A five‑year survey of cesarean delivery at a Nigerian tertiary hospital

Background: Caesarean section is one of the most commonly performed surgical procedures in obstetrics and certainly one of the oldest operations in surgery; the incidence of caesarean section is steadily rising. The increasing use of CS as a mode of delivery is due to improved safety of the procedure because of increasing use of antibiotics, blood availability, and improved anesthetic techniques. Despite all these, problems of safety and cost still pose some concern, particularly in resource‑poor countries.Objective: To evaluate the incidence, indications, and outcomes of caesarean section in this hospital during the period under review.Materials and Methods: This is a retrospective descriptive analysis of all the caesarean sections carried out at the University of Abuja Teaching Hospital, Gwagwalada from 1st January 2012 to 31st December 2016. The labor ward delivery register and theatre operation register were also reviewed. The nature and indications for the procedure were analyzed. Other parameters reviewed included booking status of the patient, parity, and fetal outcome. Results were presented using simple percentages and ratios.Results: Out of 9,604 deliveries during the study period, 2,053 cases were by caesarean section, giving a caesarean section rate of 21.4%. Most cases 1647 (80.2%) were by emergency caesarean sections and elective caesarean section accounted for 406 (19.8%) cases. The rate of caesarean section was higher among unbooked patients 1304 (63.5%) than booked patients 749 (36.5%). Cephalopelvic disproportion was the most common indication 633 (30.8%) followed by fetal distress 484 (23.6%) and severe pre‑eclampsia/eclampsia 224 (10.9%). Anemia was the most common postpartum morbidity and there were 17 maternal deaths and the maternal case fatality rate was 0.8%, and there were 62 (2.9%) perinatal deaths due to birth asphyxia following emergency caesarean section.Conclusion: The rate of caesarean section has been increasing gradually and is associated with maternal and perinatal morbidity and mortality. There is need for education of the  populace to reduce late presentation.Keywords: Cesarean section; incidence; indications; outcome

Proximate and Heavy Metals Compositions of Some Commercial Fish Feeds available in Keffi Metropolis, Nasarawa State

The nutrient balance of feed influences its utilization and growth in fish. Proximate and heavy metals examinations were carried out on three different fish feed samples obtained from commercially available fish feed shops in Keffi metropolis and were labeled A, B, and C. The sealed samples were taken to the laboratory, ground using a mortar and pestle and kept in an airtight container for subsequent chemical analysis. The results of the proximate analysis shows that the moisture content, ash content, crude protein, crude lipid, crude fibre and carbohydrate content range from, 3.17% - 7.50%, 9.39% - 11.61%, 37.85% - 48.90%, 5.00% - 13.33%, 2.53% - 6.00% and 21.31% - 30.78% respectively. The estimated levels of heavy metals analysed ranges from 0.35mg/kg - 0.61 mg/kg, 0.27mg/kg - 0.44 mg/kg, 1.15 mg/kg - 1.47 mg/kg, 0.02 mg/kg - 0.44 mg/kg, 3.15 mg/kg - 3.25 mg/kg and 0.40 mg/kg - 0.50 mg/kg for Cu, Cr, Co, Cd, Ni and Pb respectively. The concentrations of the heavy metals determined are in order of Ni > Co > Cu > Pb > Cr > Cd. The results of the proximate analysis obtained are in close argument with that obtained in the literature which ranges from 10.06% - 10.38%, 5.33% - 9.45%, 8.512% - 24.40%, 3.20% - 12.73%, 5.00% - 13.00% and 25.89% - 52.65% respectively. For the heavy metals, it ranges from 0.0579mg/kg - 0.0023mg/kg, 0.0002mg/kg - 0.0005mg/kg, 0.01mg/kg - 0.37mg/kg, 1.22mg/kg - 4.71mg/kg and 0.06mg/kg - 0.68mg/kg for Cu, Cr, Co, Cd, Ni and Pb respectively. It is therefore concluded that all the fish feed samples analysed contain the required nutrients in required proportions declared by the manufacturers and the regulatory guide lines. The heavy metals concentrations and proximate compositions obtained are within the certified limits as regulated by WHO, SON and FAO

Water quality and growth performance of Oreochromis niloticus under integration with mallard and muscovy ducks

A study was conducted to evaluate the effect of duck manure and spilled duvk weed on water quality and production of Oreochromis niloticus in an intigrated system utilizing two loacl duck weed breeds. Treatment 1 (T1) consist of fish (mean weight, 20.7 ~c 1.28g) stocked at a density of 5 fish/m2 pond and integrated with 12 mallard ducks (Anas platyrhynchas); treatment 2 (T2) consist of fish (mean weight, 21.86 ~c 0.93g) stocked at a density of 5 fish/m2 pon and integrated with 12 Muscovy ducks (Cairina moschata) with treatment 3 (T3) was the control (72m2 fish pond without integration). Fish with treatment two was fed compounded feed of 30% crude protein content three times daily while those in T1, T2 fed on duck manure and spilled duck feed (15% crude protein content). Water quality parameter of the fish pond, growth parameters of the fish and duck were monitored. After a 12-week experimental period, mean weight gain of fish were 140.68, 122.11 and 157.19g in T1, T2 and T3 respectively, while percentage survival was high in T3 and lower in T2. Water quality parameter was generally favorable for fish growth in the treatment. Mallard ducks are recommended for the duck-fish system since they perform better than Muscovey duck both in survivability and ability to engender fish growth

Response of Potential Stored Grain Insect Pests to BFL 225 Multi-Attractant Lure in Commercial Warehouses.

Farmers generally store their harvested products to ensure a continuous food supply for their household, provide seed for subsequent crops and farm, and as a source of income because it allows farmers to sell the products for cash or to exchange it for other products. But the introduction of new crop varieties, satisfying primarily an increased yield, has led to a contemporary selection of plants susceptible to infestation by insects, due to a loss of resistance to insect attack. Studies were conducted to determine the efficacy of traps baited with the kairomone BFL 225 multi-attractant lure for the detection and monitoring of storage insect pests into commercial warehouses in southern Nigeria for ten months. This trapping experiment demonstrated that floor traps baited with BFL 225 lure significantly (P< 0.001) captured insects compared to the unbaited (control). The predominant insects captured include Sitophilus spp., Plodia interpunctella, Tribolium castaneum, Callosobruchus maculatus, Alphitobius laevigatus and Rhyzopertha dominica. The implication of his study is that BFL 225 could be utilized as a part of integrated pest management strategies for early detection of potential insect pests migrating into stored grain warehouses in tropical Africa. Keywords: Baited traps, storage pests, kairomone, monitoring, warehouses

Cytotoxic activities of fractionated ethanol extract of the root bark of terminalia catappa and isolation of eriodictyol-7-O-β-D-glucopyranoside from the ethyl acetate soluble fraction

The crushed root bark of terminalia catappa Linn was extracted using aqueous ethanol. The crude extract was suspended in water and successively partition into n-hexane, dichloromethane, ethyl acetate and n-butanol soluble fractions. The fractions i.e.; n-hexane, dichloromethane, ethyl acetate, n-butanol and water were subjected to cytotoxic activity using brine shrimp lethality bioassay and proton nuclear magnetic resonance (1H NMR) analyses. The cytotoxicity of the isolates were evaluated in terms of lethality concentration (LC50). Comparing the result obtained to vincristine sulphate with LC50 of 0.61 μg/ml, ethyl acetate and n-hexane fractions demonstrated a significant cytotoxic activity having LC50 value of 0.82 μg/ml and 1.21 μg/ml. The LC50 values of the water, dichloromethane and n-butanol fractions were 11.90 μg/ml, 13.25 μg/ml and 17.10 μg/ml respectively. The ethyl acetate fraction with significant activity in in-vitro cytotoxic activity and a good proton NMR profiles, was further fractionated and purified using column chromatography, preparative thin layer chromatography (PTLC) and the isolate obtained were characterized using spectroscopic techniques (MS, IR, 1H and 13C NMR, 1H-1H COSY and 1H-13C HSQC). We concluded that the compound isolated was eriodictyol-7- O-β-D-glucopyranoside

An integrated chicken-fish system in concrete ponds

Four treatments (in duplicate) were used to detennine the optimum combination ratio in the chicken-fish integrated system in 4 m2 concrete ponds. Treatment I (TI) consisted of a concrete pond integrated with one point-of-lay chicken while treatment 2 (T2) had two point-of-Iay chickens integrated over a concrete pond. Treatment 3 (T3), consisted of three point-of-lay chickens integrated over a pond and treatment 4 (T4) was the control and involved no integration. Each concrete pond was stocked with a poly-culture of Oreochromis niloticus and Clarias gariepinus in a ratio of 3:1. Compounded fish feed was used to feed the fish in T4 twice daily at 5% of their body weight while fish in TI. T2 and T3 fed on wet chicken manure and spilled chicken feed that fell directly into the ponds. The daily manure loading rate ranged from 55.80g in TIR2 (treatment l replicate 2) to 117.37 g in T3RI while spilled feed loading rate ranged from 2.52 in T2R2 to 9.27g in T3R2. The total number of eggs laid was 871 in 84 days. For C. gariepinus, fish in T4RI had the highest mean weight gain of all the treatments and TIRI, the lowest. T3R2 had the highest mean weight gain of all the integrated treatments. For O. niloticus fingerlings, fish in T4 which were fed compounded feed had the highest mean daily weight gain and while those in T1 had the lowest. T4RI fish had the highest mean weight gain while TIR2 fish had the lowest. Fish in T3 had the highest mean weight gain of all the integrated treatments followed by fish in T2. However, physico-chemical parameters were more adverse and survival was lower in T3 than in T2 and so a combination ratio of 20 fingerlings in a 4 m2 concrete tank integrated with two laying chickens (mean weight 1.93 kg) is recommended. This translates to 50 laying chickens/100 m2 concrete pond stocked with 500 fingerlings

Frustrated network of indirect exchange paths between tetrahedrally coordinated Co in Ba2 CoO4

We present a detailed study of the electronic and magnetic interactions of Ba2CoO4, structurally very uncommon because of the isolated CoO4 distorted tetrahedral coordination. We show the presence of Co(d)-O(p) hybridized states characterized by spin polarized oxygen atoms, with their magnetic moments parallel to that on Co. The calculated isotropic exchange interaction parameters, which include the contributions from ligand spins, demonstrate the presence of a three-dimensional (3D) network of magnetic couplings that are partially frustrated in the identified magnetic ground state. Our results indicate that the dominant indirect exchange mechanism responsible for this ground state is mediated by O atoms along the Co-O »O-Co path

Evaluation of Anticorrosion Potential of African Black Olive (Canarium schweinfurthi) Oil as Green Corrosion Inhibtor on Aluminium Sheet in Acidic Medium

This study evaluated the anticorrosion potential of African black olive oil obtained from its fruit (pulp) on Aluminium sheet in 2M H2SO4 using gravimetric method. The extraction was carried out using soxhlet extractor and the oil was characterised using Fourier Transform Infrared Spectrophotometer (FTIR). The results showed that the oil exhibits maximum inhibitive efficiency of 88.57%. The FTIR analysis showed the presence of C=C-H, Ar-H bending out of plane, C-H bending in plane, C-O, N-O asymmetric stretch, C=C stretch, C=N stretch, and O-H functional groups at various peaks (wave numbers).The adsorption of the African black olive oil onto the Aluminium surface during the inhibition process obeyed Langmuir adsorption isotherm. Hence, based on the outcome of this study, the African black olive oil possessed excellent anticorrosion property for the corrosion of aluminium in the acidic medium and can also be used as green corrosion inhibitor for other metals

Investigating the mineral composition of proceessed cheese, soy and nunu milks consumed in Abuja and Keffi metropolises of Nigeria

Milk and its products are needed for proper body building. Processed cheese, nunu and soy milk consumed within Abuja and Keffi metropolises were analyzed for their mineral contents. X1, Y1, Z1 represents soy milk, nunu and cheese from Abuja metropolis while X2, Y2, Z2 represents sample from Keffi metropolis respectively. Calcium (265.53±0.25 mg/mL), iron (1.19±0.92 mg/mL), potassium (162.77±0.02 mg/mL) were found to be higher in cheese milk (Z1) from Abuja than that (225.82±0.13 mg/mL, 1.05±0.60mg/mL and 130.41±0.04 mg/mL) found in Keffi (Z2) examined respectively, though the amount of sodium present (151.0±0.08 mg/mL) in cheese (Z2) from Keffi is slightly higher than that (150.08±0.01 mg/mL) from Abuja (Z1). Also, Soya milk from Abuja (X1) had highest amount of zinc (0.76±0.00 mg/mL) while that of Keffi (X2) was 0.65±0.3 mg/mL, for magnesium and copper, higher values 18.40±010 mg/mL and 0.25±0.02 mg/mL were recorded for soy milk (X2) from Keffi while soy milk from Abuja (X1) had 17.97±0.20 mg/mL and 0.16±0.01 mg/mL respectively. Chromium was dictated in both cheese samples but not dictated in soya and nunu milks from both metropolises. It is seen from the investigation that cheese had more minerals followed by soya milk. Nunu milk sample had the least quantity of minerals; also all the samples analyzed have minerals present in them. Therefore, they are needed for the proper functioning of the body system Keywords: Analysis, Concentration, Milk, Mineral, Metropolis, Flame Atomic Absorption Spectroscop

Impact of Competition on the Financial Performance of Listed Deposit Money Banks in Nigeria

The impact of bank competition on bank performance remains a widely debated issue. At present, scholars investigate either the competition-stability or the competition-fragility relationships. The traditional competition-fragility view equates bank competition with instability as competition reduces market power and profit margins which in turn encourages bank managers to take higher risks. In contrast, the competition-stability view stipulates that competition leads to lower loan interest rates and consequently lower moral hazard and adverse selection problems and less risky loan portfolios. This study examines both paradigms using panel data from deposit money banks in Nigeria over a period of ten years (2005-2014). Results show that the overall relationship between competition and financial performance of banks is negative. The study, therefore, concludes that competition has a negative effect on the financial performance of banks in Nigeria. The study suggests that regulators should promote healthy competition among deposit money banks so as to reduce the negative effect of competition on bank financial performance. Managers should take measures to enhance profit margin by reducing expenses. Current efforts of the government in terms of improved power generation may help to cut cost of power borne by the banks. Managers should also ensure healthy loan portfolio by ensuring that only customers with high credit scores get loans. Keywords: Bank, competition, financial performance, loan, market share, Nigeria, profit margin, risk.