The influence of media on political knowledge amongst undergraduate students in Ibadan, Nigeria

Knowledge about politics and government activities increases due to the socialization and enlightenment functions of the mass  media. Youths and students are the largest bloc of voters in Nigeria but seemingly least political informed. This study examines the frequency of the forms of media accessed and level of political knowledge among Nigerian students. It also assessed the relationships between political knowledge and access to  radio, television, newspaper, and social media. Moreover, it investigated the predictive influence of the frequency of media access on Nigerian  students’ political knowledge. The study adopted Uses and Gratification Theory (UGT) to explain how media is used to the advantage of people. Using cross-sectional survey research design, a structured questionnaire was used to collect information on students’ demographic, frequency of  media access and knowledge of Nigerian politics from 246 randomly selected students of the Polytechnic, Ibadan (Mean age is 25.07 years, SD = 6.23). Descriptive and inferential statistics were used to analyze the data. Findings identified social media as the most frequently use media,  followed by radio, television and newspaper.31% of the respondents had very high political knowledge while 3% had no political knowledge. Access to radio is the only significant correlate (r = 0.42, p<0.05) and independent predictor (β= 0.43, t=-3.98, p<0.05) of political knowledge although access  to radio, television, newspaper and social media are significant joint predictors of political knowledge (R2= .18, F (4, 241) = 4.32). Therefore, the study concludes that radio is the foremost source of political knowledge amongst undergraduate students in Ibadan, Nigeria. It recommends that various  media institutions and political analysts should take advantage of the social media to make more audience politically knowledgeable. Keywords: Political knowledge; Mass media; Social media;  Traditional media; Nigerian students

Early experience with video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery in Nigeria

Background: Video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (VATS) is a minimal access surgery that can be used for various diagnostic and therapeutic procedures. However, this tool is underused in our setting because of various reasons, ranging from equipment availability to expertise. Objective: This study aimed to review our early experience with VATS, highlighting the clinical attributes, outcomes, and challenges in our setting. Methods: This was a retrospective study of patients who underwent VATS between November 2015 and May 2019. Patients’ demographics, clinical presentation, diagnosis, procedural success, complications, and length of hospital stay were analyzed. Results: The study included 25 patients (mean age, 41.26±12.78 years). The most common preoperative diagnosis was right catamenial pleural effusion. The conversion rate was 20%, and the average length of hospital stay was 3.4 days. Conclusion: The scope of VATS is very narrow in our setting. Only one center in Nigeria has reported good success rate and minimal complications albeit longer hospital stay. The identified limitations to use of VATS include lack of investment in procurement of appropriate equipment and expertise, which need to be overcome

Two-Step-Model of Photosensitivity in Cerium-doped Fibers

The photosensitivity of various cerium-doped fibers has been experimentally investigated for both excimer- and femtosecond-laser illumination. The results of single-pulse, few-pulse and multi-pulse inscription of fiber-Bragg-gratings with both laser systems and the thermal aging of those gratings demonstrated the restrictions of the conventional color center model for cerium-doped fibers. To explain the short-term stability of single-pulse gratings against long-term stability of multi-pulse gratings, an extension into a two-step-model was deduced

FACTORS ASSOCIATED WITH TB/HIV CO-INFECTION AMONG DRUG SENSITIVE TUBERCULOSIS PATIENTS MANAGED IN A SECONDARY HEALTH FACILITY IN LAGOS, NIGERIA

Background: This study assessed factors associated with TB/HIV co-infection among TB patients managed in a secondary health facility in Lagos Nigeria. Materials and Methods: A retrospective review of treatment cards of patients seen at a secondary referral hospital between January 1 2014 and December 31 2014 was conducted. Treatment outcomes and factors associated with TB/HIV co-infection were assessed. Results: Of the 334 records of patients reviewed, the proportion of patients with TB/HIV co-infection was 21.6%. The odds of having TB/HIV co-infection was 2.7 times higher among patients above 40 years than patients less than 25 years (AOR 2.7 95% CI 1.1 – 6.5, p =0.030). In addition, the odds of having TB/HIV co-infection was 3.3 higher among extrapulmonary TB cases (AOR 3.3; 95% CI 1.2 – 9.5; p = 0.026) and 2.1 times higher among retreated patients (AOR 2.1; 95% CI 1.1 – 3.9; p = 0.017) than pulmonary TB and new patients respectively. The chance of having TB/HIV co-infection was 2.7-fold more in patients with poor treatment outcomes than patients with treatment success (AOR 2.7; 95%CI 1.3 – 5.4; p =0.006). Conclusion: TB/HIV co-infection rate was high in the study area. There is need to put measures in place to improve treatment outcomes of TB/HIV co-infected patients

Distributed polymer optical fibre sensors for advancing radiotherapy

This thesis presents the use of polymer optical fibre for enhancing the measurement of radiation dose in radiotherapy. The methods of sensing with this fibre depend on the direct alteration of the inherent characteristics of the fibre. The alterations used are radiation-induced attenuation (RIA) and radiation-induced refractive index change (RIRIC). This thesis aims to investigate how polymer optical fibre (POF) reacts to low doses of radiation from X-ray and proton, and how this can be utilized to measure the dose in real-time during radiotherapy. The response to neutrons was also investigated as they are contaminants that exist at high energy radiation. The fibre was evaluated with various radiation sources at different facilities, including TRIUMF in Vancouver, Canada, Hospital Universitario Central de Asturias (HUCA) in Spain and Galway Clinic in Galway, Ireland. The results revealed that perfluorinated polymer optical fibre was a suitable material for developing a system that can measure the dose at a specific point on a fibre, as it had high sensitivity and repeatability over a wide range of wavelengths. It is more sensitive than undoped polymethyl-methacrylate (PMMA) fibre. The sensitivity of PMMA fibre was enhanced by adding Trans-4-Stilbene Methanol (TS) as a dopant. Fibre Bragg gratings (FBGs) were embedded in different types of polymer fibre, such as benzyl-dimethylketal (BDK) doped PMMA, diphenyl disulfide (DPDS) doped PMMA and cyclic transparent amorphous fluoropolymer (CYTOP® ) and tested with X-ray and proton. They showed a Bragg wavelength shift (BWS) that was proportional to the dose received. The FBGs in BDK doped PMMA show a better consistency in their BWS as compared to other POFs. The FBGs demonstrated a good potential for measuring the dose at discrete points along the fibre and are therefore applicable for quasi-distributed dosimetry application. This study contributes to the advancement of photonics in the development of optical dosimeters in radiotherapy.</p

Thoracotomy in children: A decade review of indications and outcomes

Background: Thoracotomy in children is relatively rare compared to adults. It can be very challenging due to the peculiar anatomy and physiology in this age group. The objective of the study was to study the indications, outcomes, and complications following thoracotomy. Methods: This was a retrospective analysis of the medical charts of neonates, infants, and children who had undergone thoracotomy under general anesthesia from January 2011 to December 2020 at our institution. Furthermore, we searched for the childhood thoracic diseases necessitating thoracotomy; the indications and complications following thoracotomy, as well as, the quality of life following thoracotomy. The children had either posterolateral or lateral thoracotomy, which spared the latissimus dorsi and/or serratus anterior. Data collected included demographics, surgical intervention, duration of intensive care unit admission, postoperative complications, and clinical outcome. Results: Out of the 39 patients, a majority were female 20 (51.3%), the most common indication for thoracotomy was congenital anomalies in 25 (64.1%) patients (lung malformations, 35.9% and patent ductus arteriosus, 28.2%), followed by foreign body aspiration (20.21%). Postoperative complications were seen in 15 (38.5%), out of whom 3 (20%) had atelectasis, chylothorax in 1 (6.7%), and wound dehiscence in 2 (13.3%). The 30-day mortality was 12.8%. The quality of life as assessed by Karnofsky performance status within 6–12 months after discharge in 32 children was 100 and in two patients (90). Conclusion: The most common indication and complication following thoracotomy at our institution was congenital anomalies in 25 (64.1%) patients (lung malformations, 35.9% and patent ductus arteriosus, 28.2%), and atelectasis, respectively. The 30-day mortality after thoracotomy was 12.8%

Management of chest drains: A national survey on surgeons-in-training experience and practice

Background: Chest tube insertion is a simple and sometimes life-saving procedure performed mainly by surgical residents. However with inadequate knowledge and poor expertise, complications may be life threatening. Objective: We aimed to determine the level of experience and expertise of resident surgeons in performing tube thoracostomy. Methodology: Four tertiary institutions were selected by simple random sampling. A structured questionnaire was administered to 90 residents after obtaining consent. Results: The majority of respondents were between 31 and 35 years. About 10% of respondents have not observed or performed tube thoracostomy while 77.8% of respondents performed tube thoracostomy for thefirst time during residency training. The mean score was 6.2 ± 2.2 and 59.3% of respondents exhibited good experience and practice. Rotation through cardiothoracic surgery had an effect on the score (P = 0.034). About 80.2% always obtained consent while 50.6% always used the blunt technique of insertion. About 61.7% of respondents routinely inserted a chest drain in the Triangle of safety. Only 27.2% of respondents utilized different sizes of chest tubes for different pathologies. Most respondents removed chest drains when the output is <50 mL. Twenty-six respondents (32.1%) always monitored air leak before removal of tubes in cases of pneumothorax. Superficial surgical site infection, tube dislodgement, and tube blockage were the most common complications. Conclusion: Many of the surgical resident lack adequate expertise in this lifesaving procedure and they lose the opportunity to learn it as interns. There is a need to stress the need to acquire this skill early, to further educate and evaluate them to avoid complications

Perfluorinated polymer fibre Bragg grating sensors for distributed low dose clinical X-ray measurements

Optical fibres have played an important role in the advancement of real-time dosimetry in clinical applications in recent years. Significant work has been done to increase precision and accuracy in detecting radiation doses during treatment, to avoid the negative effect that can ensue from irradiating healthy tissue around the tumour. The drive to develop distributed measurement in optical fibres has been limited to the slow scanning speed systems from optical time domain reflectometry (OTDR), however for radiotherapy dosimetry, with often short radiation pulse durations, fibre Bragg grating (FBG) interrogation is a better alternative because of the fast-scanning speed. The work presented here includes the preliminary results in the characterisation of CYTOP FBGs on exposure to X-ray radiation emitted from a clinical linear accelerator (linac) machine. A blue shifted linear response of the Bragg wavelength with sensitivity of 6.655 pm/Gy, 6.519 pm/Gy and 7.153 pm/Gy at the three main peaks (1522 nm, 1542 and 1561 nm), was recorded for a 9 Gy of radiation at a dose rate of 1.758 Gy/min with an amplitude fluctuation within the duration of radiation. The response demonstrates the potential for its use in low dose radiation dosimetry, providing for quasi-distributed sensing in radiotherapy

An audit of airway management in critically ill patients in a sub-Saharan tertiary hospital

Critically ill patients have poor physiological reserves, and are at increased risk of cardiopulmonary complications such as hypoxia, hypotension, arrhythmias and cardiac arrest when undergoing airway management. This study audited airway management in critically ill patients. Patients Method: A Prospective observational study in 120 critically ill adult patients who required endotracheal intubation over a one year period. Induction was with IV midazolam (0.15mg/kg), and suxamethonium (1.5mg/kg). Data collected included immediate complications (complications during intubation), and early complications (complications on days one to seven of tube insertion). Results: The median age was 32 years, males constituted 68 (56.6%) and female 52 (43.4%). One hundred and fifty-eight intubation attempts were recorded, one attempt to success in 93 (77.5%), and 2 attempts in 22 (18.33%). Difficult intubation occurred in 17 (10.49%), of whom 5 subjects had more than 3 intubation attempts, and 2 had surgical tracheostomy performed. The intubation aids used included stylet in 86.67%, bougie (3.33%), and laryngeal mask airway (1.67%). There was a significant association between the number of attempts at intubation, and trauma, bleeding, oesophageal intubation, aspiration or cardiac arrest, P<0.05. Tubal blockade occurred in 65 (36.31%) subjects after a median duration of 38.5 hours. Conclusion: This study elicited the need to review the airway management of critically ill patients in our institution, provide different airway and intubating devices during difficult intubation, and ensure appropriate training in airway skills

Rhabdomyosarcoma in a terrestrial tortoise (<i>Geochelone nigra</i>) in Nigeria: A case report

A skeletal muscle tumour (rhabdomysarcoma) was diagnosed in a 4-year-old captive female terrestrial tortoise (Geochelone nigra) weighing 7 kg presented at the Veterinary Teaching Hospital, University of Ibadan, Ibadan, Nigeria. The tumour was located at the anterior right portion of the body and ventral to the carapace. The location of the tumour prevented the tortoise from extending its head from the body. The tumour was a sessile, smooth white mass, with a soft myxomatous consistency. The histological features that were diagnostic of rhabdomyosarcoma included a sparse population of haphazardly arranged spindle-shaped cells within a homogenous matrix (anisocytosis), occasional tumour giant and binucleate cells, and some well differentiated myofibrils with cross striations within the cytoplasm. The paucity of information on tumours in the land tortoise was the reason for this report, which appears to be the first report of rhabdomyosarcoma in the tortoise