Social Development Strategies for Promotion of Community Development in Nigeria

Every social action is perceived as a joint undertaking of’ people in their social settings to improve their living conditions in various communities in the society. Social development as an educational process stimulates consciousness among people in order to be aware of their capabilities to address prevailing situations and realities in various participating communities. Social development as a concept is used to stimulate awareness in people for the ultimate purpose of understanding their social realities ant their potentialities to promote development that will improve their living conditions in their various communities. The paper identified conscientisation strategy, communication strategy and group action strategy as strategies of social development in stimulating community development. Based on the issues discussed appropriate recommendations are made which include the urgent need to ensure that adequate information is made available to people through the instrumentality of conscientisation and communication as well as that social development should be driven by common vision and interest of the people of participating communities in Nigeria. Keywords: Social Development, Strategies, Promotion, Community Development DOI: 10.7176/JEP/11-11-07 Publication date: April 30th 202

Grades of gallbladder diseases using the gallbladder contraction index: a pilot study

The aim of this study was to develop a pilot model for the assessment of the severity of gallbladder diseases based on gallbladder contraction index, clinical and sonographic appearances of the gallbladder. The gallbladder contraction index (GBCI) was obtained as the average of the first tenand the first 20minutes contraction indices. A range of 5% to 77% previously obtained in normal subjects was adopted in this study. Gallbladder contraction index in combination with other variables:sonographic appearances and clinical presentations were used for the grading of gallbladder diseases in the present study. This pilot model may have a good diagnostic performance but a clinical prospective evaluation is needed to confirm its actual value

Biochemical Assessment of some common Commercial Fruit Juice Consumed in Maiduguri Metropolis, Nigeria

Biochemical assessment was carried out on six different samples of fruit juice labeled A, B, C, D,E, F commonly consumed within University of Maiduguri (UNIMAID),and Maiduguri Metropolis. Malondialdehyde, Malonaldehyde and thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS) assay which are evidence for lipid peroxidation (deterioration) as well as concentration of vitamin C (ascorbic acid) in the fruit juice samples were determined spectrophotometrically using spectrum Lab 22 model spectrophotometer. Results were analyzed statistically using T-test statistic at p<0.05 level of significance. Samples F had the highest values of 2.515 mg/ml ± 0.15  and 2.867 mg/ml ± 0.15  and 2.116 mg/ml ± 0.10 respectively, among all the samples analyzed for malondialdehyde, malonaldehyde and TBRS concentrations (p<0.05). The above values correlated with the concentration of 3.47 mg/ml ± 0.08 of vitamin C in sample F which was the lowest among all the samples. This suggests that the juice sample labeled F, which is locally produced, showed higher level of deterioration than other samples (samples A to E). Key words: Deterioration, Malondialdehyde, Malonaldehyde, Peroxidatio

Microalbuminuria in Children with Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) Infection in Port Harcourt, Nigeria

Microalbuminuria is an early manifestation of HIV associated nephropathy (HIVAN). This study was to determine the prevalence and risk factors for microalbuminuria in children with HIV infection in Port Harcourt, Nigeria : Urine specimen of 50 children with HIV infection seen over a 4months period (October 2007- February 2008) was assayed for albumin and creatinine to determine urinary albumin to creatinine ratio (ACR). Microalbuminuria was defined as urinary albumin to creatinine ratio (ACR) of greater than 2.5 -25mg/mmol. The glomerular filtration rate (GFR) was calculated using the Schwartz formula. : There were 28 (56%) males and 22 (44%) females with a male to female ratio of 1.3:1. They aged 1 month to 18 years with a mean age of 4.07 ± 3.61years. Microalbuminuria occurred in 6 (12%) patients; 3 males and 3 females, mean age of 5.5 ± 4.6 years. Five (83.3%) of the patients with microalbuminuria had clinical AIDS and CD4 cell count 0cells/ L. All the patients with microalbuminuria were not receiving highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) at the time of study. One (16.7%) patient had overt HIV-associated nephropathy (HIVAN) with ACR greater than 2.5 mg/mmol, elevated serum creatinine 400μmmo/L, urea of 20mmol/Land aGFRof 69ml/min/1.73m . : The prevalence of microalbuminuria in Nigerian children with HIV infection is high, and it occurs mainly in older children with clinical AIDS who are not on HARRT.Key words: Microalbuminuria, HIV infection, children. Port Harcourt, Nigeria

Levels of Lipid Peroxidation Products in Fried Protein and Carbohydrate Foods Sold in an Institution of Higher Learning in North Central Region of Nigeria

Four typical local protein foods namely fried beans (akara), fish, beef and chicken and five carbohydrate foods namely buns, fried yam, potatoes, plantain and jellof rice as commonly consumed in the institution were evaluated for malondialdehyde and malonaldehyde levels as part of nutritional evaluation by our research group. The fried foods were purchased from food vendors within the University and lipid peroxidation assays carried out using standard methods. The levels of lipid peroxidation by malondialdehyde in akara, bony fish, chiken and beef were 3.88±1.29, 3.39±1.13, 3.86±1.30 and 2.75±1.38 respectively. In the same manner, the levels of lipid peroxidation aldehydes were 3.43±1.14, 3.87±1.29, 1.51±0.75 and 1.66±1.66 for akara, fish, beef and chicken respectively. Among the carbohydrate foods, buns and fried yam had the highest level of malondialdehde and malonaldehyde while the fried plantain, potatoes and jellof rice contained less of the peroxidation products. All the protein and carbohydrate samples contained degradation products of lipid peroxidation and various levels of deteriorations. The lipid hydrogen peroxide and carbonyls detected call for caution in using frying as a local preparation method of carbohydrates and proteins. Keywords: lipid peroxidation, frying, carbohydrate, protein

Microbial screening of fermented (yoghurt) milk samples sold in Makurdi metropolis and consumed in Federal University of Agriculture Makurdi, Benue State, Nigeria

Samples of commercially produced yoghurt samples (fermented milk) and locally produced milk samples commonly called kindrimu in common use in Federal University of Agriculture Makurdi, Benue State, Nigeria were microbiologically examined to certify their safety and quality for consumption. While E.coli was present in four of the samples A,B,D and E and Pneumococcus found only in sample D, Klebsiella, Staphylococcus and Salmonella typhimurium were not detected in any of the five samples A-E. In the locally prepared samples Staphylococcus was detected only in sample 3, while Klebsiella was not detected in samples 3 and 5. Salmonella was not detected in sample 2 just as and E.coli was not dectected in sample 3 alone. Pneumococcus was detected in all the samples suggesting that the commercial samples are safer than the local Kindrimu. Conclusion: Since these organisms like Salmonella, Staphylococuss aureus and Escherichia coli were isolated from both the commercially prepared and kindrimu yoghurts, there is need for proper handling of the production process to reduce contamination

Assessment of Some Commercial Fruit Juices Commonly Consumed in Federal University of Agriculture Makurdi, Benue State Nigeria, for Lipid Peroxidation Intermediates and Antioxidant Vitamin

Fruit juice are commercially produced and consumed as supplements to normal diet especially in the Northern Nigeria. They could be contaminated due to poor quality control and environmental factors, thereby increasing the risk of food borne diseases in the community. Lipid  peroxidation studies were carried out on some commercial fruit juice products consumed within the Federal University of Agriculture Makurdi, Benue State, Nigeria to determine their safety levels. A total of eighteen samples were used in the study. Lipid peroxidation was determined in the samples using standard biochemical methods.The results show that there was significant differences (p<0.05) on the malondialdehyde concentration in samples D and F compared to the other samples.  The malonaldehyde content was not significantly different (p>0.05). The results show that the ascorbic acid contents of samples A and B were significantly higher compared to sample F. The study shows that some of the fruit juice samples marketed in Makurdi have appreciable degree of peroxidation in them as indicated on their malondialdehyde levels and corresponding low levels of ascorbic acids. The public health importance of these results was highlighted. Keywords: Fruit juice, lipid peroxidation, antioxidant vitamins

Reducing the environmental impact of surgery on a global scale: systematic review and co-prioritization with healthcare workers in 132 countries

Background Healthcare cannot achieve net-zero carbon without addressing operating theatres. The aim of this study was to prioritize feasible interventions to reduce the environmental impact of operating theatres. Methods This study adopted a four-phase Delphi consensus co-prioritization methodology. In phase 1, a systematic review of published interventions and global consultation of perioperative healthcare professionals were used to longlist interventions. In phase 2, iterative thematic analysis consolidated comparable interventions into a shortlist. In phase 3, the shortlist was co-prioritized based on patient and clinician views on acceptability, feasibility, and safety. In phase 4, ranked lists of interventions were presented by their relevance to high-income countries and low–middle-income countries. Results In phase 1, 43 interventions were identified, which had low uptake in practice according to 3042 professionals globally. In phase 2, a shortlist of 15 intervention domains was generated. In phase 3, interventions were deemed acceptable for more than 90 per cent of patients except for reducing general anaesthesia (84 per cent) and re-sterilization of ‘single-use’ consumables (86 per cent). In phase 4, the top three shortlisted interventions for high-income countries were: introducing recycling; reducing use of anaesthetic gases; and appropriate clinical waste processing. In phase 4, the top three shortlisted interventions for low–middle-income countries were: introducing reusable surgical devices; reducing use of consumables; and reducing the use of general anaesthesia. Conclusion This is a step toward environmentally sustainable operating environments with actionable interventions applicable to both high– and low–middle–income countries

The evolving SARS-CoV-2 epidemic in Africa: Insights from rapidly expanding genomic surveillance

INTRODUCTION Investment in Africa over the past year with regard to severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) sequencing has led to a massive increase in the number of sequences, which, to date, exceeds 100,000 sequences generated to track the pandemic on the continent. These sequences have profoundly affected how public health officials in Africa have navigated the COVID-19 pandemic. RATIONALE We demonstrate how the first 100,000 SARS-CoV-2 sequences from Africa have helped monitor the epidemic on the continent, how genomic surveillance expanded over the course of the pandemic, and how we adapted our sequencing methods to deal with an evolving virus. Finally, we also examine how viral lineages have spread across the continent in a phylogeographic framework to gain insights into the underlying temporal and spatial transmission dynamics for several variants of concern (VOCs). RESULTS Our results indicate that the number of countries in Africa that can sequence the virus within their own borders is growing and that this is coupled with a shorter turnaround time from the time of sampling to sequence submission. Ongoing evolution necessitated the continual updating of primer sets, and, as a result, eight primer sets were designed in tandem with viral evolution and used to ensure effective sequencing of the virus. The pandemic unfolded through multiple waves of infection that were each driven by distinct genetic lineages, with B.1-like ancestral strains associated with the first pandemic wave of infections in 2020. Successive waves on the continent were fueled by different VOCs, with Alpha and Beta cocirculating in distinct spatial patterns during the second wave and Delta and Omicron affecting the whole continent during the third and fourth waves, respectively. Phylogeographic reconstruction points toward distinct differences in viral importation and exportation patterns associated with the Alpha, Beta, Delta, and Omicron variants and subvariants, when considering both Africa versus the rest of the world and viral dissemination within the continent. Our epidemiological and phylogenetic inferences therefore underscore the heterogeneous nature of the pandemic on the continent and highlight key insights and challenges, for instance, recognizing the limitations of low testing proportions. We also highlight the early warning capacity that genomic surveillance in Africa has had for the rest of the world with the detection of new lineages and variants, the most recent being the characterization of various Omicron subvariants. CONCLUSION Sustained investment for diagnostics and genomic surveillance in Africa is needed as the virus continues to evolve. This is important not only to help combat SARS-CoV-2 on the continent but also because it can be used as a platform to help address the many emerging and reemerging infectious disease threats in Africa. In particular, capacity building for local sequencing within countries or within the continent should be prioritized because this is generally associated with shorter turnaround times, providing the most benefit to local public health authorities tasked with pandemic response and mitigation and allowing for the fastest reaction to localized outbreaks. These investments are crucial for pandemic preparedness and response and will serve the health of the continent well into the 21st century