Strategic SWOT analysis of the University of Nigeria Teaching Hospital using Modified Delphi Technique: implications for strengthening national and regional health systems.

Background And Aim: The perennial underperformance of the Nigerian Health System necessitated enhanced advocacy for health to be placed at the centre of a renewed social contract and as a means of bolstering public trust. The hospital management of the University of Nigeria Teaching Hospital (UNTH) introduced initiatives to improve the hospital's operational environment and service performance in response to the population served. Following these changes, an Organizational Capacity Assessment (OCA) is critical to direct further development in the organization.

Rhabdomyolysis After Prolonged Tourniquet Application Is Associated with Reversible Acute Kidney Injury (AKI) in Rats.

Extremity trauma, including ischemia (e.g., prolonged tourniquet application or crush), is common among battlefield injuries.

The Effects of Malocclusion Among Priests in Enugu, Nigeria: An Anglican Church-Based Study.

Malocclusion refers to the departure from the normal relationship of teeth to other teeth in the same and opposing arch. It can negatively impact on facial appearance and the quality of life of a person. The present study aimed to investigate the influence of malocclusion on the role of priests as counsellors and preachers in Nigeria as perceived by church members.

Project APRED: A web-based data analytics platform for supporting community disaster resilience.

In this paper, we introduce the Analysis Platform for Risk, Resilience, and Expenditure in Disasters (APRED)-a disaster-analytic platform developed for crisis practitioners and economic developers across the United States (US). APRED provides practitioners with a centralized platform for exploring disaster resilience and vulnerability profiles of all counties across the US. The platform comprises five sections including: (1) Disaster Resilience Index, (2) Business Vulnerability Index, (3) Disaster Declaration History, (4) County Profile, and (5) Storm History sections.

Engineered bacteria launch and control an oncolytic virus.

The ability of bacteria and viruses to selectively replicate in tumors has led to synthetic engineering of new microbial therapies. Here we design a cooperative strategy whereby bacteria transcribe and deliver the Senecavirus A RNA genome inside host cells, launching a potent oncolytic viral infection. "Encapsidated" by bacteria, the viral genome can further bypass circulating antiviral antibodies to reach the tumor and initiate replication and spread within immune mice.

Descriptive epidemiology of external structural birth defects in Enugu State, Nigeria.

Objectives: To determine the birth prevalence, trend, and characteristics of external structural birth defects occurrence in Enugu Metropolis, Nigeria.

Design: Cross-sectional study involving review of delivery records.

Setting: The study was conducted at three tertiary hospitals, one public and two missionary, in Enugu Metropolis.

A new G-quadruplex-specific photosensitizer inducing genome instability in cancer cells by triggering oxidative DNA damage and impeding replication fork progression.

Photodynamic therapy (PDT) ideally relies on the administration, selective accumulation and photoactivation of a photosensitizer (PS) into diseased tissues. In this context, we report a new heavy-atom-free fluorescent G-quadruplex (G4) DNA-binding PS, named DBI. We reveal by fluorescence microscopy that DBI preferentially localizes in intraluminal vesicles (ILVs), precursors of exosomes, which are key components of cancer cell proliferation.

Factors influencing adherence to antiretroviral therapy among HIV-infected adults in Cross River State, Nigeria: a cross-sectional study.

Introduction: improved access to antiretroviral therapy (ART) has significantly increased the survival and quality of life of HIV-infected persons. Strict adherence to antiretroviral therapy (ART) is crucial if viral suppression must remain optimal. We assessed predictors of adherence to ART among adult patients in Cross River State (CRS), Nigeria.

What makes a good life: using theatrical performance to enhance communication about polygenic risk scores research in patient and public involvement.

The aim of this patient and public involvement and engagement (PPIE) work was to explore improvised theatre as a tool for facilitating bi-directional dialogue between researchers and patients/members of the public on the topic of polygenic risk scores (PRS) use within primary or secondary care. PRS are a tool to quantify genetic risk for a heritable disease or trait and may be used to predict future health outcomes. In the United Kingdom (UK), they are often cited as a next-in-line public health tool to be implemented, and their use in consumer genetic testing as well as patient-facing settings is increasing.

Determinants of primary healthcare services utilisation in an under-resourced rural community in Enugu State, Nigeria: a cross-sectional study.

Introduction: primary health care (PHC) is essential towards achieving universal health coverage. Improving PHC services require understanding context-specific factors influencing utilisation. We assessed the factors influencing utilisation of PHC services in a rural community in Enugu, Nigeria.

Tuberculosis infection control in health care facilities in Enugu State, Nigeria: a cross-sectional facility-based study.

Introduction: overtime, tuberculosis (TB) has remained the most common opportunistic infection among people living with HIV (PLHIV). Proper implementation of TB infection control (TBIC) practices in health care facilities can curb TB menace among PLHIV and the public. We assessed the implementation of TB infection control in health care facilities offering Anti-Retroviral Therapy (ART) in Enugu State, Nigeria.

Acclimation to a High-Salt Diet Is Sex Dependent.

Background Premenopausal women are less likely to develop hypertension and salt-related complications than are men, yet the impact of sex on mechanisms regulating Na homeostasis during dietary salt challenges is poorly defined. Here, we determined whether female rats have a more efficient capacity to acclimate to increased dietary salt intake challenge. Methods and Results Age-matched male and female Sprague Dawley rats maintained on a normal-salt (NS) diet (0.

Point-of-Care Anti-Counterfeit Medicines Technologies: Awareness and Utilization among Medical Practitioners in Eastern Nigeria.

Background: Substandard and falsified medicines pose a serious threat to public health throughout the world but disproportionately afflict under-resourced nations with weak pharmaceutical regulatory mechanisms. The prescription of medicines is an event in which a medical practitioner(MP) is a decision maker for the ultimate consumer who is the patient.

Aim: The study was aimed at describing awareness, identification, utilization, and barriers to utilization of point of-care overt anti-counterfeit medicine technologies(ACMTs) and the drivers, dangers and preventive measures of substandard and falsified medicines among MPs in Abia State.

An Outbreak of Arboviral Infection in a Region with Background Malaria Endemicity from Northwestern Nigeria: An Investigation Report.

Introduction: Arboviruses are a group of infectious agents transmitted by blood-sucking arthropods from one vertebrate host to another. The agents include Dengue fever and West Nile Virus, amongst others. However, Dengue fever is now the world's fastest-spreading tropical disease, with the annual number of cases increasing 30-fold in the last 50 years.

Terpene-rich fractions of Ficus mucoso (Welw) modulate lipopolysaccharide-induced inflammatory mediators and aberrant permeability of the inner mitochondrial membrane in murine animal model.

Ficus mucoso is traditionally used to treat bronchial infections. This study compared the efficacy of terpene-rich fractions of F. mucoso root bark on lipopolysaccharide(LPS)-induced inflammation, liver mitochondrial permeability transition (mPT), an index of mitochondrial health, and associated pathological alterations.

Servant Leadership Stimulates Spiritual Well-Being Through Team Trust in a Female Religious Context.

This study investigates how female religious leaders nurture spiritual well-being in religious sisters. Specifically, we examined how servant leadership fosters spiritual well-being [Gifts and Fruits of the Spirit (GFSp)] through, respectively, the mediating role of team trust and reduced occurrence of team conflicts. Quantitative survey data were collected from 453 religious sisters (followers) within a Catholic Women Religious Institute in Nigeria.

COVID-19 Biosecurity Protective Items Utilization at the Point of Care: A CrossSectional Study of Drivers, Barriers, Benefits and Perceived Dangers among Frontline Medical Doctors in Non-COVID-19 Hospitals in Abia State, Nigeria.

Background: Globally, COVID-19 is an emerging health problem. As the spread of COVID-19 infection continues worldwide, measures to protect frontline doctors have been in the spotlight on international biosecurity discussions especially in countries with weak health system and infrastructure.

Aim: The study was aimed at describing the drivers, barriers, benefits and perceived dangers of utilization of COVID-19 biosecurity protective items at the point of care among frontline doctors in non-COVID-19 hospitals in Abia State.

Preventive health care services utilization and its associated factors among older adults in rural communities in Anambra State, Nigeria.

Introduction: quality of life and life expectancy of people are improved when preventive health care services are utilized because these identify treatable health problems and puts life-threatening diseases in check. Morbidity and mortality associated with age-related chronic disease among the older adults is on the increase, therefore, this study aims at determining preventive health care services utilization among older adults in rural communities in Anambra State.

Methods: a cross sectional design adopted for this study was carried out on older adults from the ages of 65 years and above in rural communities in Anambra State from October 2019 to January 2020.

Preventive Health Evaluation in Underserved Occupational Environment: A Cross-Sectional Study of its Practice, Facilitators, Barriers, and Benefits among Medical Practitioners in Nigeria.

Background: The health of medical doctors (MDs) has been the focus of global concern in addition to the recently modified physician oath now called "The Modern Physician Pledge." As a member of human family, MDs are also prone to diseases they manage in healthcare environment.

Objectives: The study was aimed at describing the practice, facilitators, barriers, and benefits of preventive health evaluation (PHE) in a cross-section of medical practitioners in Nigeria.

A Minimalistic Coumarin Turn-On Probe for Selective Recognition of Parallel G-Quadruplex DNA Structures.

G-quadruplex (G4) DNA structures are widespread in the human genome and are implicated in biologically important processes such as telomere maintenance, gene regulation, and DNA replication. Guanine-rich sequences with potential to form G4 structures are prevalent in the promoter regions of oncogenes, and G4 sites are now considered as attractive targets for anticancer therapies. However, there are very few reports of small "druglike" optical G4 reporters that are easily accessible through one-step synthesis and that are capable of discriminating between different G4 topologies.

The RGG domain in the C-terminus of the DEAD box helicases Dbp2 and Ded1 is necessary for G-quadruplex destabilization.

The identification of G-quadruplex (G4) binding proteins and insights into their mechanism of action are important for understanding the regulatory functions of G4 structures. Here, we performed an unbiased affinity-purification assay coupled with mass spectrometry and identified 30 putative G4 binding proteins from the fission yeast Schizosaccharomyces pombe. Gene ontology analysis of the molecular functions enriched in this pull-down assay included mRNA binding, RNA helicase activity, and translation regulator activity.

Restoration of afferent arteriolar autoregulatory behavior in ischemia-reperfusion injury in rat kidneys.

Renal autoregulation is critical in maintaining stable renal blood flow (RBF) and glomerular filtration rate (GFR). Renal ischemia-reperfusion (IR)-induced kidney injury is characterized by reduced RBF and GFR. The mechanisms contributing to renal microvascular dysfunction in IR have not been fully determined.

Water, sanitation and hygiene risk factors associated with diarrhoea morbidity in a rural community of Enugu, South East Nigeria.

Introduction: diarrhoea remains a public health problem globally with majority of diarrhoea morbidity and mortality occurring in low resource settings. This study assessed the prevalence of diarrhoea and factors associated with diarrhoea in a rural community in Enugu, South East Nigeria.

Methods: a community-based cross-sectional survey was conducted between May and June, 2017.

Unravelling the cellular emission fingerprint of the benchmark G-quadruplex-interactive compound Phen-DC.

Phen-DC is among the most commonly used G-quadruplex (G4)-stabilizers in vitro and in cells. Here, we show that the G4-interactive binding interactions enable one to tune the optical properties of Phen-DC allowing the detection of G4 structures in cancer cells. This work opens up new directions for the use of Phen-DC as a selective G4 fluorescent reporter.

Stabilization of G-quadruplex DNA structures in Schizosaccharomyces pombe causes single-strand DNA lesions and impedes DNA replication.

G-quadruplex (G4) structures are stable non-canonical DNA structures that are implicated in the regulation of many cellular pathways. We show here that the G4-stabilizing compound PhenDC3 causes growth defects in Schizosaccharomyces pombe cells, especially during S-phase in synchronized cultures. By visualizing individual DNA molecules, we observed shorter DNA fragments of newly replicated DNA in the PhenDC3-treated cells, suggesting that PhenDC3 impedes replication fork progression.