Coping strategies of Nigerian medical students during the COVID-19 pandemic

Objective: This study assessed the coping strategies of Nigerian medical students during the COVID-19 pandemic.Design: We conducted an online descriptive cross-sectional study among medical and dental students attending three of the largest Colleges of Medicine in the Southwestern zone of Nigeria.Settings: Our study involved students across the pre-clinical and clinical levels of the three Colleges of Medicine.Participants: We selected the respondents through a purposive sampling technique and disseminated questionnaires applied using an online survey platform (Google forms https://forms.gle/19yfEzehJKwsme759). A total of 1010 par-ticipants out of 2404 eligible students completed the questionnaires accurately, giving a response rate of 42%.Methods: The Brief-COPE questionnaire assessed the participants' coping strategies (approach and avoidant) during the COVID-19 pandemic. We conducted a bivariate analysis using the chi-square test and multiple regression analysis (p< 0.05) to determine the predictors of avoidant coping strategies.Results: Respondents mean age was 21.8±2.9 years, results were presented as Odds Ratios(OR) at 95% confidence intervals(CI). About 95% of respondents employed an approach coping strategy, while the minority(5%) adopted an avoidant coping strategy. Females were three times more likely to employ an avoidant coping strategy (OR=3.32 (95% CI 1.67-6.21) compared to male students.Conclusion: This study reveals that the majority of the respondents employed an approach coping strategy towards the COVID-19 pandemic. Females were more likely to employ an avoidant coping strategy. We recommend gender-specific programs to help medical students cope with the COVID-19 pandemic

Accuracy and Usability of a Novel Algorithm for Detection of Irregular Pulse Using a Smartwatch Among Older Adults: Observational Study

BACKGROUND: Atrial fibrillation (AF) is often paroxysmal and minimally symptomatic, hindering its diagnosis. Smartwatches may enhance AF care by facilitating long-term, noninvasive monitoring. OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to examine the accuracy and usability of arrhythmia discrimination using a smartwatch. METHODS: A total of 40 adults presenting to a cardiology clinic wore a smartwatch and Holter monitor and performed scripted movements to simulate activities of daily living (ADLs). Participants\u27 clinical and sociodemographic characteristics were abstracted from medical records. Participants completed a questionnaire assessing different domains of the device\u27s usability. Pulse recordings were analyzed blindly using a real-time realizable algorithm and compared with gold-standard Holter monitoring. RESULTS: The average age of participants was 71 (SD 8) years; most participants had AF risk factors and 23% (9/39) were in AF. About half of the participants owned smartphones, but none owned smartwatches. Participants wore the smartwatch for 42 (SD 14) min while generating motion noise to simulate ADLs. The algorithm determined 53 of the 314 30-second noise-free pulse segments as consistent with AF. Compared with the gold standard, the algorithm demonstrated excellent sensitivity (98.2%), specificity (98.1%), and accuracy (98.1%) for identifying irregular pulse. Two-thirds of participants considered the smartwatch highly usable. Younger age and prior cardioversion were associated with greater overall comfort and comfort with data privacy with using a smartwatch for rhythm monitoring, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: A real-time realizable algorithm analyzing smartwatch pulse recordings demonstrated high accuracy for identifying pulse irregularities among older participants. Despite advanced age, lack of smartwatch familiarity, and high burden of comorbidities, participants found the smartwatch to be highly acceptable

Assessment of Phytochemicals, Antioxidant and Antimicrobial Activities of Aqueous Ethanol Extract and Fractions of Azadirachta indica Stem Bark

In this study, the aqueous ethanol extract of Azadirachta indica stem bark was obtained by Soxhlet extraction and partitioned into different solvents. The extract and fractions were then assessed for their phytochemical contents, antioxidant, and antimicrobial activities. The results showed that saponins, flavonoids, phenol, and tannins were present in all the samples. Also, the ethanol extract had the highest flavonoid (281.15 mgQE/g), phenolic (714.82 mgGAE/g), and tannin (156.54 mgTAE/g) contents, as well as the highest DPPH scavenging activity (95.71%) and total reducing power (1.27). However, among the fractions, butanol fraction showed the highest contents of flavonoids (235.20 mgQE/g), phenolics (413.42 mgGAE/g) and the highest DPPH scavenging activity (93.87 %) while the highest tannin content (86.90 mgTAE/g) and total reducing power (1.06) was observed in the ethyl acetate fraction. The lowest concentration of flavonoid (34.60 mgQE/g) and lowest antioxidant activity was obtained for the hexane fraction while lowest contents of phenolics (102.32 mgGAE/g) and tannins (41.21 mgTAE/g) were both observed in the water-soluble fraction. The most active fraction against both Staphylococcus aureus and Enterobacter cloacae was ethyl acetate. Meanwhile, the ethanol extract, hexane fraction, and water-soluble fractions showed the highest activity against Candida albicans, Salmonella typhi, and Escherichia coli, respectively. This research reveals that the stem bark of Azadirachta indica contains notable antioxidant and antimicrobial properties, making it a promising source for developing potent therapeutic drugs and functional foods

Nutritional and Sensory Quality Attributes of Bread Produced from Wheat-Sprouted Finger Millet Flour

The current study was conducted to investigate the nutritional and sensory quality of wheat flour supplemented with sprouted finger millet flour in varying ratio to produce bread. Phytochemical screening of the ethanol extract of the flour samples confirmed the presence of many phytochemicals including flavonoids, phenols, terpenoids, alkaloids and tannins. The results of flavonoid, phenolic and alkaloid content of white wheat flour (WWF) are 1.34 ± 0.05 (mg QE/g), 2.25 ± 0.05 (mg GAE/g) and 1.26 ± 0.01 (%) respectively. The mean concentration of raw finger millet flour (RFF) : sprouted finger millet flour (SFF) for flavonoid, phenolic and alkaloid are 2.15 ± 0.15 mg QE/g : 2.87 ± 0.05 mg QE/), 4.24 ± 0.04 mg GAE/g  : 5.10 ± 0.11 mg GAE/g and 2.56 ± 0.03 (%) : 2.58 ± 0.05 (%). The results of moisture content, ash and carbohydrate of the bread increases from 8.28-10.18 %, 1.70-2.55 %, and 69.30-70.21 % while crude protein, crude fat and crude fiber of the bread decreases from 12.80-11.20 %, 3.62-2.01 %, and 4.30-3.90 %. The sensory score results revealed that bread made with 100 % WWF (sample A) was most acceptable. The study has revealed that acceptable nutrient dense bread can be made from wheat and sprouted finger millet flour up to 30 % substitution