SCHOOL OF MEDICAL SCIENCE

Background: Globally, it is estimated that nearly 500,000 women die annually from causes related to pregnancy and child birth and 99% of these deaths occur in developing countries. Historically, the involvement of men in labor and delivery was limited, with the process primarily being seen as a female domain. However, societal attitudes and expectations have evolved, leading to increased recognition of the role that men can play during childbirth. By actively participating in the childbirth process, men contribute to a supportive and empowering environment, facilitating a positive birth experience for all involved. Objectives: To assess the delivery experiences and the involvement of adult males whose spouses are in labour and other associated factors in Evbuomore Community, Benin City, to improve labour experience and maternal and child health outcomes. Materials And Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional study design was utilized for this study. Five hundred and ninety-seven males were selected using multi-stage sampling techniques. Data were collected using a structured interviewer-administered questionnaire comprising both opened ended and closed questions. Data was analyzed using IBM SPSS version 25.0 and a p <0.05 was considered significant. Results: The mean age group of the respondents was 40.70( + 7.89) years. Out of the total respondents, 504 (90.5%) had good knowledge while 57 (9.5%) had poor knowledge of the role they should play when their spouse is in labour. Five hundred and eighty-two (97.5) of them had a positive attitude while 15 (2.5%) had a negative attitude toward the role they should play when their spouse is in labour. Five hundred and twenty-two (87.4%) of the total respondent had apositive delivery experience while 75 (12.6%) had a negative delivery experience. Conclusion: The majority of the respondents had good knowledge, attitude, and delivery experiences toward spousal labour. The major contributors were monthly income, religion, occupation, and marriage type

Background: The rates of burnout globally among university lecturers are reported to range from 5% and 45%. The demand of high standard quality services has increased with the on-going globalization worldwide. The estimate of burnout among university lecturers often yield high values and varies between countries, across time, specialties or work sector, i.e. public/private or rural/urban. Education, and especially higher education (University), is one of the areas with the highest prevalence of burnout, which some authors estimate to be 40%. Objectives: To assess burnout among university lecturers working in University of
Benin, Benin City, Edo State, to identify and address potential issues that could affect their well-being and job performance. Materials And Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional study design was utilized for this study. Five hundred and forty nine respondents were selected using multi-stage sampling techniques. Data were collected using a structured interviewer-administered questionnaire comprising both opened ended and closed questions addressing the knowledge, prevalence, determinant and coping strategy of burnout. Data was analyzed using IBM SPSS version 25.0 and a p < 0.05 was considered significant. Results: The response rate in this study was 100%. Most of the respondents from this study were in the age group 40-49 with mean age group of 41.88(+ 6.23) years. Out of the total respondents, 517 (94.2%) had good knowledge while 32 (5.2%) had poor knowledge of burnout. Prevalence of burnout among university lecturers were high in about five hundred and eighteen (97.5) of the respondents. Length of career, faculty and age were the factors found to have affected the knowledge and prevalence. XIII Majority of the respondents 98.0% had positive coping strategy, with most of the respondents 376(68.5%) got help and advice from other people as a coping strategy. Conclusion: Majority of university lecturers in University of Benin, Benin City had good knowledge of burnout syndrome, had burnout, with high grades of emotional exhaustion, depersonalization and lack of personal accomplishments. Over nine-tenths of the university lecturers in University of Benin, Benin City reported work overload, being underpaid, insufficient sleep, lack of incentives and promotions, and time pressures to meet deadlines as major factors that could lead to burnout among them. Also, most of the respondents got positive coping strategy

Background: The global coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19) is a new strain of coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 which has been a cause of severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) on a global scale. Despite the burden of the disease, there has not been any known treatment against SARS-COV-2. Vaccination is considered a crucial measure for controlling the spread of the virus and this subsequently led to the development of several vaccines. Despite the efforts made to achieve successful COVID-19 vaccine use, a major hindrance was related to vaccine hesitancy of the approved vaccine. Objectives: To determine the acceptance of the COVID-19 vaccine and its associated factors among residents in Benin City in order to make recommendations to key stakeholders to ensure improved uptake of the COVID-19 vaccine. Methodology: A descriptive cross-sectional study design was carried out among residents in Egor, Ovia North-East, and Oredo Local Government Areas of Benin City, Edo State, Nigeria. It was conducted from March 2021 to May 2023. Six hundred and ten residents were selected using a multi-stage sampling technique. Data was collected from the respondents using an interviewer-administered questionnaire. The data obtained were analyzed with IBM SPSS version 25. The level of significance of all statistical associations was set at p < 0.05. Results: From the 610 respondents interviewed, males 328 (53.8%) and females 282 (46.2%) with an average age of 33.8± 13.4years. The majority of them were Christians 533 (87.43%) and 367 (60.2%) were single. Three hundred and ninety-nine (65.4%) respondents had a
tertiary level of education. The mean household income was ₦52,244 ± 87091 and about two-third of them earned < ₦100,000. From the responses, 358 (58.7%) and 233 (38.2%) had good knowledge of the COVID-19 and COVID-19 vaccines respectively while 252 (41.3%) xv and 377 (61.8%) of the respondents had poor knowledge of the COVID-19 and COVID-19 vaccine respectively. Four hundred and twenty-three respondents (69.3%) had a poor perception of risk while 187 (30.7%) had a good perception of the risk of COVID-19 (63.4%) had a good perception of COVID-19 vaccine and 223 (36.6%) had a poor perception of
COVID-19 vaccine. A total of 415 (68%) respondents were willing to take up the COVID-19 vaccine if offered. Two hundred and forty-nine respondents (40.8%) have received the COVID-19 vaccine. The factors found to affect the uptake of the vaccine were age, skill level, level of education, knowledge of COVID-19, and willingness to take the COVID-19 vaccination. Conclusion: The study showed that the majority of the respondents had good knowledge and poor knowledge of COVID-19 and COVID-19 respectively. Over three- quarter of respondents had a poor perception risk of COVID-19. About two-third were willing to take
up the vaccine if offered. The government should provide accurate, up-to-date information about the safety and efficacy of COVID-19 vaccines. They should work with appropriate stakeholders to create awareness campaigns that address vaccine hesitancy.

Chasmanthera dependens is a plant known for its medicinal purposes. Liver diseases, especially those induced by toxins such as CCl4, continue to be a significant global health concern. This study was conducted to evaluate the effects of hydroethanol extract of Chasmanthera dependens on liver function test parameters in CCl4- induced toxicity. In this experimental study,25 male
Wistar rats were divided into five groups :Group 1 was a control group, Group 2 was a CCl4- treated group,Group 3 was a silymarin treated group of 140mg/kg, Group 4 and 5 were Chasmanthera dependens treated groups receiving different doses of the extract (250 and 500 mg/kg body weight) along with CCl4 induction. The rats were sacrificed after 2weeks of treatment and blood was collected to run the analysis. There was a significant increase (p<0.05) in liver function parameters total bilirubin, albumin, total protein, and in globulin concentration, there was no significant difference in conjugated biliburin concentration when compared to normal control group. The group receiving the highest dose of Chasmanthera dependens (500 mg/kg) showed an improvement in liver function parameters, total protein and albumin. In conclusion, the hydroethanol extract of Chasmanthera dependens exhibited hepatoprotective effects against CCl4-induced liver toxicity by preserving liver function test parameters particularly in terms of protein synthesis and maintaining blood protein levels. These findings suggest the potential therapeutic use of Chasmanthera dependens in protecting the liver from toxic insults and warrant further investigations into its underlying mechanisms of action.

A common medicinal plant in many traditional medical systems, bitter leaf (Vernonia amygdalina L.), is commonly used in African and Asian traditional medicine. As a result of it's numerous medicinal applications, this plant has been shown to have antibacterial, anticancer, antidiabetic, and anti-inflammatory qualities (Ogidi, 2019). To maximize the optimum potential of medicinal plants, it is essential to understand how their phytochemical content and antioxidant activity vary depending on the solvent used during extraction (Wenli et al., 2023). Due to their strong antioxidant properties, phenolics and flavonoids are the major bioactive chemicals that bring about these health benefits

Academic dishonesty encompasses a spectrum of unethical behaviours employed by students to gain unfair academic advantage, ranging from cheating during examinations to plagiarism, collusion, and falsification of work, and represents a critical
threat to educational integrity. It manifests in diverse forms, including copying, impersonation, undeclared use of digital or artificial intelligence tools, and misrepresentation of effort, with consequences that are intellectual, ethical, and institutional. Research
consistently demonstrates its rising prevalence in higher institutions, often occurring in familiar academic settings, influenced by peer pressure, inadequate enforcement of policies, and cultural perceptions that tolerate dishonest practices. Preventive measures include strengthening institutional policies, promoting awareness of academic integrity, redesigning assessment methods, and fostering a culture of honesty and accountability within universities.

Sodium arsenite is a toxic metalloid compound widely distributed in the environment through contaminated water, industrial effluents, and pesticides. Exposure to arsenic compounds has been associated with severe oxidative damage, particularly affecting the liver and kidneys. This study investigated the protective effect of rutin, a natural flavonoid with potent antioxidant properties, on sodium arsenite–induced hepato-renal toxicity in Wistar rats. Thirty-five (35) male Wistar rats were randomly divided into five groups of seven animals each. Group 1 served as the control and received corn oil only; Group 2 received 50mg/kg of rutin dissolved in distilled water; Group 3 received sodium arsenite (10 mg/kg body weight) dissolved in distilled water; Group 4 received rutin (25 mg/kg) and sodium arsenite (10 mg/kg) and; while Group 5 received rutin (50 mg/kg) and sodium arsenite (10 mg/kg). After the treatment period, blood samples were collected for biochemical analysis of liver and kidney function biomarkers- aspartate aminotransferase (AST), alanine aminotransferase (ALT), alkaline phosphatase (ALP), lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), urea, and creatinine. The results showed that sodium arsenite administration caused a significant increase (p < 0.05) in serum levels of AST, ALT, ALP, LDH, urea, and creatinine compared to the control group, indicating hepatic and renal impairment. However, co-administration of rutin led to a dose-dependent decrease in these biomarkers, bringing their values closer to the normal range. This suggests that rutin effectively mitigated the biochemical alterations induced by sodium arsenite. In conclusion, the findings demonstrate that rutin possesses potent antioxidant and protective properties capable of ameliorating sodium arsenite–induced liver and kidney toxicity in Wistar rats. This implies that rutin may have potential therapeutic applications in preventing heavy-metal-induced oxidative damage in humans.

Phenolic compounds are important phytochemicals naturally present in plant seeds and oils, where they play significant roles in antioxidant defense, oxidative stability, and overall nutritional quality. This study evaluated and compared the Total Phenol Content (TPC) of soybean (Glycine max) and palm kernel (Elaeis guineensis) seeds and their corresponding oil extracts using the Folin–Ciocalteu spectrophotometric method, with tannic acid serving as the standard. Soybean and palm kernel seeds were processed, extracted using appropriate solvent systems, and analysed at 760 nm. Statistical evaluation was carried out using SPSS version 21. Results showed that the dried seeds of both plants contained appreciable phenolic levels, with soybean seeds recording 98.4 ± 1.60 g TAE/kg and palm kernel seeds showing a higher but statistically non-significant value of 135.6 ± 15.9 g TAE/kg (P>0.05). In contrast, their oil samples demonstrated markedly reduced phenolic concentrations. Soybean oil contained 0.83 ±0.17 g TAE/kg, while palm kernel oil exhibited significantly higher phenolic content of 2.71 ± 0.12 g TAE/kg (P<0.05). This notable reduction from seed to oil indicates that oil processing particularly heat treatment, solvent extraction, bleaching, and refining results in substantial loss of heat-sensitive phenolic compounds The findings reveal that although both soybean and palm kernel seeds are naturally rich in phenolic compounds, their refined oils contribute minimally to dietary phenolics. Palm kernel oil retained more phenolics than soybean oil but still exhibited drastic reduction compared to the seeds. This underscores the impact of extraction and industrial processing on the phytochemical quality of edible oils. The study suggests that adopting less-intensive extraction techniques, such as cold-pressing or minimal refining, may help preserve phenolics and improve the antioxidant capacity of plant-derived oils. Overall, this research provides valuable biochemical insight into the phytochemical composition of two widely consumed oil sources and highlights the importance of processing conditions in determining their nutritional and functional value.

Cotton (Gossypium hirsutum) seed, a major agricultural by-product, remains an under-explored source of natural antioxidants, which are increasingly sought after as alternatives to synthetic compounds. This study aimed to evaluate the in vitro antioxidant potential of an aqueous extract of cotton seed by assessing its DPPH (2,2-diphenyl-1 picrylhydrazyl) radical scavenging activity. An aqueous extract was prepared from dried, powdered cotton seeds. Its free radical scavenging capacity was determined spectrophotometrically at concentrations ranging from 50 to 250 µg/mL and compared against ascorbic acid as a standard. The cotton seed extract exhibited dose- dependent activity, with inhibition ranging from 29.11% to 46.37%. Linear regression analysis was used to calculate the half-maximal inhibitory concentration (IC₅₀), which was found to be 288.88 µg/mL for the extract, compared to 86.12 µg/mL for the highly potent ascorbic acid standard. The findings demonstrate that aqueous cotton seed extract possesses moderate antioxidant properties, likely attributable to its inherent phytochemicals. This study validates the potential of cotton seed as a viable, low-cost source for natural antioxidants, supporting the valorization of this agricultural by-product for applications in the food and nutraceutical industries.

Lonchocarpus cyanescens (Fabaceae), commonly known as Yoruba Indigo, is a medicinal plant widely utilized in West African ethnomedicine to treat skin infections, ulcers, and inflammatory conditions. This study aimed to characterize the phytochemical constituents of the acetone fraction of L. cyanescens leaves using Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry (GC-MS) to provide a scientific basis for its traditional uses. Dried and powdered leaves were subjected to ethanolic maceration and sequential solvent partitioning to isolate the acetone fraction. Constituents were then identified by comparing their mass spectra against the NIST14 library. The GC-MS analysis led to the tentative identification of 40 distinct compounds, with many key components showing high spectral match quality scores (>80). The chemical profile was predominantly composed of aromatic hydrocarbons, with Benzene, 1,2,4-trimethyl- (19.05%) being the most abundant constituent. Other major components included various fatty acid methyl esters (FAMEs), such as Dodecanoic acid, methyl ester (5.18%) and 9-Octadecenoic acid (Z)-, methyl ester (4.18%). Biologically relevant minor compounds, including the monoterpene o-Cymene and the anti-inflammatory sesquiterpene Azulene, were also detected. These findings provide a chemical basis for the plant's traditional therapeutic uses and establish a valuable phytochemical fingerprint for future quality control and pharmacological research.