Nucleic Acid Amplification as used in the Diagnosis and Management of Viral Diseases: A Review

Diagnostic virology is of great importance particularly in disease management and for epidemiological purposes, but is slow and results are obtained when the patient has recovered or succumbed to the infection. In addition, consideration of antiviral chemotherapy is in short supply even where preliminary investigation results are available. Some viruses are highly unculturable, fastidious or hazardous to the laboratory personnel and diagnosis depends on serological methods or culture in an expensive bio-safety level. Molecular diagnostic techniques do not depend on pathogen isolation or growth or on the detection of an immune response to the pathogen, rather uses genotypic characteristics to identify specific pathogen. Nucleic acid of a given pathogen is unique, and therefore nucleic acid analysis can be used for unequivocal identification via amplification to increase the amount of material available for analysis. Nucleic acid-based diagnostic methods are extremely sensitive, reliable and to some extent affordable, and are widely used for clinical microbiology to detect pathogen.Keywords: Amplification, Diagnosis, Nucleic acid, Viral Disease

Panel unit root and cointegration test of purchasing power parity : A study of selected African countries

The purpose of this research is to test the validity of the purchasing power parity (PPP) theory in Africa. The theory is tested through the use of panel unit root and cointegration techniques. Based on the annual data covering the period of 1980-2012, panel unit root tests of Levin, Lin and Chu (2002) and Im, Pesaran and Shin (2003) are conducted on the real exchange rate of the studied countries. The results based on the unit root tests failed to validate the theory in its strong form. However, based on the Pedroni (1995, 1996) cointegration test of price indices and exchange rates, the results appeared remarkable in favor of long term applicability of PPP as a cointegration concept. Further test on the long run relationship revealed that domestic prices played a vital role in determining the equilibrium exchange rates (hence PPP) as far as this data is concern. As concerns major policy, based on this study, these countries could use the PPP theory to determine the equilibrium exchange rates. Even though, the strong form of PPP theory could not be attested given the unit root approach employed, the empirical results emphasized that there is weak evidence about the long run PPP hypothesis in these countries

Comparative Effectiveness of Electrical Stimulation and Aerobic Exercise in the Management of Erectile Dysfunction: A Randomized Clinical Trial

BACKGROUND፡ Electrical stimulation and aerobic exercise have been indicated to be beneficial in the management of erectile dysfunction individually. However, there is a scarcity of evidence comparing the two treatment approaches. This study investigated the effects of Electrical Stimulation (ES) compared with Eerobic Exercise (AE) in the management of individuals with Erectile Dysfunction (ED).METHODS: This study was a single-blind parallel randomized clinical trial. Thirty (30) patients diagnosed with ED (Mean age of 39.17 ± 6.21 years) were recruited and randomized into two groups, A and B with 15 participants in each group. Group A received ES while Group B received AE. International Index of Erectile Function (IIEF-5) was used to assess the sexual functions of the participants at baseline and after 6 weeks of intervention. Within-group and between-group differences were analyzed using dependent and independent t-tests respectively.RESULTS: The result indicated a significant difference between groups A and B [20.83 (1.83) Vs 14.33 (2.07), p=0.001] after 6 weeks of intervention. However, the mean effect was significantly higher in the ES group than in the AE group.CONCLUSION: The finding of this study indicated that ES is more effective than AE in the management of individuals withED. Trial Registration: Pan African Clinical Trial Registry (PACTR201906776769795

The challenges of human papillomavirus and cervical cancer therapy and control in Nigeria: A review

With the changing paradigm in disease trends, Nigeria may be faced with serious challenges in terms of healthcare and disease management. Cervical cancer, which is one of the cancers that is vaccine preventable, remain the most frequently  reported and the leading cause of mortality from cancer in Nigeria. More than 36.59 million women are at risk and 26 die of the disease on daily basis. The country is currently ranked the worse place to be a woman with cancer in Africa, yet there is nothing to write home about in terms of preparedness. Every year huge amount of money is released but little or nothing gets done. There is urgent need for immediate action, especially with the advent of the three promising prophylactic vaccines, to be more pro-active, in controlling the menace of cervical cancer in the country. Cervical cancer should be given same priority as HIV/AIDs, Tuberculosis, Malaria and Childhood immunizations.Key words: Cervical cancer, Challenges, Control, Human papillomavirus, Nigeria, Therapy

New Media and Education: An Overview of Its Impacts on the Academic Performances of Nigerian Students

Over the years, the transitional advancement in digital technologies and the increasing numbers of new media platforms have revolutionized the ways in which people communicate and share information. The new information and communication technologies have impacted on the society positively and negatively. These technologies have affected the socio-cultural, political and economic structures of the contemporary society. Advancement in technologies have eased and expanded the frontiers of communication and information reception and dissemination among people. The Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs), particularly the Internet, have impacted greatly on the society; increasing access to information and creating fresh challenges for the society. This study appraises the relationship between new media/ICT and education in Nigeria. It also examines the impacts of new media on the academic performances of students and the society in general. Keywords: New media, ICT, education

Movement Rehabilitation in Physiotherapy after Stroke: The Role of Constraint-Induced Movement Therapy

Stroke is increasingly becoming a global health problem. This is because it may lead to death, Long-term disability such as in motor function, and significant burden to the patients and their families. The disability can be prevented or rehabilitated using a physiotherapy technique known as constraint-induced movement therapy (CIMT). The CIMT comprises of task practice with the affected limb, constraint of the unaffected limb, and transfer package to foster compliance and increase the amount of task repetition. It helps to reestablish normal motor control through facilitating changes in physiological functions of the brain, improvement in real-world arm use, and movement precision and quality. However, its protocols vary. Some protocols use number of hours and others use number of repetitions to determine the intensity or the amount of task practice. This chapter argued that CIMT is effective, but the protocols that use a number of hours of task practice are not clear and are resource intensive; and as such they could interfere with the process of clinical decision making. Consequently, it proposed the use of a number of repetitions of task practice to determine the intensity or the amount of task practice and extending the application of CIMT to those with severe impairments after stroke

Islamic Philantrophy as a Mechanism to Improve Agricultural Products and Sustenance in Refugees Camps in the Sub-Region of Lake Chad Basin

Insecurity of crossing Lake Chad Basin and Northeast Nigeria has seriously affected activities of farming, fishing, and other agricultural programs in the region. The lake provides water for irrigation, fishing activities, water for cattle, and water transportation across four counties that share the lake. The paper has discovered that many communities have abandoned their agricultural activities and relocated to IDPs for their safety of life. As a result, the affected communities increasingly suffer from great loss, unemployment, and poverty. Using the descriptive and analytical method, this study discussed the socioeconomic role of Islamic philanthropy in funding the agricultural sector to restore sources of livelihood of the refugee camps in Northeast Nigeria. Philanthropy, known as waqf, is a voluntary charity in terms of land and property. Moreover, philanthropy is a strong instrument to reduce various burdens of life. Meanwhile, this study recommends a design to reach the targeted communities

The Complexities of New Media: Can the ‘Web Media’ Completely Erase Traditional Media from the Communication Industry?

Over the years, there has been a popular outcry among investors and operators in the communication industry that the advent of new Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) will affect the survival and mode of operation of the traditional media, especially newspapers and magazines. Although it is not in doubt that these technologies pose serious challenges to the survival of mainstream media. This has generated controversies as to whether the ‘web media’ will completely erase or overshadow the conventional media. This and other issues surrounding the convergence of new and mainstream media, is the thrust of this paper

Variations in Media Systems and News Values of the Three Worlds: An In-Depth Analysis

Differences and inequalities characterize the social, political and economic structures and institutions of the world. These disparities vary from region-to-region and from one country to another. The same way these differences and inequalities exist in the structures and institutions around the world, so there are differences in the social, political and economic strengths of nations. The unequal strengths of nations result to domination of the less powerful nations by the powerful ones. The less powerful countries or regions of the world depend on the powerful ones for survival politically, socially and economically. In fact, the world (global system) is characterized with imbalances and inequalities. How this imbalances and inequalities affect international news and information flow among other issues, is the thrust of this paper

Potential future risk of cholera due to climate change in northern Nigeria

Cholera is one of the infectious diseases that remains a major health burden in West-Africa and especially in Nigeria. Several studies have raised concern that climate change may exacerbate the risk of the disease in the future. Projecting the future risk of this disease is essential, especially for regions where the projected climate change impacts, and infectious disease risk, are both large. Projections were made by forcing an empirical model of cholera with monthly simulations of four meteorological variables from an ensemble of ten statistically downscaled global climate model projections for Representative Concentration Pathways 2.6, 6.0 and 8.5 scenarios. Result indicates statistically significant increases in cases during April-September for RCPs 6.0 and 8.5 in both near (2020-2035) and far (2060-2075) future. The months with the largest increases coincide with the months (May and June) in which maximum temperature increases are also large. Cases only showed potential increases in the wettest months of July and August in the far future projections for RCPs 6.5 (8.3 and 7.9%) and 8.0 (17 and 21%) respectively.Keywords: Climate change; Cholera; Projections; Nigeri