Search

Lead acetate (Pb) is an environmental toxicant widely reported to distort testicular functions. Methanol extract of Sida corymbosa leaves (SC) possesses antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. This study was designed to evaluate the role of SC on lead acetate-induced alteration in testicular functions. Thirty adult male Wistar rats were grouped randomly and equally into six and treated as follows: control, Pb (15 mgkg-1 ), SC (100 mgkg-1), SC (200 mgkg-1), Pb+SC (100 mgkg-1), and Pb+SC (200 mgkg-1 ) respectively. Administrations were orally done for 54 days. Computer-aided sperm analyzer, ELISA, spectrophotometry, immunohistochemistry, and PCR techniques were used. Pb significantly reduced follicle-stimulating hormone, luteinizing hormone, testosterone, androgen receptors expression, 3β- and 17β-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase, sperm concentration, progressive sperm motility, viability, catalase, superoxide dismutase activities, and BCL-2. Pb significantly increased abnormal sperm morphology, malondialdehyde, 8- hydroxydeoxyguanosine, BAD, TNF-α, and IL-6. The combination of SC and Pb significantly reverses the hormones, steroidogenic enzymes, sperm quality, testicular oxidant, antioxidant enzymes, testicular DNA damage, apoptosis, and inflammation when compared with the Pb group. Anti-apoptosis, antioxidant, and anti-inflammatory activities of Sida corymbosa improve lead acetate-induced testicular functions alteration in Wistar rats. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To investigate the potential of N-acetylcysteine (NAC) and zinc sulphate (ZnSO4) in mitigating reproductive dysfunction caused by di-2-ethylhexyl phthalate (DEHP) in rats and to understand the underlying mechanisms, specifically oxidative stress and sex hormone receptor activity. Methods: Thirty-five male Wistar rats were randomly divided into five equal groups (n=7 per group). Group 1 was administered 0.5 mL of distilled water and served as the control group. Group 2 was given only DEHP (750 mg/kg/day), while group 3, 4 and 5 were given DEHP (750 mg/kg/day) plus NAC (100 mg/kg/day), DEHP (750 mg/kg/day) plus ZnSO4 (0.5 mg/kg/day), and DEHP (750 mg/kg/day) plus NAC (100 mg/kg/day) as well as ZnSO4 (0.5 mg/kg/day), respectively. All treatments lasted for 21 days. Samples were obtained after the rats were sacrificed, and hormones levels in the serum and markers of oxidative stress in the testicles were analyzed using the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. The amount of androgen receptors in the testicles was determined by immunohistochemistry, and the susceptibility of testosterone and DEHP to bind to androgen receptor and 5α-reductase was determined by molecular docking studies. Results: DEHP decreased reproductive hormones, testicular antioxidant enzymes, increased malondialdehyde levels, and negatively impacted histology of the pituitary and testes. NAC or ZnSO4 treatment showed a marked improvement in testicular antioxidant status and hormone levels, as well as a positive effect on the histology of the pituitary and testes. The combination of both treatments appeared to be more effective. The affinity of DEHP to bind to androgen receptors may lead to disruption of androgen receptor signaling, which can further result in dysfunction of hormones related to androgen. However, NAC is more likely to form stronger binding interactions with follicle stimulating hormone and luteinizing hormone receptors, as well as gonadotropin-releasing hormone receptors, when compared to DEHP. Conclusions: The possibility that NAC and ZnSO4 could downregulate DEHP-induced sex hormone changes is suggested by their potential to reduce toxicity.

The Nigerian Institute of International Affairs Library began a small automation project when complete library automation was not possible. Despite limitations, the library has successfully integrated technology into its daily operations, including computer literacy programs for the staff, maintaining offline circulation records, and producing catalog cards and indexes for institute publications. (16 references) (LAE)

In this paper, we employ the direct method of Lyapunov which involves the use of a suitable scalar function known as Lyapunov function, to establish sufficient conditions for the stability, uniform stability, asymptotic stability, uniform asymptotic stability, boundedness, uniform boundedness and uniform-ultimate boundedness of solutions to certain Aizermann vector differential equations. The results of this paper are additions to the body of literature by improving and complementing some of the existing results. Finally, we provide two numerical examples and the graphical representations of the behaviour of the solutions of the examples using Maple software. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Clinical students are often subjected to vigorous training, academic pressure, and exposure to patients’ suffering which may affect their psychological well-being. Objective: To assess the prevalence of depression and associated academic and psychosocial risk factors among clinical students in a private university. Design: This is a cross-sectional study Setting: Two teaching hospitals used for training clinical students of a private university in Southwest, Nigeria. Participants: Two hundred and forty-two randomly selected students of departments of Medicine and Surgery, Nursing and Medical Laboratory Science undergoing their clinical rotation. Main outcome measures: Zung self-rating depression scale was used to assess depression among the students. Collected data were analyzed using SPSS version 25.0. Prevalence was summarized in percentage and multiple binary logistic regression was used to assess the predictors of depression. Level of significance was set at p<0.05. Results: The mean age of the student was 21.4±1.8 years and the prevalence of depression was 28.1%. Identified predictors of depression included students with loss of interest in school activities (AOR=2.563; 95%CI=1.201-5.484), those that repeated a class (AOR=5.535; 95%CI=1.477-20.740), those with traumatic childhood experiences (AOR=2.920; 95%CI=1.467-6.251), family history of depression in first degree relative (AOR=3.820; 95%CI=1.350-9.525), divorced parents (AOR=2.836; 95%CI=1.156-14.261), and experience of sexual or physical abuse (AOR=1.506; 95%CI=1.056-3.511). Conclusion: There was a high prevalence of depression among the students, with associated academic and psychosocial risk factors. We therefore recommend screening for depression among high-risk students during their postings in the hospital so as to allow for early interventions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The existence and multiplication of open dumpsites (ODs) around residential settlements are associated with environmental health outcomes in urbanizing settlements of developing countries. The study assessed existing practice and perceived health hazards of residence around ODs in Nigerian heterogeneous urban settlements. The cross-sectional, mixed-method study administered a validated questionnaire on 195 respondents using a 4-stage sampling technique. Two focus group discussions (FGDs) were conducted and analysed by ATLAS.ti software. Continuous and categorical variables were respectively presented by means and proportions; associations among variables were determined by chi-square and logistic regression at Pα<0.05. Seventy-two per cent of the respondents disposed of solid waste in ODs, despite good knowledge (95%) and a positive attitude (85%) on perceived health-hazards. One-sixth (15%) of respondents were willing to pay for waste collection service and 50% considered burning as an alternative to open dumping. The most and least perceived health outcomes were malaria and breathing difficulties. Improved water sources and skin irritations were significant predictors of sound SWM practices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aims This study investigated the relationship between common genetic variation and co-occurring mental health conditions among autistic individuals. Methods The study was conducted with the Simons Foundation Powering Autism Research (SPARK) dataset, V9 release, and included probands [n = 17,582] with confirmed diagnosis of autism, who were also in the SPARK iWES1 array genotyping dataset. Six co-occurring mental health conditions (attention deficit hyperactivity disorder or ADHD, bipolar disorder, depression, schizophrenia, anxiety disorder and disruptive behaviour disorders) were analysed. Polygenic scores (PRS) were generated with PRScs software, using summary statistics from the most recent genome wide association studies (GWAS) for autism, ADHD, schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, depression, anxiety, neuroticism, p-factor, intelligence, educational attainment and hair colour (negative control). General linear models (GLM) and Cox proportional hazards models were computed, with age at registration, sex, cognitive impairment and genetic principal components included in both sets of models. Multiple testing correction was done using the Benjamini-Yekutieli method. Results were calculated using odds ratios (OR), 95% Confidence Intervals (CI) and corrected p values (p). Results There were similar patterns of association and interaction for both GLMs and Cox models. Polygenic scores for educational attainment were significantly lower for those with co-occurring ADHD (GLM: OR=8.85E-01, 95% CI=8.48e-01–9.23e-01, p = 2.91E-07; Cox: OR=8.94E-01, 95% CI=8.66e-01–9.22e-01, p = 4.76E-11), bipolar disorder (GLM: OR=7.45E-01, 95% CI=6.54e-01–8.49e-01, p = 2.40E-04; Cox: OR=7.25E-01, 95% CI=6.39e-01–8.23e-01, p = 3.96E-05), depression (GLM: OR=8.63E-01, 95% CI=8.04e-01–9.26e-01, p = 5.13E-04; Cox: OR=8.56E-01, 95% CI=8.03e-01–9.12e-01, p = 2.80E-05), schizophrenia (GLM: OR=6.94E-01, 95% CI=5.71e-01–8.42e-01, p = 3.99E-03; Cox: OR=6.67E-01, 95% CI=5.52e-01–8.05e-01, p = 1.41E-03), anxiety disorder (GLM: OR=8.77E-01, 95% CI=8.37e-01–9.20e-01, p = 9.88E-07; Cox: OR=8.81E-01, 95% CI=8.49e-01–9.15e-01, p = 1.46E-09) and disruptive behaviour disorders (GLM: OR=7.10E-01, 95% CI=6.63e-01–7.60e-01, p = 3.22E-21; Cox: OR=7.10E-01, 95% CI=6.67e-01–7.57e-01, p = 1.35E-24). Conclusion Polygenic scores for educational attainment were associated with the co-occurrence of several mental health conditions among autistic individuals.

Copyright of Brazilian Journal of Biology is the property of Instituto Internacional de Ecologia and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Conclusion: Treatment with Zn and/or vitamin E reverses BLCO-induced neurobehavioural alterations via modulation of oxidative stress, inflammation and neurotransmitters.

This bibliometric study of the computer science literature in Nigeria examines such factors as growth and size of the literature, formats, journal characteristics, organizers of conference proceedings, and geographical spread of contributing cities. Problems are identified and recommendations for improvement are offered. (CLB)

Clinical High Risk for Psychosis has evolved in recent years as a conceptual and clinical entity, representing a shift in focus from the syndromal psychosis state to a recognition of the pre-psychotic state as a period of potential preventive intervention. Much existing evidence has been generated from well-resourced countries, with a more limited body of literature available from Africa and other Majority World countries. Against a backdrop of prevailing systemic challenges, it is necessary to appraise the state of knowledge on Clinical High Risk for Psychosis in Africa. In this perspective article, we cover epidemiology, risk factors, predictors of psychosis conversion, as well as an overview of sociocultural factors, notably stigma, and the barriers to mental health services in African settings. We discuss existing and promising assessment approaches and reflect on preventive and early intervention strategies. We conclude with recommendations including the need for more clinical, longitudinal, and collaborative research anchored in an integrative transdisciplinary approach. We highlight the need for more culturally valid assessment tools and strategies to improve access to and utilization of services while also reducing stigma.

In this work, we suggest some variants of Broyden-like algorithm to solve systems of nonlinear equations using various combination of quadrature rules . The proposed methods are three-step in nature whereby the first step is the initial iterate of the Newton’s method and the remaining two steps are the predictor-corrector of Broyden method and quadrature rules. Numerical tests show that these methods give encouraging results with respect to some existing Broyden-like methods in view of Dolan and More performance profile and Bogle and Perkins comparison index. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Background Heavy metals are well documented to induce reproductive toxicity. This study was designed to investigate the role of vitamin E and quercetin on reproductive toxicity mediated by lead acetate in male Wistar rats. Thirty male adult Wistar rats were grouped into six (n = 5 per group) as follows: Group 1 (Control); Group 2 and 3 were administered with 100 mg/kg vitamin E and quercetin, respectively; Group 4 was administered with 30 mg/kg lead acetate; Groups 5 and 6 received lead acetate with vitamin E and lead acetate with quercetin, respectively. Results Lead acetate significantly increased (p

Rail track breakages represent broken structures consisting of rail track on the railroad. The traditional methods for detecting this problem have proven unproductive. The safe operation of rail transportation needs to be frequently monitored because of the level of trust people have in it and to ensure adequate maintenance strategy and protection of human lives and properties. This paper presents an automatic deep learning method using an improved fully Convolutional Neural Network (FCN) model based on U-Net architecture to detect and segment cracks on rail track images. An approach to evaluating the extent of damage on rail tracks is also proposed to aid efficient rail track maintenance. The model performance is evaluated using precision, recall, F1-Score, and Mean Intersection over Union (MIoU). The results obtained from the extensive analysis show U-Net capability to extract meaningful features for accurate crack detection and segmentation.

Today’s business entities face an ever-growing number of laws and regulations due to recent high profile business scandals and failures. Small and medium scale enterprises (SMSE) in developing countries do not have an efficient compliance checking mechanism to make their business processes compliant with these regulatory standards. This checking mechanism is needed to give the enterprises full assurance of complete adherence to regulatory standards, bodies, or Service Level Agreements. Therefore, a structured and efficient compliance management model is needed to aid SMSE in launching their businesses safely and to ensure business processes fit into the classical regulatory standards. This paper presents a business rules compliance checking model and architecture for SMSEs in developing countries to verify and monitor their business process models at design time and at run time. It involves a systematic compliance requirements classification and analysis that employs a goal based requirement engineering approach prior to design time verification. It also introduces the idea and demonstration of network analysis for runtime business processes monitoring. The business process model will be verified at design time using a Simple PROMELA Interpreter model checker through Linear Temporal Logic rules. The approaches were tested on a financial institution in Nigeria, a developing nation in Africa at the time of this research. In order to ensure that the choice of the requirements analysis approach was efficient, a number of standard metrics for evaluating requirements engineering techniques were used and promising results were obtained. We also carried out a comparative analysis of the proposed approach in this paper with the approaches of previous research papers. This approach proved to be effective in terms of clarity, simplicity, flexibility and expressiveness while reducing incomplete adherence of business processes and enhancing the correctness of the business process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study was carried out to assess the effect of smoking methods on quality and safety of traditional smoked of fish from Lagos State, Nigeria. Five types of fresh fish (40) samples each were obtained from 20 different fish processing centers. The fresh fish samples were divided into two batches. The first batch was smoked with drum kiln and second batch was smoked with convective kiln. Laboratory analyses were carried out on the two batches for proximate, rancidity indices (PV, TBA, TVBN, TMA, and pH), heavy metals and microbiological (coliform, fungi,Listeria monocytogenes, Salmonella paratyphi, andStaphylococcus aureus). The results revealed that the mean MC of fresh fish samples ranged from 73.48%–75.94% and that of drum-smoked fish samples ranged from 11.86%–13.41% and 8.56%–9.36% for convective smoked fish samples. The mean PC of fresh fish samples ranged from 15.18%–17.96% and that of drum-smoked fish samples ranged from 54.80%–59.35% and 57.45%–66.23% for convective-smoked fish samples. The results of the proximate, quality, and microbiological analyses revealed that there was significant variations (p < 0.05) due to smoking methods. The study showed that the levels of the four heavy metals investigated in the fish samples are generally below the maximum permissible levels set by WHO for Pb (0.3 ppm); Cd (0.2 ppm), Hg (0.2 ppm) and Cr (0.5 ppm) and hence pose no risk to smoked fish consumers. The study concluded that traditional drum-smoked fish needs further cooking or heat treatment before it can be included in the menu, as non-heat treatment may pose higher microbiological risks to the consumers due to the presence ofListeria monocytogenesin some of the traditional drum-smoked fish samples which may constitute a threat to public health. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Objectives:To review the profile of children and adolescents presenting with psychosis at a specialist mental health facility, and to compare childhood with adolescent onset psychosis. Method:Hospital records of all children and adolescents over a 12-year period (1999–2010) were perused to identify those falling under the categories of psychotic disorders. Clinical, socio-demographic, obstetric, and developmental information was extracted. Results:Mean age of the children ((n= 409)) was 15.9 years, with 8.1% aged 12 years or less. The most frequent diagnoses were schizophrenia (40.8%), brief psychotic disorder (25.9%), mood disorder with psychosis (15.2%), and organic psychosis (7.8%). Family history of mental illness was reported among 22.5%. Subjects with childhood onset were significantly less likely than those with adolescent onset to have a family history of mental illness (p= 0.016), more likely to report maternal illness during pregnancy (p= 0.005) and illness during infancy (p= 0.010), and more likely to have a diagnosis of psychotic disorder due to another general medical condition (p< 0.001). Conclusion:The study suggests that antenatal/obstetric factors and illness during infancy may be particularly relevant in psychosis of childhood onset. Family history of mental illness may however be of greater relevance in adolescent onset psychosis. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Background: Children with recognized, diagnosable mental and neurological disorders are in addition prone to emotional and behavioral problems which transcend their specific diagnostic labels. In accessing care, these children are almost invariably accompanied by caregivers (usually mothers) who may also have mental health problems, notably depression. The relationship between child and maternal psychopathology has however not been sufficiently researched especially in low and middle income countries. Methods: Mothers (n = 100) of children receiving care at the Child and Adolescent Clinic of a Neuropsychiatric Hospital in Abeokuta, Nigeria took part in the study. To each consenting mother was administered a sociodemographic questionnaire and the Patient Health Questionnaire, while information regarding their children (n = 100) was obtained using the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire. Data analysis was done with the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 16. Results: The mean ages of the mothers and children were 40.4 years (SD 4.7) and 11.6 years (SD 4.1), respectively. Among the children, 63 % had a main diagnosis of seizure disorder. Regardless of main diagnosis, 40 % of all the children had a comorbid diagnosis. Among the mothers, 23 % had major depressive disorder. A quarter (25 %) of the children had abnormal total SDQ scores. A diagnosis of major depressive disorder in mothers was associated with poor total SDQ scores and poor scores in all SDQ domains except the emotional domain for the children. Major depressive disorder among the mothers was associated with not being married (p = 0.004; OR = 0.142, 95 % CI 0.037-0.546) and longer duration of the child's illness (p = 0.039, OR = 1.165, 95 % CI 1.007-1.346). Conclusion: The study showed notable rates of depressive illness among mothers of children with neuropsychiatric disorders. Marked rates of emotional and behavioral disorders were also found among the children. Associations were found between maternal and child psychopathology. Mothers of children with neuropsychiatric disorders should be screened for depressive illness. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A study was carried out to investigate the effect of smoking methods on microbial safety, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon, and heavy metal concentrations of traditional smoked fish from Lagos State, Nigeria. One hundred samples of fresh fish were obtained from 20 different fishing communities/processing centers. The fresh fish samples were divided into two batches: The first batch was smoked with drum kiln and the second batch was immediately taken to the Fish Hatchery Unit, Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta for smoking with convective kiln. Laboratory analyses were carried out on the two batches for: microbiological (Coliform, Fuugi,Listeria monocytogenes,Salmonella paratyphiandStaphylococcus aureus), polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon and heavy metals (mercury, lead, cadmium and chromium). The results of the microbiological, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon and heavy metal analyses revealed that there were significant variations (p < 0.05) between them. LC count of fresh silver catfish, spotted tilapia, bonga shad, Nigerian tongue sole, and Guinea barracuda samples were 1.9 × 102, 1.7 × 102, 2.0 × 102, 2.1 × 102and 2.6 × 102cfu/g and their drum kiln smoked samples were 4.0 × 10, 5.3 × 101, 6.0 × 101, 12.2 × 101and 7.4 × 101cfu/g, respectively, while samples from convective smoking kiln contain no strain ofListeria monocytogenes. The concentrations of the six major PAHs (fluorene, anthracene, benzo [b] fluoranthene, benzo [a] anthracene, benzo [a] pyrene and benzo [ghi] perylene) in the drum-smoked fish exceeded the EU maximum level of 5.0 μg/kg for BaP permissible in smoked fish, while samples smoked by convective smoking kiln showed levels below 3.5 μg BaP/kg. The study also showed that the levels of the four heavy metals investigated in the smoked fish samples are generally below the maximum permissible levels set by World Health Organization for Hg (0.2 ppm), Pb (0.3 ppm), Cd (0.2 ppm), and Cr (0.5 ppm) and hence pose no risk to smoked fish consumers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To investigate the hepatic and reproductive toxicity of dichlorvos and lead acetate on male Wistar rats. Methods: Fifteen adult male Wistar rats (170-190 g) were randomly divided into three groups, with 5 rats in each group. Group 1 received 0.5 mL distilled water orally and served as the control group, while groups 2 and 3 were orally treated with 2 mg/kg body weight (b.w.) dichlorvos and 10 mg/kg b.w. lead acetate, respectively, for 55 days. Epididymal sperm, serum follicle stimulating hormone (FSH), luteinizing hormone (LH), testosterone concentrations, testicular 17 β-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase activity (17β-HSD), androgen receptor expression, aspartate aminotransferase (AST), alanine aminotransferase (ALT), testicular oxidant and antioxidant enzymes were evaluated with standard methods. Results: Sperm count, motility, morphology, FSH, LH, testosterone levels, 17β-HSD, androgen receptor expression, and catalase activity were significantly reduced in the dichlorvos and lead acetate treated groups as compared with the control group (P

This paper presents an overview of some Deep Learning (DL) techniques applicable to forecasting electricity consumptions, especially in the short-term horizon. The paper introduced key parts of four DL architectures including the RNN, LSTM, CNN and SAE, which are recently adopted in implementing Short-term (electricity) Load Forecasting problems. It further presented a model approach for solving such problems. The eventual implication of the study is to present an insightful direction about concepts of the DL methods for forecasting electricity loads in the short-term period, especially to a potential researcher in quest of solving similar problems.

Purpose – This study aims to assess the quality and microbial safety of traditional smoked spotted tilapia fish from Lagos State and, by doing so, determine the quality and microbial safety level of traditional smoked spotted tilapia fish, their distribution, effects and possible public health implications of the quality/rancidity indices and microorganisms on the consumers. Design/methodology/approach – Fresh spotted tilapia fish (100 samples) were collected from 20 different fishing/processing centres and divided into two batches. One batch was smoked with local drum kiln at processing centres, and the second batch was smoked with convective smoking kiln as control in the laboratory. Each batch was assessed for moisture content, protein content, fat content, crude fibre content, ash content, pH, thiobarbituric acid (TBA), total volatile base- nitrogen (TVB-N), trimethylamine (TMA), peroxide value (PV) and free fatty acid (FFA) values. Microbiological analyses were also conducted. Each batch was assessed for total viable count (TVC), fungal count, Listeria monocytogenes count, Staphylococcus aureus count, Salmonellaparatyphi count and presence or absence of Escherichiacoli. Findings – The results of the proximate composition, quality indices and microbiological analyses revealed that there was significant variations (p < 0.05) between smoked fish with different smoking methods. The mean pH, TBA, TVB-N, TMA, PV and FFA values of fresh and smoked spotted tilapia fish samples were within the range recommended by United States Food and Drug Administration. The mean TVC of fresh spotted tilapia fish samples was 6.3 × 106-8.8 × 108 cfu/g and TVC of samples of smoked spotted tilapia fish and the control were 2.0 × 104-6.4 × 104 cfu/g and 1.0 × 103-8.6 × 103 cfu/g, respectively. The mean L. monocytogenes count of fresh spotted tilapia fish samples was 1.3 × 102-2.4 × 102 cfu/g and that of samples of smoked spotted tilapia fish ranged from 1.6 × 101 to 23.1 × 101 cfu/g while samples of smoked spotted tilapia fish using convective smoking kiln showed no count for L. monocytogenes. The mean S.aureus count of fresh spotted tilapia fish samples ranged from 4.7 × 103 to 8.0 × 103 cfu/g and that of samples of smoked spotted tilapia fish ranged from 5.1 × 102 to 88.6 × 102 cfu/g and 1.1 × 102 to 3.8 × 102 cfu/g. The mean fat content (FC) count of samples of smoked spotted tilapia fish ranged from 1.1 × 101 to 6.0 × 101 cfu/g. S.paratyphi and E.coli were not detected in all smoked spotted tilapia fish samples. The study, however, concluded that the traditional drum smoked spotted tilapia fish could expose consumers to high microbial risk because of the presence of L.monocytogenes. Research limitations/implications – The fresh fish used in this study were obtained from coastal villages in Lagos State, and there were limitations in getting the samples in time to the processing centres and in preserving the fresh fish because of poor or non-availability of power (electricity). Practical implications – The paper includes implications for the development of a cost-effective smoked fish, to ensure food safety, enhanced health and improve the preservation and post-harvest losses of fresh fish. Social implications – The paper helps in developing an effective smoked method that will produce good-quality smoked fish, reduce the incidence of food poison and enhance the health of consumers. Originality/value – This research is of value to the traditional fish smokers and consumers. Smoked fish has been implicated as a source of microbial infection in Nigeria and West African sub-region in recent times and the need for good manufacturing practices cannot be overemphasized. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective:This study aimed to investigate the relationship between prodromal psychotic symptoms and psychological distress among Nigerian adolescents. Method:Students (n=508) were randomly selected from secondary schools in Abeokuta, Nigeria. A socio-demographic questionnaire, the Prodromal Questionnaire-Brief Version (PQ-B) and the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ) were administered to each student. Results:The mean age of the students was 15.4 years (SD 1.3), with most (63%) being female. More than half (55.3%) reported having had a lifetime experience of major life event (20.9% in the preceding 6 months) while 13.9% had experienced bullying or abuse (5.1% in the preceding 6 months). The prevalence of prodromal symptoms was 20.9% (95% CI 0.174–0.244). Abnormal scores in emotional and conduct problems were seen in 11.8% and 6% respectively, while 7.3% had abnormal scores in each of the hyperactivity and peer problems subscales of the SDQ. Abnormality in prosocial behaviour was found in 1.8% of students, with overall abnormality in 4.9%. Regression analysis showed that prodromal symptoms were predicted by female sex, lifetime and 6 month history of major life event, and lifetime and 6 month history of bullying or abuse. Prodromal symptoms were also predicted by higher total SDQ scores and higher scores in all domains of psychological distress except the prosocial domain.Conclusion: The study showed a relationship between reported prodromal symptoms and the occurrence of psychological distress. It also showed that early childhood trauma may be a predisposing factor to the early stages of development of psychosis, with female children being especially prone in the years of adolescence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The role of physiotherapists in obstetrics and gynecology is pivotal. However, utilization of their capabilities depends on the cooperation of other health professionals in discharging their services to patients, who are the focus of the team. This study was designed to assess the attitude of obstetricians and gynecologists in south-western Nigeria towards involving physiotherapists in the management of patients with obstetric and gynecologic conditions. Methods: This was a descriptive survey of obstetricians and gynecologists from seven hospitals in south-western Nigeria. Sixty-seven participants, including 41 senior registrars and 26 consultants, participated in the study. More consultants (73.1%) than senior registrars (46.3%) had a good knowledge of the role of physiotherapists in obstetric and gynecological practice. All participants had general knowledge of the role of physiotherapists in obstetrics and gynecology, but a limited knowledge of specific conditions amenable to treatment by physiotherapists. More senior registrars had a better attitude (73.2%) than consultants (53.8%) towards involvement of physiotherapists in their practice, and 94.0% of the obstetricians and gynecologists utilized the services of physiotherapists, with referral of patients (56.7%) mainly to physiotherapists working in general/state hospitals. Conclusion: There is a need for better interaction and communication between physiotherapists and obstetricians and gynecologists, which could be achieved through clinical meetings, seminars, and workshops. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Improving maternal and child health in developing countries are critical components of the millennium development goals. The indicators for measuring progress in most developing countries remain poor reflecting poor access to quality maternal and child health care among other factors. Cost-effective interventions to save women's and children's lives are known. Failure to implement these interventions contributes significantly to the poor health indices prevalent in developing countries. Initiatives for improving quality of maternal and child health care must incorporate affordable and cost-effective evidence-based treatment strategies that are applicable in developing countries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The lack of reliable and up-to-date statistics on maternal deaths and disabilities remains a major challenge to the implementation of Nigeria's Rood Map to Accelerate the Millennium Development Goal related to Maternal Health (MDG-5). There are currently no functioning national data sources on maternal deaths and disabilities that could serve as reference points for programme managers, health advocates and policy makers. While awaiting the success of efforts targeted at overcoming the barriers facing establishment of population-based data systems, referral institutions in Nigeria can contribute their quota in the quest towards MDG-5 by providing good quality and reliable information on maternal deaths and disabilities on a continuous basis. This project represents the first opportunity to initiate a scientifically sound and reliable quantitative system of data gathering on maternal health profile in Nigeria. Objective: The primary objective is to create a national data system on maternal near miss (MNM) and maternal mortality in Nigerian public tertiary institutions. This system will conduct periodically, both regionally and at country level, a review of the magnitude of MNM and maternal deaths, nature of events responsible for MNM and maternal deaths, indices for the quality of care for direct obstetric complications and the health service events surrounding these complications, in an attempt to collectively define and monitor the standard of comprehensive emergency obstetric care in the country. Methods: This will be a nationwide cohort study of all women who experience MNM and those who die from pregnancy, childbirth and puerperal complications using uniform criteria among women admitted in tertiary healthcare facilities in the six geopolitical zones in Nigeria. This will be accomplished by establishing a network of all public tertiary obstetric referral institutions that will prospectively collect specific information on potentially fatal maternal complications. For every woman enrolled, the health service events (care pathways) within the facility will be evaluated to identify areas of substandard care/avoidable factors through clinical audit by the local research team. A summary estimate of the frequencies of MNM and maternal deaths will be determined at intervals and indicators of quality of care (case fatality rate, both total and cause-specific and mortality index) will be evaluated at facility, regional and country levels. Management: Overall project management will be from the Centre for Research in Reproductive Health (CRRH), Sagamu, Nigeria. There will be at least two meetings and site visits for efficient coordination of the project by regional coordinators and central coordinating staff. Data will be transferred electronically by hospital and regional coordinators and managed at the Data Management Unit of CRRH, Sagamu, Nigeria. Expected outcomes: The outcome of the study would provide useful information to the health practitioners, policy-makers and international partners on the strengths and weaknesses of the infrastructures provided for comprehensive emergency obstetric care in Nigeria. The successful implementation of this project will pave way for the long-awaited Confidential Enquiries into Maternal Deaths that would guide the formulation and or revision of obstetric policies and practices in Nigeria. Lessons learnt from the establishment of this data system can also be used to set up similar structures at lower levels of healthcare delivery in Nigeria. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: The study aimed to investigate correlates of cognition among patients with schizophrenia. Methods: Over a three month period, in-patients diagnosed with schizophrenia (n = 50) and mood disorders (n = 50) were recruited into the study. Both groups of patients were assessed using the Schedules for Clinical Assessment in Neuropsychiatry (SCAN), the Annett Hand Preference Questionnaire (AHPQ) and the Global Assessment of Function Scale (GAF). Patients with schizophrenia were further assessed using the Positive and Negative Syndromes Scale, PANSS and the Clinical Global impression (CGI). The cognitive screen section of SCAN (comprising Verbal Trails Test and Mini Mental State examination, MMSE) and the cognitive factor of PANSS were used to assess cognitive function. Results: No differences were found in the cognitive profile of patients with schizophrenia and mood disorder. Among patients with schizophrenia, poor verbal performance was associated with the negative or mixed syndrome (p = 0.004), left or mixed handedness (p = 0.013), greater illness severity (p = 0.030) and lower GAF scores (p = 0.039). Poor performance on MMSE correlated with higher total PANSS score (p = 0.022) and was also associated with the negative or mixed syndrome (p = 0.003) and lack of clinical improvement (p = 0.035). Conclusion: Patients with the negative or mixed schizophrenia syndrome may suffer more cognitive deficit. Poor verbal performance among patients with schizophrenia may be associated with left or mixed handedness, more severe illness and poor functioning.