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Objectives: In much older literature many sociocultural factors militating against the optimal clinical / surgical care of CNS birth defects in the low middle income countries (LMICs) were reported. We set out to interrogate this phenomenon in the current era Methods: A retrospective crosssectional survey of a prospective data-base of the social-economic and family background of the children with CNS birth defects presenting for surgical care in a busy neurosurgical practice in Nigeria. Results: There were 151 children, 81 males (53.6%), with hydrocephalus and neural tube closure defects (NTDs) seen in the study period; median age at presentation was at 4 weeks of life, the NTDs presenting much earlier than hydrocephalus, p-value< 0.001; each child represented the first of the parents in about a third of cases, and at least the 3rd or higher birth order in 40.4%. The parents were young adults, but the mean age of the fathers, 35.8years, was higher than the mothers’, 30.0years, p-value

Background: Socio- economic factors are known to affect health quality, disease occurrence as well as health-seeking behaviors in several ways. Objectives: To determine the influence of socio-economic factors on awareness of cancer, health- seeking behaviors among parents of children with cancer in a developing country and occurrence of cancer using Burkitt lymphoma as index malignancy. Methods: This was a descriptive cross-sectional study that involved children with cancer seen over a 2-year period in a tertiary hospital in Nigeria. Information was obtained by interview through administration of a questionnaire and retrieval of clinical data from patients’ case notes. Results: The caregivers of 91 children (46 boys, 45 girls) were interviewed including 86 biological parents. Majority (84.6%) of the children belonged to the low socio -economic classes 3-5; 45 of 86 parents (52.3%), more likely in parents from higher socio- economic classes, were aware of cancer but only 7 (8.1%) knew it could occur in children. There was no association between Burkitt lymphoma and socio-economic class. Twenty-eight (30.8%) parents of the 91 children visited alternate sources of health care, most commonly traditional healers, followed by religious centers. There was no association between visits to such centers and the parents’ socio-economic status or with presentation with metastatic disease. Conclusions: Awareness of childhood cancer is low among this cohort of parents; their socio- economic status seems to impact on this level of awareness but not on their health-seeking behaviors for their affected children. Focused health education is needed to increase childhood cancer awareness and appropriate health- seeking behavior among the population studied.

The rapid increase in volume and variety of solid waste as a result of continuous economic growth, urbanization, and industrialization has become an intractable problem for the public and private sectors, making it difficult to ensure effective and sustainable waste management. The study sought to understand the perspective of Nelson Mandela Bay Municipal residents on their perceived influence of municipal waste management on economic development. The study used a quantitative techniques approach, with a structured questionnaire. Data was collected from 255 respondents. The quantitative question aimed to determine if the influence was positive or negative, and the Likert scale question had a scale of 1 to 5. This research identified various types of waste, assessed challenges, and evaluated waste's potential for resource creation. The study concluded that municipal waste includes organic, paper, plastic, metal, glass, food, garden, hazardous, construction, demolition, and non-recyclable waste. Environmental pollution is a major challenge, and 26 factors positively influence waste to wealth. Waste to wealth can be achieved through social behavior, education/knowledge, MSWM governance, and economic feasibility for MSWM. The research also highlighted the importance of land attributes, budget allocation, trained personnel, and government regulations. The framework proposed aims to minimize urban poverty while preserving the environment and supporting the present urban economy. Urban communities can utilize solid waste management as a mechanism to foster economic development. The fundamental question is whether stakeholders will continue to ignore waste's potential demands and benefits for urban economic growth.

Abstract Background Overweight and obesity are increasing at epidemic levels in all ages globally, but there is little nationally representative data on female adolescents in Nigeria. The focus on female adolescents is important because of the negative implications of overweight and obesity on their health and survival, and that of their unborn children. Aim To estimate the prevalence and identify the determinants of overweight and obesity among female adolescents in Nigeria. Methods Cross-sectional study using data from the Nigeria demographic and health survey, 2018. A total of 2,721 female adolescents aged 15–19 years were selected using cluster sampling technique. Overweight and obesity were determined using BMI-for-age reference values of World Health Organization and different explanatory variables at the individual, household and community levels were included. Binary logistic regression analysis was used to identify the determinants of overweight/obesity using five models. Results The mean age of the respondents was 16.8 ± 1.4 years. The prevalence rate of overweight/obesity was 10.2%, but with a large variation in the geographical and socio-economic distribution. At the crude/unadjusted rate, nearly all the explanatory variables showed a statistically significant association with overweight and obesity, but at the full model which controlled for all the explanatory variables, only the household wealth index retained its statistically significant association, such that female adolescents who were from richer and richest households had about 3 times higher odds of being obese compared to those from the poorest households. (OR: 2.7; p = 0.018; CI: 1.18–6.18), (OR: 2.8; p = 0.027; CI: 1.13–7.06) respectively. Conclusion The prevalence of overweight/obesity among female adolescents in Nigeria was 10.2%. The household wealth index remained the only factor with a statistically significant association with overweight and obesity after controlling for confounders. Efforts at addressing overweight and obesity among female adolescents in Nigeria should target those from the richer/richest households.

The increasing occurrence of extreme weather events has severely compromised the resilience of power distribution systems, resulting in widespread outages and substantial economic losses. This paper proposes a novel solution to enhance the resilience of distribution networks without the need for significant infrastructure upgrades. We introduce a bilevel optimization framework that integrates Demand Response Programs (DRPs) to strategically manage electricity consumption and mitigate the impact of system disruptions. The approach fosters collaboration between Distribution System Operators (DSOs) and Demand Response Aggregators (DRAs), optimizing both operational resilience and economic efficiency. To solve the bilevel problem, we employ a Mathematical Program with Equilibrium Constraints (MPEC), transforming the bilevel model into a single-level problem by utilizing the Karush–Kuhn–Tucker (KKT) conditions. This method is applicable when the lower-level problem is convex with linear constraints. The model also incorporates Long Short-Term Memory (LSTM) neural networks for wind generation forecasting, enhancing decision-making precision. Furthermore, we conduct multiple case studies under varying severities of incidents to evaluate the method’s effectiveness. Simulations performed on the IEEE 33-bus test system using GAMS and Python validate that the proposed method not only improves system resilience but also encourages active consumer participation, making it a robust solution for modern smart grid applications. The simulation results show that by performing DRP to handle the contingencies in a high-impact incident, the resilience of the system can be improved by 5.3%.

Background Inequitable financial access to maternal healthcare services (MHS) has contributed to maternal deaths, especially in low and middle-income countries. Evidence in the literature on women’s health insurance status and access to MHS in Nigeria is sparse. This study aimed to determine the association between health insurance coverage and access to MHS among Nigerian women of reproductive age.Methods This is a cross-sectional study that used the 2018 Nigeria Demographic and Health Survey (NDHS). A total of 12 935 women who had their last delivery within 2 years before the NDHS were included in the study. Access to MHS was assessed by using the number of antenatal care (ANC) visits and health facility delivery. Adjusted logistic regression models were fit to control for individual, household and community-level factors.Results Only 18.5% and 40.6% of the women in the study attended ≥8 ANC visits and delivered in a health facility, respectively. About 39.5% of women who had ≥8 ANC visits and 71.8% of those who delivered in health facilities had health insurance coverage. There were statistically significant associations between having health insurance and attendance of ≥8 ANC visits (adjusted OR (AOR) 1.9; 95% CI 1.26–2.95) and women delivering at a health facility (AOR 2.0; 95% CI 1.39–2.82). There were also lower significant odds of accessing ≥8 ANC visits and delivering in health facilities among the rural dwellers, unemployed, those with lower educational status and those in the lower social economic quintiles.Conclusion There was a low uptake of health insurance programmes among the Nigerian women in this study. Having health insurance coverage was significantly associated with ≥8 ANC visits and women delivering in health facilities. Thus, providing health insurance may be an important way to improve women’s access to MHS in Nigeria.

The discovery of plastic by humankind is fast becoming a challenge as the end-of-life disposal of plastic continues to be a discourse on the global platform. This discussion results from several findings that the additives in plastic distress both land and marine life by contributing to organic pollutants when the plastic waste is disposed of improperly. With a growing population in sub-Saharan Africa, managing waste generally, and plastic waste, in particular, represents a continuous challenge. With only between 15–25% of its plastic waste recycled, the larger proportion of waste is either burnt openly or disposed of in open spaces or landfills, where the additives pollute the environment. Moreover, some of the waste finds its way into waterways through estuaries into global water networks and continues to cause harm to man through the food chain. This article examines the literature to highlight the environmental and health impact of plastic waste pollution in sub-Saharan Africa, and it proposes mitigation strategies to reduce the critical consequences of plastic waste pollution.

This research aimed to assess the mycological indoor air quality of the grains’ grinding mills situated in the Dutse ultra-modern market. A simple random sampling method was employed to select nine (9) shops where grains are milled. Settle plate method through the use of fifty-four (54) sterile sabouraud dextrose agar (SDA) plates was adopted for fungal isolation in the morning, afternoon and evening. Fungal isolates were subsequently identified using standardized methods. Results obtained indicate that depending on the sampling period and operation status of the grinding mills, all the sampling points examined were heavily contaminated with total mean fungal load in the morning (4084 CFU/m3), evening (3867 CFU/m3), and afternoon (3818 CFU/m3). However, the mean fungal load obtained in the morning from shop C (6426 CFU/m3) was significantly different from other shops (p< 0.05) while the mean fungal loads obtained across all the shops in the afternoon and evening were not significantly different from each other (p> 0.005). Mucor plambeaus (22.22%), Aspergillus flavus (16.67%), Aspergillus niger (20.37%), Fusarium spp. (22.22%) and Penicillium spp. (18.52%) were isolated across the grinding mills. Results obtained indicate that depending on the time of the day and operation status of the grinding mills, the studied indoor environment allowed fungal aerosols to build up which could serve as a potential reservoir of fungal infections. It is therefore recommended that safety measures should be adopted with a view to reducing fungal pollution at the grains’ grinding mills.

Hydrocarbon-related environmental pollution is a major environmental hazard due to its toxicity and widespread presence in the environment, resulting in stunted growth of soil microorganisms, plants, and animals. This study was therefore conducted to evaluate the effect of mycorrhizal inoculation and compost made from Cocoa Pod Husk (CPH) and cattle dung in the bioremediation of Spent Engine Oil (SEO)-contaminated soil. About 2.5 kg of sterilised soil was contaminated with SEO at different concentrations: 0, 100, and 150 mL / pot. Compost was then added after two weeks of contamination at the rate of 10 g / pot. Inoculation for treatments containing Glomus mossaea (consisting of 20 g of root soil-fungal mixture) was blended into the soil samples as well. It was a 2 × 2 × 3 factorial experiment that was laid out in a completely randomised design and replicated three times. The incubation was allowed to last for twelve (12) weeks before the termination of the experiment. Data were collected on the Total Petroleum Hydrocarbon (TPH), bacterial and fungal biomass of the SEO-contaminated soil. Results obtained indicate that combined application of mycorrhiza with 100 mL / pot SEO resulted in significantly (p < 0.05) lower residual TPH content (54.50% degradation) of the contaminated soil compared to the other treatment combinations whereas significantly higher residual TPH content (20.43% degradation) of the contaminated soil was obtained from the interaction between 150 mL / pot SEO and without mycorrhizal inoculation. Interaction between mycorrhiza and 10 g / pot compost had a significantly higher bacterial colony (6.58 CFU / g) compared to other treatment combinations. Mycorrhizal inoculation resulted in a significantly higher fungal colony (5.844 CFU / g) compared with non-mycorrhizal inoculation (3.222 CFU / g). Therefore, it can be concluded that mycorrhizal inoculation and compost were effective in the bioremediation of SEO-impacted soil.

The interface between surface water and groundwater is becoming more complex owing to the effects of climate change and anthropogenic activities these days. In this study, the physicochemical; pH, color, electrical conductivity, total dissolved solids, and turbidity while bacteriological parameters; total and fecal coliform of water samples from River Gashua and its surrounding wells in Gashua local government area of Yobe State were assessed. All the physicochemical parameters were analyzed using water quality standards. Fecal and total coliforms were assayed using the filter membrane technique. The results obtained from the physicochemical parameters of Boreholes (BH1, BH2, and BH3) and hand pump wells (HPW1, HPW2, and HPW3) are within the World Health Organization (WHO) standards. However, the river (R) water sample was found to have a high concentration in total dissolved solids, turbidity, and color than permissible standards. Bacteriological analysis revealed the presence of total and fecal coliform in the water samples; R, BH2, BH3, HPW1, HPW2, and HPW3. The findings indicate that there is a need to protect the quality of the river system. Therefore, it is recommended that government and other stakeholders should take appropriate and corrective actions to avert the continuous discharge of waste products into the river. Again, Yobe State Ministry of Environment should ensure that all public boreholes are routinely subjected to appropriate water assays to ascertain their suitability for human consumption.

This study was conducted to assess the growth performance of Amaranthus cruentus on spent-engine-oil- (SEO) contaminated soil bioremediated with bacterial inoculants and processed biostimulants: compost, sole cocoa pod husk (CPH), and sole cow dung (CD). SEO with 5%, 10%, and 15% densities was artificially contaminated with sterilized soil. Subsequently, biostimulants and bacterial inoculants, Staphylococcus aureus and Bacillus cereus, were applied. The treatments were replicated three times, adopting a completely randomized design. After the biodegradation assay that lasted for 70 days, Amaranthus cruentus seeds were sown, while its growth parameters, plant height, number of leaves, and stem girth were monitored for 6 weeks after sowing (WAS). The results generated indicate that the applied biostimulants and bacterial inoculants accomplished significant (P < 0.05) reclamation of the SEO-contaminated soil as the test plant recorded substantial growth compared with the controls that recorded no growth. At 2 WAS, compost influenced the highest plant heights (6.5, 7.4, and 7.5 cm) compared with other biostimulants at 5%, 10%, and 15% SEO contamination levels respectively. At 4 WAS, all biostimulants produced the same number of leaves (5.0) at 5% SEO contamination level, the compost recorded the highest number of leaves (6.0) at 10% SEO contamination level, while all biostimulants produced the same number of leaves (4.0) at 15% SEO contamination level. The study showed that the combination of biostimulants and bacterial inoculants significantly reclaimed SEO contaminated soil. Therefore, reclamation of petroleum-impacted environments with the combination of biostimulation and bioaugmentation is recommended.

Since 1965, the United Nations has underscored the vital role of human settlements management in creating a sustainable living environment, stating that the building of houses alone does not bring the desired change, as it does not significantly improve the living conditions of both low- and middle-income households (UN, 1969: vi). However, there is still a global challenge of depreciating human settlements, particularly in developing countries, despite several novel policies and programmes. This article reports the results of a study done to propose a framework that could be of assistance to the human settlements management function in Nigeria and South Africa. With a dearth of literature on human settlements management, literature on property, facility, housing and urban management was reviewed to develop a quantitative questionnaire for identifying factors that influence human settlements management, as perceived by stakeholders in the private or public sectors of human settlements management. Two constructs (management [10 factors with 51 measurements] and sustainable management [5 factors with 25 measurements]), measured on a 5-point Likert scale, test and rate each factor’s influence on human settlements management. Based on the findings, legal, political/policy, socio-economic, organisational, physical, human resource, technological, environmental, and ethical/moral factors form the basis of the proposed framework. The latter may assist human settlements managers in their role of managing human settlements for sustainability.

This paper presents the analysis of electricity transmitted and demand on Nigeria's electricity grid system from the year 2018 to 2020 to give the present progress of the electricity system in Nigeria. The daily electricity generated and transmitted data, daily distribution companies (DISCOs) electricity demand and consumption data, and data of transmission lines connected to other neighbouring countries (international lines) within the year 2018 and 2020 were used for the analysis. Also, the extrapolation of the monthly energy of each of the data obtained was computed. The analysis was done and graphs and results obtained showed that daily average electricity day-ahead demand by DISCOs varied majorly between 3.5GW to 4GW with a corresponding increase above 4GW and the total daily day-ahead electricity demand by DISCOs varied majorly between 80GW and 90GW from 2018 to 2020. But despite this demand, the study showed that distribution companies did not at any time pick up to their declared load demand despite being the major electricity stakeholder in electricity delivery to consumers. Also, some generating station units were not generating to their capacity due to fault and gas constraints and some generating stations were connected to the grid without using free governor mode (control required for the generating units to respond to the state of electricity demand on the grid in real-time). The study recommends that the government should ensure proper monitoring and impose necessary sanctions if needs be on any electricity stakeholders and participants who violate the Nigeria Electricity Supply Market Rules for effective and the Nigeria grid code created for efficient power delivery. The government should, as a matter of urgency, start the expansion of her generating stations as well as developing new ones considering other sources for power generation such as wind and solar which are predominately abundant in the northern part of the country.

Little is known about the current experiences of Public Health/General Preventive Medicine (PH/GPM) residents and graduates in the United States. This cross-sectional study of PH/GPM residents and graduates examined their knowledge of the field and career choices after graduation. We developed a questionnaire to address medical education, graduate medical training prior to Preventive Medicine (PM), current PM training, and post-graduation goals. Data was stratified by residency status (resident vs graduate), and board-eligibility (dual-eligible vs solely PH/GPM). Bivariate analysis of quantitative data was performed using Fisher’s test. Qualitative data were organized into themes and analyzed quantitatively. Of those invited to participate, a total of 153 (18.25%) PH/GPM residents and graduates responded to the survey. We found diversity in prior medical education/training among respondents. Overall, debt burden at the start of training was low compared to national trends. Compared to residents, a higher proportion of graduates were board-eligible in another specialty (p

Introduction The perception of mothers about causes of underweight and overweight among children or adolescents and associated cultural beliefs may influence nutritional status. However, data from qualitative studies on this subject and regarding age 6–19 are scarce in Nigeria.Objective This study aimed to explore mothers’ perceptions and cultural beliefs about underweight and overweight children and adolescents in selected communities in a northern and a southern Nigerian state.Design This was a qualitative study using focus group discussions (FGD). Eight FGD sessions were held. The interviews were transcribed verbatim, and the transcripts were coded and analysed using NVivo V.11, and direct quotations representing the themes generated from the perspectives were cited as appropriate.Setting The study was carried out in eight randomly selected rural and urban communities in Gombe and Osun states of Nigeria.Participants Seventy-six mothers of children and adolescents aged 6–19 years.Results The mothers identified concepts, causes and community experience of underweight and overweight children and adolescents, however, some gaps and misconceptions were observed. These included perspectives that suggest a limited understanding of the concepts of mild and moderate malnutrition and stunting and citing of ‘witches and wizards’ as causes of malnutrition. The mothers observed that being underweight was more prevalent in rural communities of Osun and Gombe states, while overweight was more prevalent in urban communities in Osun state. The majority of the women reported no known food taboo or restrictions, and no cultural beliefs relating to the nutrition of children and adolescents.Conclusion Gaps and misconceptions exist in the perceptions of mothers on underweight and overweight children and adolescents. Food taboos, food restrictions and other cultural beliefs were not reported by majority of the mothers. Educational programmes for mothers on child/adolescent nutrition should target identified gaps and misconceptions.

Objective: This study retrospectively examined the health and social determinants of the COVID-19 outbreak in 175 countries from a spatial epidemiological approach. Methods: We used spatial analysis to examine the cross-national determinants of confirmed cases of COVID-19 based on the World Health Organization official COVID-19 data and the World Bank Indicators of Interest to the COVID-19 outbreak. All models controlled for COVID-19 government measures. Results: The percentage of the population age between 15-64 years (Age15-64), percentage smokers (SmokTot.), and out-of-pocket expenditure (OOPExp) significantly explained global variation in the current COVID-19 outbreak in 175 countries. The percentage population age group 15-64 and out of pocket expenditure were positively associated with COVID-19. Conversely, the percentage of the total population who smoke was inversely associated with COVID-19 at the global level. Conclusions: This study is timely and could serve as a potential geospatial guide to developing public health and epidemiological surveillance programs for the outbreak in multiple countries. Removal of catastrophic medical expenditure, smoking cessation, and observing public health guidelines will not only reduce illness related to COVID-19 but also prevent unecessary deaths.

Abstract Background Globally, cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) have continued to ravage the human existence through the premature deaths of its workforce. Despite this burden, many studies in Nigeria have focused on determining the prevalence of risk factors which alone are insufficient to assess the risk of future cardiovascular events. Therefore, we determined the pattern and predictors of 10-year risk for CVDs in South-western Nigeria. Methods We conducted a cross-sectional study among workers at the local government areas (LGAs) of Oyo State. Using a multi-stage sampling technique, we recruited 260 respondents from the LGA secretariats. A pre-tested, interviewer-administered questionnaire was administered to obtain information on the socio-demographics and behavioural attributes. Lipid analysis, anthropometric, blood pressure, fasting blood glucose measurements were done using standard protocols. The respondents’ CVD risk was assessed using WHO prediction chart. Data were analyzed using IBM SPSS version 25; bivariate analysis was done using Chi-square and binary logistic regression was used to identify the predictors of 10-year risk for CVDs at 5% level of significance. Results The mean age of respondents was 46.0 + 6.7 years. The proportion of respondents with good knowledge of risk factors was 57.7%. The prevalence of CVD risk factors were as follows: systolic hypertension (29.6%), visceral obesity (35.8%), diabetes mellitus (18.8%), smoking (5.8%), elevated total cholesterol (55.4%) and physical inactivity (84.6%). The proportion of respondents with low, moderate and high risk of developing CVDs within 10 years was 76.9, 8.5 and 14.6% respectively. Respondents with age ≥ 40 years (aOR = 2.6, 95% CI = 1.3–8.5), management cadre (aOR = 3.8, 95% CI = 1.6–9.6), obesity (aOR = 4.8, 95% CI = 1.2–120), abnormal waist circumference (aOR = 2.8, 95% CI = 1.3–5.2) and physical inactivity (aOR = 2.4, 95% CI = 1.2–4.7) were associated with the higher likelihood of developing CVDs. Conclusion About one-sixth of the respondents had high risk of developing CVDs within the next 10 years and it is likely that it will reduce the productivity of the State. Lifestyle modification and early detection of risk factors through regular screening programmes for those with high CVD risk is therefore recommended.

Depression and personality traits are independent predictors of dementia or cognitive impairment. Despite the well-established relationship between these two psychosocial factors and dementia, no research has been documented on how personality traits can influence dementia in older adults exhibiting depressive symptoms. This study explores the influence of personality traits on the association between change in depression and dementia in old age. A population-based longitudinal cohort study involving two waves of data collected 5 years apart, containing 2210 American older adults, from the National Social Life, Health, and Aging Project to explore if personality traits influence how change in depression predicts the development of dementia. We assessed these relationships while adjusting for sociodemographic characteristics. Change in depression increased the likelihood of dementia at T2 by 4.2% (AOR = 1.04, p = 0.019) in the co-variate adjusted model. Personality traits, overall, did not influence how depression predicts the development of dementia. However, agreeableness individually nullified the effect of depression on the development of dementia, whereas extraversion was the only personality trait that significantly predicted dementia. Prosocial behaviors should be promoted in old age as these appear to be protective. In addition, early life education and a strong social support can keep the depression–dementia spectrum at bay in old age.

Background: Double burden of malnutrition (DBM) is the co-existence of overweight/obesity and undernutrition. Rising prevalence rates of childhood overweight/obesity in Nigeria have been reported, whilst undernutrition continues to be prevalent. This study aimed to estimate the prevalence and distribution of underweight, stunting, thinness, overweight/obesity, and DBM among school-aged children and adolescents in two Nigerian States. Methods: This was a community-based cross-sectional study carried out in Osun and Gombe States. A total of 1,200 children aged 6 – 19 years were recruited using multi-stage sampling technique. Weight, height and data on demographic, socio-economic, household/family characteristics of the children were collected using structured interviewer administered questionnaires. Nutritional status was calculated using the WHO 2007 reference values using BMI-for-age (thinness, overweight/obesity), height-for-age (stunting) and weight-for-age (underweight). DBM was described at the population and individual levels. Results: The mean age of the respondents was 11.6 ± 3.8 years. The overall prevalence rate of stunting was 34.9%, underweight was 13.5%, thinness was 10.3% and overweight/obese was 11.4% and 4.0% had individual level DBM, which typifies the DBM at individual and population levels. These rates differed significantly across demographic, socio-economic and household/family characteristics (p < 0.05). Gombe State, which is in the Northern part of Nigeria, had significantly higher burden of stunted, underweight and thin children than Osun State, while Osun State, in the Southern part of Nigeria, had a significantly higher burden of overweight/obesity. Conclusions: The study found evidence of DBM both at population and individual levels. The overall prevalence rates of stunting, underweight, thinness and overweight/obesity in this study were high, and they differed significantly across the demographic, socio-economic and household/family characteristics. There is the need for government and all other stakeholders to design nutritional educational programmes that will target both under- and over-nutrition among older children in the different contexts.

Abstract Background Obesity has been associated with an increased risk for cardio-metabolic diseases. The prevalence of obesity among adolescents is increasing worldwide, including Nigeria, but only little data exist on the relationship of nutritional status with cardio-metabolic health among adolescents in Nigeria. This study therefore investigated the relationship of nutrition status, raised blood pressure, glucose intolerance and risk for metabolic diseases among adolescents in southwestern Nigeria. Methods This was a cross-sectional study conducted among 313 in-school adolescents in Ile-Ife, southwestern Nigeria. The respondents were selected using multi-stage sampling technique, and data were collected using pre-tested structured questionnaires. Anthropometric, blood pressure and random blood glucose measurements were done using standard protocols. Nutritional assessment was done using the World Health Organization (WHO) 2007 reference. Pre-hypertension and hypertension were measured using percentiles for gender, age and height. Analysis was done using IBM SPSS and the level of significance was set at p ≤ 0.05. Results The mean age of the respondents was 14.4 ± 2.0 years. The prevalence of overweight and obesity was 10.2%, and it was significantly higher among females (12.5%) than males (7.0%). The prevalence of systolic and diastolic pre-hypertension was 10.9 and 11.5% respectively, while the prevalence for systolic and diastolic hypertension were 14.4 and 8.6% respectively. Using WHtR to assess cardio-metabolic risk, 7.3% of the respondents were at risk. There were statistically significant relationships between BMI, WHtR and blood pressure levels (

Flattening the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) curve has been one of the most important public health targets since the outbreak of the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) worldwide. In this review, we examined measures that were key to flattening the curve in countries that have succeeded in achieving this against other countries. The most consistent factors seen from studies were aggressive testing, contact tracing, social distancing, quarantine measures, and innovative technology. These factors were reported to have helped achieve drop in the number of daily new cases reported. Countries like South Korea and Australia employed extensive testing of their residents as a means of curbing the pandemic and limiting its spread. China and Spain employed tracking software and artificial intelligence (AI) in ensuring that infected individuals remained isolated for the recommended number of days and that close contacts of positive cases were tested and quarantined as well. While efforts towards developing a vaccine are still ongoing, and the possibility of a second wave in many countries, we discussed pertinent public health measures and recommendations.

Background: Non-communicable diseases (NCDs), are associated with significant economic and psycho-social burden on sufferers. Objective: To compare the economic burden of disease management on adults with NCDs and control subjects in Ogbomoso, Nigeria. Method: A total of 322 participants consisting of 165 adults with at least one of two NCDs - hypertension and diabetes mellitus- and 157 controls (without NCDs) were recruited by stratified random sampling method. The participants were evaluated for the economic burden and psycho-social implications of NCDs on them and on their households. Results: The presence of NCDs was associated with significantly higher psycho-social implication on the subjects including poorer patient-reported personal health assessment, higher frequency of hospital visits and longer average total hours of hospital visits compared to the controls. A significant proportion of subjects with NCDs depended on family supports for their hospital bills (32.7% vs. 7.6%). The total average monthly health expenditure among subjects with NCDs was significantly higher. Catastrophic health expenditure was found in 12.1% of subjects with NCDs who indicated their hospital bills were far higher than their total monthly wages. Conclusion: The management of NCDs is associated with significantly higher psycho-social and economic impact on affected individuals. There is a need for appropriate health insurance scheme and health system financing programs to reduce economic and psycho-social burdens, minimise long-term complications and improve quality of life.

The synergistic effect of spinosad with three botanical (Aframomum melegueta, Eugenia aromatica and Piper guineense) powders as biorational insecticides against Tribolium castaneum Herbst (Coleoptera: Tenebrionidae) infesting melon (Citrullus lanatus) seeds was investigated. Treatments included sole application of each botanical powder (50 g/kg of melon seed), sole application of spinosad (SASp) (1.0 g/kg), mixture of spinosad (0.5 g/kg) + botanical powders (25 g/kg) and an untreated control. Data were collected on tenebronid mortality rate (%) (PM) and melon seed weight loss rate in % (PWL). Phytochemical analysis of the botanicals was also carried out. At 3-14 days after treatment (DAT), PM observed in melon seeds treated with SASp (90.00-100.00%) was not significantly (p>0.05) different from PM observed in melon seeds treated with spinosad + E. aromatica powder (86.67-100.00%) and spinosad + P. guineense powder (85.00-100.00%). PWL observed in melon seeds treated with spinosad + botanical powders (1.17-1.40%) was not significantly different from PWL observed in seeds treated with SASp (0.42%), but it was significantly lower than PWL (3.28%) observed in melon seeds treated with sole application of A. melegueta powder. P. guineense powder had the highest contents of alkaloids (868.33 mg/100 g), tannins (550.00 mg/100 g), phenolics (53.57 GAE/g), and steroids (740.00 mg/100 g). E. aromatica powder had the highest contents of flavonoids (1466.67 mg/100 g), terpenoids (1276.00 mg/100 g) and cardiac glycosides (7.33 mg/100 g), while A. melegueta powder had the highest content of saponins (376.67 mg/100 g). The combination of spinosad with P. guineense powder or E. aromatica powder performed better than the combination with A. melegueta powder and is therefore recommended as a biorational approach for the control of T. castaneum.

BACKGROUND AND AIM: Identifying clinical characteristics and outcomes of different ethnicities in the US may inform treatment for hospitalized COVID-19 patients. Aim of this study is to identify predictors of mortality among US races/ethnicities. DESIGN SETTING AND PARTICIPANTS: We retrospectively analyzed de-identified data from 9,873 COVID-19 patients who were hospitalized at 15 US hospital centers in 11 states (March 2020-November 2020). Main Outcomes and Measures: The primary outcome was to identify predictors of mortality in hospitalized COVID-19 patients. RESULTS: Among the 9,873 patients, there were 64.1% African Americans (AA), 19.8% Caucasians, 10.4% Hispanics, and 5.7% Asians, with 50.7% female. Males showed higher in-hospital mortality (20.9% vs. 15.3%, p=0.001). Non- survivors were significantly older (67 vs. 61 years) than survivors. Patients in New York had the highest in-hospital mortality (OR=3.54 (3.03 - 4.14)). AA patients possessed higher prevalence of comorbidities, had longer hospital stay, higher ICU admission rates, increased requirement for mechanical ventilation and higher in-hospital mortality compared to other races/ethnicities. Gastrointestinal symptoms (GI), particularly diarrhea, were more common among minority patients. Among GI symptoms and laboratory findings, abdominal pain (5.3%, p=0.03), elevated AST (n=2653, 50.2%, p=