Emerging issues in African trade and trade finance
In: Proceedings of Meetings of Afreximbank's Advisory Group on Trade Finance and Export Development in Africa, Part 3
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In: Proceedings of Meetings of Afreximbank's Advisory Group on Trade Finance and Export Development in Africa, Part 3
World Affairs Online
In: International family planning perspectives, Band 24, Heft 4, S. 156
ISSN: 1943-4154
In: Ecotoxicology and environmental safety: EES ; official journal of the International Society of Ecotoxicology and Environmental safety, Band 166, S. 165-175
ISSN: 1090-2414
In: Journal of the International AIDS Society, Band 25, Heft S1
ISSN: 1758-2652
AbstractIntroductionTransgender men and women in Nigeria experience many barriers in accessing HIV prevention and treatment services, particularly given the environment of transphobia (including harassment, violence and discrimination) and punitive laws in the country. HIV epidemic control in Nigeria requires improving access to and quality of HIV services for key populations at high risk, including transgender men and women. We assessed how stigma influences HIV services for transgender people in Lagos, Nigeria.MethodsIn‐depth interviews (IDIs) and focus group discussions were conducted with transgender men (n = 13) and transgender women (n = 25); IDIs were conducted with community service organization (CSO) staff (n = 8) and healthcare providers from CSO clinics and public health facilities (n = 10) working with the transgender population in March 2021 in Lagos. Content analysis was used to identify how stigma influences transgender people's experiences with HIV services.Results and discussionThree main findings emerged. First, gender identity disclosure is challenging due to anticipated stigma experienced by transgender persons and fear of legal repercussions. Fear of being turned in to authorities was a major barrier to disclose to providers in facilities not affiliated with a transgender‐inclusive clinic. Providers also reported difficulty in eliciting information about the client's gender identity. Second, respondents reported lack of sensitivity among providers about gender identity and conflation of transgender men with lesbian women and transgender women with being gay or men who have sex with men, the latter being more of a common occurrence. Transgender participants also reported feeling disrespected when providers were not sensitive to their pronoun of preference. Third, HIV services that are not transgender‐inclusive and gender‐affirming can reinforce stigma. Both transgender men and women spoke about experiencing stigma and being refused HIV services, especially in mainstream public health facilities, as opposed to transgender‐inclusive CSO clinics.ConclusionsThis study highlights how stigma impedes access to appropriate HIV services for transgender men and women, which can have a negative impact along the HIV care continuum. There is a need for transgender‐inclusive HIV services and competency trainings for healthcare providers so that transgender clients can receive appropriate and gender‐affirming HIV services.
The world is facing an unprecedented public health challenge with the COVID-19 pandemic; this has necessitated numerous efforts being deployed by governments, health agencies and individual institutions – including in the biobanking community – to develop effective tests, toolkits, treatments and vaccines to stem its spread and help fight it. To achieve this goal, the collection, analysis and timely sharing of samples and related data becomes instrumental in collective global research efforts. Aligned to these efforts is the prevalence for automated data processing and digital technologies such as location data and contact tracing applications as part of the toolkits. In this respect, biobanks are important infrastructures for access to these samples and data. Besides availability, quality and technical infrastructures, also ethical, legal and societal issues (ELSI) are particularly crucial in this regard. Public health ethics, personal data protection, ethics of data sharing, protection of consent and vulnerability as well as compliance issues within international data sharing have gained urgency in COVID-19 research. Against this backdrop, BBMRI-ERIC ELSI Services & Research held a webinar that took a closer look at these issues. The webinar took place on April 24th, 2020; the recording is available here. This document not only answers the questions posed during the webinar but ventures into much detail on the topics raised as a result. It also showcases two examples from Germany (presented by Prof. Roland Jahns) and Italy (presented by Prof. Marialuisa Lavitrano), as well as a detailed commentary on contact-tracing-apps from a legal perspective (presented by Gauthier Chassang). The document thus lays the foundation for further discussion on ELSI and COVID-19 in the context of biobanking.
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World Affairs Online
This study was carried out to investigate the quality and safety status of traditional smoked of fish from Lagos State, Nigeria. Fresh fish samples (100) (Silver catfish, Spotted tilapia, Bonga shad, Nigerian tongue sole and Guinea barracuda) were collected from twenty fishing/processing centres from Badagry and Epe Local Government Areas of Lagos State, Nigeria. The samples were divided into two batches, one batch was smoked with drum kiln and the second batch was taken to the laboratory for analysis. Laboratory analyses were carried out on the two batches for: proximate (protein, fat, moisture, crude fibre, and ash), quality indices (peroxide value PV, thiobarbituric acid TBA, total nitrogen base-nitrogen TVB-N, trimethylamine acid TMA, free fatty acid FFA and pH), heavy metals and microbiological (coliform, fuugi, listeria monocytogenes salmonella paratyphi and staphylococcus aureus). The results of the proximate, quality and microbiological analyses revealed that there was significant variations (p<0.05). The mean moisture content of fresh fish samples ranged from 73.48% – 75.94% and that of smoked fish samples ranged from 11.86% - 13.41%. The mean protein content of fresh fish samples ranged from 15.18% – 17.96% and that of smoked fish samples ranged from 54.80% – 59.35%. An inverse relationship was observed between the moisture and protein content in the smoked fish samples. The study showed that smoking affects quality and significantly (P<0.05) reduced the moisture content of smoked fish and the quality indices such as FFA, TBA and PV. The study concluded that the levels of the four heavy metals investigated in the fish samples are generally below the maximum permissible levels set by World Health Organization for Pb (0.3 ppm); Cd (0.2 ppm), Hg (0.2 ppm) and Cr (0.5 ppm) and hence pose no risk to smoked fish consumers. However, samples of smoked fish showed presence of Listeria monocytogenes which may constitute a threat to public health.
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In: Substance use & misuse: an international interdisciplinary forum, Band 57, Heft 2, S. 167-174
ISSN: 1532-2491
In: EFSA supporting publications, Band 20, Heft 5
ISSN: 2397-8325
In: Texte 2023, 150
In: Ressortforschungsplan des Bundesministeriums für Umwelt, Naturschutz, nukleare Sicherheit und Verbraucherschutz
Im Rahmen des Projektes werden im Wesentlichen die Bereiche vernetztes und automatisiertes Fahren sowie Veränderungen und Trends in Konsum und Produktion beleuchtet. Basierend auf einer breiten Datenbasis werden anhand von Modellen die Wirkungen der Digitalisierungstrends abgebildet und deren ökologische Effekte deutschlandweit abgeschätzt. Das Forschungsprojekt "Digitalisierung im Verkehr - Potentiale und Risiken für Umwelt und Klima" identifiziert verschiedenste Einflüsse der Digitalisierung, wie z.B. vernetztes und automatisiertes Fahren, auf den Ablauf des Verkehrs und die Marktdruchdringung sowie sich ändernde Nachfragestrukturen, sowohl im Personen- als auch im Güterverkehr. Ausgehend von diesen Einflüssen werden anhand von Modellen die zu erwartenden Auswirkungen auf den Personen- und Güterverkehr, den Verkehrsfluss und die damit verbundenen Emissionen quantifiziert. So können Rückschlüsse auf die Effekte auf Umwelt und Klima gezogen werden. Die methodische Bearbeitung des Forschungsprojekts umfasst strukturierte Literaturrecherchen und -analysen, qualitative Experteninterviews sowie Verkehrsnachfragemodellierungen auf makroskopischer und mikroskopischer Ebene. Insbesondere wird ein Berechnungsinstrument zur Bilanzierung der verkehrlichen und ökologischen Effekte des physischen Einkaufsverkehrs, der Online-Bestellungen des PrivatkundInnensegments und des Lieferverkehrs in Deutschland entwickelt. Die ökologischen Auswirkungen der Veränderungen im Verkehr (Routenwahl, Transportmittelwahl und Verkehrsaufkommen), die durch die Zunahme der Digitalisierung verursacht werden, werden mit dem Emissionsberechnungsmodell TREMOD abgeschätzt.
In: Bulletin of the World Health Organization: the international journal of public health = Bulletin de l'Organisation Mondiale de la Santé, Band 96, Heft 3, S. 222-224
ISSN: 1564-0604
With the target date for the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) behind us, this book asks did they work? And what happens next? Arguing that to effectively look forward, we must first look back, the editors of this insightful book gather leading scholars and practitioners from a range of backgrounds and regions to provide an in-depth exploration of the MDG project and its impact. Contributors use region-specific case studies to explore the effectiveness of the MDGs in addressing the root causes of poverty, including resource geographies, early childhood development and education, women's rights and disability rights as well as the impact of the global financial crisis and Arab Spring on MDG attainment. Providing a critical assessment that seeks to inform future policy decisions, the book will be valuable to those working in the development community as well as to academics and students of international development, international relations and development economics
Background Surgery is the main modality of cure for solid cancers and was prioritised to continue during COVID-19 outbreaks. This study aimed to identify immediate areas for system strengthening by comparing the delivery of elective cancer surgery during the COVID-19 pandemic in periods of lockdown versus light restriction. Methods This international, prospective, cohort study enrolled 20 006 adult (≥18 years) patients from 466 hospitals in 61 countries with 15 cancer types, who had a decision for curative surgery during the COVID-19 pandemic and were followed up until the point of surgery or cessation of follow-up (Aug 31, 2020). Average national Oxford COVID-19 Stringency Index scores were calculated to define the government response to COVID-19 for each patient for the period they awaited surgery, and classified into light restrictions (index 60). The primary outcome was the non-operation rate (defined as the proportion of patients who did not undergo planned surgery). Cox proportional-hazards regression models were used to explore the associations between lockdowns and non-operation. Intervals from diagnosis to surgery were compared across COVID-19 government response index groups. This study was registered at ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT04384926. Findings Of eligible patients awaiting surgery, 2003 (10·0%) of 20 006 did not receive surgery after a median follow-up of 23 weeks (IQR 16–30), all of whom had a COVID-19-related reason given for non-operation. Light restrictions were associated with a 0·6% non-operation rate (26 of 4521), moderate lockdowns with a 5·5% rate (201 of 3646; adjusted hazard ratio [HR] 0·81, 95% CI 0·77–0·84; p<0·0001), and full lockdowns with a 15·0% rate (1775 of 11 827; HR 0·51, 0·50–0·53; p<0·0001). In sensitivity analyses, including adjustment for SARS-CoV-2 case notification rates, moderate lockdowns (HR 0·84, 95% CI 0·80–0·88; p<0·001), and full lockdowns (0·57, 0·54–0·60; p<0·001), remained independently associated with non-operation. Surgery beyond 12 weeks from diagnosis in patients without neoadjuvant therapy increased during lockdowns (374 [9·1%] of 4521 in light restrictions, 317 [10·4%] of 3646 in moderate lockdowns, 2001 [23·8%] of 11 827 in full lockdowns), although there were no differences in resectability rates observed with longer delays. Interpretation Cancer surgery systems worldwide were fragile to lockdowns, with one in seven patients who were in regions with full lockdowns not undergoing planned surgery and experiencing longer preoperative delays. Although short-term oncological outcomes were not compromised in those selected for surgery, delays and non-operations might lead to long-term reductions in survival. During current and future periods of societal restriction, the resilience of elective surgery systems requires strengthening, which might include protected elective surgical pathways and long-term investment in surge capacity for acute care during public health emergencies to protect elective staff and services. Funding National Institute for Health Research Global Health Research Unit, Association of Coloproctology of Great Britain and Ireland, Bowel and Cancer Research, Bowel Disease Research Foundation, Association of Upper Gastrointestinal Surgeons, British Association of Surgical Oncology, British Gynaecological Cancer Society, European Society of Coloproctology, Medtronic, Sarcoma UK, The Urology Foundation, Vascular Society for Great Britain and Ireland, and Yorkshire Cancer Research.
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Background Surgery is the main modality of cure for solid cancers and was prioritised to continue during COVID-19 outbreaks. This study aimed to identify immediate areas for system strengthening by comparing the delivery of elective cancer surgery during the COVID-19 pandemic in periods of lockdown versus light restriction. Methods This international, prospective, cohort study enrolled 20 006 adult (≥18 years) patients from 466 hospitals in 61 countries with 15 cancer types, who had a decision for curative surgery during the COVID-19 pandemic and were followed up until the point of surgery or cessation of follow-up (Aug 31, 2020). Average national Oxford COVID-19 Stringency Index scores were calculated to define the government response to COVID-19 for each patient for the period they awaited surgery, and classified into light restrictions (index 60). The primary outcome was the non-operation rate (defined as the proportion of patients who did not undergo planned surgery). Cox proportional-hazards regression models were used to explore the associations between lockdowns and non-operation. Intervals from diagnosis to surgery were compared across COVID-19 government response index groups. This study was registered at ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT04384926. Findings Of eligible patients awaiting surgery, 2003 (10·0%) of 20 006 did not receive surgery after a median follow-up of 23 weeks (IQR 16–30), all of whom had a COVID-19-related reason given for non-operation. Light restrictions were associated with a 0·6% non-operation rate (26 of 4521), moderate lockdowns with a 5·5% rate (201 of 3646; adjusted hazard ratio [HR] 0·81, 95% CI 0·77–0·84; p<0·0001), and full lockdowns with a 15·0% rate (1775 of 11 827; HR 0·51, 0·50–0·53; p<0·0001). In sensitivity analyses, including adjustment for SARS-CoV-2 case notification rates, moderate lockdowns (HR 0·84, 95% CI 0·80–0·88; p<0·001), and full lockdowns (0·57, 0·54–0·60; p<0·001), remained independently associated with non-operation. Surgery beyond 12 weeks from diagnosis in patients without neoadjuvant therapy increased during lockdowns (374 [9·1%] of 4521 in light restrictions, 317 [10·4%] of 3646 in moderate lockdowns, 2001 [23·8%] of 11827 in full lockdowns), although there were no differences in resectability rates observed with longer delays. Interpretation Cancer surgery systems worldwide were fragile to lockdowns, with one in seven patients who were in regions with full lockdowns not undergoing planned surgery and experiencing longer preoperative delays. Although short-term oncological outcomes were not compromised in those selected for surgery, delays and non-operations might lead to long-term reductions in survival. During current and future periods of societal restriction, the resilience of elective surgery systems requires strengthening, which might include protected elective surgical pathways and long- term investment in surge capacity for acute care during public health emergencies to protect elective staff and services. Funding National Institute for Health Research Global Health Research Unit, Association of Coloproctology of Great Britain and Ireland, Bowel and Cancer Research, Bowel Disease Research Foundation, Association of Upper Gastrointestinal Surgeons, British Association of Surgical Oncology, British Gynaecological Cancer Society, European Society of Coloproctology, Medtronic, Sarcoma UK, The Urology Foundation, Vascular Society for Great Britain and Ireland, and Yorkshire Cancer Research.
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