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First Corinthians 14:33-35 reveals one of the many controversies about the roles of women in ministry in the church today. Many scholars have given diverse interpretations of the verses. The verses have led many people, including many Christian denominations, to have some positions on women in ministry. The thrust of this article is to explore the correct interpretation of the verses based on some historical and biblical perspectives. The work adopted the historical and biblical exegesis method. Feminism theory was also considered in the work. The work concluded that 1 Corinthians 14:33-35 should not be interpreted literally. It must be interpreted within its context. It also concluded that women have their roles to play in the world and in the propagation of the gospel of Christ, regardless of attempts by men to relegate them to the background.

BackgroundHIV-related stigma is often expressed as irrational behaviors, negative attitudes, and unfavorable judgments toward people living with or at risk of HIV which remains very common in low- and middle-income countries including Nigeria. This study assessed the level of HIV-related stigma and its associated factors among Young Men who have Sex with Men (YMSM) in HIV care.MethodologyThis was a cross-sectional study conducted among 122 YMSM to assess the level of HIV-related stigma and its associated factors among YMSM in HIV care using respondent driven sampling between July 2023 and April 2024. Quantitative method of data collection was employed and SPSS version 23 was used for data analysis. A p-value of ≤ 0.05 was considered statistically significant.ResultsThe mean age of the study participants was 22.2 ± 2.0 years with 56 (45.6%) being 22 years and below. The total HIV- related stigma score for the participants was 121.9 ± 18.8 with high-level of stigma reported among 40 (32.8%) of the participants. Significant variation in the mean total HIV-related stigma score was found with duration on HIV treatment with those who had been on treatment for >3 years having a mean score of 117.8 ± 15.2 compared to 110.3 ± 20.1 for those who had been on treatment for

Research has shown that food insecurity in households and communities are increasing globally. More people are reported to now having difficulty in accessing safe and quality foods. This study assessed household food and water access as predictors of food security among rural households. This is a cross sectional community survey which used validated tools to collect data among 201 households representing a total population of 1284 in Langai district. Levels of household food and water access were determined; and factors associated with food security were assessed using chi-square. Predictors of food security was assessed using multivariable logistic regression. P < 0,05 was adjudged significant. About 90 % of households own a farm; with almost two-thirds (62,2 %) of households acquiring their food from both self-production and market; and 73,6 % engaging in household agriculture. The majority (82,1 %) of the households sourced their water from boreholes and pipe-borne sources. Significant predictors of food security were lower expenditure on food (AOR: 2,19 [95 % CI: 1,5-4,61]; P = 0,038); not engaged in household agriculture (AOR: 2,88 [95 % CI: 1,09-7,59]; P = 0,032); had access to pipe borne/borehole water (AOR: 2,76 [95 % CI: 1,15-6,44]; P = 0,023) and experienced little or no adverse coping behaviour (AOR: 6,07 [95 % CI: 1,74-21,23]; P = 0,005). Time did not influence food acquisition in the majority of the households. As reported and showcased in this study, the relationship between food security and rural household development is directly proportional in many local communities of a developing country. Efforts should be garnered towards rural household empowerment through improvement in livelihood and security to have sustainable foods and water.

Abstract Driven by the ongoing migration towards Industry 4.0, the increasing adoption of artificial intelligence (AI) has empowered smart manufacturing and digital transformation. AI enhances the migration towards industry 4.0 through AI-based decision-making by analyzing real-time data to optimize different processes such as production planning, predictive maintenance, quality control etc., thus guaranteeing reduced costs, high precision, efficiency and accuracy. This paper explores AI-driven smart manufacturing, revolutionizing traditional approaches and unlocking new possibilities throughout the major phases of the industrial equipment lifecycle. Through a comprehensive review, we delve into a wide range of AI techniques employed to tackle challenges such as optimizing process control, machining parameters, facilitating decision-making, and elevating maintenance strategies within the major phases of an industrial equipment lifecycle. These phases encompass design, manufacturing, maintenance, and recycling/retrofitting. As reported in the 2022 McKinsey Global Survey ( https://www.mckinsey.com/capabilities/quantumblack/our-insights/the-state-of-ai-in-2022-and-a-half-decade-in-review ), the adoption of AI has witnessed more than a two-fold increase since 2017. This has contributed to an increase in AI research within the last six years. Therefore, from a meticulous search of relevant electronic databases, we carefully selected and synthesized 42 articles spanning from 01 January 2017 to 20 May 2023 to highlight and review the most recent research, adhering to specific inclusion and exclusion criteria, and shedding light on the latest trends and popular AI techniques adopted by researchers. This includes AI techniques such as Convolutional Neural Networks (CNN), Generative Adversarial Networks (GAN), Bayesian Networks, Support Vector Machines (SVM) etc., which are extensively discussed in this paper. Additionally, we provide insights into the advantages (e.g., enhanced decision making) and challenges (e.g., AI integration with legacy systems due to technical complexities and compatibilities) of integrating AI across the major stages of industrial equipment operations. Strategically implementing AI techniques in each phase enables industries to achieve enhanced productivity, improved product quality, cost-effectiveness, and sustainability. This exploration of the potential of AI in smart manufacturing fosters agile and resilient processes, keeping industries at the forefront of technological advancements and harnessing the full potential of AI-driven solutions to improve manufacturing processes and products.

Background: The co-occurrence and clustering of risk factors for non-communicable disease (NCD) is a global public health concern. Aim: This study aimed to assess the co-occurrence and clustering of risk factors for NCDs among in-school and out-of-school adolescents in Jos North Local Government Area, Plateau State, Nigeria. Setting: Secondary schools and markets in Jos North Local Government Area. Methods: A comparative cross-sectional study was conducted among 377 in-school and 377 out-of-school adolescents, aged 10–19 years of age. An interviewer-administered questionnaire was used to collect information on behavioural and physical risk factors for NCDs. Chi-square and Mann–Whitney U tests were used for comparisons at a 5% level of significance. Statistical analysis was carried out using Statistical Product and Service Solutions (SPSS) version 23.0. Results: Of the 754 sampled adolescents, 386 (51.2%) were females and 368 (48.8%) were males. Adolescents aged 10–14 years made up 37.8% of the participants, 15 to 17 years of age accounted for 46.9% and 18–19 years 15.3%. Risk factors with the highest prevalence were a sedentary lifestyle (94.2%) and an unhealthy diet (92.4%). Majority (97.2%) had two or more risk factors while 1.9% of adolescents had no risk factor. More in-school adolescents (24.1%) had two risk factors compared to 14.1% of out-of-school adolescents (p 0.001); 14.1% of out-of-school adolescents had five or more risk factors compared to 2.9% of those in school (p 0.001). Conclusion: Co-occurrence and clustering of behavioural and physical risk factors was found among both in-school and out-of-school adolescents. Contribution: This study highlighted the burden of risk factors for NCDs among both in-school and out-of-school adolescents in the North-Central part of Nigeria. This is especially useful in developing targeted interventions to tackle these risk factors.

The COVID-19 pandemic challenged health systems globally. Reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) is the gold standard for detecting the presence of SARS-CoV-2 in clinical samples. Rapid diagnostic test (RDT) kits for COVID-19 have been widely used in Nigeria. This has greatly improved test turnover rates and significantly decreased the high technical demands of RT-PCR. However, there is currently no nationally representative evaluation of the performance characteristics and reliability of these kits. This study assessed the sensitivity, specificity, and predictive values of ten RDT kits used for COVID-19 testing in Nigeria. This large multi-centred cross-sectional study was conducted across the 6 geo-political zones of Nigeria over four months. Ten antigen (Ag) and antibody (Ab) RDT kits were evaluated, and the results were compared with RT-PCR. One thousand, three hundred and ten (1,310) consenting adults comprising 767 (58.5%) males and 543 (41.5%) females participated in the study. The highest proportion, 757 (57.7%), were in the 20-39 years' age group. In terms of diagnostic performance, Lumira Dx (61.4, 95% CI: 52.4-69.9) had the highest sensitivity while MP SARS and Panbio (98.5, 95% CI: 96.6-99.5) had the highest specificity. For predictive values, Panbio (90.7, 95% CI: 79.7-96.9) and Lumira Dx (81.2, 95% CI: 75.9-85.7) recorded the highest PPV and NPV respectively. Ag-RDTs had better performance characteristics compared with Ab-RDTs; however, the sensitivities of all RDTs in this study were generally low. The relatively high specificity of Ag-RDTs makes them useful for the diagnosis of infection in COVID-19 suspected cases where positive RDT may not require confirmation by molecular testing. There is therefore the need to develop RDTs in-country that will take into consideration the unique environmental factors, interactions with other infectious agents, and strains of the virus circulating locally. This may enhance the precision of rapid and accurate diagnosis of COVID-19 in Nigeria.

Introduction: A newly cut neonatal umbilical stump is a potential portal of pathogen entry leading to omphalitis. Neonatal sepsis can complicate omphalitis, but good cord care practices can reduce this risk. Objective: The objective of this study was to assess umbilical cord care practices in tertiary-, secondary- and primary-level healthcare facilities in Jos, Nigeria. Methods: A multi-centre, cross-sectional study of 284 mothers of infants aged 3–6 weeks old attending immunisation clinics in the three-level healthcare facilities using multistage sampling technique between April and September 2019. Data were analysed using SPSS version 23.0. Pearson's Chi-squared test was used to compare categorical variables. Adjusted odds ratios (AORs) and 95% confidence interval (CI) were used as point and interval estimates, respectively. P < 0.05 was adjudged to be statistically significant. Results: The mean age of the mothers and infants was 25 ± 6 years and 5 ± 1 week, respectively. Only 2.2% of mothers used chlorhexidine (CHX) gel for cord care. Mothers showed good knowledge but poor practice of cord care. A significant positive relationship was observed between quality of cord care practices and level of healthcare facility (χ2 = 15.213; df = 2; P < 0.001). Good cord care practices were predicted by mothers' age 30–46 (AOR = 3.6; CI: 1.4–9.1) and good knowledge of cord care (AOR = 4.7; 95% CI: 2.2–9.9). Conclusions: The study has highlighted the good knowledge but poor practices of cord care by mothers and the need to scale up the uptake of CHX gel in Jos. Mother's age and good knowledge of cord care are predictors of good cord care practices.

Machine learning (ML) techniques are widely adopted in manufacturing systems for discovering valuable patterns in shopfloor data. In this regard, machine learning models learn patterns in data to optimize process parameters, forecast equipment deterioration, and plan maintenance strategies among other uses. Thus, this article presents the dataset collected from an assembly line known as the FASTory assembly line. This data contains more than 4,000 data samples of conveyor belt motor driver's power consumption. The FASTory assembly line is equipped with web-based industrial controllers and smart 3-phase energy monitoring modules as an expansion to these controllers. For data collection, an application was developed in a timely manner. The application receives a new data sample as JavaScript Object Notation (JSON) every second. Afterwards, the application extracts the energy data for the relevant phase and persists it in a MySQL database for the purpose of processing at a later stage. This data is collected for two separate cases: static case and dynamic case. In the static case, the power consumption data is collected under different loads and belt tension values. This data is used by a prognostic model (Artificial Neural Network (ANN)) to learn the conveyor belt motor driver's power consumption pattern under different belt tension values and load conditions. The data collected during the dynamic case is used to investigate how the belt tension affects the movement of the pallet between conveyor zones. The knowledge obtained from the power consumption data of the conveyor belt motor driver is used to forecast the gradual behavioural deterioration of the conveyor belts used for the transportation of pallets between processing workstations of discrete manufacturing systems.

Objective: Viral hepatitis is a major global public health challenge with Hepatitis B virus (HBV) and Hepatitis C virus (HCV), particularly leading to chronic diseases in several millions of people together they are the most common cause of liver cirrhosis, liver cancer and deaths related to viral hepatitis. They can be spread by mother-to-child transmission at birth. Despite the significant health burden it places on pregnant women and their infants, the infection has been given little attention in Nigeria and some low- and middle-income countries, and routine screening during antennal care are not done for most pregnant women. This study assessed the seroprevalence of Hepatitis B and C viral infections among pregnant women. Methods: The study was cross-sectional involving a three-year retrospective review of laboratory results of the pregnant women who accessed antenatal care in the health facility. Data extraction was done manually from facility registers and analyses were done using IBM SPSS. Results: Laboratory results of HBV and HCV for 706 pregnant women were reviewed. The seroprevalence of HBV and HCV was 11.6% and 6.5% respectively while the seroprevalence of viral hepatitis was 18.1%. Conclusion: The high seroprevalence of viral hepatitis in this study further supports the importance of adopting global best practices to prevent the spread of the infection via mother-to-child transmission. We, therefore, re-emphasize the importance of screening for HBV and HCV as routine investigations in pregnant women.

Community mobilization, partnership, and surveillance are regarded as key elements in various polio eradication activities. Several nongovernmental organizations have led community mobilizers (CMs) in different aspects of the polio eradication campaigns, and their effectiveness shows mixed findings. This study systematically reviewed the literature on the role of CMs in polio eradication activities. Literature searches were conducted using a combination of key words to find relevant published studies up to 30 November 2020. The 27-item Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses checklist addressing the various components of systematic review was adhered to. A total of 1627 articles were identified by the search, with 65 articles passing the title/abstract and full text reviews, and with four additional articles obtained from references of articles included (making a total of 69 articles). Of these 69 articles involved in the review, 24 (five reviews and 19 original articles) focused largely and explicitly on CMs and were included in the full review. The rest (45) discussed CMs in a broader context, hence they were summarized based on part 1 of the data extraction form only.The findings of the review indicated that although CMs’ instrumental role in health promotion and supporting immunization is consistent for all the reviewed studies, their role in acute flaccid paralysis (AFP) case detection is limited. The role of CMs, other actors in community-based surveillance, and health education needs to be further strengthened, particularly in high-risk communities where routine immunization and AFP surveillance are much needed.

Introduction: Among people living with HIV (PLHIV), fertility desire which is the desire to have more children is increasing due to the improvement in quality of life and survival resulting from anti-retroviral treatment and also improved sexual and reproductive health services. Fertility desires can result in increased risk of HIV transmission, especially in unprotected heterosexual intercourse. There is limited information regarding the fertility desires and predictors among PLHIV in our environment. Methods: This study was aimed at assessing the fertility desires and predictors in PLHIV in Northcentral Nigeria. Study was descriptive cross-sectional. Semi-structured interviewer administered pretested questionnaires was used to get information from 170 PLHIV accessing care in a secondary health-care facility selected by the systematic sampling technique. Data were analyzed using the SPSS software version 23.0. At 95% confidence interval (CI), a P < 0.05 was considered to be statistically significant. Chi-square and logistic regression. Results: Fertility desire was found among 64.1% of the respondents. Younger age (odds ratio [OR] = 0.2270; 95% CI = 0.0662–0.7791, P = 0.0184), having no child or a smaller number of children (OR = 0.0432; CI = 0.0046–0.4050; P = 0.0059) and suppressed viral loads (OR = 4.1069; CI = 1.1650–14.4784; P = 0.0280) were the predictors for fertility desire. Conclusion: This study showed that PLHIV had high fertility desires but do not know any safe method of conception, hence intensified effort should be made by primary care providers and other health-care workers to include sexual and reproductive health counselling during routine HIV clinic visits to enable PLHIV make informed decision about their fertility desires.

IbukunOluwa, J. & IbukunOluwa, R. (Ibadan, Nigeria: Simplex Creations, 2022). pp. 76. ISBN: 978-978-59646-0-8 (paperback). Price: 1000 Nigerian Naira.

Introduction Childhood cancer is a leading cause of death. It is unclear whether the COVID-19 pandemic has impacted childhood cancer mortality. In this study, we aimed to establish all-cause mortality rates for childhood cancers during the COVID-19 pandemic and determine the factors associated with mortality.Methods Prospective cohort study in 109 institutions in 41 countries. Inclusion criteria: children

Background: Retention in HIV care is the constancy of engagement in HIV treatment, care and support services which is essential to reducing morbidity and mortality associated with the infection as well as halting the development of resistance to antiretroviral therapy (ART). In most African countries, Nigeria inclusive, men who have sex with men (MSM) are major contributors to HIV/AIDS burden. HIV-positive MSM are generally understudied and mostly underserved due to social, political and legislation factors resulting in limited characterization and documentation of the existing health disparities particularly with regards to retention in HIV care. It was against this backdrop that we conducted this study to assess the level of retention in HIV care and its predictors among MSM linked to HIV care. Methods: A cross-sectional study conducted among 114 HIV-positive MSM in 2019 using interviewer-administered questionnaire. Data analysis was carried out using version 7 of Epi Info statistical software version 7 and a probability value of less than 0.05 used as the cut-off for drawing statistically significant conclusion. Results: The average age in years of the respondents was 26.0 ± 5.4 while 43 (37.7%) of the participants were adequately retained in HIV care. Adequate retention in HIV care was found to be predicted by awareness of regular male partner's HIV status (AOR = 11.2; 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.924–65.167) and financial difficulty (AOR = 0.1; 95% CI = 0.022–0.840). Conclusions: A suboptimal level of retention in HIV care was demonstrated in the study with awareness of male partner's HIV status and financial buoyancy as its main predictors.

Background: Sexual orientation disclosure has been reported to promote good peer support, improve psychological health, as well as access to STIs and HIV prevention services. Hence, this study sought to assess the level of disclosure sexual orientation and its predictors among HIV-positive men who have sex with men (MSM) in Plateau state Nigeria. Methods: This was a cross-sectional study design conducted between October 2018 and December 2019 among 114 HIV-infected MSM through respondent driven sampling technique. Epi Info version 7 was used for the data analysis with adjusted odds ratio and 95% confidence interval (CI) used as point and interval estimates on the logistic regression model and P < 0.05 considered statistically significant. Results: The mean age of the respondents was 26.0 ± 5.4 years with disclosure of sexual orientation to nonpartner being reported by 45 (39.5%). Positive family history of same sex practice was found to significantly predict self disclosure of sexual orientation (adjusted odds ratio: 3.30; 95% CI: 1.2356–8.8038; P = 0.017). Conclusions: This study has revealed a low level of disclosure of sexual orientation among HIV-positive MSM in Plateau state with a positive family history of same sex involvement as its predictor.

Nigeria, as well as other low- and middle-income countries, still lags significantly behind in the development, understanding, and application of genomics-based approaches in the diagnosis and treatment of diseases. To close this gap, and to enjoy the monumental opportunities of genomics and precision medicine, training and education in genomics must become a priority and must commence early enough in medical training. This article presents a synopsis of the development of genomics, the current state of genomics research and education with a focus on Nigeria and importantly, provides critical suggestions on how best to integrate genomics into undergraduate medical training in Nigeria. There is no doubt about the need to prepare Nigerian physicians to be able to tap adequately into the countless opportunities of the genomics era. As a matter of urgency, steps must be taken to introduce carefully designed, unified and competency-based genomics training module based on sound pedagogy into the Nigerian medical undergraduate curricula.

Adebayo Ola Afolaranmi writes a bookreview of: Akanji, I.A., (Abuja: Elis Associates, 2021), 595 pages, Price: 5000 Nigerian Naira, ISBN: 978-978-993-478-2 (paperback).

Objectives Paediatric cancer is a leading cause of death for children. Children in low-income and middle-income countries (LMICs) were four times more likely to die than children in high-income countries (HICs). This study aimed to test the hypothesis that the COVID-19 pandemic had affected the delivery of healthcare services worldwide, and exacerbated the disparity in paediatric cancer outcomes between LMICs and HICs.Design A multicentre, international, collaborative cohort study.Setting 91 hospitals and cancer centres in 39 countries providing cancer treatment to paediatric patients between March and December 2020.Participants Patients were included if they were under the age of 18 years, and newly diagnosed with or undergoing active cancer treatment for Acute lymphoblastic leukaemia, non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, Hodgkin lymphoma, Wilms’ tumour, sarcoma, retinoblastoma, gliomas, medulloblastomas or neuroblastomas, in keeping with the WHO Global Initiative for Childhood Cancer.Main outcome measure All-cause mortality at 30 days and 90 days.Results 1660 patients were recruited. 219 children had changes to their treatment due to the pandemic. Patients in LMICs were primarily affected (n=182/219, 83.1%). Relative to patients with paediatric cancer in HICs, patients with paediatric cancer in LMICs had 12.1 (95% CI 2.93 to 50.3) and 7.9 (95% CI 3.2 to 19.7) times the odds of death at 30 days and 90 days, respectively, after presentation during the COVID-19 pandemic (p

BackgroundBullying is public health problem globally in workplaces with untold deleterious effects on the health and well-being of individuals at the receiving end. Bullying has been found to disrupt social interaction at workplace thereby creating an unhealthy and seemingly unproductive work environment. Studies have reported varying rates of workplace bullying as high as 83% in Europe, 65% in the Americas and 55% in Asia with very little documented in the contemporary African setting and Nigeria in particular. It therefore became imperative to assess the level of bullying and its associated factors among medical doctors in residency training in a tertiary health institution in Plateau state Nigeria.MethodologyThis was a cross sectional study conducted among resident doctors in Jos University Teaching Hospital between November 2019 and February 2020 using quantitative method of data collection and SPSS version 20 was used for data analysis. Crude and adjusted odds ratios as well as 95% confidence interval were used in this study with a p-value of ≤0.05 considered statistically significant.ResultsThe mean age of the respondents was 32.3 ± 3.9 years with 78 (62.9%) being 31 years and above. Bullying was currently being experienced by 74 (59.7%) of the respondents with verbal aggression and threats as well as insult and use of derogatory remarks being the forms of bullying experienced by 85.1 and 74.3% of the respondents, respectively. Furthermore, witnessing a colleague being bullied was the sole factor found to be significantly associated with workplace bullying (AOR = 0.18; 95% CI = 0.068–0.449; p < 0.001).ConclusionWorkplace bullying has been found to be in existence and relatively high among medical doctors in residency training in this setting with witnessing someone being bullied as its sole associated factor.

In the food and beverage industry, many foods, beers, and soft drinks need to be pasteurized in order to minimize the effect of micro-organisms on the physical stability, quality, and flavour of the product. Although modern tunnel pasteurizers provide integrated solutions for precise process monitoring and control, a great number of packaging plants continue to operate with legacy pasteurizers that require irregular manual measurements to be performed by shop floor operators in order to monitor the process. In this context, the present paper presents zPasteurAIzer, an end-to-end system that provides real-time quality monitoring for legacy tunnel pasteurization machines and constitutes a low-cost alternative to replacement or the upgrading of installed equipment by leveraging IoT technologies and AI-enabled virtual sensing techniques. We share details on the design and implementation of the system, which is based on a microservice-oriented architecture and includes functionalities such as configuration of the pasteurizer machine, data acquisition, and preprocessing methodology as well as machine learning-based estimation and live dashboard monitoring of the process parameters. Experimental work has been conducted in a real-world use case at a large brewing manufacturing plant in Greece, and the results indicate the value and potential of the proposed system.

We conducted a retrospective study of 2555 DR-TB patients admitted to treatment between 2010 and 2016 in six geopolitical zones in Nigeria. We characterized the gender distribution of DR-TB cases and the association between demographics and clinical data, such as age, treatment category, number of previous TB treatment cycles, and geopolitical zone, with gender. The independent effects of being a male or female DR-TB patient were determined using bivariate and multivariate analyzes with statistical significance of p < 0.05 and a 95% confidence interval. Records from a total of 2555 DR-TB patients were examined for the study. A majority were male (66.9%), largest age-group was 30–39 years old (35.8%), most had MDR-TB (61.4%), were HIV-negative (76.6%), and previously treated for TB (77.1%). The southwest treatment zone had the highest proportion of DR-TB patients (36.9%), and most DR-TB diagnoses occurred in 2016 (36.9%). On bivariate analysis, age, HIV status, treatment zone, and clinical patient group in DR-TB were significantly associated with male gender. On multivariate analysis, males aged 20–29 years (AOR: 0.19, 95% CI: 0.33–0.59, p = 0.001) and HIV-positive males (AOR: 0.44, 95% CI: 0.33–0.59, p = 0.001) had lower likelihood of MDR-TB as males in the south–south treatment zone (AOR: 1.88, 95% CI: 1.23–2.85, p = 0.03), and being male and aged ≥60 years (AOR: 2.19, 95% CI: 1.05–4.54, p = 0.036) increased the probability of DR-TB. The older male population from south–southern Nigeria and women of childbearing age had lower incidence of DR-TB than men of the same age. Tailored interventions to reduce HIV and DR-TB prevalence in the general population, particularly among women of childbearing potential, and treatment support for young and older men are relevant strategies to reduce DR-TB in Nigeria.

The Great Commission is an important concept of missiological training and life wire of Christianity. This article is a critical review and reflection over the understanding and importance of this concept from the Old Testament background through the New Testament and its application to missiological training in the modern era. The article shows that the Great Commission is the singular theme that ran throughout the Scripture from the call of Abraham to the ascension of Jesus Christ and the mandate the Church is called to fulfil until the second coming of Christ. Missiological training, which is a mean to prepare labourers for missionary task of the Church, cannot be effective without a strong focus on the Great Commission mandate. Being the core of missionary task of the Church, the Great Commission should become the focus of all missiological training and dominant theme in the curriculum for the training of missionaries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Human beings occupy a prominent position in creation. They are positioned on the surface of the earth as "managers" who oversee, care for other creations, and exercise dominion over them. However, several human activities such as deforestation, desertification, unregulated application of chemicals on plants, and so on have led to the degrading state of the environment, leading to natural disasters like storms, erosion, global warming, and so on. The resultant effects of these unguarded activities have severe implications on the lives and health of humans. This paper examined how Christian educators can employ Christian Education to engage youths in securing the degrading environment from further damage and bringing it back to life. Secondary sources were used to collect data, and a descriptive approach was used to analyse the facts collected. The study gathered from the review of related literature that the Bible plays a crucial role in creating environmental ethical awareness in youths. Also, Christian Education can leverage agents of socialisation to instil environmental moral consciousness in youths through environmental advocacy campaigns, workshops, and discipleship programmes on environmental ethics awareness. In addition, special training on maintenance culture and environmental ethics advocacy among youths are essential assignments Christian educators can carry out by including such programmes in the church curriculum and through periodic public awareness. Therefore, this paper submitted that engaging youths in environmental ethics through Christian Education is viable for creating a sense of proper stewardship. The result of this would make our environment a better place to live in. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The advent of technology has revolutionized many aspects of human life, including the operation and engagement methods of religious institutions. Historically, church services were confined to physical spaces, limiting congregational engagement to in-person attendance. Traditional worship, involving sermons, hymns, and communal activities, fostered a sense of community and spiritual enrichment. However, declining attendance in traditional settings necessitates the integration of modern digital tools to revitalize worship experiences and engage tech-savvy youth. This study explores the transformative impact of technology on church services, particularly its effectiveness in engaging younger congregants, through a quantitative survey of church leaders, technology experts, and congregants across various denominations. The research examines the adoption and impact of digital innovations such as live-streaming, social media outreach, mobile apps, and multimedia worship formats. Findings highlight enhanced accessibility, participation, and connection, making faith more relevant to younger generations. Challenges such as the potential dilution of spiritual experiences and the digital divide are also identified. Applying the Diffusion of Innovations theory, the study underscores the need for strategic, thoughtful integration of technology that balances modern conveniences with core religious values, bridging generational gaps and ensuring the continued vitality of religious communities in the digital age. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Scholars have worked on the impact of the Odo Masquerade cult amongst the people of the Northern part of Igbo land. However, the indigenous people of Isu - Eha Amufu in Isi uzo Local Government Area of Enugu in their own case are in two divides either for absolute abolishment or the resonance of the masquerade cult as part of their heritage. This paper presented a missiological response to the resurgence of Odo masquerade after several decades of its abolishment in Isu Eha - Amufu and based on content analysis of related documents and important ethnographic information through interactions and oral interviews, the study observed that conflicts of position as it related to the masquerade cult is both a positive and logical explanation of cultural change believed to foster development. The findings show that those who believed in the Odo Masquerade cult took the position that it was a cultural practice that united the people, established justice and connected them with their ancestors. At the same time, some hold the view that men hide under the masquerade cult to perpetrate cancerous scourges that intimidate, manipulate or deceive and plunge the people into darkness and wickedness, promoting killings and backwardness and coupled with the economic challenge and wastage led to its abolishment. Concluding as it were is the fact that all human institution presents both positive and negative sides, therefore the paper recommended the replacement of this cultural institution with some carnivals to accommodate social, economic and tourist activities in the community geared towards the promotion of equity and the maintenance of social order, spiritual and economic development amongst all strata of life in the community. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Chest X-ray (CXR) characteristics of patients with drug-resistant tuberculosis (DR-TB) depend on a variety of factors, and therefore, identifying the influence of these factors on the appearance of DR-TB in chest X-rays can help physicians improve diagnosis and clinical suspicion. Our aim was to describe the CXR presentation of patients with DR-TB and its association with clinical and demographic factors. A retrospective analysis of the CXRs of DR-TB patients in Nigeria between 2010 and 2016 was performed, reviewing features of chest radiographs, such as cavitation, opacity and effusion, infiltration and lung destruction. The association of these abnormal CXR findings with clinical and demographic characteristics was evaluated using bivariate and multivariate models, and a p-value < 0.05 was considered statistically significant with a 95% confidence interval. A total of 2555 DR-TB patients were studied, the majority (66.9%) were male, aged 29–38 years (36.8%), previously treated (77%), from the South West treatment zone (43.5%), HIV negative (76.7%) and bacteriologically diagnosed (89%). X-ray findings were abnormal in 97% of the participants, with cavitation being the most common (41.5%). Cavitation, effusion, fibrosis, and infiltration were higher in patients presenting in the South West zone and in those previously treated for DR-TB, while lung destruction was significantly higher in patients who are from the South South zone, and in those previously treated for DR-TB. Patients from the South East zone (AOR: 6.667, 95% CI: 1.383–32.138, p = 0.018), the North East zone (AOR: 6.667, 95% CI: 1.179–37.682, p = 0.032) and the North West zone (AOR: 6.30, 95% CI: 1.332–29.787, p = 0.020) had a significantly increased likelihood of abnormal chest X-ray findings, and prior TB treatment predisposed the patient to an increased likelihood of abnormal chest X-ray findings compared to new patients (AOR: 8.256, 95% CI: 3.718–18.330, p = 0.001). The finding of a significantly higher incidence of cavities, effusions and fibrosis in DR-TB patients previously treated could indicate late detection or presentation with advanced DR-TB disease, which may require a more individualized regimen or surgical intervention.

INTRODUCTION: Head and neck cancers have essentially been a disease of the elderly but recent studies are beginning to demonstrate their increasing incidence in young people with infections such as human papilloma virus (HPV). This study was carried out to determine the prevalence of high risk Human papilloma virus (hrHPV) related oropharyngeal carcinoma and its prevalent genotypes as well as their strength of association with HIV in adult Nigerian subjects. METHODS: this was a cross-sectional study of 41 patients with oropharyngeal carcinomas seen over a 2-year period. Patients had incisional and/or excisional biopsy done under anesthesia. A portion of the specimen from which the DNA was extracted was placed in Digene HC2 DNA collection device while the 2nd portion for histopathological analysis was fixed using 10% Neutral Buffered Formalin (NBF) and embedded in paraffin blocks. Oropharyngeal cancer HPV genotyping was done using HPV genotypes 14 real-tm quant kit (SACACE, Italy). The data was analyzed using SPSS version 23. RESULTS: prevalence of HPV was 17.1% with a male to female ratio of 2.7:1. The identified genotypes were 16,33,35 and 52 with 28.6% of patients having more than one genotype. Most of the age groups studied were affected. Squamous cell carcinoma and Ameloblastic carcinoma were the cancers associated with HPV. HPV was not identified in the HIV positive patients. CONCLUSION: high-risk human papilloma virus genotypes 16,33, 35 and 52 are associated with oropharyngeal carcinoma in Nigeria but were not found in HIV patients. This finding provides a strong evidence for the use of the 9-valent prophylactic vaccine for the prevention of oropharyngeal cancer in Nigeria. Public awareness and HPV prevention strategies should reduce significantly the incidence of oropharyngeal carcinomas in our environment.

Background: Cancer incidence and mortality is increasing worldwide. In 2018, there were an estimated 18.1 million new cancer cases and 9.6 million cancer deaths. In Nigeria, it is estimated that 100,000 new cases occur annually, with a high case fatality ratio. The burden of cancer in Nigeria is significant, as the country still grapples with infectious diseases and has limited data on cancer epidemiology. Our study is descriptive using data from a hospital-based registry. Objectives: This retrospective study assesses the characteristics of patients that presented to a private cancer center in Lagos, Nigeria. We aimed to update knowledge on the current trends of cancer in Nigeria as exemplified by the experience of this cancer center and set a foundation for guiding future research and policy efforts in cancer screening, prevention, and control. Methods: The records of all the 548 oncology patients registered at the Lakeshore Cancer Center (LCC) cancer registry from January 2015 to June 2018 were reviewed for this study. Results: Most common cancer types were breast cancer for females (46%) and prostate cancer for males (32%). 92% of the tumors were malignant and 97% of the patients were symptomatic. Among patients diagnosed with cancer, 49% were ≤ 50 years old, 90% paid for their healthcare out of pocket, and 67% did not complete treatment. Conclusions: This study highlights the state of cancer care in Nigeria and should guide future research, with a focus on public awareness, screening programs and implementation of novel cancer control policies and infrastructure that supports early detection.

Background: It is a well-documented fact that world-wide cancer incidence and mortality remains high in Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) infected population despite potent antiretroviral therapy. With the current capture of HIV status of cancer patients in our cancer registry at Jos Nigeria, this study aims to assess the effect of HIV on cancer mortality outcomes.Methodology: We conducted a 2-year retrospective cohort study of cancer registry data from Jos, north central Nigeria. The cancers were grouped into cervical, breast, liver, hematologic, colonic, AIDS defining, prostate and others in this study. Patients were followed up to determine their patient time contribution from time at initiation of cancer treatment to death or the end of study period. Those lost to follow-up were censored at date of their last known follow-up in clinic.Results: Out of 930 cancer cases evaluated, 52 (5.6%) were HIV positive, 507 (54.5%) were HIV negative and 371 (39.9%) did not know their HIV status. After 525,223 person- days of follow-up, there were 232 deaths leading to a crude mortality rate of 4.3 per 10,000 person-days. Median survival probability for both HIV-infected and HIV uninfected patients were equal (1,013 days). Unadjusted hazard of death was associated with greater age, HR 0.99 (95% CI: 0.98,0.99, p = 0.002); hepatitis virus, HR 2.40 (95% CI: 1.69,3.43, p = 0.001); liver cancer, HR 2.25 (95% CI:1.11,4.55, p = 0.024); prostate cancer, HR 0.17 (95% CI: 0.06,0.393, p = 0.001). In an adjusted model, only prostate cancer AHR 0.23 (95% CI: 0.12, 0.42, p < 0.001) and liver cancer AHR 2.45 (95% CI: 1.78, 5.51, p < 0.001) remained significantly associated with death regardless of HIV status.Conclusion: Having liver cancer increases risk for mortality among our cancer patients. Screening, early detection and treatment are therefore key to improving dismal outcomes.

Background: Hepatitis B virus (HBV) is hyperendemic in Nigeria. Available literature reveal genotype E as being predominant in West Africa. This study aimed at identifying the current pattern and prevalent genotypes of HBV in Zaria, Nigeria. Materials and Methods: Four millilitre of blood was collected in ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid-container from each of 165 HBV surface antigen-positive participants recruited purposively from the gastroenterology clinic from May to August, 2017. Plasma was separated and frozen at −20°C till analysis. Multiplex-nested polymerase chain reaction using type-specific primers was used to identify the various HBV genotypes. Results: Median (and interquartile range) age of the participants was 31.0 (25.5–39.0) years, with males constituting 107 (64.8%). Majority (83.6%) of the samples analysed were HBV-DNA-positive with 82.6% of the HBV-DNA-positive samples being mixed genotype infections. Irrespective of mode of occurrence, five HBV genotypes were identified with HBV/E (97.1%) being the most predominant, followed by HBV/B (82.6%), HBV/A (24.6%), then HBV/C (17.4%), while HBV/D (0.7%) was the least prevalent. Conclusion: In most (99.1%) of the mixed-infection were a combination of genotype E, the predominant genotype, with other genotypes predominantly genotype B. HBV genotypes E, B, A, C and D are the prevalent genotypes in Zaria, Nigeria, as they occur in single genotype and in mixed-genotypes pattern.