Diffusion and use of information about Ebola salt water therapy by students in Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria during 2014 Ebola epidemic in Nigeria

This study is aimed at determining the diffusion and use of Ebola salt water therapy information by students in Ahmadu Bello  University (ABU) Zaria, Kaduna state, Nigeria. Using qualitative case study approach, the researcher adopted Electronic  Word-of-Mouth communication (eWOM) model as a guide. The researcher used 58 electronic narratives from Short Messaging Services (SMS), Twitter, and Facebook used in the diffusion of Ebola salt water therapy information by the ABU students during the 2014 Ebola epidemic and conducted one-on-one interviews with 19 participants that have discussed in social media, received the call, or massage on and practiced Ebola salt water therapy. The study found that the information about Ebola salt water therapy diffused among ABU students through electronic and  interpersonal means of communication by their close relations and opinion leaders, also the students used the information because of fear and the repeated number of calls and messages they received. The research recommended that the University Health Services Unit of ABU should have official online social platform for diffusion and discussion of health related matters where  professionals will respond and attend to students’ questions and complaints

SWOT analysis of land area-based and value-based property rating

The property rating can be on Value-based rating Assessment (VbRA) or Area-based Rating Assessment (AbRA). This study examined the suitable assessment of Bauchi metropolis, Nigeria. The materials used were published books and journal articles, and SWOT technique was applied to analyse the identified variables, then the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats were sorted out. The facts from the SWOT matrix were assimilated into existing local scenario to strategically decide the appropriate assessment procedure for raising the local revenue for financing the provision and maintenance of municipal infrastructure and facilities. The study found Area-based Rating Assessment (AbRA) as the most appropriate rating assessment procedure for the study area

Premium arrangement in the contemporary real estate transaction in Bauchi

The premium arrangement in the real estate enables lessors to receive a lump sum of money and forfeit a part of rental income, while the lessee enjoys some profit rents. This transaction was not operational in the study area. This study investigated the position of the lessor on the awareness and practice of premium arrangement on the real estate transaction in Bauchi metropolis, using multiple regression and structural equation modelling with AMOS graphics. The analyses (both) multiple regression and structural equation modelling with AMOS revealed that the awareness and practice of premium arrangement in Bauchi metropolis have been a factor that can significantly influence the real estate transactions with corresponding benefits to both lessors and lessees in the study area. It was therefore recommended that the parties’ privy in the premium transaction to acknowledge the benefits to the lessor appeared to out-weigh the benefits to the lessee, thus the parties should be enjoined to comply with the existing rules and covenants of their leas

Management Problems Associated with Multi-Tenanted High-Rise Commercial Buildings in Kaduna Metropolis, Nigeria

It is globally established that, where high-rise buildings are put in to multiple occupations, certain problems arise which eventually affect the building structure, occupants and the surrounding natural environment either directly or indirectly. This paper is aimed at investigating and presenting research findings on the management problems of multi-tenanted high-rise commercial buildings in Kaduna metropolis as compared to the system practised in other countries. Field survey was carried out and eventually structured questionnaire was employed as the data collection instrument. A total of 400 questionnaires were administered to the tenants, managers and owners of the buildings in the study area. Data obtained from the study were analyzed in tabular forms, simple percentage distribution tables and narrative description. Part of the results showed that 74% of the buildings were constructed 30 years ago which turned them old for the existing demands due to lack of upgrading the facilities therein. It was further uncovered that 66% of the facilities in the high-rise buildings such as lifts, generators, water supply were not properly maintained by the managing firms due to lack of planning and also due to lack of enough fund budgeted to take good care of  maintenance activities. It was concluded that, old facilities are responsible for the void and vacant spaces in 44% of the high-rise buildings studied. It was deduced that facilities in the high-rise buildings failed to function regularly due to poor maintenance planning and ignorance of some managers to respond to repairs and maintenance request on time. Finally, part of the recommendations proffered include; property management rules of service should be adhered to, where only competent skilled workers will be employed to take care of different services provided in the multi-tenanted high-rise buildings. These competent hands should be adequately employed for effective management of the buildings.  There should be good planning in respect of assessing and responding to sudden breakdown of services so as to achieve service delivery promptly. Keywords: Commercial Buildings, High-rise Buildings, Management Problems, Multi- tenanted Buildings and Property Management

Psychoactive substance use disorders among females in northern Nigeria: Findings of a five-year descriptive survey at the Federal Neuropsychiatric Hospital, Maiduguri

The aim of this study was to determine a five-year prevalence trend of substance use disorders and the modes of presentaton of female drug users in North-Eastern Nigeria. It was a retrospectve, cross sectonal study in which sociodemographic, clinical and drug-related data of 2,731 clients who were atended to, at the Federal Neuropsychiatric Hospital, Maiduguri over a fve year period were extracted from their clinical records. The overall prevalence of psychoactve substance use disorders among the female partcipants was 9.3% [n = 253] with rising rates from 8.2% in 2012 to 12.2% in 2016, and The prevalence trend shows a statstcally signifcant change (χ2 = 51.764, p = < 0.001). One hundred and sixty fve [65.2%, 95% C.I. = 45.81 - 79.45] met the ICD-10 diagnostc criteria for dependence. Codeine-containing cough syrup, 73 [28.8%, 95% C.I. = 22.18 - 42.27], and Tramadol, 41 [16.2%, 95% C.I. = 10.24 - 25.18] were the commonest substances of abuse. Most of them were either compelled by relatves, 103 [40.71, 95% C.I. = 29.46 - 53.17] or were accidentally found to be using drugs at presentaton, 58 [22.92, 95% C.I. = 15.75 - 28.93]. Based on these outcomes, the design and adaptaton of culturally appropriate and gender-specifc educatonal programmes and stgmareducton strategies, are recommended. Keywords: Psychoactve substance use, Females, North-Eastern Nigeri

Prevalence and Determinants of Endothelial Dysfunction among Adults Living with HIV in Northwest Nigeria

Background: Endothelial dysfunction constitutes an early pathophysiological event in atherogenesis and cardiovascular disease. This study aimed to assess the prevalence, determinants, and degree of endothelial dysfunction in antiretroviral therapy (ART)–treated people living with HIV (PLWH) in northwestern Nigeria using brachial flow-mediated dilatation (FMD). Methods: This was a comparative, cross-sectional study. A total of 200 ART-treated adults living with HIV with no evidence of kidney disease were compared with 200 HIV-negative participants attending a tertiary hospital in Kano, Nigeria, between September 2020 and May 2021. Endothelial function was evaluated by measuring FMD with a high-resolution vascular ultrasound transducer. FMD was calculated as the ratio of the brachial artery diameter after reactive hyperemia to baseline diameter and expressed as a percentage of change. Blood and urine samples were obtained from participants in both arms. Urine albumin-to-creatinine ratio (uACR) was calculated using the 2021 CKD-EPI estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) creatinine-cystatin C equation without the race variable, and low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol was measured using enzymatic method. Results: The overall mean age (± standard deviation) of the study participants was 42 ± 11 years. Participants in the comparison arm were younger than PLWH (38 ± 11 versus 46 ± 10 years, respectively). The median (interquartile range) uACR was 41.6 (23.2–162.9) mg/g for the ART-treated PLWH versus 14.5 (7.4–27.0) mg/g for healthy controls. PLWH had a significantly lower mean percent FMD when compared to HIV-negative participants (9.8% ± 5.4 versus 12.1% ± 9.2, respectively). Reduced FMD was independently associated with HIV infection (β = –2.83%, 95% CI, –4.44% to –1.21%, p = 0.001), estimated glomerular filtration rate (β = –0.04%, 95% CI, –0.07% to –0.01%, p = 0.004) and LDL cholesterol (β = –1.12%, 95% CI, –2.13% to –0.11%, p = 0.029). Conclusion: HIV-positive status, lower estimated GFR, and higher LDL cholesterol levels were independently associated with endothelial dysfunction. Future prospective studies with larger cohorts of persons living with HIV (and age- and sex-matched HIV-negative controls) are needed to gain further insight into these important findings. In the interim, aggressive management of modifiable risk factors is warranted

Prevalencija protutijela za virus newcastleske bolesti u domaće peradi i polupripitomljenih ptica u Zariji, Nigerija.

Out of 380 birds sampled, 128 (35.7%) were galliformes, 100 (28.6%) anseriformes, while 100 (28.6%) were columbiformes and 25 (7.1%) struthioformes. Haemagglutination Inhibition (HI) test was used for detection and quantification of antibodies against Newcastle Disease (ND) virus. The HI titre of each bird was determined and expressed in log2 and the mean for each species was calculated. Of the galliformes tested, 92% of the chickens tested were positive, as were only 12% of the quails tested. Among the columbiformes tested, 44% of domestic pigeons tested were positive, as were 24% of mourning doves tested. The only species tested among the struthioformes was the ostrich, of which 52% were positive to ND virus antibodies. The mean HI titre for local chickens was 7.3 log2, 0.4 log2 for quails, 0.1 for Khaki Campbell, 0.4 log2 for laughing dove and 1.9 log2 for ostrich. Galliformes were more susceptible to ND virus than all the other families tested. Anseriformes seem to be less susceptible to ND virus, although a high percentage of Muscovy ducks were positive to ND virus antibodies. Domestic pigeons and turtle doves were more susceptible to ND virus than other members of the columbiformes tested. Although there is no report of a clinical outbreak of ND in anseriformes and columbiformes in Nigeria, they are nevertheless infected with ND virus and may therefore serve as reservoirs of ND virus for galliformes.Od 380 pretraženih uzoraka seruma, 128 (35,7%) bilo je podrijetlom od ptica reda kokoški, 100 (28,6%) reda guščarica, 100 (28,6%) reda golubovki i 25 (7,1%) reda nojevki. Reakcija inhibicije hemaglutinacije (IHA) rabljena je za dokazivanje protutijela za virus newcastleske bolesti (NB). Titri protutijela IHA izraženi su kao log2 te je srednja vrijednost izračunata za svaku vrstu. Od pretraženih kokoški pozitivno je bilo 92% pilića te 12% prepelica. Od golubovki pozitivno je bilo 44% domaćih golubova kao i 24% sivoglavih gugutki. Jedina vrsta od pretraženih nojevki bio je noj s 52% serološki pozitivnih za virus NB. Srednji titar protutijela IHA za piliće iznosio je 7,3 log2, za prepelice 0,4 log2, za patku Khaki Campbell 0,1, za plavokrilu grlicu 0,4 te za noja 1,9 log2. Kokoške su se pokazale osjetljivijima na virus NB od ostalih pretraženih vrsta ptica. Guščarice su čini se manje osjetljive na virus NB iako je ustanovljen velik postotak pozitivnih mošusnih pataka. Domaći golubovi i grlice nisu bili osjetljiviji od ostalih pretraženih vrsta golubovki. Premda nije bilo izvješća o kliničkoj pojavi NB u guščarica i golubovki u Nigeriji, ovo istraživanje pokazuje da one mogu biti zaražene virusom NB i da mogu služiti kao njegov rezervoar

Analyzing area-based rating assessment implementation in Bauchi Metropolis, Nigeria, testing SWOT variables

The Area-based Rating Assessment (AbRA) entails assessing the real property for rating purposes on the basis of the land area only. This study analyzed the implementation of AbRA in Bauchi metropolis, experimentally by testing the helpful factors under both internal and external variables; and subsequently, by testing the harmful factors under the internal and external variables all derived from SWOT analysis, and measuring their effects on the endogenous variable (AbRA). The study derived major themes from SWOT analyses, whose variables under each theme were used as measurement items or sub-themes for the primary data collection. Structural Equation Modelling was used to analyze the impact of the variables on the implementation of AbRA in the study area. It was found that the area assessment required the limited data to conduct the rating assessment, and did not necessarily require periodic revaluation to update the valuation list with the volatilities in value, thus, making AbRA to demand less cost of administration. It was also found that, information on land area can be collected remotely without entry into the individual properties, the process did not defy the residents’ privacy, also, the remote data collection could be done using tools like Google Earth/Map which allowed the ease of reconnaissance and faster inspections and measurements, hence, this study recommended the area-based rating assessment (AbRA) for Bauchi metropolis of Nigeria

Personality traits as key determinants of COVID-19 vaccine uptake among healthcare workers in Nigeria

Background: The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has posed a significant global challenge, necessitating the development and administration of vaccines to halt its spread. Nevertheless, there is limited information on the predictors, patterns, and personality variables influencing COVID-19 vaccine uptake among Nigerian health-care workers (HCWs). Aim: The study set to assess level of factors including personality factors that influence acceptance of the COVID-19 vaccines among.HCWs in Nigeria. Materials and Methods: From August 9 to October 11, 2021, a web-based, cross-sectional survey was conducted on 300 HCWs in Nigeria, aged 19 and above, with social media access and English language proficiency. Descriptive statistics, Chi-square, and binary logistic regression were used to analyse the data on the SPSS version 20. Results: The findings revealed that while 64% of those who participated in the study received the first dosage of the COVID-19 vaccine, only 48.3% returned for the second dose. The impression of heightened susceptibility to contracting COVID-19 was the primary reason for vaccination uptake. Although education level was associated with vaccination uptake, it did not predict it independently. The age distribution, agreeableness, conscientiousness, and high vulnerability as a rationale for receiving a vaccine were all the independent predictors of vaccine uptake. Conclusion: This study reveals that despite their role as vaccination advocates, HCWs can exhibit hesitancy toward novel vaccines. To increase vaccine uptake among HCWs and the general population, it is crucial to recognise the factors that influence vaccine acceptance among them, including individual personality variables, and incorporate this understanding into vaccination promotion programs