Perspectives on Clinical Education: How physiotherapy students learn in the clinic

Clinical internship provides the real-life or contextual, social, and  interactive experience that helps students translate abstract theories learned in the classroom to clinical practice. In many quarters, it is generally presumed that clinical teaching can effectively be done by any competent and experienced practitioner. This paper elucidates how learning takes place in the clinic. It highlights periods of weigh in or acclimatization, legitimate peripheral participation, alignment with the practice setting or community, and active engagement, as stages in clinical learning. It identifies engagement, reflection, observation and dialogue as daily activities needed to make sense and derive meaning from learning in the clinic. It also utilizes the distinctive features of two clinical education organization models to provide insight into how clinical teaching skills and the mentorprotégé relationship between teachers and students can be enhanced in contemporary clinical education in Nigeria.KEYWORDS: clinical education, learning, clinics, clinical rotation

Activities of the Professoriate: A new perspective on scholarship

A persistent presumption is that research activity solely constitutes scholarship, with the exclusion of teaching and service, the other two activities of the professoriate. The purpose of this review is to promote awareness on the multidimensional nature of scholarship. This paper presents an observable trend on the subject of scholarship among academics, with particular reference to physiotherapy practice and teaching. It outlines the three requirements of scholarly activity, and elucidates on the scholarship of discovery, the scholarship of application, the scholarship of integration and the scholarship of teaching and learning. It also offers an insight into the activities that are considered scholastic and those that are not. The scholarship of teaching is an option open to the entire professoriate. The physiotherapy academicians and clinicians are challenged to embrace true scholarship. KEY WORDS: scholarship, discovery, integration, teaching, learning, applicatio

An Appraisal of Some Factors Influencing Economic Growth in Nigeria

This study examines the impact of some determinants of economic growth on the Gross Domestic Products (GDP). These determinates include interest rate, inflation rate, oil revenue, Federal Government Expenditure, money supply, foreign private investment and foreign exchange rate. The study employed unit root test, co-integration test and multiple regression analysis. The result showed that there is a longrun relationship between GDP and all the determinants aforementioned. The study also establishes that money supply, oil revenue, Federal Government Expenditure and foreign private investment had significant impact on economic growth while inflation rate, interest rate and foreign exchange rates  adopted so far  by the government does not have significant impact on economic growth ( GDP). The study recommended that the productive capacity should be improved by Government through direct investment in the real sectors of the economy and Government expenditure should be expanded on productive ventures since its impact on economic growth is positive Keywords: Economic growth, Government expenditure, Output and Investment

Medical and dental students’ willingness to administer treatments and procedures for patients living with AIDS

Background. Nearly three decades after the discovery of the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS)epidemics continue to pose significant challenges to low-income countries in sub-Saharan Africa.Objective. To assess medical and dental students’ willingness to perform specific techniques and procedures on people living with AIDS (PLWA).Methods. A survey was done among medical and dental students (N=304) at a Nigerian University using a 21-item questionnaire that elicitedresponses on sociodemographic characteristics and willingness to perform specific techniques and procedures. Analysis of variance (ANOVA) andan independent t-test were used to determine the influence of sociodemographic variables. Multiple regression analyses were used to determine the predictors of willingness.Results. The cohort of medical and dental students was willing to care for PLWA. Almost all medical students were either undecided or unwillingto perform mouth-to-mouth resuscitation. A higher proportion of dental students were either undecided or unwilling to assist during surgery, toothextractions and other procedures they considered to be invasive. More medical than dental students were willing to carry out surgical procedures.Previous personal encounters with AIDS patients, religion, and satisfaction with instructions influenced medical and dental students’ willingness tocare for PLWA, while knowing a family member living with AIDS (R2=0.22, p<0.001) was the strongest predictor of willingness to care for PLWA.Conclusion. Extensive use of clinical clerkships and exposure through direct experience are viable strategies necessary for optimising and enhancingmedical and dental students’ dispositions to perform procedures and care for PLWA

Cardiovascular responses and perceived exertion of young adults to head and shoulder load carriage

Objective: To determine the cardiovascular responses and perceived exertion of young adults walking and carrying a load of 10 kg on shoulder and the head.Method: Healthy participants (n=50) between the ages of 21 and 27 were subjected to three testing sessions at self-selected normal pace without load, and carrying a 10 kg load on the shoulder and on the head for 10 minutes. Cardiovascular parameters and their ratings of perceived exertion (RPE) were measured before and after testing at each session.Results: Higher pulse pressure (correlates of stroke volume) and rate pressure product (index of myocardial oxygen uptake) values were observed following load on shoulder testing compared to no load testing values and a higher RPE value was observed for load on shoulder testing when compared to load on head testing.Conclusion: It is conceivable that carrying load on the head can potentially be more economical than carrying load on the shoulder for this cohort of young adults. Keywords: Cardiovascular responses, perceived exertion, load carrying, rural communitie

Seismic driven reservoir characterization, offshore Niger Delta, Nigeria

This paper presents the subsurface characterization by applying integrated three dimensional seismic attributes analysis on a 3D seismic dataset from OPO field, within the western Niger Delta basin. The volume attributes aimed at extracting features associated with hydrocarbon presence detection, net pay evaluation and porosity estimation for optima reservoir characterization. Neural network (NN) derived chimney properties prediction attribute was used to evaluate the integrity of the delineated structural traps. Common contour binning was employed for hydrocarbon prospect evaluation, while the Seismic coloured inversion was also applied for net pay evaluation. Amplitude anomalies were used to delineate bright spots and flat spots; good reservoirs in term of their porosity models, and fluid content and contacts (GOC & OWC) were identified in the area through common contour binning, seismic colour inversion and supervised NN classification

Reproductive Hormones and Fibroid Cases in Nigerian Women

Investigations were carried out on the association between some reproductive hormones (Progesterone, oestrogen, leutenizing and follicle stimulating hormones), and fibroid cases in Nigerian women.  The levels of these hormones were determined in 30 patients with chronic fibroid cases and another 30 patients with non chronic fibroid cases. The mean values of these hormones in non-chronic fibroid cases (14.50±0.20, 98.01±0.67, 0.51±0.05, 4.02±0.74 respectively), were found  to be significantly higher than corresponding values in non fibroid cases. Also the values obtained in chronic fibroid cases were also significantly higher (P<0.05) than that of the non chronic fibroid cases. Our finding indicates that the alteration in these reproductive hormone levels might be related with the pathogenesis of fibroid in Nigerian women. Keywords: reproductive hormones, progesterone, oestrogen, leuteinizing hormones, follicle stimulating hormones, fibroid, pathogenesis

Geogenic radiological impact assessment of soil samples collected from parts of Sagamu Southwestern Nigeria

This study is an assessment of the radionuclide concentration level and radiological hazards in soils from Sagamu, Ogun state Nigeria. Soil samples collected from 15 locations were analysed using a 76 x 76 mm Sodium Iodide [NaI (TI)] detector crystal. The estimated average absorbed dose rates, annual effective dose, gamma radiation index and excess lifetime cancer risk of the soil samples were 42.07 nGy/h, 51.59 μSvy-1 0.66and 0.181μSvy-1 respectively. Mean radium equivalent activity of 95.4 Bq/Kg was also obtained for the soil samples. The average soil radionuclides activity concentrations in the area of study were within the worldwide range; although at some locations higher values of 226Ra and 232Th activity concentration were observed. The results of the estimated radiological parameters in this study are lower than the International Commission on Radiological Protection (ICRP) maximum permitted limit. Hence, they have no significant radiological health impacts on the environment and the populace

Geostatistical exploration of dataset assessing the heavy metal contamination in Ewekoro limestone, Southwestern Nigeria

The dataset for this article contains geostatistical analysis of heavy metals contamination from limestone samples collected from Ewekoro Formation in the eastern Dahomey basin, Ogun State Nigeria. The samples were manually collected and analysed using Microwave Plasma Atomic Absorption Spectrometer (MPAS). Analysis of the twenty different samples showed different levels of heavy metals concentration. The analysed nine elements are Arsenic, Mercury, Cadmium, Cobalt, Chromium, Nickel, Lead, Vanadium and Zinc. Descriptive statistics was used to explore the heavy metal concentrations individually. Pearson, Kendall tau and Spearman rho correlation coefficients was used to establish the relationships among the elements and the analysis of variance showed that there is a significant difference in the mean distribution of the heavy metals concentration within and between the groups of the 20 samples analysed. The dataset can provide insights into the health implications of the contaminants especially when the mean concentration levels of the heavy metals are compared with recommended regulatory limit concentration

How safe is recreational soccer playing as a health enhancing physical activity for apparently healthy adults in Maiduguri, Nigeria?

Soccer is a competitive sport, but its suitability as a recreational health enhancing physical activity has not been explored among adults in Nigeria. Objectives: This study was conducted to determine the cardiovascular responses and changes in rating of perceived exertion (RPE) following recreational soccer game among amateur soccer players. Method: Sixtyseven apparently healthy young men conveniently selected from three non-professional football clubs in Maiduguri participated in the study. The participants were pre-screened for any cardiovascular ailment before engaging in recreational soccer playing for a total of 30 minutes. Participants' base line cardiovascular measurement and RPE were taken before and after the soccer session. Descriptive statistic of mean was used to summarize physical characteristic of the participants and one-way repeated measures Analysis of Variance were used to compare the cardiovascular parameters of the subjects at rest, after soccer and into recoveries. Results: The mean age and body mass index of the participants were 23±4.3 years and 19.5±2.6 kg/m respectively. The result shows significant heightened heart rate (HR), systolic blood pressure (SBP), diastolic BP (DBP) and RPE immediately following soccer playing by 67.4 ± 19.9 bpm, 19.6 ± 10.6 mmHg, 19.1 ± 14.9 mmHg and 9.2 ± 2.3, respectively. It also shows significantly (p<0.05) higher derived values including mean arterial pressure (MAP) and rate pressure product (RPP) after soccer playing compared to the baseline resting values. HR and RPP were still higher than the baseline values eight minutes into recovery, while SBP, DBP, MAP six minutes into recovery were comparable to the baseline value and were even lower than the baseline values eight minutes into recovery. Conclusion: This study found heightened cardiovascular response and RPE after 30 minutes of soccer playing among non-professional soccer players in Maiduguri. The finding suggests that soccer playing may be too strenuous physical activity to be recommended for meeting the physical activity requirements for health enhancing benefits among apparentl