The Daily Activity of Patients With Heart Failure During COVID-19 Pandemic.

BACKGROUND: Sedentary behavior is thought to contribute to worsening heart failure syndromes. Here, we examined whether the shelter-in-place order during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic changed daily activity duration, which was monitored by an implantable cardiac device-based multisensor index and alert algorithm called HeartLogic. METHODS: We performed a retrospective review of the HeartLogic data from patients with heart failure managed at our clinic and compared the individual daily activity duration 90 days prior to vs. after implementation of the shelter-in-place order. The activity data were prepared by Boston Scientific. Demographic data were extracted from our electronic medical record. RESULTS: In total, 29 patients were included in the analysis. Among them, 14 patients did not have any significant changes in daily activity duration compared to their baseline before the shelter-in-place order (108.62 ± 45 min vs. 107.71 ± 48.6 min, P = 0.723). Among the rest 15 patients with significant changes, seven patients had a significant reduction in activity duration; meanwhile, eight patients had a significant increase in activity duration. Overall, the mean daily activity duration 90 days before and after the shelter-in-place order are 98.21 ± 60.83 min, and 100.03 ± 68.18 min (P = 0.753). CONCLUSIONS: No significant changes in terms of activity duration were observed in our patients during the COVID-19 pandemic

Intellectual Capital and Corporate Performance of Listed Consumer Goods Firms in Nigeria Stock Exchange

DOI: 10.7176/EJBM/15-6-07 Publication date:March 31st 2023 1.0    Introduction Over the years, business organizations have recognized that resources are pivotal drivers of business success and performance. Resources such as financial, physical and intangible assets of the firm ought to be optimally managed and utilized in order to ensure that the firm achieves its financial objectives of wealth maximization. Intellectual capital is the most innovative feature for firms to act on according to the environmental changes through their knowledge, experience, and capabilities, which is applied to improve the organizational efficiency (Egolum, 2021). It is now a growing need amongst firm to strategize ways by which their resources could be best maximized for optimal financial returns, hence, the particular attention paid to intellectual capital which is popularly believed to contribute towards the value-added of the firm. (Alfiero, Brescia & Bert, 2021; Ovechkin, Romashkina & Davydenko, 2021). Intellectual capital refers to the various intangible assets which can be converted into profits or value but are not reflected in the financial statements of the firm (Ngoc & Duc, 2020). Extant literature classified intellectual capital into three, namely, human capital, structural capital and capital employed efficiency. Human capital refers to the skills, competencies and experience of the employees which altogether enable them contribute value to the course of the firm. While structural capital is the sum of methods, processes and brands that are owned by the firm, capital employed efficiency (CEE) refers to the economic term that reflects the level of exploitation and use of capital of a firm in production and business activities with the view to creating maximum value at the barest or minimum cost. Corporate performance, which ordinarily measures or indicates the extent to which a firm achieves its financial objectives, is all about how to create knowledge and transform that same knowledge into value. Therefore, in total disagreement with the submission of Kasoga (2020) that there is a debate on the empirical nexus between intellectual capital and the corporate performance of firms, the researcher underscores that the significant contribution of intellectual capital towards the enhancement of the corporate performance of firms is undebatable, it is indubitable. This is because almost all corporate researchers in this line have a consensus that ownership of knowledge, applied experience, organization innovation, customer relationship, and professional competencies, experience and skills essentially facilitate value creation amongst firms. However, intellectual capital is often not accounted for properly in the financial reports, and some firms still have low investment in intellectual capital. And so, the corporate performance of such firms with demonstrated inadequacies in their intellectual capital continues to be eroded

The Application of Partial Least Square Regression to Develop a Model for Reliable Investment Valuation Estimates in South-East Nigeria

Against the increasing criticism of the reliability of the conventional investment method of property valuation practice in Nigeria, this study examine the ability of the Estate Surveyors and Valuers to estimate accurately the selling prices of residential properties in South-East Geopolitical Zone of the country with a view to formulate a model for reliable value estimates. Questionnaires were administered in a sample of randomly selected forty (40) Estate Surveyors and Valuers in the four selected towns of (Aba, Enugu, Onitsha and Owerri) in the South-East Geopolitical Zone. From the analysis of variance, the total of degree of freedom is seventeen, while the sum of square is 2682.44 and P-value in the table is 0.00, meaning that there is a statistically significant relationship between the Prices and Valuer estimates. The study further used the application of partial least square (PLS) regression model to develop model for perfect reliable price estimates. The model is thus: P=2.250.13v10.23v20.08v30.17v40.17v5+0.1v60.03v70.25v8+0.14v90.02v10+0.07v11+0.26v12+0.37v13+0.07v14+0.07v15+0.09v16+0.1v17+0.06v18+0.08v19+0.2v20+0.2v21. The model developed has the highest independent (X) variance, lowest level of the predicted error and highest coefficient of determination (R-square) between the value estimates and market prices and gives optimal and reliable result. Keywords: Partial least square, regression analysis, investment method of valuation, Valuation reliability, South-East Zone of Nigeria

Prioritizing Residential Land Value Determinants in Onitsha, Nigeria

This study was undertaken to analyze the various determinants of residential land values and the strength of the different factors contributing to land value variations in Onitsha, Nigeria. The factor analysis and the principal component techniques were applied in the ana lysis of spatial variations and the relationship between 31 identifiable factors influencing resident ia l land values in Onitsha, Anambra State of Nigeria. By using regression analysis, t he 13 main factors shaping land values in Onitsha were established, prioritized and ranked as accessibility, neighborhood quality, land t itle, zoning regu lations, transportation, rent, improvement tax, environmental quality, view of amenities, travel time to the city centre and irrevoca ble power of attorney

Lifting Coronavirus Disease-19 Shelter-in-Place Restrictions: Impact on Heart Failure Hospitalizations in Northeast Georgia

During the coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, the heart failure (HF) community witnessed unprecedented decreases in HF-related patient visits and hospitalizations. Studies to date have focused on the impact of the initial phase of the COVID-19 lockdown of HF hospitalization trends across multiple countries.1, 2, 3, 4 It is likely that patients with HF, who are at higher risk for morbidity and mortality from COVID-19, delay seeking care in large part owing to anxiety about contracting the virus. Nevertheless, the concerns may resolve over time with availability of treatment for COVID-19 and overwhelming HF symptom burden. Furthermore, the decision to seek acute HF care may be affected by the announcements of state governments relaxing shelter-in-place restrictions and allowing opening of businesses

Post-Discharge Initiation of Angiotensin Receptor-Neprilysin Inhibitor in an Inotrope-Dependent Patient in the Outpatient Setting: A Case Report

Purpose: Angiotensin receptor-neprilysin inhibitor (ARNI) therapy has been reported to be initiated in patients on vasoactive medications during acute decompensated heart failure. However, there is no report regarding the safety of initiating ARNI therapy in patients receiving inotrope infusion in an outpatient setting. Summary: We described a case of initiating post-discharge ARNI therapy in a 41-year-old man with inotrope-dependent heart failure in an outpatient setting. Two weeks after the initiation of low dose sacubitril/valsartan, milrinone was successfully discontinued without any adverse effects. Conclusion: With close monitoring, ARNI therapy could be safely initiated in hemodynamically stable patients receiving intravenous inotrope, and further investigation is needed to confirm our findings

Changes in the pattern of heart failure and diuresis clinic utilization during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The overall structure of healthcare delivery has changed in response to the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). Besides the impact of COVID-19 on those diagnosed with the virus, it has also greatly affected patients with chronic cardiovascular illnesses that require routine visits for health maintenance. Heart failure (HF) patients need close monitoring with frequent visits to HF clinics, and at times urgent visits resulting in intravenous (IV) therapy in the ambulatory setting

Primary Mandibular Deficiency Dentofacial Deformities: Occlusion and Facial Aesthetic Surgical Outcomes

Purpose: The purpose of the present study was to document the malocclusion and facial dysmorphology in primary mandibular deficiency (PMD) subjects with chronic obstructive nasal breathing before treatment and the outcomes after bimaxillary orthognathic, genioplasty, and intranasal surgery. Patients and Methods: A retrospective cohort study of PMD subjects undergoing bimaxillary, chin, and intranasal surgery was implemented. The predictor variables were grouped into demographic, anatomic, operative, and longitudinal categories. The primary outcome variables were the initial postoperative occlusion achieved at 5 weeks postoperatively (T2) and that maintained long-term more than 2 years after surgery (T4). Six occlusion parameters were assessed: overjet, overbite, coincidence of dental midlines, Angle classification, molar vertical, and transverse positions. A second outcome variable was the facial esthetic results. Photographs were analyzed to document 7 facial contour characteristics. Results: Forty subjects met the inclusion criteria. Their age at surgery averaged 32 years (range 13 to 63). The study included 25 females (63%). The findings confirmed that the occlusion after initial surgical healing (T2) met the objectives for all parameters in 39 of the 40 patients (98%). Most patients (35 of 40; 88%) achieved and maintained a favorable occlusion for each parameter in the long-term (mean 5 years, 3 months). Subjects requiring counterclockwise rotation of the maxillomandibular complex were more likely to a have recurrent anterior open bite in the long-term. Facial contour deformities on presentation included weak chin (80%), deep labiomental fold (90%), everted lower lip (100%), short neck-to-chin length (88%), obtuse neck-to-chin angle (85%), weak mandible angles (93%), and “bunching” of the neck soft tissues (85%). Before surgery, 88% of the subjects exhibited a minimum of 5 of the 7 facial deformities. Correction of all 7 facial deformities was confirmed in 86% of the subjects in the long-term. Conclusions: Most PMD subjects achieved and maintained a corrected occlusion in the long-term. In the untreated subjects, a “facial type” was identified. Orthognathic surgery proved effective in correcting the associated facial dysmorphology in most patients

Experience in Initiating Vericiguat in an Advanced Heart Failure Program.

No abstract available