Knowledge, attitude and willingness to accept Caesarean Section among women in Ogbomoso , southwest Nigeria

Introduction: Caesarean section (CS) is a common procedure in obstetrics and has contributed immensely to improving maternal and foetal outcome; there are still concerns about the knowledge, attitude and willingness to accept the procedure among women especially those in the developing world.Objective: This study seeks to assess the level of knowledge, attitude and acceptance of women about CS in Ogbomoso. These women were more educated than most of their counterparts in South Sudan but because of the political situation we are unlikely to get similar data from South Sudan and therefore this study is of interest.Methodology: This is a descriptive study which was carried out in four health facilities. Respondents were selected using the systematic random technique with a sample interval of 2. A semi-structured questionnaire was used for data collection. Data were analysed using the statistical package for social sciences (SPSS), version 16.Results: Of the 410 respondents, 63.2% of the women have a good knowledge of CS as a method of delivery. When CS was compared to vaginal delivery, 33.5% said that CS was preferable to vaginal delivery because the pain involved was much less; this view was however disagreed upon by 54.8% of the respondents. Only 75.6% of the respondents were ready to accept CS if there was a need for it.Conclusion: Mothers should be educated on the process involved in Caesarean delivery, the indication, advantages and complications in order to help them make the right informed decision.Keywords: Women knowledge, attitude, Caesarean section, Nigeri

Perspectives of health care professionals on artificial insemination of donor semen: appraising their knowledge and perceptions: a single institution study in Nigeria

Background: Artificial inseminations of donor semen (AID) involve use of heterologous donated semen for conception in infertile couple when indicated or in a single woman desirous of pregnancy. Its practice often requires regulation to address possible ethical and legal issues which may arise. In formulating acceptable guidelines/policies, the perspectives of health professionals and the participants should be considered. Therefore, we sought to explore the knowledge and perception of semen donation for artificial insemination among health professionals.Methods: A cross sectional study conducted on consenting health workers in a single health institution using a structured questionnaire to assess their knowledge and perception on artificial insemination of donor semen (AID). Descriptive and analytical statistics were applied to the data collected with a statistically significant value of <0.05.Results: One hundred and twenty-one health professionals completed the questionnaires. The mean age of the respondents was 27.58±5.5years. Sixty of the respondents were males while 61 were females. Eighty-four of the respondents (69.4%) demonstrated good knowledge of AID while 37 (30.6%) had poor knowledge. Cadre of health professionals and marital status influenced the knowledge of respondents. Perceptions on AID varied among the respondents mostly influenced by psycho-social factors and possible legal disputes on third party reproductive process. None of the male respondents has ever donated semen and willingness to donate semen was low; with anonymity preferred by the willing donors.Conclusions: Substantial knowledge gap of AIDS existed among health professionals which were influenced by cadre and marital status. Psycho-social factors and possible legal disputes influenced their perceptions of AID

Potentials of microorganisms associated with plantain peels in the Lagos metropolis for biodegradation and bioconversion.

The role of microbes in the degradation of plantain derived-wastes and their potential to produce cellulolytic enzymes was assessed. Soil samples of decomposing waste piles were collected from two major plantain markets in the Lagos metropolis and analyzed for physicochemical properties, toxic heavy metal content and microbial populations. Findings revealed that the values of moisture content of the two soils varied between 7.27±0.04 and 8.06±0.19 %. M-12 site had the highest organic matter content of 6.89±0.14 %. A similar pattern was observed for nitrate, phosphate and chloride levels while some heavy metals were also detected in varying and high amounts. The highest viable bacterial counts was 58.0±2.9 x 104 cfu/g at MU and there were no fungi at the site whereas M-12 had a fungal count of 40.0±3.3 x 103 cfu/g. Out of the total of 34 isolates encountered, 8 isolates having maximum cellulase activities were selected for further studies by the primary screening technique. These test organisms were then evaluated by secondary screening for enzyme production. The test organisms were phenotypically and biochemically characterized and identified as Klebsiella pneumoniae spp pneumoniae (2 strains), Klebsiella pneumoniae spp ozaenae, Enterobacter aerogenes, Providencia alcalifaciens, Aspergillus flavus, Aspergillus fumigatus and Aspergillus niger respectively. Both the bacteria and moulds were found to be capable of utilizing lignin and cellulosic substrates for growth and for production of cellulolytic enzymes. It is suggested that such microorganisms could be useful in bioconversion of cellulosic substrates like plantain-derived wastes for biotechnological application

Evaluating the Drying Characteristics of Paddy Rice Using Superheated Steam Dryer

It has been recorded in literature that superheated steam has the ability to combine the parboiling operation (steaming and drying) of paddy (Oryza sativa - UPL1) rice into a single unit. According to literature, this process has not been fully explored and implemented in rice processing. In this research work, superheated steam dryer was used to parboil (steam and dry) paddy rice. Soaking time and temperature used was 12hours at 60o C, with steaming time ranging from 10 to 24mins, while the drying conditions used were; temperature (160, 170 and 180o C), bed depth (1, 3 and 5cm) and tempering time (20 and 40 minutes). In addition, paddy rice was dried from initial moisture content ranging from 26-43% (d.b) to a final moisture content of 2 – 8% (d.b). It was observed that the milled rice yield ranged from 71.32 to 94.5%, head rice yield ranged from 70.5 and 90.6%, broken rice ranged from 3.2 to 7.7%, chalkiness ranged from 3.4 to 10.6% and drying capacity ranged from 0.1 to 0.36kg/h. The results obtained shows that drying with superheated steam can be used to improve rice qualit

Development and Process Optimization of a Ready-to-Eat Snack from Rice-Cowpea Composite by a Twin Extruder

A central composite rotatable design with four independent variables viz. blend ratio (broken rice flour and cowpea flour): 90:10–70:30, moisture content (10–18% wet basis), barrel temperature (110–150 ◦C), and screw speed (280–360 rpm) were varied in the development of ready-to-eat snacks using a twin extruder for a broken rice–cowpea product. The effects of the independent variables on specific mechanical energy, water absorption index, water solubility index, total color, hardness, bulk density, expansion ratio, and overall acceptability of the extruded snack were investigated using regression analysis. The results showed that the physical qualities of the ready-to-eat snacks were significantly affected by the extrusion parameters (i.e., blend ratio, barrel temperature, moisture content, and screw speed). From the findings, it was observed that screw speed and moisture contents affected hardness, while water absorption index was affected by all the extrusion parameters. However, the water solubility index and overall acceptance were majorly affected by the moisture content; extrudate produced with barrel ratio of 85:15, 12% moisture content, barrel temperature of 140 ◦C, and screw speed of 300 rpm was the most acceptable, at 6.73 on a 9 point hedonic scales. The blend ratio and barrel temperature influenced the expansion. Furthermore, the combination of cowpea and broken rice to produce nutritious ready-to-eat snacks has high acceptability and is a promising panacea for food security. Keywords: broken rice; cowpea; extrusion; food security and ready-to-eat snack

Challenges of Residency Training and Early Career Doctors in Nigeria Phase II: Update on Objectives, Design, and Rationale of Study

Background: Early career doctors (ECDs) are a dynamic and highly mobile group of medical and dental practitioners who form a significant proportion of the health workforce in Nigeria. The challenges of residency training and ECDs in Nigeria CHARTING Phase I study explored limited challenges affecting ECDs under the broad themes of demography, workplace issues, and psychosocial issues. The CHARTING II was expanded to provide wider insight into the challenges of ECDs in Nigeria. Objective: This protocol aims to provide clear objectives including description of objectives, design, and rationale for the conduct of the proposed CHARTING II study which seeks to explore other components under the various themes of demographic, workplace, psychosocial issues affecting the ECDs in Nigeria, and which were not explored under CHARTING I.   Methodology: This shall be a mixed study design that will combine qualitative and quantitative methods, to investigate 27 subthemes among 2000 ECDs spread across 31 centers, accredited by the Nigerian Association of Resident Doctors. Participants shall be selected using the multistage sampling method. The primary data will be generated using structured proforma and validated questionnaires,while administrative sources would serve as a source of secondary data. Data will be entered and analyzed using appropriate statisticalsoftware. Conclusion: CHARTING II study would provide more robust data and insight into the problems encountered by ECDs in Nigeria. This would in turn build a platform for institutional engagement and advocacy in order to drive relevant policies to mitigate these challenges. Keywords: Early career doctors, Nigeria, residency, resident doctors, trainin

Suspected pulmonary embolism postcesarean section in a patient with autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease

Autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease (ADPKD) is the most common genetically inherited kidney disease worldwide. It is however relatively underdiagnosed in Africans because its diagnosis is often incidental. During pregnancy, ADPKD is associated with increased risk of preeclampsia and venous thromboembolism. The case of a 33‑year‑old lady incidentally diagnosed with ADPKD during pregnancy is presented. She developed preeclampsia at term and had cesarean delivery of twins. She however suffered cardiopulmonary arrest postoperatively and this created a treatment dilemma because therapeutic anticoagulation which was the primary treatment for her suspected pulmonary embolism was absolutely contraindicated if the actual cause of her collapse was ruptured cerebral aneurysm which was also a feature of ADPKD. We decided to resuscitate aggressively and perform an urgent cranial computed tomography which ruled out intracranial hemorrhage. We then commenced anticoagulation and she made an excellent recovery. This case illustrates the importance of a timely multidisciplinary approach to patient management

Analytical solutions to the Schrödinger Equation with a Combined Potential using the Series Expansion Method to Study Selected Diatomic Molecules

Communication in Physical Sciences, 2022, 8(2):258-276 Etido P. Inyang,  Joseph E.Ntibi, Olumuyiwa O.Akintola , Efiong A. Ibanga , Funmilayo Ayedun, and Eddy S.William Received: 26 January 2022/Accepted 19 May 2022 In this work, the Schrödinger equation with the Hulthén plus screened Kratzer Potential is solved via the series expansion method. The energy equation was used to compute the bound state energy for twelve diatomic molecules such as; CuLi, TiH, VH, TiC, HCl, LiH, H2, ScH, CO, I2 ,N2, and NO  for various quantum states. Three special cases were obtained from the combined potential when some potential parameters were set to zero, resulting in Hulthén, screened Kratzer, and Kratzer potentials. To test the accuracy of our results, we computed the bound state energy eigenvalues for HCl and LiH diatomic molecules for a special case of the Kratzer and screened Kratzer potential and the results obtained were in excellent agreement with the report of other researchers in the literature