Helminthic Infestation in Children Aged 6 to 59 Months with Diarrhea in Calabar

Background: Helminthic infections and diarrheal diseases have remained public health problem worldwide, especially in developing countries. Children below five years of age are at a higher risk. This study therefore aims to determine the prevalence, and intensity of intestinal helminths in children with and without the diarrheal disease. Materials and Methods: This was a cross‑sectional analytical study of 130 children aged 6 to 59 months, carried out in the Children Emergency Room and the Diarrhea Treatment and Training Unit of the University of Calabar Teaching Hospital (U. C. T. H), Calabar, Nigeria. Those admitted with and without diarrhoea were consecutively recruited. Data were obtained by administration of questionnaires to parents/caregivers whose children met the inclusion criteria. Clinical examinations including anthropometric parameters (weight and length/height) were carried out on all the children recruited for the study while mid‑upper arm circumference was done for children aged 12–59 months. Stool samples were collected from each child into a wide mouth universal, clean, dry, leak‑proof, container, with the help of their parents/guardians. Microscopy was carried out on the stool  samples collected within 1 h in the microbiology laboratory for the presence of ova, larva, or worm segment using direct microscopy with saline and iodine wet preparation and formol ether concentration. Ova were identified and quantified. The type of worm and intensity were recorded. Results: Out of the 130 children, 65 (50%) had diarrhea while the other 65 (50%) were without diarrhoea. The mean age of subjects with diarrhea was 16.86 ± 11.7 months and 17.60 ± 9.9 months for those without diarrhoea. There was no significant difference in sex distribution between the age groups (P = 0.86). The overall prevalence of intestinal helminthic infection in the study population was 1.5%. The prevalence of intestinal helminths in those with diarrhea and those without diarrhea was 3.1% and 0.0%, respectively, (P = 0.496). Only Ancylostoma duodenale (hookworm) was isolated in those with diarrhea and it was of light intensity. There was no significant  difference in the method of disposal and source of water, comparing subjects having diarrhea and those not having diarrhea (P > 0.05). The proportions of subjects that usually played in the sand, go on footwear outside home, and go on footwear at home, were not  significantly different comparing those having diarrhea and those not having diarrhea (P > 0.05). Conclusions: The prevalence rate of intestinal helminths in children with and without diarrhoea was low. There was general  environmental cleanliness and personal hygiene in the study population which were likely responsible for the low helminthic infection thus emphasizing the need for maintenance of good hygiene, access to good water supply and periodic intake of anti-helminthic drugs in view of the public health importance of helminthic infection and diarrhoea

Water quality assessment of Nwangele river in Imo State, Nigeria

Water quality assessment of Nwangele river was undertaken using standard methods. Water samples were drawn from upstream, midstream and downstream of the river and assessed for quality. Results obtained for physicochemical characteristics showed pH (4.83±.0.01-5.00±0.31), total solid (200.00±2.40-613.19±1.10 mg/L), and total suspended solid (49.98±0.11-399.04±2.09 mg/L). Heavy metals found in the river water were iron (0.132±0.01- 0.144±0.02 mg/L), zinc (0.034±0.02- 0.044±0.02 mg/L), mercury (0.004±0.001- 0.011±0.00 mg/L), lead (0.008±0.00- 0.016±0.00 mg/L) and cadmium (0.03±0.01- 0.011±0.00 mg/L). Microbiological studies on the river revealed the presence of Klebsieilla sp., Vibro sp., Pseudomonas sp., Proteus sp., Escherichia sp., Staphylococcus sp., Shigella sp., Bacillus sp., Serratia sp., Citrobacter sp., and Enterobacter sp as bacterial isolates with high total heterotrophic bacteria count (THBC), total coliform count (TCC), Salmonella-shigella count (SSC), and total viable count (TVC). Nwangele River water is acidic, with high total suspended solid, phosphate and microbial loads. It is therefore advisable to purify water from the river before consumption. This study has assessed the water quality of Nwangele river in Imo State, Nigeri

Effect of GarriI processing effluents [waste water] on the cyanide level of some root tubers commonly consumed in the South East of Nigeria

Root tubers are the important staple food crops in the tropics, Nigeria inclusive. In the South East of Nigeria, the major staple root tuber crops include Dioscorea rotundata, (White yam) Dioscorea alata, (Water yam) Xanthosoma sagittifolium, (Red Cocoyam) Colocasia esculenta, (White Cocoyam) Ipomea batatas (Sweet potato) and Dioscorea dumetorum (Domestic yam). Due to inadequacies in supply, these tubers are always in high demand by consumers. To make up for the high demand, peasant farmers cultivate these tubers in any available space around homes. Around most homes in the villages are garri (cassava flour) processing factories, with the effluents (waste water) allowed to flow into adjoining farmlands without any form of treatment. It has been reported that cassava tubers and their effluents contain high concentrations of cyanide, thus the cyanide in the effluent may be adsorbed by the soil onto which it is disposed. Plants that are grown on soil of low potassium content and high nitrogen content have been reported to have high hydrocyanic acid concentration in their tubers. Numerous studies have described environmental exposure of humans to cyanide in African populations. Little is known about exposure to cyanide toxins from processed or unprocessed root tubers commonly consumed in Africa; and data on the food concentration of cyanide which is a potential poison and systemic toxicant is scanty. This study determined the concentrations of cyanide in some root tubers grown in a cassava processing plant effluent [waste water] contaminated farm land and commonly consumed in South East of Nigeria. Dioscorea rotundata had 10.13±1.9mgHCN/kg, while Dioscorea alata had 9.12±0.93mgHCN/kg. Xanthosoma sagittifolium and Colocasia esculenta were found to have values of 15.19±1.69mgHCN/kg and 11.81±1.19mgHCN/kg, respectively. Ipomea batatas [red cultivar] had cyanide level of 8.44±1.20 mgHCN/kg, while the white cultivar had 8.44±1.20mgHCN/kg. Dioscorea dumetorum [domestic] showed cyanide level of 35.44±1.69mgHCN/kg. These values are significantly [p<0.05] higher compared to values from the control site for the same cultivars, 9.65±1.36mgHCN/kg, 8.45±1.60mgHCN/kg, 14.77±1.33mgHCN/kg and 10.89±1.55 mgHCN/kg, respectively while I. batatas and D. dumetorum had 7.26±1.34mgHCN/kg, 32.76±0.05mgHCN/kg, respectively. The difference in cyanide content between cultivars from the assumed contaminated site and control site could be as a result of environmental factors, like temperature, humidity, altitude and possibly the cassava effluent [waste water]. This preliminary study highlights the need to study the toxicological implications of chronic low–level exposure to cyanide from African root tubers as a result of poor waste disposal methods. Keywords: Tubers, cyanide, toxicity, soil, contaminationAfrican Journal of Food, Agriculture, Nutrition and Development, Volume 12 No.

Analgesic and Hepatoprotective Activity of Methanolic Leaf Extract of Ocimum gratissimum (L.).

The methanolic extract of Ocimum gratissimum (L.) leaves was screened for analgesic and hepatoprotective activity in albino rats, respectively. The use of the hot-plate method to study central analgesic activity of the leaves extract in albino rats indicated that the extract possesses the ability to significantly reduce pain threshold and also increase the response latency period to thermal stimuli in albino rats, similar to the reference drug acetylsalicylic acid. After treatment reaction time of albino rats was significantly increased to 10.92 sec with 40 mg kg-1 of leaves extract, whereas acetylsalicylic acid also increased reaction time to 12.53 sec with 25 mL kg-1. A decline in the reaction time beyond 1.61 sec was observed by the reference drug and leaves extract. Albino rats whose livers were damaged with a hepatotoxin-Carbon tetrachloride (CCl4) 0.5 mL kg-1 i.p. were used to test for hepatoprotective properties of the plant leaves extract. It reduced significantly (p<0.05) liver enzyme levels for animals treated with CCL4 (0.5 mL kg-1) and the methanolic plant leaf extract (40 mg kg-1) concurrently compared to animals treated with CCL4 only. Many histopathological changes in the liver such as marked dilation of the central vein, blood vessel congestion and inflammatory leucocytic infiltrations which were observed in the CCl4 treated animals were not observed in the CCl4 + plant extract treated animals. No apparent disruptions of the normal liver structure by histological and enzyme activities assessment were observed. The results show that the methanolic leaf extract is a potent analgesic and antihepatotoxic agent

Road transport safety in Abuja, Nigeria: an analysis using a traffic conflict technique

An estimated 1.35 million lives are lost to Road Traffic Crashes (RTC) annually, with about 20 – 50 million people sustaining non – fatal injuries, of which many are left with temporary or permanent disabilities. Developing countries like Nigeria, account for 85% of these global road fatalities, and 90% of Disability Adjusted Life Years (DALY), despite having only about 54% of available world vehicles. With a steady increase in the number of vehicles on Nigerian roads, over dependence on road transport for the movement of 90% of freight and passengers, which is primarily due to the near absence and neglect of other transportation modes in Nigeria, road safety is therefore of great concern, and deserves more attention than it currently gets. To date, the reliance on historical crash data in the analysis of traffic safety problems has been criticised due to the ethical issues associated with waiting for crashes to occur in order to collect sufficient crash data, as well as low quality or a complete unavailability of crash data in developing countries. To this end, the use of surrogate safety indicators as alternatives or complements of crash – based safety evaluations is therefore very necessary. There has not been a comprehensive non – crash based, but safety – related evaluation of unsafe traffic interactions and traffic conflicts with the potential of resulting in a traffic crash in Nigeria’s capital city, Abuja. The advancement of Traffic Conflict Techniques (TCT) motivated the utilisation of the Dutch Objective Conflict Technique for Operation and Research (DOCTOR) to investigate the safety issues in Abuja, Nigeria, and the results from this research would be beneficial, as it aims to understand the underlying unsafe behaviours and interactions of road users, contributing to high RTC and road fatalities in Abuja. To achieve this, relevant literature on non – crash based Traffic Safety Evaluation (TSE) and its replicability in developing countries were reviewed to inform the choice of methodology adopted for the study. TCT works best when complemented with crash analysis as well as behavioural studies, the methodology therefore consists of three major components: the trend analysis of Nigeria’s available crash data (1990 – 2016) provided by the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC). It provided an understanding of the road safety condition in Nigeria, and the progresses made towards achieving the goals of the United Nations Decade of Action for Road Safety 2011 – 2020, and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) Goal 3, target 6, which is a 50% reduction in crash fatalities by the end of 2020. Based on the trend analysis, questionnaires were designed and administered to road users in Abuja Nigeria, as well as interviews with representatives of the FRSC and the Federal Ministry of Transportation. This helped seek the opinion of road users on the causes of relatively high levels of Road Traffic Crashes in Abuja. Abuja, despite having a majority of educated residents, the best road network and available paved roads in Nigeria, consistently has one of the worst annual crash statistics in Nigeria. Traffic conflicts observations were therefore conducted in Abuja, to observe traffic behaviours and conflicts using a Traffic Conflict Technique (TCT). This research observed and identified various traffic conflicts at 6 study locations in Abuja, using the Dutch Objective Conflict Technique for Operation and Research (DOCTOR) technique. The results from the crash analysis (trend analysis) shows that Nigeria is far off from achieving the United Nations Decade of Action for Road Safety 2011 – 2020, and the SDG Goal 3, target 6, by the end of 2020. With respect to the goal of the United Nations Decade of Action for Road Safety 2011 – 2020, an effective 50% reduction in the year 2011 estimates of crash fatalities (6,054 fatalities) in Nigeria, implies that by the end of 2020, crash fatalities are expected to drop to below 3,027 crash fatalities. However, the FRSC reports a 16.5% decline in road fatalities from 2011 – 2016 (a drop from 6,054 to 5,053 road fatalities, although increases were experienced in 2012, and 2013), which is still 33.5% off the 50% target by the end of 2020. The research also identified behavioural risk factors in Abuja, including; poor use of seatbelts, drink driving, and use of mobile phones while driving. Unsafe driving behaviours identified also include; not using indicators, driving without a seatbelt, and tailgating. From the interviews, over speeding, driving against the flow of traffic and lack of pedestrian bridges at junctions as well as pedestrians crossing at undesignated areas were identified as the major causes of RTC in Abuja. From the study sites, the observed conflicts were mainly same direction (right turn, slow vehicle, and lane change), cross traffic (through, left turn and right turn), and pedestrian conflicts. Based on the severity of the conflicts, slight conflicts (conflicts of severity 1 and 2), were predominant at all locations. The most severe conflicts (conflicts with severity score of 5 which is regarded as a near miss and could have potentially resulted in a crash) range from 7.0% of the total number of observed conflicts at Bolingo Junction to a maximum 8.3% of the total number of observed conflicts at Julius Berger roundabout. This research proposed crash reduction methods including; strict enforcement of traffic laws, road safety enlightenment, improved road design, effective traffic management and road safety education. The application of DOCTOR in Abuja, Nigeria, is novel. The traffic conflict observations done in this research were done manually and not via video recordings, however, this research provides road safety investigators the foundation and opportunity to utilise surrogate safety evaluations using video recordings for future applications, so as to complement traffic safety evaluations in cases where crash based approaches seem unreliable

SOCIAL MEDIA AND UTILIZATION OF INFORMATION ON CONTAGIOUS DISEASES: THE CASE OF MEDICAL STUDENTS OF ABIA STATE UNIVERSITY TEACHING HOSPITAL ABA

This research examines social media and utilization of information on contagious diseases by medical students of Abia State University Teaching Hospital Aba. The research adopts survey design to investigate a sample of 321 medical students of ABSU Teaching Hospital who were registered undergraduates in the 2017/2018 academic session. Because the number of the students was adequate and manageable, the research adopted the census sampling technique. Structured and validated questionnaire with a reliability coefficient value of 0.81 was used to gather data for the study. Results reveal that the medical students received and made use of information on contagious diseases from six social media platforms covering causes, pattern of spread, type of people affected, effects, drug administration and strategy to avoid infection. Economic, social, infrastructural and environmental challenges impeded receipt and use of information by the students. Provision of functional computer sets with adequate cyber network in the hospital library is one of the recommendations that could ameliorate the challenges. The paper concludes that since receipt and utilization of information on contagious diseases is quick and accurate through social media platforms, quality internet services should be sustained in the medical library

Дослідження напрямів покращення використання виробничих ресурсів підприємства, на прикладі ФГ «Вікторія-92»

The subject of research is a process of the production resources use in the farm “Viktoriya-92”. The object of research is the farm “Viktoriya-92”. The aim of the Master’s Paper is to examine the production resources use of farm “Viktoriya-92”. Research methods: analysis, grouping, comparison, synthesis, system approach, etc. The recommendations concerning the researching the directions to improve the production resources use of the farm “Viktoriya-92” have been developed. Recommendations are outlined as for іntroduction of cultivation of a new variety of barley, diversification of the farm’s activities, implementation of the processing of agricultural products of the farm.Предметом дослідження є процес використання виробничих ресурсів у фермерському господарстві «Вікторія-92». Об’єктом дослідження є фермерське господарство “Вікторія-92”. Метою магістерської роботи є дослідження використання виробничих ресурсів фермерського господарства «Вікторія-92». Методи дослідження: аналіз, групування, порівняння, синтез, системний підхід та ін. Розроблено рекомендації щодо дослідження напрямків удосконалення використання виробничих ресурсів фермерського господарства «Вікторія-92». Викладено рекомендації щодо запровадження вирощування нового сорту ячменю, диверсифікації діяльності господарства, впровадження переробки сільськогосподарської продукції господарства.Introduction. Chapter 1 The theoretical framework of the production resources of the enterprise. 1.1 Meanings and definitions of the production resources of the enterprise 1.2 Factors influencing the efficiency of enterprise’s production resources use. 1.3 Methodological approaches to formation the indicators of the efficiency of the enterprise’s production resources use. Chapter 2 Analysis of the production resources use of the farm «Viktoriya-92». 2.1 Company introduction. 2.2 Analysis of fixed assets and land resources of the farm «Viktoriya-92». 2.3 Analysis of material and labor resources of the enterprise. Chapter 3 Recommendations. 3.1 Recommendations as for іntroduction of cultivation of a new variety of barley. 3.2 Recommendations as for diversification of the farm’s activities. 3.3 Recommendations as for implementation of the processing of agricultural products of the farm. Chapter 4. Occupational health and safety in emergencies. 4.1 Occupational health at work. 4.2 Organization of civil safety at the farm. Conclusions. References