Cross-Sectional Study of Knowledge and Attitudes towards Prostate Cancer among Educated Male Adults in a SemiUrban Town of Northern Nigeria

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Preliminary studies on food and feeding habits of Polypterus endlicheri and Polypterus senegalus in Lake Chad

The food and feeding habits of Polyprerus cncllicheri and Polypterus senegalus was carried out in the months of September to October. The food of 33 Polypierus endlicheri as observed include Tilapia species (89.3%), Eutropius niloticus (28.6%), Mayfly nymph (39.3%), Dragon fly larva (56.6%) fish remains (21.4%) and detritus (7.1%). The food of27 Polypterus senegalus as observed include Tilapia sp (88.4%), Eutropius niloticus (27.9%), may fly nymph (23.3%), Dragonfly nymph (34.9%) remains (21.1%) detritus (23.3%). (9 page document) The percentage occurrence of food item found in the stomach of Polypterus endlieheri is 93.3% while that of Polyprerus senegalus is 67.4%. The dominance of Tilapia sp was establish in the study, and there is no significant difference between the feeding habit of Polypterus endlicheri and Polyprerus senegalus

Development of reservoir fisheries for sustainable fish production and food security in Nigeria

The paper appraised the reservoirs constructed for various purposes in Nigeria and prescribes cultured based fisheries for these water bodies to enhance their productivity in order to create employment, provide alternative source of income and food security to the rural people. In addition to discussing the concept of reservoir fisheries, its importance and pitfalls and prerequisites for its development, the paper provides a policy outline intended to promote reservoir fisheries in Nigeria

Socio-demographic factors associated with knowledge and uptake of family planning among women of reproductive age in a Rural Community of Abuja, Nigeria

Nigeria has a population of about 180 million, estimated to double in 22 years due to low uptake of family planning services. Low utilization of family planning is the major factor associated with high fertility pattern in Nigeria. This trend is higher among rural women in Northern Nigeria. Without a thorough understanding of, and due attention to the local context, utilization of family planning may continue to be low. Identification of correlates of family planning would be invaluable in designing strategies for ultimately improving uptake of family planning services. This study became relevant as no previous study on family planning has been carried out in Ushafa Community. The study was conducted at Ushafa community, a rural community, located in Bwari Area Council on the northern axis of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) of Nigeria. The study was a descriptive cross-sectional study, conducted among women of reproductive age (15-49 years) who were permanent resident of Ushafa Community. Using proportion of contraceptive usage of 16% from a previous study, 240 women were recruited into the study by systematic sampling technique. Data was collected by means of a structured interviewer administered questionnaire, data was entered and analysed using statistical package for social sciences (SPSS) version 20. All tests were conducted using 2 tails while level of significance was set at 0.05. About a quarter of respondents (26.3%) knew that amenorrhoea could be a side effect of oral contraceptive pills, 51.1% knew that oral contraceptive pills must be taken daily, 58% were not using any form of family planning. Age (χ2 = 8.382, p = 0.01) and marital status (χ2 = 8.915, p = 0.01) were significantly associated with family planning knowledge. Level of education was significantly associated with current use of family planning (χ2 = 10.78, p = 0.03). Educational status was significantly associated with likelihood of using family planning in the future (χ2 = 8.64, p = 0.04). Although the respondents had fairly good knowledge of family planning, the study observed some misconceptions especially with respect to side effects and methodology of use of the commodities. Low uptake of family planning was observed among the respondents. Age and marital status were significantly associated with family planning knowledge; level of education was significantly associated with current use of family planning. There is need for incorporation of facts on usage and side effects of family planning in message disseminated by health workers in health facilities in Ushafa Community so as to correct misconceptions

Effect of food hygiene training on food handlers´ knowledge in Sokoto Metropolis: a quasi-experimental study

Introduction: training intervention for food handlers is necessary to increase their knowledge and awareness about food hygiene. Research in this area has been given low attention in Nigeria, especially in the Northern part of the country. Therefore, we assessed the effect of food hygiene training on the knowledge of food hygiene among food handlers in Sokoto metropolis. Methods: we conducted a quasi-experimental study between January and July 2019. We used a multistage sampling technique to select 360 food handlers randomized into intervention and control groups. We conducted a training intervention after the baseline data collection. Post-intervention data collection was conducted six months after the intervention. We estimated the proportion of respondents with good knowledge at baseline and post-intervention. We assessed the difference in pre-and post-intervention proportions using McNemars Marginal Homogeneity test at 5% level of significance. Results: in the intervention and control groups, 19 (10.6%) and 18 (10.0%) had primary education respectively, p = 0.231. At baseline, 23 (12.8%) and 22 (12.2%) in intervention and control groups respectively had good knowledge, p= 0.515. At post-intervention, the proportion of those with good knowledge in the intervention group increased to 56.7%, p < 0.001; while in the control group, there was no significant difference in the proportion of those with good knowledge, p = 0.248. Conclusion: the training intervention has significantly improved the knowledge of the food handlers. We recommend that the National Food and Drug Agency, in collaboration with restaurant owners, ensure regular on-the-job training of food handlers

Predictors of death and production performance of layer chickens in opened and sealed pens in a tropical savannah environment

BACKGROUND: Layer chickens are exposed to high risks of production losses and mortality with impact on farm profitability. The harsh tropical climate and severe disease outbreaks, poor biosecurity, sub-minimal vaccination and treatment protocols, poor management practices, poor chick quality, feed-associated causes, and unintended accidents oftentimes aggravate mortality and negatively affect egg production. The objectives of this study were to estimate the probability of survival and evaluate risk factors for death under different intensive housing conditions in a tropical climate, and to assess the production performance in the housing systems. RESULTS: Daily mean mortality percentages and egg production figures were significantly lower and higher in the sealed pens and open houses (P < 0. 001) respectively. The total mean feed consumption/bird/day was similar for the open sided and sealed pens but the mean feed quantity per egg produce was significantly lower in the sealed pens ((P < 0.005). Seasons differently impacted on mortality with the hot-dry season producing significantly higher risk of mortality (61 times) and reduced egg production. Other parameters also differed except the egg production during the cold-dry season. Layers in sealed pens appear to have higher probability of survival and the Kaplan-Meir survival curves differed for each pen; ≥78 weeks old layer have higher probability of survival compared with the younger chickens and the 19–38 weeks age category are at highest risk of death (P < 0.001). The hazard-ratio for mortality of layers raised in sealed pens was 0.568 (56.8%). CONCLUSION: Reasons for spiked mortality in layer chickens may not always be associated with disease. Hot-dry climatic environment is associated with heat stress, waning immunity and inefficient feed usage and increase probability of death with reduced egg production; usage of environmentally controlled building in conditions where environmental temperature may rise significantly above 25°C will reduce this impact. Since younger birds (19–38 weeks) are at higher risk of death due to stress of coming into production, management changes and diseases, critical implementation of protocols that will reduce death at this precarious period becomes mandatory. Whether older chickens’ better protection from death is associated with many prophylactic and metaphylactic regimen of medications/vaccination will need further investigation.http://www.biomedcentral.com/bmcvetres/am201

Governance, Decentralization and Co-Management: Lessons From Africa

Today, decentralization and democratic participation are presented as necessary conditions to achieve poverty alleviation and ensure the sustainable use of our diminishing natural resources. In small-scale fisheries, similar ideas predominate and decentralization has become the new management paradigm through the concepts of community-based and co-management. In this paper, we present the conclusions of a series of governance analyses recently completed in five African countries (Cameroon, Niger, Nigeria, Malawi, and Zambia). Relying on a new analytical framework which emphasizes the different nature of governance reforms and reflects in particular the distinction between deconcentration, devolution and decentralization, these governance analyses propose to assess the various co-management programmes implemented in these countries. From these reviews, it appears that the (mainly-donor funded and often top-down) fisheries governance reforms implemented in Africa have been successful in challenging the previous (centralized) governance system. However, the reviews also suggest that, contrary to their intent of empowering primary resource users, the inabilities of local governments, deconcentrated agencies and fisherfolk to take up their newfound mandates has frequently resulted in the division of influence among local power brokers and in the instrumentalization of the co-management process. From a conceptual point of view, the analysis highlights the limits of the conventional approach to co-management and questions in particular the view that participation is the key-element to ensure successful decentralization. Instead, the document highlights the crucial importance of downward accountability as the main ‘driving belt’ ensuring an efficient representativity of the local communities, and underscores the importance of recognising the political economy dimension of co-management

Knowledge of health effects and determinants of psychoactive substance use among secondary school students in Sokoto Metropolis, Nigeria

Introduction:&nbsp;psychoactive substance use (PSU) is a patterned use of a drug in which the user consumes the substance in amounts or methods which are harmful to themselves or others. Psychoactive substance use takes a considerable toll on financial status, academic achievement and health status of addicts. In Nigeria, PSU is on the increase, one of the most disturbing health-related problems and a leading cause of premature death among school aged population worldwide. We therefore, determined the knowledge of health effects and determinants of psychoactive substance use among secondary school students in Sokoto Metropolis, Nigeria. Methods:&nbsp;we conducted a cross-sectional study among 430 secondary school students that were selected using multistage sampling in Sokoto, Northwestern, Nigeria from April to May 2019. We collected data using a semi-structured, interviewer-administered questionnaire. We calculated proportions and adjusted odds ratios (OR) with 95% confidence intervals (CI) in a binary logistic regression model. Results:&nbsp;knowledge of health effects of PSU was good in 38.1% of the respondents with a mean score of 19.6 ± 10.0. The overall prevalence of PSU was high among current users (16.3%), male participants (78.6%) and those aged 17-years or more (68.6%). Independent predictors of current use of psychoactive substances were poor knowledge of health effects (aOR: 4.1, 95% CI: 1.7-10.0) and father´s use of psychoactive substances (aOR: 10.3, 95% CI= 1.9-57.1). Conclusion:&nbsp;knowledge of health effects of psychoactive substances was generally poor among the participants with an associated high prevalence among current users. Poor knowledge of its health effects determines the use of psychoactive substances. We conducted awareness campaigns and health talk on health effects of PSU to secondary school students in the state. The Federal Ministry of Education should ensure that PSU-related topics are incorporated in the secondary school curriculum

Effects of a high-dose 24-h infusion of tranexamic acid on death and thromboembolic events in patients with acute gastrointestinal bleeding (HALT-IT): an international randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial

Background: Tranexamic acid reduces surgical bleeding and reduces death due to bleeding in patients with trauma. Meta-analyses of small trials show that tranexamic acid might decrease deaths from gastrointestinal bleeding. We aimed to assess the effects of tranexamic acid in patients with gastrointestinal bleeding. Methods: We did an international, multicentre, randomised, placebo-controlled trial in 164 hospitals in 15 countries. Patients were enrolled if the responsible clinician was uncertain whether to use tranexamic acid, were aged above the minimum age considered an adult in their country (either aged 16 years and older or aged 18 years and older), and had significant (defined as at risk of bleeding to death) upper or lower gastrointestinal bleeding. Patients were randomly assigned by selection of a numbered treatment pack from a box containing eight packs that were identical apart from the pack number. Patients received either a loading dose of 1 g tranexamic acid, which was added to 100 mL infusion bag of 0·9% sodium chloride and infused by slow intravenous injection over 10 min, followed by a maintenance dose of 3 g tranexamic acid added to 1 L of any isotonic intravenous solution and infused at 125 mg/h for 24 h, or placebo (sodium chloride 0·9%). Patients, caregivers, and those assessing outcomes were masked to allocation. The primary outcome was death due to bleeding within 5 days of randomisation; analysis excluded patients who received neither dose of the allocated treatment and those for whom outcome data on death were unavailable. This trial was registered with Current Controlled Trials, ISRCTN11225767, and ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT01658124. Findings: Between July 4, 2013, and June 21, 2019, we randomly allocated 12 009 patients to receive tranexamic acid (5994, 49·9%) or matching placebo (6015, 50·1%), of whom 11 952 (99·5%) received the first dose of the allocated treatment. Death due to bleeding within 5 days of randomisation occurred in 222 (4%) of 5956 patients in the tranexamic acid group and in 226 (4%) of 5981 patients in the placebo group (risk ratio [RR] 0·99, 95% CI 0·82–1·18). Arterial thromboembolic events (myocardial infarction or stroke) were similar in the tranexamic acid group and placebo group (42 [0·7%] of 5952 vs 46 [0·8%] of 5977; 0·92; 0·60 to 1·39). Venous thromboembolic events (deep vein thrombosis or pulmonary embolism) were higher in tranexamic acid group than in the placebo group (48 [0·8%] of 5952 vs 26 [0·4%] of 5977; RR 1·85; 95% CI 1·15 to 2·98). Interpretation: We found that tranexamic acid did not reduce death from gastrointestinal bleeding. On the basis of our results, tranexamic acid should not be used for the treatment of gastrointestinal bleeding outside the context of a randomised trial

Burnout among surgeons before and during the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic: an international survey

Background: SARS-CoV-2 pandemic has had many significant impacts within the surgical realm, and surgeons have been obligated to reconsider almost every aspect of daily clinical practice. Methods: This is a cross-sectional study reported in compliance with the CHERRIES guidelines and conducted through an online platform from June 14th to July 15th, 2020. The primary outcome was the burden of burnout during the pandemic indicated by the validated Shirom-Melamed Burnout Measure. Results: Nine hundred fifty-four surgeons completed the survey. The median length of practice was 10&nbsp;years; 78.2% included were male with a median age of 37&nbsp;years old, 39.5% were consultants, 68.9% were general surgeons, and 55.7% were affiliated with an academic institution. Overall, there was a significant increase in the mean burnout score during the pandemic; longer years of practice and older age were significantly associated with less burnout. There were significant reductions in the median number of outpatient visits, operated cases, on-call hours, emergency visits, and research work, so, 48.2% of respondents felt that the training resources were insufficient. The majority (81.3%) of respondents reported that their hospitals were included in the management of COVID-19, 66.5% felt their roles had been minimized; 41% were asked to assist in non-surgical medical practices, and 37.6% of respondents were included in COVID-19 management. Conclusions: There was a significant burnout among trainees. Almost all aspects of clinical and research activities were affected with a significant reduction in the volume of research, outpatient clinic visits, surgical procedures, on-call hours, and emergency cases hindering the training. Trial registration: The study was registered on clicaltrials.gov "NCT04433286" on 16/06/2020