Effects of Fadama III Project on the Income of Dry Season Rice Farmers in Sokoto State, Nigeria

The effects of Fadama III project to the improvement in the income of participating dry season rice farmers inSokoto state was studied. Population of the study comprised of all dry season rice farmers in Sokoto state. Purposivesampling was used to select six Local Government Areas. Purposive sampling was used to ensure the selection ofLGAs with outstanding potentials in the cultivation of dry season crops. Random sampling technique was used toselect 20 project participants and 12 non-project participants from each of the selected LGAs. Descriptive statisticsand gross margin analysis were used for data analysis. Findings of the study revealed that Majority of projectbeneficiaries (71.30%) and non-project beneficiaries (63.38%) did not attain any form of formal education. Cost oflabour (family and hired) dominated the production cost for both the project beneficiaries and non-projectbeneficiaries. Result of the gross margin analysis showed that the project participants made more profit (N319,459.44 Per Hectatre) in dry season rice production compared to N270, 334.61 Per Hectare earned by non-projectparticipants. It was recommended that the Fadama III project should as much as possible expand their area ofoperation so that more farmers can benefit from their services

Breaking of Dormancy and Its Effects on Seedling Establishment of Date Palm (Phoenix Dactylifera L.)

A study was carried out in the Botanical Garden of the Department of Plant Science and Technology, University of Jos, Nigeria, to determine the most effective method of breaking seed dormancy in Date palm (Phoenix dactylifera L.). The treatments comprised two types of seed (fresh; seeds less than six month old  and the dry seeds were more than six months old) with four different methods of breaking seed dormancy (seeds soaked in acid for 5 minutes, 5 minutes in boiling water, 24 hours in cold water and mechanical scarification) and the control (seeds were not treated). The experiment was laid out in a completely randomized design and each treatment was replicated five times. Germination rate (%) was measured weekly for four weeks and seedling height (cm) was measured at 2 weeks interval (beginning from 35 days after planting) for a period of eight weeks. The results showed that the different methods of breaking seed dormancy enhanced the germination of the Date palm and seedling growth. The boiling and cold water treatments had significantly (P<0.005) higher germination rate of 100% at 42 days after planting than the control which had 86.67%. The dry seeds had a significantly (P<0.05) low (26.67) germination rate at 35 days after planting but, did not differ significantly with the fresh seeds at 35 DAP. The boiling water treatment also had a significantly (P<0.005) high seedling height (25.00 cm) at 77 days after planting. The control had the lowest seedling height of 6.72 cm at 35 days after planting. The seeds treated with acids for 5 minutes, did not germinate at all. The result indicates that optimum germination and seedling establishment in Date palms occurred in fresh seeds and the most effective method of breaking the dormancy is through the use of boiling water. Keywords: Date palm (Phoenix dactylifera L.) seeds, breaking dormancy and Seedling establishmen

Influence of locally sourced additives on neem plant organic fertilizer quality in Samaru, Zaria, Kaduna State, Nigeria

Neem samples (Neem fruit, Neem Cake and oil) were prepared using locally sourced materials, the Neem oil was obtained during the caking, while the Neem fruit was simply air-dried. The results showed that all the Neem samples contained: Nitrogen, Phosphorous and Potassium considerable for fertilizer production but Neem fruit has the highest percentage of Nitrogen 3.3%, Phosphorous 4.1% and potassium 3.8% while the oil has the least content of 1.1% Nitrogen, 2.0% Phosphorous and 1.1% potassium. Additives were introduced in the production to enhance the quality of the fertilizer such as limestone to neutralize the soil, poultry liter as supplement of the nitrogen, phosphorous and potassium content of the fertilizer, Rock phosphate to standardize the phosphorous content of the soil and to retain the soil texture and composition.Keywords: Neem fruit, Neem cake, Neem seed, Rock phosphate, Organic fertilize

Prevalence and Risk Factors for Poor Mental Health and Suicidal Ideation in the Nigerian Construction Industry

Employees' mental health and well-being are a growing concern as countries grapple with heightened mental ill-health and suicide rates, with the construction industry ranking in the top five. Drawing from the context of a developing country, particularly Nigeria, data were collected using mixed methods (i.e., survey and postsurvey interview). The study investigated mental health among 382 construction personnel. The Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9) and Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD-2) scales were employed in assessing mental health. The data collected were analyzed using descriptive statistics and logistic regression. The prevalence rates of depression, anxiety, and suicidal ideation were 55.1%, 16%, 9.8% among supervisors, 72%, 36.9%, and 15.3%, respectively, among tradesmen. Univariate logistic regression revealed that years of experience and organizational structure influence mental health. Multiple logistic regression showed that risk factors for mental ill-health include nature of work, little relationship with colleagues, job insecurity, occupational injury, low income, and unsatisfactory living conditions. The findings from this study will assist in intervention building and policy-making within the construction industry of Nigeria and globally

Global malaria vaccine research and community perception in Africa: a systematic review

Abstract Background Malaria vaccine is one of the critical areas in tropical health research, considering the success recorded in other vaccine-preventable diseases. This review provides an overview of global malaria vaccine research and systematically reviews community perception of the vaccine in Africa. Methods A validated search was conducted to identify scientific literature on malaria vaccines in the Scopus database from 2005. Bibliometric indicators explored include publication/citation indices over time and the overall research themes using VOSviewer. A further in-depth search was undertaken in five databases to identify studies on community perception of malaria vaccine in Africa. Studies were screened, quality appraised, and narratively synthesized. Results 6457 malaria-vaccine-related documents were found in 160 journals/sources from 189 countries/territories. There were 214,323 total citations, with 33.2 average citations per document and 167 documents’ h-index. The United States, United Kingdom and Australia combined produced more than 60% of the publication output. Six themes emerged from the global malaria vaccine research: Merozoite surface protein, characterization, trials, infant/children, traveler, and research/review. Twenty studies (n = 20) met the inclusion criteria for the systematic review. Overall perceptions of malaria vaccines varied in African communities (26.2-88.2%), in addition to higher willingness to accept the vaccines (32.3%-96.0%), poor knowledge/awareness (11%-60%) and misconceptions (19.2%-20.9%). Other issues identified include vaccine availability and logistics. Conclusions Malaria vaccine research and citations have increased considerably, mainly targeting vaccine development and safety/efficacy in Africa. African communities’ perceptions of the vaccine varied, with most of the population willing to accept the vaccine. Key messages • An increase in number of malaria vaccine research targeting vaccine development, and safety and efficacy in Africa. • Varried malaria vaccine perception in Africa, including willingness to accept the vaccine, awareness, misconceptions, availability and logistics. </jats:sec

Views on and experiences of electronic cigarettes: a qualitative study of women who are pregnant or have recently given birth.

Background Electronic cigarettes (ECs) are increasingly used for reducing or stopping smoking, with some studies showing positive outcomes. However, little is known about views on ECs during pregnancy or postpartum and previous studies have nearly all been conducted in the US and have methodological limitations, such as not distinguishing between smokers and ex/non-smokers. A greater understanding of this topic will help to inform both clinicians and EC interventions. We elicited views and experiences of ECs among UK pregnant or recently pregnant women. Methods We conducted semi-structured telephone interviews, using topic guides, with pregnant or recently pregnant women, who were current or recent ex-smokers. To ensure broad views of ECs were obtained, recruitment was from several geographical locations and via various avenues of recruitment. This included stop smoking services, antenatal and health visitor clinics, a pregnancy website and an informal network. Participants were 15 pregnant and 15 postpartum women, including nine current EC users, 11 ex-users, and 10 never-users. Five women who were interviewed in pregnancy were later interviewed in postpartum to explore if their views had changed. Audio data was transcribed verbatim and framework analysis was applied. Results Five main themes emerged: motivations for use (e.g., for stopping or reducing smoking), social stigma (e.g., avoiding use in public, preferring ‘discrete’ NRT), using the EC (e.g., mostly used at home); consumer aspects (e.g., limited advice available), and harm perceptions (e.g., viewed as less harmful than smoking; concerns about safety and addiction). Conclusions ECs were viewed positively by some pregnant and postpartum women and seen as less harmful than smoking and useful as aids for reducing and stopping smoking. However, due to perceived social stigma, some women feel uncomfortable using ECs in public, especially during pregnancy, and had concerns about safety and nicotine dependence. Health professionals and designers of EC interventions need to provide women with up-to-date and consistent information and advice about safety and dependence, as well as considering the influence of social stigma

Sero Prevalence of Brucellosis in Goat in Sokoto, Nigeria

Abstract: Serum samples were collected from goats slaughtered at the Sokoto metropolis abattoir and were screened using Rose Bengal Plate Test (RBPT), the Serum Agglutination Test (SAT) and the Competitive Elisa (complisa) for brucellosis. A seroprevalence of 22.93% was recorded. The female had more prevalence (28.35%) than the male while the age band of 13-24 months had the highest prevalence of 22.46% Sokoto red was the breed with the highest prevalence of 34.12% while the hot season had the highest prevalence of 28.57%. Due to the zoonotic implications of the disease, there is the urgent need to consider the vaccination of small ruminants against brucellosis in addition to other recommendations suggested

Frequency Distribution and Association of some Morpho- and Physiological Traits in Patients with Lung Diseases in Kosova

The aim of this study was to investigate the distribution of specific phenotypes in patients with lung diseases as well as their eventual association withthe risk of developing lung diseases. For this purpose 2777 patients with lung diseases and 2778 healthy individuals from all over Kosova were examined for the appearance of the following selected phenotypes: ear lobe free (ELF)/ ear lobe attached, normal chin (NC)/cleft chin, tongue roller (TR)/non roller, hand clasping right thumb over (HC)/ hand clasping left thumb over, righthanded (RH)/lefthanded. In addition, the blood group from ABO system and the presence or absence of the Rhesus factor as phenotypical markers were observed. The results obtained show significant differences between control and lung disease patients for NC (P≤0.05) and TR (P≤0.005) as well as for blood groups AB (P≤0.05) and O (P≤0.005). These results point to eventually increased levels of genetic load as a result of the increased homozygosity in some gene loci causing an increased frequency of some recessive phenotypes in patients with lung diseases. Together with the specific associations observed, these preliminary findings could serve as a basis for further in depth investigations with respect to the types of lung diseases, occupational exposure and dietary habits, and thus is expected to contribute to an understanding of predispositions and susceptibility to lung diseases

The prevalence of ectopic pregnancy in Jos, North Central Nigeria: a reproductive health challenge

Background: Ectopic pregnancy is a life threatening gynecological emergency with a rising incidence of maternal morbidity especially in resource poor settings. Most cases present in the emergency unit when ruptured.Objective: The objective of this study was to determine the prevalence, identifiable risk factors, clinical presentation and management outcome of ectopic pregnancy.Method: This was a retrospective review of cases of ectopic pregnancies seen and managed in the gynecological unit of Plateau State Specialist Hospital (PSSH) Jos from 1st September 2012 to 31st August, 2017. The medical records of the patients managed for ectopic pregnancy as well as the delivery register from the labor room, theater register and gynecological admissions during the study period were retrieved. The data were collected with the aid of data entry form designed for this purpose. The relevant data collected were analyzed using epi info 16 version and presented in tables.Results: During the period, a total number of 13,596 deliveries were recorded while there were 2067 gynecological admissions. One hundred and seventy two (172) patients had ectopic pregnancies accounting for 1.27% of all deliveries and 8.3% of gynecological admissions. The mean age of the patients was 29±5years. The peak age group was 20-25 years (32.0%); 92(53.5%) had secondary school as their highest level of education; 135(78.5%) were married and 49(28.4%) were multigravida. All the patients; 172(100%) presented with a history of abdominal pain while 8(4.7%) presented in shock. A total of 161(93.6%) were diagnosed based on history and clinical examination findings; 152(88.4%) had trans-abdominal scan and 12(7.0%) had abdominal paracentesis (though frowned at in modern day practice). The commonest identifiable risk factors for ectopic pregnancies were pelvic inflammatory disease(PID) in 111(64.5%) of patients followed by previous history of abortions in 17(9.9%) of patients. A total number of 169(98.3%) of the patients had total salpingectomy for ruptured ectopic pregnancies via open abdominal surgeries with 87(50.6%) done on the right fallopian tubes. Three (1.7%) of the patients had oophorectomy. Eighty one(47.1%) of the patients had blood transfusion with no case fatality.Conclusion: Ectopic pregnancy still remains a major health challenge among women of reproductive age group in Nigeria. Efforts should therefore be directed at prompt and timely management to reduce maternal morbidity and mortality in developing countries, availability and accessibility of contraceptive methods, accessibility to healthcare centers and affordable healthcare, proper treatment of PID, use of better technologies in management of cases and human capacity development.Keywords: Prevalence, reproductive age group, ectopic pregnancy, resource poor settings, life threatening, emergenc