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Social media is a new trend in communication and a new platform for sharing, engagement and networking in all spheres of life including agriculture. This study analysed social media mainstreaming in e-extension services delivery by the Agricultural Development Programmes (ADPs) in North Central Zone of Nigeria. Four ADPs of Kogi, Federal Capital Territory, Nasarawa and Niger states that participated in the Research Extension Farmer Input Linkage (REFIL) activities in November 2017 were purposively selected and used for the study. Secondary data were generated from the REFIL reports and descriptively analysed. Result established insufficient field extension agents to effectively reach out to1.412 million farm families in the zone. Also, the result reveals zero exclusion of social media such as Facebook, WhatsApp, Chats, YouTube and Mobile phone tools in the ADPs communication strategies. ADPs communication targets dwelled more on old media such as radio (21%) and television (50%) were costly and achieved low projected targets. Mainstreaming social media in e-extension will be more effective to reach out to farm families and overcome observed field manpower shortage problems. Modern networking tools and proactive creative measures such as Facebook, WhatsApp, YouTube, Chat, mobile phone tools of short message sending and voice call are recommended for inclusion in their communication strategies. In this regard, REFIL organisers and Federal Department of Extension should facilitate ADPs innovativeness and staff training on social media to improve competence and skills of actors in the agricultural value chain providers in extension delivery to the agribusiness community. Key words: Social media, communication, extension, agriculture, Nigeria.

Home based care (HBC) is a key component of care and support for people infected with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). Understanding the pattern of HBC needs in a population is beneficial in planning and providing optimal HBC services for the people. This retrospective study assessed the pattern of home based care needs and services in patients of the adult antiretroviral therapy (ART) clinic of Jos University Teaching Hospital (JUTH), Jos, Nigeria. All documented home based care visits to patients of the clinic from September 2008 to December 2013 were reviewed. Relevant information was obtained from the patients’ clinical and home visit records. Data was analysed using Epi info version 7 statistical software. A total of 152 patients with 542 home visits were reviewed. There were 112 (73.7%) females and 40 (26.3%) males, with a mean age of 34±8.9 years at the time of initial home visits. The three commonest primary reasons for home visits were psychological counselling (22.7%), adherence counselling (15.5%) and ill-health (12.4%), while follow up visits accounted for 32.5% of the home visits. The 3 most frequent services provided during home visits were counselling on clients medication for adherence (77.5%), basic nursing care (61.6%), and psychological counselling (41.5%). By December 2013, out of 152 patients reviewed, 61.8% were alive, 15.1% had died and 23.1% were lost to follow up. The services provided during home visits extended beyond the patients’ perceived needs (primary reasons for visit). Home based care brings to light some patient needs that may not be evident or catered for at the facility level of care. This supports the endorsement of home based care as a useful strategy to complement facility care towards achieving an overall patient well-being. Key words: Home based care, human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), adult, Nigeria.

The chromatographic investigation of the chloroform soluble fraction of methanolic root extract of Ochna schweinfurthiana using a combination of silica and sephadex LH-20 led to the isolation of tri-methoxy derivative of lophirone A. The structure of this new compound was determined using both 1 and 2D nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR). The antimicrobial activity of the isolated compound was also investigated using agar diffusion and broth dilution techniques. Clinical isolates obtained from the Department of Medical Microbiology, Ahmadu Bello University Teaching Hospital, Zaria, Nigeria were used for the studies. The compound was found to show activity against Staphylococcus aureus, Streptococcus pyrogenes, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Klebsiella pneumonia and Samonella typhi, but was not active at the tested dose on methicillin resistant S. aureus, Bacillus subtilis, Corynobacterium ulcerans, Escherichia coli and the only fungi tested Candida albicans. The low concentration for minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC, 5 μg/ml) and minimum bactericidal concentration (MBC, 20 μg/ml) suggests the compound has a good antimicrobial activity against the susceptible organisms and validates the ethno medicinal use of the plant in the treatment of various bacterial infections, including infected wounds and typhoid fever. Key words: Ochna schweinfurthiana extract, antimicrobial, tri-methoxy, lophirone A, nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR).