Respiratory effects of biomass fuel combustion on rural fish smokers in a Nigerian fishing settlement: a case control study.

Backgroud: The aim was to study the prevalence of respiratory symptoms and assess the lung function of fish smokers in Nigeria.

Methods: A case control study was done among fish smokers in Nigeria. Women aged 15 years or older (n=210) involved in fish smoking and equal number of matched controls were interviewed on respiratory symptoms and their peak expiratory flow rate (PEFR) measured.

The use of the partograph in labor monitoring: a cross-sectional study among obstetric caregivers in General Hospital, Calabar, Cross River State, Nigeria.

Background: Prolonged and obstructed labor is a significant cause of maternal morbidity and mortality in Nigeria, one of the six countries contributing significantly to the global maternal mortality crisis. The use of the partograph would engender a remarkable reduction in the number of these deaths since abnormal markers in the progress of labor would be identified early on.

Objective: This study aimed to evaluate the non-physician obstetric caregivers' (OCGs) knowledge of partograph use, assess the extent of its use, determine the factors that impede its usage, and unravel the relationship between years of experience and partograph use among the respondents (OCGs) in General Hospital, Calabar, Nigeria.

Knowledge and perception of microbicides among healthcare providers in Calabar, Nigeria.

Background: With the worldwide spread of HIV/AIDS, the absence of a known cure and the challenges associated with existing prevention methodologies, there is need for new prevention technologies. The successful uptake of healthcare products and services depend, to a large extent, on healthcare providers' knowledge, perception and attitude regarding them.

Objectives: To determine the knowledge and perception of healthcare providers regarding microbicides.

An evaluation of the knowledge and utilization of the partogragh in primary, secondary, and tertiary care settings in calabar, South-South Nigeria.

The challenge to maternal well-being with associated maternal wastages especially in labor has remained unsurmountable across the three tiers of health care delivery in Nigeria. This study aimed to determine and compare the factors that influence utilization of the partograph in primary, secondary, and tertiary health care delivery levels in Calabar, Nigeria. This was a descriptive study, using a self-administered semistructured questionnaire on 290 consenting nonphysician obstetric care workers, purposively recruited.

Obstructed labour in resource-poor settings: the need for revival of symphysiotomy in Nigeria.

Symphysiotomy is an operation in which the fibres of the pubic symphysis are partially divided to allow separation of the joint and thus enlargement of the pelvic dimensions thereby facilitating vaginal delivery of the foetus in the presence of mild to moderate cephalopelvic disproportion. It is performed with local anaesthesia, does not require an operating theatre or advanced surgical skills. It can be a lifesaving procedure for both mother and baby in obstructed labour, especially in rural areas and resource-poor settings of developing countries, where a 24 hours availability of a caesarean section cannot be guaranteed.