Nurses’ attitudes towards hospitalized older adults in a tertiary care setting in Ghana

Introduction: The increasing population of older adults and rapid increases in co- morbidities globally has necessitated the need for a healthcare delivery system that meets the multifaceted needs of the growing population of older adults. Concurrent with these rising complex health needs is the importance of positive, non-judgmental attitudes of health services providers towards older adults. Moreover, this is particu-larly important in the nursing profession, given nurses\u27 significant and crucial roles in healthcare settings. Aim: The study aimed to evaluate nurses’ attitudes towards older adults in a tertiary hospital in Ghana. Design: It employed a descriptive cross-sectional quantitative design. Method: Data were collected from 160 registered adult medical and surgical ward nurses using the Ageism Attitude Scale (AAS). Results: Findings indicated that more than half of the participants had a diploma in gen-eral nursing. None of the nurses surveyed specialized in the care of older adults, and the mean age of participants was 30.14 (3.75) (minimum 24 and maximum 42 years). Female nurses had more positive attitudes than their male counterparts. Although the surveyed nurses reported a somewhat positive attitude towards older adults, there was no correlation between nurses\u27 education levels and positive attitudes

Impact of some savanna trees on soil quality on smallholder farms in a part of Kano, Nigeria

Soil nutrient decline has become a major issue of concern to researchers in the semi-arid region of Nigeria. This condition is further exacerbated by worsening climate and declining environmental quality, amplified by huge population pressure on limited resources. This research investigates the impact of some key savanna tree species on soil quality on smallholder farms in a part of Kano, Nigeria. The results indicate that many indigenous tree species are deliberately left on these smallholder farms in a practice that may be referred to as agroforestry. Inventory of these trees indicates that Vitellaria paradoxa at 25%, Parkia biglobosa at 20%, and Anogeissus leiocarpus at 12%, and Faidherbia albida at 8% are the dominant tree species on smallholder farms in the study area. Laboratory analysis of soil quality at different distances - 2m, 6m and beyond 6m – around the inventoried trees on smallholder farms in the area indicated statistically significant differences in available soil minerals, at 0.02. Eighty-three percent of the farmers corroborated that crops close to trees perform better, in a social survey conducted on some 400 smallholder farmers in the study area. The study recommends: (1) deliberate promotion and regeneration of tree species, most especially leguminous, on smallholder farms; (2) more researches to determine and establish the specific distance(s) at which soil mineral elements are profoundly influenced by trees, and quantifying the actual soil mineral elements that may be made available by each of the different tree species.Keywords: Agroforestry; Indigenous; Savanna; Smallholde

N2 Fixation by Grain Legume Varieties as Affected By Rhizobia Inoculation in The Sandy Loam Soil Of Sudano-Sahelian Zone of North Eastern Nigeria.

Rhizobium – legume symbiotic association contributes considerable amount of N in tropical soils. However, low rainfall and high temperature in Sudano-Sahelian region of Northeastern Nigeria may affect the Rhizobial population in the soil. Therefore, the influence of Rhizobia inoculation on N2 fixation by cowpea (Vigna unguiculata (L.) Walp.), groundnut (Arachis hypogaea L.) and bambara groundnut (Vigna subterranean L.Verdc.) was evaluated under field condition in Maiduguri. The seeds of the crops were inoculated with their Rhizobium strains and grown for 50 days, after which they were harvested and the amount of N fixed was measured. The results showed that rhizobia inoculation increased the amount of N fixed by 46% over the control. Cowpea differed significantly (

GC-MS ANALYSIS OF VIBURNUM OPULUS (L) EXTRACT AND ITS TOXICITY STUDIES IN RATS

This study was aimed at establishing the antimicrobial and phytochemical profiles of Viburnum opulus (L) as well as the safety potential of the extract in albino Wistar rats. Ethanol, n-hexane, ethyl acetate, butanol and water fractions were prepared for both phytochemical assessment using gas chromatography-mass spectrum analysis (GC-MS)1. Five groups of seven rats were used for the study. Group A received distilled water (control), while groups B to E were treated respectively with 250, 500, 1000 and 1500 mg/kg body weight of V. opulus extract by abdominal canulisation for 28 days2. Blood samples were obtained for biochemical analyses and the liver tissues were further processed for histological studies. The GC-MS spectra revealed the existence of various phytoconstituents such as neophytadiene, germaciene, caryophyllene among others. High density lipoprotein and albumin were significantly (p < 0.05) elevated in animals administered with 500, 1000 and 1500 mg/kg bw of the leaf extract. Ethanol, butanol and water fractions of the leaf of V. opulus showed antimicrobial action against most of the organisms used in this study. The result indicates the V. opulus leaf extract contains a wild range of fatty acids and heterocyclic compounds with antimicrobial efficacy and no hepatic damage

Work-Induced Stress and Its Influence on Organizational Effectiveness and Productivity among Nigerian Workers

The study examined work induced stress and its relationship to Organizational Effectiveness and Productivity amongst Nigerian Employees. Employees of Nigerian Television Authority and Nigerian Immigration Services were sampled in this study to observe how workplace has interfered with their inputs and organizational productivity. In collecting the needed quantitative data, a structured and a standardized questionnaire was used to collect the needed data and to measure the variables in question with result indicating a strong relationship between work stress, work effectiveness and work productivity. The study concluded by saying that the concept of work-induced stress, and workers effectiveness and productivity are relatively inseparable; and challenged the various organizations in Nigeria to employ the services of Organizational and Clinical Psychologists to help in providing stress coping skills, coaching and counselling to employees as it will help to boost efficiency and high productivity in various organization in Nigeria.Key words: Work-induced stress, Organizational effectiveness, Productivit

Contamination of herbal medicinal products marketed in Kaduna Metropolis with selected pathogenic bacteria.

The study aimed to evaluate the bacterial contamination of powdered herbal medicinal preparations sourced from identified herbal retail outlets in different parts of Kaduna metropolis. The assessments of the contamination of the herbal products were carried out using standard procedures: total aerobic bacterial plate count, measurement of some physical parameters, isolation and characterization of selected bacterial pathogens etc. The results showed that out of a total of 150, 70 (46.67%) herbal remedies were contaminated with Salmonella typhi, twenty nine (19.33%) with Shigella spp. Eighty eight (58.67%) and 98 (65.33%) were contaminated with Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus, respectively. The total aerobic plate count results showed that the highest average count of > 5×107cfu/g was found in 89 (59.33%) of the preparations, while average plate count of ≤5×107cfu/g was found in 42 (28%) and no bacterial count was obtained in 19 (12.67%) of the preparations. Correlation was positive (P = 0.01; r = +0.109) between the physical parameters tested and the bacterial load. Antibacterial activities result of some common antibiotics showed that all the antibiotics had activities on the test bacterial isolates at various minimum inhibitory concentrations. Most traditionally prepared herbal medications in Kaduna state are likely to be contaminated with a wide variety of potentially pathogenic bacteria. The quality assurance of these products should be thoroughly enforced and monitored in the production and distribution of herbal preparations.Key words: Herbal preparations, Kaduna metropolis, bacterial contamination, antibacterial assessment

Protective Properties of Citrullus lanatus on Carbon Tetrachloride Induced Liver Damage in Rats

Aim: This study was conducted to investigate the effects of the leaf extract of Citrullus lanatus on carbon tetrachloride (CCl4) induced liver damage in rats. Methodology: Hepatoprotective study was conducted using five groups (A-E) of six male rats per group. Groups A and B served as the control groups and were respectively administered with distilled water and CCl4 in olive oil while groups C, D and E were administered respectively with 500, 1,000 and 1,500mg/kg body weight of the ethanolic leaf extract of C. lanatus for 7 days. Animals were subsequently anaesthetized, blood samples were collected for alanine amino transferase (ALT), aspartate amino transferase (AST), alkaline phosphatase (ALP), total bilirubin, total protein and albumin assays; liver organ was isolated and processed for biochemical and histopathological studies. Results: There were significant increases (P=0.05) in the serum levels of ALT and AST both in the plasma and liver homogenate in the group treated with CCl4 as compared to negative control group; while in the extract treated group, there was a decrease in the levels of the aminotransferases. Histopathological studies showed severe portal congestion and necrosis of hepatocytes in the group treated with CCl4 while the groups administered with the extract treated group showed a moderate venous congestion with absence of necrosis. Conclusion: These results highlight the ability of the leaf extract of C. lanatus to ameliorate damage in the liver of albino rat

Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry Analysis of Viburnum Opulus (L) Extract and its Toxicity Studies in Rats

Objectives: This study was aimed at establishing the antimicrobial and phytochemical profiles of Viburnum opulus (L) as well as the safety potential of the extract in albino Wistar rats. Methods: Ethanol, n-hexane, ethyl acetate, butanol, and water fractions were prepared for both phytochemical assessments using gas chromatography- mass spectrometry analysis (GC-MS). Five groups of seven rats were used for the study. Group A received distilled water (control), while Groups B to E were treated, respectively, with 250, 500, 1000, and 1500 mg/kg body weight of V. opulus extract by abdominal canalization for 28 days. Blood samples were obtained for biochemical analyses, and the liver tissues were further processed for histological studies. Results: The GC-MS spectra revealed the existence of various phytoconstituents such as neophytadiene, germaciene, and caryophyllene among others. High-density lipoprotein and albumin were significantly (p<0.05) elevated in animals administered with 500, 1000, and 1500 mg/kg bw of the leaf extract. Ethanol, butanol, and water fractions of the leaf of V. opulus showed antimicrobial action against most of the organisms used in this study. Conclusion: The result indicate

GAS CHROMATOGRAPHY-MASS SPECTROMETRY ANALYSIS OF VIBURNUM OPULUS (L) EXTRACT AND ITS TOXICITY STUDIES IN RATS

Objectives: This study was aimed at establishing the antimicrobial and phytochemical profiles of Viburnum opulus (L) as well as the safety potential of the extract in albino Wistar rats. Methods: Ethanol, n-hexane, ethyl acetate, butanol, and water fractions were prepared for both phytochemical assessments using gas chromatographymass spectrometry analysis (GC-MS). Five groups of seven rats were used for the study. Group A received distilled water (control), while Groups B to E were treated, respectively, with 250, 500, 1000, and 1500 mg/kg body weight of V. opulus extract by abdominal canalization for 28 days. Blood samples were obtained for biochemical analyses, and the liver tissues were further processed for histological studies. Results: The GC-MS spectra revealed the existence of various phytoconstituents such as neophytadiene, germaciene, and caryophyllene among others. High-density lipoprotein and albumin were significantly (p<0.05) elevated in animals administered with 500, 1000, and 1500 mg/kg bw of the leaf extract. Ethanol, butanol, and water fractions of the leaf of V. opulus showed antimicrobial action against most of the organisms used in this study. Conclusion: The result indicates that V. opulus leaf extract contains a wild range of fatty acids and heterocyclic compounds with antimicrobial efficacy and showing no hepatic damage

Pro-inflammatory and toxicological evaluation of Hepacare in mice

Objectives: Hepacare! is a widely marketed herbal formulation in Nigeria for treating chronic liver ailments. This study evaluated the safety, as well as pro- inflammatory and genotoxicity effects, of Hepacare! in mice. Methods: The effect of the formulation was estimated in a 28-day study where 25 mice were divided into five groups, and Hepacare! was orally administered at 250, 500, 750 and 2500 mg/kg body weight. The biochemical and haematological parameters were determined, organ weights were estimated and histopathology was also conducted. mRNA expression of the pro-inflammatory cytokines, TNF-a and IL-6 was estimated by RT-PCR in acute toxicity experiments. Results: The LD50 was calculated at 3807.89 mg/kg body weight in mice. There was a significant increase (p < 0.05) in the ALP activity in the 750 mg/kg treated group, while the 2500 mg/kg group exhibited significant increases in their AST, ALT, ALP, total bilirubin and total protein levels compared with the control group. However, there was a significant dose related increase in monocyte