Globalisation and Economic Growth: The Nigerian Experience

International contacts and exchanges are not a new phenomenon. It started from the time of the Mercantilists who were popular from the sixteenth to the middle of the eighteenth century. They traversed the whole world looking for precious metals, in the process partitioned and colonized all parts of the world. Hence, globalization dates back to human history. This was carried out in the form of trade, exchanges, inter country movements, travels and migration. This paper uses descriptive research method to analyze the impact of globalization on economic growth in Nigeria in terms of trade and capital flows. The Nigerian economy was integrated into the global economy before independence. But unfortunately the benefit of globalization did not trickled down to the Nigerian economy as proposed by its proponents. This paper is of the view that increased trade and capital flows engendered by globalization can enhance the country’s growth performance. However, if Nigeria is to benefit from the global integration, it has to address a number of challenges and implement appropriate strategies and policies in order to maximize the benefits of globalization and minimize the risks of destabilization and marginalization, as well as promote rapid economic growth and achieve substantial poverty reduction. Keywords: Impact of globalization, economic growth, trade and capital flows, poverty reduction.

Spontaneous Heterotrophic Pregnancy with Tubal Rupture and Delivery of a Live Baby at Term: a Case Report

Heterotopic pregnancy is the coexistence of intrauterine and extrauterine gestations. It is associated with significant maternal morbidity andmortality particularly in low resource settings. Spontaneous heterotopic pregnancy is very rarely seen with documented incidence of 1 in 30,000 pregnancies. We present the first case of heterotopic pregnancymanaged in our center with the delivery a live female baby at term.The case of a 25 year nulliparous lady who presented in our center with lower abdominal pains, amenorrhoea and an ultrasound report confirming an intrauterine pregnancy is presented. Examination revealed mild right iliac fossa tenderness, cervical motion tenderness and a bulky uterus. A trans-vaginal ultrasound scan confirmed a right fimbrial ectopic gestation. A right salpingectomy was performed. The patient subsequently had an uneventful antenatal period and spontaneous vaginal delivery of a live female baby at term. We also review literatures on heterotopicpregnancy and its management. Spontaneous heterotopic pregnancy, apotentially fatal condition though rare can occur in our environment. Clinicians should maintain a high index of suspicion in all patients presenting with amenorrhoea and abdominal pains even if an intrauterine pregnancy has been confirmed and a thorough evaluation of theadnexae using a trans-vaginal ultrasound scan should be routinely performed in such cases.Keywords: Spontaneous heterotopic pregnancy, live baby, Uy

Teachers’ knowledge and attitudes towards seizure disorder: A comparative study of urban and rural school teachers in Akwa Ibom State, Nigeria

Background: Knowledge and attitude of school teachers with regard to seizure disorder has an important impact on continuation of schooling of children with seizure disorder. Though school teachers in both rural and urban settings are exposed to the same training, their perception of seizure disorder could be influenced by the environment in which they reside.Objectives: To determine the knowledge and attitudes of school teachers towards children with seizure disorder, and the influence of urban residence on perception of seizure disorder by the teachers.Materials and Methods: A self‑administered questionnaire on knowledge and attitudes to seizure disorder were filled by school teachers drawn from both urban and rural settings in Akwa‑Ibom State, Nigeria.Results: One‑hundred and thirty‑two urban school teachers and an equal number of their rural counterparts completed the questionnaire. There were significantly more female teachers in the urban schools whereas the rural schools were dominated by male teachers with male to female ratio of 1:5.6 and 1.2:1, respectively. Majority of the urban (60.6%) and rural (57.6%) school teachers were National Certificate of Education holders. Thirty‑eight (28.8%) of urban respondents versus eight (6.1%) of rural respondents thought seizure disorder was caused by evil spirits whereas 60 (45.5%) urban respondents compared to 80 (60.6%) of rural respondents felt seizure disorder was infectious. Majority of the respondents from both urban and rural schools (68.2% and 63.6% respectively) believed that the foam from the mouth of a convulsing child with seizure disorder is the infecting agent. However, 62.1% of urban respondents as well as 45.5% of rural respondents would advise that children with seizure disorder be admitted into special schools. There was no significant difference in the mean overall knowledge and attitudes of school teachers to seizure disorder in the two settings (P = 0.33 for knowledge and 0.28 for attitudes). Teachers’ high level of education however, had a positive influence on their knowledge and attitudes towards children with seizure disorder.Conclusion: School teachers in both urban and rural schools exhibited poor knowledge and negative attitudes towards children with seizure disorder. Residing in the urban setting did not have a positive impact on teachers’ perception of seizure disorder. Massive health education on seizure disorder is therefore advocated for teachers in both urban and rural schools.Key words: Attitude, knowledge, perception school teacher

Molecular Detection and Characterization of Goat Isolate of Taenia hydatigena in Turkey

The aim of this study was to provide molecular detection and characterization of the goat isolate of Taenia hydatigena from Ankara province of Turkey. For this purpose, PCR amplification of small subunit ribosomal RNA (rrnS) and partial sequencing of mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase subunit 1 (mt-CO1) genes were performed in a one-month-old dead goat. According to rrnS-PCR results, parasites were identified as Taenia spp., and partial sequence of mt-CO1 gene was corresponding to T. hydatigena. At the end of the study, we concluded that molecular tools can be used to define species of parasites in cases where the key morphologic features cannot be detected. Nucleotide sequence data of Turkish goat isolate of T. hydatigena was submitted to GenBank for other researchers interested in this subject. By this study, molecular detection and characterization of T. hydatigena was done for the first time in Turkey

Land Degradation: A Threat to Food Security: A Global Assessment

Ever since mankind started agriculture, land degradation has been a single largest threat to soil productivity and has remained so till date. This has been a major global issue during the 20th century and will remain high on the international agenda in the 21st century. The study is basically the assessment of the impact of land degradation on soil loss through productivity loss and hence it effect on global food security. A major problem confronting many countries today is the inadequacy of food supply in the face of rapidly growing population. In many countries, the task of producing enough food for the teeming population has received considerable policy attention. Nevertheless, the growth rate of food production is still far below the population growth rate. This is brought about by land degradation. Experts in the field of economics, geography, soil science and agricultural development, as well as environmental management have a duty to draw the attention of policy makers to soil degradation problem and work with them to set priorities for public investment in land degradation problems. A policy framework to mitigate land degradation problems can be tackled at the national, regional and international levels, and also by the land users (the farmers) themselves and by Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs). Keywords: Land degradation, food security,  global threa

Intrauterine adhesions in the University of Uyo Teaching Hospital, Uyo, South‑South, Nigeria: A ten year review

Background: Asherman’s syndrome is a clinical entity that can cause menstrual abnormalities and infertility.Objectives: This study was done to determine the risk factors, and management outcome of intrauterine adhesions in our hospital. Subjects and Methods: We carried out a retrospective study of the patients who were treated for intrauterine adhesions at the University of Uyo   Teaching Hospital over a 10 years period‑from January 1st 2006 to   December 2016. Results: During the study period, a total of 1977 gynecological surgeries were performed of which 83 were for intrauterine adhesions, giving a rate of 4.2%. However, only 52 folders were retrieved, giving a retrieval rate of 62.5%. Analyses, using ratios and percentages, was based on these. Most patients belonged to the 30‑34 age group (28.9%) followed by the 20‑24 age group (25.0%). The majority of the patients were nulliparous (58.9%), married (65.4%) and had a tertiary education (50.0%). Dilatation and curettage for induced abortion (42.3%), open myomectomy (26.9%), and caesarean section (19.2%) were the common risk factors. Amenorrhoea (65.4%), and hypomenorrhoea (30.8%) were the commonest modes of presentation. All the patients were managed by blind adhesiolysis, done overwhelmingly by the resident doctors, under anaesthesia with a significant percentage (65.3%) showing that there is no change in menstrual condition. Conclusion: Ashermans syndrome is a relatively common condition, and it is necessary to train doctors in the use of, and acquire, a hysteroscope, for the proper management of this condition. Meanwhile, more senior  personnel should be involved in the blind adhesiolysis, and Foley catheter that appears superior as a uterine splint to the intrauterine contraceptive device.Key words: Adhesiolysis, intrauterine adhesions; Uyo

Seminal Fluid Indices Of Male Partners Of Infertile Couples In Uyo, Nigeria

This retrospective study analyzes the seminal fluid indices of 633 male partners of infertile couples at the University of Uyo Teaching Hospital over a four year period. All the laboratory records on seminal fluid analysis between 1st January 2003 and 31st December 2006 were reviewed. The seminal fluid characteristics of the patients were determined and the abnormalities classified according to the World health organisation guidelines. Five hundred (79.0%) of the men had abnormal seminal fluid parameters. About 56.0% of the subjects were asthenozoospermic, 38.9% were oligozoospermic, 2.8% had teratozoospermia while 7.0% had azoospermia. The significant contribution of the male factor to infertility in our environment is highlighted. The need for the encouragement of male partners of infertile couples to avail themselves for proper infertility evaluation and the advantages of early detection and treatment of sexually transmitted infections in men is stressed. KEY WORDS: Male infertility, seminal fluid indices, Uy

Walking track analysis: an assessment method for functional recovery after sciatic nerve injury in the rat

Walking track analysis was first described by de Medinaceli et al. This technique has been significantly modified to provide methods of indexing nerve function that are more valid. Moreover, it has been questioned by several authors. The aim of the present review is to offer a combined knowledge about walking track analysis for scientists who deal with neuroscience

Childhood cancers in a referral hospital in south-south Nigeria: a review of the spectrum and outcome of treatment

Introduction: Childhood malignancies are now recognized as a growing global challenge, especially in resource poor settings. Although they constitute a smaller percentage of childhood illnesses in developing countries, compared with infectious diseases, the burden of cancer is still a tremendous problem on patients, families, the healthcare system, and the society. Data on the burden of childhood cancers across different regions is important, as there may be variations in incidences in different locations even within the same country. It will assist government agencies in better healthcare planning. Methods: An eight year retrospective analysis of all cancers diagnosed in children below the age of 18 years at the study centre between January 2007 and December 2014 was carried out. Case folders of all children diagnosed with malignancies within the study period were retrieved and analyzed with respect to age, gender, morphological or histological type of cancer, treatment modality, and outcome. Results: Eighty-four (84) children were diagnosed with various malignancies during the study period. Fourty-eight 48 (57.1%) were male and 36 (42.9%) were female giving a male to female ratio of 1.3:1. There were 27 cases (32.1%) of cancers recorded in children aged below 5 years and 35 cases (41.7%) were diagnosed in children between 5 to 10 years. Lymphomas were the most prevalent malignancies encountered accounting for 32 cases (38.1%). Burkitt's lymphoma constituted 22 (68.8%) of all lymphoma cases. The distribution of the four foremost malignancies recorded were as follows: Burkitt's lymphoma (22 cases; 26.2%), Nephroblastoma (12 cases; 14.3%), Rhabdomyosarcoma (6 cases; 7.1%) and 5 cases (6.0%) each Hodgkin's and non-hodgkin's lymphoma. Other malignancies included 4 cases (4.8%) each of acute leukaemia, neuroblastoma and retinoblastoma. There were three cases (3.6%) each of hepatoblastoma, and osteosarcoma among others. The cancer cure rate was very low 2.4%, losses to follow-up was 38.1% and 21.4% of patients died in the course of therapy either from advanced disease, complications of chemotherapy or late presentation. Conclusion: The distribution of the childhood malignancies in our environment shows similarity with reports from the same region and variation from other regions. The general outcome is very poor with a high percentage of discharge against medical advice and loss to follow up.Pan African Medical Journal 2015; 2

Timing and reasons for antenatal care booking among women in a tertiary health care center in Southern Nigeria

Background: Antenatal care is one of the four pillars of safe motherhood and its benefits in preventing adverse feto-maternal outcome is proven. Commencement of antenatal care early has been shown to be key for this benefit to be fully realized. The aim of this study was to determine the antenatal booking pattern of pregnant women and its determinants in our environment.Methods: A cross sectional study of women attending the booking clinic in the University of Uyo Teaching Hospital, Akwa Ibom State, Southern Nigeria over a three-month period.Results: The mean age of the respondents was 28.5 years. The mean gestational age at booking was 18.3 weeks. The majority of the patients were married (94.1%). 68.1% had a post-secondary education. 33.5% of patients were nultiparous, while 3.5% were grand multiparous. The majority of patients (72.4%) booked late for antenatal care. Age group, marital status, mode of delivery was not significantly associated with timing of booking. High levels of patient’s education, high levels of husband’s education as well as grand multiparity were significantly associated with late booking (P<0.05). Majority (65.4%) of patients claimed that it was safe to book at any time during pregnancy.Conclusions: The majority of women booked late for antenatal care. In our study, we have found that general and health education, subsidisation of cost for antenatal care and introduction of focused antenatal care will help to reverse this trend