Cancer: WHO unveils campaign to address needs of patients

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October 20, 2022

The World Health Organisation has unveiled the first global survey to better understand and address the needs of all persons affected by cancer.

WHO in a statement said that the survey was part of a broader campaign, designed with and intended to amplify the voices of those affected by cancer, survivors, caregivers, and the bereaved.

According to it, the survey is part of WHO’s Framework for Meaningful Engagement of People Living with Noncommunicable diseases.

It said that the framework was a commitment to respectfully and meaningfully engage PLWNCDs in co-designing policies, programmes, and solutions.

“The survey results will feed into the design of policies and programmes to offer better well-being in the context of a cancer diagnosis and co-create solutions for the future,” it said.

Dr Tedros Ghebreyesus, Director-General of WHO said that nearly every family globally was affected by cancer, either directly, one in five people are diagnosed with cancer during their lifetime or as caregivers or family members.

Ghebreyesus said a cancer diagnosis triggers a broad and profound effect on the health and well-being of all those involved.

“For too long, the focus in cancer control has been on clinical care and not on the broader needs of people affected by cancer.

“Global cancer policies must be shaped by more than data and scientific research, to include the voices and insight of people impacted by the disease,” he said

Mrs. Ruth Hoffman, President of the American Childhood Cancer Organisation said that recent studies have shown that nearly half of people diagnosed with cancer experience anxiety and loss of faith and may be abandoned by their intimate partners.

Hoffmann said that in low and middle-income countries, financial hardship and loss of assets can be experienced by 70 per cent or more of those affected.

“When my daughter was diagnosed with cancer, our lives changed drastically and in ways that we did not expect.

“The effects of cancer last a lifetime,” Hoffman said.

Also, Dr Bente Mikkelsen, Director of the Department of Noncommunicable Diseases at WHO said that understanding and amplifying the lived experiences of people affected by cancer can create more effective and supportive systems.

Mikkelsen said that yet, the needs and preferences of people with cancer and their caregivers remain unknown to many providers and policy-makers.

“We are making a long-term commitment to place people affected by cancer properly at the center of the agenda, to co-create better solutions.

“This campaign will include four phases: releasing the global survey, hosting national consultations, presenting best practices and implementing community-led initiatives.

“We are ready to open a new chapter and improve the well-being of people affected by cancer,” the director said.

Mikkelsen said that the ambition of the global survey was to reach more than 100,000 responders from 100 countries.

The director said a majority of the responders lived in low- and middle-income countries.

Mikkelsen said that the survey results are expected in early 2023 and, thereafter, used to shape policies, programmes, and services for people affected by cancer globally.

LASG orders Somolu Printers to provide environmental clean-up plan

By

Cleopatra Okohai

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October 20, 2022

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The Lagos State government has directed printers in the Shomolu community located in the Shomolu Local Government Area of the state to provide an environmental action and clean-up plan, with consideration for the people and the environment within 14 days.

The directive was issued after a published investigative piece that captured how the activities of the printers using all sorts of diesel generators for their businesses in the area leave residents of the community with deadly air and noise pollution.

The story titled: ‘Lagos community where printers laugh to banks but leave residents with deadly air, noise pollution’, published last September exposed the attendant effects of air and noise pollution coming from the poorly maintained generators on the health of Somolu residents.

The General Manager of the government agency responsible for environmental matters in Lagos, the Lagos State Environmental Protection Agency, Dr. Dolapo Fasawe, who gave the directive, warned the printers under the aegis of the Association of Professional Printers, Shomolu, that it will no longer be business as usual, noting that the agency will not tolerate non-compliance of businesses with environmental laws.

By law, the agency is expected to protect, manage and monitor the Lagos State environment from all forms of noise and air pollution.

Speaking after having a meeting with the printers association in Somolu, Fasawe said the state government was more determined to promote sustainable environmental management practices in Lagos communities.

The government, she said, would also ensure that the quality of ambient air residents breathes is not negatively impacted by industrial or commercial business activities.

“The agency has renewed her drive of ‘closing the loop’ and discouraging business as usual in environmental practices. It has directed that the association must provide an environmental action and clean-up plan, with consideration for the people and the environment.

“The monitoring exercise will continue in the area and will be extended to other parts of the state with similar business interests,” the LASEPA GM said.

Fasawe decried the rate of air pollution in Lagos, stressing that most Lagosians live in unhealthy public space that increases their risk of diseases like asthma, pneumonia, and heart attack amongst others.

“Thus, the laudable intervention of the agency through the “Eko Clean Air” initiative, strategically designed to protect the environment and mitigate the hardships of climate change to save people from various health challenges emanating from environmental pollution, will continue to be propagated.

“Eko Clean Air is, therefore, an advocacy and behavioral remodeling tool conceived to ensure pollution prevention in Lagos, leveraging on information dissemination amongst stakeholders, through a bottom-up and inclusive approach, towards raising awareness on pro-active and collaborative measures for adequate monitoring and mitigation of air pollution in Lagos.

“The ‘Eko Clean Air’ campaign on improved air quality and physical activity engagement brings about practices that support evidence-based advocacy for healthy climate-resilient public space in Lagos.

“The regulation and interaction with our shared environment should therefore be guided by the tenets of the people, planet, and profit in order to promote harmonious coexistence.

“The agency in addressing air pollution through advocacy and public enlightenment sessions is a way of ensuring compliance to the state’s environmental laws, regulations, guidelines and standards with sanctioning as the last resort for failure to comply with set agreements or truce reached,” Fasawe said.

The chairman of the association, Mr. Femi Adenekan, who led other executive members of the association to the meeting acknowledged the challenges and promised to work with LASEPA to ensure a lasting solution to the menace of air and noise pollution in Shomolu community by immediately setting up an Advocacy Committee Team amongst its members.

Adenekan promised to identify the users of the smoky and noisy generators amongst them in the area.

He requested a two months moratorium period to address the issue amongst its members.

The chairman said the association would invite LASEPA management to a Town Hall meeting to sensitise its members on air and noise pollution after the moratorium period.

He asked the agency to commence enforcement thereafter for non-compliant facilities.

Adenekan urged its members to avoid night operations and restrict all activities to daytime while also enjoining them to embrace soundproof generators and service them regularly to reduce air and noise pollution.

LS Lowry’s Going To The Match Sells For £7.8m At Auction

By

Koko Lawrence

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October 20, 2022

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An LS Lowry painting described as an “iconic masterpiece” has been sold at auction for a record-breaking £7.8 million.

Going To The Match depicts a bustling throng of football fans gathered at the former home of Bolton Wanderers.

It had been loaned to The Lowry gallery in Salford by the Players Foundation.

But the foundation said the financial crisis meant it was forced to sell the 1953 work, raising fears it could be lost from public display.

The buyer has been confirmed as The Lowry arts centre, securing its future at the gallery.

It was among a series of paintings that went on sale at Christie’s earlier, and sold for a hammer price of £6.6m with an additional buyer’s premium of £1.2m.

The total sum is a new record price for a work by Lowry sold at auction.

The sale was previously the subject of controversy, with the Mayor of Salford Paul Dennett insisting any new owner must keep it “free to access”.

Lowry chief executive Julia Fawcett said the purchase was made possible “thanks to an incredibly generous gift from The Law Family Charitable Foundation”.

She added: “We look forward to bringing it home to Salford, where it can continue to delight and attract visitors to the Andrew and Zoë Law galleries at The Lowry.”

Andrew Law, who founded The Law Family Charitable Foundation with his wife Zoe, and has donated to the Lowry over the years, said the couple were “delighted” to have facilitated the purchase.

He added: “This LS Lowry painting belongs in Salford on public view, close to his birthplace, where he was educated and where he lived.”

Dennett, who wrote to prominent local figures and business leaders asking for help to buy the work, said: “I am delighted our campaign to save this critical and important painting has successfully resulted in The Lowry securing it tonight.

“We emphatically believed Going to the Match should remain on public view.

“For the city of Salford in perpetuity for generations to come, for residents and visitors to our great city.”

Lowry, who died in 1976, spent much of his life in Salford and his work is strongly associated with the city.

Going To The Match is one of several football subjects painted by Lowry, who was always keenly interested in sport.

Many of the pictures have either direct or imaginary links with Burnden Park, the then-home of Bolton Wanderers, which was only a few miles from where the artist lived.

It won Lowry first prize in a 1953 exhibition, which was sponsored by The Football Association, and was last auctioned in 1999, when it was acquired by the charity for about £2m.

Hollywood’s Anna May Wong To Become First Asian American On U.S. Currency

By

Koko Lawrence

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October 20, 2022

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The U.S. Mint will feature an Asian American on its currency for the first time when it issues a coin next week engraved with the image of actress Anna May Wong, who worked in Hollywood during a time of open racism and stereotyping.

A quarter-dollar coin featuring a profile of Wong with her signature bangs and long fingernails will begin circulating on Tuesday as part of the American Women Quarters Program, the U.S. Mint said in a statement.

“Along with the hard work, determination and skill Anna May Wong brought to the profession of acting, I think it was her face and expressive gestures that really captivated movie audiences, so I included these elements,” said Mint designer Emily Damstra, who helped create the coin.

Wong was born in 1905 in Los Angeles as Wong Liu Tsong. She was cast in her first role as an extra in the film “The Red Lantern” in 1919 at age 14 and her first leading role in 1922 in the “The Toll of the Sea.”

She went on to appear in more than 60 films including one of the first movies made in Technicolor. She became the first Asian American lead actor in a U.S. television show for her role in “The Gallery of Madame Liu-Tsong” in 1951.

Despite her success, Wong faced anti-Asian discrimination and racism in Hollywood where she was typecast, underpaid and passed up for leading roles, forcing her to go to Europe to act in films, and to London and New York to perform in theater. Wong died in 1961.

“The fifth coin in our American Women Quarters Program honors Anna May Wong, a courageous advocate who championed for increased representation and more multi-dimensional roles for Asian American actors,” Mint Director Ventris Gibson said.

Author and civil rights champion Maya Angelou and astronaut Sally Ride, the first American woman to go into space, have also been honored with coins in the series.

circa 1935: American film star, Anna May Wong (1905 – 1961) poses with a cut rose. (Photo by General Photographic Agency/Getty Images)

31st Lagos Builders Conference: Experts Urge Members To Embrace World’s Best Practices

By

Angel Gimalo

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October 19, 2022

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The 31st edition of Lagos Builders Conference held At the Podium, Lekki, South-west Nigeria. The Event brought together professionals in the Building world.

Environment Correspondent, Gimalo-Angel Olowogoke reports that theme of the event is, The shifting landscape: Redefining The Real Estate Industry.

One of the speakers said Licensing was important, otherwise you’re seen as quack. He also said the role of a facility manager should not be over emphasised.

He further urged Builders to promote world best practices. They should know what is happening on the international scene.

Honourable Bayo Forsyth on his part said that for demand to thrive, it is important that homes are well built. He further said that Lagos Homes mortgage scheme was created in 2014 to solve or even reduce housing deficit in the state, which mitigated the housing deficit.

Lagos still has a deficit of 4 million. 10,000 Lagos residents have so far benefited from this scheme. He urged builders to adhere to Government codes.

Another worrisome point raised was Lagos being listed as one of the sinking cities in the world. It is expected to sink in 80 years. Builders were urged to harness waste to reduce emissions.

What should we do after being listed at a sinking city?

A stakeholder gave some pointers:

We should move to a higher terrain.
Put up structures that will stand the test of time.
There should be a short, medium and long term plan.

Still at the ocassion, Olufose olulade spoke on:

Workers’ safety
Manufacturers design
Huge insurance cost
Building resilience, e.g. Eko Atlantic City.
Talking about materials, we need to look into local content.

Public Relations Officer of the Lagos State Chapter of the Nigeria Institute of Builders, Godfrey Chukwurah in an interview with LN247 Correspondent spoke on flooding which he called a global thing.

The Event also had on its sidelines, An Exhibition.

Watch out for the seminar, one-on-one interviews and exhibition, on Space.com with Gimalo on www.ln247.news

UniBen Places 6th Best In Global Universities Ranking

By

Rhoda Onuzulike

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October 19, 2022

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The University of Benin (UniBen), Edo, Nigeria has been ranked 6th by the Times Higher Education (THE) in its latest World Universities rankings for Nigeria.

In the rating made available to Newmen on Monday in Benin by the university’s Public Relations Unit, the performance indicators were centred on the four areas of teaching, research, knowledge transfer and international outlook.

The rankings were also based on the analyses of over 15 million research publications and survey responses from approximately 40,000 scholars worldwide.

Reacting to the ranking, Dr Benedicta Ehanire, the Public Relations Officer of the institution, said: “This information has been well received by the University of Benin community as it serves as a confidence booster.

‘’The university is at the conclusion stage of securing international accreditation by the Quality Assurance Agency, United Kingdom.

“It is expected that the University of Benin will be the first to be so recognised among Nigerian universities.”

Ehanire added that with these developments, the institution was now positioned to significantly improve in its ranking in the next exercise.

Eating After 7pm Every Day- Good or Bad

By

Olasunbo Okoromi

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October 19, 2022

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It’s such an amazing feeling when you can come home from work with plenty of time to throw together a delicious meal for yourself, your family, or your closest friends. Ensuring that you and your loved ones are full of yummy food when still early enough to wind down while binging a few episodes of your favorite show can make you feel accomplished. But while this scenario may represent ideal circumstances, the reality is that life does not always work out that way. Sometimes you end up working late, or your evening schedule simply becomes too busy to have an early dinner ready on the table.

If you’ve made a habit of eating late-night dinners on a regular basis, you’ve probably wondered how or if this routine might impact your health. It’s been said that eating later in the evening can be “bad for you,” with the general consensus for what time is ideal to take your final bites for the day typically falling somewhere around 7:00 p.m, but is true is that

We talked with a few dietitians to get to the bottom of what eating late at night does to your body. Surprisingly, their answers revealed both pros and cons! Now you can get to learn about what happens to your body when you eat after 7 p.m. every day.

According to Lauren Manaker, MS, RDN, LDN, CLEC, eating a healthy snack in the evening hours can be helpful for people with certain health complications.

“For people with type 1 diabetes or a glycogen storage concern, eating a snack before bedtime may help people have better blood glucose control,” says Manaker.

While a nighttime snack or late dinner may be easier if you’ve had a busy day, some dietitians warn that it may lead to more weight gain around your abdominal area.

“To reduce belly fat, you may want to avoid nighttime snacking,” says Trista Best, MPH, RD, LD, and consultant for Balance One Supplements. “This is more than simply not going to the pantry or refrigerator in the evenings after dinner. I have found with a few clients that having them eat only when the sun is out has allowed them to experience weight loss, specifically the kind that hangs around the belly.”

You may be wondering why eating only during daylight can help with abdominal fat. Best believes this is due to two main components.

“For one, eating based on daylight cuts your eating window down from about 15 hours to just 12 hours,” she says. “Also, the foods that you typically consume after dark when you’re just feeling snacky are more calorie-dense and usually loaded with sugar or refined carbs, which tend to lead to belly fat specifically.”

Best also notes that eating late or right before bed can potentially make symptoms of GERD feel worse or more intense.

“Stomach acid can seem worse at night because you’ve been eating throughout the day, and your gut begins to slow down in digestion in the evening, and eating late in the evening can make this worse, regardless of the quality or quantity of the food you consume,” she says.

This also has to do with the fact that you’re less likely to engage in much movement at night.

“You are more likely to be sedentary or laying on your back, which can cause the acid in the gut to move up into the esophagus,” Best explains.

It can be frustrating to lay down for a restful night’s sleep only to wake up in the middle of your slumber and disrupt your REM cycle. Unfortunately, eating later at night might play a role in this annoyance.

“Data shows that people who eat closer to bed may be associated with nocturnal night waking, especially if it is within three hours of bedtime,” says Manaker.

With that in mind, eating before 7 p.m. can be helpful because it gives your body enough time to wind down and digest what you’ve consumed before hitting the hay.

Although there are a handful of more negative side effects, eating later can have some benefits, too, especially if you like to workout toward the end of the day. According to Rachel Fine, RDN, intuitive eating counselor, and founder of To the Pointe Nutrition, eating later in the evening can be especially advantageous for your muscles, enabling their propensity for repair and endurance during intense exercise.

“Especially for those who exercise in the evening hours and for athletes, glycogen depletes rather quickly. So restoring your muscle glycogen levels with food will help to support energy for the next morning,” Fine says. “[Eating late in the evenings] can help to stimulate muscle protein synthesis as well, which supports muscle rebuilding and recovery,” she continues.

NCDC update records of Cholera cases, Deaths

By

Cleopatra Okohai

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October 19, 2022

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The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control has announced a total of 10,745 suspected cases of cholera, including 256 deaths, so far in 2022.

The NCDC disclosed this in its Cholera Situation weekly epidemiological report for week 39 posted on its official website, on Tuesday.

The report revealed that 31 states have reported suspected cholera cases in 2022.

The states are Abia, Adamawa, Akwa Ibom, Anambra, Bauchi, Bayelsa, Benue, Borno, Cross River, Delta, Ekiti, Gombe, Imo, Jigawa, Kaduna, Kano, Katsina, Kebbi, Kwara, Lagos, Nasarawa, Niger, Ondo, Osun, Oyo, Plateau, Rivers, Sokoto, Taraba, Yobe and Zamfara.

Cholera is an acute diarrhoeal disease caused by Vibrio cholerae, a gramme-negative rod-shaped bacterium.

In Nigeria, cholera is an endemic and seasonal disease, occurring annually mostly during the rainy season and more often in areas with poor sanitation.

In the reporting month, nine states reported 4,153 suspected cases – Borno (2626), Yobe (718), Gombe (317), Zamfara (212), Bauchi (119), Jigawa (95), Sokoto (47), Katsina (16) and Adamawa (3).

“There was a 42 per cent increase in the number of new suspected cases in September Epi week 36 – 39 (4153) compared with August Epi week 31 – 35 (2428).

“In the reporting week, Borno (883), Gombe (97), Bauchi (15) Yobe (8) and Sokoto (3) reported 1006 suspected cases.

“Borno and Gombe states account for 97% of 1006 suspected cases reported in week 39.

“During the reporting week, No Cholera Rapid Diagnostic Test was conducted.

“No stool culture test was conducted from all states reporting in epi week 39.

“Of the cases reported, there were 19 deaths with a weekly case fatality ratio (CFR) of 1.9 per cent.

“No new state reported cases in week 39.

“National multi-sectoral Cholera TWG continues to monitor response across the state,” it noted.

The cumulative epidemiology summary showed that “As of October 2, 2022, a total of 10,745 suspected cases including 256 deaths (CFR 2.4 per cent) have been reported from 31 states in 2022.

“Of the suspected cases since the beginning of the year, the age group 5 -14 years is the most affected age group for males and females.

“Of all suspected cases, 48 per cent are males and 52 per cent are females.

“Eleven states – Borno (3663 cases), Yobe (1632 cases), Katsina (767 cases), Taraba (675 cases), Cross River (649 cases), Gombe (470 cases), Jigawa (417 cases) and Bauchi (304 cases) account for 86 per cent of all cumulative cases.

“Fifteen LGAs across six states Yobe (4), Borno (4), Taraba (3), Cross River (2), Gombe (1) and Zamfara (1), reported more than 100 cases each this year,” the report read in part.

Oriogun’s Nomad Wins Nigeria Prize For Literature

By

Koko Lawrence

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October 19, 2022

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The Advisory Board for Nigeria Prize for Literature, sponsored by Nigeria LNG Limited, on Friday night, announced Nomad, authored by the poet, Romeo Oriogun, as the winner of the $100,000 prize for the 2022 cycle on Poetry.

Professor Akachi Adimora-Ezeigbo, Chairperson of the Advisory Board, made the announcement at the Grand Award Night ceremony in Lagos, themed “Touching the Stars”.

She also announced Dr. Sakiru Adebayo as the 2022 winner of the Nigeria Prize for Literary Criticism, which comes with One Million Naira (N1,000,000) prize money.

Four winners of The Nigeria Prize for Science were also jointly awarded the prize money of $100,000. Muhydideen Oyekunle and Shehu Ado, as well as Sesan Peter Ayodeji and Emmanuel Olatunji Olatomilola, won the prize for their respective works titled, Gains in Grain Yield of Released Maize (Zea Mays L.) Cultivars under Drought and Well-Watered Conditions, and Development of Process Plant for Plantain Flour.

The winning book beat two other books on the shortlist of three, the Call of Water by Su’eddie Vershima Agema and Your Crib, My Qibla by Saddiq Dzukogi to clinch the prize. The book competed against 287 others submitted for the competition in 2022.

According to the judges, the winning book, Nomad, stands out as the most technically accomplished, rendering the topical subject of migration in a language laced with lyrical figurations. They stated that “the 67 poems in the collection were held together by a travel motif, marshalled in each poem with equal intensity, and linked to the African past, including the Middle Passage, and the African future.”

The panel of judges includes Sule Emmanuel Egya, who is the Chairman of the panel and a professor of African Literature and Cultural Studies at Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida University, Lapai, Niger State. Other judges are Toyin Adewale-Gabriel and Dike Chukwumerije. Adewale-Gabriel is a poet and fiction writer. Dike Chukwumerije is a spoken word and performance poet, and an award-winning author. Professor Susan Nalugwa Kiguli was the International Consultant for this year’s Prize. She is a Ugandan poet and an associate professor of literature at Makerere University.

Nigeria LNG Limited remains committed to responsible corporate citizenship, and The Nigeria Prize for Science, The Nigeria Prize for Literature and The Nigeria Prize for Literary Criticism are some of the company’s numerous contributions towards building a better Nigeria.

Road Accidents: Medical Experts Calls Attention to Driving Safely

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Olasunbo Okoromi

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October 19, 2022

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Medical Experts have advised Nigerians to drive safely on roads, to avoid accidents. The advice came as the Nigeria Orthopaedic Association says over two million Nigerians are currently on admission in various hospitals across the country upon incurring injuries due to road traffic accidents and gunshot wounds with most requiring formal trauma treatment.

The President of the Association, Dr. Muhammad Salihu stated this in a release as part of activities commemorating the 2022 World Trauma Day.

He said TRAUMA, which is the act of injury that can lead to physical or emotional damage is a neglected disease worldwide, but the degree of negligence in Nigeria is acute, with a near complete absence of organised trauma services, stressing that there was the need to strengthen the capacity of various hospitals to formally manage trauma victims.

According to him, unfortunately, more than 50 percent of those injured still present to the Traditional Bone Setters (TBS) practice, which presents grave consequences such as an increase in morbidity and mortality thereby calling for caution.

He explained that the frequently injured parts of the body are the lower limb bones (tibia and femur). However, the most deadly injuries are head, spinal and abdominal injuries.

“About four thousand Nigerians incur spinal injuries yearly, and spinal injuries require prompt and efficient treatment to prevent early death and debilitation. More than 50 percent of spinal injury patients die from complications resulting from injury or treatment.

“Deliberate and coordinated treatment for spinal cord injuries is lacking in our sub-region. Currently, the only known dedicated spinal injury centre is the 50-bed Sultan Sa’ad Abubakar Spine Centre at the National Orthopaedic Hospital, Dala, Kano.

“More of such centres are needed in each of the geopolitical zones in Nigeria, for ease of access to standard orthodox spinal trauma care,” he suggested.

Salihu said the recent efforts by Federal Government to establish more Orthopaedic Hospitals to ensure every geopolitical zone has access to a nearby trauma care center is a step in the right direction.

“We encourage every state Government in the federation to establish Trauma Centers and incorporate organised Trauma Services for their residents,” he said.

He explained that the common cause of trauma in Nigeria is a Road Traffic Accident, RTA, occasioned by Poor road network, Use of old/poorly maintained vehicles as well as poor driving skills.

Others he said include: gunshot injuries, falls from height, and assaults among others.

The National President advised Nigerians to avoid all known causes of trauma as prevention is better than cure, emphasizing that when accidents occur, hospitals remain the best place to receive appropriate treatment.

“Do not send acutely injured patients to Traditional Bone Setters (TBS) centers. Take them to the emergency department of our hospitals for adequate trauma care and referral services.

“Government should ensure full implementation of Emergency Care Services including Trauma Services in Nigeria, establish legislation and regulations to reduce patronage of orthodox trauma care in Nigeria as well as create more trauma and spine centres to cover each geopolitical zone for ease of access to standard orthodox trauma care in Nigeria,” concluded Dr. Salihu.

World Trauma Day is usually held on October, 17th across the globe every year.