A FRAMEWORK FOR MOBILE HEALTH CARE DELIVERY IN DEVELOPING NATIONS: A CASE STUDY OF NIGERIA

Health systems in developing nation especially low and low-middle income countries is characterised with numerous challenges which ranges from inefficient health information system, poor health delivery system, mortality and morbidity rate of disease and ailments, inadequate health manpower etc. The growth of ICT especially in developing nations has been on the increase bringing about a lot of invention amongst which mobile technology is one. Mobile technology as a significant ICT tool has the ability of penetrating into both the urban and rural areas and bringing about disruptive changes and development. The impact of technology has being seen in health system to bring across innovative inventions like telemedicine, telehealth, e- health, m-health and has provided solutions to diverse health challenges. This paper presents a mobile health (m-health) framework for providing promising sustainable healthcare services and health related information in developing countries using supporting technologies & tools support based on availability, ease to access, and affordability

Experiences of refugees and asylum seekers towards access and utilisation of sexual health services: A systematic review

A systematic review protocol for exploring the experiences and utilisation of sexually transmitted infections and HIV testing and treatments among refugees and asylum seekers in both overdeveloped and underdeveloped countries are the contexts of this review. Issues facing refugees and displaced people are some of the most complicated humanitarian concerns globally. The UN Refugee Agency, UK reports that at least 89.3 million people worldwide have been forced to flee their homes (UNHCR UK, 2021). Among them, nearly 27.1million are refugees and 4.6 million are asylum seekers (UNHCR, 2021). Evidence shows the access and utilisation of sexual health services among these populations are comparatively limited

Women’s Access to Land and Economic Empowerment in Selected Nigerian Communities

Despite various land policies that prescribe rights to land in many societies, women remain marginalized in access to and economic utilization of land. This is widespread in rural communities where informal institutions such as customs and traditions subsist. In most of these communities, the patriarchal structure of families is championed by the informal institutions that support male dominance. This study focuses on economic empowerment of women as it encapsulates sustainable wealth of women. It provides answers to two main research questions: a) what kind of relationship exists between land access and empowerment of women? And b) how important are individual and household attributes in informing women’s empowerment through land rights? The empirical results of this study provide some new insights as they demonstrate how land rights influence women’s economic empowerment. The study also finds that women’s earning capacity reduces when they take up the responsibility of becoming the heads of households and that their income increases as they become more educate

Stampidine prevents mortality in an experimental mouse model of viral hemorrhagic fever caused by lassa virus

BACKGROUND: The potential use of microorganisms as agents of biological warfare (BW) is a growing concern. Lassa virus, a member of the Arenavirus class of Hemorrhagic fever (HF) viruses has emerged as a worldwide concern among public health officials. The purpose of the present study was to further elucidate the antiviral activity spectrum of stampidine, a novel nucleoside analog with potent anti-viral activity against the immunodeficiency viruses HIV-1, HIV-2, and FIV, by examining its effects on survival of mice challenged with Lassa virus. METHODS: We examined the therapeutic effect of Stampidine in CBA mice inoculated with intracerebral injections of the Josiah strain of Lassa virus. Mice were treated either with vehicle or nontoxic doses of stampidine administered intraperitoneally 24 hours prior to, 1 hour prior to, and 24 hours, 48 hours, 72 hours, and 96 hours after virus inoculation. RESULTS: The probability of survival following the Lassa challenge was significantly improved for stampidine treated mice (Kaplan Meier, Chi-squared = 11.7, df = 2, Log-Rank p-value = 0.003). CONCLUSION: Therefore, stampidine shows clinical potential as a new agent for treatment of viral hemorrhagic fevers caused by Lassa virus

Biological treatment and thickening with a hollow fibre membrane bioreactor

Aerobic operation of an immersed hollow fibre membrane bioreactor, treating municipal wastewater supplemented with molasses solution, has been studied across mixed liquor suspended solids (MLSS) concentrations between 8 and 32 g L-1, the higher concentrations being normally associated with thickening operations. Only a marginal loss in membrane permeability was noted between 8 and 18 g L-1 when operation was conducted without clogging. The sustainable operational flux attainable above 18 g L-1 was highly dependent upon both the MLSS concentration and the state of the membrane. A temperature-corrected flux of 28 L m-2 h-1 (LMH) was sustained for 18 h at an MLSS of 8 g L-1 using membranes close to initial their virgin-state permeability. This value decreased to around 14 LMH at 20 g L-1 and 5 LMH at 32 g L-1 MLSS for an aged membrane whose permeability had been recovered following clogging. Below the threshold flux operation without significant clogging was possible, such that the membrane permeability could be recovered with a chemically enhanced backflush (CEB). Above this flux clogging took place at a rate of around 7-14 g solids per m2 membrane per m3 permeate volume passed irrespective of the MLSS concentration. The permeability of the unclogged membrane was depressed and could not be recovered using a standard CEB, indicative of irrecoverable pore clogging. The outcomes corroborated previously reported observations concerning the deleterious long-term impacts of clogging, and confirmed the critical importance of operation at a sustainable flux valu

Strength and thermal stability of fiber reinforced plastic composites made from rattan canes

Rattans have been used for various purposes ranging from furniture and art works to cement composites. Plastic composites are however more dimensionally stable than cement composites because plastic creates a moisture barrier against water  ingress. There is paucity of information on properties of plastic composites made from rattan canes. Therefore, the strength properties and thermal stability of plastic composites reinforced with rattan fibers were investigated in this work. Particles of rattan species (Eremospatha macrocarpa (EM) and Laccosperma secundiflorum (LS)) were blended with High-Density Polyethylene (HDPE) to produce fiber  reinforced plastic composites (FRPC) viz: EM, LS and EM+LS using formulations of 50:41 and 55:36 rattan: HDPE. Flexural tests and dimensional stability (water absorption and thickness swelling) of the rattan composites were determined. The results obtained revealed that the rattan composites possessed adequate strength and had low water absorption and thickness swelling rates. The water absorption of the composites was influenced by the increase in rattan content while the thickness swell and Modulus of Rupture (MOR) were not significantly different for the two  rattans. However, Modulus of Elasticity (MOE) of LS-HDPE composites was  significantly higher than for EM-HDPE composites. Increase in rattan content  caused reduction in MOR but increased the MOE of FRPC. Thermogravimetric  analysis results revealed that HDPE in EM+LS/HDPE were less thermally stable than EM/HDPE or LS/HDPE.Keywords: Rattans, fiber reinforced plastic composites, dimensional stability, thermal stabilit

\u3ci\u3eTrans\u3c/i\u3e-10, \u3ci\u3eCis\u3c/i\u3e-12 Conjugated Linoleic Acid Antagonizes Ligand- Dependent PPARγ Activity in Primary Cultures of Human Adipocytes

We previously demonstrated that trans-10, cis-12 (10,12) conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) causes human adipocyte delipidation, insulin resistance, and inflammation in part by attenuating PPARγ target gene expression. We hypothesized that CLA antagonizes the activity of PPARγ in an isomerspecific manner. 10,12 CLA, but not cis-9, trans-11 (9,11) CLA, suppressed ligand-stimulated activation of a peroxisome proliferator response element-luciferase reporter. This decreased activation of PPARγ by 10,12 CLA was accompanied by an increase in PPARγ and extracellular signal-related kinase (ERK)1/2 phosphorylation, followed by decreased PPARγ protein levels. To investigate if 10,12 CLA-mediated delipidation was preventable with a PPARγ ligand (BRL), cultures were treated for 1 wk with 10,12 CLA or 10,12 CLA + BRL and adipogenic gene and protein expression, glucose uptake, and triglyceride (TG) were measured. BRL cosupplementation completely prevented 10,12 CLA suppression of adipocyte fatty acid-binding protein, lipoprotein lipase, and perilipin mRNA levels without preventing reductions in PPARγ or insulin-dependent glucose transporter 4 (GLUT4) expression, glucose uptake, or TG. Lastly, we investigated the impact of CLA withdrawal in the absence or presence of BRL for 2 wk. CLA withdrawal did not rescue CLA-mediated reductions in adipogenic gene and protein expression. In contrast, BRL supplementation for 2 wk following CLA withdrawal rescued mRNA levels of PPARγ target genes. However, the levels of PPARγ and GLUT4 protein and TG were only partially rescued by BRL. Collectively, we demonstrate for the first time, to our knowledge, that 10,12 CLA antagonizes liganddependent PPARγ activity, possibly via PPARγ phosphorylation by ERK