Prevalence and Predictors of Erectile Dysfunctions among Men on Antiretroviral Therapy in South‑western Nigeria

Background: Erectile dysfunctions (EDs) are common presentations among men on anti‑retroviral therapy, many of who had a course to discontinue anti‑retroviral drugs or search for alternative treatments.Aim: This study assessed the prevalence and predictors of ED among men on anti‑retro viral therapies (ART) in a Nigerian population.Subjects and Methods: It was a descriptive cross‑sectional survey among 234 HIV‑positive men on anti‑retroviral therapy selected using stratified sampling method after excluding for co‑morbidities. Research instrument was semi‑structured interviewer administered questionnaire, and data were analyzed using the SPSS software version 17.0 (Chicago IL, USA), while binary logistic regression and Chi‑square test were used to demonstrate association between selected categorical variable.Results: Mean age of respondents was 37.1 (1.6) years, 85.6% have not missed their medications, self‑reported adherence was reported as good among 213 [(90.8 %) 213/234], though calculated adherence was 90% among as many as 201 [(85.6%) 201/234]. Pattern of EDs revealed weak erection among 42 [(37.8%) 42/111], 15 [(13.5%) 15/111] said they could no longer achieve erection, 33 [(29.7%) 33/111] said they could not maintain erections, while 27 [(24.3%) 27/111] presented with loss of libido. Delayed and premature ejaculations were reported among 24 [(21.6%) 24/111] and 8 [(7.2%) 8/111] respectively. About 14% (33/234) of respondents said that anti‑retroviral drugs could have caused their ED while 78% (183/234) said it should not. A statistically significant association exists between having weak erections and age above 65 years and calculated the adherence <95%, while none exists between having weak erections and missing pills.Conclusion: Anti‑retroviral drugs are common causes of EDs. Concerns of clients should always be addressed most especially issues that may compromise adherence. Keywords: Adherence, Anti‑retroviral therapy, Erectile dysfunctio

Hand Washing: Knowledge, Attitude and Practice amongst Mothers of Under-Five Children in Osogbo, Osun State, Nigeria

The hands are central to many of our daily activities and the use of contaminated hands for cooking and eating enhances transmission of contaminants/germs into the body through food, thereby causing ill-health. Mothers serve the dual role of the children’s nurse (handling their faeces, blowing their nostrils, etc.) as well as the household chef (prepares family’s meals, feeds children). This coupled with poor knowledge and practice of simple hygiene increase the risk of spread of diseases to the under-five children. A community based cross-sectional study set out to determine the knowledge, attitude towards and practice of hand washing among mothers of under-five children in Igbona Area of Olorunda Local Government in Osogbo, Osun State, Nigeria. Three hundred mothers of under-five children were selected for the study using a multi-stage technique. Interviewer-administered semi-structured questionnaires were used to collect information on participants’ knowledge, attitude towards and practice of hand washing. Overall, respondents had good knowledge of hand washing but their educational status and religion were found to influence degree of knowledge of hand washing (p = 0.01 respectively with higher education and Christianity positively impacting knowledge of hand washing). More than three-quarters (81.6%) of them did not think that the use of soap was important in hand washing. Respondents’ practice of hand washing was influenced by their age and educational level (p < 0.0000001) respectively with older age group and higher educational levels corresponding to better practice. In conclusion, the study found good knowledge of hand washing among the respondents with many of them showing positive attitude in favor of hand rinsing. Those with higher education had better practice of hand washing. To realize the health benefits of hand washing, efforts to improve hand washing in this environment should encourage adding soap to current hand rinsing practices. Keywords: hand washing, mothers, under-five children, knowledge, attitude, practice

Nigeria’s development process, methodology and milestones planned for VISION 20:2020 - 13 years after

A private sector-led economy Aprivate sector led economy is the sine qua non of an egalitarian, capitalistic and welfare oriented society where every individual is free to develop and contribute to the national economy at their own pace and the individual's reward based on their productivity. However, this is only achievable where infrastructural facilities and support are optimal a situation that has been lacking in the country due to high cost of production; unfavourable business environment; lack of skilled manpower in the country; lack of adequate financial support and others. Opportunity for the government to provide a lead was adequately enunciated in the Nigeria Vision 20:2020 document but this has really not been met. This review as part of a series actually confirms this and will be a pointer to the way forward in enunciating future policy directions for the countr

Nigeria’s development process, methodology and milestones planned for VISION 20:2020 - 13 years after

How has Nigeria performed in the area of human resource development and a knowledge-based economy? Amidst various reforms agenda, policies, development plans and programmes, Vision 2010, Seven-Point Agenda and a host of others, Nigerian leaders have articulated the Vision 20:2020, which targets to catapult Nigeria into the league of the first global 20 economies by the year 2020. This article focuses only on the second pillar of Nigerian vision 2020 which is “Human resources development and knowledgebased economy” and compare recent development indicators for Nigeria with those of advanced countries, the first 20 of which Nigeria aspired to join this year (2020). In contrast to the situation in highincome OECD nations, the vast majority of Nigerians are ill-fed, ill-clothed, ill-housed and ill-educated. They live in the rural areas characterized by massive underdevelopment. Poverty is the basic malady of Nigeria which is involved in misery-go-round, as part of the slum of the world economy. Nigeria's Vision 20:2020 is, therefore, too ambitious. Furthermore, against the backdrop of the antecedents of policy reversals, summersaults and failures in Nigeria, the Vision is utopian. Recommendations include commitment of the leadership to sufficient discipline and political will to enforce development policies and programmes

Nigeria’s development process, methodology and milestones planned for VISION 20:2020 - 13 years after

Infrastructure development Infrastructural development is a key requirement for the development of any nation as it is an indispensable tool in facilitating growth and development. The usefulness of infrastructure cuts across many varying sectors relevant to development including health,  education, agriculture, telecommunication, power, etc. as well as the sustenance of economic growth and preservation of the environment for sustainable economic development. This article takes a look at the critical areas/aspects of infrastructure for the purpose of judging the level of accomplishment of the Vision 2020. The sectors examined are: power supply, transportation,  information communication and technology (ICT), education, health, agriculture, land use management, rural and urban development, water supply and waste management. By and large, Nigeria can not be said to have met her tall, yet laudable goals of the vision 2020, largely as a result of inadequacies in governance, policies and other factors. There is a great need for significant improvement in the political will of the government of the day to commit to the goals and aspirations of the nation for rapid development

A Comparative Study of the Nutritional Status of Under-Five Children of Indigenous and Non-Indigenous Parentage in Ile-lfe, Nigeria

No Abstrac

Obesity indices as predictors of pattern of self-reported arthritis among elderly women in Southwestern Nigeria

Objectives: This study assessed obesity indices and pattern of arthritis among elderly women in Osun State, Southwestern Nigeria. Methods: The cross-sectional descriptive study was carried out among 350 elderly women selected by multistage sampling technique. Research instruments used in data collection were semi-structured, interviewer-administered pre-tested questionnaires that were analyzed using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences software version 17.0. Results: The mean age of the participants was 69.1 (±1.4) years. A total of 232 (66.3%) of them had complaints of joint pains ( Awoka as expressed in the local language). Pattern of arthritis showed that 172 (74.0%) had recurrent joint pains, while 35 (15.1%) had joint swelling; the knee joint was mostly affected. A total of 97 (28.0%) were overweight while 84 (24.0%) were obese. Obese women were twice more likely to have arthritis when compared to the nonobese (odds ratio: 2.4, 95% confidence interval: 1.8–9.4, p  = 0.001). Conclusion: There is a need to give high priority to weight reduction strategies targeted at the elderly and the entire population

Assessment of the Effects of Cocoa Powder on Blood Pressure in Humans – A Preliminary Study in Osogbo

Background: Cocoa powder contains polyphenols (phytonutrients) which are increasingly being used either as dietary supplements or in  fortification of foods. Polyphenols exhibit antioxidant activity known to play a vital role in reducing the risk of some diseases (including  cardiovascular diseases) in humans by protecting cells in the body from damage during aerobic production of energy. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of flavonoid-rich Cocoa powder on the blood pressure of clinically stable hypertensive patients.Materials and Methods: In this intervention study, sixty-eight patients attending cardiology clinics (for treatment of hypertension) in two selected hospitals were serially recruited into the study after ethical approval had been obtained. Physical examination was conducted and selected parameters (including blood pressure, weight and height) were recorded. Each participant was instructed to consume 25g of cocoa powder diluted in 250 ml of water twice daily. Physical examinations were repeated on a 2-weekly basis, BMI was calculated on each visit. They were followed up for 9 weeks and the relevant clinical parameters were repeated at each clinic visit.Results: Of the 67 subjects examined on the first day, 18 (26.8%) were hypertensive (BP > 140/90 mmHg). During subsequent visits, the proportion of hypertensive BP status gradually declined over the weeks as follows: 19 out of 67 (28.4%), 16 out of 63 (25.4%), 8 out of 60 (13.3%) and 7 out of 60 (11.6) in weeks 3, 5, 7 and 9 respectively. The BMI of the subjects did not show any significant variation over the weeks during the course of the study.Conclusion: The study showed that daily cocoa consumption may be beneficial in the control of the BP and complimentary to pharmacotherapy in Nigerian hypertensive patients. However, we recommend the conduct of further studies (randomized study on a larger scale) in the Nigerian population in order to further validate the findings of this study. Keywords: Cocoa powder, blood pressure, hypertensives