Validation of the Self-Efficacy for Managing Chronic Disease Scale in Nigeria: Impact on Patients’ Cognitive Capacity

Self-management programmes targeted at enhanced self-efficacy are progressively being emphasized as a cost-effective way of alleviating patients’ chronic illnesses. However, no measure of self-efficacy has been validated for chronic disease patients with varied cognitive failures. Chronic disease patients with complete data on cognitive failures and the SEMCD at their assessment between March and April 2016 in the southwest of Nigeria were used. Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) was employed to assess the factor structure of the SEMCD scale. Reliability and parameter estimates of the scale were established using traditional Cronbach’s alpha and item response theory (IRT) analyses. A total of 1214 patients were included. CFA supported the single factor structure of the SEMCD scale (Fit index= 1.00, comparative fit index = 1.00, root mean square error of approximation = 0.00). Internal consistency was high (α=0.94). A unidimensional graded response model also supported a single scale scoring process for the survey and showed all items as worthy contributors to the measuring scale. Significant negative relationships of the scale with cognitive failures (r = -0.10, p<0.01) and for the construct validity, with measures of health status (r = -0.26 - -0.10; p<0.01) and health care utilization (r = -0.24 ─ -0.12; p<0.001) were found. Scores from the SEMCD scale are valid for measuring self-efficacy in chronic disease patients with varied cognitive failures. Results support the scale as an outcome measure to evaluate the effectiveness of self-management programmes in patients with diverse cognitive capacities

Food intake in relation to obesity and subjective cognitive complaints : a cross-sectional study from Nigeria

There is evidence from research that dietary lifestyle influences health and mental well-being but there is limited understanding of the mechanism in Nigerian adult population. This study evaluated association of food intake with obesity and subjective cognitive complaints (SCCs) in Nigerian adults. We carried out a cross-sectional study of 1338 random samples aged 18-87 years who were visiting six different public hospitals in the southwest Nigeria between March 2016 and April 2016. Standard food frequency questionnaire (FFQ) and SCC questionnaire were used while anthropometric data were measured using standard clinical procedures. Associations were determined by linear and unconditional logistic regressions, after adjustment for age, ethnicity, education, gender, marital status, family type, alcohol and smoking status. Consumption of four different foods was significantly associated with SCC while one food intake was significantly associated with obesity measure (i.e., body mass index): meat product (Adjusted Odds Ratio (AOR), 1.002; 95% Confidence Interval (CI), 1.001-1.004; P <.0001), and sugary snacks (AOR, 1.007; 95% CI, 1.002- 1.011; P <.01) were associated with increased SCCs whereas consumption of cereal products (AOR, 0.999; 95% CI, 0.998-1.000; P <.01) and potatoes (AOR, 0.998; 95% CI, 0.996-1.000; P <.05) were associated with decreased levels of SCCs. Consumption of non-alcoholic beverages was associated with decreased BMI levels (AOR, 0.998; 95%CI, 0.997-1.00; P <.05). Linear regression analyses on these data largely recapitulated the results. In conclusion, consumption of cereals, potatoes and non-alcoholic beverages appear beneficial to health and the findings could serve as an intervention strategy for tackling SCCs and obesity

Health Risk Assessment of Natural Radionuclides Ingestion from Selected Edible Crops in Farmlands Around Limestone Excavation Area in Ewekoro, Ogun State

Communication in Physical Sciences, 2023, 9(4): 500-510 Olusegun Sowole *, Kolawole Abiodun Egunjobi and Adebola Daniel Awofodu Received: 22 April 2023/Accepted 26 August 2023 Natural radionuclides are found in the air, water and soil. They are introduced to the plants through the leaves and absorption of nutrients and water from the soil by the roots. The presence of radionuclides in plants can affect directly humans through the consumption of the plant or indirectly through the food chain. The concentrations of natural radionuclides in some crops from farms around Ewekoro limestone excavation area in Ewekoro town, Ogun State in Nigeria, were determined and the annual committed effective dose to the consumers was also determined. In addition, soil samples from the farms where each crop was planted were collected to determine the transfer factor and the radiological safety of people on the farms. The gamma spectrometry method was used for the analysis. The highest concentrations of 40K, 238U and 232Th in crops were 856.13 ± 32.25Bqkg-1, 35.27 ± 5.91Bqkg-1 and 13.39 ± 2.75Bqkg-1 respectively. The average annual committed effective dose of the natural radionuclides to the consumers was calculated to be 0.9214mSvyr-1, which was below the limit of 1.0mSvyr-1 recommended globally. The average excess lifetime cancer risk of the radionuclides consumption to the consumers was determined to be 3.225 x , which was below the recommended limit of 1.45 x &nbsp;and therefore indicated that the ingestion of these radionuclides through the consumption of these crops has no significant radiological health hazard to the consumers. However, the average annual effective dose equivalent of the radionuclides from soils within the investigated farms showed an average value of 0.0458 mSvyr-1, which was below the limit of 1 mSvyr-1. Average excess lifetime cancer risk was determined to be 0.1547 x &nbsp;which was below the recommended limit, indicating that the farmers and the people in the environs were not exposed to radiological health hazards

Comparative study of the effects of artesunate and garlic extract on tomato crown gall disease

Crown gall disease causes great economic losses worldwide by reducing crop yields and increases susceptibility to opportunistic pathogens. The anti-malarial Artesunate which is a derivative of artemisinin from Artemisia annua leaf and Garlic extracts known for their inhibitory and cytotoxic effects on the proliferation of human and animal tumor cells were investigated on rapidly dividing plant cells in Agrobacterium tumefaciens-induced crown gall tumor of tomato (Solanum lycopersicum) to determine their effects. Twenty four (24) tomato seedlings grown from seeds and divided into 4 treatment groups A, B, C and D were used for this study. Group A and B were inoculated with A. tumefaciens and treated with Artesunate and Garlic extract respectively for 3 weeks. Tomato seedlings of group C were the healthy seedlings that were not inoculated with A. tumefaciens and group D contains the seedlings that were inoculated with A. tumefaciens but not treated. Within two weeks of inoculation with A. tumefaciens, some of the diseased seedlings developed obvious galls (tumors) compared to the Artesunate and Garlic treated seedlings and the healthy seedlings. It was observed that Artesunate and Garlic extracts showed significant inhibition (P≤ 0.05) against gall (tumor) development. Artesunate and Garlic treated seedlings had better growth compared to the diseased seedlings. However, Garlic extract was observed to be more effective than Artesunate at inhibiting gall (tumor). This therefore confirmed the efficacy of garlic extracts and synthetic artesunate against crown gall disease of tomato.Keywords: Artesunate, Garlic, Crown gall tumor and Agrobacterium tumefacien