15 research outputs found
Determinants of Quality of Life in Women living with Breast Cancer in Southwest Nigeria
No full textBackground: The quality of life (QOL) among women with breast cancer is hampered in areas of social, emotional, and sexual functioning and this could persist even years after treatment. It is an important parameter for monitoring disease progression at the early stage. Hence, this study aimed to determine the factors associated with the overall quality of life among subjects living with breast cancer.
Methods: The study was a comparative cross-sectional design conducted among women with breast cancer attending the General Surgical Outpatient clinic of LAUTECH Teaching Hospital Ogbomoso and a comparison group of age-matched control. The instrument used include the World Health Organization Quality of Life-BREF and socio-demographic and clinical variable questionnaire in 240 interviewer-administered questionnaires. Data were analyzed using SPSS version 21. A P-value of less than 0.05 was taken as statistically significant. The predictors of overall QOL were analyzed using a binary logistic regression.
Results: All QOL domain scores were significantly higher among controls than in subjects with breast cancer. ρ-value = 0.001. Level of education and duration of diagnosis had a statistically significant association with the overall quality of life, P-value< 0.05. Respondents who attained a tertiary level of education were 0.040 times less likely to have a poor quality of life compared to respondents that were not educated (P-value= 0.038) and the odds of having a poor overall quality of life decreased with duration since diagnosis P-value= 0.049.
Conclusion: Our study shows that women with breast cancer experience a lower QOL, especially in the physical, psychological and social domains than women without the disease. Also, the level of education, employment and marital status, and duration since diagnosis were major factors influencing QOL. Assessment of QOL is an important metric that should be incorporated into the breast cancer treatment program.</jats:p
Trafficking in Nigerian Cultural Antiquities: A Criminological Perspective
No full textAntiquity trafficking has over time remained at the margin of criminological discourse in Nigeria. This silence from the criminological lens is, however, not an indication that the country is immune from the criminal activities of antiquity traffickers, but rather, it is a reflection of the common belief that this form of criminality is less rampant in Nigeria. This paper therefore examines the nature, causes, consequences and the control of the problem of illicit trafficking in the Nigerian cultural antiquities. Author adopts Cohen and Felson’s (1979) routine activity theory of crime to explain indices that formed the interplay of antiquity trafficking in the country. The author contends that factors promoting this form of crime are multidimensional, and this criminal practice has long-term negative effect on the Nigerian cultural history. A comprehensive plan of action is advocated as a practical step to effectively tackle this problem
The Imperative of Information Literacy in the Digital Age: Challenges and Solutions
No full textIn the rapidly evolving digital landscape, the ability to critically evaluate, manage, and utiliseinformation effectively including an understanding of the ethical issues related to informationhas become an essential skill. This paper,through the review of literature, discusses the growingimportance of information literacy in the digital age, emphasising its role in enablingindividuals to navigate the overwhelming abundance of online content effectively. The paperdiscusses several important issues, such as the critical role of information in fosteringinteraction due to the increased information flows between parties, both individuals andorganisations, the abundant information choices, the direct correlation between a country\u27sinformation wealth and its material prosperity and the long term effect of information on societyand the economy.It discusses the growth of the digital platforms,its role in facilitating so manyof our everyday tasks,the inability to guarantee the reliability, accuracy, or quality ofinformation found online, its pervasive role in the transmission of false information and theinadequacy of AI systems.It discusses the concept of information literacy, its importance inpreparing people for lifelong learning and a democratic society; its role in promoting economicgrowth, education, health, and human services, among other facets of modern societies, anditscontribution to the competitive advantage of individuals, businesses, regions and countries. Thepaper also discusses the role of education in inculcating information literacy, the need for itsinclusion in the curriculum, and for collaboration among the stakeholders. It discusses thechallenges and the strategies for promoting information literacy,the need for institutions,government agencies and organisations to create policies that incorporate and encourageinformation literacy, offering support through provision of facilities and supportiveenvironment, and stressing the value of information literacy while specifying methods to beemployed in teaching and engaging students. By addressing these issues, the author hopes topromote digital fairness, strengthen the information society, and enable people and communitiesto make wise decisions. In order to guarantee ethical and sustainable use of the digital world,this paper emphasises how vital it is to incorporate information literacy into the educationalsystems
EMD-Based Amplify Quantized and Forward Cooperative Relaying Technique for Wireless Communication System
No full textWireless communication system is crucial to telecommunications infrastructure and has played an essential role in national growth. However, the system's performance is hindered by multipath propagation, which has negatively impact in its performance. Amplify Quantized and Forward (AQF) cooperative relaying technique is ineffective because signal quality is degraded by amplification and blockages during transmission from the relay to the destination. Hence, an EMD-based AQF cooperative relaying for wireless communication system is proposed to enhance the existing AQF. The relays responsible for sending data to the second hub were determined by the multiple relay selection process. The selected relays processed the signal by passing it through EMD and amplifying it with the relay gain. Subsequently, the boosted signal was uniformly quantized at the relay nodes before its final send-off to the destination in the second transmission phase. The results showed that the proposed EMD-AQF technique outperformed the existing AQF, achieving a 74.5% reduction in bit error rate and a 65.8% increase in throughput
Empirical Mode Decomposition Based Amplify and Forward Technique for Cooperative Cognitive Radio System
No full textThe rapid growth in the mobile industry due to increase in number of users accessing diverse services causes a high demand for radio spectrum. Nonetheless, the radio spectrum allocated for different wireless communication services is restricted. Cooperative Cognitive Radio (CCR) technique with Amplify and Forward (AF) relaying protocol used to address the problem suffers from noise amplification resulting in poor reception at the destination. Hence, in this paper, Empirical Mode Decomposition (EMD) based AF technique for CCR system was carried out to improve the performance of the existing CCR with AF relaying protocol. The transmitted signal from Primary User (PU) was received at the Secondary User (SU) where SU superimposed its own signal using Exclusive OR (XOR) rule. The combined signal from XOR was made to pass through EMD and amplified using AF by multiplying with the relay gain. The amplified signal was radiated to PU and SU receivers during the second hop transmission. The multiple copies of the receive signal at the SU receiver at different number of path (L = 2, 4) were combined at destination using Maximal Ratio Combiner (MRC). Mathematical expression for Bit Error Rate (BER) and Throughput (TP) were derived using the Probability Density Function (PDF) of the Nakagami-m fading distribution. Extensive simulations using MATLAB R2021a were employed to assess the effectiveness of the proposed technique and evaluated using BER and TP by comparing with the existing AF CCR. The EMD based AF technique proposed gave better performance with 75.2% reduction in BER and 21.86% increase in TP over the existing AF technique for CCR. The proposed technique can be deployed to improve the performance of cooperative cognitive radio system
Empirical Mode Decomposition Based Amplify and Forward Technique for Cooperative Cognitive Radio System
No full textThe rapid growth in the mobile industry due to increase in number of users accessing diverse services causes a high demand for radio spectrum. Nonetheless, the radio spectrum allocated for different wireless communication services is restricted. Cooperative Cognitive Radio (CCR) technique with Amplify and Forward (AF) relaying protocol used to address the problem suffers from noise amplification resulting in poor reception at the destination. Hence, in this paper, Empirical Mode Decomposition (EMD) based AF technique for CCR system was carried out to improve the performance of the existing CCR with AF relaying protocol. The transmitted signal from Primary User (PU) was received at the Secondary User (SU) where SU superimposed its own signal using Exclusive OR (XOR) rule. The combined signal from XOR was made to pass through EMD and amplified using AF by multiplying with the relay gain. The amplified signal was radiated to PU and SU receivers during the second hop transmission. The multiple copies of the receive signal at the SU receiver at different number of path (L = 2, 4) were combined at destination using Maximal Ratio Combiner (MRC). Mathematical expression for Bit Error Rate (BER) and Throughput (TP) were derived using the Probability Density Function (PDF) of the Nakagami-m fading distribution. Extensive simulations using MATLAB R2021a were employed to assess the effectiveness of the proposed technique and evaluated using BER and TP by comparing with the existing AF CCR. The EMD based AF technique proposed gave better performance with 75.2% reduction in BER and 21.86% increase in TP over the existing AF technique for CCR. The proposed technique can be deployed to improve the performance of cooperative cognitive radio system
Childhood cerebral malaria: Pattern of biochemical parameters and clinical outcome in a Nigerian tertiary hospital
No full textBackground: The outcome of children with cerebral malaria involves an interplay of factors including clinical and biochemical parameters, a deep knowledge of these laboratory biochemical parameters is essential. Thus, this study aimed to assess the pattern of the biochemical parameters in children with cerebral malaria and how it may affect the clinical outcomes. Methods: A prospective observational cohort study among fifty subjects at the children's emergency unit. The participants were children aged 6 months to 12 years admitted with a history of fever and altered sensorium, demonstrable malaria parasite in the blood film and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) analysis not suggestive of central nervous system (CNS) infections. Detailed history was taken with thorough examinations of each child. Samples were collected for malaria parasites, serum electrolytes, urea, creatinine, and blood glucose values. The clinical outcomes were correlated with the analyte levels. Results: 60 % of the children survived without any sequelae with the highest proportion (70 %) of survivors being children above five years. Children with hypoglycemia had a 3.5-fold higher risk of poor outcomes and this is statistically significant (RR = 3.65 p = 0.014). Hyperkalaemia was significantly associated with poor outcomes (RR = 2.57, p = 0.009). Subjects with hypochloraemia had three times the risk of poor outcome and mortality with statistically significant association (RR = 3.07, χ2 = 8.519, p = 0.004). There was a significant association between metabolic acidosis and poor clinical outcome. (RR = 1.99, χ2 = 4.089, p = 0.043). The parasite density was significantly associated with the serum bicarbonate (HCO3−) and Chloride, p-value < 0.05. Conclusion: Hypoglycaemia, hyperkalemia, hypochloremia and metabolic acidosis were significantly associated with poor outcomes, thus, good predictors of clinical outcomes in children diagnosed with cerebral malaria. Periodic evaluation and monitoring of these parameters is essential for prompt intervention to forestall devastating outcomes
Patterns of coagulation profiles observed in different trimesters of pregnancy
No full textBackground: The risk of venous thromboembolic events (VTE) is high during pregnancy due to both physiologic changes in pregnancy and the impact of inherited and acquired thrombophilia. Protein S (PS), Protein C (PC) and Antithrombin III (ATIII) deficiencies have been found in some pregnant women with recurrent miscarriages and sudden maternal death. This study aimed to determine the changes in the level of plasma protein C, protein S and antithrombin III levels, its correlation with normal pregnancy.
Methods: The study was a comparative cross-sectional study conducted among seventy-five normal pregnant women who were selected using a simple random sampling technique with seventy-five age-matched healthy nonpregnant women. Blood samples were collected for analysis of protein C, protein S and antithrombin III using the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay method. A semi-structured questionnaire was used as the survey instrument and Statistical analysis of data was done using SPSS version 24.
Results: The mean ages of the respondents were 32.6±4.6 and 34.5±6.9 years for the subjects and controls respectively. Natural coagulation inhibitors (NCI) show a gradual decrease across the trimesters of pregnancy. There was a statistical significance in the level of antithrombin III and protein S in the first trimester, p<0.05. When compared with the control of protein S of 4.78±0.65 ng/ml and antithrombin III of 554.16±54.65 ng/mL respectively.
Conclusions: It was demonstrated that there was an accompanying reduction of NCI across the trimester compared with the controls. Antithrombin III and protein S have a significant relationship with the gestation periods. Antithrombin III decreased as pregnancy advanced while protein S decreased significantly from the first trimester to the second trimester and was maintained at that level throughout the pregnancy
Relationship between Burnout, Cardiovascular Risk Factors, and Inflammatory Markers: A Protocol for Scoping Review
No full textBackground: Burnout is increasingly being recognized as a contributory factor to the erosion of a positive psychological state. Studies have examined the relationship between burnout and various inflammatory markers such as IL-1, IL-6, and TNF-alpha. Burnout is also associated with increased systemic inflammation along a continuum of symptom severity. This protocol is for a scoping review looking at the link between burnout, inflammatory markers, and cardiovascular risks or diseases. Methods: This study will be based on the preferred reporting items for systematic reviews and meta-analyses guidelines/checklists and the report of the review will be based on the same guideline. The study seeks to address the following principal questions. (i) What are the relevant inflammatory biomarkers that mediate cardiovascular risk factors in burnout? (ii) How do inflammatory biomarkers mediate cardiovascular risk factors in burnout? The outputs obtained from the literature search will be deduplicated using the Rayyan software. Results: We would create table summaries of findings to inform a narrative synthesis of the evidence from the papers included. Conclusion: The review article would help to concisely synthesize the available evidence on the relationship between burnout, inflammatory markers, and cardiovascular diseases
The relationship between burnout, cardiovascular risk factors and inflammatory markers among resident doctors in Nigeria
No full textObjectives: The aim of the study was to examine the relationship between burnout, cardiovascular risk factors and inflammatory markers among a sample of resident doctors in Nigeria. Methods: This study adopted a cross-sectional design, and it investigated 203 resident doctors from two tertiary hospitals in Oyo State, South-Western Nigeria. Data on the participants’ sociodemographic characteristics, cardiovascular risk profile, burnout status (using the Maslach Burnout Inventory Human Services Survey tool) were collected. The collected data were analysed using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) version 23 software. For all tests, a two-sided p-value < 0.05 was considered significant. Results: This study found that dyslipidemia (77.3%), hypertension (15.8%), obesity (11.8%) and diabetes mellitus (10.3%) were the most common cardiovascular risks among the study participants, with no significant difference across genders. The prevalence of burnout was 38.9%. Depression was strongly associated with burnout, with a significant correlation between Beck’s depression inventory and Maslach burnout inventory subdomains. No traditional cardiovascular risk factors were significantly associated with burnout, except for depression, a nontraditional cardiovascular risk factor. The correlation between Beck’s depression inventory and the subdomains of Maslach burnout inventory was also significant (emotional exhaustion: p < 0.0001, depersonalization: p < 0.0001, and personal accomplishment: p < 0.006). Conclusion: The interplay between burnout, cardiovascular risk factors, and mental health conditions which has significant consequences for resident doctors' well-being and future health risks was established in this study. Addressing burnout and its cardiovascular potential implications is crucial for this population's health and overall healthcare costs.</p
