A comparative assessment of current and future pharmacovigilance in developed and developing countries - A case study of Ireland and Nigeria

The thesis objectives are to compare and evaluate the factors about reporting Adverse Drug Reactions in the developed and developing countries among healthcare professionals (Medical doctors and Pharmacists) using Ireland and Nigeria as a case study. Which a questionnaire survey and phone interviews for quantitative and qualitative analysis are carried out respectively within the two regions (Ireland and Nigeria). The challenges faced by medical professionals concerning ADR reporting are achieved based on their knowledge and awareness to determine an effective recommendation to help improve both regions using the comparison results and works of literature gathered. From the author results and analysis, both groups of healthcare professionals from the two regions were compared to determine their opinion in respect to observation and reporting of ADRs under the categories of under-reporting, ADR reporting methods, regulations and guidelines pertaining ADR report in both Ireland and Nigeria as HPRA and NAFDAC are the regulatory body responsible for handling submitted ADR reports. An Overall total of 122 respondents from both Nigeria and Ireland are received which consists of 47 respondents from Ireland (12 medical doctors and 43 pharmacists) and 75 respondents from Nigeria (32 medical doctors and 43 pharmacists) showing a response rate of 60.0% and 87.5% from 20 and 45 medical doctors and pharmacist from Ireland and response rate of 71.1% and 95.5% out of 45 respondents respectively from both medical doctors and pharmacist from Nigeria. Surprisingly, 98.0% of the correspondents which consist of 12 medical doctors and 35 pharmacists from Ireland responded to knowing how to report ADRs to compare to 71.0% from Nigeria which is quite above average consisting of 26 medical doctors and 27 pharmacists responded to knowing how ADRs is being reported. However, it shows that pharmacists had better knowledge, awareness, understanding, and experience over the medical doctors regarding ADRs reporting. However, 92.0% and 96.0% of respondents of both groups from Nigeria and Ireland respectively opted to ADR reporting being made compulsory as a professional obligation towards achieving and improving pharmacovigilance. Furthermore, the challenges affecting ADR reporting in Nigeria are associated with the inaccessibility of ADR report forms when needed, complex reporting processes while too busy and lack of time remained the most common challenging factor among this too regions. The least common challenges reported at both regions are level of clinical trial knowledge, a concern that ADR report mighty is wrong among, fear of legal liabilities, and fear of exposure to legal liabilities from patient or drug manufacturer. Finally, after proper comparison and recommendation from both sides from the country it shows the need for better improvement in awareness among healthcare professionals in Nigeria been the country with the highest level of challenges compare to their counterpart healthcare professionals and this could be achieved by organizing pharmacovigilance conferences, continuous education programs included in their professional courses and training to improve knowledge of ADR reporting. Establishment of ADR departments in healthcare institutions headed by ADR specialists and offering professional recognition rather than financial rewards are the sustainable recommendation to put in practice in both regions to further improve the practice of ADR reporting in Nigeria and Ireland. To wrap it up, the need for the regulatory bodies from the developing countries to work in hand with the developed countries to better improves awareness, knowledge, and improvement towards ADRs reporting system

An Evaluation of the Energy Consumption and Co2 Emission associated with Corn Cob Ash Compared with the Cement Clinker

This study compares the energy consumption and the carbon dioxide emission associated with the production of Corn Cob Ash with a view to determining its viability and environmental sustainability as a pozzolan. CCA meeting the requirements of ASTM C618-12 (1994) was produced through two separate processes of open air burning and controlled incineration in an electric muffle furnace. In the first method the quantity of kerosene fuel used in the burning process was measured used in computing the external energy input and the associated CO2 emission, using published World Bank data on heating, thermodynamic property and carbon content of various fuels. In the second method, the energy consumption was computed as a product of the name plate rating (in KW) of the muffle furnace and the time taken (in hours) to turn the measured quantity of corn cob to ash. The result reveals the ash yield of corn cob as an average of 3.6% and 1.7% for open air burning and controlled incineration respectively. Corresponding values for energy consumption were 4.3MJ and 216166MJ per kg of ash respectively. CO2 emission associated with the fuel consumption in open air burning was 0.27Kg per Kg of pozzolanic ash. These compare more favorably with the corresponding data of 5.16MJ and 0.97Kg CO2 established for Portland cement clinker production; in that less energy was consumed and less CO2 was emitted and at the same time found an alternative use for the biomass waste.  The paper concludes that CCA is a viable and environmentally sustainable source of pozzolan when it is derived from burning processes that take advantage of corn cob as a fuel, rather than being specially burnt in a furnace. The paper therefore recommends that biomass waste be should be promoted as a clean energy source  and the resulting ash harnessed as pozzolan as  a way of reducing the consumption of cement; leading to reduced green house gas emissions and contribution to global warming from the construction industry. Keywords: Carbon dioxide emission, Cement, Corn cob ash, energy consumption, global warming, pozzola

Procurement selection criteria for projects in the public sector: evidence from Nigeria

The selection of suitable procurement practice for construction projects is a very complex and demanding tasks for stakeholders in the construction industry. In spite of the overabundance of techniques and tools accessible to the stakeholders in selecting an appropriate procurement method, clients are faced with the decision as to which of the selection criteria can be adopted for a given construction project to achieve project goals and objectives. This paper focused on evaluating the existing procurement methods being practised in the Nigerian construction industry with a view to identifying and establishing the parameters for selection that will improve contract delivery systems. In this research, quantitative approach was used to collect data from 420 contractors, consultants and clients based in the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja where large numbers of building projects are being procured. The findings revealed six most commonly considered criteria and deduced that, the quality, cost and duration of the project determines the type of procurement method to adopt. It is therefore stated that in selecting any particular procurement method for building construction projects, the complexity of such project should be clearly defined and the other performance indicators be given adequate consideration for a successful project delivery that will enhance the achievement of the client’s goal

Prevalence and Speciation of Non-albican Vulvovaginal Candidiasis in Zaria

Candida species are versatile microorganisms which live normally in the skin, mouth, gastrointestinal tract, and genitourinary tract. In healthy people, Candida species usually live as benign commensals and produce no disease. However, they are the most common cause of fungal infections in immunosuppressed individuals, leading to a range of non-life threatening mucocutaneous diseases to threatening invasive systemic diseases. Among Candida spp, the more important pathogenic species are Candida albicans, C. glabrata, C. tropicalis, C. parapsilosis and C.krusei. The research set out to determine the prevalence of non albicans vulvovaginal candidiasis and pattern of distribution of the different Candida species in Zaria.A cross sectional study of female genital swabs collected from 400 women with features suggestive of vulvovaginal candidiasis attending Gynaecology clinics in four selected hospitals in Zaria. The swabs collected between a period of February 2012 to March 2013 were analysed by microscopy and culture in the Medical Microbiology laboratory, Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria.  Data on demographic details were also obtained; using structured questionnaires. Of the 400 patient samples examined 163(40.8%) were culture positive for Candida spp. Of these 163 isolates, 84 were germ-tube negative giving a prevalence of 21% for non albicans candida (NAC). Of the 84 isolates of NAC, 51(60.7%) were Candida parapsilosis, 18 (21.4%) were Candida tropicalis, while 15 (17.9%) were Candida glabrata. Vulvovaginal candidiasis was found to be more prevalent among the age group 21-30 years in general. Vulvovaginal candidiasis is a prevalent infection among women. More than half of the infections are due to non-albicans Candida.  NAC is becoming increasingly relevant in the aetiology of Vulvovaginal candidiasis and health providers need to be aware of this as the treatment options differ. Keywords: Non albicans Candida, Vulvovaginal candidiasis, Vulvovaginiti

Comparing performance of MLP and RBF neural network models for predicting South Africa’s energy consumption

In view of the close association between energy and economic growth, South Africa’s aspirations for higher growth, more energy is required; formulating a long-term economic development plan and implementing an energy strategy for a country /industry necessitates establishing the correct relationship between energy and the economy. As insufficient energy or a lack thereof is reported to be a major cause of social and economic poverty, it is very important to select a model to forecast the consumption of energy reasonably accurately. This study presents techniques based on the development of multilayer perceptron (MLP) and radial basis function (RBF) of artificial neural network (ANN) models, for calculating the energy consumption of South Africa’s industrial sector between 1993 and 2000. The approach examines the energy consumption in relation to the gross domestic product. The results indicate a strong agreement between model predictions and observed values, since the mean absolute percentage error is below 5%. When performance indices are compared, the RBF-based model is a more accurate predictor than the MLP model

Assessing possible energy potential in a food and beverage industry: Application of IDA-ANN-DEA approach

In the food and beverage industry, where growing, processing, packaging, distribution, storage, preparation, serving and disposing of food is the order of the day; energy consumption becomes an important input. Various energy models have been developed since the early 1970s, the period when energy caught the attention of policymakers due to the sudden price increase. Among the models are the index decomposition analysis (IDA), artificial neural network (ANN) and data envelopment analysis (DEA). The purpose of this study is to combine the strengths of these models, i.e., IDA, ANN and DEA, to allow biases in one model to offset biases in the other, so as to examine the effectiveness of energy management policies in a particular food and beverage industry. The integrated model applied to the food and beverage revealed that approximately 11% of energy consumed could be saved

Assessing possible energy potential in a food and beverage industry: Application of IDA-ANN-DEA approach

In the food and beverage industry, where growing, processing, packaging, distribution, storage, preparation, serving and disposing of food is the order of the day; energy consumption becomes an important input. Various energy models have been developed since the early 1970s, the period when energy caught the attention of policymakers due to the sudden price increase. Among the models are the index decomposition analysis (IDA), artificial neural network (ANN) and data envelopment analysis (DEA). The purpose of this study is to combine the strengths of these models, i.e., IDA, ANN and DEA, to allow biases in one model to offset biases in the other, so as to examine the effectiveness of energy management policies in a particular food and beverage industry. The integrated model applied to the food and beverage revealed that approximately 11% of energy consumed could be saved

Atmospheric Air Pollution in Nigeria: A Correlation between Vehicular Traffic and Criteria Pollutant Levels

In Nigeria, the rising levels of used/poorly maintained vehicles are contributing to most urban air pollution with possible repercussion on the general public health. This study evaluates the inferences of vehicular traffic surge on outdoor pollutant measurement using Zaria, northern Nigeria, as a case study. The study collected a 1-year time-series dataset for the vehicular count and the respective outdoor criteria pollutant measurements over 19 study sites. The vehicular traffic was categorized into motorcycles (2-W), tricycles (3-W), cars, buses, light-duty vehicles (LDV) and heavy-duty vehicles (HDV). The outdoor pollutants that were measured include carbon monoxide (CO), sulfur dioxide (SO2) and particulate matter (PM2.5/PM10). We utilized validated portable monitors (CW-HAT200 particulate counter and the MSA Altair 5x multigas sensor) for the outdoor measurements during December 2015–November 2016. The observed measurements for the validation procedure were normally distributed [kurtosis (0.301); skewness (−0.334)] and coefficient of determination (R2 ≥ 0.808). The time-series analysis of particulate matter (PM) measurements displayed alarming concentrations levels. Combined vehicular traffic density analysis revealed significant contribution (R ≥ 0.619) to the population exposed outdoor pollutant measurements. The 2-W (motorcycle) was found to be the vehicular category that attributed the most significant relationship with observed outdoor pollutant measurements

Pattern of Common Hormonal Disorders among Patients with Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome at a Tertiary Health Facility in Nigeria

Background: Polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS) is a disease associated with multiple reproductive and metabolic endocrine disorders. It is associated with cardiometabolic complications with established morbidity and mortality. Aim: We studied the pattern of these endocrine disorders associated with PCOS will aid the understanding of the pathophysiology of this relatively incompletely understood syndrome, particularly among Africans. Patients, Materials and Methods: One hundred adult females aged between 18 and 44 years, who were newly diagnosed with PCOS, and 100 age‑matched non‑PCOS women were involved in the study. Their serum samples were analyzed for follicle‑stimulating hormone (FSH), luteinizing hormone (LH), prolactin, progesterone, estradiol, testosterone, leptin, and anti‑Mullerian hormone (AMH) using ELISA method. Results: The mean age of the test subjects in this study was 26.4 ± 6.0 years versus 33.3 ± 6.6 years in controls. The mean weights and body mass index of the test subjects and controls were 89.1 ± 13.9 kg versus 64.7 ± 11.3 kg, P = 0.04, and 34.01 ± 3.5 kg/m2 versus 23.8 ± 3.9 kg/m2 , P = 0.034, respectively. The mean serum LH was significantly higher among subjects than that of controls (11.4 ± 7.4 vs. 5.7 ± 4.8 mIU/mL, P = 0.001); similarly the mean serum LH: FSH ratio was significantly higher among subjects and controls in this study (1.9 ± 1.1 vs. 1.1 ± 0.8, P = 0.042). Serum AMH, insulin, leptin, and testosterone levels were higher among subjects than controls (7.5 ± 5.4 vs. 2.7 ± 0.4 ng/mL, P = 0.001, 21.6 ± 7.3 vs. 18.0 ± 3.01 µIU/mL, P = 0.004, and 18.6 ± 4.0 vs. 3.5 ± 1.5 ng/mL, P = 0.003, 1.0 ± 0.2 vs. 0.6 ± 0.2 ng/mL, P = 0.042, respectively). Mean serum prolactin was significantly higher among subjects when compared to controls. The prevalence of hyperinsulinemia, hyperleptinemia, and hyperandrogenemia among subjects in this study was higher when compared to controls. Conclusion: PCOS is a disease of multiple and inter‑related endocrine disorders; a study of the frequencies and distributions of these associated disorders can aid the understanding of the pathophysiology of the disease particularly among Africans where limited studies have been carried out

Perception of canine rabies among pupils under 15 years in Kwara State, North Central Nigeria

Publisher Copyright: © 2022 Al-Mustapha et al.Rabies is an endemic, highly fatal, and vaccine-preventable disease with severe socio-eco-nomic implications. Most (99%) human rabies cases are transmitted through dog bites. Children under 15 years account for 40% of all dog bite victims and 35–50% of all rabies deaths. Rabies awareness among this vulnerable group is critical to rabies prevention. However, there is a paucity of data on rabies awareness among pupils under 15. Hence, this study assessed the awareness and attitude of pupils under 15 years towards canine rabies in Kwara state in Nigeria. The study was conducted as a cross-sectional survey of 1,388 pupils across the state using a structured questionnaire that was administered as a one-on-one interview using the Open Data Kit on Android phones in December 2019. Of the 1388 pupils included in this study, only 21.7% (n = 301) of them were aware of rabies. The mean rabies score was 1.7±0.8 and only 29.2% (n = 88/301) of the pupils had adequate knowledge of canine rabies. The dog ownership rate was 18.7% (n = 259) with an average of 1.93 dogs per household. Approximately 5% (n = 66) of the pupils have been previously bitten by a dog. One-third of the dog bite victims (35%, n = 23/66) were managed and treated at home and only 12% (n = 8/66) were treated in a health facility. The result of the multivariable logis-tic regression showed that students aged between 13–15 years were more likely (OR: 1.93; 95% CI: 0.72–3.01; p < 0.001) to have adequate knowledge of rabies than the younger pupils. Similarly, pupils that have dogs in their households (OR: 2.09; 95%CI: 1.49–2.75; p < 0.001) and those that reside in Kwara South (OR:1.78 95% CI:1.29, 2.44; p < 0.001) were more likely to be aware and have adequate knowledge of canine rabies respectively. Finally, Pupils from non-dog-owning households were more likely (OR:2.2; 95% CI: 1.45, 4.42; p < 0.001) to have been bitten by dogs than those from dog-owning households. The awareness and attitude of pupils under 15 to canine rabies was poor. We advocate the introduction of rabies lessons into the school curriculum in Kwara State to reduce the incidence of dog bites and prevent dog-mediated human rabies.Peer reviewe