Bus Rapid Transit and Socioeconomic Condition of Bus Commuters in Lagos State

Road transport is one of the most common means of transportation across the world. Bus transportation in Nigeria had witnessed many problems for the past decades considering the growing population with the attendant loss of lives and properties in most cities like Lagos in Nigeria. This paper focuses on the adequacy of services provided by Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) in Lagos State with respect to the extent to which it influences the socioeconomic conditions of bus commuters.  It examines the effect of services rendered by BRT on cost reduction potential, income and safety. Multistage sampling technique was used to select 20 samples each from all respondents in all local government area in Lagos State to reach a total of three hundred and thirty (330) samples. The data collection instrument was the questionnaire which was validated. Data collected were analysed with the use of descriptive statistics such as means, percentages and standard deviation and inferential statistics such as regression and analysis of variance techniques. Findings showed that BRT services has reduced the cost of bus commuters and also increased safety and security thereby increasing the socioeconomic condition of Lagosians. The study recommends improvements in BRT services through the deployment of technology as it had been used in developed countries. &nbsp

Bus Rapid Transit and Socioeconomic Condition of Bus Commuters in Lagos State

Road transport is one of the most common means of transportation across the world. Bus transportation in Nigeria had witnessed many problems for the past decades considering the growing population with the attendant loss of lives and properties in most cities like Lagos in Nigeria. This paper focuses on the adequacy of services provided by Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) in Lagos State with respect to the extent to which it influences the socioeconomic conditions of bus commuters. It examines the effect of services rendered by BRT on cost reduction potential, income and safety. Multistage sampling technique was used to select 20 samples each from all respondents in all local government area in Lagos State to reach a total of three hundred and thirty (330) samples. The data collection instrument was the questionnaire which was validated. Data collected were analysed with the use of descriptive statistics such as means, percentages and standard deviation and inferential statistics such as regression and analysis of variance techniques. Findings showed that BRT services has reduced the cost of bus commuters and also increased safety and security thereby increasing the socioeconomic condition of Lagosians. The study recommends improvements in BRT services through the deployment of technology as it had been used in developed countries

Pattern of admissions and outcome in the children emergency department of a tertiary health institution in Southwestern Nigeria: A four-year review

Introduction: Pediatrics and adolescents are susceptible to illnesses that often necessitate emergency attention. Morbidity and mortality from illnesses in these ages have attracted much interest globally, particularly in Africa. Knowledge of pattern and outcomes of admissions may guide policy and interventions especially in resource constrained settings. The study aimed to determine the pattern of admissions, outcomes and seasonal variations of conditions that presented at the children emergency of a tertiary health institution over a four-year period. Methods: A retrospective descriptive study of children emergency admissions from January 2016 to December 2019. Information obtained included age, diagnosis, month and year of admission, and outcome. Descriptive statistics were used to describe the demographic characteristics and Chi-squared test to assess their associations with the diagnoses made. Results: There were 3,223 admissions. There were more males (1866; 57.9%) and more toddlers (1181; 36.6%). The highest number of admissions were observed in the year 2018 (951; 29.6%) and during the wet season (1962; 60.9%). There was an overall mortality rate of 7%; complicated malaria, gastroenteritis and meningitis were the leading causes of death. Malaria (χ2 = 135.522, p value < 0.001), and gastroenteritis (χ2 = 130.883, p value < 0.001) were predominant among the toddlers while sepsis (χ2 = 71.530, p value < 0.001) and pneumonia (χ2 = 133.739, p value < 0.001) were more among the infants. Typhoid enteritis (χ2 = 26.629, p value < 0.001) and HIV (χ2 = 16.419, p value = 0.012) were commoner among the early adolescents. Conclusion: The major causes of death in the study area are preventable with more of these amongst the children under the age of 5 years. There are seasonal and age-related patterns to admissions and the need for policy formulations and emergency preparations to be tailored towards these observed patterns through the year

Whole-genome sequencing reveals de-novo mutations associated with nonsyndromic cleft lip/palate

The majority (85%) of nonsyndromic cleft lip with or without cleft palate (nsCL/P) cases occur sporadically, suggesting a role for de novo mutations (DNMs) in the etiology of nsCL/P. To identify high impact protein-altering DNMs that contribute to the risk of nsCL/P, we conducted whole-genome sequencing (WGS) analyses in 130 African case-parent trios (affected probands and unaffected parents). We identified 162 high confidence protein-altering DNMs some of which are based on available evidence, contribute to the risk of nsCL/P. These include novel protein-truncating DNMs in the ACTL6A, ARHGAP10, MINK1, TMEM5 and TTN genes; as well as missense variants in ACAN, DHRS3, DLX6, EPHB2, FKBP10, KMT2D, RECQL4, SEMA3C, SEMA4D, SHH, TP63, and TULP4. Many of these protein-altering DNMs were predicted to be pathogenic. Analysis using mouse transcriptomics data showed that some of these genes are expressed during the development of primary and secondary palate. Gene-set enrichment analysis of the protein-altering DNMs identified palatal development and neural crest migration among the few processes that were significantly enriched. These processes are directly involved in the etiopathogenesis of clefting. The analysis of the coding sequence in the WGS data provides more evidence of the opportunity for novel findings in the African genome