Effect of early amniotomy on the outcome of spontaneous labour: a randomized controlled trial of pregnant women in Enugu, South-east Nigeria

Background: Early amniotomy is common in obstetric practice but, its effectiveness has not been proven.Objectives: To determine the effects of early amniotomy on the duration of labour, and other maternal / neonatal out- comes of uncomplicated pregnancies in Enugu, South-east Nigeria.Methods: A randomized controlled study of 214 consenting term pregnant women at the University of Nigeria Teaching Hospital Enugu, Nigeria. Intervention group received amniotomy early in active labour while the control group had their membranes conserved.Results: Mean duration of labour for the amniotomy group (279.4 ± 53.7 minutes) was significantly lower than that of con- trol group (354.4 ± 67.5 minutes), (t = -8.988, p <0.001). Three (3.8%) women in amniotomy group needed oxytocin aug- mentation as against 21 (19.6%) women in the control group RR = 0.14, (CI 95%: 0.04 – 0.46), NNT = 16. The two groups did not vary with respect to cesarean section rate, newborn Apgar scores, and need for new born special care unit admission. Conclusion: Early amniotomy when compared to fetal membrane conservation reduced the duration of labour and need for oxytocin augmentation among term singleton pregnant women in Enugu, Nigeria. Its routine use in well selected cases may reduce prolonged labour and its complications.Keywords: Early amniotomy, duration of labour, oxytocin augmentation, term pregnancy, caesarean section rate, Enugu- Nigeria

Segmentation in Agriculture and Farmers’ Productivity: Evidence from Survey of Poultry Farms

The World Bank intervened in Nigeria agriculture in 2009 to increase productivity in 5 farm areas, namely-poultry, rice, maize, cashew and pineapple farming through the value chain strategy. Agricultural activity was segmented and farmers were encouraged to go into one farm operation only. Proponents of the segmentation argue that it holds the key to solving the low agricultural productivity in developing counties because farmers will only specialize in one farm area. That is, specialization will enable the farmer to innovates better ways of tackling problems, time the market and planting period to mitigate climate change. The aim of the research is to examine the effects of the segmentation practice on the productivity of Poultry farmers in Nigeria, using a survey data. Result from the survey using regression analysis did not support encouraging segmentation in poultry farming. This is because poultry farmers who engaged in more than one poultry practice had more yield of egg per bird. The lesson for agricultural policy is that farmers should be encouraged to engage in multiple farming practice

ASSESSMENT OF HEALTH INFORMATION LITERACY OF NIGERIANS ON THE PREVENTIVE MEASURES OF COVID 19 PANDEMIC: A CROSS SECTIONAL ONLINE SURVEY

The study assessed the health information literacy level of Nigerian on the preventive measures and management of COVID 19 pandemic using online cross sectional survey. The research design adopted for the study is descriptive survey research design. Nigerians between the age of 15 and above made up the population of the study. Online survey using Google form was conducted between using social media platforms. To assess the health information literacy level of Nigerians on the preventive measures of COVID-19; a 25 objective questions constructed by the researcher called “COVID-19 Health Related Information Literacy Assessment Scale” was used. Data collected was analyzed using frequency distribution table and percentage. The null hypotheses one was tested using Mann Whitney U, while the hypothesis two was tested using Kruskal Wallis Test at 0.05 significance level. The computation and analysis of the data collected was performed with the aid of SPSS version 23. The study revealed that, the major sources of information for COVID-19 related health information among Nigerians are social media (facebook, twitter, whatsapp etc.), friends and family, radio programmes. the COVID-19 health literacy level of Nigerians is moderate. Though many scored high in the scale used, most of the respondents are incorrect in most of the advance questions such as recommended meter for social distancing, most appropriate way to wear face shield, contracting COVID-19 through books, spoons, plates among others touched by infected person, and even what to do after coughing or sneezing during COVID-19 among other technical and advance questions. Gender was not a significant factor in the COVID-19 Health Information Literacy Level of Nigerians on the preventive measures of COVID 19 pandemic; while there was a significant difference in the health information literacy level of Nigerians on the preventive measures of COVID 19 pandemic according to educational level, as Nigerians with higher level of education had higher COVID-19 Health Information Literacy level than those with lower educational level. The study recommended among other things that, Federal government should adopt more proactive measures of education Nigerians on the advanced ways to prevent and manage COVID-19. Also, in order to reach wider audience with little or no cost the government should mandate churches and mosques to devote few minutes for enlightening and educating their members on the global best practice in the prevention and management of COVID-1

Effect of early amniotomy on the outcome of spontaneous labour: a randomized controlled trial of pregnant women in Enugu, South-east Nigeria

Background: Early amniotomy is common in obstetric practice but, its effectiveness has not been proven. Objectives: To determine the effects of early amniotomy on the duration of labour, and other maternal / neonatal out- comes of uncomplicated pregnancies in Enugu, South-east Nigeria. Methods: A randomized controlled study of 214 consenting term pregnant women at the University of Nigeria Teaching Hospital Enugu, Nigeria. Intervention group received amniotomy early in active labour while the control group had their membranes conserved. Results: Mean duration of labour for the amniotomy group (279.4 \ub1 53.7 minutes) was significantly lower than that of con- trol group (354.4 \ub1 67.5 minutes), (t = -8.988, p <0.001). Three (3.8%) women in amniotomy group needed oxytocin aug- mentation as against 21 (19.6%) women in the control group RR = 0.14, (CI 95%: 0.04 \u2013 0.46), NNT = 16. The two groups did not vary with respect to cesarean section rate, newborn Apgar scores, and need for new born special care unit admission. Conclusion: Early amniotomy when compared to fetal membrane conservation reduced the duration of labour and need for oxytocin augmentation among term singleton pregnant women in Enugu, Nigeria. Its routine use in well selected cases may reduce prolonged labour and its complications

Efficacy of Reflective Questioning Instructional Strategy on Students’ Achievement in Gas Laws Contents of Secondary Schools Chemistry

This study investigated the efficacy of reflective questioning instructional strategy on students’ achievement in gas laws contents of secondary schools Chemistry. A pre-test-post-test, control group quasi-experimental research design was adopted in the study. The participants were 129 students (72 females and 57 males) of four intact classes sampled from two government owned secondary schools in Nigeria using multi-stage sampling procedure. Two intact classes each were assigned to experimental and control groups respectively. Data collection was done using a 25-item gas laws achievement test (GLAT). Data collected were analyzed using mean, standard deviation and analysis of covariance (ANCOVA). The result showed that there was a significant difference between the experimental and control groups indicating that reflective questioning instructional strategy enhances students’ achievement in gas laws. Also, there was no significant influence of gender on the mean achievement scores of students in gas laws and there was no significant interaction effect of questioning instructional strategies and gender on students’ achievement in gas laws. Chemistry teachers and pre-service teachers should be trained on how to adopt reflective questioning instructional strategy in the classroom instructions.

Assessment of serum soluble intercellular adhesion molecule-1 and albumin in human immuno-deficiency virus-infected individuals with or without malaria parasite infection in Nauth, Nnewi, Nigeria

Background: Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) co-infection with malaria is the main cause of morbidity and mortality in developing countries, including Nigeria. Both infections have impact on the disease severity and progression. Methods: This was a cross-sectional study aimed to determine the serum soluble intracellular adhesion molecule-1 (sICAM-1) and albumin in HIV/malaria-infected individuals attending the antiretroviral therapy (ART) clinic at Nnamdi Azikiwe Teaching Hospital, (NAUTH) Nnewi, Nigeria. 168 randomly selected individuals aged 18-65 years grouped into 42 HIV-infected individuals on ART, 42 HIV-malaria c-o-infected individuals on ART, 42 malaria-infected individuals, and 42 apparently healthy individuals (control) were included in the study. Serum sICAM-1 and albumin were determined using enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and bromocresol green technique respectively while CD4 T-cell count was obtained from the patients’ records. Results: The mean serum sICAM-1, albumin and systolic blood pressure (SBP) levels were significantly higher in HIV individuals with and without malaria infection when compared with control participants (p<0.05) respectively. The mean CD4 T-cell count was significantly lower in HIV/malaria co-infected individuals when compared with HIV infected individuals (p <0.05). A significant negative correlation was observed between CD4 count and sICAM-1 both in HIV infected individuals and HIV-malaria co-infection (p<0.05). Conclusions: The increased sICAM-1, SBP with decreased albumin levels suggests inflammatory and vascular changes with reduced hepatic synthesis which may result in endothelial dysfunction, adverse cardiovascular conditions, and disease progression.

Study of the Effects of Thermal Annealing on the Optical Band Gap of Nanocrystalline CoO Thin Films Prepared by Chemical Bath Deposition.

Nanocrystalline films of cobalt oxide have been prepared on glass slides by chemical bath deposition process. For deposition of CoO thin films, cobaltous chloride [CoCl2.6H2O] was used as cationic and ammonia [NH3] as anionic precursor in aqueous medium. In this process NaOH was used as complexing agent. X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopic [SEM] analysis have been used to study the films’ crystal structures, optical and solid state properties. We hereby present the effects of thermal annealing on the optical band gap of CoO thin films. The optical transition in the films is direct one. For the as- deposited film, the band gap is 2.1eV. This later decreased to 2.08eV, so that increased thermal annealing reduces the optical band gap of CoO. However,the energy gap cannot be said to be dependent on the annealing temperatures. These films could be used as  photovoltaic cells, sensors light emitting diodes and also in biomedical imaging. Key Words: Nanocrystalline CoO, Chemical Bath Deposition, Band Gap and                               Thermal Annealing