Potential of replacing pawpaw fruit and leaves with cabbage peels as a natural feedstuff in the diet of Achatina achatina linne (African giant land snail)

An experiment was carried out to assess the growth performance of African Giant Land Snail Achatina achatina Linnie fed with three natural feedstuff; pawpaw fruit, pawpaw leaves and cabbage leaves. A total of 24 growing snails of approximately one year old were used for the study. These were randomly divided into six groups and then allotted into the three experimental diets, arranged in a completely randomised design (CRD) order. Dry matter intakes of feed being served every other days, weight gain and size increase of snails were assessed fortnightly. The results showed that pawpaw leaf is higher in protein than cabbage leaf and pawpaw fruit. However, cabbage leaf contains some essential mineralelements, which are useful in body building than the other two feedstuffs. It also showed that snails fed with cabbage leaves had the highest dry matter intake and weight gain of 14.2 and 18.6 g, respectively.Highest shell length and circumference increase of 0.3 and 0.6 cm were obtained in pawpaw fruit and pawpaw leaf respectively. Although there was no significance difference (p > 0.05) in the weight gain ofsnails fed with pawpaw fruit and cabbage leaves, cabbage leaf seems to be richer in protein and other essential mineral elements than pawpaw fruit. It was therefore concluded that cabbage leaf could serve as a good substitute for pawpaw fruit and leaves, which hitherto were known as the preferred natural feedstuff of snails

Blindness in Tuberous Sclerosis: A Case Report

Tuberous sclerosis (TS) is inherited as an autosomal dominant trait with variable penetrance characterised by glial cell tumor which arises from the cerebral and the retina. Blindness in association with Tuberous sclerosis (TS) is rare. When visual loss occurs it may be associated with hamartomas from retinal or optic nerve involvement or from intracranial (brain) tumours that affect either the part of the brain that processes visual information or from optic nerve damage following raised intracranial pressure. Very few cases of TS with blindness have been reported globally. Deterioration in academic performance might be the first pointer to the visual impairment. We report a case of a 13 year old girl who presented with increasing number of facial rash over an 11 years period, recurrent headache and deteriorating academic performance of 1 year and loss of vision of 6 months with a recent episode of convulsion. Similar skin rashes without other associated symptoms were noticed on the mother and one of the younger siblings. She was a Tanner stage one in development. She had facial angio fibromas, shagreen patches over the left hypochondria, back regions and face. Ophthalmic evaluation showed a visual acuity of being able to count fingers at not more than one meter from the face and only perception of light in the right and left eye respectively, both eyes had brisk pupillary activities, good mydriasis and clear media. The retinal and optic nerve head appeared normal in the right eye whereas in the left eye was a huge tuberous hamartoma of the optic disc and macular as well as generalised vascular occlusion and subretinal fluid. The Computerized tomography (CT) scan showed an Intraventricular tumour, with calcification within the tumours and subependymal. There was associated obstructive hydrocephalus. Patient was managed by a multi disciplinary team of ophthalmologists, neurosurgeons and radiologists, coordinated by a paediatrician.Conclusion: The diagnosis of tuberous sclerosis complex (TSC) was based on the lesions found on clinical examination, imaging, and pathologic studies. The blindness was multi-factorial in cause including intracranial, retinal and optic nerve tumours. Comprehensive medical history, detailed physical examinations and neuroimaging study are essential in making a diagnosis of TSC. Our patient was mis-diagnosed at various health facilities for many years. This delay in making appropriate diagnosis and instituting treatment could have contributed to the eventual outcome.Keywords: Tuberous Sclerosis, Blindness, Deteriorating Academic Performanc

Massive subgaleal haematoma in a 5 year old child – A case report

Subgaleal haematoma (SH) is a collection of blood between the bony skull and the loose connective tissue. It is almost a diagnosis confined to the neonatal age group with very few occurring beyond the age. Presentation could be sudden or chronic as deterioration in the cardio pulmonary status,shock, skin changes, airway obstruction and neurological sequealae.While assisted delivery with birth trauma are recognized causal factorsin the neonate, trauma to the head and blood related disorders have been reported to be major causes in older children and adults. Usually, the Small SH resolves spontaneously while the massive ones require active management; often with neuro surgical intervention. It also needs identifying the cause so as to treat and prevent a recurrence. We present a case of massive SH in a 5 year old mentally subnormal child with seizure disorder with a favourable outcome

Survival during times of disruptions: rethinking strategies for enabling business viability in the developing economy

There exists a noticeable void in the literature about strategies that business operators, especially those in highly vulnerable economies, can adapt to sustain their survival and to achieve growth in economically turbulent times. This study investigated strategies that can support the viability and survival of businesses in times of environmental disruptions. The study adopted a qualitative research design that involved the interview of 31 business owners across different sectoral groups including fashion and telecommunication that are operating in Nigeria’s Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) sector. The interview sessions were audio recorded, transcribed verbatim and thematically analysed. The findings reveal that amid disruptions, the business owners were resilient and established diverse digital strategies that helped them to keep their businesses afloat throughout the time of disruption. This finding contributes to the field of entrepreneurship as it offers practical strategies for supporting business owners during times of disruptions, especially in a developing country context