Ladoke Akintola University Of Technology Research Articles

The Epidemiology and Type of Macular Disease Seen in a Teaching Hospital in South-West, Nigeria

Aim: To examine the epidemiology and types of macular disease in our environment in order to advocate possible preventive interventions or address current behaviours that fall within established risk factors. Study Design: A retrospective study. Place and Duration of Study: The department of Ophthalmology, Ladoke Akintola University of technology (lautech) teaching hospital, Osogbo, Nigeria. June 2011 to May 2012. Methodology: The charts of patients seen during the study period were reviewed. Patients with age-related maculopathy were classified into wet and dry. Blindness and low vision were defined according to the world Health Organization definition. Results: One thousand and eight patients were seen during the study period and out of these, forty two patients (4.17%) were found to have macular disease. Of the 42 patients with macular disease, 29 (69.05%) had age-related macular degeneration (ARMD). Original Research Article Adeoti et al.; OR, Article no. OR.2014.6.001 260 There were 19 (45.2%) males and 23(54.8%) female patients with their ages ranging between 10 and 80 years and mean of 58.69 years (SD 15.25). Two (4.76%) were bilaterally blind while 9(21.43%) were blind in only one eye. Ten (23.81%) had low vision. Conclusion: Macular disease is prevalent in this environment and ARMD is the commonest cause of macular disease. It is therefore necessary to educate the people about the established known risk factors in ARMD causation.

Prevalence of traditional cardiovascular risk factors among staff of Ladoke Akintola University of Technology, Ogbomoso, Nigeria

The aim was to describe the frequency of occurrence of traditional cardiovascular (CV) risk factors among selected university workers in Ladoke Akintola University of Technology (LAUTECH) Nigeria. A cross-sectional study of 206 staff of LAUTECH, Ogbomoso, Nigeria had an assessment for nine traditional CV risk factors. Demographic and clinical parameters were taken. Blood sample was taken to determine the random blood sugar and lipid profile. 12-lead resting electrocardiography (ECG) was done for all participants. Statistical analysis was performed with the aid of Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 17.0 (Chicago Ill., USA) Results: The study population included 96 males (46.6%) and 110 females. The mean age was 45.3 ± 7.9 years (range 27-73 years). The prevalence of CV risk factors were as follows: Hypertension 84 (40.8%), visceral obesity 92 (44.7%), generalized obesity 79 (38.3%), low high density lipoprotein 113 (54.9%), impaired blood glucose 16 (7.8%), diabetes mellitus 3 (1.5%), hypercholesterolemia 102 (49.5%), left ventricular hypertrophy-ECG 24 (11.7%), elevated low density lipoprotein-cholesterol 99 (48.1%). About - (72.3%) had two or more CV risk factors clustered together. Females had a higher prevalence of CV risk factors and its clusters than their male counterparts. Of those diagnosed with hypertension in this study, more than half had never been told they were hypertensive 48 (57.1%). This study suggests a very high prevalence of CV risk factors among University Staff in LAUTECH, Ogbomoso, Nigeria. Clustering of CV risk factors is more prevalent among women. Appropriate preventive strategy in terms of education and modification of risk factors are important to reduce the burden of CV diseases among this population.

Geospatial Assessment and Monitoring of the Dynamics of Urban Expansion of Ogbomoso, South-Western Nigeria

This study focuses on the dynamics of urban expansion along with the Landuse/Landcover changes in Ogbomoso North and South LGAs, Oyo State, Nigeria, using Remote Sensing and Geographic Information Systems Technology. Ogbomoso has witnessed remarkable expansion, growth and development of large infrastructural facilities such as highway/expressway, power stations as well as the Ladoke Akintola University of Technology, the University Teaching Hospital Complex, modern markets, very many schools, a number of low cost housing estates, local authority offices, etc. This has therefore, resulted in loss of agricultural land, modification and alterations in the land use/land cover over time without any detailed and comprehensive evaluation of the changes. There is therefore, need for synoptic analyses of patterning, change and expansion at regional scales over time in the environment. LandSat imageries of 1990, 2000 and NigeriaSat-1 imagery of 2007 of the environment were subjected to supervised image classification using IDRISI Selva 17.0 software. Results obtained from classifications were cross- tabulated for change detection. The results reveal that water body appreciated from 1.2% (1990), 3.1% (2000) to 3.7% (2007). Built-up area appreciated from 6.4 to 20.3% (1990-2007). Arable land remained the largest land cover, with the value of 57.8% in 1990, 47.8% in 2000 and 62% in 2007. Compound Interest formula was used to determine the rate of urban expansion of Ogbomoso town and the expansion of the town was projected for the year 2020 and 2025. The average rate of urban expansion of Ogbomoso was found to be significantly high with a value of 8.92%.

ATTITUDE AND PRACTICE OF DOCTORS TOWARD ADVERSE DRUG REACTIONS (ADRs) REPORTING IN A NIGERIAN TERTIARY HEALTH FACILITY.

Adverse drug reactions, (ADRs), constitute an important cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide. Spontaneous adverse drug reaction (ADR) reporting is the bedrock of post-marketing surveillance but under-reporting remains its major drawback. This study aimed at evaluating the attitude and practice of ADR among doctors in a tertiary health facility in Oyo State, Nigeria, with a view to improving ADRs reporting. This was a cross-sectional questionnaire based study involving medical doctors working at the Ladoke Akintola University of Technology (LAUTECH) Teaching Hospital, Ogbomoso. Consenting doctors were evaluated on their attitude and practice of ADRs through self-administered questionnaire. Data obtained were entered and analyzed using SPSS version 17. A total of 35 doctors responded to the questionnaires. Only about 57.1% considered ADR before prescribing, all of whom were also aware of the procedure for reporting. Awareness of the existence of National Pharmacovigilance Center (NPC) was 71.4%. Thirty (85.7%) of the respondents have encountered ADR, but only 2.9% have ever reported it with yellow form. Majority (85.7%) of the respondents did not consider ADR reporting as a useful tool in the prevention of drug related morbidities and mortalities. Other factors that may hinder ADR reporting include: lack of awareness of the existence of yellow forms for reporting (68.6%) and poor knowledge of procedure for reporting (48.6%). ADR reporting rate was very low among the participants in this small study; large studies aimed at evaluating the determinants of ADR reporting should be considered. Should these findings be confirmed, training and re-retraining through Continuing Medical Education (CME), and establishment of pharmacovigilance committee would be required to ensure a national pharmaovigilance system.

Efficacy of neem compost on root knot nematode pest of Lagos spinach, Celosia argentea

The effects of neem compost on root knot nematode, Meloidogyne incognita, pest of Lagos spinach, Celosia argentea, cv. TLV 8, was studied during 2010 and 2011 planting seasons on the field. The trial was conducted at the Teaching and Research Farm of Ladoke Akintola University of Technology, Ogbomoso, Nigeria. There were four treatments, replicated five times fitted into randomised complete block design. Neem compost was applied at 1.0, 1.5 and 2.0 tonnes/ha. Experimental plots, where no compost was applied served as the control. The result obtained shows that Lagos spinach treated with neem compost significantly (p < 0.05) reduced the final soil nematode population and root infections (damage), with resultant improvement on crop growth and yield. The result of the chemical analysis of the neem compost revealed the presence of flavonoids, sterols, glycosides, alkaloids and saponins.

Community attitude towards the reproductive rights and sexual life of people living with HIV/AIDS in Olorunda Local Government Area, Osogbo, Nigeria

BackgroundGlobally, the Human immunodeficiency virus/acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (HIV/AIDS) epidemic remains a major public health problem. In most countries in sub-Saharan Africa, HIV/AIDS has already reversed the post-independence developmental gains.PurposeThis study assessed community attitudes regarding the reproductive rights and sexual life of people living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHA) in Olorunda Local Government Area of Osun State, Southwestern Nigeria.Design and methodsIn a community-based descriptive cross-sectional study, the sample size calculation was based on the assumption that 67% of the target population has a negative attitude regarding the reproductive rights of PLWHA; a confidence interval (CI) of 95% was used. A minimum sample size of 340 was obtained using the formula n = Z2pq/d2. An anticipated 10% nonresponse rate was added to obtain a sample size of 374; a multistage sampling technique was utilized to select a total of 450 respondents. Data collected through a semistructured standardized and pretested questionnaire were analyzed using Statistical Package for Social Sciences software, version 15.ResultsThe study revealed that 283 (66.6%) and 142 (33.4%) of respondents were urban and rural dwellers, respectively. Mean age of respondents was 28.7 years ± 2.2 years. Four hundred and two (94.6%) respondents were aware of HIV/AIDS, and 88.7% had knowledge of at least six different modes of HIV/AIDS transmission. About 30.7% of respondents had discriminatory and stigmatizing attitudes towards PLWHA, and 50.9% and 44.8% had negative attitudes towards their sexual and reproductive rights, respectively. There were significant associations between gender, marital status, educational status, occupation, and residential area of respondents and their attitude towards the reproductive and sexual right of PLWHA (P < 0.05).Conclusion and recommendationDiscriminatory and stigmatizing attitudes to PLWHA found among respondents translated into a negative attitude regarding the reproductive and sexual rights of PLWHA. There is an urgent need to institute programs for raising community awareness about the rights of PLWHA, especially in rural areas, and to strengthen legislative provisions for protecting and preserving the reproductive rights of PLWHA.

The new face of rheumatic heart disease in South West Nigeria.

PurposeTo determine the current prevalence of rheumatic heart disease (RHD), clinical features, types of valvular lesions, complications and mortality, at Ladoke Akintola University of Technology (LAUTECH) Teaching Hospital, Osogbo, South West Nigeria.MethodsWe conducted a retrospective, descriptive study of all the cases of RHD seen in the medical outpatient clinics and wards of LAUTECH for 9 years, from January 2003 to December 2011. Statistical analysis of data obtained was done using SPSS 16.ResultsThe total number of attendees of all the medical outpatient clinics during the 9-year period was 67,378, with a subset of 9423 attending the cardiology clinic. There were 11 cases of RHD, which translates to a prevalence of 0.16/1000 and 1.2/1000 for medical outpatient clinics and the cardiology clinic respectively. The mean age of the patients was 25.64 ± 9.65 years, age range 14–40 years and male to female ratio of 1:1.2. The most common valve affected was mitral (90.9%), followed by the aortic (36.4%), and the tricuspid (18.2%). Mitral and aortic lesions coexisted in 18.2% of the patients, and late presentation was common in all RHD cases. Heart failure was the most common complication (90.9%). Other complications were secondary pulmonary hypertension (36.4%), infective endocarditis (27.3%), atrial fibrillation (27.3%), cardioembolic cerebrovascular disease (18.2%), and atrial flutter (9.1%). Mortality was 9.1%, while only one patient (9.1%) had definitive surgery. Financial constraints precluded others from having definitive surgery.ConclusionThe prevalence of RHD has declined considerably as a result of improvements in the primary health care delivery system, with widespread use of appropriate antibiotic therapy for sore throats resulting in the prevention of rheumatic fever and RHD. However, late presentation is still very common, hence we advocate a more aggressive drive to make the Drakensberg declaration on the control of rheumatic fever and rheumatic heart disease functional in our practice area.

Pattern of sudden death at Ladoke Akintola University of Technology Teaching Hospital, Osogbo, South West Nigeria

BackgroundThe purpose of this study was to determine the etiology and epidemiologic characteristics of sudden death at Ladoke Akintola University of Technology (LAUTECH) Teaching Hospital, South West Nigeria.MethodsThis was a retrospective descriptive study of all cases of natural unexpected death, either occurring out of hospital or less than 24 hours after admission to LAUTECH Teaching Hospital, over a nine-year period from January 2003 to December 2011. Data were generated from information in the case notes and autopsy reports for these cases.ResultsSudden death accounted for 29 (4.0%) of 718 adult medical deaths and 1.0% of all adult medical admissions. Out-of-hospital deaths occurred in 72.4% of cases. The mean age of the patients was 46.8 ± 11.5 (range 25–74) years. The male to female ratio was 6.25:1. Cardiovascular disease were the most common cause of death (51.7%), followed by respiratory disease (20.7%), pulmonary thromboembolism (10.4%), central nervous system disease (13.8%), gastrointestinal disorders (13.8%), severe chemical/drug poisoning (13.8%), and combined cardiovascular and central nervous system disease (13.8%). Hypertension-related causes were responsible for 14/29 (48.3%) of the sudden deaths. Hypertensive heart disease accounted for 86.7% of the cardiovascular deaths, hypertensive heart failure accounted for 73.3%, whilst all heart failure cases accounted for 80.0%. Left ventricular hypertrophy was present in 69.2% of the patients with hypertensive heart disease. Moderate to severe atheromatous changes occurred in the aorta in 38.5% of patients aged ≥50 years. No case of myocardial infarction was found.ConclusionHypertensive heart disease and hypertension-related disorders are the most common causes of sudden death in South West Nigeria, so effective public health strategies should be channeled towards prevention, detection, and treatment of hypertension.

Comparison of Lipid Peroxidation and Anti-Oxidant Ac-tivities in Pre-Eclamptic &amp;amp; Normal Pregnancies in Nigerian Population

Purpose: To compare the serum malondialdehyde (MDA) and total antioxidant status in women with preeclampsia and normal pregnancy in our environment. Materials & Methods: This was a 3-year, cross-sectional, case control study of 100 preeclamptic and 200 normotensive pregnant women at Ladoke Akintola University of Technology (LAUTECH) Teaching Hospital, Osogbo, Nigeria. The study protocol was reviewed and approved by our Institutional Ethical Review Committee and all participants gave their consent. The fasting serum of recruited patients were analysed for Malondialdehyde (MDA) with rapid, sensitive and specific Thiobarbituric Acid (TBA) assay, while the Total Antioxidant status (TAS) was determined using the capacity of the biological fluids to inhibit the production of thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS) from sodium benzoate under the influence of the free oxygen radicals derived from Fenton’s reaction. Results: The mean serum MDA was significantly higher in the preeclamptic group (2.96 nmol/ mL) than the value recorded (1.23 nmol/mL) in the control group (P = 0.0001). Conversely, significantly lower mean TAS (0.46 nmol/mL vs 0.62 nmol/mL) was noticed in the preeclamptic group (P = 0.0001). Conclusion: The study showed significant increase in lipid peroxidation and failure of compensatory antioxidant functions in preeclamptic pregnant Nigerian women.

Abstracts Presented at the 62 nd Scientific Meeting of the Nigerian Surgical Research Society Held at the Ladoke Akintola University of Technology, College of Health Sciences, Osogbo, Osun State, Nigeria on 7 th December 2012

Abstracts Presented at the 62 ^nd Scientific Meeting of the Nigerian Surgical Research Society Held at the Ladoke Akintola University of Technology, College of Health Sciences, Osogbo, Osun State, Nigeria on 7 ^th December 2012

The profiles of lipid peroxidation and anti-oxidant activities in gestational diabetes mellitus &amp;amp; normal pregnancies in Nigerian population

Purpose: To compare the Lipid peroxidation and Total antioxidant status in women with gestational diabetes mellitus and normal pregnancy in our environment. Materials & Methods: This was a 2-year, cross sectional, case control study of 25 gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) and 75 matched normal pregnant women at Ladoke Akintola University of Technology (LAUTECH) Teaching Hospital, Osogbo, Nigeria. The study protocol was reviewed and approved by our Institutional Ethical Review Committee and all participants gave their consents. The fasting serum of recruited patients were analysed for lipid peroxidetion product malondialdehyde(MDA), based on MDA reaction with thiobarbituric acid (TBA), with rapid, sensitive and specific Thiobarbituric Acid (TBA) assay, while the Total Anti-oxidant status (TAS) was determined using the capacity of the biological fluids to inhibit the production of thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS) from sodium benzoate under the influence of the free oxygen radicals derived from Fenton’s reaction. Results: The mean serum MDA was significantly higher in the GDM group (3.64 nmol/mL) than the value recorded (1.33 nmol/ mL) in the control group (P vs. 0.66 nmol/mL) was noticed in the GDM group (P

Grand-multiparity: Is it still an obstetric risk?

Background: Grand-multiparity has been known to be an obstetric risk because of the documented complications associated with the condition, and it is an indication for booking in a tertiary health institution. The increase use of contraceptives and improved health care delivery is expected to reduce both the prevalence and complications of this condition. Aims and Objectives: To determine the prevalence of grandmultiparity, and if it is still associated with the previously documented complications in the obstetric population presenting at Ladoke Akintola University of Technology (LAUTECH) Teaching Hospital, Osogbo. Materials and Methods: A case controlled retrospective study of grand-multiparous women presenting in our institution over a period of ten years. All grandmultiparous women within the study period were identified from the labour ward register, and women with parity 2 - 4 served as control. Statistical analysis was done using SPSS 14. Statistical significance was set at p pre-labour rupture of membranes, 16.2% versus 4.0% (p = 0.004), hypertensive diseases in pregnancy, 27.1% versus 8.1% (p = 0.001), placenta praevia, 15.3% versus 4.0% (p = 0.007) and other medical illnesses, 23.2% versus 6.1% (p = 0.001). Post-partum haemorrhage, anaemia, puerperal sepsis and urinary tract infections were found to be significantly commoner in the grand-multiparous than in the lower parity group (p fetal outcome (OR = 2.28; 95% CI 1.11 - 4.65). Conclusion: Although the prevalence of grand-multiparity is on the downward trend, it still remained an obstetric risk, therefore, the importance of booking and delivery in a well-equipped facility should be emphasized among the obstetric population so as to reduce the complications that were found to be associated with the condition.

Acute kidney injury requiring hemodialysis in the tropics.

The morbidity and mortality from acute kidney injury (AKI) have remained relatively high over the last six decades. The triad of infections, nephrotoxins and obstetric complications are still major causes of acute kidney injury in the tropics. This retrospective study is a five-year audit of acute renal failure (ARF) (or stage 3 AKI) in patients requiring hemodialysis at the renal unit of the Department of Medicine of the Ladoke Akintola University of Technology (LAUTECH) Teaching Hospital, Osogbo, Nigeria. A total of 80 patients with AKI were treated over a five-year period at our center, of which 45 (56.2%) were in ARF, i.e. stage 3 AKI requiring hemodialysis. There were 24 males and 21 females. The most common cause of ARF among the patients was sepsis syndrome 16 (35.5%), while pregnancy-related cases accounted for 15 (33.3%) and nephrotoxins for 6 (13.3%). Five (33%) of the 15 pregnancy-related patients survived, and all were cases of septic abortion. Of the other 10 patients that did not survive, three (30%) had post-partum hemorrhage and seven (70%) post-partum eclampsia. In all, the mortality rate among our AKI presenting for hemodialysis at our center over a given year period was 28.8%. Majority of these were eclampsia related. The causes of ARF still remain the same in the tropics, eclampsia portends poor prognosis. Concerted efforts should be made at limiting this trend by active preventive services and early recognition of high-risk obstetrics cases.

Workplace and Productivity: A Post Occupancy Evaluation of LAUTECH Senate Building, Ogbomoso, Nigeria

Post occupancy evaluations (POE) have been discovered to be of high importance in building design deci- sions. The study explored POE to assess the users' satisfaction with the office spaces of Ladoke Akintola University of Technology (LAUTECH) Senate Building, Ogbomoso, Nigeria. The aim was to measure the influence of workplace design quality on workers' productivity to inform future design decisions. A questionnaire survey of 150 randomly sampled office workers in the building was carried out. The variables investigated on a 5-point scale were grouped into satisfaction and productivity parameters. Result of the data analysis shows correlation between self-reported workplace satisfaction and productivity. Recommendations were made on workplace design based on the result.

Investigation into Effectiveness of Questionnaire as a Method of Scientific Research

Questionnaires are often used as methods of scientific research and surveys, especially in education and social sciences. This study, therefore investigated the effectiveness of questionnaires as methods of scientific research and survey using the performance of male and female students in engineering drawing at Ladoke Akintola University of Technology, Ogbomoso as a case study.Two sets of data were obtained. The first was obtained through cross-sectional structured questionnaires, which were administered to 98 students that are made of 28.57% females and 71.43% males. The statistical methods used for data obtained consisted of descriptive statistics of frequency counts and chi-square tests. The second set are the secondary data in form of the results or scores for the past five years, which were collected from the examination officers of various departments, through the permission of their heads of departments. Cumulative grade point average (CGPA) of the students was used and the data obtained were analysed using means and standard deviations at 95 % confidence level. Data were further subjected to t-test analyses through the employment of Chi-square tests. Based on the questionnaire, the results of the study showed that hypothesis that says, there is no significant difference between the performance of male and female students in engineering drawing was rejected as X<SUB>2</SUB> calculated for the hypothesis was greater than X<SUB>2</SUB> critical at 95% confident level, while for the second data, statistics revealed that, there was no significant difference in the overall performance between the male and female students in engineering drawing. Since the second set of data was the actual performance of the students, the study concluded that, questionnaires as methods of scientific research and survey, sometimes, may not reflect the true position of things and results from such method should not be absolutely relied upon.

Performance evaluation of simulated annealing and genetic algorithm in solving examination timetabling problem

This work details the performance evaluation of simulated annealing (SA) and genetic algorithm (GA) in terms of their software complexity measurement and simulation time in solving a typical University examination timetabling problem (ETP). Preparation of a timetable consists basically of allocating a number of events to a finite number of time periods (also called slots) in such a way that a certain set of constraints is satisi¬ed. The developed software was used to schedule the first semester examination of Ladoke Akintola University of Technology, Ogbomoso Nigeria during the 2010/2011 session. A task involving 20,100 students, 652 courses, 52 examination venues for 17 days excluding Saturdays and Sundays. The use of the software resulted in significant time saving in the scheduling of the timetable, a shortening of the examination period and a well spread examination for the students. Also, none of the lecturers / examination invigilators was double booked or booked successively. It was clearly evident that simulated annealing performed better than genetic algorithm in most of the evaluated parameters. Key words: Simulated annealing, genetic algorithm, examination timetabling, software complexity and simulation time.

Effect of phosphorus fertilizer application on the performance of maize/soybean intercrop in the southern Guinea savanna of Nigeria

Field experiments were conducted at the Teaching and Research Farm, Ladoke Akintola University of Technology, Ogbomoso, Nigeria in 2007 and 2008 to determine the effects of phosphorus fertilizer application on performance of intercropped maize and soybean. The experiments, arranged as a split plot in a randomized complete block design, replicated four times. A cropping system with sole maize, sole soybean and maize/soybean intercrop formed the main plot treatments while P rates with 0, 15 and 30 kg P2O5 ha−1 were the subplot treatments. For both years, neither P fertilizer application nor cropping systems had a significant effect on maize grain yield. However, soybean grain yield was significantly higher (92.3% in 2007 and 44.5% in 2008) under sole cropping than under maize/soybean intercropping. On average, N fixed by soybean increased with the increase in P rate (from 51.8% without P to 60.5% with 30 P), but there was no significant difference in N fixed by sole soybean and soybean/maize intercrop. However, the interaction effect on N fixed between cropping systems and P rates was significant (P ≤ 0.05). N, P and K contents in maize grain were significantly higher (>100%) in intercropped maize than in sole maize. The cropping systems had no significant effect on post-harvest soil chemical characteristics. The land equivalent ratio was 1.52 in 2007 and 1.78 in 2008. The result shows that in utilizing legumes for N enrichment, the alleviation of P deficiency can enhance N2-fixation by legumes. Furthermore, P replenishment in a maize/soybean intercrop may improve maize grain quality even though yield is not increased.

Prevalence of hospital acquired enterococci infections in two primary-care hospitals in Osogbo, Southwestern Nigeria

Enterococci are opportunistic bacteria that become pathogenic when they colonize niches where they are not normally found. Of recent, they have become major cause of nosocomial infections, especially of the bloodstream, urinary tract and surgical sites. The aim of this study is to determine the point-prevalence rate of human enterococci infections among hospitalized patients in Osogbo, Nigeria. The study was conducted between January and June 2009 in two primary-care hospitals in Osogbo and involved a total of 118 patients who developed clinical evidence of infection at least 48 hours after hospital admission. Appropriate clinical samples were collected from the patients after an informed consent and cultured for isolation/biochemical identification of Enterococcus species at the Bacteriology Laboratory of Ladoke Akintola University of Technology, Osogbo using standard microbiological methods. There were 525 hospital admissions within the time frame of the study of which 118 (22.5%) developed hospital acquired infection (HAI); 58 (49.2%) of which cultured positive for bacterial pathogens. Enterococci were isolated from infective focus in 7 patients, giving a prevalence rate of hospital-acquired enterococci infection of 5.9%. Two species of Enterococcus were identified; Enterococcus faecalis from urinary tract infection (UTI) and surgical site infection (SSI) of 6 (85.7%) patients and Enterococcus faecium from UTI in 1 (14.3%) patient. Other bacteria recovered from other infective foci were Klebsiella spp 31.0%, Pseudomonas spp 20.7%, Staphylococcus aureus 17.2%, Escherichia coli 12.1%, Staphylococcus epidermidis 3.4%, Streptococcus pneumoniae 1.7% and Serratia spp 1.7%. All the enterococci isolates were multiply antibiotic resistant, and 42.9% were vancomycin-resistant enterococci (VRE) with the VRE strains showing resistance to wider range of antibiotics than the vancomycin-sensitive strains. Other Gram-positive and Gram negative bacterial isolates also demonstrated multiple resistance to all commonly available antibiotics in this community except E. coli and Pseudomonas spp which were relatively sensitive to ciprofloxacin and ceftazidime. This limited study demonstrated a high prevalence rate of multiple antibiotic resistant enterococci infections among hospitalized patients in this environment. There is need for systematic surveillance of hospitals for enterococci infections; prudent use and rational prescription of antibiotics and stringent measures to reduce the prevalence rate by health education on infection control measures such as isolation, cleaning, disinfection and sterilization.

Students' perceptions of E-registration at Ladoke Akintola University of Technology, Ogbomoso, Nigeria

The paper aimed to highlight acceptance and use of both major and minor features of the e-registration portal of Ladoke Akintola University of Technology, LAUTECH, Ogbomoso, Nigeria, which empowers users to apply for enrolment, register for courses, search for information, meet requirements and other news as well as access other e-resources after signing in/logging in. It conducted a survey to assess students‘ perceptions of the LAUTECH e-registration portal. The study reviewed related literature and briefly discussed the transition from both manual application for enrolment, registration of courses by students which is paper intensive to e-application and e-registration. The study employed the quantitative approach and a questionnaire was used to gather information. The findings revealed that the LAUTECH portal was used mostly for course registration by the students who had a high perception of use of e-registration in comparison with manual registration but would like to access their grades, chat rooms, etc on the portal in the future. It recommended inclusion of additional features on the institution‘s (LAUTECH) web-registration portal as required by users and further studies into user requirements of web-based registration

The impact of internet use on teaching and research by ladoke Akintola University of Technology (Lautech) academic staff

The study examines internet use on teaching and research by academic staff in Ladoke Akintola University of Technology, Ogbomoso. A total of 300 sets of questionnaire were distributed to the academic staff in the faculties of Engineering and Technology, Pure and Applied Sciences, and Environmental Science. A simple non-proportionate random sampling technique of ratio 1:6 were randomly selected from the 1,800 total population . 218 questionnaires were correctly filled and collected for data analysis; a 72.6% response rate was eventually used for data analysis. The study revealed that academic staff used internet services for research purposes but efforts should be intensified in the area of teaching and learning. E-mail and internet services are mostly used by the academic staff. The major constraints encountered were lack of internet search skills, power failure and lack of time. Suggestions were given to overcome the problems identified.