Analysis of factors infl uencing participation of farm households in watermelon production in some selected local government areas of Sokoto State, Nigeria. J

Cowpea (Vigna unguiculata) is one of the most important staple food crops in sub-Saharan Africa, especially in Nigeria. Cowpea remains one of the cheapest sources of protein in the diet of many Nigerians with protein content of 25%, in addition to its several mineral and vitamins contents [1]. Almost all parts of cowpea are useful for human consumption and as livestock feed making it one of the most important economic crops in the tropics. The crop tolerates drought. It is adapted to the tropics with temperatures between 28 0 C and 30 0 C and rainfall between 500 and 1200 mm per annum. The crop performs well in a wide variety of soils but performs better on well drained sandy loam to clay loamy soils with pH between six and seven. Similarly, the bacteria in the root nodules contribute to soil fertility through fixation of nitrogen in the soil and production of organic matter. As such, cowpea is broadly cultivated around the world [2]. Nigeria, with an estimated annual production of 2.17 million tons, is the highest producer of cowpea in the world [3]. The northern region of Nigeria produces about 1.7 million tons from about 4 million hectares, which represents over 60% of total national production [3]. Despite the increase in production of cowpea in Nigeria over the years as a result of increase in cultivation, the overall productivity is still very low [2]. The problem of this low productivity has been found to result from the use of local varieties of the crop, poor management practices, lack of sufficient inputs, inefficient extension services and lack of or inadequate use of modern technologies [2,4]. Hence, there is

Introduction: Traditional uvulectomy (TU) is one of the common negative cultural practices in Nigeria, particularly in the Northern Nigeria. The procedure persists in developing countries probably due to low socio-economic status and non-formal level of education. This study aimed to determine the prevalence, reasons, complications and factors associated with the practice of traditional uvulectomy among mothers of under five-year children (0-59 months) in Sokoto state, Nigeria. Methods: A community based cross sectional study that was conducted in Sokoto st State, Nigeria on 320 mothers with their under-five year children from 1 January st to 31 March 2021. The study participants were selected using multi stage sampling method. A structured questionnaire was used to collect information and throat examination was done for the children to confirm the practice of TU. Data was analysed using IBM SPSS version 22. The level of significance for Chi square was set at a p value of < 0.05. Results: The prevalence of TU is 59.1% among children under five years of age. The major reason for the practice of TU in most 93(29.1%) of the respondents for their U5 was because of tradition. The main complication after TU was fever 24(35.2%), followed by bleeding 18(26.5%). The respondent's educational status (p = 0.004) and occupation (p = 0.001) were associated with the practice of TU. Conclusion: Practice of traditional uvulectomy is high and is odue to traditional beliefs. Fever was the most common complication, educational status and occupation were associated with the practice.

Background: Generally, antibiotics misuse has serious effects on health. The main cause of bacterial resistance is the misuse of antibiotics. Also, the duration of antibiotic has a big role in treating the infection especially in diabetic foot infections. And this is the main problem for which this research is done for. Aim: In this study we tried to estimate the knowledge and practice of doctors in surgery unit to antibiotics in the treatment of diabetic foot ulcers and infections. Methodology: The study was a total coverage of Alribat university hospital at the surgery unit from the period 10th of June till 5th of August. A well-organized questionnaire was dispensed to the house officers, general practitioners, registrars and specialist. The results were analyzed using statistical package for social science. Results: We found that 76% of participants have a good knowledge score and 24% of them have a poor knowledge score. Also, 46% of doctors have poor practice while 54% of them have a good practice. Also, there is a significant and positive relation between the knowledge score and the position and age of participants. And regarding practice score there is a positive association between it and the gender, position and age group. Participants with good practice score have a higher knowledge score and vice versa. However, Specialists have the highest knowledge and practice score. Registrars’ knowledge and practice score is higher than general practitioners and house officers. Participants who are 35 years old and more have the highest knowledge and practice score. And the ones ranged from 26-35 years old have higher knowledge and practice score than those who are 21-25 years old and participants whose have more than 10 years of experience have the highest mean knowledge and practice score, then those with 6 to 10 years, then those with 2 to 5 years of experience and those with less than 2 years have the lowest mean knowledge and practice score. Conclusion: There is