. Il a été conclu que le gouvernement et les professionnels de la santé doivent faire plus pour développer des interventions pour faciliter une bonne auto-gestion du diabète chez les populations rurales. Ces interventions devraient porter à la connaissance des personnes souffrant de diabète.Mots clés: Soins intervention; Maladie chronique; le diabète; Groupe de discussion; Croyance à la santé; Surveillance de la santé; Politique de la santé; Santé en milieu rural; Afrique du Sud

An exploration of the philosophy and environment of a South African randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial of Lessertia frutescens

The current paper describes the context setting that was undertaken when designing and conducting the first pilot study of the safety of Sutherlandia (Lessertia frutescences), a plant indigenous to South Africa which is generally used, in the country, as a traditional medicine in the treatment of a number of illnesses, including symptoms associated with HIV/AIDS. It asks: Do the researchers who conducted the clinical trial consider the rationale broadly, profoundly and objectively enough? It examines how and why the context setting was undertaken and highlights important aspects of the culture and organization of the clinical trial which might have influenced the participants’ experiences in trial recruitment and participation. The general aim is to build a picture of the environment in which clinical trials were offered and administered. This is because properly conducted clinical trials are key to the knowledge needed by health care bodies to deliver effective, safe and economically sound treatment. The focus is on the organization of the work of the Institute that conducted the clinical trial, the place of trials work within the institute and the beliefs, attitudes and practices of the staff

Editorial

No abstract

A case report of premenarchial transverse vaginal septum at the University College hospital, Ibadan

Premenarchial Transverse vaginal septum is a benign condition. The septum may be found in the upper, middle or lower vagina. A case report of a premenarchial girl with transverse vaginal septum managed at the university college hospital, Ibadan, in January 2009. Diagnosis was made following a history of primary amenorrhea, cyclical low abdominal pain and pelvic examination which revealed a vaginal septum. She had surgical resection of the vaginal septum and a vaginal stent was left in-situ to keep the vagina patent during the healing process. The procedure was uneventful and she was able to achieve menstrual flow following surgery. Follow up visits were essentially unremarkable.Keywords: Premenarchial, Transverse vaginal septu

TACKLING CAUSES OF FREQUENT BUILDING COLLAPSE IN NIGERIA

A building, once properly constructed is expected to be in use for a very long time. Although every society has its own problems and Nigeria is not an exception yet the very recent challenges of buildings collapsing in various locations have been giving the various arms of government and the people of Nigeria sleepless nights in view of the enormous loss of huge investments in housing, properties and human life. The major challenge on the issue of building collapse is that individuals differ radically from one another on the professional to blame as the major cause of the collapse of a building. This study reviews current challenges in the building industry in relation to collapse of buildings, loss of lives and properties. Data for the study were obtained through structured questionnaires administered to landlords and professionals in the construction industry in addition to academia in the built environment. Historical data of past collapsed buildings in Nigeria were also discussed. Findings from the three prominent groups were varied. First, building experts blamed building collapses on the use of low quality building materials coupled with employment of incompetent artisans and weak supervision of workmen on site. Second, public opinion revealed that the blames of building collapse were due to non-compliance with specifications/standards, use of substandard building materials and equipments and the employment of incompetent contractors. Third, opinion of the academia on remote causes of building collapse showed that the route causes are mainly the non-enforcement of existing laws and endemic poor work ethics of Nigerians at large. The study recommends that the press should lay more emphasis on educating the public at large on the dangers of the collapse of a building and less on public emotions. In addition, government should, on one hand, embark on proactive steps by mustering enough political will to allow the Town Planning Authorities to perform their functions unfettered and on the other hand, provide the legal framework that can improve and ensure smoother, less time-consuming and less burdensome ways to conduct business in the functioning of law courts

Preparation, Release Pattern And Antibacterial Activities Of Chitosan-Silver Nanocomposite Film

The present study examined the preparation of chitosan-silver nanocomposite film as carriers for silver release pattern. Chitosan, a biopolymer having immense structural possibilities for chemical and mechanical modifications to generate novel properties, functions and applications. Chitosan – silver nanocomposite has been synthesized by simple chemical reduction method, which is a simple and an inexpensive method. The chitosan-silver (crosslinked) nanocomposite film was characterized in terms of their surface plasmon resonance and crystalline structure by using UV-Visible spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, Fourier transform infrared and Scanning electron microscope. Swelling and release studies were carried out on the nanocomposite film. Antibacterial activities of chitosan-silver nanocomposite film were investigated on human pathogens: Staphylococcus aureus, Shigella dysenteriae, Escherichia coli, Salmonella typhii and Klebsiella pneumonia using agar well diffusion method. Chitosan-silver (crosslinked) demonstrated a slower release pattern relative to silver-chitosan (uncrosslinked); both became dislodged and completely released at 120 minutes and 90 minutes respectively. The results of the antibacterial activities revealed that the cross-linked nanocomposite film has higher antibacterial properties than the close component. This study provides novel nanocomposite film potentially useful for drug delivery