The Impact of Peri-Urbanisation on Housing Development: Environmental Quality and Residents\u27 Productivity in Ibeju-Lekki, Lagos

This paper assesses the impact of peri-urbanisation on housing, environmental quality and residents\u27 socio-demography in Ibeju-Lekki peri-urban in Lagos, Nigeria. Primary data was collected through administration of 370 questionnaires to household heads in purposively selected sixteen settlements in the study area while secondary data was sourced from spatial images, land use maps and satellite images of the study area. Quantitative data was analysed using descriptive statistics while qualitative data was analysed using time series and satellite image analysis. The result shows a spatial expansion due mainly to increased housing development, a multi-dimensional environmental and socio-cultural challenges that impacts negatively on the quality of living and a literate, high income group dominance in the selected peri-urban settlements in Ibeju-Lekki. The study recommends a creation of a database to capture the pattern of housing development, residents\u27 socio-economic demography and infrastructure needs for intervention in policy design for a sustainable development

Data Driven Mathematical Models for Forecast of Covid-19 Disease in Nigeria

In this research, two mathematical models are proposed for investigation of laboratory confirmed daily COVID-19 disease incidence and total active daily infectious COVID-19 cases using data obtained from Nigeria Centre for Disease Control.  Due  to the observed patterns in the raw data, Autoregressive  Integrated Moving Average(ARIMA) method  is used on the data which covered  a period of 521 days (27  February, 2020-  1st  August 2021).  While diagnostic check of ARIMA(11,1,0)  indicate Ljung-Box Q(18) statistics value of 12.544  with p-value  of 0.084,  diagnostic check of ARIMA(1, 1, 1)  indicate Ljung Box Q(18) statistics value of 22.420 with p-value of 0.130.  Furthermore, stationary R- squared values are 0.803 and 0.858 at 95% confidence bound for ARIMA (11, 1, 0) and ARIMA (1, 1, 1) respectively which are indicative of good models.  Results from ARIMA (11, 1, 0) forecast show a slightly moderate upward trend in confirmed  daily COVID-19 incidence in Nigeria and results from ARIMA(1, 1, 1) indicate significant upward trend in total active daily infectious COVID-19  cases in Nigerian population.  Therefore, the developed models can be adopted by presidential taskforce and other agencies in health sector regarding future vaccination towards prevention of the spread of COVID-19 disease in Nigeria provided that the present general prevailing conditions of disease spread remain fairly the same

Effect of Moringa oleifera Leave Meal on Digestibility and Haematological Parameters, and Health Status of Doe Rabbits

The study involved the use of the Moringa oleifera leaf meal (MOLM) to feed doe rabbits and determine its effect on their nutrient digestibility and haematological indices. Five (5) treatment diets were formulated to contain MOLM inclusion levels of 0% (control), 25%, 50%, 75% and 100%. Forty five (45) rabbits of same sex were distributed randomly into five groups of nine animals and replicated three times per treatment having between 24 – 28 weeks of age with initial weight of about 1800 – 2400 g per animal. The does were provided with feed and water throughout the experimental period which lasted eight weeks. Analysis of the Moringa leaf meal (MOLM) on DM basis indicated that the leaves contained 92.15% Dry Matter, 12.85% Crude Protein, 5.10% Ether Extract, 6.57% Crude Fibre, 11.20% Ash, 64.28% Nitrogen Free Extract. The apparent digestibility of CP, CF, EE and NFE were affected (P<0.05) by the graded levels of MOLM inclusion except for the dry matter. The haematological parameters like packed cell volume, white blood cell, lymphocyte, neutrophil and monocyte vary significantly (p<0.05) between treatments. MOLM could be included in rabbit feed at an inclusion level of 25% without any adverse effect on the digestibility performance while blood indices of doe rabbits improved with increasing levels of Moringa oleifera

Epidemiological profile of the Ebola virus disease outbreak in Nigeria, July-September 2014

Introduction: In July 2014, Nigeria experienced an outbreak of Ebola virus disease following the introduction of the disease by an ill Liberian Traveler. The Government of Nigeria with the support of Technical and Development Partners responded quickly and effectively to contain the outbreak. The epidemiological profile of the outbreak that majorly affected two States in the country in terms of person, place and time characteristics of the cases identified is hereby described. Methods: Using field  investigation technique, all confirmed and probable cases were identified, line-listed and analysed using Microsoft Excel 2007 by persons, time and place. Results: A total of 20 confirmed and probable cases; 16 in Lagos (including the index case from Liberia) and 4 in Port Harcourt were  identified. The mean age was 39.5 ± 12.4 years with over 40% within the age group 30-39 years. The most frequent exposure type was direct physical contact in 70% of all cases and 73% among health care workers. The total case-fatality was 40%; higher among healthcare workers (46%) compared with non-healthcare workers (22%). The epidemic curve initially shows a typical common source outbreak, followed by a propagated pattern. Conclusion: Investigation revealed the size and spread of the outbreak and provided information on the characteristics of persons, time and place. Enhanced surveillance measures, including contact tracing and follow-up proved very useful in early case detection and containment of the outbreak

Chemical Evaluation of African Palm Weevil, Rhychophorus phoenicis, Larvae as a Food Source

The chemical properties of the African palm weevil, Rhychophorus phoenicis (F.) (Coleoptera: Curculionidae), larvae were evaluated using standard methodology. The chloroform-methanol extract yielded 37.12% on a dry basis. The oil was liquid at room temperature with a flash point of 36.0 °C. Analysis of the physical constants indicated values of 192.25 Wijs and 427.70 mg KOH/g as iodine and saponification, respectively. Fatty acid analysis of the extracted oil showed the presence of unsaturated fatty acids at low levels. Palmitic acid and stearic acid constituted 35.3 and 60.5% of the oil, respectively. The usual behaviour of the oil at room temperature, irrespective of the level of unsaturation of its constituent fatty acid was noted. The total protein content of the defatted palm weevil larva (dry basis) was estimated at 66.3%. The amino acid values compared favourably to FAO reference protein, except for tryptophan, which was limiting. All the other essential amino acids were adequate. Mineral analysis revealed high levels of potassium (1025 mg/100 g) and phosphorus (685 mg/100 g). The dried and defatted palm weevil lava represents a very good source of protein, and a good complement of essential amino acids

Isolation and Characterization of Arginase Producing Bacteria from Soil Compost Sites at Ogwa Community, Edo State, Nigeria

Under typical physiological conditions, arginine plays a crucial function in the cell development and proliferation of healthy cells. Arginase has recently caught the attention of numerous researchers as a potential therapy option for auxotrophic cancer. Using standard morphological and biochemical methods, this paper isolates and characterize Arginase producing bacteria from soil compost sites collected from Ogwa community, Edo State, Nigeria. Enzymatic and physicochemical activities were assessed. The species identified to be present include Pseudomonas sp., Bacillus licheniformis, and Bacillus subtlis. The enzyme was active throughout a wide pH range, from 2 to 12. The optimal pH for the activity was found to be 9, and the ideal temperature was 70 °C. Km values for Arginine and Guanidine hydrochloride were 0.21 mM and 0.25 mM, respectively, in terms of substrates. Studies on the enzyme with different cations showed that the activity of the enzyme was affected by Sn2+, Hg2+, Pb2+, Na2+, and K+. This study shows the therapeutically significant arginase enzyme is present in the isolated bacteria from various compost sites

Optimizing Blood Transfusion Service Delivery across the West Africa Sub-Region

The sub-continent of West Africa is made up of 16 countries: Benin, Burkina Faso, Cape Verde, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Ivory Coast, Liberia, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal, Sierra Leone, The Gambia and Togo. As of 2018, the population of the sub-continent was estimated at about 381 million. The main challenge associated with blood transfusion service delivery across the sub-region concerns adequacy and safety. In this chapter, we highlighted the challenges associated with the delivery of a quality blood transfusion service in countries in the sub-region including: implementation of component therapy rather than whole blood transfusion, effective cold chain management of blood and blood products, alloimmunization prevention, implementation of column agglutination and automation rather than the convention manual tube method in blood transfusion testing, effective management of major haemorrhage, optimization of screening for transfusion transmissible infections, optimizing blood donation, implementation of universal leucodepletion of blood and blood products, effective management of transfusion-dependent patients, pre-operative planning and management of surgical patients, management of Rhesus D negative pregnancy and women with clinically significant alloantibodies, implementation of haemovigilance system, implementation of alternatives to allogenic blood, availability and use of specialized blood products, optimizing safe blood donation, enhancing blood transfusion safety, operating a quality management system-based blood transfusion service and implementation of non-invasive cell-free foetal DNA testing. There is the urgent need for the implementation of evidence-based best practices in blood transfusion service delivery across the sub-region to allow for excellent, safe, adequate and timely blood transfusion service delivery across the sub-region

Study protocol for a pilot quasi-experimental study on oral health education for nurses and community health workers in Nigeria

IntroductionThe primary health care system provides an ideal setting for the integration of oral health into general health care as well as equitable access to oral health care. However, the limited oral health knowledge of primary health care workers necessitates appropriate training before they can participate in health promotion efforts. This pilot training was designed to examine the impact of the Oral Health Education module for Nurses and Community Health Care Workers on their oral health awareness and referral practices.MethodsThis study will utilize a quasi-experimental design (pre-and post with a non-equivalent control group) to assess the impact of a five-day pilot oral health education program on the knowledge and referral practices of Nurses and Community Health Workers in primary health care centers in three states in Nigeria-(Lagos, Oyo, and Kano). The training modules were developed based on the six iterative steps described in the intervention mapping framework – needs assessment, highlighting program objectives and outcomes, selection of theory and mode of intervention, designing program based on theory, designing implementation plans, and developing an evaluation plan. Only the intervention group will participate in the full educational training sessions but both groups will complete the pre-and post-intervention questionnaires.DiscussionThis pilot training combined the standardized training modules from the recently launched “Oral Health Training Course for Community Health Workers in Africa” and a newly developed maternal and child oral health module by our group using an evidence-based approach. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first program to examine the impact of the standardized OpenWHO modules. The success of this training will lay the foundation for developing a sustained channel for providing oral health education at the primary health care level in Nigeria, West Africa, and Africa