Tradition and Talent in Artistic Creativity: A Study of Selected Igbo Folk Artists

From the beginning of time, the idea of culture as a common identifying criterion for human homogeneity has always been there. Culture presupposes that certain basics of human existence are commonly shared and maintained by people in certain geographical locations. This in turn implies that people sharing these cultural icons or practices are free to reorder them in new ways to suit specific purposes. The statements above are apposite starting points for a discourse on the symbiotic relationship between Tradition and Talent and how each feeds upon and enriches the other. T.S. Eliot's seminal work on the interface between Tradition and Talent especially as it concerns English poetry will equally provide insights into the relationship between Tradition and Talent in artistic creation. As is obvious, even from the Bible, there is nothing new under the sun and what has been is what will be. This presupposes that most times, when we refer to people as being exceptionally creative, we are simply saying that such people have mastered the art of borrowing from the common pool and turning such borrowed item into something unique to themselves. This work will therefore examine the symbiosis between Tradition and Talent as well as how a focused union of the two engenders creativity. Our inferences will mainly be drawn from the works of select Igbo Folk artists

Construction and Calibration of a Local Pyranometer and its Use in the Measurement of Intensity of Solar Radiation

Using locally available materials, we have successfully constructed a pyranometer. This pyranometer has been calibrated against a standard Eppley pyranometer at the University of Nigeria, Nsukka and then used in measurement of intensity of solar radiation in Enugu which lies on latitude 6.200N-- and longitude 7. 30oE. The investigation was carried out between October and December 1984. Our investigations show that the maximum mean instantaneous insolation for the months of October November and December in Enugu were 565.6 Wm-2 , 600.6 Wm-2 and 580.4 Wm -2 respectively. The maximum instantaneous insolation for the period usually occured between 11.30 a.m. and 1.00 p.m. Our results also reveal that the sudden appearance of harmattan haze drastically reduced the mean hourly insolation. These results compare favourably with similar investigations using other techniques

A review of Lassa fever outbreaks in Nigeria From 1969 to 2017: Epidemiologic profile, determinants and public health response

Introduction: Lassa fever outbreaks have occurred in Nigeria since the 1969 till date. This is in spite of the fact that the reservoir and modes of transmission have been known for all these years. This review aimed at describing the epidemiology and determinants of the Lassa fever outbreaks in Nigeria from 1969 to 2017 and the public health response to these outbreaks.Method: The guidelines for the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) were used to conduct the review between May 2017 and January, 2018. We searched PubMed, Science direct, WHO library databases and Google Scholar for articles published from 1970 till January 2018. Other relevant websites such as those of the World Health Organization, Nigeria Centers for Disease Control and Prevention were searched for Lassa fever outbreak reports.Results: Twenty-six articles and reports were included in the final review. These described twenty-one outbreaks involving 5442 suspect cases, 768 confirmed cases and 631 deaths from suspected or confirmed Lassa fever. Thirty-two states and the Federal Capital Territory have ever recorded outbreaks of Lassa fever. Lassa fever cases now occur in various states in Nigeria all year round with dry season peaks. Nosocomial transmission has remained a consistent determinant. Public health responses have changed over time starting from predominantly case management in initial outbreaks to a centrally coordinated response supporting states and institutions over the years.Conclusion; Lassa fever outbreaks have increased in frequency and geographic spread with case fatality ratio remaining unacceptably high. The same determinants have persisted with nosocomial transmission a consistent factor. Public health response has consistently improved with the last two years showing the most coordinated response. We recommend that the definition of Lassa fever in the Nigerian Integrated Disease Surveillance and Notification System (IDSR) be revised to reflect the current reality to ensure better Lassa fever control.Key words: Lassa fever, Outbreak, Viral haemorrhagic fevers, Nigeria

Low referral completion of rapid diagnostic test-negative patients in community-based treatment of malaria in Sierra Leone

ABSTRACT

Linkage to HIV care, postpartum depression, and HIV-related stigma in newly diagnosed pregnant women living with HIV in Kenya: a longitudinal observational study

BACKGROUND: While studies have suggested that depression and HIV-related stigma may impede access to care, a growing body of literature also suggests that access to HIV care itself may help to decrease internalized HIV-related stigma and symptoms of depression in the general population of persons living with HIV. However, this has not been investigated in postpartum women living with HIV. Furthermore, linkage to care itself may have additional impacts on postpartum depression beyond the effects of antiretroviral therapy. We examined associations between linkage to HIV care, postpartum depression, and internalized stigma in a population with a high risk of depression: newly diagnosed HIV-positive pregnant women. METHODS: In this prospective observational study, data were obtained from 135 HIV-positive women from eight antenatal clinics in the rural Nyanza Province of Kenya at their first antenatal visit (prior to testing HIV-positive for the first time) and subsequently at 6 weeks after giving birth. RESULTS: At 6 weeks postpartum, women who had not linked to HIV care after testing positive at their first antenatal visit had higher levels of depression and internalized stigma, compared to women who had linked to care. Internalized stigma mediated the effect of linkage to care on depression. Furthermore, participants who had both linked to HIV care and initiated antiretroviral therapy reported the lowest levels of depressive symptoms. CONCLUSIONS: These results provide further support for current efforts to ensure that women who are newly diagnosed with HIV during pregnancy become linked to HIV care as early as possible, with important benefits for both physical and mental health

Isolation and Characterization of Cytotoxic, Aggregative Citrobacter freundii

Citrobacter freundii is an infrequent but established cause of diarrhea in humans. However, little is known of its genetic diversity and potential for virulence. We analyzed 26 isolates, including 12 from human diarrheal patients, 2 from human fecal samples of unknown diarrheal status, and 12 from animals, insects, and other sources. Pulsed field gel electrophoresis using XbaI allowed us to divide the 26 isolates into 20 pulse types, while multi-locus sequence typing using 7 housekeeping genes allowed us to divide the 26 isolates into 6 sequence types (STs) with the majority belonging to 4 STs. We analyzed adhesion and cytotoxicity to HEp-2 cells in these 26 strains. All were found to adhere to HEp-2 cells. One strain, CF74, which had been isolated from a goat, showed the strongest aggregative adhesion pattern. Lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) released from HEp-2 cells was evaluated as a measure of cytotoxicity, averaging 7.46%. Strain CF74 induced the highest level of LDH, 24.3%, and caused >50% cell rounding, detachment, and death. We named strain CF74 “cytotoxic and aggregative C. freundii.” Genome sequencing of CF74 revealed that it had acquired 7 genomic islands, including 2 fimbriae islands and a type VI secretion system island, all of which are potential virulence factors. Our results show that aggregative adherence and cytotoxicity play an important role in the pathogenesis of C. freundii

Global diversity and antimicrobial resistance of typhoid fever pathogens: Insights from a meta-analysis of 13,000 Salmonella Typhi genomes

Background: The Global Typhoid Genomics Consortium was established to bring together the typhoid research community to aggregate and analyse Salmonella enterica serovar Typhi (Typhi) genomic data to inform public health action. This analysis, which marks 22 years since the publication of the first Typhi genome, represents the largest Typhi genome sequence collection to date (n=13,000). Methods: This is a meta-analysis of global genotype and antimicrobial resistance (AMR) determinants extracted from previously sequenced genome data and analysed using consistent methods implemented in open analysis platforms GenoTyphi and Pathogenwatch. Results: Compared with previous global snapshots, the data highlight that genotype 4.3.1 (H58) has not spread beyond Asia and Eastern/Southern Africa; in other regions, distinct genotypes dominate and have independently evolved AMR. Data gaps remain in many parts of the world, and we show the potential of travel-associated sequences to provide informal ‘sentinel’ surveillance for such locations. The data indicate that ciprofloxacin non-susceptibility (>1 resistance determinant) is widespread across geographies and genotypes, with high-level ciprofloxacin resistance (=3 determinants) reaching 20% prevalence in South Asia. Extensively drug-resistant (XDR) typhoid has becomedominant in Pakistan (70% in 2020) but has not yet become established elsewhere. Ceftriaxone resistance has emerged in eight non-XDR genotypes, including a ciprofloxacin-resistant lineage (4.3.1.2.1) in India. Azithromycin resistance mutations were detected at low prevalence in South Asia, including in two common ciprofloxacin-resistant genotypes. Conclusions: The consortium’s aim is to encourage continued data sharing and collaboration to monitor the emergence and global spread of AMR Typhi, and to inform decision-making around the introduction of typhoid conjugate vaccines (TCVs) and other prevention and control strategies

Neglected Tropical Diseases in Sub-Saharan Africa: Review of Their Prevalence, Distribution, and Disease Burden

The neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) are the most common conditions affecting the poorest 500 million people living in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), and together produce a burden of disease that may be equivalent to up to one-half of SSA's malaria disease burden and more than double that caused by tuberculosis. Approximately 85% of the NTD disease burden results from helminth infections. Hookworm infection occurs in almost half of SSA's poorest people, including 40–50 million school-aged children and 7 million pregnant women in whom it is a leading cause of anemia. Schistosomiasis is the second most prevalent NTD after hookworm (192 million cases), accounting for 93% of the world's number of cases and possibly associated with increased horizontal transmission of HIV/AIDS. Lymphatic filariasis (46–51 million cases) and onchocerciasis (37 million cases) are also widespread in SSA, each disease representing a significant cause of disability and reduction in the region's agricultural productivity. There is a dearth of information on Africa's non-helminth NTDs. The protozoan infections, human African trypanosomiasis and visceral leishmaniasis, affect almost 100,000 people, primarily in areas of conflict in SSA where they cause high mortality, and where trachoma is the most prevalent bacterial NTD (30 million cases). However, there are little or no data on some very important protozoan infections, e.g., amebiasis and toxoplasmosis; bacterial infections, e.g., typhoid fever and non-typhoidal salmonellosis, the tick-borne bacterial zoonoses, and non-tuberculosis mycobaterial infections; and arboviral infections. Thus, the overall burden of Africa's NTDs may be severely underestimated. A full assessment is an important step for disease control priorities, particularly in Nigeria and the Democratic Republic of Congo, where the greatest number of NTDs may occur