Mental Health Burden and Resilience among Nigerians undergoing COVID-19 Isolation in Kaduna-Nigeria

Background: The coronavirus pandemic and Its “pandemic-fear,” is expected to come with lots of mental health challenges. Despites several global health vanguards sounding this alarm, there is paucity of systematic analysis of mental health distress and resilience being experienced by individuals undergoing treatments in isolation centres for coronavirus disease (COVID-19).Objectives: This study evaluated the pattern of mental distress and resilience in COVID-19 patients undergoing isolation-care in some treatment facility in Kaduna-Nigeria.Method: Data were collected cross-sectionally from 261 participants. These were sociodemographic and clinical variables, measures of mental distress (i.e. depression and anxiety), and well-being (i.e. resilience). Statistical analysis was carried out using SPSS version 21.Results: The mean age of participants was 35.6 years (SD = 11.1), with majority being males (73.6%) and without prior chronic medical condition (73.9%). Mental distress rates were 33.0% for depression and 19.2% for anxiety. Majority (97.1%) had good resilience characteristics. Significant variable associated with low mental distress and high resilience is belonging to age group 40 years and above. Also, resilience was moderately and significantly related to mental distress.Conclusion: Mental distress is relatively high among COVID-19 patients undergoing isolation-treatment. This rate is associated with age group of below 40 years and having low resilience characteristics. Efforts to boost resilience among COVID-19 might institute preventive measures against mental distress

Causes of short birth interval (kunika) in Bauchi State, Nigeria : systematizing local knowledge with fuzzy cognitive mapping

In Bauchi State (northern Nigeria), “kunika” describes a short interval between successive births, understood as becoming pregnant again before the previous child is weaned. Participants of the study mapped common causes of kunika: frequent sex; not using modern or traditional contraception; and family dynamics. Women indicated forced sex as an important cause, but men focused on lack of awareness about contraception and fear of side effects. Promoting contraception is unlikely to be enough on its own to reduce kunika. The summary maps can help local stakeholders to co-design culturally safe ways of reducing kunika

The impact of universal home visits with pregnant women and their spouses on maternal outcomes: a cluster randomised controlled trial in Bauchi State, Nigeria

In Bauchi State (Nigeria) maternal morbidity is associated with domestic violence, heavy work in pregnancy, ignorance of danger signs, and lack of spousal communication. This cluster randomized controlled trial tested the impact of universal home visits where risk factors were discussed with pregnant women and their spouses, to precipitate household actions that protect pregnant women. Universal home visits which share evidence and provoke discussion between pregnant women and their husbands can reduce maternal morbidity without an increased load on facilities for antenatal and delivery care

The Emergence of Anisotropic Superconductivity in the Nodal-line Semi-metal TlTaSe2

TlTaSe2 is a non-centrosymmetric quasi-2D crystal semi-metal hosting nodal-line topological features protected by mirror-reflection symmetry. Here, we investigated the superconducting properties of TlTaSe2 using the first-principles anisotropic Migdal-Eliashberg theory. The Fermi surface hosts well gapped multiband features contributed by the Ta 5d and Tl 6p orbitals. Moreso, anisotropic superconducting gaps were found to exist at 2.15 and 4.5 meV around the in-plane orbitals, coupling effectively with the in-plane phonons of the Ta and Tl atoms. Using the Allen-Dynes-modified McMillan formula, we found a superconducting transition temperature of 6.67 K, accompanied by a robust electron-phonon coupling constant {\lambda} of 0.970. This investigation provides valuable insights into the mechanisms underlying anisotropic superconductivity in TlTaSe2.Comment: 17 pages, 5 figure

SPARC 2019 Fake news & home truths : Salford postgraduate annual research conference book of abstracts

Welcome to the Book of Abstracts for the 2019 SPARC conference. This year we not only celebrate the work of our PGRs but also our first ever Doctoral School Best Supervisor awards, which makes this year’s conference extra special. Once again we have received a tremendous contribution from our postgraduate research community; with over 90 presenters, the conference truly showcases a vibrant, innovative and collaborative PGR community at Salford. These abstracts provide a taster of the inspiring, relevant and impactful research in progress, and provide delegates with a reference point for networking and initiating critical debate. Find an abstract that interests you, and say “Hello” to the author. Who knows what might result from your conversation? With such wide-ranging topics being showcased, we encourage you to take up this great opportunity to engage with researchers working in different subject areas from your own. To meet global challenges, high impact research needs interdisciplinary collaboration. This is recognised and rewarded by all major research funders. Engaging with the work of others and forging collaborations across subject areas is an essential skill for the next generation of researchers. Even better, our free ice cream van means that you can have those conversations while enjoying a refreshing ice lolly

Typology and ownership of rural open spaces in semi-arid regions: a case of Katsina State, Nigeria

Open spaces are an important feature of any neighborhood since they serve as a hub for the community’s socio-cultural activities. According to the National Population Commission, 64% of the population in northern Nigeria lives in rural areas and utilizes outdoor spaces for their socio-cultural lives. The typology and ownership of rural open spaces in north-western Nigeria have become major concerns for their impact on its management. This research explores the typology and ownership of open space in rural areas within north-western Nigeria to adduce the challenges facing its role in sustaining the communities’ cultural values. Observation from five communities in the Batagarawa local government. The study discovered a subconscious classification of rural open spaces into the community and private open spaces, each with defined boundaries, and the study also identified relevant stakeholders. As a result, the study suggests that the government play a coordinating role in resolving any disagreements among stakeholders so that open spaces can be better identified and the cultural values of these open spaces can be preserved, and thus concludes that open space typology and ownership have become a critical concern in sustaining the roles of open spaces in northern Nigeria’s semi-arid region

Managing community open spaces in semi-arid region, Katsina Nigeria

Desertification hurts the agricultural lands and water sources, as well as the community's open spaces. Open spaces are regarded as an integral feature of the landscape in rural communities in semi-arid regions because they host the community's socio-cultural and economic activities. In North-Western Nigeria, the menace of land degradation is a result of desertification. Thus, this makes it necessary for the communities to develop some strategies to manage the open spaces. Therefore, there is a need to ensure an organized and well-managed open space in North-Western Nigeria to accommodate the culture and the ethical values of the communities. An in-depth interview with the community leaders and site observation approaches on community open spaces was conducted to investigate the community’s management strategies (local approaches) for the sustainability of open spaces in hosting the socio-cultural activities in a semi-arid region of North-Western Nigeria and the management strategies. The results were analyzed using ATLAS Ti with the actual analysis done during the writing phase and presented using simple statistical tools. The study revealed the typology and the functions of the community open spaces, and further, explored the stakeholders and management strategies. The study suggests that governments should recognize and support community-based organizations (CBOs) financially and otherwise, to enable them to achieve their goals in managing community open spaces. The result will serve as a guiding document for policymakers, resource planners, and decision-makers. It will also ensure proper order in the use of open spaces by the communities

Nutrigenomic Effects of White Rice and Brown Rice on the Pathogenesis of Metabolic Disorders in a Fruit Fly Model

Consumption of white rice (WR) has been shown to predispose individuals to metabolic disorders. However, brown rice (BR), which is relatively richer in bioactive compounds, possesses anti-glycaemic and antioxidant effects. In this study, fifteen cultivars of paddy rice that are predominantly consumed in North West Nigeria were analysed for their nutritional composition, bioactive contents and effects on metabolic outcomes in a fruit fly model. Gene expression analyses were conducted on the whole fly, targeting dPEPCK, dIRS, and dACC. The protein, carbohydrate, and fibre contents and bioactives of all BR cultivars were significantly different (p p p dACC and dPEPCK was upregulated, while that of dIRS was downregulated in the WR groups compared to the BR groups. Sex differences (p < 0.05) were observed in the WR groups in relation to the nutrigenomic effects. Our findings confirm metabolic perturbations in fruit flies following consumption of WR via distortion of insulin signalling and activation of glycogenolysis and gluconeogenesis. BR prevented these metabolic changes possibly due to its richer nutritional composition

Serological markers and risk factors associated with Hepatitis B virus infection among Federal Capital Territory prison inmates, Nigeria: Should we be concerned?

IntroductionHepatitis B virus (HBV) infection is hyper-endemic in Nigeria. Prisons are high-risk environments for the spread of infectious diseases. Worldwide, seroprevalence of HBV infection is substantially higher among individuals in correctional facilities when compared to general population. We determined the seroprevalence and risk factors associated with HBV infection among Kuje prison inmates, Nigeria.Material and methodsWe conducted a prison facility based cross-sectional study. Interviewer administered questionnaires were used to obtain information on participants socio-demographic characteristics, HBV risk factors, previous HBV test and vaccination history. Blood samples collected from participants were analysed for HBsAg, HBsAb, HBcAb, HBeAg and HBeAb markers using rapid lateral chromatographic immunoassay kit. Univariate, bivariate, and multivariate analysis were performed.ResultsA total of 271 inmates (63 convicts and 208 awaiting trial inmates) were recruited into the study as participants. The mean age of the participants was 32.7 SD±9 years. HBV seroprevalence (HBsAg) of 13.7% (95% CI: 9.8-18.3) was found. 55.4% (95% CI: 49.2-61.4) of inmates were susceptible to HBV infection, 20.7% (95%CI; 16.0-26.0) had past HBV infection while 10.3% (95% CI: 7.0-14.6) had acquired natural or artificial HBV immunity. Factors found to be associated with current HBV infection (HBsAg) include age-group ≤25years (aOR = 8.0,95% CI: 2.9-22.3), being ever married (aOR = 4.2, 95% CI: 1.7-10.4) and history of alcohol consumption (aOR = 3.4, 95% CI: 1.3-8.4).ConclusionThis study reveals a high seroprevalence of HBV infection among Kuje Prison inmates, hence the need to introduce prison-focused health intervention initiatives such as HBV screening, vaccination and care to reduce the transmission of HBV infection among inmates and ultimately the general population

Knowledge, risk perception and uptake of COVID-19 vaccination among internally displaced persons in complex humanitarian emergency setting, Northeast Nigeria

Abstract Background Owing to crowded and unsanitary conditions, internally displaced persons (IDPs) have an increased risk of COVID-19 infection. Adoption of COVID-19 preventive measures among this population is premised on accurate information, adequate knowledge, and risk perception. We assessed COVID-19 knowledge and risk perception and investigated the association between risk perception and COVID-19 preventive measures, including vaccination among IDPs in Northeast Nigeria. Methods We conducted a cross-sectional study during July–December 2022 and sampled 2,175 IDPs using stratified sampling. We utilized a 12-point assessment tool to evaluate COVID-19 knowledge. Participants who scored ≥ 6 points were considered to have adequate knowledge. We used a 30-item Risk Behavior Diagnosis Scale to assess COVID-19 risk perception and evaluated each item on a 5-point Likert scale. Participants were divided into risk perception categories by the median of Likert scale scores. We performed weighted logistic regression analysis to identify factors associated with risk perception. Pearson’s chi-squared with Rao-Scott adjustment was used to determine the relationship between risk perception and COVID-19 preventive measures. Results Of 2,175 participants, 55.7% were 18–39 years old, 70.9% were females, and 81.7% had no formal education. Among the IDPs, 32.0% (95% CI: 28.8 – 35.0) were considered to have adequate COVID-19 knowledge, and 51.3% (95% CI: 47.8 – 54.8) perceived COVID-19 risk as high. Moreover, 46.3% (95% CI: 42.8 – 50.0) had received one dose of COVID-19 vaccine, and 33.1% (95% CI: 29.8 – 36.0) received two doses. Adequate knowledge (Adjusted Odds Ratio (AOR) = 2.10, [95% CI: 1.46 – 3.03]) and post-primary education (AOR = 3.20, [95% CI: 1.59 – 6.46]) were associated with risk perception. Furthermore, high risk perception was significantly associated with wearing face masks (χ2 = 106.32, p-value < .001), practicing hand hygiene (χ2 = 162.24, p-value < .001), physical distancing (χ2 = 60.84, p-value < .001) and vaccination uptake (χ2 = 46.85, p-value < .001). Conclusions This study revealed gaps in COVID-19 knowledge, risk perception, and vaccination uptake but demonstrated a significant relationship between risk perception and COVID-19 preventive practices. Health education and risk communication should be intensified to improve knowledge, elicit stronger risk perception, and enhance COVID-19 preventive practices