IMPLICATIONS OF ENVIRONMENTAL AND NATURAL RESOURCES EDUCATION AMONG RURAL STAKEHOLDERS OF FORESTRY AND WILDLIFE ADMINISTRATION: A REVIEW

Environment, its degradation and restoration are the outcries of scientists, foresters, wildlife managers, geographers, National Park personnel and other conservationists around the Sub-saharan Africa. Apart from providing livelihoods for plants, it offers food, habitat and breeding grounds for fauna group (wild and domestic), birds (flying and gregarious), mammals and reptiles (terrestrial and aquatic). This paper reviews different publications from different authors at different times on current issues about various perspectives of environment, relevant terminologies, causes of environmental degradation, their scientific evidences, different forms by which they manifest and sensitisation of various stakeholders and the public in general about the need to safeguard the environment and the treasured resources from the pathway of collapse using different strategies by individuals, corporate bodies and governments. The study therefore calls for sensitisation about natural resources conservation using various mass media techniques such as print and electronic media, in order to save key wildlife from extinction. It also calls for incorporation of Natural Resources conservation in Secondary schools Agricultural Science, Biology and Geography curricular. Enactment and enforcement of biodiversity over exploitation laws by Governments at all tiers are essential for fauna and flora sustainability

Comparative assessment of heavy metal contents in organs and flesh of marketed cane rat (Thryonomys swinderianus Temminck, 1827) along five highways in south-western Nigeria

Comparative heavy metal pollution in organs and flesh of marketed cane rat along five highways in southwestern Nigeria was studied. Twenty-three wildlife markets were visited and there, samples were taken randomly on quarterly basis. Visceral organs of raw kidney, liver, lung, flesh and roasted flesh of Thryonomys swinderianus (cane rat) as the most sourced wild animal were taken and screened using Wet Digestion Method for heavy metals including lead, cadmium, chromium, astatine, copper, manganese and cobalt. Results showed that lung had the least contamination, followed by kidney, then liver; raw flesh and lastly roasted meat as the highest. Chromium and Astatine were significantly different in distribution (0.017 and 0.049 respectively) at P˃ 0.05.Follow-up procedures showed that at P˃0.05, for Astatine, the descending order was concentration was Roads,5 4, 2, 3 and1 . For chromium the distribution order was Roads 5, 4, 3, 2 and 1 also in descending order. Average values in all the samples pooled together showed lead falling within the permissible range of 0.5mg/kg for offals and 0.1 mg/kg for meat, Copper exceeded the values of 0.01 mg/kg flat along all market Roads for both categories, chromium was within the safe limit of 1.00mg/kg for both meat and offals; cadmium was within the safe range of 0.5 mg/kg for both offals and meat throughout the study areas. Cobalt exceeded the value of 0.08mg/kg for offals and 0.03 mg/kg for meat along Road 3 only. Manganese and astatine fell within safe range of 0.5 mg/kg for both samples classes limit. Expansion of environmental conservation strategies was recommended. It was concluded that the marketed wildlife in the study area are partially safe for consumption.Keywords: analysis, contamination, Heavy Metal, highways, markets, Wildlif

Comparative Assessment of Growth Structure and Litter Size of Grasscutter (Thryonomys Swinderianus Temminck, 1872) Bred In Captivity

Cane rats under domestication and multiplication in Forestry Research Institute of Nigeria, Ibadan were assessed for their population growth, structure and analysis over a period of five years (2009-2013). On the basis of weight gain, fecundity and docility, thirty-two (32) female grass cutter were selected for reproduction. A buck (male) was provided with one to three does (females) for mating and the mating group continued to live together until pregnancy was observed. These animals were housed in floor hutches constructed with 6-inch hollow blocks. The off springs were monitored for sex ratios and population growth and data generated were subjected to analysis using both continuous statistics of percentages and inferential statistics of X2.  Continuous statistics results revealed that more cases of parturition occurred during rainy season than dry season probably due to high quality forage that is always available during the season but inferential statistics did not establish it  Analysis also showed that more female grass cutter were produced than males on yearly basis but mortality affected more females than males probably because the stress of continuous parturition coupled with age may weaken their   resistance against diseases and environmental fluctuations. Also, mortality figure was higher during wet than dry season, implying that the animals need more care and medical care during rainy season. These observations are subjects of further research. Keywords. Cane rat, domestication, parturition, litter, sex ratio, mortality

Future and potential spending on health 2015-40: Development assistance for health, and government, prepaid private, and out-of-pocket health spending in 184 countries

Background: The amount of resources, particularly prepaid resources, available for health can affect access to health care and health outcomes. Although health spending tends to increase with economic development, tremendous variation exists among health financing systems. Estimates of future spending can be beneficial for policy makers and planners, and can identify financing gaps. In this study, we estimate future gross domestic product (GDP), all-sector government spending, and health spending disaggregated by source, and we compare expected future spending to potential future spending. Methods: We extracted GDP, government spending in 184 countries from 1980-2015, and health spend data from 1995-2014. We used a series of ensemble models to estimate future GDP, all-sector government spending, development assistance for health, and government, out-of-pocket, and prepaid private health spending through 2040. We used frontier analyses to identify patterns exhibited by the countries that dedicate the most funding to health, and used these frontiers to estimate potential health spending for each low-income or middle-income country. All estimates are inflation and purchasing power adjusted. Findings: We estimated that global spending on health will increase from US$9.21 trillion in 2014 to$24.24 trillion (uncertainty interval [UI] 20.47-29.72) in 2040. We expect per capita health spending to increase fastest in upper-middle-income countries, at 5.3% (UI 4.1-6.8) per year. This growth is driven by continued growth in GDP, government spending, and government health spending. Lower-middle income countries are expected to grow at 4.2% (3.8-4.9). High-income countries are expected to grow at 2.1% (UI 1.8-2.4) and low-income countries are expected to grow at 1.8% (1.0-2.8). Despite this growth, health spending per capita in low-income countries is expected to remain low, at $154 (UI 133-181) per capita in 2030 and$195 (157-258) per capita in 2040. Increases in national health spending to reach the level of the countries who spend the most on health, relative to their level of economic development, would mean $321 (157-258) per capita was available for health in 2040 in low-income countries. Interpretation: Health spending is associated with economic development but past trends and relationships suggest that spending will remain variable, and low in some low-resource settings. Policy change could lead to increased health spending, although for the poorest countries external support might remain essential

Anemia prevalence in women of reproductive age in low- and middle-income countries between 2000 and 2018

Anemia is a globally widespread condition in women and is associated with reduced economic productivity and increased mortality worldwide. Here we map annual 2000–2018 geospatial estimates of anemia prevalence in women of reproductive age (15–49 years) across 82 low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), stratify anemia by severity and aggregate results to policy-relevant administrative and national levels. Additionally, we provide subnational disparity analyses to provide a comprehensive overview of anemia prevalence inequalities within these countries and predict progress toward the World Health Organization’s Global Nutrition Target (WHO GNT) to reduce anemia by half by 2030. Our results demonstrate widespread moderate improvements in overall anemia prevalence but identify only three LMICs with a high probability of achieving the WHO GNT by 2030 at a national scale, and no LMIC is expected to achieve the target in all their subnational administrative units. Our maps show where large within-country disparities occur, as well as areas likely to fall short of the WHO GNT, offering precision public health tools so that adequate resource allocation and subsequent interventions can be targeted to the most vulnerable populations.Peer reviewe

EPIdemiology of Surgery-Associated Acute Kidney Injury (EPIS-AKI) : Study protocol for a multicentre, observational trial

More than 300 million surgical procedures are performed each year. Acute kidney injury (AKI) is a common complication after major surgery and is associated with adverse short-term and long-term outcomes. However, there is a large variation in the incidence of reported AKI rates. The establishment of an accurate epidemiology of surgery-associated AKI is important for healthcare policy, quality initiatives, clinical trials, as well as for improving guidelines. The objective of the Epidemiology of Surgery-associated Acute Kidney Injury (EPIS-AKI) trial is to prospectively evaluate the epidemiology of AKI after major surgery using the latest Kidney Disease: Improving Global Outcomes (KDIGO) consensus definition of AKI. EPIS-AKI is an international prospective, observational, multicentre cohort study including 10 000 patients undergoing major surgery who are subsequently admitted to the ICU or a similar high dependency unit. The primary endpoint is the incidence of AKI within 72 hours after surgery according to the KDIGO criteria. Secondary endpoints include use of renal replacement therapy (RRT), mortality during ICU and hospital stay, length of ICU and hospital stay and major adverse kidney events (combined endpoint consisting of persistent renal dysfunction, RRT and mortality) at day 90. Further, we will evaluate preoperative and intraoperative risk factors affecting the incidence of postoperative AKI. In an add-on analysis, we will assess urinary biomarkers for early detection of AKI. EPIS-AKI has been approved by the leading Ethics Committee of the Medical Council North Rhine-Westphalia, of the Westphalian Wilhelms-University Münster and the corresponding Ethics Committee at each participating site. Results will be disseminated widely and published in peer-reviewed journals, presented at conferences and used to design further AKI-related trials. Trial registration number NCT04165369

Mapping geographical inequalities in childhood diarrhoeal morbidity and mortality in low-income and middle-income countries, 2000–17 : analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2017

Background Across low-income and middle-income countries (LMICs), one in ten deaths in children younger than 5 years is attributable to diarrhoea. The substantial between-country variation in both diarrhoea incidence and mortality is attributable to interventions that protect children, prevent infection, and treat disease. Identifying subnational regions with the highest burden and mapping associated risk factors can aid in reducing preventable childhood diarrhoea. Methods We used Bayesian model-based geostatistics and a geolocated dataset comprising 15 072 746 children younger than 5 years from 466 surveys in 94 LMICs, in combination with findings of the Global Burden of Diseases, Injuries, and Risk Factors Study (GBD) 2017, to estimate posterior distributions of diarrhoea prevalence, incidence, and mortality from 2000 to 2017. From these data, we estimated the burden of diarrhoea at varying subnational levels (termed units) by spatially aggregating draws, and we investigated the drivers of subnational patterns by creating aggregated risk factor estimates. Findings The greatest declines in diarrhoeal mortality were seen in south and southeast Asia and South America, where 54·0% (95% uncertainty interval [UI] 38·1–65·8), 17·4% (7·7–28·4), and 59·5% (34·2–86·9) of units, respectively, recorded decreases in deaths from diarrhoea greater than 10%. Although children in much of Africa remain at high risk of death due to diarrhoea, regions with the most deaths were outside Africa, with the highest mortality units located in Pakistan. Indonesia showed the greatest within-country geographical inequality; some regions had mortality rates nearly four times the average country rate. Reductions in mortality were correlated to improvements in water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) or reductions in child growth failure (CGF). Similarly, most high-risk areas had poor WASH, high CGF, or low oral rehydration therapy coverage. Interpretation By co-analysing geospatial trends in diarrhoeal burden and its key risk factors, we could assess candidate drivers of subnational death reduction. Further, by doing a counterfactual analysis of the remaining disease burden using key risk factors, we identified potential intervention strategies for vulnerable populations. In view of the demands for limited resources in LMICs, accurately quantifying the burden of diarrhoea and its drivers is important for precision public health

Mapping local patterns of childhood overweight and wasting in low- and middle-income countries between 2000 and 2017

A double burden of malnutrition occurs when individuals, household members or communities experience both undernutrition and overweight. Here, we show geospatial estimates of overweight and wasting prevalence among children under 5 years of age in 105 low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) from 2000 to 2017 and aggregate these to policy-relevant administrative units. Wasting decreased overall across LMICs between 2000 and 2017, from 8.4 (62.3 (55.1�70.8) million) to 6.4 (58.3 (47.6�70.7) million), but is predicted to remain above the World Health Organization�s Global Nutrition Target of <5 in over half of LMICs by 2025. Prevalence of overweight increased from 5.2 (30 (22.8�38.5) million) in 2000 to 6.0 (55.5 (44.8�67.9) million) children aged under 5 years in 2017. Areas most affected by double burden of malnutrition were located in Indonesia, Thailand, southeastern China, Botswana, Cameroon and central Nigeria. Our estimates provide a new perspective to researchers, policy makers and public health agencies in their efforts to address this global childhood syndemic. © 2020, The Author(s)