Conservation needs of fisheries resources and reorientation for sustainable captive and culture practices

A discussion is presented on the importance of conservation of fishery resources, considering in particular the situation in Nigeria and providing also an outline of various legislations made by government. Suggestions are given regarding the following: education on the importance of conservation; fish farming or aquaculture; restocking or rejuvenation of depleted water bodies; stock assessment; monitoring and surveillance; provision of fishing inputs; and, extension research linkag

Fish sorting assessments of Clarias gariepinus fingerlings raised in fish tanks

Fish sorting assessments of Clarias gariepinus fingerlings stocked and raised in fish tanks were undertaken for a 6-month culture period: Sorting was undertaken from the first, second, and third months of stocking the fish fingerlings while the control was not sorted at all. The sorting assessments revealed that the twice sorting of fish fingerlings stocked with a Marginal Rate of Return (MRR) of 3.44 was significantly different (p>0.05) from those sorted once with MRR of 0.912, and three times with MRR of 2.65 respectively, thus making twice sorting most advisable for fish farmers utilizing Clarias gariepinus fingerlings for tank aquacultur

Antimicrobial activity and stability of Andrographis paniculata cream containing shea butter

Background: Creams are semi-solid topical products which are intended to be applied to the skin or mucous membrane. Herbal medicated creams are used for various therapeutic purposes. The antimicrobial properties of Andrographis paniculata leaves have been studied by various researchers.Objectives: The objective of this study is to formulate and evaluate the effect of shea butter (unrefined and refined) on the antimicrobial activity of Andrographis paniculata cream and also to investigate the physical stability of the cream under different storage temperature.Methods: Different cream formulations containing 5, 10 and 20% Andrographis paniculata extract and shea butter were produced, physical properties of the cream were evaluated and susceptibility of the cream to Staphylococcus aureus, Pseudomonas aureginosa, Escherichia coli, Aspergillus niger and Candida albicans was determined from zones of inhibition produced on an agar plate. Physical stability was done by subjecting the creams to different storage temperatures.Results: All the cream formulations were homogenous in appearance, soft, smooth, non-greasy and were oil-in-water type emulsion. Viscosity of the creams increased with incorporation of shea butter. The incorporation of shea butter in formulations containing aqueous or methanolic extracts enhanced the antimicrobial activity of the formulations. There was no significant difference between the antimicrobial activities of both extract against all the test organism except for Aspergillus niger in which methanolic extract showed a higher activity which was significantly different (p<0.05). The physical stability of the cream formulations was maintained within 30 days, no changes in colour, texture, and homogeneity.Conclusion: Inclusion of shea butter synergized the antimicrobial activity of Andrographis paniculata cream.Keywords: Cream, shea butter, Andrographis paniculata, aqueous extract, methanolic extrac

Assessment of male involvement in emergency contraception in the University of Benin, Benin City, Edo State

Background: Emergency contraception (EC) refers to the use of drugs or a device as an emergency measure to prevent pregnancy. Lack of awareness and appropriate use of emergency contraception after unprotected sexual intercourse can lead to unwanted pregnancies and unsafe abortions. Male involvement in contraceptive practices could help reduce these sequelae. This study assessed the knowledge, attitude and practice of emergency contraception and extent of partners’ communication with each other on pregnancy prevention among male students in the University of Benin, Benin City.Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional study was carried out on 400 male students of the University of Benin selected by multistage sampling technique. Data was obtained with pretested interviewer administered questionnaire. Data was analyzed with SPSS version 20 and statistical significance was determined using Chi square and Fishers exact with p value set at < 0.05.Results: Three hundred and thirty-four (95.4%) of the respondents, had incorrect knowledge of Emergency Contraception (EC) while 293 (83.7%) respondents had a good attitude toward EC. One hundred and seventy-five (80.3%) of the respondents’ partners have used emergency contraception and only 93 (43.1%) respondents discussed pregnancy prevention with their partners.Conclusion: The knowledge of emergency contraception among respondents was poor. However, most respondents had positive attitude towards its use and majority of their partners had used EC. Therefore, health education program on pregnancy prevention methods is recommended to improve respondents’ knowledge.Keywords: Emergency contraception, Male involvement, Knowledge, Attitude, Pregnancy prevention

Prevalence of helicobacter pylori in diabetes patients and health workers at a tertiary hospital in south west Nigeria

Objective: Helicobacter Pylori (H.P) is a common bacterial infection that has been associated with diabetes mellitus (DM). The aim of the study was to determine the prevalence of Helicobacter pylori infection in patients with DM and the association with anthropometry, duration of DM and medication.Method: A cross sectional study involving consecutive recruitment of 193 subjects; 99 diabetics attending the outpatient clinic and 94 controls from hospital staffs. The Heliprobe urea breath test was used in the detection of H.P.Results: The prevalence of H.P was 96.8% in the controls and 85.6% in the diabetics (X2 =7.56, P =0.006) with significant female preponderance among the diabetics (X2 =7.01, P=0.008). H.P had no significant association among the diabetics with regards to BMI, duration of DM and medication.Conclusion: The prevalence of Helicobacter pylori was higher in the control than the diabetics.Keywords: Helicobacter pylori, diabetes mellitus, tertiary hospita

Subjective Evaluation of Life Satisfaction by community-dwelling Spinal Cord Injury Patients Managed at the University College Hospital, Ibadan

Background: Life satisfaction in Spinal Cord Injury (SCI) population is influenced by the ability to perform social roles and engage in activities. Investigations on the psychosocial aspects of SCI in Nigeria have concentrated on the objective dimensions, while much has not been documented, qualitatively, on life satisfaction among the SCI survivors in our setting. The research focused on the subjective evaluation of well-being related to social role performance among community-dwelling adults with SCI managed at the University College Hospital Ibadan, Nigeria.Methods: The study design is descriptive and qualitative data collection was utilized. Seventeen SCI patients who had been discharged home were purposively selected and interviewed via telephone. The domains of life evaluated included sexual life, marital life, and general life satisfaction. These were assessed with an interview guide intended for this purpose. Data were thematically content analysed.Results: Some participants could return to employment and perform occupational roles. The participants described their life as dissatisfactory. Dissatisfaction was reported with sexual and marital life and social interaction after SCI. Family role performance was likewise dissatisfactory. The participants’ dissatisfaction with life post-SCI was largely influenced by their internalization and interpretation of the inability to function in areas of life they perceived important.Conclusion: The subjective evaluation of life reported by persons living with permanent SCI suggests that they require more support from their families, healthcare providers and the community at large. Additionally, their psychosocial needs deserve constant monitoring by the significant others and healthcare providers in order to provide timely countermeasures. Keywords: Life Satisfaction; Social Role; Spinal Cord Injury; Subjective Evaluation; Nigeri

Knowledge, Prevalence, and Attitude of Males Regarding Infertility in Egor Local Government Area, Benin City, Edo State

Infertility is of public health importance in Nigeria and many parts of Africa especially sub-Saharan Africa not only because of its high prevalence but also due to the devastating social effects on affected couples and families. However, despite its high prevalence in Nigeria, not much is known about the male  perspectiveof infertility. This study revealed the knowledge, prevalence and attitude of males regarding infertility in Egor LGA, Benin City. This descriptive cross-sectional study was carried out among adult males in Egor LGA, Benin City.  Respondents were selected using multi-stage sampling technique. A pretested interviewer-administered questionnaire was used to  obtain data. The analysis was done using IBM SPSS version 21.0. Level of significance was set at p<0.05. A total of 779 adult males participated in this study. The mean age of respondents was 38.8 ± 9.2 years. Majority of the respondents 636 (81.6%) had good knowledge of infertility. There was a statistically significant association between duration of marriage and knowledge  (p<0.001).Prevalence of infertility was71 (9.1%) and 24 (33.8%) of the respondents sought treatment for infertility. A higher proportion of the respondents 482 (61.9%) had a positive attitude towards infertility while 297 (38.1%) had negative towards infertility. Treatment options reported by respondents included 561 (81.7%) medical, 549 (79.9%), 307 (39.4%) traditional and spiritual 205 (26.3%). Majority of the respondents had a good knowledge of infertility and its treatment options. However, the prevalence was low. There is a need for stakeholders to focus on health education programs targeted towards prevention and management of infertility.Keywords: Infertility, Knowledge, Attitude, Prevalence,  Treatmen

Assessment of solid waste management systems in Ibadan North, Oyo State using geo-spatial techniques

Solid waste management has been part of human activities right from time. Effort by the Oyo State Government in managing the collection and disposal of waste generated in Ibadan is seen in the provision of Skip bins at specific locations across the city. However, despite the provisions made by the government, an emerging trend is the dumping of refuse along the median of some major and collector roads in the city. This study aims at emphasizing a planning framework for the location of solid waste disposal infrastructure (Skip bins) through the adoption of planning standard. The aim of this study was achieved by identifying the existing skip bins within Ibadan North. More so, a spatial analysis of skip bins and resident's access to solid waste facilities within Ibadan North was deduced. Geospatial techniques were used for this study; data from primary and secondary source were also used to corroborate the geospatial findings. The study identified a total of 37 skip bins located within Ibadan North Local Government, serving the entire Ibadan North. Spatial analysis of the skip bins revealed a clustered distribution which is consequential to indiscriminate solid waste disposal within Ibadan North.   The study recommends adequate provision and location of skip bins to contribute to a cleaner and safer environment and a design blue print for Ibadan North was proposed.Keywords: GIS, Median, Nearest Neighbour Analysis (NNA), Skip Bin