Trade- GDP Nexus in Nigeria: An Application of Autoregressive Distributed Lag (ARDL) Model

This study examined Trade-GDP nexus in Nigeria using the autoregressive distributed lag(ARDL) approach. The study covers the periods 1970-2012, employing data sourced from Central Bank of Nigeria Statistical Bulletin of various issues. Econometric evidence revealed that trade openness; foreign direct investment and exchange rate were some of the key factors that explained the trade-GDP nexus in Nigeria. In addition, the estimated ECM result revealed 31% speed of adjustment between the dependent variable (RGDP) and independent variables (TOP, FDI and EXR). Findings from the study also showed that the endogenously determined variables of (TOP, FDI & EXR) are jointly significant in explaining changes in Nigeria’s economic growth. However, trade openness and exchange rate management influences economic growth negatively because of unfavourable terms-of-trade between Nigeria and her trading partners and the continuous depletion of the external reserves. We therefore recommend among others, expansion of the economy’s export base by complete diversification of the economy away from the oil enclave as well as effective exchange rate management in Nigeria by the monetary authorities. Keywords: Trade, economic growth, ARDL co -integration. JEL Classification: F43, F14, C3

Impact of Health Sector Reform on Nigeria’s Economic Development: An Autoregressive Distributed Lag Model Approach

This study investigates the impact of health sector reforms on Nigeria’s economic growth from 1970-2013. The method of analysis is the Bound F-Test approach. The result shows that there is a long-run co-integrating relationship existing among the variables of GDP per capita, improved sanitation facilities (LISF), mortality rate under 5 years (LMTU 5) and Out-of-pocket expenditure (LOPE). It also shows that 58% of the total variation in GDP per capita is accounted for by the changes in LHIV/AID, LISF, LMTUS and LOPE. We therefore, recommend a universal policy of healthcare system that will guarantee the populaces’ access to healthcare services. Similarly, there is need to reduce the out-of-pocket expenses, healthcare beneficiaries incur in Nigeria

Development of Swim Lane Workflow Process Map for Sales and Inventory Workflow Management Information System: A Case Study of Petrospan Integrated Services, Eket, Akwa Ibom State, Nigeria

According to experts, sales workflow management system can impact overall sales effectiveness, vis-à-vis, improve the efficiency of sales people, accelerate sales follow-ups, increase sales and reduce costs. On the other hand, inventory management system can be used to avoid product overstock and outages by tracking inventory levels, orders, sales and deliveries. This paper identified the problems prevalent in the existing sales and inventory flow management system at Petrospan Integrated Services in Eket, Akwa Ibom state, Nigeria. Then, the analysis and design of a new sales and inventory workflow management system for the Petrospan Integrated Services was presented. The “as-is” sales and inventory workflow management system was first modelled using swim lane process flow map. Then, the swim lane process flow map was also used to develop the “to-be” or “should-be” sales and inventory workflow management system specifically to address the shortcomings of the “as-is” workflow management system as well as to facilitate the development and deployment of automated sales and inventory management workflow management system at Petrospan Integrated Services-Sales Eket

Curcuma longa extract improves serum electrolytes and hormone profile of dihydrotestosterone - Estradiol valerate induced benign prostatic hyperplasia male rats

The usefulness of methanol extract of Curcuma longa in management of benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) in rats was studied. Twenty  male Wistar rats were divided into five groups of 4 rats each. BPH was induced by subcutaneous injection of dihydrotestosterone (DHT) and estradiol valerate (10:1) daily for 28 days. The normal control (NC) received subcutaneous olive oil (as vehicle) for the same duration. The disease control (HC) and drug control groups (DC) were given subcutaneous olive oil and oral finasteride (standard drug: 5 mg/kg bw) respectively after induction of BPH. Rats in the test groups (T1 and T2) were given 100 and 200 mg/kg.bw of C. longa methanol extracts orally for 28 days respectively, following disease induction. Phytochemical constituents of plant extracts, selected biomarkers of BPH,  serum electrolyte and hormonal profile were determined using standard methods. Results revealed that C. longa have higher content of flavonoid (4.03 ± 0.01 mg/100 g) with lower concentration of terpene (0.40 ± 0.07 mg/100 g). There was significant decrease (p<0.05) in relative prostate weight and prostate specific antigen (PSA) in T1 and T2 compared to the HC group. Calcium and sodium showed  significant (p<0.05) decreased following administration of plant extract while chlorine and bicarbonate recorded no (p>0.05) difference. There was a (p<0.05) decrease in serum total testosterone and increase in FSH level, but no difference (p>0.05) was seen in serum estradiol levels within all experimental groups. This study reveals that C. longa may be useful in the treatment and/or management of BPH and itscomplications

Association of same-sex criminalisation laws and national HIV policies with HIV testing in African MSM: an ecological single-level and multilevel cross-sectional study of sub-Saharan African countries

Background: HIV incidence among men who have sex with men (MSM) in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) remains high compared with the general population. Many countries in the region still criminalise consensual homosexual relationships, and some are yet to adopt WHO-recommended interventions for MSM into national HIV policies. This study examines how HIV testing of adult MSM in SSA varies according to the legal climate and presence of targeted HIV policy using data from the cross-sectional 2019 Global LGBTI Internet Survey study. Methods: Using data from 3191 MSM in 44 SSA countries, we assessed associations of legal climate and HIV policy with ever and recent HIV testing using linear ecological and logistic multilevel analyses. From the single-level analysis, we can compare our findings to previously reported data, then, extending to a two-level multilevel analysis, we account for the hierarchical structure of the population and simultaneously adjust for differences in context and composition in each country. We then test the sensitivity of our analyses to excluding countries from the model. Results: We find evidence that legalised same-sex relationships were associated with increased odds of ever testing (OR=2.00, 95% CI 1.04, 3.82) in multilevel analyses. We also find evidence of an association of targeted HIV policies with increased odds of ever testing (OR=2.49, 95% CI 1.12, 5.52). We did not find evidence of an association of the legal climate (OR=1.01, 95% CI 0.69, 1.46) and targeted HIV policies (OR=1.26, 95% CI 0.78, 2.04) with recent testing. Conclusions: This study suggests elimination of discriminatory laws and policies might be important for increasing HIV status awareness of MSM, an important first step in epidemic control. Additionally, we highlight heterogeneity between South Africa and other SSA countries, which has implications for studying SSA countries as a homogeneous group

Predictors of poor glycemic control in adult with type 2 diabetes in South-Eastern Nigeria

Background: The study investigated predictors of poor glycemic control in type 2 diabetes (T2DM). Methods: Data on demographics, anthropometric and clinical parameters were collected in a cross-section survey from 140 adults with T2DM, using standard tools/instruments. Glycated hemoglobin (A1C) was assessed as a measure of glycemic control. Results: Majority (83.3%) had poor glycemic control status of which about 95% constitute the elderly. The elderly (OR= 5.90, 95% Cl: 1.66-20.96) were more likely associated with poor glycemic control than the non-elderly (p = 0.006). Adjustment for significant predictor variables: Age, waist-hip ratio (WHR), Fasting plasma glucose (FPG) and Systolic blood pressure (SBP), although attenuated the odds (OR= 5.00, 95% CI: 1.19-20.96) of poor glycemic control, it still remained significantly (p = 0.028) higher in the elderly. Patients outside tight FPG control significantly (p = 0.001) showed poor glycemic cotrol than those within tight FPG (OR= 17.39, 95%Cl: 5.83-51.90), even with attenuated OR (OR= 10.85, 95%Cl: 3.10-37.96) and (OR=12.08, 95%Cl: 3.64-40.09) when non- significant and significant predictor variables were accounted for, respectively. Conclusion: Age, WHR, FPG, and SBP were significantly associated with differences in glycemic control. The elderly and FPG outside tight control showed significantly increased odds of poor glycemic control status

Is Internalised Homonegativity associated with HIV testing and HIV risk behaviours of men who have sex with men: a multilevel cross-sectional study of sub-Saharan African countries

Objectives This study assessed the associations of Internalised Homonegativity (IH) with HIV testing and risk behaviours of adult men who have sex with men (MSM) in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) and effect modification by the legal climate.DesignWe used data from the cross-sectional 2019 Global Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Intersex (LGBTI+) Internet survey study. Setting and participants Overall, the 2019 Global LGBTI Internet Survey collected data from 46 SSA countries. In this secondary analysis, we included data from 3191 MSM in 44 SSA countries as there were no eligible MSM responses in the 2 countries excluded. Outcome measures Our response variables were self-reported binary indicators of ever tested for HIV, recently tested in the past 6 months (from those who reported ever testing), transactional sex (paying for and being paid for sex in the past 12 months), and unprotected anal sex (that is without a condom or pre-exposure prohylaxis (PrEP)) with a non-steady partner (in the past 3 months). Results Our findings showed high levels of IH (range 1-7) in MSM across SSA (mean (SD)=5.3 (1.36)). We found that MSM with higher IH levels were more likely to have ever (adjusted OR (aOR) 1.18, 95% CI 1.03 to 1.35) and recently tested (aOR 1.19, 95% CI 1.07 to 1.32) but no evidence of an association with paying for sex (aOR 1.00, 95% CI 0.89 to 1.12), selling sex (aOR 1.06, 95% CI 0.95 to 1.20) and unprotected sex (aOR 0.99, 95% CI 0.89 to 1.09). However, we observed that a favourable legal climate modifies the associations of IH and paying for sex (aOR 0.75, 95% CI 0.60 to 0.94). Increasing levels of IH had a negative association with paying for sex in countries where same-sex relationships are legal. We found no associations of IH with unprotected anal sex in the population surveyed. Conclusions We confirm that IH is widespread across SSA but in countries that legalise same-sex relationships, MSM were less likely to engage in transactional sex compared with those in countries where homosexuality is criminalised

Implementation of World Health Organization Integrated Management of Childhood Illnesses (IMCI) Guidelines for the Assessment of Pneumonia in the Under 5s in Rural Malawi

The Cooking and Pneumonia Study (CAPS) is a pragmatic cluster-level randomized controlled trial of the effect of an advanced cookstove intervention on pneumonia in children under the age of 5 years (under 5s) in Malawi (www.capstudy.org). The primary outcome of the trial is the incidence of pneumonia during a two-year follow-up period, as diagnosed by healthcare providers who are using the World Health Organization (WHO) integrated management of childhood illnesses (IMCI) pneumonia assessment protocol and who are blinded to the trial arms. We evaluated the quality of pneumonia assessment in under 5s in this setting via a cross-sectional study of provider-patient encounters at nine outpatient clinics located within the catchment area of 150 village-level clusters enrolled in the trial across the two study locations of Chikhwawa and Karonga, Malawi, between May and June 2015 using the IMCI guidelines as a benchmark. Data were collected using a key equipment checklist, an IMCI pneumonia knowledge test, and a clinical evaluation checklist. The median number of key equipment items available was 6 (range 4 to 7) out of a possible 7. The median score on the IMCI pneumonia knowledge test among 23 clinicians was 75% (range 60% to 89%). Among a total of 176 consultations performed by 15 clinicians, a median of 9 (range 3 to 13) out of 13 clinical evaluation tasks were performed. Overall, the clinicians were adequately equipped for the assessment of sick children, had good knowledge of the IMCI guidelines, and conducted largely thorough clinical evaluations. We recommend the simple pragmatic approach to quality assurance described herein for similar studies conducted in challenging research settings

Acute and long-term outcomes of SARS-CoV-2 infection in school-aged children in England: Study protocol for the joint analysis of the COVID-19 schools infection survey (SIS) and the COVID-19 mapping and mitigation in schools (CoMMinS) study.

BACKGROUND: The symptom profiles of acute SARS-CoV-2 infection and long-COVID in children and young people (CYP), risk factors, and associated healthcare needs, are poorly defined. The Schools Infection Survey 1 (SIS-1) was a nationwide study of SARS-CoV-2 infection in primary and secondary schools in England during the 2020/21 school year. The Covid-19 Mapping and Mitigation in Schools (CoMMinS) study was conducted in schools in the Bristol area over a similar period. Both studies conducted testing to identify current and previous SARS-CoV-2 infection, and recorded symptoms and school attendance. These research data have been linked to routine electronic health record (EHR) data. AIMS: To better understand the short- and long-term consequences of SARS-CoV-2 infection, and their risk factors, in CYP. METHODS: Retrospective cohort and nested case-control analyses will be conducted for SIS-1 and CoMMinS data linked to EHR data for the association between (1) acute symptomatic SARS-CoV-2 infection and risk factors; (2) SARS-CoV-2 infection and long-term effects on health: (a) persistent symptoms; (b) any new diagnosis; (c) a new prescription in primary care; (d) health service attendance; (e) a high rate of school absence. RESULTS: Our study will improve understanding of long-COVID in CYP by characterising the trajectory of long-COVID in CYP in terms of things like symptoms and diagnoses of conditions. The research will inform which groups of CYP are more likely to get acute- and long-term outcomes of SARS-CoV-2 infection, and patterns of related healthcare-seeking behaviour, relevant for healthcare service planning. Digested information will be produced for affected families, doctors, schools, and the public, as appropriate. CONCLUSION: Linked SIS-1 and CoMMinS data represent a unique and rich resource for understanding the impact of SARS-CoV-2 infection on children's health, benefiting from enhanced SARS-CoV-2 testing and ability to assess a wide range of outcomes