Firm Performance and Corporate Social Environmental Initiatives in the Wake of a Health Pandemic

The study re-examines the relationship between firm share price performance and Corporate Social Environmental Reporting (CSER) initiatives in the wake of a global health pandemic. A comparative analysis was done between the contributions made by listed and non-listed firms in Nigeria towards the pandemic. A comparative analysis of the share price (SP) of listed companies was carried out before the announcement of the pandemic, after the announcement of the pandemic and COVID -19 contributions. A panel regression analysis was conducted. It involved a sample of 70 listed firms in the Nigerian Stock Exchange over a five-year period (2013-2017). The comparative analysis of contributions revealed that listed firms though fewer in number made significantly more contributions than unlisted firms. The study found significant drop in SP after the announcement of a pandemic by the World Health Organisation (WHO). The study also found that SP performance and firm size has a positive and significant relationship with CSER initiatives. The analysis of contributors from listed and non- listed firms in Nigeria towards COVID-19 reveal that only corporate organizations with adequate resource slack can make significant contributions to curtail the spread of the epidemic. The study recommends that corporate organizations should pursue financial capacity in other to make significant CSER investments and expect a change in societal demands and stakeholder expectations in the no distant future

Mortality from gastrointestinal congenital anomalies at 264 hospitals in 74 low-income, middle-income, and high-income countries: a multicentre, international, prospective cohort study

Background: Congenital anomalies are the fifth leading cause of mortality in children younger than 5 years globally. Many gastrointestinal congenital anomalies are fatal without timely access to neonatal surgical care, but few studies have been done on these conditions in low-income and middle-income countries (LMICs). We compared outcomes of the seven most common gastrointestinal congenital anomalies in low-income, middle-income, and high-income countries globally, and identified factors associated with mortality. // Methods: We did a multicentre, international prospective cohort study of patients younger than 16 years, presenting to hospital for the first time with oesophageal atresia, congenital diaphragmatic hernia, intestinal atresia, gastroschisis, exomphalos, anorectal malformation, and Hirschsprung's disease. Recruitment was of consecutive patients for a minimum of 1 month between October, 2018, and April, 2019. We collected data on patient demographics, clinical status, interventions, and outcomes using the REDCap platform. Patients were followed up for 30 days after primary intervention, or 30 days after admission if they did not receive an intervention. The primary outcome was all-cause, in-hospital mortality for all conditions combined and each condition individually, stratified by country income status. We did a complete case analysis. // Findings: We included 3849 patients with 3975 study conditions (560 with oesophageal atresia, 448 with congenital diaphragmatic hernia, 681 with intestinal atresia, 453 with gastroschisis, 325 with exomphalos, 991 with anorectal malformation, and 517 with Hirschsprung's disease) from 264 hospitals (89 in high-income countries, 166 in middle-income countries, and nine in low-income countries) in 74 countries. Of the 3849 patients, 2231 (58·0%) were male. Median gestational age at birth was 38 weeks (IQR 36–39) and median bodyweight at presentation was 2·8 kg (2·3–3·3). Mortality among all patients was 37 (39·8%) of 93 in low-income countries, 583 (20·4%) of 2860 in middle-income countries, and 50 (5·6%) of 896 in high-income countries (p<0·0001 between all country income groups). Gastroschisis had the greatest difference in mortality between country income strata (nine [90·0%] of ten in low-income countries, 97 [31·9%] of 304 in middle-income countries, and two [1·4%] of 139 in high-income countries; p≤0·0001 between all country income groups). Factors significantly associated with higher mortality for all patients combined included country income status (low-income vs high-income countries, risk ratio 2·78 [95% CI 1·88–4·11], p<0·0001; middle-income vs high-income countries, 2·11 [1·59–2·79], p<0·0001), sepsis at presentation (1·20 [1·04–1·40], p=0·016), higher American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) score at primary intervention (ASA 4–5 vs ASA 1–2, 1·82 [1·40–2·35], p<0·0001; ASA 3 vs ASA 1–2, 1·58, [1·30–1·92], p<0·0001]), surgical safety checklist not used (1·39 [1·02–1·90], p=0·035), and ventilation or parenteral nutrition unavailable when needed (ventilation 1·96, [1·41–2·71], p=0·0001; parenteral nutrition 1·35, [1·05–1·74], p=0·018). Administration of parenteral nutrition (0·61, [0·47–0·79], p=0·0002) and use of a peripherally inserted central catheter (0·65 [0·50–0·86], p=0·0024) or percutaneous central line (0·69 [0·48–1·00], p=0·049) were associated with lower mortality. // Interpretation: Unacceptable differences in mortality exist for gastrointestinal congenital anomalies between low-income, middle-income, and high-income countries. Improving access to quality neonatal surgical care in LMICs will be vital to achieve Sustainable Development Goal 3.2 of ending preventable deaths in neonates and children younger than 5 years by 2030

Contamination of Laboratory Bench-tops, Incubators and the Effects of a Spray-Disinfectant - A Quarterly Ammonium Compound

We surveyed the prevalence of contaminants associated with bench-tops and incubators during a routine working day in our clinical microbiology laboratories in Benin City. A total of 93 swabs, 50 from bench-tops and 43 from inside incubators were randomly collected. One ml of sterile phosphate buffered saline was added into the swab and incubated aerobically at 37oC for 48 hours. Isolated organisms were characterized biochemically. Spray disinfectant, was applied on the bench top and cultured accordingly. Swabs were collected from the incubators every day for 10 consecutive days. Results indicate, that both bench-tops and incubators are contaminated with organisms of clinical importance. Thirty-six (72%) of the swabs yielded growth, with Bacillus subtilis (24%) being the predominant organism, followed by coagulase negative Staphylococcus (CNS) (12%), Staphylococcus aureus (10%), Proteus spp. and Escherichia coli (8%) each, Pseudomonas aeruginosa (4%), moulds (2%) and Candida albicans (2%). Eighteen (41%) swabs from incubators yielded growth, with B. subtilis (13.8%) dominating, followed by Proteus spp. (9.3%), Staphylococcus aureus (6.9%), CNS (4.5%) and moulds (2.2%). Three hours after the spray disinfection, only 5 (10%) of the bench-top swabs yielded growth of B. subtilis, while the swabs from incubators, even after 10 days yielded no growth. This study recommends that spray disinfectant, mostly quaternary ammonium compounds, free of aldehydes can minimize contamination of bench-tops and microbiology incubators during routine working hours. Keywords: Laboratory, contaminants, incubators, bench-tops, spray-disinfectants. Journal of Medical Laboratory Science Vol. 13 (2) 2004: pp. 33-3