Problematic internet use and health outcomes: does trait self-control matter?

Problematic internet use is prevalent among university students, and it has been associated with increased adverse health outcomes. The results of existing research are mixed regarding the effects of problematic internet use on health outcomes. To resolve this ambiguity, we drew upon the self-control theory and person-situation interaction model to propose trait self-control as a moderator in the relationship between problematic internet use and adverse health outcomes. The study participants comprised 273 students from both public and private universities in Nigeria. Results reveal that problematic internet use is a significant predictor of adverse health outcomes. However, we find no evidence to support our postulated Hypothesis that trait self control moderates the effects of problematic internet use on adverse health outcomes. Implications, limitations, and potential for future research are highlighted

Mortality from gastrointestinal congenital anomalies at 264 hospitals in 74 low-income, middle-income, and high-income countries: a multicentre, international, prospective cohort study

Background: Congenital anomalies are the fifth leading cause of mortality in children younger than 5 years globally. Many gastrointestinal congenital anomalies are fatal without timely access to neonatal surgical care, but few studies have been done on these conditions in low-income and middle-income countries (LMICs). We compared outcomes of the seven most common gastrointestinal congenital anomalies in low-income, middle-income, and high-income countries globally, and identified factors associated with mortality. // Methods: We did a multicentre, international prospective cohort study of patients younger than 16 years, presenting to hospital for the first time with oesophageal atresia, congenital diaphragmatic hernia, intestinal atresia, gastroschisis, exomphalos, anorectal malformation, and Hirschsprung's disease. Recruitment was of consecutive patients for a minimum of 1 month between October, 2018, and April, 2019. We collected data on patient demographics, clinical status, interventions, and outcomes using the REDCap platform. Patients were followed up for 30 days after primary intervention, or 30 days after admission if they did not receive an intervention. The primary outcome was all-cause, in-hospital mortality for all conditions combined and each condition individually, stratified by country income status. We did a complete case analysis. // Findings: We included 3849 patients with 3975 study conditions (560 with oesophageal atresia, 448 with congenital diaphragmatic hernia, 681 with intestinal atresia, 453 with gastroschisis, 325 with exomphalos, 991 with anorectal malformation, and 517 with Hirschsprung's disease) from 264 hospitals (89 in high-income countries, 166 in middle-income countries, and nine in low-income countries) in 74 countries. Of the 3849 patients, 2231 (58·0%) were male. Median gestational age at birth was 38 weeks (IQR 36–39) and median bodyweight at presentation was 2·8 kg (2·3–3·3). Mortality among all patients was 37 (39·8%) of 93 in low-income countries, 583 (20·4%) of 2860 in middle-income countries, and 50 (5·6%) of 896 in high-income countries (p<0·0001 between all country income groups). Gastroschisis had the greatest difference in mortality between country income strata (nine [90·0%] of ten in low-income countries, 97 [31·9%] of 304 in middle-income countries, and two [1·4%] of 139 in high-income countries; p≤0·0001 between all country income groups). Factors significantly associated with higher mortality for all patients combined included country income status (low-income vs high-income countries, risk ratio 2·78 [95% CI 1·88–4·11], p<0·0001; middle-income vs high-income countries, 2·11 [1·59–2·79], p<0·0001), sepsis at presentation (1·20 [1·04–1·40], p=0·016), higher American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) score at primary intervention (ASA 4–5 vs ASA 1–2, 1·82 [1·40–2·35], p<0·0001; ASA 3 vs ASA 1–2, 1·58, [1·30–1·92], p<0·0001]), surgical safety checklist not used (1·39 [1·02–1·90], p=0·035), and ventilation or parenteral nutrition unavailable when needed (ventilation 1·96, [1·41–2·71], p=0·0001; parenteral nutrition 1·35, [1·05–1·74], p=0·018). Administration of parenteral nutrition (0·61, [0·47–0·79], p=0·0002) and use of a peripherally inserted central catheter (0·65 [0·50–0·86], p=0·0024) or percutaneous central line (0·69 [0·48–1·00], p=0·049) were associated with lower mortality. // Interpretation: Unacceptable differences in mortality exist for gastrointestinal congenital anomalies between low-income, middle-income, and high-income countries. Improving access to quality neonatal surgical care in LMICs will be vital to achieve Sustainable Development Goal 3.2 of ending preventable deaths in neonates and children younger than 5 years by 2030

Mortality from gastrointestinal congenital anomalies at 264 hospitals in 74 low-income, middle-income, and high-income countries: a multicentre, international, prospective cohort study

Summary Background Congenital anomalies are the fifth leading cause of mortality in children younger than 5 years globally. Many gastrointestinal congenital anomalies are fatal without timely access to neonatal surgical care, but few studies have been done on these conditions in low-income and middle-income countries (LMICs). We compared outcomes of the seven most common gastrointestinal congenital anomalies in low-income, middle-income, and high-income countries globally, and identified factors associated with mortality. Methods We did a multicentre, international prospective cohort study of patients younger than 16 years, presenting to hospital for the first time with oesophageal atresia, congenital diaphragmatic hernia, intestinal atresia, gastroschisis, exomphalos, anorectal malformation, and Hirschsprung’s disease. Recruitment was of consecutive patients for a minimum of 1 month between October, 2018, and April, 2019. We collected data on patient demographics, clinical status, interventions, and outcomes using the REDCap platform. Patients were followed up for 30 days after primary intervention, or 30 days after admission if they did not receive an intervention. The primary outcome was all-cause, in-hospital mortality for all conditions combined and each condition individually, stratified by country income status. We did a complete case analysis. Findings We included 3849 patients with 3975 study conditions (560 with oesophageal atresia, 448 with congenital diaphragmatic hernia, 681 with intestinal atresia, 453 with gastroschisis, 325 with exomphalos, 991 with anorectal malformation, and 517 with Hirschsprung’s disease) from 264 hospitals (89 in high-income countries, 166 in middleincome countries, and nine in low-income countries) in 74 countries. Of the 3849 patients, 2231 (58·0%) were male. Median gestational age at birth was 38 weeks (IQR 36–39) and median bodyweight at presentation was 2·8 kg (2·3–3·3). Mortality among all patients was 37 (39·8%) of 93 in low-income countries, 583 (20·4%) of 2860 in middle-income countries, and 50 (5·6%) of 896 in high-income countries (p<0·0001 between all country income groups). Gastroschisis had the greatest difference in mortality between country income strata (nine [90·0%] of ten in lowincome countries, 97 [31·9%] of 304 in middle-income countries, and two [1·4%] of 139 in high-income countries; p≤0·0001 between all country income groups). Factors significantly associated with higher mortality for all patients combined included country income status (low-income vs high-income countries, risk ratio 2·78 [95% CI 1·88–4·11], p<0·0001; middle-income vs high-income countries, 2·11 [1·59–2·79], p<0·0001), sepsis at presentation (1·20 [1·04–1·40], p=0·016), higher American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) score at primary intervention (ASA 4–5 vs ASA 1–2, 1·82 [1·40–2·35], p<0·0001; ASA 3 vs ASA 1–2, 1·58, [1·30–1·92], p<0·0001]), surgical safety checklist not used (1·39 [1·02–1·90], p=0·035), and ventilation or parenteral nutrition unavailable when needed (ventilation 1·96, [1·41–2·71], p=0·0001; parenteral nutrition 1·35, [1·05–1·74], p=0·018). Administration of parenteral nutrition (0·61, [0·47–0·79], p=0·0002) and use of a peripherally inserted central catheter (0·65 [0·50–0·86], p=0·0024) or percutaneous central line (0·69 [0·48–1·00], p=0·049) were associated with lower mortality. Interpretation Unacceptable differences in mortality exist for gastrointestinal congenital anomalies between lowincome, middle-income, and high-income countries. Improving access to quality neonatal surgical care in LMICs will be vital to achieve Sustainable Development Goal 3.2 of ending preventable deaths in neonates and children younger than 5 years by 2030

Вплив характеристик аудиторського комітету на управління доходами в нігерійських фірмах, зареєстрованих на біржі

This study focuses on the effect of audit committee characteristics on earnings management among Listed Firms in Nigeria with aim to ascertain whether audit committee characteristics has effect on earnings management. Audit committee in an organization is to support firm’s governance and oversight functions with the regard to financial reporting, risk management system internal control structure, ethical accountability and internal and external audit functions. Earnings management is an attempt by managers to alter financial information either for their private gain or for the gain of stockholders. The study population was 190 firms listed in the Nigerian Stock Market. The study sample was 150 firms because 40 firms could not provide the needed data for the study as at 2014 to 2019. The study data was generated from the Thomson Reuters Data stream and other variables were handpicked from the firm’s annual reports covering the period of 2014–2019. A Generalized Least Square (GLS) estimator was used in estimating the parameters. The study provides positive and significant relationship between Audit Committee Independence (ACIND), Audit Committee Meetings (ACMT) and Earnings Management of listed Nigerian Firms in Nigeria. However, negative relationship between Audit Committee Size, Audit Committee Financial Expertise, Firm Size and Earnings Management was reported among the Listed Firms in Nigeria. Policy maker should provide policy on the composition of Audit for the committee members to clearly spelt out to enable members perform their functions effectively. Further study should look at diversity of audit committee, ethnicity, and religious influence because of the Nigerian diversity on ethnicity and religion.Це дослідження зосереджено на впливі характеристик аудиторського комітету на управління доходами серед зареєстрованих фірм у Нігерії з метою з’ясувати, чи характеристики аудиторського комітету впливають на управління доходами. Аудиторський комітет в організації має підтримувати функції управління та нагляду фірми щодо фінансової звітності, структури внутрішнього контролю системи управління ризиками, етичної відповідальності та функцій внутрішнього та зовнішнього аудиту. Управління доходами – це спроба менеджерів змінити фінансову інформацію для власної вигоди або для вигоди акціонерів. У дослідженні взяли участь 190 фірм, зареєстрованих на фондовому ринку Нігерії. Вибірка дослідження складала 150 фірм, оскільки 40 компаній не могли надати необхідні дані для дослідження за 2014–2019 роки. Дані дослідження були отримані з потоку даних Thomson Reuters, а інші змінні були відібрані вручну з річних звітів фірми за період 2014–2019 рр. Узагальнений метод найменших квадратів використовувався для оцінки параметрів. Дослідження показує позитивний та значний зв’язок між незалежністю Аудиторського комітету, засіданнями Аудиторського комітету та управлінням прибутками нігерійських компаній, зареєстрованих у Нігерії. Тим не менш, було повідомлено про негативний зв’язок між розміром аудиторського комітету, фінансовою експертизою аудиторського комітету, розміром фірми та управлінням доходами серед зареєстрованих фірм у Нігерії. Особа, яка розробляє політику, має чітко викласти політику щодо складу Аудиторського комітету для членів комітету, щоб члени могли ефективно виконувати свої функції. Подальше дослідження має розглянути різноманітність аудиторського комітету, етнічну приналежність та релігійний вплив через різноманітність нігерійців щодо етнічної та релігійної приналежності

Uterine leiomyomata: a five year clinicopathological review in Zaria, Nigeria

Background: Uterine Leiomyomata (uterine fibroids) are common gynaecologic conditions affecting mainly women in the reproductive age group. Fibroids are associated with many other distressing gynaecologic conditions like menorrhagia, infertility, lower abdominal swelling and discomfort. Methods: This is a retrospective clinicopathological analysis uterine leiomyomata a five-year period (1996 – 2000). The information required was retrieved from histology bench books and request cards. Results: 209 cases were analysed, 62.7% from myomectomy 37.3% following hysterectomy. Younger patients opted for myomectomy possibly in other to allow them complete their family sizes. Uterine fibroids were commoner in the third to fourth decade of life.The nulliparous women to had a higher incidence of uterine fibroid (60.6%) in 71 cases analysed whose parity were known. Lower abdominal swelling is the commonest presenting complaint (48.8%), followed by menorrhagia and infertility accounting for 35.4% and 30.6% respectively. Hyaline degeneration was the commonest degenerative change observed (57.9%). Three cases (1.4%) had necrosis. Nineteen cases were observed to be associated with other co-existing lesions, of which 52.6% occur with fibroid polyps. Adenomyosis accounted for 36.8% and one case each of metastatic carcinoma and interligamentary fibroids. Adequate clinical information and brief surgical procedure on request cards were lacking in most cases. Conclusion: Uterine fibroids are common conditions affecting women in their reproductive age group, which corresponds with economically viable age group. This condition is associated with significant morbity and attention needs to be focused on it. Keywords: uterine fibroids, parity, gynaecologic Nigerian Journal of Surgical Research Vol. 7(1&2) 2005: 206-20

Recent Advances in Artificial Intelligence and Wearable Sensors in Healthcare Delivery

Artificial intelligence (AI) and wearable sensors are gradually transforming healthcare service delivery from the traditional hospital-centred model to the personal-portable-device-centred model. Studies have revealed that this transformation can provide an intelligent framework with automated solutions for clinicians to assess patients&rsquo; general health. Often, electronic systems are used to record numerous clinical records from patients. Vital sign data, which are critical clinical records are important traditional bioindicators for assessing a patient&rsquo;s general physical health status and the degree of derangement happening from the baseline of the patient. The vital signs include blood pressure, body temperature, respiratory rate, and heart pulse rate. Knowing vital signs is the first critical step for any clinical evaluation, they also give clues to possible diseases and show progress towards illness recovery or deterioration. Techniques in machine learning (ML), a subfield of artificial intelligence (AI), have recently demonstrated an ability to improve analytical procedures when applied to clinical records and provide better evidence supporting clinical decisions. This literature review focuses on how researchers are exploring several benefits of embracing AI techniques and wearable sensors in tasks related to modernizing and optimizing healthcare data analyses. Likewise, challenges concerning issues associated with the use of ML and sensors in healthcare data analyses are also discussed. This review consequently highlights open research gaps and opportunities found in the literature for future studies

Recent Advances in Artificial Intelligence and Wearable Sensors in Healthcare Delivery

Artificial intelligence (AI) and wearable sensors are gradually transforming healthcare service delivery from the traditional hospital-centred model to the personal-portable-device-centred model. Studies have revealed that this transformation can provide an intelligent framework with automated solutions for clinicians to assess patients’ general health. Often, electronic systems are used to record numerous clinical records from patients. Vital sign data, which are critical clinical records are important traditional bioindicators for assessing a patient’s general physical health status and the degree of derangement happening from the baseline of the patient. The vital signs include blood pressure, body temperature, respiratory rate, and heart pulse rate. Knowing vital signs is the first critical step for any clinical evaluation, they also give clues to possible diseases and show progress towards illness recovery or deterioration. Techniques in machine learning (ML), a subfield of artificial intelligence (AI), have recently demonstrated an ability to improve analytical procedures when applied to clinical records and provide better evidence supporting clinical decisions. This literature review focuses on how researchers are exploring several benefits of embracing AI techniques and wearable sensors in tasks related to modernizing and optimizing healthcare data analyses. Likewise, challenges concerning issues associated with the use of ML and sensors in healthcare data analyses are also discussed. This review consequently highlights open research gaps and opportunities found in the literature for future studies