Design and Implementation of a Secured Census Information Management System

Census in most countries has been faced with various natural and human made barriers. Thus, the aim of this research is to develop a systematic, coordinated, and responsive database which will adequately interact with a web application by harnessing the strengths of computational science and biometrics. The programming language employed in the development of this web-based application was the C#.NET programming language. Microsoft Visual Studio was used as an integrated environment for the development of this tool. Microsoft SQL Server (2005) served as a relational database management application for handling the data used in this research. From the results obtained from this research work, it had shown that with design and implementation of a secured system information countries can make informed decisions for effective policy, planning and management of their ever-increasing populace and economy

THE EFFECT OF CONTRACEPTIVES ON VITAMIN C METABOLISM: SPECIAL REFERENCE ON 19 -NORTESTERONE GROUP (COMBINED ESTROGEN AND PROGESTERONE TABLETS) ON ASCORBATE METABOLISM

Millions of women throughout the world take oral contraceptives as a convenient method for extending intra-conceptual period, preventing unwanted pregnancies or delaying the starting of family. These contraceptive tablets, if taken regularly, offer nearly 100% protection against pregnancies and hence substantially contribute to the health and social well-being of the individual. Reports has shown that there is an interaction between the steroidal contraceptives and vitamins and thus an increased demand for healthy vitamin metabolism (1,2,2,4). It is also believed that oral contraceptives act by interfering with the normal menstrual cycle, hence normal menstrual cycles are reviewed with particular reference to ascorbate metabolism. Morese, since the ascorbate nutriture of Nigerian adults has been shown to be poo

Relevance of Computer Assisted Instruction (CAI) for Effective Skill Development among Technology Education Students in Nigeria

The main purpose of the study reported is to show how computer assisted instruction (CAI) has significantly impacted on all aspects of our live particularly on education, it has radically influenced the way knowledge and information are generated, developed and transmitted in technology education. Every technology teacher must be acquainted with how to apply CAI in teaching technology education programme since teachers have a vital role in trainees skill development. Therefore, this study was designed to determine relevance of computer assisted instruction for effective skill development among technology education students in Nigeria. A descriptive survey research design was adopted. The study was guided by two research questions and two hypotheses, tested at 0.05% level of significance. The respondents for the study comprised of 310 technology vocational teachers.  Mean and standard deviation were used to analyse the research questions, while t-test statistics was employed to test the hypotheses. The findings of the study among others revealed that technology vocational teachers should be skilful in using CAI in the production  of  teaching materials that can be used in developing appropriate skills, incorporate the  use of media and technology for teaching where appropriate and technology vocational teachers teaching and managing courses through web-based system. It was recommended that Federal government should ensure that her policy statement regarding the provision of necessary infrastructure and training for use of computer in the school system is effectively implemented and making it mandatory for technology vocational teachers  in developing computer skills needed in classroom environment. This could be achieved through adequate financial provision for tools and resources. Key words: Computer assisted instruction, Technology education, Technical vocational teachers, and Skill development

CALCIUM NUTRITURE OF NIGERIAN ELDERLY IN IBADAN SOUTH EAST LOCAL GOVERNMENT

Calcium is an important mineral in human health, adequate intake is associated with higher bone mineral density, reduced risks of osteoporosis, fractures and falls among the elderly. This study assessed the adequacy of calcium intake and relationship with incidences of bone aches and fractures. 150 elderly people from 100 households selected by cluster sampling technique in Ibadan South East Local Government constituted the study population. Dietary assessment was conducted using 24-hour dietary recall and analysed for calcium intake. Consumption pattern was assessed using food frequency questionnaire, blood pressure was taken using aneroid sphygmomanometer, lifestyles and sociodemographic characteristics were obtained using a semi-structured questionnaire. The mean calcium intake was 1569.8±1209.8mg disaggregated as 1782.4±1353.4mg in males and 1432.0±1092.6mg in females. 39.3% disaggregated as 44.1% in males and 36.3% in females, met the recommended intakes of 1500mg/day. Roots and tubers were the most consumed food, followed by vegetables and then cereals and grains. Milk and dairy as well as fish and meat products were the least consumed foods. 47.3% rarely consumed milk and dairy products and 42.7% rarely consumed fish and meat products throughout the week. 56.7% had normal diastolic blood pressure and 64.7% had normal systolic pressure. 65.3% reported having pains and bone aches, sites of pain were back (44.7%), knee and ankle (9.3%), hip joint (6.7%), and wrist (4.7%). There were no significant differences (p>0.05) in the calcium intake by age, systolic blood pressure and incidence of bone pains and aches. However, income and the diastolic blood pressure showed significant relationship (p>0.05) with calcium intake. The results show that many elderly Nigerians have inadequate calcium intake, however, calcium intake does not affect incidence of pains and aches. There is a need to promote increased consumption of calcium rich foods

Nutrient Intakes and Nutritional Status of Mothers and their Under-Five Children in a Rural Community of Oyo State, Nigeria

Malnutrition in sub-Saharan Africa contributes to high rates of childhood morbidity and mortality which make it a public health concern in Africa. This study assessed the nutrient intakes and nutritional status of mothers and their under-five children in a rural community of Oyo State, Nigeria. A total of 500 households with a mother and child pair were sampled using a multi-stage sampling procedure. Information on household socio-economic status, hygiene practices, breastfeeding practices and clinical observation for signs of malnutrition were collected using pre-tested semi-structured questionnaires by trained interviewers. Weight for age (WAZ), weight for height (WHZ), and height for age (HAZ) for underweight, wasting and stunting, respectively were calculated and assessed by Epi Info software using the NCHS/WHO international reference values. BMI (weight/height2) of mothers were also constructed from the measurements of mothers’ weights and heights. The waist/hip ratio of mothers was also determined. An interactive 24 h recall repeated for three days was used to obtain data on food and nutrient intakes of the women. Information on foods consumed was converted into quantitative data of nutrients using Food Composition Table. The result showed a high proportion (81%) of mothers ate three times daily while 14% ate twice and 5% ate more than thrice daily. The mean daily intakes of calcium, vitamins A, B6, B12, niacin, and folate were found to be inadequate compared with the Recommended Intakes. The WHR of the mothers indicated that majority had low risk. Most of the mothers (69.2%) were normal, underweight 9.6%, overweight 15.8% and obese 5.4%. About 37% of the children were stunted, 18% were underweight and 14.3% were wasted. BMI correlated negatively with age (r = -0.41; p <0.05), and positively with education (r = 0.22; p<0.05) and income (r = 0.45; p <0.05). Clinical observation revealed PEM prevalence in 12% children while eyes pallor and palm pallor were present in 15% and 20% respectively. The nutritional status of mothers and their under-five children is poor with respect to the overall food consumption and micronutrient intake. Consequently, nutrition programmes in this area should include effective measures to promote nutritional status of mothers and children

Oxidative defense mechanisms of proline on growth, nutritional compositions and antioxidant activities in water-stressed Solanum aethiopicum L.

The growth performance of vegetables is influenced by water availability. This study explored the use of proline as an osmoregulator on growth, nutritional compositions and oxidative enzyme activities in water-stressed Solanum aethiopicum. Seedlings of the vegetable were subjected to 20, 40, 60, 80 and 100% proline against droughted and well-watered. Morphological and physiological characters, nutritional compositions and oxidative activities were determined in the vegetable. Plant height (20.37 cm), number of leaves (35.75 cm), Leaf area (347.55 m2), specific leaf area (72.02 m2 g-1), leaf area index (0.71 m2 m-2) relative growth rate (0.21 mg g-1 day-1), net assimilation rate (0.058 mg g-1 day-1) and leaf area ratio (0.19 m2 g-1) were higher in S. aethiopicum seedlings sprayed with 100% proline. Crude fat (0.11%), ash (1.57%), crude fibre (1.49%), crude protein (2.44%) and carbohydrate (3.50%) were higher in the leaves of the vegetable sprayed with 100% proline. Higher vitamin A (84.21 mg/100 g), vitamin B3 (0.56 mg/100 g) and vitamin C (10.97 mg/100 g) were observed in the leaves of the vegetable under 100% proline. Furthermore, sodium (8.93 mg/100 g), potassium (402.20 mg/100 g), calcium (121.55 mg/100 g) and magnesium (58.80 mg/100 g) were recorded in the leaves of well-watered. Higher SOD (0.88 mg g-1), APX (0.95 mg g-1), CAT (0.98 mg g-1), GR (0.96 ug g-1) and GST (14.52 mg g-1) were observed in the roots of S. aethiopicum droughted. Although all the proline levels sustained growth components, nutritional compositions and oxidative enzymes of S. aethiopicum under water stress, however, 100% proline produced better ameliorative effects

Nutritional anaemia and malaria in children.

Background: The most common cause of anemia is a deficiency of iron; but it may also be caused by deficiencies of folates, vitamin B12 and protein. Some anemias are not caused by nutritional factors, but by congenital factors and parasitic diseases such as malaria. This study attempted to estimate the prevalence of anemia among pre-school and school- aged children in two rural areas of Odogbolu Local government area, and to determine whether its cause was nutritional or could be attributed to malaria. Methods: A total of 177 children between the ages of 2 and 11 years were included in the study. Children were examined for malaria parasites by microscopy. The World Health Organization (WHO) age-adjusted cut-off for hemoglobin and hematocrit were used to classify anemia. An enzyme linked immunosorbent assay for serum ferritin was compared with standard methods of determining iron deficiency. Under- nutrition (stunting, wasting and underweight) was classified according to the National Centre for Health Statistics standards. Values below  - 2SD were defined as mild-moderate under-nutrition, and those below  -3SD as severe malnutrition. Results: Most of the children were anemic, 87.1%, having PCV values below the 32% cut-off and 95% with hemoglobin levels lower than the 11g/dl, although parasite prevalence and density were low. Malnutrition was patent; 36% of the children were stunted, 18.3% wasted and 44.2% underweight. Serum ferritin was more sensitive than PCV in detecting anemic children. Although anemia was higher in boys and preschoolers compared to girls and school aged children, the difference was significant only in preschoolers (P = .004). Anaemia was also significantly higher in Irawo village school than in Iloti (P = .0001) Conclusion: The anemia detected in this population may be due more to under-nutrition than to malaria. Keywords: Anaemia, nutrition, childrenAnnals of African Medicine Vol. 7 (1) 2008 pp. 11-1

HIV Seropositivity in Children with Sickle Cell Disease

Background: Blood transfusion forms an integral part of management of sickle cell disease. Blood transfusion is also established as a route of transmission of the Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV), especially in developing nations that are lacking in properly organized blood transfusion services. Methods: A retrospective study of randomly selected sickle cell anaemia patients screened for HIV antibodies in the paediatric haematology clinic of A.B.U.T.H., Zaria, Nigeria. Results: Twenty-nine (52.7%) males and 26 (47.3%) females were studied. Mean age (\ub1 1 standard deviation) was 68.5 \ub137.0 months. One (1.8%) of 55 patients was HIV-seropositive. The parents of this patient were HIV-seronegative. Twenty-five (45.5%) had positive history of blood transfusion and 22 (40.0%) had intramuscular injections outside the teaching hospital setting. Conclusion: The HIV-seropositive rate in this study is well below national estimates but highlights the continued risks of inadequate blood banking systems.Fond : La transfusion sanguine fait partie int\ue9grale du traitement de la dr\ue9panocytose. La transfusion sanguine est \ue9galement \ue9tablie comme voie de la transmission du virus d'immunod\ue9ficit humain (VIH), particuli\ue8rement dans les pays en voie de d\ue9veloppement qui manquent les services de transfusion sanguine proprement organis\ue9s. M\ue9thode : Une \ue9tude r\ue9trospective des malades dr\ue9panocytose al\ue9atoirement choisis et interview\ue9s pour des anticorps de VIH dans la clinique p\ue9diatrique de h\ue9matologie d'A.B.U.T.H., Zaria, Nig\ue9ria. R\ue9sultats : Vingt-neuf (52,7%) m\ue2les et 26 (47,3%) femelles ont \ue9t\ue9 \ue9tudi\ue9s. L'\ue2ge moyen (\ue9cart type de \ub1 1) \ue9tait de 68,5 \ub137,0 mois. Un (1,8%) de 55 malades \ue9tait VIH-s\ue9ropositif. Les parents de ces malades \ue9taient VIH-s\ue9ropositifs. Vingt-cinq (45,5%) ont eu l'histoire positive de la transfusion sanguine et 22 (40,0%) ont eu des injections intramusculaires \ue0 l'ext\ue9rieur de l'h\uf4pital d'enseignement

Nutritional Anaemia and Malaria in Pre-School and School Age Children

Background: The most common cause of anemia is a deficiency of iron; but it may also be caused by deficiencies of folates, vitamin B12 and protein. Some anemias are not caused by nutritional factors, but by congenital factors and parasitic diseases such as malaria. This study attempted to estimate the prevalence of anemia among pre-school and school- aged children in two rural areas of Odogbolu Local government area, and to determine whether its cause was nutritional or could be attributed to malaria. Methods: A total of 177 children between the ages of 2 and 11 years were included in the study. Children were examined for malaria parasites by microscopy. The World Health Organization (WHO) age-adjusted cut-off for hemoglobin and hematocrit were used to classify anemia. An enzyme linked immunosorbent assay for serum ferritin was compared with standard methods of determining iron deficiency. Under- nutrition (stunting, wasting and underweight) was classified according to the National Centre for Health Statistics standards. Values below \u3bc - 2SD were defined as mild-moderate under-nutrition, and those below \u3bc -3SD as severe malnutrition. Results: Most of the children were anemic, 87.1%, having PCV values below the 32% cut-off and 95% with hemoglobin levels lower than the 11g/dl, although parasite prevalence and density were low. Malnutrition was patent; 36% of the children were stunted, 18.3% wasted and 44.2% underweight. Serum ferritin was more sensitive than PCV in detecting anemic children. Although anemia was higher in boys and preschoolers compared to girls and school aged children, the difference was significant only in preschoolers (P\u2009=\u2009.004). Anaemia was also significantly higher in Irawo village school than in Iloti (P=.0001) Conclusion: The anemia detected in this population may be due more to under-nutrition than to malaria.Introduction: La cause la plus fr\ue9quente de l\u2019an\ue9mie est une carence en fer, mais elle peut aussi \ueatre caus\ue9e par des carence en folates, vitamine B12 et de prot\ue9ines. Certaines an\ue9mies ne sont pas caus\ue9es par des facteurs nutritionnels, mais par les facteurs cong\ue9nitales et les maladies parasitaires telles que le paludisme. Cette \ue9tude est pour but d\u2019estimer la pr\ue9valence de l\u2019an\ue9mie chez les pr\ue9scolaires et les enfants d\u2019\ue2ge scolaire dans deux zones rurales de l\u2019administration locale d\u2019Odogbolu, et de d\ue9terminer si sa cause est nutritionnel ou pouvaient \ueatre attribu\ue9s \ue0 la malaria. M\ue9thodes: Un total de 117 enfants \ue2g\ue9s entre 2 et 11 ans ont \ue9t\ue9 inclus dans l\u2019\ue9tude. Des enfants ont \ue9t\ue9 \ue9tudi\ue9s pour les parasites du paludisme par microscopie. L\u2019Organisation Mondiale de la Sant\ue9 (OMS), l\u2019\ue2ge corrig\ue9 de coupure de l\u2019h\ue9moglobine et l\u2019h\ue9matocrites ont \ue9t\ue9 utilis\ue9s pour classer l\u2019an\ue9mie. L\u2019an\ue9mie. Une enzyme ayant rapport avec immunosorben assay pour la ferritinemie a \ue9t\ue9 compar\ue9e avec les m\ue9thodes standard de la d\ue9termination de la carence en fer. La sous-alimentation (retard de croissance, \ue9maciation et l\u2019insuffisance pond\ue9rale) ont \ue9t\ue9 class\ue9es selon le standard du Centre national pour les statistiques de la sant\ue9. Les valeurs au dessous de \ub5 - 2SD ont \ue9t\ue9 d\ue9finis comme \ue9tant doux mod\ue9r\ue9, et sous-alimentation, et celles du moins de \ub5 - 3SD comme \ue9tant la malnutrition grave. R\ue9sultats: La plus part des enfants sont an\ue9miques, 87,1% ayant des valeurs PCV au dessous de 32% niveau de la limite et 95% avec des taux d\u2019h\ue9moglobine inf\ue9rieurs \ue0 la 11g/dl, bien que la pr\ue9valence du parasite et de la densit\ue9 \ue9tait faible. La malnutrition \ue9tait de brevets, 36% des enfants avaient un retard de croissance. 18,3% gaspille et 44,2% d\u2019une insuffisance pond\ue9rale. La ferritine s\ue9rique a \ue9t\ue9 plus sensible que PCV dans la d\ue9tection des enfants an\ue9miques. Bien que l\u2019an\ue9mie est plus \ue9lev\ue9 chez les gar\ue7ons et pr\ue9scolaires par rapport aux filles et aux enfants d\u2019\ue2ge scolaire, la diff\ue9rence \ue9tait significative seulement chez l\u2019\ue2ge pr\ue9scolaire (p = 0,004). An\ue9mie a \ue9galement \ue9t\ue9 sensiblement plus \ue9lev\ue9e dans l\u2019\ue9cole du village que dans Iloti (p = 0,0001). Conclusion: L\u2019an\ue9mie d\ue9tect\ue9e dans cette population est peut-\ueatre du davantage \ue0 la sous alimentation que de la malaria