Enhancing health policymakers' information literacy knowledge and skill for policymaking on control of infectious diseases of poverty in Nigeria

Background

In Nigeria, one of the major challenges associated with evidence-to-policy link in the control of infectious diseases of poverty (IDP), is deficient information literacy knowledge and skill among policymakers. There is need for policymakers to acquire the skill to discover relevant information, accurately evaluate retrieved information and to apply it correctly.

Objectives

To use information literacy tool of International Network for Availability of Scientific Publications (INASP) to enhance policymakers'' knowledge and skill for policymaking on control of IDP in Nigeria.

Methods

Modified "before and after" intervention study design was used in which outcomes were measured on target participants both before the intervention is implemented and after. This study was conducted in Ebonyi State, south-eastern Nigeria and participants were career health policy makers. A two-day health-policy information literacy training workshop was organized to enhance participants" information literacy capacity. Topics covered included: introduction to information literacy; defining information problem; searching for information online; evaluating information; science information; knowledge sharing interviews; and training skills.

Results

A total of 52 policymakers attended the workshop. The pre-workshop mean rating (MNR) of knowledge and capacity for information literacy ranged from 2.15-2.97, while the post-workshop MNR ranged from 3.34-3.64 on 4-point scale. The percentage increase in MNR of knowledge and capacity at the end of the workshop ranged from 22.6%-55.3%.

Conclusion

The results of this study suggest that through information literacy training workshop policy makers can acquire the knowledge and skill to identify, capture and share the right kind of information in the right contexts to influence relevant action or a policy decision.     

Elevated 3,4-dihydroxyphenylethyleneglycol (DHPG) excretion in dexamethasone resistant depressed patients

1. Urinary and plasma DHPG and MHPG were estimated in patients with MADD and showing DST non-suppression as compared to those with normal suppression.

2. Day and night 12h urine collections and morning plasma samples were analyzed by GC-MS for total MHPG and DHPG and free MHPG levels.

3. Urinary DHPG excretion was significantly elevated in DST non-suppressors compared to suppressors, but no differences were found in urinary MHPG or plasma glycol levels.

4. Elevated DHPG excretion in DST non-suppressors suggests that increased peripheral sympathetic NE activity occurs in association with dexamethasone resistance in MADD.     

Audience responses to a research-based drama about life after breast cancer

This article explores audience reactions to the research‐based drama Ladies in Waiting? Life After Breast Cancer. Quantitative findings indicate an overwhelmingly positive response, with approximately 90% of those who saw the production agreeing that they benefited from seeing it and indicating that they would recommend it to others. Qualitative data reveal a more complex picture of the range of reactions, allowing us to describe the most valued aspects of the production (mainly how it eased isolation and normalized the difficult aspects of survivorship) and to better understand the few reports of distress. Audience responses to Ladies in Waiting? suggest that chronic aspects of breast cancer are rarely acknowledged. Viewing the production as one that reveals difficult and hidden realities allows for a fuller understanding both of its supportive and unsettling effects. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Developmental expression of α9 acetylcholine receptor mRNA in the rat cochlea and vestibular inner ear

Expression of α9 acetylcholine receptor (AChR) mRNA was studied by in situ hybridization in the rat adult and developing cochlea and vestibular inner ear. α9 AChR mRNA was first observed in cochlear hair cells (HCs) at embryonic day 18 (E18), increased markedly after birth, stayed high until postnatal day 10 (P10), and decreased to substantially lower adult levels by P14. High levels of α9 AChR mRNA expression were also noted in the developing nonneuronal structures of the inner sulcus, chondrocytes, and/or osteoblasts in the cochlear capsule and interscalar laminae. Both developing and adult bone marrow cells also expressed intense α9 AChR mRNA. In the vestibular system, α9 AChR mRNA was first observed in HCs at E16 in all sensory epithelia, increased to its highest levels by P0–P4, then decreased slightly to reach adult levels by P10. The results are consistent with the α9 AChR subserving efferent neurotransmission to both cochlear and vestibular HCs. The observation of α9 AChR mRNA in cochlear HCs 2 weeks prior to functional onset in the cochlea further suggests that expression of this gene is not related to HC activity. The observation of substantial nonneuronal expression of α9 AChR mRNA suggests that this receptor also has functions separate from its role in neurotransmission. J. Comp. Neurol. 393:320–331, 1998. © 1998 Wiley-Liss, Inc.     

The role of Fas-mediated apoptosis in otitis media: observations in the lpr/lpr mouse

Apoptosis, or programmed cell death, is a critical regulatory mechanism involved in the function, homeostasis and stimulus response of many organ systems. In the middle ear, apoptosis could participate in mucosal remodeling or leukocyte clearance during otitis media (OM). Fas is a death receptor that can contribute to apoptosis in a variety of cell types. To assess the role of Fas signaling in OM, we probed for expression of Fas and Fas ligand (FasL) by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) during bacterial OM in the rat. In addition, we assessed the response of the middle ear to endotoxin, an inflammatory bacterial product that has been used as a model for otitis media in the mouse, in normal and Fas deficient mice. We saw evidence of increased expression of Fas and Fas ligand during bacterial OM. Moreover, the intensity of the mucosal response to endotoxin was significantly greater and the resolution of the response was prolonged in Fas deficient mice. Prolonged resolution of mucosal hyperplasia may reflect reduced apoptosis of the hyperplastic mucosal cells. Elucidation of the pathways that regulate the mucosal hyperplastic response during otitis media brings us closer to manipulating them in the interest of reducing the chronic complications of this disease.