Background Type 2 diabetes and obesity are serious public health concerns globally and a growing burden in Africa. Both conditions have serious repercussions on health when they co-occur, yet the extent of their co-occurrence in Africa remains unknown. Therefore, this review aimed to identify the prevalence and associated factors of overweight and obesity among persons with type 2 diabetes in Africa. Method A systematic search was conducted on PubMed, MEDLINE, Embase, African Index Medicus (AIM), and African Journals Online (AJOL) for observational studies that reported the prevalence of overweight and/or obesity among type 2 diabetes patients in Africa. The prevalence data from individual studies were aggregated through a random-effects meta-analysis. The I2 statistic was used to evaluate between-studies heterogeneity, while subgroup analysis and mixed-effects meta-regression were performed to identify sources of heterogeneity. We assessed publication bias using funnel plots and Egger’s test. This review adhered to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis (PRISMA) guidelines. Results Of 1753 records retrieved, 80 articles were eligible for this review, with 74 cross-sectional studies included in the meta-analysis. The pooled prevalence of overweight and obesity was 35.6% and 25.6% respectively, while the overall prevalence of both overweight and obesity was 61.4%. Also, the pooled prevalence of both overweight and obesity across the five geographical areas in Africa ranged from 56.9% in East Africa to 88.5% in Southern Africa. Nineteen factors were significantly associated with overweight and obesity among patients with type 2 diabetes. Conclusion The high prevalence of overweight and obesity among patients with type 2 diabetes is a significant public health concern that transcends geographical boundaries within Africa. The findings from this review highlight the need for innovative weight management interventions that are tailored to the cultural context of the African setting
Background General Government Health Expenditure (GGHE) in Mauritius accounted for only 10% of General Government Expenditure for the fiscal year 2018. This is less than the pledge taken under the Abuja 2001 Declaration to allocate at least 15% of national budget to the health sector. The latest National Health Accounts also urged for an expansion in the fiscal space for health. As public hospitals in Mauritius absorb 70% of GGHE, maximising returns of hospitals is essential to achieve Universal Health Coverage. More so, as Mauritius is bracing for its worst recession in 40 years in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic public health financing will be heavily impacted. A thorough assessment of hospital efficiency and its implications on effective public health financing and fiscal space creation is, therefore, vital to inform ongoing health reform agenda. Objectives This paper aims to examine the trend in hospital technical efficiency over the period 2001–2017, to measure the elasticity of hospital output to changes in inputs variables and to assess the impact of improved hospital technical efficiency in terms of fiscal space creation. Methods Annual health statistics released by the Ministry of Health and Wellness and national budget of the Ministry of Finance, Economic Planning and Development were the principal sources of data. Applying Stochastic Frontier Analysis, technical efficiency of public regional hospitals was estimated under Cobb–Douglas, Translog and Multi-output distance functions, using STATA 11. Hospital beds, doctors, nurses and non-medical staff were used as input variables. Output variable combined inpatients and outpatients seen at Accident Emergency, Sorted and Unsorted departments. Efficiency scores were used to determine potential efficiency savings and fiscal space creation. Findings Mean technical efficiency scores, using the Cobb Douglas, Translog and Multi-output functions, were estimated at 0.83, 0.84 and 0.89, respectively. Nurses and beds are the most important factors in hospital production, as a 1% increase in the number of beds and nurses, result in an increase in hospital outputs by 0.73 and 0.51%, respectively. If hospitals are to increase their inputs by 1%, their outputs will increase by 1.16%. Hospital output process has an increasing return to scale. With technical efficiencies improving to scores of 0.95 and 1.0 in 2021–2022, potential savings and fiscal space creation at hospital level, would amount to MUR 633 million (US$ 16.2 million) and MUR 1161 million (US$ 29.6 million), respectively. Conclusion Fiscal space creation through full technical efficiency, is estimated to represent 8.9 and 9.2% of GGHE in fiscal year 2021–2022 and 2022–2023, respectively. This will allow without any restrictions the funding of the national response for HIV, vaccine preventable diseases as well as building a resilient health system to mitigate impact of emerging infectious diseases as experienced with COVID-19.
Tracing graduates has become an imperative for higher education institutions much more during the pandemic. This tracer determined the employment and employability status of the 2019 BSE graduates and identified the competencies they adequately acquired and deemed vital for work. It used descriptive design, and data were collected from the 103 graduates through a Google form with open and closed-ended questions administered between November and December 2020. Results revealed that most of the graduates had been employed in teaching and teaching-related jobs but mostly in contractual arrangements within the first and second six months after graduation. Many had their first jobs with meager salaries from the private sector. Communication, pedagogy, information communication technology, time management, and flexibility were the top competencies they adequately acquired and were beneficial in work. The study concluded that these graduates had acquired 21st-century skills in their respective degree programs. These results have corresponding implications for future research in confirming the most employable skills in secondary teaching. As recommended, classroom instruction might emphasize the development of these skills. Eventually, these become the competitive advantage and employability capitals of future graduates. Administering the licensure examination and the release of its results can be done within the first three months after graduation to lessen the cost of waiting.
ABSTRACT Background: The coronavirus disease (COVID-19) infection rate and mortality among Nigerian health care workers appear to be on the increase. Aside from health workers, it has caused millions of infections and deaths worldwide. This study determined the level of knowledge, attitude, and practices of nursing and midwifery students towards COVID-19 in a North-Eastern Nigerian state. Methods: A total of 156 respondents were involved in this institutional-based cross-sectional study, conducted after the lockdown period. A total of 17 questions were used to assess the KAP with knowledge appraised with 12 questions, attitudes with 2 questions, and practices with 3 questions. Results: The majority of the students (53.80%) possessed a good level of knowledge regarding COVID-19, while 40.4% had fair knowledge regarding COVID-19 with only 5.80% having poor knowledge of COVID-19. The mean knowledge of COVID-19 in this study was 9.40±1.353 with an overall 78% correct answer rate. A vast majority of the respondent (82.7% and 98.1%) had strong confidence in Nigeria and believed that the pandemic will soon be over, respectively. Only a few avoided large gatherings of people (30.8%) with the vast majority reporting to have worn a mask when going out (84.6%) and washing their hands with running water and soap frequently as recommended (73.1%). In multiple logistic regression analyses, the COVID-19 knowledge score (OR: 0.39-0.40, 95%CI: 0.26 – 0.62, P<0.05) was significantly associated with a lower likelihood of negative preventive practices towards COVID-19. Conclusions: The participants in this study showed good knowledge, positive attitudes, and good practices toward COVID-19. There is still a need to strategize and implement periodic educational interventions and training on infection control practices among healthcare workers including students.
The very first recruitment for a public relations practitioner in Malaysia was encountered in 1948 and was advertised by the federal government of the British Colony in Malaya. This paper examines the subsequent advertisements after Malaya sought independence from the British colonial government. A total of eleven recruitment advertisements were found before the formation of Malaysia on the 16th September 1963. This paper outlines the advertisers, the titles of positions, as well as their qualifications and duties. The results show that the job requirement mainly came from the federal and local governments. Generally, the duties were related to information services and some specific responsibilities.
If you already have a research project in mind, the research planning phase must be completed with the formulation of a wellstructured research proposal that must be submitted to an ethics committee for approval before your project can start. Generally, a research proposal contains the following elements: Title, abstract, introduction, objectives, methodology, timeline and milestones, ethical considerations, budget, appendices, and references. Whether you are a medical student or a researcher, knowing how to write a research proposal is an important skill to start any research project. This guide will give you the skills to write a successful research proposal.
Bone resorption is created by different etiological factors, such as tumors, infections, and trauma. When defects are too large and healing is not possible in a spontaneous way, the defect is called a critical size defect, which is defined as the smallest size of an intra-osseous wound that will not heal spontaneously during the lifetime of the individual. This study was conducted to evaluate the use of a mineralized plasmatic matrix versus bone graft alone or in the augmentation of bony cavities in animals. Ten adult male dogs ranging in age from 12 months to 18 months with a mean weight of ten kilograms were used in this study. Bone cavities were made in the tibia of each animal. The upper holes were implanted with a bovine bone material substitute the medial holes were implanted with a mineralized plasmatic matrix and the lower holes were left free from any implant material acting as control. The dogs were euthanized at 2, 4, and 6 weeks and prepared for H and E stain and trichrome stain. The healing process of bone cavities implanted with mineralized plasmatic matrix was better compared to cavities filled with bone grafts and those left to heal spontaneously. Mineralized plasmatic matrix facilitates graft application, in its stabilization, and improves cell penetration into the graft.
Mediterranean journal of pharmacy and pharmaceutical sciences
Nigeria is well known as a religious country where practically the citizens belong to one form of religion or the other unfortunately, the degrees of religious practces have not transformed into quality social, political, and economic lives for the people in terms of good governance, better standard of living, high ethical standards among others. It is descriptive research done as an exploratory paper in a mixed-method approach where some research questions were answered. Since ethical standards are predicated on simply knowing and doing what is good in doing to others what you will want done to you, people who claim to be religious as Nigerians should do better in this regard and many more given their faith. The effort to achieve this social rebirth can be achieved through social- entrepreneurship efforts this paper is advocating.
The beneficial medicinal effects of plant materials typically result from the secondary products present in the plant although, it is usually not attributed to a single compound but a combination of the metabolites. The medicinal actions of plants are unique to a particular plant species or group, consistent with the concept that the combination of secondary products in a particular plant is taxonomically distinct.The screening of plants usually involves several approach; ethno botanical approach is one of the common methods that are employed in choosing the plant for pharmacological study. In the present review paper, antimicrobial properties of various medicinal plants were reviewed. The present review deals with the antibacterial activity of various medicinal plants.
The purpose of this study was to find out the effects of yoga practices on selected physiological parameters of Bharathidasan University inter-collegiate men Football players. The study was conducted on thirty Football players from various colleges who have participated in Bharathidasan University Tiruchirappalli, Thanjavur Divisional tournaments 2019-2020. Subjects were randomly assigned equally into two groups, Group –I underwent yogic practices group (n=15) and group II (n=15) acted as control group. Resting pulse rate, Breath holding time and Cardio respiratory endurance were selected as creation variables. The training programme was restricted to 12 weeks and the number of session was 3 days per week. Resting pulse rate was assessed by Radial pulse method, Breath holding time was assessed by Manuel method and Cardio Respiratory Endurance was assessed by Cooper’s 12 minutes run/walk test. The data was collected from the experimental and Control Groups before and after the 8 weeks of training programme were statically examined with Analysis of covariance (ANCOVA). Resting Pulse Rate, Breath Holding Time and Cardio Respiratory Endurance showed significant difference between the groups.
The aim of the paper is to evaluate the association of organic farming to strengthen the sustainability of organic agriculture. Organic agriculture shows abundant benefits, as it reduces many of the environmental impacts of conventional agriculture, it can increase efficiency in small farmers’ fields, and it reduces reliance on costly external inputs, and guarantees price premiums for organic products. Organic farmers also profit from farmer cooperative and the formation of social networks, which enhances good access to instruction, credit and welfare services. This paper brings out how the function of organic farming contributes for the sustainable practices and improving environment conservation, animal welfare, and product quality.
Pharmacists are expected to play major roles as members of diverse perioperative care teams besides implementing medication safety standards, pharmacist’s roles include optimizing drug therapy and other clinical interventions. Yet, developing general perioperative management as another crucial role operation room, pharmacists play and incorporating it into pharmaceutical education would be important. Enriching perioperative care provided by pharmacists can contribute toward improving the clinical competence of these professionals. Presently, there are no pharmacists in Zawia who participate in perioperative care. The objective of this study was to assess the pharmacist's knowledge of general anesthesia and drugs used to anesthetize patients who suffer from hypertension. A cross-sectional study was conducted in Zawia City, Tripoli in 2023. A self-designed questionnaire was distributed to 100 pharmacists. The study found that more than half of the pharmacists have humble knowledge about the drugs used in anesthesia, the findings indicated weakness in their information about drugs used to manage hypertension in surgery, and 36.0% know that sodium nitroprusside is used to control blood pressure during the operation. In conclusion, this study reported that some of the study's pharmacist participants had weak points that contributed to a high percentage of incorrect knowledge. These weak points may be attributable to poor educational preparation or a lack of training before the pharmacists began working in hospitals.
Mediterranean journal of pharmacy and pharmaceutical sciences
Rasa aushadhis are known for their uniqueness in curing the diseases with a very low dosage. These formulations are divided into two types based on their mode of preparation i.e., Single drug and Compound drug formulations. Based on their origin, the drugs are divided into three types, Herbal, Mineral and Animal. Any of these two or three together is combined to make a compound formulation. Apart from these, the other major factor which is needed for a formulation is the Rasa Panchaka of a Drug. Many of the formulations are being prepared based on their availability, keeping their Rasa Panchaka and Samprapti vighatana in mind. These formulations are designed in such a way that two or more drugs will be having one common quality, or Opposite Qualities or an Antidote of a particular Vishadravya, which can help in curing the disease. So an attempt is made to Review Tribhuvanakeerti Rasa with its Probable mode of action.
Diabetes mellitus is the most common health disorder and one of the leading causes of death. It is such a sort of disorder in which the patients are at all the time on risk of complications. Numerous investigations discovered that oxidative stress plays an important role in the development of vascular complications in diabetes particularly type 2. There are several chemically induced animal models of type 1 diabetes mellitus. The most common chemicals used to generate type 1 diabetes mellitus animals are alloxan and streptozotocin. Alloxan is added to food materials, especially to the all-purpose flour (maida) to bring softness and white color to the flour. Hence, consuming foodstuffs made from this flour can lead to diabetes mellitus. Measuring the concentration of alloxan in the blood of children with type 1 diabetes. 45 volunteers (children 5-15years) in this study. 15 healthy and 30 patients with diabetes mellitus (females: 53.0%, and males: 47.0%). Venous blood was taken from the elbow vein and transferred as soon as possible into deproteinization solution without any contact with oxygen. Average blood levels of alloxan are determined by the Archibald spectrophotometric method. The mean level of alloxan between healthy and diabetic groups statistically is insignificant (Median=0.458) and diabetic group (Median=0.806). Low-carbohydrate diet low adherence diabetics (46.6%, median=1.91), low- carbohydrate diet moderate adherence diabetics (26.6%, median=0.89), low-carbohydrate diet high adherence diabetics (26.6%, median=0.1). The findings indicate that the alloxan level is higher in healthy people compared to diabetic volunteers whose follow a low-carbohydrate diet, in addition to the reducing of their pastry intake.
Mediterranean journal of pharmacy and pharmaceutical sciences
Elephantopus scaber L., a medicinal plant from Myanmar, was studied to evaluate its biological activity. The activity of antimicrobial assessment showed that ethyl acetate extract exhibited moderate activity in contrast to all six tested organisms. Using the 2,2-Diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) free radical scavenging assay with ascorbic acid as standard for antioxidant activity showed that ethyl acetate extract possessed 36.28 μg/mL. The in vivo antidiabetic activity with glipizide, as a standard hypoglycemic agent was employed to determine antidiabetic activity. The data parameter under observation for Elephantopus scaber L. reaches its peak at 135 min, with a 39.0% reduction. No toxic behavior was observed at the limited tested concentrations (2000 mg/kg and 5000 mg/kg) and it suggested a favorable safety profile.
Mediterranean journal of pharmacy and pharmaceutical sciences
This report discusses the leadership and management functions by examining their definitions, roles, and characteristics. Besides, the differences are identified, culminating in a discussion of the skills associated with each function.
Ethanol extract of Luffa cylindrica (L.) Roem. Fruit peel was evaluated for antiemetic and anti-inflammatory effects using the chick emesis model and carrageenan-induced rat paw edema. The antiemetic effect was observed at 150 mg /kg body weight whereas the anti-inflammatory effect was observed at doses of 500, 750 and 1000 mg /kg body weight orally. Chlorpromazine 150mg/kg and indomethacin 10mg/kg orally were used as standard anti-emetic and anti-inflammatory drugs. The anti-emetic effect was determined by calculating the mean decrease in the number of retchings compared to those of the control group after 10 minutes of copper sulfate (50mg/kg orally) administration. The degree of paw oedema of all the groups was measured using a plethysmometer at the 5th hour of carrageenan (1% w/v) administration. The extract exhibited statistically significant anti-emetic (P< 0.001) and anti-inflammatory (P< 0.05) effects.
The subjective experience of consciousness, a cornerstone of human existence, is profoundly disrupted in disorders of consciousness (DOC) arising from severe brain injuries, spanning-states from coma to the minimally conscious state. A significant challenge in clinical practice is the phenomenon of covert consciousness, in which individuals may retain awareness despite the absence of overt behavioral responsiveness. Diagnosis based solely on observable behavior is inherently limited by factors such as co-occurring motor impairments, the fluctuating nature of consciousness, and subjective interpretation, potentially leading to misclassification. To overcome these limitations, neuroscientific methodologies have advanced significantly. To address these limitations, neuroscientific methods have advanced considerably. Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) and positron emission tomography (PET) provide objective evidence of preserved brain activity and cognitive processing, enabling detection of willful modulation and offering prognostic insight. Electrophysiological techniques—including electroencephalography (EEG), event-related potentials (ERPs), transcranial magnetic stimulation combined with EEG (TMS-EEG), and advanced downstate analysis—further reveal dynamic neural patterns indicative of residual awareness. The detection of covert consciousness has profound ethical, clinical, and societal implications. It necessitates a re-examination of patient rights, end-of-life decision-making, the use of brain-computer interfaces, and societal conceptions of personhood. This evolving understanding mandates a shift towards integrating objective neuroscientific assessments with compassionate, person-centered care, aiming to preserve dignity and navigate the complex ethical landscape of severe brain injury.
The share of renewable energy share in India's energy mix of India has been increasing recently owing to the promotion and implementation of various government policies that promote the use of renewable sources of energy, depleting fossil fuel levels, increasing fuel prices, and stringent laws for emission reduction worldwide. The increase in the use of solar-evacuated-tube-collector-based domestic water heating is the result of this transition from conventional to nonconventional sources of energy. The recent urban agglomeration is challenging to install these solar water heaters in every household because the roof space is limited. Space reduction can be achieved by reducing the collector area by varying the diameter of the evacuated tubes. This study used a single tube and tank arrangement model with a fixed inclination to achieve a thermosyphon effect in a solar water heating system with three different diameter configurations of 48 mm, 54 mm, and 72 mm, with a tube measuring 1800 mm in length. Thermal assessment of the thermosyphon-based evacuated tube-solar water heater using the ANSYS CFD simulation software involves measuring the temperature at three different positions in the tank to study the thermosyphon initialization. This study signifies that the 72-mm-diameter evacuated tube is more capable of initializing the thermosyphon effect in the system. Nevertheless, the final temperature of the system is better achieved in the 48-mm-diameter evacuated tube
Will discuss how the German giant Lidl plans to take expansionary steps in a Mexican or Norwegian market to add to its success records in the European and North American markets. Lidl began modestly in 1973 with a small shop that runs three members and offers 500 products to 10,500 stores in 29 countries. Lidl has many pros, plus the disadvantages to consider when evaluating the components available in each country, both the pros and cons of this analysis will be reviewed using PESTLE, five- force models, internal value-activities, international business being able to. Accordingly, the next targeted expansion decision will be made.