Incidence and reasons for leave against medical advice among orthopedic and trauma patients at the university college hospital Ibadan

Background: Leave against medical advice (LAMA) of hospitalized patients is an adverse clinical event in which a patient chooses to leave the hospital before it is medically advisable to do so and it negatively affects the treatment outcome. Because of this, the study was designed to determine the incidence of and indications for LAMA among orthopedic patients who presented at the accident and emergency department of the university college hospital, Ibadan.Methods: This was a prospective hospital-based study determining the incidence of LAMA among orthopedic patients who presented at the accident and emergency department of the university college hospital, Ibadan between September 2019 and March 2020.Results: A total of 289 patients with orthopedic conditions presented within the study period and about 12.46% of these LAMA. The male to female ratio observed in this study is 2:1. The age range was between 8 and 93 years. Trauma from motorbike and motor vehicle accidents accounted for over 80% of the etiology. The most important factor influencing LAMA is financial constraints (63.9%) and LAMA was signed mostly by the patients (25%).Conclusions: LAMA among orthopedic patients in Ibadan is mostly due to financial reasons, therefore, factors that will reduce the cost of management such as the accessibility to health insurance schemes will significantly reduce the incidence of LAMA among orthopedic patients in Nigeria.

ESPOUSING THE DETERMINANTS OF ACADEMIC STAFF RETENTION PRACTICES IN THE PUBLIC UNIVERSITIES

In the globalized knowledge-based economy, retention is recognized as the key element for competitiveness and economic growth. In the University system, retention practices have played a substantial role in nation-building and economic affluence. The early decades of the Nigerian university system were characterised by impressive achievements. Today, Universities in Nigeria are subdued by limited access to resources, inadequacies in facilities for teaching, learning and research; inadequate funding; deficits in teacher quality and quantity (including quality of professors); governance deficits (including stemming the tide of strikes); depressed quality of graduates; inadequacies in access; deficiencies in research and postgraduate training; academic corruption and other social vices. Hence, this study examines the determinant of academic staff retention practices in the Nigerian University system. Articles indexed in Google scholar, NUC, EBSCO, Science direct, Sage, Elsevier and Scopus database were reviewed. The underlying theories adopted for this study were Expectancy theory, Fredrick Herzberg Two-factor theory and Job embeddedness Theory. The study concludes that we need as a nation (Nigeria) to adopt the UNESCO recommendation on spending 25% GDP on Education. This study recommends that increased academic staff retention can be achieved through the implementation of systemic regulatory functions by NUC and professional bodies, promotion of ICT-driven universities, fostering skills development and entrepreneurship, and gender issues

Knowledge, Attitude, and Practice of Health Workers in a Tertiary Hospital in Ile-Ife, Nigeria, towards Ebola Viral Disease

Background. Health workers are more prone to Ebola viral disease (EVD) than the general population. This study assessed the preparedness of health workers in the control and management of EVD. Methods. A descriptive cross-sectional study. Consenting 400 health workers completed a semistructured questionnaire that assessed participants’ general knowledge, emergency preparedness, and control and management of EVD. Data were analysed using descriptive and inferential statistics. Results. The mean age (SD) was 34.5 ± 8.62 years ranging from 20 to 59 years. Most participants were medical doctors (24.6%) and nurses (52.2%). The majority had practised <10 years (73.8%) and were aware of the EVD outbreak in the West African subregion (85.5%). Colleagues (40%) and radio (37.2%) were their major sources of information. Only 42% had good knowledge while 27% knew that there was no vaccine presently to prevent EVD. About one-quarter (24.2%) had low risk perception. The majority (89%) felt the hospital infection control policy was inadequate to protect against EVD. The only predictor of good knowledge was participants’ occupation. Conclusion. There is knowledge gap and poor infection control preparedness among respondents. Thus, knowledge and practices of health workers towards EVD need improvement

Computational Biology and Bioinformatics in Nigeria

Over the past few decades, major advances in the field of molecular biology, coupled with advances in genomic technologies, have led to an explosive growth in the biological data generated by the scientific community. The critical need to process and analyze such a deluge of data and turn it into useful knowledge has caused bioinformatics to gain prominence and importance. Bioinformatics is an interdisciplinary research area that applies techniques, methodologies, and tools in computer and information science to solve biological problems. In Nigeria, bioinformatics has recently played a vital role in the advancement of biological sciences. As a developing country, the importance of bioinformatics is rapidly gaining acceptance, and bioinformatics groups comprised of biologists, computer scientists, and computer engineers are being constituted at Nigerian universities and research institutes. In this article, we present an overview of bioinformatics education and research in Nigeria. We also discuss professional societies and academic and research institutions that play central roles in advancing the discipline in Nigeria. Finally, we propose strategies that can bolster bioinformatics education and support from policy makers in Nigeria, with potential positive implications for other developing countries. © 2014 Fatumo et al.SAF was supported by H3ABioNet NABDA Node, Abuja, Nigeria with NIH Common Fund Award/NHGRI Grant Number U41HG006941 and Genetic Epidemiology Group at Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute.Published versio

Semen characteristics and sperm morphological studies of the West African Dwarf Buck treated with Aloe vera gel extract

Background: Aloe vera (Aloe barbadensis miller) is an evergreen perennial plant widely used in modern herbal practice and is often available in proprietary herbal preparations.Objective: This study was designed to investigate the semen picture and spermatozoa morphology of West African Dwarf (WAD) bucks treated with Aloe vera extract.Materials and Methods: Twelve sexually matured WAD bucks, weighing between 11 and 15 kg, were used for the study. The bucks were first used as control (pre-treatment) and later as two groups of six animals each. The first six bucks received 10 mls of the 3% extract while the other six received 10 mls of the 4% of the extract for a 7 day period. Semen was collected from both the 3 and 4% extract treated bucks for the control (pre-treatment), on days eight (first week post-treatment) and fifteen (second week post-treatment) in each case using the electroejaculation method. The spermiogram of the bucks were investigated using standard procedures. Data obtained were analyzed using two way ANOVA and significance reported at p<0.05.Results: The continuous administration of Aloe vera extract significantly (p<0.05) reduced sperm concentration, motility and percentage livability and resulted in increased sperm abnormalities in the WAD buck.Conclusion: Aloe vera adversely affected the spermiogram of bucks. The plant can reduce fertility in male animals and is therefore not recommended for medicinal purpose in male animals especially those used for breeding

Semen characteristics and sperm morphological studies of the West African Dwarf Buck treated with Aloe vera gel extract

Background: Aloe vera (Aloe barbadensis miller) is an evergreen perennial plant widely used in modern herbal practice and is often available in proprietary herbal preparations. Objective: This study was designed to investigate the semen picture and spermatozoa morphology of West African Dwarf (WAD) bucks treated with Aloe vera extract. Materials and Methods: Twelve sexually matured WAD bucks, weighing between 11 and 15 kg, were used for the study. The bucks were first used as control (pre-treatment) and later as two groups of six animals each. The first six bucks received 10 mls of the 3% extract while the other six received 10 mls of the 4% of the extract for a 7 day period. Semen was collected from both the 3 and 4% extract treated bucks for the control (pre-treatment), on days eight (first week post-treatment) and fifteen (second week post-treatment) in each case using the electroejaculation method. The spermiogram of the bucks were investigated using standard procedures. Data obtained were analyzed using two way ANOVA and significance reported at p< 0.05. Results: The continuous administration of Aloe vera extract significantly (p < 0.05) reduced sperm concentration, motility and percentage livability and resulted in increased sperm abnormalities in the WAD buck. Conclusion: Aloe vera adversely affected the spermiogram of bucks. The plant can reduce fertility in male animals and is therefore not recommended for medicinal purpose in male animals especially those used for breedin

Features of residency training and psychological distress among residents in a Nigerian teaching hospital

Background. Resident doctors at University College Hospital (UCH), Ibadan, Nigeria, made a series of complaints about inadequate con­sultant supervision, lack of structure in the training programme and excessive workload. These complaints led to an evaluation of residency training.  Objective. To investigate perceptions of the residency training programme and levels of psychological distress among residents. Methods. All 250 resident doctors at UCH were invited to complete questionnaires about their residency training and general health as part of a cross-sectional study. Data were analysed using SPSS 16.  Results. A total of 128 residents (51.2%) responded to the questionnaire. Of the respondents, 72% rated their consultant supervision as good and 82.6% rated support from nurses as good; 61.8% had <5 hours of formal educational activities and 65.1% had <5 hours of research or private study per week. There was evidence of psychological distress in 48.4% of the respondents, and there was a significant association between psychological distress and the intensity of work (p<0.01).  Conclusion. The residency training programme at UCH appears to prioritise service provision over research and education activities. Residents who report high workloads also have high levels of psychological distress. Tackling these issues could improve overall satisfaction with residency training and reduce complaints

Research foci and projects of bioinformatics research groups in Nigeria.

<p>Research foci and projects of bioinformatics research groups in Nigeria.</p

Screen shot of Form Hub page.

<p>Screen shot of Form Hub page.</p