The role of spirituality and religiosity in psychoactive substance use among adolescents in a Nigerian Hospital

Objective: Adolescence is a transition period where drug experimentation is common. Spirituality and religiosity have been recognized by literature as having a possible role in stabilizing good physical and mental health. To compare the religiosity and spirituality among adolescents abusing a psychoactive substance and those not abusing psychoactive substances in a Nigerian hospital Methods: This was a cross-sectional descriptive study conducted among adolescent patients admitted to the drug rehabilitation unit and adolescents attending the General Outpatient Department of the ABUAD Multisystem Hospital, Ado-Ekiti. The Daily Spiritual Experience Scale and Centrality of Religiosity Scale were used Results: The prevalence of high religiosity and spirituality among the respondents was 57.9% and 56.1%. The prevalence of high religiosity and spirituality among respondents not abusing psychoactive substances was 62.9% and 62.6% respectively, while the level of high spirituality and religiosity among respondents abusing psychoactive substances was 53.0% and 49.1% respectively. A significant proportion of the respondents who had a low level of religiosity (55.9%) abused psychoactive substances than respondents who do not abuse psychoactive substances (45.7%) (X2=7.694 p=0.006). Similarly, more proportion of respondents who had a low level of spirituality (57.4%) abused psychoactive substances than respondents who do not abuse psychoactive substances (44.2%). The observation is statistically significant (X2=11.1, p<0.001). In addition, there was a significant positive correlation between the spirituality and religiosity scores among the respondents (r =0.50, p<0.001)  Conclusion: Psychoactive drug use among the respondent was associated with both low religiosity and spirituality. Therefore, religious activities should be encouraged among adolescents

Perception of community pharmacists on abuse of psychotropic medications among the consumers

Purpose: Abuse of medications implies that the user is using them for reasons other than those indicated in the prescribing literature. Psychotropic medications are those capable of affecting the mind, motions, and behavior of humans. This study sought to determine the perception of community pharmacists about the pattern of psychotropic medication abuse among their customers.Methods: A descriptive, cross-sectional study carried out among community pharmacists in Surulere axis of Lagos State, Nigeria, by census sampling method using a structured questionnaire.Results: Majority of the respondents (74.7%) were male and within ten years of practice experience (85.1%). About four-fifth (84.4%) of the respondents perceived that psychotropic medications were being abused by customers purchasing such medications from them. Caffeine-based analgesics ranked highest (85.1%) among the drugs perceived to be abused while dextromethorphan-containing cough syrup, sedative antihistamine, codeine-based analgesics, tramadol, oral decongestant, and benzodiazepines were perceived to be equally abused (84.4%). Male customers were perceived to abuse psychotropic medications more than their female counterparts and abuse of tramadol and codeine-based analgesics were specifically noted to be higher in customers younger than 26 years of age.Conclusion: Consumer psychotropic medication abuse at community pharmacies was perceived to be ignificant in Lagos community pharmacies

Translation, cross-cultural adaptation, and psychometric evaluation of the brief illness perception questionnaire into Yoruba language among persons with chronic low back pain

Background Illness perception may influence the coping behaviors of patients. There is a lack of tools to measure this construct among Yoruba speakers. Therefore, we translate, cross-culturally adapt and determine the reliability and the validity of the Yoruba version of the Brief Illness Perception Questionnaire (BIPQ-Y). Methods The translation and cross-cultural adaptation process was according to Beaton criteria. The psychometric testing of the BIPQ-Y was carried out among 28 consenting patients with low back pain attending a university teaching hospital, while only 10 of them participated in the reliability test. The convergent and discriminant validity of the BIPQ-Y was carried out using the Fear Avoidance Belief Questionnaire and Quadruple Visual Analogue scale. Confirmatory factor analysis was to assess construct validity. Results The mean age of the respondents was 47 ± 15.3 years. The concurrent validity of the BIPQ-Y was excellent (r = 0.996) for the total score of BIPQ-Y while the internal consistency was moderate (α = 0.52). The test–retest of BIPQ-Y yielded excellent results with item intra-class correlation coefficient (ICC) ranging between 0.833 and 0.973 and an overall ICC of 0.889. For the confirmatory analysis of the BIPQ-Y, the factor loading for the eight items ranged from − 0.071 to 0.799 and the composite reliability was good with a score of 0.68. Conclusion The BIPQ-Y demonstrated excellent psychometric properties that are satisfactory with standards, and it is recommended for assessing illness perceptions of patients with chronic low back pain among the Yoruba-speaking populations

Sleep quality and associated factors among patients with chronic kidney disease in Nigeria: a cross-sectional study

Objective: Poor sleep quality adversely affects the overall well-being and outcomes of patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD). However, it has not been well studied in Africans with CKD. We determined the prevalence of poor sleep quality and associated factors among patients with CKD. Design: This was a cross-sectional study that involved patients with CKD . Settings: The study was carried out in the outpatient clinic of nine hospitals in Nigeria. Methods: Sleep quality, depressive and anxiety symptoms and quality of life (QoL) were assessed among 307 patients with CKD using Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index Questionnaire, Hospital Anxiety Depression Scale Questionnaire and 12-item Short Form Health Survey Quality of Life Questionnaire, respectively. The prevalence of poor sleep quality and associated factors were determined. A p<0.05 was considered as statistically significant. Results: The mean age of the study participants was 51.40±15.17 years. The male:female ratio was 1.5:1 One hundred and twenty-one (39.4%) of the patients were on maintenance haemodialysis (MHD). The prevalence of poor sleep quality, anxiety symptoms and depressive symptoms among the patients was 50.2%, 37.8% and 17.6%, respectively. The prevalence of poor sleep quality in the CKD stages 3, 4, 5 and 5D was 38.1%, 42.6%, 52.2% and 58.7%, respectively. The prevalence of poor sleep quality was significantly higher in MHD patients compared with predialysis CKD (59.5% vs 43.6%; p=0.008). Factors associated with poor sleep quality were CKD stage (p=0.035), anaemia (p=0.003), pruritus (p=0.045), anxiety symptoms (p≤0.001), depressive symptoms (p≤0.001) and reduced QoL (p≤0.001). On multivariate analysis, factors associated with poor sleep were anxiety (AOR 2.19; 95% CI 1.27 to 3.79; p=0.005), anaemia (AOR 5.49; 95% CI 1.43 to 21.00;p=0.013) and reduced physical component of QoL (AOR 4.11; 95% CI 1.61 to 10.47; p=0.003). Conclusion: Poor sleep quality is common among patients with CKD especially in the advanced stage. The significant factors associated with poor sleep quality were QoL, anaemia and anxiety symptoms. These factors should be adequately managed to improve the overall outcomes of patients with CKD

EFFECT OF CORPORATE GOVERNANCE CODES ON RETURN ON EQUITY OF NIGERIAN DEPOSIT MONEY BANKS

The central bank of Nigeria in a bid to curb the turbulence that had troubled the Nigeria banking industry for decades introduced the Codes of Corporate Governance in order to stabilize the industry and enhance the banks performances. It is against this backdrop that this study examined the effect of corporate governance codes on the return on equity of the Nigeria deposit money banks. The study used secondary data from a sample of ten banks covering eight years and employed multivariate regression techniques, ordinary least squares in the study. The study finds that corporate governance codes have an insignificant positive effect on return on equity of the selected banks. Consequently, the study recommends that corporate governance codes should be further reviewed so that they can significantly improve on profitability of deposit money banks in Nigeria

Anti-craving Property of Chlorpromazine in Pentazocine addiction among sickle cell disease patients: A Case Series

Background: Opioids are useful in the management of vaso-occlusive crisis among Sickle Cell Disease patients; however, there is a need to search for drugs that can ameliorate the withdrawal symptoms without causing further dependence. Case presentations: Three patients living with Sickle cell disease abusing Pentazocine were managed with Tab Chlorpromazine 100mg twice daily for three weeks and had a significant reduction in the level of craving and also experienced improved sleep. Chlorpromazine demonstrates a high affinity for dopamine (DA) receptors and acts as a receptor antagonist by inhibiting adenylate cyclase activity.  Conclusion: Chlorpromazine was found to be useful in the management of cravings associated with Pentazocine addiction

Anthocleista vogelii (Planch) stem bark ethanol extract prevents inflammatory and pain phenotypes in experimental rodent models by modulating oxido-inflammatory mediators

Ethnopharmacological relevance: The Anthocleista species are used to treat pain, inflammation, and stomach disorders, but the mechanism by which Anthocleista vogelii Planch stem bark ethanol extract (AVSBE) elicits its anti-pain activity is not fully understood. Aim: This study elucidates the phytochemical signatures of AVSBE along with its anti-nociceptive, anti-inflammatory, and antioxidant activities in animal models of pain and inflammation. Methods: The Gas Chromatography and Mass Spectrometry (GC-MS) and Lorke's methods were used for the phytochemical characterization and LD50 determination of AVSBE. Male and female Wistar rats and Swiss mice were given oral pre-treatment of AVSBE (100, 200, and 400 mg/kg), indomethacin (10 mg/kg), morphine (10 mg/kg), and vehicle (10 mL/kg). Subsequently, various models were employed to evaluate AVSBE's anti-nociceptive and anti-inflammatory effects. Specifically, the acetic acid-induced mice writhing, formalin-induced paw licking, and hot plate models were used to assess AVSBE's anti-nociceptive activity, while the carrageenan-induced paw edema and air pouch models were used to evaluate AVSBE's anti-inflammatory activity. Results: AVSBE (100, 200, and 400 mg/kg) reduced writhes, paw licking, and pain reaction time. It also decreased rat paw size and inflammatory exudate volume. AVSBE (200 and 400 mg/kg) lowered oxido-nitrosative stress, inflammatory mediators, and leukocyte counts in the exudate fluid. Animals administered with AVSBE showed no stomach ulceration. The LD50 of AVSBE is over 5000 mg/kg, p.o. GC-MS analysis revealed 19 phytochemical compounds in AVSBE, including eicosanoic, octadecatrienoic, linoleic, palmitoleic, and 9,12-octadecanoic acids, phytol, among others. Conclusion: These findings suggest that AVSBE demonstrated activities that can reduce inflammation and alleviate pain by inhibiting oxido-nitrosative stress and inflammatory mediators, contributing validity to the ethnomedicinal benefit of AVSBE in managing inflammatory and pain-related crisis

Costs and cost-effectiveness of management of possible serious bacterial infections in young infants in outpatient settings when referral to a hospital was not possible: Results from randomized trials in Africa.

IntroductionSerious bacterial neonatal infections are a major cause of global neonatal mortality. While hospitalized treatment is recommended, families cannot access inpatient treatment in low resource settings. Two parallel randomized control trials were conducted at five sites in three countries (Democratic Republic of Congo, Kenya, and Nigeria) to compare the effectiveness of treatment with experimental regimens requiring fewer injections with a reference regimen A (injection gentamicin plus injection procaine penicillin both once daily for 7 days) on the outpatient basis provided to young infants (0-59 days) with signs of possible serious bacterial infection (PSBI) when the referral was not feasible. Costs were estimated to quantify the financial implications of scaleup, and cost-effectiveness of these regimens.MethodsDirect economic costs (including personnel, drugs and consumable costs) were estimated for identification, prenatal and postnatal visits, assessment, classification, treatment and follow-up. Data on time spent by providers on each activity was collected from 83% of providers. Indirect marginal financial costs were estimated for non-consumables/capital, training, transport, communication, administration and supervision by considering only a share of the total research and health system costs considered important for the program. Total economic costs (direct plus indirect) per young infant treated were estimated based on 39% of young infants enrolled in the trial during 2012 and the number of days each treated during one year. The incremental cost-effectiveness ratio was calculated using treatment failure after one week as the outcome indicator. Experimental regimens were compared to the reference regimen and pairwise comparisons were also made.ResultsThe average costs of treating a young infant with clinical severe infection (a sub-category of PSBI) in 2012 was lowest with regimen D (injection gentamicin once daily for 2 days plus oral amoxicillin twice daily for 7 days) at US$20.9 (95$ 16.4-25.3) or US$32.5 (2018 prices). While all experimental regimens B (injection gentamicin once daily plus oral amoxicillin twice daily, both for 7 days), regimen C (once daily of injection gentamicin injection plus injection procaine penicillin for 2 days, thereafter oral amoxicillin twice daily for 5 days) and regimen D were found to be more cost-effective as compared with the reference regimen A; pairwise comparison showed regimen D was more cost-effective than B or C. For fast breathing, the average cost of treatment with regimen E (oral amoxicillin twice daily for 7 days) at US$ 18.3 (95% CI US$13.4-23.3) or US$ 29.0 (2018 prices) was more cost-effective than regimen A. Indirect costs were 32% of the total treatment costs.ConclusionScaling up of outpatient treatment for PSBI when the referral is not feasible with fewer injections and oral antibiotics is cost-effective for young infants and can lead to increased access to treatment resulting in potential reductions in neonatal mortality.Clinical trial registrationThe trial was registered with Australian New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry under ID ACTRN 12610000286044