November 2019

The mesmerising memorial has gifted a completely different definition to the new parts of the city and Gomti Nagar. However, a major problem that has been witnessed over time is the increase in microclimatic temperature inside and around the complex, creating discomfort for visitors/ users and nearby dwellers. The effect on environment has been overlooked by the creators of the memorial in today's millennium, when there is a desperate need to save the earth and have a sustainable approach to all that is created.

Background: Exclusive breast-feeding (EBF) rates in Nigeria continue to fall below the WHO/UNICEF recommendation of 90% EBF in children less than 6 months in developing countries. Majority of the mothers are currently breastfeeding, but less than half of the mothers are exclusively breastfeeding. Despite the huge advantages of EBF and ill-effects of not exclusively breastfeeding, practice of EBF is not widespread in the developing countries like Nigeria. Objective: The aim of this study is to assess the exclusive breastfeeding practices among nursing mothers who attend antenatal care in Enugu State, Nigeria. Methods: Data collection was by using a validated 26-item structured questionnaire which was administered to four hundred and twelve (412) nursing mothers who attended antenatal care in the health centres in Enugu state. Data generated from the study were analysed using mean and standard deviation for the research questions while t-test statistics was used to test the null hypotheses 1 and 2, then ANOVA was used to test the hypothesis 3 at 0.05 level of significance. Results: The nursing mothers who had ante-natal visits for four times and above practise exclusive breast-feeding to a high level with a grand mean of 2.81 and a standard deviation of 0.55 for all the items. The nursing mothers in urban locations in Enugu State practice exclusive breastfeeding to a high level with a grand mean of 3.11 and a standard deviation of 0.36 for all the items. The unemployed nursing mothers generally have high level of practice of exclusive breastfeeding with a grand mean of 3.18 and a standard deviation of 0.29. This is followed by the self-employed nursing mothers who also practice exclusive breastfeeding to a high extent with a grand mean of 2.56 and a standard deviation of 0.15. Conclusion: Exclusive breastfeeding practice requires prompt attention in Nigeria as it has great benefits for child survival. Rural location, non-attendance/reduced number of ANC visits, and maternal employment negatively influence EBF practice among the nursing mothers in Enugu State, Nigeria. A prenatal EBF plan during antenatal care for every mother, distribution of leaflets on EBF practice with pictures to the mothers during ante-natal visit, deployment of more health workers to rural areas for effective EBF education, and extension of maternity leave up to the first six month of child’s age to achieve the most favorable EBF practices are recommended.

Peritonitis is a common pediatric surgical condition. The aim of our study is to analyze the epidemiological and clinical aspects within the pediatric surgery department of Bangui. We conducted a retrospective study of patient records received for pediatric surgery and peritonitis emergencies from January 2006 to December 2013. Data analysis was done using Epi Info 3.5.1 software, 2008 version. A total of 206 files were selected. These are: 127 boys and 79 girls (sex ratio = 1.6), with an average age of 9.5 years with extremes of 7 days and 15 years. Abdominal pain was the main reason for consultation. The clinical examination alone, in most cases, made the diagnosis possible. The surgical treatment was a function of the etiology: the excision-suture associated with washing drainage, was the most practiced surgical procedure. All our patients benefited from general anesthesia. Mean hospital stay was 9.4 days with extremes of 5 and 39 days. We noted a morbidity rate of 22.8% dominated by parietal suppurations and a mortality of 5.8%. The results obtained are comparable to those of the literature. The delay in consultation and referral constitutes the high morbidity and mortality factors. Strengthening the capacity to take charge of the service, particularly in resuscitation and care financing, would improve the prognosis of this condition.

The name ‘Paracetamol’ is derived from a compound name PARA-ACETylAMinophenOL by taking the underlined alphabets together. It is also refered to as acetaminophen. In some contexts, it is simply abbreviated as APAP, for Acetyl-Para AminoPhenol. Also variously referred to by trade names like Tylenol, Panadol and others. It is used orally, rectally, intramuscularly and intravenously. It is metabolized predominantly in the liver and 85-90% is excreted in the urine. Paracetamol is the active metabolite of phenacetin, once popular as an analgesic and antipyretic in its own right. It was in 1950 that the first paracetamol product- a combination of Paracetamol, Aspirin and Caffeine was on the USA market under the name Triagesic but was later phased out because of its untoward haematological effects. When it was discovered that Paracetamol does not have blood damaging effects, in 1955 Paracetamol was back in USA market. For over a century, Paracetamol has been widely used as an effective antipyretic and analgesic medication with well-established tolerability. Certainly, the discovery of Paracetamol was a monumental one. Today, it is unarguably the commonest used drug across the world. It comes handy in the treatment of various conditions that have fever and or pain as part of their manifestation and even labour pains.

The present study is an attempt to investigate the factors behind spinsterhood, the sort of perception popular mindset hold on spinsters and the consequences of being a spinster. It starts with a theoretical part as a background to the topic. Then, it moves to the practical part where the study depends a field work for testing the constructed hypothesis. The field work is conducted through questionnaires. Briefly, the findings proved that the majority of respondents, 51% believes that the society considers spinsters as those who had never been proposed to. Moreover, 52% of respondents believes that spinsters are old women who had never been married. As to the factors behind spinsterhood, the findings proved that the majority of the respondents, 75% refer spinsterhood to the fact that women prioritize their education and careers on marriage. For the consequences of spinsterhood, 53% of respondents demonstrate that spinsters’ isolation and embarrassment is one major impact of spinsterhood.