Marital Disharmony: Causes and resolution strategies in Enugu State of Nigeria

This study investigated the causes of marital disharmony and resolution strategies for resolving marital disharmony among couples in Enugu State. Two research questions and one hypothesis were formulated to guide the study. Descriptive survey design was used. The sample for this study comprises 300 (150 literate and 150 non-literate) couples drawn through multi-stage random sampling from a population of 646,311 married people. Structured questionnaire was used for data collection. The research questions were analyzed using mean scores and hypothesis tested with t-test statistics. The findings revealed among others, infertility, lack of trust, sexual deprivation, early marriage, finance, communication gap, infidelity as the causes of marital disharmony. Avoiding the idle mind by engaging in hard work, use of family counsellors, listening carefully to spouse, developing a positive attitude towards disharmony, communicating feelings of love, admiration, likes and dislikes, are resolution strategies for resolving marital disharmony. However, there is no significant difference in the perception of literate and non-literate couples about the extent of the use of resolution strategies in resolving marital disharmony. Based on the findings, recommendations were made. Key words: Marital disharmony, causes, resolution strategies, literacy

Water Safety Plan and Water Policy as an Instrument for Improved Quality of Drinking Water in Anambra State, Nigeria

Reliable, safe drinking water and sanitation are the fundamental requirements for people trying to reach their greatest potential in life. Water and sanitation are some of the primary drivers of public health and critical elements in the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). A country that secures access to clean water and adequate sanitation facilities for the people irrespective of the difference in their living condition has won a huge battle against all kinds of diseases. The study empirically looks at the use of a water safety plan to know the extent to which the water is safe for drinking in Anambra State. This study is a qualitative study which the researcher adopted a descriptive approach to analyze and present data. Primary and secondary sources of data collection was used. A questionnaire was used as an instrument for data collection which involves people in the "WASH" communities while the secondary source was materials collected from health workers. The study found that the identified risks in the 2 WASH communities are: dirty fetcher, a dirty tank, dirty environment, no fence around the dug well, dirty concrete floor, cobwebs around the water tank which makes water unsafe for human consumption. The major challenges experienced by the community in providing safe water is the high cost of water treatment and inadequate finance. The study recommended that there is a need for water policy in the state and the country at large to ensure safe drinking water. Keywords: Water policy, Water safety plan, Water quality JEL: Q25, Q28, O18 DOI: 10.7176/JESD/12-4-09 Publication date: February 28th 202

The antibacterial potentials of Nauclea latifolia

Herbal medicine is readily available in diverse African vegetation with the potentials of introducing new templates into medicine worldwide. Evaluating plants from the traditional African system of medicineprovides us with clues on how these plants can be used in the treatment of diseases. In vitro effect of Nauclea latifolia extract in hot water, cold water, petroleum ether and chloroform at concentrations of200, 150, 100, 50% were tested on some pathogenic bacteria such as Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli, Salmonella typhi and Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Using agar diffusion punch holemethod, both the aqueous and alcoholic extracts of the leaves and roots showed appreciable inhibitory effect when compared to the positive control on S. aureus and P. aeruginosa while S. typhi and E. coliwere resistant to the extracts. Using serial doubling dilution, the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) was determined. The minimum bacteria concentration was determined by plating variousdilutions of the extracts without turbidity. Aqueous and alcoholic extracts of N. latifolia showed inhibitory and bactericidal activity on the test organisms. The alcoholic extracts showed larger zone ofinhibition on the test organisms. The alcohol leaf extracts showed a higher percentage of growth inhibition when compared to the positive control. The MIC ranges from 6.25 – 150 mg/ml on S. aureusand 12.5 – 150 mg/ml for P. aeruginosa. The MBC ranges from 100 – 150 mg/ml. The phytochemical analysis revealed the presence of saponin, resins, alkaloids, and carbohydrate

MICROBIAL AETIOLOGIC AGENTS ASSOCIATED WITH PNEUMONIA IN IMMUNOCOMPROMISED HOSTS

Pulmonary infections are a major cause of morbidity and mortality in the immunosuppressed patients. The aim of this study was to determine the etiologic agents and predisposing factors associated with pneumonia infections in immunocompromised patients. Cross-sectional survey of 100 immunocompromised patients due to HIV and Mycobacterium tuberculosis infections were enlisted for the study. The patients completed a structured questionnaire to abstract information on demographic features and risk factors. Sputum samples were collected from the patients with clinical suspicion of having pneumonia and the sputa examined by cultural methods. The tuberculosis patients had the highest number of isolates, 119 (70%) while those with co-infections of HIV/AIDS and tuberculosis had 41(24.1%) and those with only HIV infection were 10 (5.9%). The distribution of isolates were as follows, Staphylococcus aureus 63 (37.9%), Streptococcus pyogenes 44 (25.9%), Streptococcus pneumoniae 27 (15.9%), Candida albicans 24 (14.1%), Klebsiella pneumoniae 7 (4.1%), Proteus mirabilis 4 (2.4%) and Escherichia coli 1 (0.5%). Those with previous history of alcoholism and tobacco smoking had relatively high isolates. This study demonstrated that secondary infections are prevalent in the immunocompromised patients due to HIV/AIDS and TB or co-infection with TB/HIV-AIDS. This may lead to drug resistance, DOTS or HAART programme, thereby leading to high mortality and morbidity

Children Consuming Cassava as a Staple Food are at Risk for Inadequate Zinc, Iron, and Vitamin A Intake

Cassava contains little zinc, iron, and β-carotene, yet it is the primary staple crop of over 250 million Africans. This study used a 24-hour dietary recall to test the hypothesis that among healthy children aged 2–5 years in Nigeria and Kenya, cassava’s contribution to the childrens’ daily diets is inversely related to intakes of zinc, iron, and vitamin A. Dietary and demographic data and anthropometric measurements were collected from 449 Kenyan and 793 Nigerian children. Among Kenyan children 89% derived at least 25% of their dietary energy from cassava, while among the Nigerian children 31% derived at least 25% of energy from cassava. Spearman’s correlation coefficient between the fraction of dietary energy obtained from cassava and vitamin A intake was r = −0.15, P < 0.0001, zinc intake was r = −0.11, P < 0.0001 and iron intake was r = −0.36, P < 0.0001. In Kenya, 59% of children consumed adequate vitamin A, 22% iron, and 31% zinc. In Nigeria, 17% of children had adequate intake of vitamin A, 57% iron, and 41% zinc. Consumption of cassava is a risk factor for inadequate vitamin A, zinc and/or iron intake

Pattern and Outcome of Cases Seen at the Adult Accident and Emergency Department of the Lagos University Teaching Hospital, Idi-Araba, Lagos

Background: The accident and emergency department constitutes one of the vital entry points of patients into the healthcare facility of the hospital the world over. It responds to and manages variety of cases in all the clinical areas and thus provides an insight to the quality of care available in the health institution.Objective: The aim of this study is to determine the pattern of cases seen as well as the causes of deaths at the adult accident and emergency department of the Lagos University Teaching Hospital, Idi-Araba, Lagos.Methods: Retrospective review of records of all patients attended to at the adult accident and emergency department of the Lagos University Teaching Hospital in 2009 and 2010 was carried out. Data spread sheet was used to collect data on demographic indices, diagnosis, outcome, date admitted, date discharged and amount paid from casualty attendance register and Nurses' report books. Data was collated and analysed using Epi-Info version 3.4.1 statistical software package.Results: Out of the 5,427 available patients' records reviewed, 4,761(87.7%) were recorded as “discharged alive”, 546(10.1%) were recorded as “died”, while 120(2.2%) were recorded as “brought in dead”. Of those discharged alive, male attendance was 2,376 (49.10%) while that of the female was 2,385 (50.10%). Majority of these patients were aged 20-39 years and the mean age of the patients was 39.96 ± 18.22 yrs. Majority of cases seen were medical in origin (53.7%) and highest medical case seen was cerebrovascular accident, Commonest cause of death was from medical cases[69.2%] (cerebrovascular accident 22.0%). Male mortality was 55.3% while female mortality was 44.7% , mean age was 46.86 ± 17.61.Most affected age group was 40 – 59 years (35.4%) and highest number of death was seen in December.Conclusion: The commonest case seen as well as commonest cause of death was cerebrovascular accident. A high number of heart failure, head injuries, road traffic accidents, upper gastrointestinal bleeding and post partum haemorrhage were also seen as common causes of death.The emergency physician must be well trained in skills required for the immediate management of patients with these cases.Keywords: Accident, emergency, cases, deaths, cerebrovascular