A Grant Proposal to Evaluate the Effect Antibiotic TB Treatment has on the Gut Microbiota and on Metabolic Functions of Pediatric TB Patients in Dekalb County

INTRODUCTION: This capstone project is modeled after a National Institutes of Health R21 grant application to evaluate the relationship between tuberculosis (TB) antibiotic treatment and 1) gut microbiota and 2) long-term metabolic functions among pediatric patients less than five years old or greater than five years old, residing in Dekalb county. AIM: The proposed study specific aims are to 1) determine the relationship between standard drug-sensitive antibiotic TB regimens on the gut microbiota (total density and taxa) at the time of TB treatment completion and one-year after treatment completion; 2) determine the relationship between standard drug-sensitive antibiotic TB regimens and metabolic biomarkers (Short Chain Fatty Acids (SCFAs), amino acids (Branched Chain and Aromatic), cholesterol, and glucose) at the time of treatment and one-year follow-up. SIGNIFICANCE: In the last ten years, antibiotic use has increased substantially, correlating with the increase incidence of childhood obesity and diabetes. This trend may partially be explained by an association between broad-spectrum antibiotic usage during childhood and the dysbiosis of the gut microbiome. The disruption of the gut microbiota induces the dysregulation of metabolic pathways, which may lead to the increased risk of developing obesity and diabetes. In 2015, TB accounted for 1 million incident cases in children. Given antibiotic treatment for TB requires exposure to multiple antibiotics for more than six consecutive months, this proposal intends to understand the extent to which exposure to TB treatment may impact the gut microbiome and whether antibiotic induced dysbiosis in the gut microbiome has long-term impact on pediatric metabolic function. APPROACH: Eligibility criteria includes all TB pediatric patients (\u3c 15 years of age) residing in DeKalb county, receiving care for drug-susceptible pulmonary TB by the DeKalb Refugee Clinic within the Dekalb County Board of Health. Patients with previous history of diabetes, obesity, or HIV will be excluded. STUDY DESIGN: We will perform a prospective cohort study of N=50 pulmonary drug-susceptible pediatric TB patients from 2018-2020. At the time of baseline, TB treatment completion, and one-year follow-up the primary measures collected will be total density and taxa distribution of the gut microbiome. We will also collect SCFA, branched chain and aromatic amino acids, fasting glucose, A1c, and fasting cholesterol. Baseline measures will act as an internal comparison group for each patient

COVID-19 PANDEMIC CHALLENGES TO MICRO, SMALL AND MEDIUM ENTERPRISES IN NIGERIA: STRATEGIC OPTIONS FOR SURVIVAL

COVID-19 Pandemic posed a great threat and challenges to the business world, especially the Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs). Many of these enterprises suffered a great downturn in business activities and reduction in profit volume. Many of them were forced to close down while others survived on the margin. The government and other stakeholders in the MSMEs have provided solutions to their problems but most of them have not really yielded the desired result. This paper investigates the challenges that MSMEs in Lagos State encountered as well as the strategic options for their survival during the Covid-19 Pandemic era. A survey research design was adopted and primary data were collected with the help of questionnaire. The population of study was 3,224,324 registered MSMEs in Lagos State, while the sample size of 400 was determined with Yamane (1967) formulae. A simple random sampling technique has been employed to administer 400 copies of questionnaire out of which 297 were properly filled and returned. The findings from the regression analysis and the descriptive statistics revealed that there is no significant effect of MSMEs Covid-19 challenges (such as: decline in productivity, business closure, supply chain breakdown, low customer demand, reduction in profit volume, self-isolation, reduced opportunities to meet new clients) on business survival. Also, it was revealed that most of the respondents adopted cutting expenses as a strategic option for the survival of their businesses. However, the study concluded that Covid-19 Pandemic is a major threat to MSMEs survival and growth. It was recommended that MSMEs should embark on cutting expenses in order to survive Covid-19 and further, they should embrace crisis management response, finance and liquidity, operation and supply chain, determine and activate the business continuity plan, monitor the implementation to enhance their survival and readjust their response approach towards environmental changes

TESTING THE VALIDITY OF THE FISCAL THEORY OF THE PRICE LEVEL (FTPL): A REVIEW OF INTERNATIONAL LITERATURE

The main objective of this paper is to review literature on the Fiscal Theory of the Price Level (FTPL) and its validity in price level determination for both developed and developing economies. FTPL may be understood on the categorisation of the fiscal regime into two types, namely, the Ricardian and non-Ricardian regimes. Empirical evidence for the validity of FTPL on price level determination depends on dominant characteristics of the policy regime. The Ricardian regime does not hold for FTPL, while the non-Ricardian regime holds for FTPL. Based on surveyed empirical studies, time series and panel analysis were used through various estimation methods in the validation of FTPL. Most of the findings from the studies reviewed in this paper validated the FTPL. This means that inflationary episodes tend to be influenced by fiscal dominant regimes. The study concludes that the conduct of fiscal policy influences price dynamics. Hence, fiscal variables should be taken into account by the central bank in its monetary policy rule

Residential Neighbourhoods, Perceived Social Support and Subjective Wellbeing

Research on subjective wellbeing has mainly focused on personality and demographic variables. The influence of residential neighbourhoods are usually not considered. This study, investigates the influence of types of neighbourhoods and perceived social support on life satisfaction among residents in Ibadan metropolis. Using a 2-way factorial design and multistage sampling technique, five of the eleven Local Government Areas (LGAs) in the metropolis were purposively selected for the study. Ten enumeration areas were selected from each LGA using simple random technique. The number of participants in the selected enumeration areas were determined using enumeration area maps. Two hundred and twenty house-owners and renters each were then selected from the low, medium and high density areas of the LGAs using systematic technique, making a total of 1,100 participants. The selected household heads were sampled. A structured questionnaire focusing on socio-demographic profile, life satisfaction scale (r=0.74) and a multi-dimensional scale of perceived social support (r=0.87) was administered to the participants. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and analysis of variance at 0.05 level of significance. Three hypotheses were tested. The results reveal that social support did not have significant main influence on life satisfaction (F (1,237) =.04; p>.05) while neighbourhood types significantly influenced life satisfaction (F (1,237) = 10.79; p<.05). There were significant interaction effects of neighbourhood and social support on life satisfaction (F(1,237) = 4.15). The findings suggest that the places we live are important for improvement of our life satisfaction

Influence of Reading Habit on Perception and Use of Reference Sources by Postgraduate Students in the Faculty of Education of Ibadan, Nigeria

Abstract Libraries play a critical role in promoting reading habits. If postgraduate students cultivate the habits of reading, their perception and use of reference sources will be enhanced. The main objective is to determine the influence of reading habits on the perception and use of reference sources by postgraduates in the Faculty of Education, University of Ibadan. Descriptive survey research design was adopted for the study and the study population consisted of 2503 postgraduate students of the Faculty of Education, University of Ibadan, Nigeria, Stratified random sampling technique was used to select the sample size of 337 and tie questionnaire was the instrument used for data collection. Data was analyzed with the use of descriptive statistics consisting of tables of frequency and percentage counts and Chi-Square statistical tools was used for the hypotheses formulated for the study. Findings revealed that most of the postgraduate students has very good reading habit as they indicated that they were good readers of reference sources. Majority of respondents 235 (64.9%) indicated that because of their reading habit they used a lot of reference sources. Results also showed that the reference services available to postgraduate students as noted by most of the respondents included consultancy services 209 (57.7%), answering of user\u27 queries 167 (46.1%) and abstracting and indexing 166 (45.9%). It was established that there was significant positive and strong influence (r = .900**; df = 361; P\u3c0.01) between reading habit and perception of postgraduate students on the use of reference sources. Results also showed that perception of postgraduate students on the use of reference sources has the highest correlation coefficient (r = 0.553**; P\u3c 0.01) It was concluded that our society has improved to a reading society and students especially postgraduates tend to read in other to achieve academic excellence. The study therefore recommended that university libraries have to build strong collections of information resources in physical and digital format to cater for knowledge requirements of their uses. University libraries in Nigeria need to be revitalized to and inundate it with recent information resources, and other academic materials will help to stimulate reading in the library

Incidence of multidrug resistant Salmonella spp. In local food products sold in Ado-Ekiti, southwestern Nigeria

Background: Contaminated foods of animal origin are the primary reservoirs for human non-typhoidal Salmonellae infections. Transmission of Salmonellae to humans typically occurs by ingesting meat, dairy products, and other foods contaminated by animal faeces from foods contaminated with Salmonellae. Aim: This work aimed at the detection and incidence of viable Salmonella in local food products sold and consumed in Ado – Ekiti. Methods: Typing by pulse-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE), polymerase chain reaction (PCR) detection of antimicrobial drug resistance genes, and antibiotic susceptibility testing were done. Results: Out 105 samples analyzed, Salmonella species was isolated in 77 with highest incidence (100%) observed in kunu, pork meat, egg roll, raw egg and chicken. The antimicrobial drug resistance patterns on the isolates showed that Salmonella species were resistant to cotrimoxazole (100%), chloramphenicol (100%), amoxicillin (100%), ampicillin (86%) and ofloxacin (57%) while decreased susceptibility to ciprofloxacin (100%), streptomycin (100%), gentamycin (86%) and pefloxacin (71%) was found. multidrug resistance was observed in about 77% of the isolates. With PFGE, a total of eighty- three (83) patterns were observed and thirty-six 36(43%) isolates had the 3 most common patterns.  All isolates from kunu and pork meat contained qnrB2, 6 (86%) isolates from egg roll contained blaCMY-2’; 9 (75%) isolates from liquid egg and chicken each contained blaCMY-23’. The total isolate of 73% is an indication of high incidence of Salmonella spp. in food products obtained in Ado-Ekiti. Conclusion: This study showed antimicrobial drug resistance in low resource settings and urgent need for surveillance and control of this phenomenon is recommended

Assessment of Indoor Air Quality and Health Impact associated with the use of Different Types of Cooking Stoves amongst Rural Households in Kwara State, Nigeria

The study focused on assessing the health impact of indoor air pollution and coping strategies adopted among rural households in Kwara state, Nigeria. A three-stage random sampling techniques was used to select 150 household respondents. The data for the study were collected using a well-structured questionnaire and an MSA gas-detector used to monitor the concentration of Carbon-monoxide (CO), Sulphur-dioxide (SO2) and Hydrogensulphide (H2S) pollutants. Descriptive and inferential statistics were employed to analyze the data. However, the result revealed that the mean concentration of CO, SO2 and H2S in the kitchen during cooking were 77.20, 1.97 and 0.25 parts-per millions (ppm) respectively. The World Health recommends exposure limits of 35ppm for 1hour and 9ppm for 8hours for CO concentration in a household. While, the recommended exposure limits of 0.5ppm and 1.0ppm for 8 hours, and 5.0ppm and 10.0ppm for 15minutes for SO2 and H2S concentrations in a household respectively. Eye irritation, Sneezing and headache were the 1st, 2nd and 3rd perceived health problems found to be associated with indoor air pollution. Also, the Pearson χ2 result (15.051, 15.454, and 11.853 with P<0.05) revealed that cold/catarrh/cough, headache/fever, and body pain ailments respectively have significant association with types of cooking stove used by rural households. Thus, inefficient wood and charcoal stoves influence rural household health negatively and they cope by adopting indigenous management practices. Keywords: Pollution, concentration, irritation, stove, ailment

“HANGING OUT”, TRENDS IN SUBSTANCE USE AMONG YOUTH IN A PRIVATE TERTIARY INSTITUTION IN NIGERIA: A QUALITATIVE STUDY

Substance use among undergraduate students has intensified and is now considered a major public health problem in Nigeria. Majority of research on substance use has been quantitative and has not extensively considered the social context in which interactions occur. This study explored some critical social factors that might promote substance use among undergraduates in a private tertiary institution. The method was a cross sectional study conducted among thirty-one female and male students aged 17 – 27 years using FGDs, KIIS and IDIs. The instrument for the qualitative study was derived from the World Health Organization guidelines for substance use among students. Content analysis of five themes was interpreted, triangulating information from the various sources. Escalation of substance use was validated. Students’ preferred mode of fun and leisure was hanging out over a substance of choice and clubbing. Females preferred the use of psychoactive drugs while males preferred strong spirits and champagne. Abuse of cough syrup with codeine was very common among participants. Interestingly both male and female students reported that females surpass males in the use of substances. Female students were also more prone to sexual risk- taking behaviour than males. Students in their first and second year of studies engage more in the behaviour than students in their final year. Clubbing has increased considerably with students competing to outdo peers in buying the most expensive spirits and champagne. Movies, songs and musical videos glamourizing substance use were reported to have further reinforced the behaviour. Preventive strategies designed to increase self-esteem of students, assertiveness training to resist peer influence and programmes to increase youth’s knowledge and consequences of substance use is strongly recommended

Agronomic Performance and Nutrient Composition of Andropogon Tectorum as Influenced by Varied Inter-Row Spacing of Lablab Purpureus During a Minor Wet Season in the Derived Savannah Zone of Nigeria

Interplanting of Lablab purpureus at 0.0m, 2.5m, 5m and 7.5m inter row spacing on agronomic performance and nutrient composition of Andropogon tectorum during a minor wet season in the derived savannah zone of Nigeria was examined. High plant height value of 274.00cm was observed at 2.5m Lablab purpureus spacing, and was similar to values obtained at 5.0 and 7.5m (267.89cm and 265.56cm respectively) but significantly  different (P<0.05) from the control (0.0m) treatment(229.99cm). High Andropogon tectorum biomass value of 18,400kgha–1 was obtained at 2.5m legume  inter-row spacing and the control give the  least value of 9,800kg/ha.Dry matter contents of the forage were significantly different (P<0.05) except at 5.0m and 7.5m legume inter-row spacing that were similar(P>0.05). High crude fibre was observed at the sole Andropogon tectorum control stands (31.20%)  and decreasing with decrease  in legume inter row spacing, with the least value(27.20%) obtained in 2.5m legume inter-row spacing. The Sodium, Calcium, Phosphorus, Magnesium, Iron, Manganese and Copper (Na, Ca, K, P, Mg Fe and Cu) contents of Andropogon tectorum were observed to be decreasing with increase inter- row spacing of the legume. Closer legume inter-row spacing had a positive influence (P < 0.05) on the nutrient content of Andropogon tectorum. Keywords: Andropogon tectorum, inter-row spacing, Lablab purpureu