Does Foreign Direct Investments Impact Agricultural Output in Nigeria? An Error Correction Modelling Approach

This study measures the impact of foreign direct investment on agricultural output in Nigeria. It opines that foreign direct investment is one of the viable techniques of financing development in developing countries. To achieve our objective, the study used times series data spanning a period of 34 years for several variables from credible sources. The method of analysis used was Error correction model. The study found an insignificantly positive effect of foreign direct investment on agricultural output in the short-run but found a significant effect on agricultural output in the long-run. Furthermore, the study found a significant effect of employment, exchange rate, and interest rates on agricultural output in the long-run. It is recommended that deliberate polices must be quickly enacted to reduce interest rates for farm purposes, encourage labour availability in agriculture and stabilize exchange rates within the Nigerian economy. These way foreign investors will be encouraged to import their capital for agricultural production activities now which will be a guarantee for a significant impact of foreign direct investment on agricultural output in the long run

Long term evolution of the surface refractivity for arctic regions

YesIn this paper, local meteorological data for a period of 35 years (from 1979 to 2013) from Kuujuaq station have been used to calculate the surface refractivity, N and to estimate the vertical refractivity gradient, dN1, in the lowest atmospheric layer above the ground. Monthly and yearly variations of the mean of N and dN1 are provided. The values obtained are compared with the corresponding values from the ITU maps. The long-term trend of the surface refractivity is also investigated. The data demonstrate that the indices N and dN1 are subject to an evolution which may have significance in the context of climate change (CC). Monthly means of N show an increasing departure from ITU-R values since 1990. Yearly mean values of the dN1 show a progressive decrease over the period of study. Seasonal means of dN1 show a decrease over time, especially for summer. Such a trend may increase the occurrence of super-refraction. However, currently available ITU-R recommendations for microwave link design assume a stationary climate, so there is a need for a new modelling approach

Influence of Spirituality and Modesty on Acceptance of Self-Sampling for Cervical Cancer Screening.

INTRODUCTION: Whereas systematic screening programs have reduced the incidence of cervical cancer in developed countries, the incidence remains high in developing countries. Among several barriers to uptake of cervical cancer screening, the roles of religious and cultural factors such as modesty have been poorly studied. Knowledge about these factors is important because of the potential to overcome them using strategies such as self-collection of cervico-vaginal samples. In this study we evaluate the influence of spirituality and modesty on the acceptance of self-sampling for cervical cancer screening. METHODOLOGY: We enrolled 600 participants in Nigeria between August and October 2014 and collected information on spirituality and modesty using two scales. We used principal component analysis to extract scores for spirituality and modesty and logistic regression models to evaluate the association between spirituality, modesty and preference for self-sampling. All analyses were performed using STATA 12 (Stata Corporation, College Station, Texas, USA). RESULTS: Some 581 (97%) women had complete data for analysis. Most (69%) were married, 50% were Christian and 44% were from the south western part of Nigeria. Overall, 19% (110/581) of the women preferred self-sampling to being sampled by a health care provider. Adjusting for age and socioeconomic status, spirituality, religious affiliation and geographic location were significantly associated with preference for self-sampling, while modesty was not significantly associated. The multivariable OR (95% CI, p-value) for association with self-sampling were 0.88 (0.78-0.99, 0.03) for spirituality, 1.69 (1.09-2.64, 0.02) for religious affiliation and 0.96 (0.86-1.08, 0.51) for modesty. CONCLUSION: Our results show the importance of taking cultural and religious beliefs and practices into consideration in planning health interventions like cervical cancer screening. To succeed, public health interventions and the education to promote it must be related to the target population and its preferences

Pitfalls of Practicing Cancer Epidemiology in Resource-limited Settings: the Case of Survival and Loss to Follow-up after a Diagnosis of Kaposi’s Sarcoma in Five Countries across Sub-Saharan Africa

Background: Survival after diagnosis is a fundamental concern in cancer epidemiology. In resource-rich settings, ambient clinical databases, municipal data and cancer registries make survival estimation in real-world populations relatively straightforward. In resource-poor settings, given the deficiencies in a variety of health-related data systems, it is less clear how well we can determine cancer survival from ambient data. Methods: We addressed this issue in sub-Saharan Africa for Kaposi’s sarcoma (KS), a cancer for which incidence has exploded with the HIV epidemic but for which survival in the region may be changing with the recent advent of antiretroviral therapy (ART). From 33 primary care HIV Clinics in Kenya, Uganda, Malawi, Nigeria and Cameroon participating in the International Epidemiologic Databases to Evaluate AIDS (IeDEA) Consortia in 2009–2012, we identified 1328 adults with newly diagnosed KS. Patients were evaluated from KS diagnosis until death, transfer to another facility or database closure. Results: Nominally, 22 % of patients were estimated to be dead by 2 years, but this estimate was clouded by 45 % cumulative lost to follow-up with unknown vital status by 2 years. After adjustment for site and CD4 count, agelost. Conclusions: In this community-based sample of patients diagnosed with KS in sub-Saharan Africa, almost half became lost to follow-up by 2 years. This precluded accurate estimation of survival. Until we either generally strengthen data systems or implement cancer-specific enhancements (e.g., tracking of the lost) in the region, insights from cancer epidemiology will be limited

Omics-based molecular techniques in oral pathology centred cancer: Prospect and challenges in Africa

: The completion of the human genome project and the accomplished milestones in the human proteome project; as well as the progress made so far in computational bioinformatics and “big data” processing have contributed immensely to individualized/personalized medicine in the developed world.At the dawn of precision medicine, various omics-based therapies and bioengineering can now be applied accurately for the diagnosis, prognosis, treatment, and risk stratifcation of cancer in a manner that was hitherto not thought possible. The widespread introduction of genomics and other omics-based approaches into the postgraduate training curriculum of diverse medical and dental specialties, including pathology has improved the profciency of practitioners in the use of novel molecular signatures in patient management. In addition, intricate details about disease disparity among diferent human populations are beginning to emerge. This would facilitate the use of tailor-made novel theranostic methods based on emerging molecular evidences

Hepatitis B Surface Antigenaemia and Some Associated Risk Factors Among Patients Attending Hospital in Danja Local Government Area of Katsina State, Nigeria

Hepatitis B virus (HBV) is a DNA virus which belongs to the family Hepadnaviridae. Infection with hepatitis B virus may be acute or chronic and can result in complications including cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma. In Nigeria, community misconceptions, inadequate attention or funding by the government have led to a high prevalence of the disease. The study was carried out to assess the prevalence and some risk factors associated with hepatitis B virus in Danja Local Government Area of Katsina State. Blood samples were collected from 688 patients attending Comprehensive Health Centre in Danja Local Government Area of Katsina State. Screening of samples was done using HBsAg test strip which is a rapid chromatographic immune assay (EGENS Reagent Technology, USA). A structured questionnaire was administered to determine some of the factors that influenced the prevalence of infection. The overall prevalence of infection was 15% (103/688). Males were more infected (19.6%) than females (7.8%) (P<0.05). Patients between the 0-12 years age group had the highest prevalence compared to other age groups. Factors such as marital status, blood transfusion, sharing of barbing and nail cutting items, previous infection with sexually transmitted diseases and number of persons living in a room were found to be significantly associated with hepatitis B virus (P< 0.05). Results from this study shows that hepatitis B virus infection is prevalent in the study area. Health education as well as vaccination of people should be carried out to prevent the spread of the infection

Intestinal Parasitic Infection Among Cattle Slaughtered in Some Abbatoirs in Katsina State, Nigera

Cattle is one of the most domesticated livestock in Nigeria which provides a wide range of products and services to man but may be infected with pathogens that are harmful to itself, other animals and can possibly transfer the pathogens to man. Faecal samples were obtained directly from the rectum of 600 cattle slaughtered in some abattoirs in six Local Government Areas using disposable hand gloves, transferred into universal specimen bottles and preserved in 10% formalin solution for microscopic examination of intestinal parasites. A structured questionnaire was administered to determine some of the factors that enhance the prevalence of infection. Samples were examined using formol-ether concentration technique and stained with Lugol’s iodine. The overall prevalence was 173(28.8%). The cestode identified was Moniezia sp. 4(0.6%). Nematodes identified were Strongyle sp 55(9.2%), Trichuris trichura 1(0.2%). The trematodes identified were Dicrocoelium sp. 1(0.2%), Fasciola sp. 35(5.8%), Paramphistomum sp. 14(2.3%) and Schistosoma sp. 1(0.2%). The coccidian oocyts had a prevalence of 62(10.3%). Prevalence was higher in females (33.5%) than males (25.9%) (P>0.05). Cattle between the ages of 0-1 years had the highest prevalence of infection (39.2%) compared to 2-3 years (24.2%) and 4 years and above age groups (20.4%). The breed of cattle did not influence the prevalence of infection (P>0.05). Factors such as vegetation zone and season were found to significantly influence the prevalence of infection (P<0.05). Cattle owners should be enlightened relevant agencies on the use of chemotherapy as well as the importance of ranching so as to improve health of these cattle and to also reduce the prevalence of zoonotic infections among human population