Engaging stakeholders to identify gaps and develop strategies to inform evidence use for health policymaking in Nigeria

Introduction: recent efforts to bridge the evidence-policy gap in low-and middle-income countries have seen growing interest from key audiences such as government, civil society, international organizations, private sector players, academia, and media. One of such engagement was a two-day virtual participant-driven conference (the convening) in Nigeria. The aim of the convening was to develop strategies for improving evidence use in health policy. The convening witnessed a participant blend of health policymakers, researchers, political policymakers, philanthropists, global health practitioners, program officers, students, and the media. Methods: in this study, we analyzed conversations at the convening with the aim to disseminate findings to key stakeholders in Nigeria. The recordings from the convening were transcribed and analyzed inductively to identify emerging themes, which were interpreted, and inferences are drawn. Results: a total of 630 people attended the convening. Participants joined from 13 countries. Participants identified poor collaboration between researchers and policymakers, poor community involvement in research and policy processes, poor funding for research, and inequalities as key factors inhibiting the use of evidence for policymaking in Nigeria. Strategies proposed to address these challenges include the use of participatory and embedded research methods, leveraging existing systems and networks, advocating for improved funding and ownership for research, and the use of context-sensitive knowledge translation strategies. Conclusion: overall, better interaction among the various stakeholders will improve the evidence generation, translation, and use in Nigeria. A road map for the dissemination of findings from this conference has been developed for implementation across the strata of the health system

Engaging stakeholders to identify gaps and develop strategies to inform evidence use for health policymaking in Nigeria.

INTRODUCTION: recent efforts to bridge the evidence-policy gap in low-and middle-income countries have seen growing interest from key audiences such as government, civil society, international organizations, private sector players, academia, and media. One of such engagement was a two-day virtual participant-driven conference (the convening) in Nigeria. The aim of the convening was to develop strategies for improving evidence use in health policy. The convening witnessed a participant blend of health policymakers, researchers, political policymakers, philanthropists, global health practitioners, program officers, students, and the media. METHODS: in this study, we analyzed conversations at the convening with the aim to disseminate findings to key stakeholders in Nigeria. The recordings from the convening were transcribed and analyzed inductively to identify emerging themes, which were interpreted, and inferences are drawn. RESULTS: a total of 630 people attended the convening. Participants joined from 13 countries. Participants identified poor collaboration between researchers and policymakers, poor community involvement in research and policy processes, poor funding for research, and inequalities as key factors inhibiting the use of evidence for policymaking in Nigeria. Strategies proposed to address these challenges include the use of participatory and embedded research methods, leveraging existing systems and networks, advocating for improved funding and ownership for research, and the use of context-sensitive knowledge translation strategies. CONCLUSION: overall, better interaction among the various stakeholders will improve the evidence generation, translation, and use in Nigeria. A road map for the dissemination of findings from this conference has been developed for implementation across the strata of the health system

Adsorptive Dephenolization of Aqueous Solutions Using Thermally Modified Corn Cob: Mechanisms, Point of Zero Charge, and Isosteric Heat Studies

The sorption mechanisms, point of zero charge, and isosteric heats involved in the adsorptive dephenolization of aqueous solutions using thermally modified corn cob (TMCC) were studied at different initial phenol concentrations (100–500 mg/l), TMCC dosage (0.4–2.0 g), contact time (5–60 min), pH (2–10), and temperature (30–60°C). Analysis of the adsorbent material showed that it possessed the properties typical of a good adsorbent. The adsorption experiments revealed that phenol uptake is favored by an increase in TMCC dosage and contact time and a decrease in temperature and concentration of phenol in the solution. The experimental data were well-fitted to the Sips, Langmuir, Toth, and Redlich–Peterson isotherm models. Thermodynamic studies suggested that the sorption of phenol onto TMCC is feasible, spontaneous, and endothermic. The isosteric heats of adsorption obtained are in the range 47.43-79.38 kJ/mol, confirming that the adsorption process is predominantly a physical process depicting the van der Waals interactions, and it is inversely proportional to surface loading. The analysis of the adsorption mechanisms showed that the intraparticle, film, and pore diffusion mechanisms were significantly involved in the phenol adsorption process. The involvement of electrostatic attraction, π‐π electron-donor interaction, and hydrogen bonding was also demonstrated. The point of zero charge (pHpzc) was obtained at a pH of 5.83; being slightly lower than the optimum pH of 6 indicates that the sorbent surface is obviously not negatively charged at pHpzc. The discoveries of this study have shown that the dephenolization process is feasible, spontaneous, endothermic, dominated by a physical process, and governed by intraparticle, film, and pore diffusion mechanisms

A review of the adsorption method for norfloxacin reduction from aqueous media

Norfloxacin (NRFX) is one of a class of antibiotics known as broad-spectrum fluoroquinolone antibiotic that is frequently used to treat infectious disorders in both animals and humans. NRFX is considered an emergent pharmaceutical contaminate. This review's objective is to evaluate empirical data on NRFX's removal from aqueous medium. The environmental danger of NRFX in the aquatic environment was validated by an initial ecotoxicological study. Graphene oxide/Metal Organic Framework (MOF) based composite, followed by Magnesium oxide/Chitosan/Graphene oxide composite gave the highest NRFX adsorption capacities (Qmax) of 1114.8 and 1000 mg/g, respectively. The main adsorption mechanisms for NRFX uptake include electrostatic interactions, H-bonds, π–π interactions, electron donor-acceptor interactions, hydrophobic interactions, and pore diffusion. The adsorptive uptake of NRFX were most suitably described by Langmuir isotherm and pseudo-second order implying adsorbate-to-adsorbent electron transfer on a monolayer surface. The thermodynamics of NRFX uptake is heavily dependent on the makeup of the adsorbent, and the selection of the eluent for desorption from the solid phase is equally important. There were detected knowledge gaps in column studies and adsorbent disposal method. There's great interest in scale-up and industrial applications of research results that will aid in management of water resources for sustainability

Antimicrobial and Antioxidant Activities of Secondary Metabolites of an Endophytic fungus of Azadirachta indica

Background: Recent upsurge in the mortality rate and long hospital stays as a result of antimicrobial resistance caused by multi-drug resistant bacteria is a huge burden to public health sector. Intensive search for more effective and newer agents to deal with these problems. Endophytes are a novel source of potentially useful medicinal compounds. Aim: The study aimed at evaluating the antimicrobial and antioxidant activities of an endophytic fungus isolated from Azadirachta indica against multi drug resistant bacteria species. Method: Endophytic fungus was isolated from fresh leaves of Azadirachta indica. The fungus was fermented in rice medium, and the secondary metabolites were extracted. The antimicrobial activity of the extract against laboratory strains of Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli, Klebsiella pneumonia and Bacillus subtilis, Candida albicans, Aspergillus niger) was determined. The fungal extract was also evaluated for antioxidant activity using the DPPH assay method. Using GC-FID analysis, some constituents of the fungal extracted were identified. Result: At 1 and 0.5 mg/mL, the fungal extract demonstrated antibacterial activity against Klebsiella pneumoniae but no activity against the other test microbes. However, the fungal extract of A. indica showed excellent antioxidant activity due to possession of bioactive secondary metabolites. Conclusion: The result of GC-FID showed the presence of Rutin, Lunamarin, Anthocyanin, Catechin, Naringenin, Flavan 3 ol, Sapogernin, Tannin, Spartein, Naringin, Flavonones, Steroids, Kaemferol, Cyanogenic glycoside, Phytate, Epicatechin, Reseveratol, Cardic glycoside and Epihedrine at different concentrations. This study reveals the dynamic potentials of the endophytic fungus of A. indica as the bedrock of naturally occurring bioactive agent.  Keywords: Azadirachta indica, endophytes, GC-FID, secondary metabolites, medicinal plants, phytochemicals

Faeco-prevalence of enteric viruses in children under five in Ogun State, Nigeria; a one-year study

Objective: Acute gastroenteritis has been reported as the second largest cause of preventable child mortality, accounting for an estimated annual 1.5 million deaths. In Nigeria, routine clinical diagnosis of infectious diarrhoea is bacterial-focused, leaving out the viral agents. Therefore, this study was designed to investigate the prevalence, seasonality, and risk factors of selected enteric viruses (EVs): human adenovirus (HAdV), norovirus (NoV), hepatitis A virus (HAV), and human astrovirus (HAstV) infection in children under 5 years old with acute gastroenteritis in Ogun State, Nigeria. Methods: One hundred faecal samples collected from out-patient diarrheal children under five years from six different hospitals between May 2021 and April 2022 were analysed using specific primers for four EVs by nested reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction. Result: Among the samples analysed, 44% were positive for at least one EV. The highest prevalence was recorded in HAdV (29%), followed by HAstV (9%), and NoV (6%). Mixed infections were only found in 3 cases. Additionally, the occurrence of EV infection was observed to be highest in children below 2 years (p = 0.002). A statistically significant (p = 0.03) association was observed between the EVs and the source of drinking water. The seasonal pattern of the EVs showed a marked increase in their incidence during the dry season. Conclusion: This study shows that EVs contribute to the burden of gastroenteritis in Ogun state, hence, continuous monitoring of these pathogens’ epidemiology remains fundamental to effective treatment and prevention of this disease