An Assessment of Violent Crimes: Armed Robbery and Murder in Lagos State, Nigeria from 2015-2019

This study examined the prevalence of the violent crimes (murder and armed robbery) inLagos State between 2015 and 2019. Data was collected from Lagos State Police Command Ikeja, Nigeria Watch (www.nigeriawatch.org) 2015-1019, an online database which sources information from daily Nigerian press corporations (Vanguard, Leadership, The Guardian, Sun, This Day, Daily Independence, Punch, Nigerian Tribune, The Nation and Daily Trust) as well as other human rights organizations. Data covered the period between 2015 and 2019. The archival and retrospective research secondary data was used. Data was analyzed using descriptive statistics such as bar charts to compare the prevalence of murder and armed robbery in Lagos State between 2015 and 2019. Chi Square was also used to check the associations between the prevalence of murder and armed robbery between 2015 and 2019 in Lagos state. Results showed that there was a significant association between the number of murders (X2= 35.39, 9.49, p<.05) and armed robberies (X2= 603.57, 9.49, p<.05) between 2015 and 2019 in Lagos State. It was therefore recommended that programs should be put in place to build people’s trust on the law enforcement agencies thereby increasing crime reportage. Keywords: Assessment, Violent crimes, Armed robbery, Murder, Lagos Stat

The Effect of Egg Embryonation on Field-Use of a Hookworm Benzimidazole-Sensitivity Egg Hatch Assay in Yunnan Province, People's Republic of China

With the implementation of mass drug administration programmes for the control of human soil transmitted helminths there is a need to develop drug sensitivity monitoring tools to detect the emergence of resistance. The present study aimed to use an egg hatch assay to measure benzimidazole sensitivity in human hookworms in a field setting in Yunnan province, People's Republic of China, in order to assess whether the assay offered a practical means of monitoring drug sensitivity in human hookworms in such a location. The assay proved able to generate dose response data, which allowed for the drug sensitivity of the hookworms in the local children to be described; the mean IC50 was 0.10 ug/ml thiabendazole. The study also found that practical issues associated with stool collection procedures, specifically the embryonation of some eggs during the time elapsing between stool deposition and egg recovery, can have an impact on the drug sensitivity data. We suggest means for data analysis that overcome the impact of egg embryonation on drug dose response data, which should allow for the use of such assays at different field sites worldwide

Surgical site infection after gastrointestinal surgery in high-income, middle-income, and low-income countries: a prospective, international, multicentre cohort study

Background: Surgical site infection (SSI) is one of the most common infections associated with health care, but its importance as a global health priority is not fully understood. We quantified the burden of SSI after gastrointestinal surgery in countries in all parts of the world. Methods: This international, prospective, multicentre cohort study included consecutive patients undergoing elective or emergency gastrointestinal resection within 2-week time periods at any health-care facility in any country. Countries with participating centres were stratified into high-income, middle-income, and low-income groups according to the UN's Human Development Index (HDI). Data variables from the GlobalSurg 1 study and other studies that have been found to affect the likelihood of SSI were entered into risk adjustment models. The primary outcome measure was the 30-day SSI incidence (defined by US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention criteria for superficial and deep incisional SSI). Relationships with explanatory variables were examined using Bayesian multilevel logistic regression models. This trial is registered with ClinicalTrials.gov, number NCT02662231. Findings: Between Jan 4, 2016, and July 31, 2016, 13 265 records were submitted for analysis. 12 539 patients from 343 hospitals in 66 countries were included. 7339 (58·5%) patient were from high-HDI countries (193 hospitals in 30 countries), 3918 (31·2%) patients were from middle-HDI countries (82 hospitals in 18 countries), and 1282 (10·2%) patients were from low-HDI countries (68 hospitals in 18 countries). In total, 1538 (12·3%) patients had SSI within 30 days of surgery. The incidence of SSI varied between countries with high (691 [9·4%] of 7339 patients), middle (549 [14·0%] of 3918 patients), and low (298 [23·2%] of 1282) HDI (p < 0·001). The highest SSI incidence in each HDI group was after dirty surgery (102 [17·8%] of 574 patients in high-HDI countries; 74 [31·4%] of 236 patients in middle-HDI countries; 72 [39·8%] of 181 patients in low-HDI countries). Following risk factor adjustment, patients in low-HDI countries were at greatest risk of SSI (adjusted odds ratio 1·60, 95% credible interval 1·05–2·37; p=0·030). 132 (21·6%) of 610 patients with an SSI and a microbiology culture result had an infection that was resistant to the prophylactic antibiotic used. Resistant infections were detected in 49 (16·6%) of 295 patients in high-HDI countries, in 37 (19·8%) of 187 patients in middle-HDI countries, and in 46 (35·9%) of 128 patients in low-HDI countries (p < 0·001). Interpretation: Countries with a low HDI carry a disproportionately greater burden of SSI than countries with a middle or high HDI and might have higher rates of antibiotic resistance. In view of WHO recommendations on SSI prevention that highlight the absence of high-quality interventional research, urgent, pragmatic, randomised trials based in LMICs are needed to assess measures aiming to reduce this preventable complication

A Research Agenda for Helminth Diseases of Humans: Intervention for Control and Elimination

Recognising the burden helminth infections impose on human populations, and particularly the poor, major intervention programmes have been launched to control onchocerciasis, lymphatic filariasis, soil-transmitted helminthiases, schistosomiasis, and cysticercosis. The Disease Reference Group on Helminth Infections (DRG4), established in 2009 by the Special Programme for Research and Training in Tropical Diseases (TDR), was given the mandate to review helminthiases research and identify research priorities and gaps. A summary of current helminth control initiatives is presented and available tools are described. Most of these programmes are highly dependent on mass drug administration (MDA) of anthelmintic drugs (donated or available at low cost) and require annual or biannual treatment of large numbers of at-risk populations, over prolonged periods of time. The continuation of prolonged MDA with a limited number of anthelmintics greatly increases the probability that drug resistance will develop, which would raise serious problems for continuation of control and the achievement of elimination. Most initiatives have focussed on a single type of helminth infection, but recognition of co-endemicity and polyparasitism is leading to more integration of control. An understanding of the implications of control integration for implementation, treatment coverage, combination of pharmaceuticals, and monitoring is needed. To achieve the goals of morbidity reduction or elimination of infection, novel tools need to be developed, including more efficacious drugs, vaccines, and/or antivectorial agents, new diagnostics for infection and assessment of drug efficacy, and markers for possible anthelmintic resistance. In addition, there is a need for the development of new formulations of some existing anthelmintics (e.g., paediatric formulations). To achieve ultimate elimination of helminth parasites, treatments for the above mentioned helminthiases, and for taeniasis and food-borne trematodiases, will need to be integrated with monitoring, education, sanitation, access to health services, and where appropriate, vector control or reduction of the parasite reservoir in alternative hosts. Based on an analysis of current knowledge gaps and identification of priorities, a research and development agenda for intervention tools considered necessary for control and elimination of human helminthiases is presented, and the challenges to be confronted are discussed

The evolving SARS-CoV-2 epidemic in Africa: Insights from rapidly expanding genomic surveillance

INTRODUCTION Investment in Africa over the past year with regard to severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) sequencing has led to a massive increase in the number of sequences, which, to date, exceeds 100,000 sequences generated to track the pandemic on the continent. These sequences have profoundly affected how public health officials in Africa have navigated the COVID-19 pandemic. RATIONALE We demonstrate how the first 100,000 SARS-CoV-2 sequences from Africa have helped monitor the epidemic on the continent, how genomic surveillance expanded over the course of the pandemic, and how we adapted our sequencing methods to deal with an evolving virus. Finally, we also examine how viral lineages have spread across the continent in a phylogeographic framework to gain insights into the underlying temporal and spatial transmission dynamics for several variants of concern (VOCs). RESULTS Our results indicate that the number of countries in Africa that can sequence the virus within their own borders is growing and that this is coupled with a shorter turnaround time from the time of sampling to sequence submission. Ongoing evolution necessitated the continual updating of primer sets, and, as a result, eight primer sets were designed in tandem with viral evolution and used to ensure effective sequencing of the virus. The pandemic unfolded through multiple waves of infection that were each driven by distinct genetic lineages, with B.1-like ancestral strains associated with the first pandemic wave of infections in 2020. Successive waves on the continent were fueled by different VOCs, with Alpha and Beta cocirculating in distinct spatial patterns during the second wave and Delta and Omicron affecting the whole continent during the third and fourth waves, respectively. Phylogeographic reconstruction points toward distinct differences in viral importation and exportation patterns associated with the Alpha, Beta, Delta, and Omicron variants and subvariants, when considering both Africa versus the rest of the world and viral dissemination within the continent. Our epidemiological and phylogenetic inferences therefore underscore the heterogeneous nature of the pandemic on the continent and highlight key insights and challenges, for instance, recognizing the limitations of low testing proportions. We also highlight the early warning capacity that genomic surveillance in Africa has had for the rest of the world with the detection of new lineages and variants, the most recent being the characterization of various Omicron subvariants. CONCLUSION Sustained investment for diagnostics and genomic surveillance in Africa is needed as the virus continues to evolve. This is important not only to help combat SARS-CoV-2 on the continent but also because it can be used as a platform to help address the many emerging and reemerging infectious disease threats in Africa. In particular, capacity building for local sequencing within countries or within the continent should be prioritized because this is generally associated with shorter turnaround times, providing the most benefit to local public health authorities tasked with pandemic response and mitigation and allowing for the fastest reaction to localized outbreaks. These investments are crucial for pandemic preparedness and response and will serve the health of the continent well into the 21st century

On A New Exponentiated Error Innovation Distributions: Evidence of Nigeria Stock Exchange

This paper compared new error innovation distribution in estimating volatility models. A new error innovation distribution called Exponentiated Generalized skewed student t distribution (EGSSTD) was developed and compared with the existing error distributions using an empirical dataset of daily returns of Nigeria Stock Exchange (NSE) index return from 2007 to 2017. The result of the stationarity Statistic shows that the data is stationary without transformation while the ARCH effect statistic using ADF statistic shows the presence of heteroscedasticity. The estimate of the volatility models were significant with probability values at 0.01 for the new error distribution and the existing distributions. The results obtained show that GARCH (1, 1) with EGSSTD error distribution performed better than the other models having the least AIC value. In terms of forecasting performance, GARCH (1, 1) with ESSTD error distribution outperformed other volatility models and error distributions with the least RSME

Comparative studies on the effect of processing methods on the nutritional value of Basella alba, Talinum triangulare, Celosia argentea, Amaranthus hybridus and Gnetum africanum leaves

The nutritional composition of vegetables is adversely affected by the method of processing for storage or preservation. This study was designed to determine the effect of blanching, boiling, and drying on the nutritional composition of selected vegetables using standard analytical methods. Proximate analysis was carried out on the fresh and processed leaf samples. Results obtained revealed that all the vegetables analyzed contained an appreciable amount of moisture, ash, protein, fiber, carbohydrate, β-carotene, and vitamins. Results also showed that all the processing methods employed significantly reduced (p &lt; 0.05) the nutritional compositions of the vegetables studied. However, drying under the shade retained more nutrients compared to the other processing methods. Drying significantly increased (p &lt; 0.05) the carbohydrate and protein contents of all the leaves (79.92 % &amp; 7.51 % respectively in Basella alba, 66.74 % &amp; 12.09 % respectively in Amaranthus hybridus, 82.56 % &amp; 10.07 % respectively in Celosia argentea, 70.77 % &amp; 13.05 % respectively in Gnetum africanum and 89.12 % &amp; 4.70 % respectively in Talinum triangulare) compared to blanching, boiling and the control. Thus, from the three processing methods studied, drying was the most effective processing method that retained nutrients and is, therefore, a good preservation method for the vegetables.</jats:p

Intention for internal whistleblowing to report sexual violence in higher education institutions: a Nigerian national study [version 3; peer review: 2 approved]

Background Sexual violence is prevalent in higher education institutions in Nigeria and stakeholders have encouraged staff and students to blow the whistle whenever they fall victim to or are aware of any sexual violence case. However, there is lack of data about whether the staff and students of these institutions have the intention to blow the whistle internally (within the institution) or not. There is also a lack of data on the existing reporting mechanisms or preferred whistleblowing mechanisms in these institutions. These have hindered the analysis of stakeholders’ opinions on this topic. Methods This data note presents a comprehensive quantitative and qualitative data set collected from staff and students of three categories of government owned higher education institutions (Universities, Polytechnics, Colleges of Education) in Nigeria. Data collection was between February and December, 2021, during which quantitative data were collected from 21,937 students and 3,108 staff. Qualitatively, 138 students and 111 staff participated in a total of 35 focus group discussion sessions. The study provides unique information on respondents’ attitude, self-efficacy, and subjective norm to sexual violence whistleblowing. It also provides information on self-reported sexual violence experiences, whistleblowing intention, reporting systems in higher institutions and the preferred sexual violence whistleblowing mechanisms. Conclusions In this data note, we provide a detailed account of the variables in the dataset and then highlight the potential of this study to contribute to improved sexual violence reporting in higher education institutions, thereby reducing the occurrence of the social menace

Sexual Violence Whistleblowing Intention by Higher Education Students and Staff

The Datasets consists of quantitative data from 21,937 higher education students from 18 institutions in Nigeria. It also contains 3,108 data from staff of the same institutions. The data describes the intention of the staff and the students to use internal whistleblowing mechanism to report sexual violence cases. Data on the attitude of the participants to internal whistleblowing, their subjective norm and self-efficacy are also contained in the datasets. The qualitative data describes the sexual violence reporting systems available in the institutions, their preferred whistleblowing strategies, protection of the whistleblowers and recommendations for effectiveness of internal whistleblowing mechanism for sexual violence. However, due to the sensitivity of the data, the qualitative data will only be made available on request. Added to these datasets are the instruments that were used to collect data from the participants