Mj Saka

Condom use among HIV sero-concordant couples attending a secondary health facility in North-Central Nigeria

Background: Condom use during intercourse is perceived as unnecessary in sexual encounters involving a regular partner. The non-use of condom among HIV-positive people has been found to increase the risk of resistance to anti-retroviral therapy. The objective of this study was to determine the pattern of condom use among HIV sero-concordant couples attending a secondary health facility in North-Central Nigeria. Materials and Methods: This is a cross-sectional survey that was carried out among people living with HIV and AIDS (PLWHA) who have been enrolled into care and treatment at General Hospital Abejukolo in Kogi State, Nigeria. The data instrument used was self-/interviewer-administered questionnaire. The data obtained were analysed using EPI-INFO version 3.4.1 software package. Chi-square test was used and P < 0.05 was considered significant for the study. Results: Assessment of knowledge of the respondents on the correct use of condom showed that two-thirds (60; 65.9%) had good knowledge and 70 (79.6%) of them demonstrated positive attitude towards the use of condom during sexual intercourse. About one-third of the respondents (32; 35.2%) would oblige the spouse sexual intercourse without condom mainly because they are both positive, to fulfil marital obligations and to avoid problems in marital relationship. Less than two-thirds (59.3%) of sero-concordant spouse used condom during sexual intercourse for reasons of preventing re-infection and pregnancy. Conclusion: With one-third of respondents not using condom during sexual intercourse, there is a great challenge for spread of HIV infection and risk of drug resistance in HIV care and management. Therefore, stakeholders at various levels should intensify efforts and support research towards behavioural modification in addressing the existing lacunae in HIV control.

Behavioral pattern of menopausal Nigeria women

Context : Menopause is one area that has been shrouded in myths and taboos and the way women perceive menopause depends largely on the social belief about menopause in their society. Objective : The aims of this study are to assess how women perceived the physical changes during menopause, what the social as well as the individual adjustment practice to menopausal changes might be. Materials and Methods : Qualitative focal group study among women aged 40 years and above where eight to ten volunteers formed a group. Six sessions were held for different focal group, each lasting 1-2 h. A tape recorder and a notepad were used to record the discussions. Opinions of the women were sought on socio-cultural differences in the perception of aging, perception of menstruation, perceived causes and consequences of menopause, sexual intercourse after menopause, social support networks for menopausal women, and types of care and treatment for women in menopause. Results: The participants in the FGDs used various phrases to describe menopause in local term; while some of the participants attributed disease to be a cause of menopause, others believed that it be could be caused by witchcraft or sorcery. However, younger and old women whose menstrual flow stops prematurely seek assistance, often from traditional or spiritual healers. Conclusion: This study reveals the poor menopausal knowledge among the study group with more than half of the respondents having negative attitude towards menopause in addition to mixed feelings about religious obligation and cohabitation.

Reference equations for spirometric indices from a sample of the general adult population in Nigeria

BackgroundThe increasing importance of pulmonary function testing in diagnosing and managing lung diseases and assessing improvement has necessitated the need for locally derived reference equations from a sample of the general Nigerian population.MethodsIt was a cross sectional study in which we used linear regression models to obtain equations for reference values and lower limits of normal for spirometric indices in adult Nigerians from a sample of the general population aged 18–65 years (males) and 18–63 years (females).ResultsSeven hundred and twenty participants made up of 358 males and 362 females who satisfactorily completed the spirometric measurements using the ATS/ERS reproducibility and acceptability criteria were included in the analysis. The most important predictive variables were height and age. The values of the spirometic indices increase with increasing stature but decrease with increasing age in both sexes. The sex difference in all the indices is also apparent as all the indices, except FEV1/FVC, are higher in men than in women.Our values are higher than values obtained from previous studies in Nigeria (except FEV1/FVC) but the differences were not statistically significant. This suggests that although the values are increasing, the increase is yet to be significantly different from values obtained using the past equations. The implication of this is that there is need for periodic study to derive new equations so as to recognise when there is significant difference.There was no significant difference between values from our equations and those obtained from study among Ethiopians. Compared to report from Iran, our FVC and FEV1values (in males and females) as well as PEFR (in females) are significantly lower. Our values are also lower than values from Poland. We also observed disparities between our values and those of Afro Americans from the GLI study.ConclusionsOur findings show that it is important to always interpret ventilatory function tests in any individual by comparing it with reference values obtained from a well-defined population of healthy subjects of the same ethnic origin in similar geographic location.

Postpolio syndrome: Epidemiology, pathogenesis and management

Post polio syndrome is a disorder of the nervous system that appears in many survivors of paralytic polio, usually 15 years or more after the original illness. Currently, there are more than 2 million people world wide who have been afflicted with polio as children or young adults and who now may exhibit symptoms of the post-polio syndrome. The purpose of this review is to provide the current information on the syndrome’s causes and promote information exchange on the epidemiology, diagnosis and management of PPS. Post-polio syndrome is characterized by increased weakness and/or abnormal muscle fatigability, general fatigue and pain, after a period of stability in individuals who had paralytic polio many years earlier. It is suspected to be the second degeneration of the enlarged motor units formed during recovery, and another denervation of muscle fibers. The cause of this denervation is unknown, but an inflammatory process could be responsible. Diagnosis is based on the presence of a lower motor neuron disorder that is supported by neurophysiological findings, in the absence of other disorders as causes of the new symptoms. Management of patients with postpolio syndrome should be multiprofessional and multidisciplinary in approach. Individuals with postpolio syndrome should be counseled on avoidance of inactivity and overuse of weak muscles. Proper evaluation of the patients for the need of orthoses and assistive devices is mandatory. This review paper also recommends creation of State centers with comprehensive expertise in the management of all aspects of PPS. The center should also offer teaching and research services.

Menopause perception and care of menopausal women in Nigeria

This article reviews the response of the Arterial Blood Pressure to resistance exercise. Several researchers have adopted several procedures to establish the effects of exercise on reduction of the arterial blood pressure. It is well documented that resistance exercises have attenuating effects on high blood pressure and improve cardiovascular health. However, the exercise protocol, age, fitness level and intensity and consistency determine the effect on blood pressure. Variant in exercise protocols by different authors have made recommendation of a particular dose for a particular result impossible. However, all the studies reviewed proved that resistance exercise have positive effect on the Blood Pressure and also promote cardiovascular health of all categories of people by reducing the risk of heart diseases.Assessment is a vital component of schooling. There is always the need to examine the extent to which stated objectives are achieved. The popular tools for assessment in the school system are tests and examinations. It is therefore pertinent that they are valid for use. Valid tests/examinations yield dependable information and hence rational and appropriate decision making. To enhance the validity of tests/examinations, regular and appropriate validation procedures are necessary. This paper has therefore provided a simplified framework for the validation of tests/examinations; which should be useful to young researchers, examination bodies and test constructors/users. An in-depth review of related literature on the concepts of validity and validation procedures was done. The implications of the expressed views in the literature were presented. The conceptual framework for the validation of examinations was represented using a diagram.This expository paper examines the role of educational media in promoting Information Communication Technology in Nigerian Universities. It takes a critical look at some empirical studies on students’ academic performance after utilizing educational media. The paper also discusses trends in educational media and factors to be considered in promoting effective utilization of educational media in Universities. It recommends that in order to achieve effective educational media utilization, planning, designing and creation of media equipment should be given adequate consideration for quality assurance in media production and utilization.