Rivers State University of Science and Technology

About: Rivers State University of Science and Technology is a education organization based out in Port Harcourt, Rivers, Nigeria. It is known for research contribution in the topics: Population & Threatened species. The organization has 1826 authors who have published 1833 publications receiving 15183 citations.

Pattern and Outcome of Childhood Cancer in Rivers State University Teaching Hospital

Abstract: Introduction: Childhood cancer is on the increase globally with a heterogenous distribution in the type seen in different localities, age groups, and gender. So also, is the outcome of treatment variable in different countries and is dependent on the availability of funds, drugs, medical equipment among others. Aim: To determine the pattern and outcome of childhood cancer in Rivers State University Teaching Hospital (RSUTH). Methods: A 5-year retrospective study was carried out in RSUTH from January 2015 to December 2019. The case notes of all children aged 1-16years with diagnosis of childhood malignancy were retrieved and only those with histopathologic diagnosis of cancer and complete data were included in the study. Results: Thirty-two children aged 1-16years, with a median age of 6years, 24 (75%) males and 8 (25%) females were recruited for the study. The median duration of symptoms was 3 months. Majority of the care givers (75%) were of low socio-economic class. Leukaemia 8 (25%) and lymphomas 5 (18.8%) were the common malignancies seen and 50% had metastatic disease at Original Research Article Okari et al.; ACRI, 20(8): 41-50, 2020; Article no.ACRI.66160 42 presentation. Fever (62.5%), weight loss (56.3%) and pallor (46.9%) were common complaints given, while chemotherapy alone 5 (15.6%) or in combination with surgery 5 (15.6%) was the most given treatment. Three (9.4%) children completed treatment and are alive, 28.1% requested for discharge against medical advice and 28.1% died. Conclusion: Leukemia and lymphomas are common forms of childhood malignancy in our facility. Majority of the caregivers were poor and unable to complete the required treatment of their children.

Tortoise ecology in the West African savannah: Multi-scale habitat selection and activity patterns of a threatened giant species, and its ecological relationships with a smaller-sized species

Abstract: The status of most vertebrates in the African Sahel is not well known. Among these, the African spurred tortoise (Centrochelys sulcata), a charismatic but also one of most threatened vertebrates in the Sahel, is still poorly studied. We investigated the status of this species, its potential distribution, habitat selection (at multiple spatial scales) and activity patterns in Mali and Burkina Faso, two countries within the tortoise’ known range. We employed field surveys and villager interviews in 23 sites to determine the presence of the species. In these surveys and interviews, we also included the Western hinge-back tortoise (Kinixys nogueyi), a sympatric chelonian also suspected of being in decline. Age-stratified interviews revealed that C. sulcata is widespread in Mali, but since there was a statistically higher frequency of older respondents that remembered C. sulcata present around their village, compared to younger respondents, it is likely that the species has been declining throughout the study area. We encountered a total 77 C. sulcata and 20 K. nogueyi individuals during our field surveys. Most C. sulcata were found along areas of intermittent streams and stabilised dunes, known locally as koris. Centrochelys sulcata individuals were more likely to occur in sandy dry savannah areas that were further away from human settlements, and which contained inland waters or were closer to these. Kinixys nogueyi exhibited instead an allopatric distribution, with no ascertained sympatry with C. sulcata at the microhabitat scale. Cattle incidence was negatively correlated with the presence by C. sulcata. Our results also indicate that aboveground activity of C. sulcata is limited to the wet season and has a clearly bimodal diel activity cycle, with most sightings in the early morning hours. We provide suggestions on how best to survey this species in the wild while advancing new information on its distribution and biology. These data are invaluable to assess the status of this species as part of future conservation planning efforts.

Crude Oil Degradation Using Spent Mushroom Compost (SMC) of Pleurotus florida

Abstract: This paper investigated the effectiveness of spent mushroom compost (SMC) of Pleurotus florida in the biodegradation of crude oil contaminated soil for a period of 42 days. The crude oil contaminated soil was supplemented with different concentrations of the SMC of P. florida throughout the period of study. Microbiological and physicochemical parameters including Total Petroleum Hydrocarbon (TPH) content were monitored from the baseline to the 42 nd day. Results showed significant decreases in the physicochemical parameters during the study period. The percentage loss of TPH at the end of the investigation was 90.09%. The hydrocarbon utilising bacterial isolates were Bacillus sp, Pseudomonas sp, Flovobacterium sp, Micrococcus sp and Arthrobacter sp. The hydrocarbon utilizing fungal isolates were Penicillium sp, Fusarium sp, Sacchoromyces sp, Microsporum sp, Cryptococcus sp and Mucor sp. This study showed that SMC of Pleurotus florida is an effective nutrient source for biodegradation. Original Research Article Stanley et al.; AJARR, 2(1): 1-7, 2018; Article no.AJARR.44326 2

Macro-ecological patterns of the endemic Afrosoricida and Rodentia of Madagascar

Abstract: We examined the macro-ecological and species richness correlates of the endemic mammal fauna (Afrosoricida and Rodentia) of Madagascar. We divided the whole of Madagascar into 307, 50◊50 km cells, and showed that there was a significantly uneven distribution of species across cells in both Afrosoricida and Rodentia, with a higher number of species per cell in the former taxon (peaks at around 19‐21 species per cell in Afrosoricida versus 11‐12 species in Rodentia). In each cell, the number of Afrosoricida species was positively correlated with the number of Rodentia species. Cell vegetation category aected species richness per cell in both Afrosoricida and Rodentia (evergreen forest cells had higher species richness than cells of any other type of vegetation). There was a significant eect of altitude category on species richness per cell in both Afrosoricida and Rodentia, with a confirmed Mid Domain Eect in both groups. Heterogeneity of habitat also influenced significantly and positively the species richness per cell in either Afrosoricida or Rodentia. About 15% of Afrosoricida and 28% of Rodentia are threatened according to IUCN. The distribution of threatened species of the two groups per cell showed (i) a low density of threatened species (just one species per cell in most cases) and (ii) distinct patterns for the two studied groups. Afrosoricida had two main regions where threatened species are concentrated (the evergreen forest belt in Eastern Madagascar and the deciduous broad-leaf forest in Central-Western Madagascar). Threatened Rodentia occur only in the portion of cells covered by evergreen forest, thus overlapping with part of the region where also threatened Afrosoricida occur.

Attitude and Awareness amongst Secondary School Students of Sexually Transmitted Infections in Akuku-Toru Local Government Area, Rivers State

Abstract: Introduction: The study investigated the attitude and awareness amongst secondary school students of sexually transmitted infections in Akuku-Toru Local Government Area of Rivers state. Methodology: Three research questions were formulated to guide the study, with a target population of 350 from fifteen schools and sample size of 70 students, drawn through disproportionate random sampling technique. The Sexually Transmitted Infection Evaluator (STIE) questionnaire was employed to gather data from the respondents. The instrument was validated by two experts in Measurement and Evaluation, while reliability of the instrument was determined through test-retest method to obtain a coefficient of 0.90 index. The research questions were analyzed using mean value. Results: The attitude of students towards sexually transmitted infections is negative and the awareness level is still poor. Original Research Article Stephenson et al.; ISRR, 9(2): 82-90, 2020; Article no.ISRR.63939 83 Conclusion: Based on the findings it was recommended that sex education should be taught in all schools and teachers should come up with modalities of improving sexuality education in schools to ensure students awareness of sexually transmitted infections.