Risk Assessment and Management for Agribusiness Enterprises Investment in OndoState, Nigeria.

The study analysed risk among agribusiness enterprises investment in Ondo State of Nigeria. Specifically, it examined types of risk and the degree of influence on the agribusiness enterprises. The study also examined common risk reducing strategies among the agribusiness enterprises in the area. Primary data collected from 40 formal agribusiness firms were used in the study. The data were analysed with w-statistics and validated with Pearson criterion (?2). The result indicated a w-statistics of 0.79. The result was verified by Pearson criterion and this gave ?2 calculated value of 4.81 which is lower than table value of 11.07 at 5% significant level. The result revealed that risk sources affecting agribusiness investment were financial, marketing, currency and production in that order. The common risk reducing strategies were diversification, integration, forward contracting, and insurance, among others. Based on this, it was recommended that government should make policies that will encourage investors adopt the highlighted risk reducing strategies in risk management. Key word: Assessment, management, agribusiness, investment, OndoState, Nigeria

A giant hydronephrotic pelvic kidney mimicking an ovarian cyst in a 34-week pregnancy

Background: A giant hydronephrosis is defined as a dilated pelvi-calyceal system with an amount of urine exceeding one Litre in the urinary tract of an adult. It can mimic several other clinical conditions including a huge ovarian cyst. An ectopic pelvic kidney with hydronephrosis in pregnancy is a rare occurrence.Aim: This study documents a case of giant hydronephrosis that was wrongly diagnosed as an ovarian cyst. Findings: A 36-year old primiparous with a giant hydronephrosis which was initially diagnosed as an ovarian cyst. She was planned for a laparotomy with caesarean section and ovarian cystectomy at 34 weeks gestation. She was delivered of a live female neonate. Further exploration was done which revealed a left ectopic kidney. She had a left simple nephrectomy because the kidney appeared totally unhealthy.Conclusion: There is a need to be careful when dealing with cystic lesions of the abdomen. A high index of suspicion is required and further imaging other than ultrasound scan such as computerized tomography or magnetic resonance imaging may be necessary to make accurate diagnosis.Keywords: Caesarean section, ectopic gestation, hydronephrosis, urinary tract, cystectomy, ovarian cyst

Association between maternal serum homocysteine concentrations in early pregnancy and adverse pregnancy outcomes

Background: There is still conflicting evidence on the extent to which maternal hyperhomocysteinemia is a risk factor for pregnancy complications. Aims: The study aimed to investigate the impact of elevated maternal homocysteine concentrations on adverse pregnancy outcomes among Nigerian women in Lagos. Materials and Methods: This was a prospective cohort study conducted at the Lagos University Teaching Hospital, Idi-Araba, Lagos, Nigeria. Participants were enrolled during the first trimester of pregnancy following which relevant data were obtained by the interview. Fasting blood samples were collected for the measurement of maternal homocysteine concentration using the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay method. Pregnancy outcomes and complications were obtained by abstracting the antenatal, delivery, and newborn medical records. Preterm births, low-birth weight (LBW), and antepartum fetal death were used as confirmatory outcome variables in the final analysis. Descriptive statistics for all data were computed using SPSS version 22.0. The associations between the variables were tested and multivariate analyses were used to study the effects of the major baseline characteristics on the pregnancy outcome. P < 0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results: Hyperhomocysteinemia was recorded in 41 (24.6%) patients. Women with a high homocysteine concentration and those with a normal homocysteine level did not differ significantly in terms of age (P = 0.684), level of education (P = 0.866), and parity (P = 0.647). Women with hyperhomocysteinemia had an approximately twelve-fold higher risk of preterm birth (P = 0.001) and a ten-fold higher risk of delivering a term neonate with LBW (P = 0.004), but had no risk of antepartum fetal death (P = 0.118) compared to women with a normal homocysteine concentration. Conclusions: The prevalence of hyperhomocysteinemia among mothers in Lagos was relatively low. The associations between hyperhomocysteinemia and adverse pregnancy outcomes could have implications in future for the prevention of these adverse outcomes

ANALYSIS OF FARMERS’ BUSINESS SCHOOL PARTICIPATION ON COCOA PRODUCTIVITY IN ONDO STATE, NIGERIA

Various models and approaches are being implemented to provide technical assistance and support to improve cocoa productivity in Ondo State of Nigeria. This study compared Farmers’ Business School (FBS) participation and non- participation on cocoa farmer’s productivity. The study specifically described the socio-economic characteristics of the farmers, examined factors determining participation in (FBS) among cocoa farmers, estimated cost and returns of the two categories and determined the technical efficiency of cocoa production for both participants and non-participants. Multi-stage sampling technique was used to obtain data from 90 cocoa farmers that were selected from three Local Government Areas in Ondo State based on their participation and non-participation in (FBS). Descriptive Analysis, Gross Margin, Logit model and stochastic frontier production function were used to analyse the data. Result from descriptive analysis revealed that the mean age of the respondent was 54.2 years. Majority of the respondent (48.9%) attained secondary education and above. It also showed that 38.9% had above 6 members to make up the household in the study area. Findings also revealed that 33.3% had an average annual income above ₦1.000,000. The result further showed that majority of the respondent produced on a medium scale with average cocoa farm size of 3.5 hectares and the farmers were well experienced. The result on gross margin analysis shows that the total revenue, gross margin and profit for participants in (FBS) were ₦678,601.3, ₦402447.2 and ₦324458.3 respectively. On the other hand, the total revenue, gross margin and profit for the non- participants of (FBS) were ₦345,217.8, ₦231,084.5 and ₦193,795.6 respectively. This figure implies that participants in (FBS) were far better than non- participants in terms of gross margin, total revenue and profit. Result of the logit regression showed that gender, age, educational level, and membership of co-operative society were found to be statistically significant. This implies that these variables greatly influenced the decision of the cocoa farmers in the study area to either participate in (FBS) or not. Result from the stochastic frontier production function revealed that family labour, hired labour, pesticides, area of land and amount of fertilizer were statistically significant meaning those variables determined the technical efficiency of the cocoa farmers in the study area while age, frequency of extension contact, household size and member of cooperative greatly influenced the technical inefficiency in the study area

A Review of Fetomaternal Outcome of Preterm Prelabour Rupture of Membranes in a Tertiary Hospital in Lagos, South-west, Nigeria

Preterm prelabour rupture of membranes(PPROM) is an important obstetric complication. It accounts for a third of all preterm deliveries with associated increased risks of fetomaternal and neonatal morbidity and mortality. To review the fetomatermal outcome of PPROM in a tertiary hospital in Lagos, South-west, Nigeria. This is a descriptive retrospective designin which cases of PPROM were identified from the Labour ward records and their case notes retrieved. Relevant information were extracted from those case notes and the neonatal unit records. Data was analyzed using Epi-info statistical software package. The rate of PPROM in this study was 2.2%. The mean age of the women was 31.3 ± 2.4years with the unbooked women constituting 50.2% of the cases and women with parity of 2 or less accounting/or 83.3% of them. The mean gestational age at delivery was 32. 7 ±2.4weeks. Caesarean section was the mode of delivery in 49.3% of cases, 8.1 % of the women had clinical evidence of choriamnionitis, 4.9% had puerperal sepsis while 1 maternal death was recorded. Ninety four percent (94%) of the births were livebirths while 6% were stillbirths. Low birth weight was noted in 79.1% and birth asphyxia was observed in 7.4%. Neonatal Unit admission was necessary in 72.5% of the livebirths. Perinatal mortality in this study was 17%. PPROM is an important cause of adverse fetomaternal outcome with increased perinatal and maternal morbidity and mortality. Adequate antenatal care should be advocated so that appropriate risk assessment can be done and intervention provided where applicable. Neonatal units should also be equiped to be able to render necessary care for these preterm neonates thereby reducing the morbidity and mortality asscociated with PPROM.Keywords: PPROM, preterm deliveries, fetomaternal outcom