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Background Ethnomedicine, a study of traditional medicine, is significant in drug discovery and development. African traditional medicine has been in existence for several thousands of years, and several drugs have been discovered and developed from it. Main text The deadly coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by a novel coronavirus known as SARS-CoV-2 has widely spread globally with high mortality and morbidity. Its prevention, treatment and management still pose a serious challenge. A drug for the cure of this disease is yet to be developed. The clinical management at present is based on symptomatic treatment as presented by individuals infected and this is by combination of more than two drugs such as antioxidants, anti-inflammatory, anti-pyretic, and anti-microbials. Literature search was performed through electronic searches of PubMed, Google Scholar, and several research reports including WHO technical documents and monographs. Conclusion Drug discovery from herbs is essential and should be exploited for the discovery of drugs for the management of COVID-19. This review is aimed at identifying ethnomedicinal herbs available in Africa that could be used for the discovery and development of a drug for the prevention, treatment, and management of the novel coronavirus disease 2019.

This study sought to assess the adoption of improved fish hatchery production technologies and information usage by fish hatchery farmers in Oyo State, Nigeria. Multistage sampling technique was used to select 234 hatchery farmers from Oyo using structured questionnaire from all the four Agricultural Development Programme zones in Oyo State. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, mean score and index score. Information on socio economic characteristics revealed that most (88.9%) of the fish hatchery farmers were in the active age bracket of 31-60 years, majority (86.8%) were married male. The mean household size was 7 persons per household with majority (53.4%) having above 6 years of fish hatchery experience. The grand mean score for agencies/channel examined in this study was 1.68, information usage index was 0.56. Levels of awareness were relatively high but there were low adoption rate for some of the fish hatchery production technologies. Based on the available evidences, it was recommended that all fish farmers should be trained on hatchery operations regardless of level of educational status. Therefore, regular workshop should be organized for the producers and the most available and cost effective innovations on hatchery enterprises should be made available to all the categories of fish farmers irrespective of their gender.

In Nigeria, non-farm livelihood activities are becoming rampant in agrarian communities, thereby reducing land capacity to support agriculture. This study examines effect of non-farm livelihoods o...

The emergence of novel coronavirus (Covid-19) in 2019 sprung a sudden outbreak across the globe, presenting clinical and public health management challenges which led to global cancellation of conferences, travel restrictions, social distancing and closure of institutions. Thus, in considering the grave implications of the continuous spread of coronavirus disease, a SEIHRD epidemic model was formulated to gain insight into disease transmission dynamics with impacts of proposing control measures. The model captures the impact of undetected infectious individuals and detected hospitalized individuals with saturated treatment on the spread, death and recovery of Covid-19 patients in Nigeria. The model epidemic threshold and equilibria are determined, and their stabilities are analyzed. The model is validated by fitting it to data from January 28 to December 5, 2020. Results obtained suggest that decreasing the transmission rate for infective alone is not sufficient to eradicate the disease because of the presence of backward bifurcation, and we recommend that Nigerians must also adhere strictly to Covid-19 protocols in mitigating the spread and demise of coronavirus.

Maize plant generates a lot of underutilized leaves which if properly harnessed can be cheaper source of nutrients for cattle, sheep and goat production, thereby improving the challenges of dry season feed shortages. In the study, the fodder yield and the nutritive value of fertilized maize were investigated as feedstuff for ruminant production. Six treatments comprised of maize fertilized with cattle, sheep, swine and poultry manures, NPK and the control were arranged in a randomized complete block design with five replicates in a fiel study in the early and late cropping seasons. Parameters on chemical composition, leaf and grain yield as well as plant height were determined. Results showed that crude protein content ranged from 10.08 ± 0.70 to 12.48 ± 0.82% with manure fertilized maize leaves having the highest (P < 0.05) values in both seasons. The neutral detergent and acid detergent fibre contents ranked the same statistically (P > 0.05) across fertilized maize with values ranging from 53.70 ± 0.81 to 59.90 ± 0.83% and 33.70 ± 0.60 to 37.32 ± 0.63%,respectively. Acid detergent lignin varied (P < 0.05) and ranged from 5.01 ± 0.25 to 8.82 ± 0.31% across treatments. Leaf yield and yield components were also higher in manure fertilized maize compared to maize fertilized with NPK and the control. Leaf yield ranged from 883.33 to 1113.24 kg DM/ha with maize fertilized with sheep manure having the highest values in the early season. It can be concluded that animal manures have excellent potential to increase fodder yield and nutrient composition of maize plants.

This paper examines whether mutual fund managers incorporate environmental, social, and governance (ESG) factors when deciding which sector to invest on behalf of their trustees. In doing this, the top 20 South African mutual fund companies (asset managers) listed on the Johannesburg Stock Exchange (JSE) were selected. The paper identified the top 30 JSE listed companies (in the large industrial, equipment, and machinery sectors, excluding unlisted and service-oriented companies) where trustees’ funds were invested (with a total of 28 companies between 2007 and 2017) from the mutual fund companies’ Equity Fund Fact Sheets 2017 (representing recent investment focus). ESG data were collected from the integrated and sustainability reports at the sampled companies’ websites, and financial data were sourced from the IRESS database. This study adopted the panel data analysis. The results show an insignificant negative relationship between the ESG proxies (water usage, employee health and safety cost [number of work-related fatalities], percentage of women on corporate board) and return on equity (ROE). This means that the sampled companies disregard the United Nations Principle of Responsible Investment (UN PRI) guideline, suggesting that asset managers focus on increasing returns on shareholders’ investment without considering ESG issues. The paper concludes that the disregard for responsible investment guidelines does not encourage companies to improve their unsustainable business practices.

Background: Substance misuse is a significant global health concern. In the UK, the prevalence of substance misuse has increased over the past decade and the number of alcohol and drug related deaths are increasing. Individuals with substance dependency issues are entitled to access treatment services. However, the COVID-19 pandemic created significant challenges for public services, including drug and alcohol treatment, and resulted in significant service reconfiguration and a shift from in-person to remote delivery. This study aims to evaluate the delivery of drug and alcohol services in a large metropolitan area in Northern England during the COVID-19 pandemic. It aims to understand the impact of service reconfiguration for services, staff and service users, and to use this understanding to inform the future optimised design of services. Design and methods: The study has five workstreams within a mixed methods framework: (1) Systematic review of literature; (2) Qualitative process evaluation with service providers (digital timelines, focus groups and interviews); (3) Qualitative process evaluation with service users (interviews, focus groups, text based conversations and case studies); (4) Quantitative outcomes and health economic analysis; and (5) Data synthesis and dissemination. Expected Impact of the study for Public Health: The breadth of the study, its novel nature, and the importance of substance misuse as a public health issue, mean that this study will provide valuable findings for those who commission, deliver and use drug and alcohol treatment services nationally and internationally. There will also be important learning for the effective remote delivery of services in sectors beyond drug and alcohol treatment.

Background: Virtual fracture clinics (VFC) have been shown to be a safe and cost-effective way of managing outpatient referrals to the orthopaedic department. During the coronavirus pandemic there has been a push to reduce unnecessary patient contact whilst maintaining patient safety. Methods: A protocol was developed by the clinical team in collaboration with Advanced Physiotherapy Practitioners (APP) on how to manage common musculoskeletal presentations to A&E prior to COVID as part of routine service development. Patients broadly triaged into 4 categories; discharge with advice, referral to VFC, referral to face to face clinic or discussion with on call team. The first 9 months of data were analysed to assess types of injury seen and outcomes. Results: In total 2489 patients were referred to VFC from internal and external sources. Seven hundred and thirty-four patients were discharged without follow-up and 182 patients were discharged for physiotherapy review. Only 3 patients required admission. Regarding follow-ups, 431 patients had a virtual follow-up while 1036 of patients required further face to face follow up. Eighty-seven patients were triaged into subspecialty clinics. Thirty-seven patients were felt to have been referred inappropriately. Discussion: British Orthopaedic Association guidelines suggest all patients need to be reviewed within 72 hours of their orthopaedic injury. Implementation of a VFC allows this target to be achieved and at the same time reduce patient contact. Almost half the patients were discharged following VFC review, the remaining patients were appropriately followed up. This is especially relevant in the current pandemic where reducing unnecessary trips to hospital will benefit the patient as well as make the most of the resources available.

BACKGROUND: Mask wearing in the COVID-19 pandemic was previously hypothesized as a protective symbol that decreases compliance with other measures such as face touching and social distancing. However, the face mask is now central to the prevention of viral spread. AIM: In this paper, we looked at the shift of guidelines regarding mask use and the mask-wearing adherence habits of the Kittitian population at the onset of the pandemic. METHODS: In this study, we observed 468 individuals, each for 5 min, for the different types of face masks used and their adherence to the Center for Disease Control guidelines for the use of this personal protective equipment. We did the observation at three different locations at Basseterre, St. Kitts, from the 21st to April 30, 2020. RESULTS: We noted that 49.31% had medical-grade masks (N95 and surgical), 36.11% had improvised masks, and 14.74% had no facial covering. About 34% of persons with masks were not correctly covering their nose or mouth and 16.45% were touching their face with their hands. Wearing any face-covering appears to lead to more face touching than no covering at 18.25% versus 5.8%. The highest proportion of errors was seen in wearers of surgical masks, leaving the mouth/ nose uncovered at 12.08% of all errors. CONCLUSION: We recommend for public education and political efforts to increase adherence to mask use in conjunction with other protective measures such as social distancing and hand washing for curbing the COVID-19 transmission in St. Kitts and Nevis.

The brachial plexus is a complex network of nerve tissue in the human body that has been reported to vary from person to person. We describe a very rare variation of the brachial plexus found on a routine cadaveric dissection. On the left side of the chest, we identified two lateral pectoral nerves arising from the lateral cord and innervating the pectoralis major muscle; two medial pectoral nerves (MPNs) arising from the medial cord that innervates both pectoral muscles and a communicating branch that connects the lateral and MPN. In addition, this communicating branch had a nerve that innervated the pectoralis minor muscle. Knowing the variations of branching of the pectoral nerves is critical when performing any medical procedure in the pectoral region, such as plastic breast reconstruction surgery after modified radical mastectomy in breast cancer, removal of the pectoral muscles, anesthetizing the brachial plexus, or axillary dissection.

Musculature variations in the head and neck are typically observed in cadaveric dissections. Some of these variations could involve the levator scapulae muscle, which may lead to cervical and postural misalignment. The levator scapulae function to elevate the scapula and rotate it downward. In this case report, we present an 88-year-old male cadaver diagnosed with thoracic kyphosis having a double-bellied levator scapulae, originating from the transverse processes of C1-C4 and the mastoid process. This abnormality, not found elsewhere in our search of literature, can give physicians insight into upper back pain management and surgical navigation of the posterior cervical and upper back regions.

The study examines the influence of investment in hazardous solid waste reduction on companies' financial performance. The challenge is that investment in hazardous solid waste reduction is traditionally considered an unnecessary cost to companies, with investors critical of such an undertaking because they perceive it to have insignificant or no returns. The study sampled 64 mining and manufacturing companies listed on the Social Responsibility Investment Index of the Johannesburg Stock Exchange from 2008 to 2017. Using Panel Data analysis, the results indicate that any investment in hazardous solid waste of the sampled companies is too insignificant to explain the changes in return on assets. The results, however, show that the current ratio is sufficiently significant to influence the return on assets. The results indicate that hazardous solid waste disposal through targeted investment decreases the risk of future liabilities, for instance, environmental litigation, strikes and fines for environmental damage, and could significantly affect the return on assets. The results suggest that hazardous solid waste reduction requires a substantial long-term financial commitment for process change. An example of one such process change is the complete automation for improved efficiency. A short-term approach is ultimately detrimental to tackling long-term hazardous solid waste reduction issues.

Snappers are highly recommended as choice seafood and as viable candidate for cage culture in the brackish water and marine environments. However, very limited data exists on biological parameters of the snappers, Lutjanus species throughout their distribution range. Hence, the present study sought to improve knowledge on Length-Weight Relationship (LWR) and relative condition factor (Kn) of the Gorean snapper, Lutjanus goreensis (Valenciennes, 1830) sampled between December 2008 and December 2009 in the coastal zone of Lagos, Nigeria. Specimens were collected from landings of artisanal fisheries and inshore trawl fisheries. A total of 822 unsexed estuarine (7.90 to 34.90 cm and 9.51-695.60 g) and 377 sexed marine (21.90 to 56.10 cm and 156-2 975 g) specimens were analyzed. The overall value of the slope, b for the LWR indicated negative allometric growth for unsexed estuarine (2.860); marine male (2.856) and female (2.917) specimens, respectively. The relative condition factor, Kn did not vary significantly from 1. Sex-wise variations of b values and Kn were not significant either. The present study presents, for the first time, baseline information on the length-weight relationship parameters and condition of L. goreensis in the marine waters of Nigeria and in the Eastern Atlantic Ocean. The results are useful indicators to assess the well-being of wild Gorean snapper populations in Lagos coastal zones for management and under culture conditions. Keywords: Lutjanus goreensis; length-weight relationships; condition factor; Lagos; Nigeria

The challenge of water pricing by water treatment schemes is related to the inability of the traditional cost accounting method to provide enough water purification-related cost information to assist water scheme managers in making informed water management decisions. We adopted the material flow cost accounting (MFCA) model to capture water purification-related costs in highlighting inefficiencies in the water purification process and to adequately align other systems’ cost to the cost of water loss for effective water management decisions. We conducted a case study of the Politsi Water Treatment Scheme (PWTS) in South Africa to assist the management in making informed water management decisions by revealing inefficient processes, water loss volume and corresponding costs. Findings reveal that the water scheme is operating at a loss because of high water purification overhead costs. Furthermore, we found that the current input–output measurement approach used at PWTS is substantially inefficient in capturing water loss and water-related costs during purification. We recommend that the adoption of the MFCA model by Politsi should not be intended as a one-off project but should be gradually integrated into the existing system to realise consistent improvement in determining the volume of water loss and its related costs information for effective decision-making.

Pleurotus ostreatus was obtained from the wild and evaluated for its antibacterial and antioxidant activities. The antibacterial activities of the methanolic and aqueous extracts against clinical isolates of Klebsiella pneumoniae, Staphylococcus aureus, Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Escherichia coli with vancomycine and amicosin as positive control against the isolates were examined using agar well diffusion assay and the zones of inhibition for the methanolic extract varied for different organisms as zones of inhibition were highly pronounced in Escherichia coli having 18.0 ± 1.41 mm followed by Klebsiella pneumoniae of 17.0 ± 0.58 mm then Staphylococcus aureus of 14.0 ± 1.53 mm and finally Pseudomonas aeruginosa 13.0 ± 0.58 mm. While for the aqueous extract, no inhibition was observed in three isolates apart from Pseudomonas aeruginosa in which the zone of inhibition was just 8.0 ± 1.00 mm. The total antioxidant activity of aqueous Pleurotus ostreatus differed significantly with total phenolic of 12.55 ± 0.11 mg GAE/g, total flavonoid of 7.22 ± 1.60 mg QE/g, ABTS of 1.99 ± 0.06 mmol TEAC/100g, FRAP of mean value of 5.25 ± 0.25 mg/g and also Pleurotus ostreatus was able to scavenged DPPH in a dose-dependent manner of 0 - 13.3 mg/ml. The inhibitory effect of Pleurotus ostreatus can therefore be attributed to the presence of phenolic and flavonoid compounds in the extract. Also, the result of the ABTS+ scavenging ability of Pleurotus ostreatus as trolox equivalent antioxidant capacity (TEAC) revealed that the extracts of Pleurotus ostreatus has ABTS scavenging ability. The FRAP mean value shows the ability of Pleurotus ostreatus extract to reduced Iron (III) to Iron (II) indicates its redox potential which presents the mushroom a good antioxidant source, suitable for health benefits when consumed.

Introduction Virtual fracture clinics (VFC) have been shown to be a safe and cost-effective way of managing outpatient referrals to the orthopaedic department. During the coronavirus pandemic there has been a push to reduce unnecessary patient contact whilst maintaining patient safety. Method A protocol was developed by the clinical team on how to manage common musculoskeletal presentations to A&E prior to COVID as part of routine service development. Patients broadly triaged into 4 categories; discharge with advice, referral to VFC, referral to face to face clinic or discussion with on call team. The first 9 months of data were analysed to assess types of injury seen and outcomes. Results In total 2489 patients were referred to VFC from internal and external sources. 734 patients were discharged without follow-up and 182 patients were discharged for physiotherapy review. Only 3 patients required admission. Regarding follow-ups, 431 patients had a virtual follow-up while 1036 of patients required further face to face follow up. 87 patients were triaged into subspecialty clinics. 37 patients were felt to have been referred inappropriately. Conclusions BOA guidelines state all patients must be reviewed within 72 hours of their orthopaedic injury. Implementation of a VFC allows this target to be achieved and at the same time reduce patient contact. Almost half the patients were discharged following VFC review, the remaining patients were followed up. This is especially relevant in the current pandemic where reducing unnecessary trips to hospital will benefit the patient and make the most of the resources available.

No Abstract.

Obesity is a global epidemic affecting all age groups, populations and income levels across continents. The causes of obesity are complex and are routed in health behaviours, environmental factors, government policy and the cultural and built environment. Consequently, a Whole System Approach (WSA) which considers the many causes of obesity and shifts the focus away from individuals as points of intervention and puts an emphasis on understanding and improving the system in which people live in is required. This protocol describes a programme of research that will: critically evaluate the evidence for WSAs; assess longitudinally the implementation of a WSA to diet and healthy weight to explore the range of levers (drivers) and opportunities to influence relevant partnerships and interventions to target obesity in East Scotland. The programme consists of four workstreams within a mixed methods framework: 1) Systematic review of reviews of WSAs to diet and healthy weight; 2) Longitudinal qualitative process evaluation of implementing two WSAs in Scotland; 3) Quantitative and Qualitative momentary analysis evaluation of a WSA; and 4) the application of System Dynamics Modelling (SDM) methodology to two council areas in Scotland. A Public Involvement in Research group (PIRg) have informed each stage of the research process. The research programme’s breadth and its novel nature, mean that it will provide valuable findings for the increasing numbers who commission, deliver, support and evaluate WSAs to diet and healthy weight nationally and internationally.

Supplemental material, sj-pdf-1-imr-10.1177_03000605221122740 for Agreement among rapid diagnostic tests, urine malaria tests, and microscopy in malaria diagnosis of adult patients in southwestern Nigeria by Jonathan Ayobami Oyeniyi, Ibrahim Sebutu Bello, Olanrewaju Oloyede Oyegbade, Azeez Oyemomi Ibrahim, Oyeladun Funmi Okunromade and Oladipupo Omolade Fakoya in Journal of International Medical Research

Background: Breast cancer subtypes are often used as therapeutic and prognostic measures; however, it is unclear whether there is an association between molecular subtypes and site-specific metastasis. Our study aimed to evaluate the relationship between molecular subtypes and developing metastasis in specific sites. Methods: We selected 118 breast cancer patients with immunohistochemistry confirmed molecular subtype diagnosed in 2020 and 2021 at the Department of Surgery, University College Hospital, Ibadan. We classified the molecular subtypes into four categories, HR+/HER2-, HR-/HER2+, HR+/HER2+, and triple negative (HR-/HER2-). The different sites of metastasis of interest were lungs, liver, brain, and bone. We used the chi-square test to determine the proportions and significance of the subtypes based on the different sites assessed. Results: According to our study, 45.50%, 18.20%, and 36.40% of patients presented with lungs, liver, and other (multiple organs and contralateral breast) metastasis respectively. Additionally, HR+/HER2- and TNBC patients developed metastasis at a higher rate and account for a combined 90.10% of all metastases (the site-specific distribution was even between both subtypes). Conclusion: Overall, while there are limitations in our study based on sample size, our data shows that some molecular subtypes are associated with a higher risk of metastasis. Additionally, while not significant in our study, breast cancer subtypes are associated with different metastatic sites.