Cardiology Student Nurse Internship

This past summer and into my final semester in the Eleanor Mann School of Nursing, I became a student nurse intern at Washington Regional Medical Center in the Cardiology department. Heart disease and other heart-related morbidities are on the rise within our population, especially as the baby-boomer generation continues to age – and healthcare must follow suit. The Cardiology department combined with the Walker Heart Institute of Washington Regional is a champion within Northwest Arkansas for the best care related to the heart, and I had the incredible opportunity to serve and learn from their talented healthcare team. Through my internship, I have learned about several different cardiovascular procedures, what it means to cater care to the individual, how to advocate for patients, and the vital importance of holding on to hope in adversity

Stigma and Discrimination’s Effect on HIV Testing of Pregnant Women in Nigeria

The utilization of HIV testing services among pregnant women in Nigeria has not been optimal. Although much is known about the determinants of HIV testing among pregnant women, there is a gap in knowledge on determinants for pregnant women infected with the virus, specifically whether stigma and discrimination are barriers. The purpose of this study was to examine the effect of stigmatizing attitudes and personal knowledge of discriminatory practices towards persons living with HIV/AIDS on the decision by pregnant Nigerian women aged 15-49 years to test for HIV during antenatal visits or childbirth. The health belief model served as the study’s theoretical foundation. A quantitative cross-sectional design was used. Secondary data for 659 pregnant women aged 15–49 from the 2013 Nigeria Demographic Health Survey were analyzed. Multivariable regression analysis showed no difference in the likelihood of testing for HIV between pregnant women with positive and negative attitudes towards HIV-infected persons (AOR = 1.55, 95% CI: .59, 4.06), controlling for the effects of educational level and place of residence. Similar results were found between pregnant women with knowledge and those without knowledge of discriminatory practices towards persons living with HIV and their testing for HIV (AOR = 1.61, 95% CI: .53, 4.92) controlling for the same covariates. Pregnant women with higher levels of education and those living in urban areas were more likely to test for HIV than those with no education and those living in rural areas. By designing policies and strategies that specifically address these factors, policymakers and healthcare stakeholders may increase HIV testing among pregnant women in Nigeria, advancing prevention efforts and expanding care and support services in the country, hence facilitating positive social change

SCALABLE TOPOGRAPHY-INDUCED CELL ALIGNMENT FOR TISSUE ENGINEERING APPLICATIONS

Ph.DDOCTOR OF PHILOSOPH

Useful Reflections : Writing to Heal in a Hostile Environment

The first chapter is a short introduction to the exegesis. Part Two explores what I refer to as the ‘hostile environment’ of the racist UK publishing industry and the lack of clear models for a novel about two Black gay British men who love one another in a romantic, sexual sense, and explains the writing of my second novel partly as a response to these circumstances. Part Three introduces the ways in which I think of my novel as research and explores the limitations of our conventional thinking regarding the concept of family (including a discussion of the Book of Ruth, of which Here Again Now began as a retelling) and where queerness sits within or alongside that. Part Four examines the possibility that my novel might offer some kind of healing, both to its readers and to the literary context of the book itself which is just as wounded by patriarchy as the characters in my novel. Finally, the conclusion attempts to find some measure by which the book’s success as an act of healing can be judged

Whole genome sequencing of experimental hybrids supports meiosis-like sexual recombination in Leishmania

Hybrid genotypes have been repeatedly described among natural isolates of Leishmania, and the recovery of experimental hybrids from sand flies co-infected with different strains or species of Leishmania has formally demonstrated that members of the genus possess the machinery for genetic exchange. As neither gamete stages nor cell fusion events have been directly observed during parasite development in the vector, we have relied on a classical genetic analysis to determine if Leishmania has a true sexual cycle. Here, we used whole genome sequencing to follow the chromosomal inheritance patterns of experimental hybrids generated within and between different strains of L. major and L. infantum. We also generated and sequenced the first experimental hybrids in L. tropica. We found that in each case the parental somy and allele contributions matched the inheritance patterns expected under meiosis 97–99% of the time. The hybrids were equivalent to F1 progeny, heterozygous throughout most of the genome for the markers that were homozygous and different between the parents. Rare, non-Mendelian patterns of chromosomal inheritance were observed, including a gain or loss of somy, and loss of heterozygosity, that likely arose during meiosis or during mitotic divisions of the progeny clones in the fly or culture. While the interspecies hybrids appeared to be sterile, the intraspecies hybrids were able to produce backcross and outcross progeny. Analysis of 5 backcross and outcross progeny clones generated from an L. major F1 hybrid, as well as 17 progeny clones generated from backcrosses involving a natural hybrid of L. tropica, revealed genome wide patterns of recombination, demonstrating that classical crossing over occurs at meiosis, and allowed us to construct the first physical and genetic maps in Leishmania. Altogether, the findings provide strong evidence for meiosis-like sexual recombination in Leishmania, presenting clear opportunities for forward genetic analysis and positional cloning of important genes.</div

The Impact of Fiscal Policy on the Economic Growth of Nigeria

This research study examined “Impact of fiscal policy on the economic growth of Nigeria”. The study made use of Johansen Co-integration Test analysis to determine the long run relation between fiscal policy and economic growth of Nigeria. The data was sourced from CBN statistical bulletin for the period of 1990 to 2021. The research findings revealed that there is a linear relationship between Gross Domestic Product and Public Debt, Tax revenue and Government Expenditure, Public debt (PDBT) and Tax Revenue (TAX) were negatively related to GDP while Total Government Expenditure (TGE) is positively related to GDP; PDBT and TAX both have an inverse relationship with GDP meaning that increases in both variables have negative impact or lead to a reduction in GDP. Statistically; the t-statistics of the variables under consideration were significant and the overall estimates of the regression were statistically adequate and therefore shows the acceptance of alternative hypothesis of no co-integration of unstable long run relationship between Fiscal Policy and Economic Growth. It was recommended that; the Nigerian government to increase expenditure on economically viable investment to improve individual income through employment and increased output. Also Government expenditure should be well monitored and ensure that these expenditures are not diversified to individuals’ pockets. The Government should also avoid incessant unproductive debt and ensure the existing debits are properly serviced as and when due.&nbsp

First trimester screening for pre-eclampsia and targeted aspirin prophylaxis: a cost-effectiveness cohort study

Objective: Investigate cost-effectiveness of first trimester pre-eclampsia screening using the Fetal Medicine Foundation (FMF) algorithm and targeted aspirin prophylaxis in comparison with standard care. // Design: Retrospective observational study. // Setting: London tertiary hospital. // Population: 5957 pregnancies screened for pre-eclampsia using the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) method. // Methods: Differences in pregnancy outcomes between those who developed pre-eclampsia, term pre-eclampsia and preterm pre-eclampsia were compared by the Kruskal–Wallis and Chi-square tests. The FMF algorithm was applied retrospectively to the cohort. A decision analytic model was used to estimate costs and outcomes for pregnancies screened using NICE and those screened using the FMF algorithm. The decision point probabilities were calculated using the included cohort. // Main outcome measures: Incremental healthcare costs and QALY gained per pregnancy screened. // Results: Of 5957 pregnancies, 12.8% and 15.9% were screen-positive for development of pre-eclampsia using the NICE and FMF methods, respectively. Of those who were screen-positive by NICE recommendations, aspirin was not prescribed in 25%. Across the three groups, namely, pregnancies without pre-eclampsia, term pre-eclampsia and preterm pre-eclampsia there was a statistically significant trend in rates of emergency caesarean (respectively 21%, 43% and 71.4%; P < 0.001), admission to neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) (5.9%, 9.4%, 41%; P < 0.001) and length of stay in NICU. The FMF algorithm was associated with seven fewer cases of preterm pre-eclampsia, cost saving of £9.06 and QALY gain of 0.00006/pregnancy screened. // Conclusions: Using a conservative approach, application of the FMF algorithm achieved clinical benefit and an economic cost saving

NUTRITIONAL QUALITY OF MAIZE STORED IN WOODEN GRAIN SILO

Grain storage has as objective, the uninterrupted availability of grain of adequate quantity and quality at all time. The situation in the grain producing areas of Nigeria is currently that of considerable losses during post-harvest grain handling. The study looks into quality changes in maize (Zea mays) stored in wooden silo for three months (June to September). Changes in the nutrient content such as crude protein, crude fibre, lipid, carbohydrate and ash were investigated. Crude protein, crude fibre, lipid and ash reduced by 0.9-1.03%,0.7-0.9%,0.3% and 0.4% respectively while carbohydrate increased by 1.64-1.77% during storage period. This reduction resulted from heat damage of the germ portion of some kernels, respiration, oxygenation of the unsaturated lipids, denaturizing of protein, sedimentation of colloids and rancidity of lipids. From this investigation, it has been found that maize grains can be stored for more than 3 months before deterioration due to mould growth and insect attack in Minna located in the tropic