Accessing cervical cancer screening in Nigeria: exploring the experiences of Nigerian-born immigrant women in Canada

This research study explored the experiences of women eligible for cervical cancer screening (CCS) in accessing CCS services in Nigeria. The goal was to develop an in-depth understanding of these experiences in order to provide facts that could inform policies and interventions that will improve the utilization of CCS services among Nigerian women. This descriptive study utilized naturalistic inquiry and an intersectionality theoretical lens for understanding women’s access to CCS and its possible intersection with socially constructed categories, which could have influenced these women’s experiences. Ten (10) Nigerian-Immigrant women who met the set eligibility criteria were recruited for interviews using purposive sampling and snowballing. Data was analyzed using an inductive thematic analysis approach. The study’s findings detail overarching themes that best capture the experiences of participants with accessing CCS programs in Nigeria. Future research is needed to engender best practices for the planning of CCS programs

eHealth literacy was associated with anxiety and depression during the COVID-19 pandemic in Nigeria: a cross-sectional study

BackgroundElectronic health (eHealth) literacy may play an important role in individuals’ engagement with online mental health-related information.AimTo examine associations between eHealth literacy and psychological outcomes among Nigerians during the Coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) pandemic.MethodsThis was a cross-sectional study among Nigerians conducted using the ‘COVID-19’s impAct on feaR and hEalth (CARE) questionnaire. The exposure: eHealth literacy, was assessed using the eHealth literacy scale, and psychological outcomes were assessed using the PHQ-4 scale, which measured anxiety and depression; and the fear scale to measure fear of COVID-19. We fitted logistic regression models to assess the association of eHealth literacy with anxiety, depression, and fear, adjusting for covariates. We included interaction terms to assess for age, gender, and regional differences. We also assessed participants’ endorsement of strategies for future pandemic preparedness.ResultsThis study involved 590 participants, of which 56% were female, and 38% were 30 years or older. About 83% reported high eHealth literacy, and 55% reported anxiety or depression. High eHealth literacy was associated with a 66% lower likelihood of anxiety (adjusted odds ratio aOR, 0·34; 95% confidence interval, 0·20–0·54) and depression (aOR: 0·34; 95% CI, 0·21–0·56). There were age, gender, and regional differences in the associations between eHealth literacy and psychological outcomes. eHealth-related strategies such as medicine delivery, receiving health information through text messaging, and online courses were highlighted as important for future pandemic preparedness.ConclusionConsidering that mental health and psychological care services are severely lacking in Nigeria, digital health information sources present an opportunity to improve access and delivery of mental health services. The different associations of e-health literacy with psychological well-being between age, gender, and geographic region highlight the urgent need for targeted interventions for vulnerable populations. Policymakers must prioritize digitally backed interventions, such as medicine delivery and health information dissemination through text messaging, to address these disparities and promote equitable mental well-being

BiCyCLE NMES—neuromuscular electrical stimulation in the perioperative treatment of sarcopenia and myosteatosis in advanced rectal cancer patients: design and methodology of a phase II randomised controlled trial

Abstract: Background: Colorectal cancer is associated with secondary sarcopenia (muscle loss) and myosteatosis (fatty infiltration of muscle) and patients who exhibit these host characteristics have poorer outcomes following surgery. Furthermore, patients, who undergo curative advanced rectal cancer surgery such as pelvic exenteration, are at risk of skeletal muscle loss due to immobility, malnutrition and a post-surgical catabolic state. Neuromuscular electrical stimulation (NMES) may be a feasible adjunctive treatment to help ameliorate these adverse side-effects. Hence, the purpose of this study is to investigate NMES as an adjunctive pre- and post-operative treatment for rectal cancer patients in the radical pelvic surgery setting and to provide early indicative evidence of efficacy in relation to key health outcomes. Method: In a phase II, double-blind, randomised controlled study, 58 patients will be recruited and randomised (1:1) to either a treatment (NMES plus standard care) or placebo (sham-NMES plus standard care) group. The intervention will begin 2 weeks pre-operatively and continue for 8 weeks after exenterative surgery. The primary outcome will be change in mean skeletal muscle attenuation, a surrogate marker of myosteatosis. Sarcopenia, quality of life, inflammatory status and cancer specific outcomes will also be assessed. Discussion: This phase II randomised controlled trial will provide important preliminary evidence of the potential for this adjunctive treatment. It will provide guidance on subsequent development of phase 3 studies on the clinical benefit of NMES for rectal cancer patients in the radical pelvic surgery setting. Trial registration: Protocol version 6.0; 05/06/20. ClinicalTrials.gov NCT04065984. Registered on 22 August 2019; recruiting

Global impacts of Covid-19 on lifestyles and health and preparation preferences: an international survey of 30 countries

Background: The health area being greatest impacted by coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) and residents' perspective to better prepare for future pandemic remain unknown. We aimed to assess and make cross-country and cross-region comparisons of the global impacts of COVID-19 and preparation preferences of pandemic. Methods: We recruited adults in 30 countries covering all World Health Organization (WHO) regions from July 2020 to August 2021. 5 Likert-point scales were used to measure their perceived change in 32 aspects due to COVID-19 (-2 = substantially reduced to 2 = substantially increased) and perceived importance of 13 preparations (1 = not important to 5 = extremely important). Samples were stratified by age and gender in the corresponding countries. Multidimensional preference analysis displays disparities between 30 countries, WHO regions, economic development levels, and COVID-19 severity levels. Results: 16 512 adults participated, with 10 351 females. Among 32 aspects of impact, the most affected were having a meal at home (mean (m) = 0.84, standard error (SE) = 0.01), cooking at home (m = 0.78, SE = 0.01), social activities (m = -0.68, SE = 0.01), duration of screen time (m = 0.67, SE = 0.01), and duration of sitting (m = 0.59, SE = 0.01). Alcohol (m = -0.36, SE = 0.01) and tobacco (m = -0.38, SE = 0.01) consumption declined moderately. Among 13 preparations, respondents rated medicine delivery (m = 3.50, SE = 0.01), getting prescribed medicine in a hospital visit / follow-up in a community pharmacy (m = 3.37, SE = 0.01), and online shopping (m = 3.33, SE = 0.02) as the most important. The multidimensional preference analysis showed the European Region, Region of the Americas, Western Pacific Region and countries with a high-income level or medium to high COVID-19 severity were more adversely impacted on sitting and screen time duration and social activities, whereas other regions and countries experienced more cooking and eating at home. Countries with a high-income level or medium to high COVID-19 severity reported higher perceived mental burden and emotional distress. Except for low- and lower-middle-income countries, medicine delivery was always prioritised. Conclusions: Global increasing sitting and screen time and limiting social activities deserve as much attention as mental health. Besides, the pandemic has ushered in a notable enhancement in lifestyle of home cooking and eating, while simultaneously reducing the consumption of tobacco and alcohol. A health care system and technological infrastructure that facilitate medicine delivery, medicine prescription, and online shopping are priorities for coping with future pandemics

Numerical modeling of heat transfer in Al2O3/H2O nanofluid flowing through a Bessel-like converging pipe

This paper studies hydrodynamic and heat transfer performance of Al2O3/H2O nanofluid flowing through a Bessel-like converging pipe in laminar flow regime using the computational fluid dynamic approach. A parametric study was carried out on the effect of Reynolds number (300– 1200), convergence index (0-3) and nanoparticle concentration (0–3%) on the both hydrodynamic and thermal fields. The results showed the pressure drop profile along the axial length of the converging pipes is parabolic compared to the downward straight profile obtained in a straight pipe. Furthermore, an increase in convergence index, Reynolds number and nanoparticle concentration were found to enhance convective heat transfer performance. Also, a new empirical model was developed to estimates the average Nusselt number as a function of aforementioned variables. Finally, the result of the thermohydraulic performance evaluation criterion showed that the usage of Bessel-like converging pipes is advantageous at a low Reynolds number

Numerical modeling of heat transfer in Al2O3/H2O nanofluid flowing through a Bessel-like converging pipe

This paper studies hydrodynamic and heat transfer performance of Al2O3/H2O nanofluid flowing through a Bessel-like converging pipe in laminar flow regime using the computational fluid dynamic approach. A parametric study was carried out on the effect of Reynolds number (300– 1200), convergence index (0-3) and nanoparticle concentration (0–3%) on the both hydrodynamic and thermal fields. The results showed the pressure drop profile along the axial length of the converging pipes is parabolic compared to the downward straight profile obtained in a straight pipe. Furthermore, an increase in convergence index, Reynolds number and nanoparticle concentration were found to enhance convective heat transfer performance. Also, a new empirical model was developed to estimates the average Nusselt number as a function of aforementioned variables. Finally, the result of the thermohydraulic performance evaluation criterion showed that the usage of Bessel-like converging pipes is advantageous at a low Reynolds number

The efficacy of botulinum toxin a lower limb injections in addition to physiotherapy approaches in children with cerebral palsy: A systematic review.

BACKGROUND: To assess treatment effect of lower limb botulinum toxin type A (BTX-A) in combination with physiotherapy approaches on gross motor functions in children with cerebral palsy compared with only physiotherapy treatment. OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this review was to analyze the efficacy botulinum toxin a lower limb injections in addition to physiotherapy approaches in children with cerebral palsy. METHODS: A literature search was conducted in the following databases: Cochrane, PEDro, PubMed, MEDLINE, AMED and EMBASE. The searches were limited to the period from July 2009 to July 2015. The intervention had to contain BTX-A into the lower limb plus physiotherapy approaches and be compared with only physiotherapy. The methodological quality and clinical relevance were independently assessed by the authors. RESULTS: The database search resulted in a total of 1521 studies, of which 4 (Level II of evidence) trials were included in this review. The population represented by were age between from 11 month to 15 years. Overall there were 153 children all diagnosed with CP (87 Male, 66 Female). CONCLUSIONS: The use of BTX-A injections in addition to physiotherapy approaches seems to have positive effect on spasticity and ROM. However, the question of whether the treatment of BTX-A plus physiotherapy has a greater improvement on functional capacity, such as gross motor function or gait parameter than only physiotherapy treatments, was inconclusive. Further investigation by rigorous studies is required

Numerical investigation and sensitivity analysis of entropy generation of Al2O3/H2O nanofluid in turbulent regime using response surface methodology

This work investigates the effect of Reynolds number, nanoparticle volume ratio, nanoparticle size and entrance temperature on the rate of entropy generation in Al2O3 /H2O nanofluid flowing through a pipe in the turbulent regime. The Reynolds average Navier-Stokes and energy equations were solved using the standard k-ε turbulent model and the central composite method was used for the design of experiment. Based on the number of variables and levels, the condition of 30 runs was defined and 30 simulations were run. The result of the regression model obtained showed that all the input variables and some interaction between the variables are statistically significant to the entropy production. Furthermore, the sensitivity analysis result shows that the Reynolds number, the nanoparticle volume ratio and the entrance temperature have negative sensitivity while the nanoparticle size has positive sensitivity

Determination of optical parameters of zinc oxide nanofibre deposited by electrospinning technique

Electrospun ZnO was deposited on a glass substrate from zinc acetate dihydrate (Zn(CH3COO)2.2H2O) with polyvinyl acetate (PVAc) polymer dissolved in N, N, dimethyl formamide (DMF) and annealed in the presence of oxygen until organic molecules were decomposed. The resultant fibre was characterized using scanning electron microscope with energy dispersive spectrophotometry (SEMEDS), Fourier transform infrared (FTIR), and Rutherford backscattering spectroscopy (RBS). SEMEDS and FTIR exhibited a total decomposition of the organic precursor. The mean fibre width was found to be 260 nm, and fibre thickness was measured at 460 nm. XRD patterns indicate that ZnO was corundum with the hexagonal wurtzite structure. The crystallite size was determined by the Debye formula to be 54 nm. The optical analysis indicated that the percentage transmittance increased after calcination. The material band gap for this electrospun ZnO fibre was found to be 3.28 eV. The material optical parameters such as dispersion energy, average oscillator strength, and single oscillator strength were also calculated. The optical conductivity and dielectric plot demonstrated that the material conductivity and dielectric properties increase with increasing photon energy and increase sharply around the material energy bandgap. The Urbach tail analysis of the materials shows that they obey the Urbach rule. Therefore, the n-type electrospun ZnO fibre high refractive index is attributable to the presence of excess oxygen. Keywords: Electrospinning, Calcined, Semiconductor, Nanofibre, Zinc Oxid