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EPL: Why Arsenal Failed To Beat Brentford – Arteta

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Arsenal manager, Mikel Arteta, has explained why his side failed to defeat Brentford on Saturday.

The Gunners were held to a 1-1 draw by the Bees on Saturday.

Leandro Trossard opened the scoring with his first goal for Arsenal, but Ivan Toney equalized eight minutes later.

“A really difficult game. Credit to them for the way they competed.

“But I thought we were dominant and had good moments. We scored a goal against that super-low block they had.

“Winning is about small margins. When you win you win by small margins. But if you cannot win it then you don’t lose it,” Arteta said.

Arsenal are now six points ahead of Manchester City, who welcome Aston Villa on Sunday.

NPFL: Enyimba Beat Gombe United Away, Nasarawa United End Winless Streak 

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Two-time African champions, Enyimba rallied back to beat Gombe United 2-1 in their Nigeria Premier Football League matchday day seven encounter at the Pantami Township Stadium.

The People’s Elephant are now unbeaten in their last five league meetings against the Savannah Scorpions.

The home team took the lead through Yusuf Taiye in the 12th minute.

The lead lasted only 13 minutes before Elijah Akanni levelled scores from a sublime free-kick.

Emeka Obioma netted the winning goal for Enyimba on 53rd minute.

Obioma has now scored five goals in seven league outings for the Aba giants this season.

In Jos, Nasarawa United recorded their first win of the season courtesy of a 2-0 win against Kwara United

King Osanga and Chinedu Ohanachom were on target for the Solid Miners in the game.

History Seeking Ighalo Benched As Benzema Captains Real Madrid In Club World Cup Final

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Super Eagles’ former top striker, Odion Ighalo is not on the starting line-up of Saudi Arabia’s Al  Hilal in the final match of the FIFA Club World Cup at 8pm Saturday night.

He is on the reserve bench. FIFA The Best contender, Karim Benzema who did not feature in the semi final match against Egypt’s Al Ahly is back in the Real Madrid line-up and will in fact captain the team.

Odion Ighalo and his Al Hilal teammates will look to do the unthinkable, upset European champions and the almighty Real Madrid when they clash in the final of the FIFA Club World Cup on Saturday

Ramon Diaz’s side are looking to become the first Asian side to win the competition.

Al Hilal may be the most decorated club in Asia , but they will be up against the grandest institution on planet football, Real Madrid.

Ighalo has played a key role in his side’s march to the final even though he is yet to open his goal account in the competition.

The Nigerian, alongside Gustavo Cuellar, Andre Carillon, Luciano Vietto and Michael are the men the Blues Waves will look upon to help them complete another mission impossible after the shocking 3-2 win against Brazilian club Flamengo in the semi-final.

Real Madrid, who swept aside Egypt’s Al Ahly 4-1 in the semis, will strive to make it 10 consecutive victories in the competition.

Manager, Carlo Ancelotti will welcome back talismanic forward, Karim Benzema to the side with most of the usual casts available.

Kelechi Iheanacho Scores Again As Leicester, Routs Tottenham 4-1

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Kelechi Iheanacho scores the team’s third goal

Super Eagles’ striker, Kelechi Iheanacho was on the score sheet as Leicester City beat Tottenham Hotspur 4-1 on Saturday in the English Premier League.

The victory has increased the pressure on Spurs boss Antonio Conte. Nampalys Mendy’s first goal in over six years inspired the Foxes to a remarkable comeback win at the King Power Stadium.

James Maddison and Harvey Barnes also netted as the hosts scored four for the second straight game.

Rodrigo Bentancur had briefly given Spurs the lead but they crumbled during an error-strewn performance.

Conte returned to the dugout after gallbladder surgery but his side failed to build on their impressive victory over Manchester City.

Defeat left them a point adrift of the top four having played two games more as their uphill battle to clinch a Champions League spot continued.

For Leicester, their second revival of the season rolls on after last week’s 4-2 win at Aston Villa.

Questions were, again, being asked of the Foxes and boss Brendan Rodgers after four defeats in five but they have answered any lingering doubts.

Victory even came after a dodgy start where the hosts gifted Tottenham a 14th-minute opener.

Ivan Perisic had gone close before Danny Ward turned his free kick over and from the corner Victor Kristiansen cleared under his own bar.

But it was only a brief reprieve for Leicester and the defender as, from another corner, Kristiansen made a total mess of his clearance and only succeeded in finding Bentancur who tapped in from close range.

Spurs were on top but it took just 11 minutes for the Foxes to turn the game. They had barely threatened but levelled out of the blue through an unlikely source.

Challenges of Weight Gain and Ageing

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The relation between being overweight and aging is of great concern for several reasons. First, being overweight decreases life span and, conversely, caloric restriction increases life span. Furthermore, being overweight is a risk factor for age-correlated diseases.

Many people gain weight as they age. Adults who have a normal Body Mass Index often start to gain weight in young adulthood and continue to gain weight until they are ages 60 to 65. In addition, children who are overweight are more likely to have obesity as adults.

Normal age-related changes to the body may be a contributing factor to weight gain, which includes:

Age related Muscle Loss: the amount of lean muscle in the body starts to decline by 3 to 8 percent per decade after age 30, this process called sarcopenia.

Experts have said that lean muscles burn more calories than fat even at rest and unless you are regularly strength training with weights to maintain and build muscles, your body will need fewer calories each day. So a person is likely to gain weight if he or she continues to consume the same number of calories as when they were younger.

Normal Hormonal Changes: Both men and women undergo hormone levels changes, and this explains the middle age weight gain. For women, menopause cause a drop in estrogen and this encourages extra pounds to settle around the stomach. Men on the other hand experience a drop in testosterone as they age. testosterone is responsible for regulating fat distribution and muscle strength and mass, that means lower testosterone can make the body less effective at burning calories.

Metabolism is slower: the decrease in muscle mass is likely to slow down metabolism. Having more fat and less muscle reduce calorie burning. Many people also become less active with age for different reasons, which further slows the number of calories they burn.

Other factors that may be causing weight gain as one age also include, busier work schedules and the need to hit set work goals and targets, resulting in working longer hours, sitting for longer hours and having less time for exercise and sleep.

People who do not get enough sleep may eat more calories and snack more.

Experts recommend that adults ages 18 to 64 get 7 to 9 hours of sleep a day, and adults ages 65 and older get 7 to 8 hours of sleep a day.

These are just few of some of the factors that predispose to weight gain and difficulty in losing it as we advance in age. So, here are some quick tips to avoid this:

  1. Go to the gym, start an exercise routine to tone up your muscle.
  2. Reduce the calorie intake.
  3. Do not sit for more than 2 hours in a spot, move body, take a walk.
  4. And finally, get that much needed good night rest. Sleep is important for your brain and body to refresh for a new day

Ergonomics: Work Environment Health

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Many people do not realize that a poorly designed computer workstation and/or bad work habits can result in serious health problems. Common symptoms associated with poor design or habits include discomfort in the back, neck and shoulders, hands and wrists, as well as headaches and eyestrain.

Fortunately, the solution can be quite simple. Proper workstation setup and work practices can eliminate discomfort and even prevent it from occurring in the first place! Simple adjustments to office equipment can work wonders, making work more comfortable and more productive.

More and more we’ve been hearing the term “ergonomics” Especially in how it relates to the workplace. Basically, ergonomics in a work environment looks to prioritize the worker’s well-being and the overall performance of the work system – simply put “fitting the job to the worker.”

This is done by looking at how employees interact with their work environments, and the tools they use to complete their jobs.

With the increasing focus on injury prevention at work, ergonomics is becoming a practice adopted by many top business leaders who invest in risk and hazard assessments and look to their employees to provide them with feedback on how they can complete their tasks more comfortably and ultimately, more safely.

Ergonomics also refers to the ease of use of software to perform daily tasks. It is necessary that the employee finds his way quickly and does not expose himself to display or comprehension problems due to the difficulty of certain software.

The brightness of the workstation is also important. The employee must not be blinded, neither should he be plunged into total darkness!

There should be no noise pollution in the work environment, as this could have a direct impact on the employee’s ability to concentrate.

The temperature is also essential and should ideally be between 21 and 26°c depending on the season.

The characteristics of the furniture play an important part in creating an ergonomic environment. For example, the choice of the chair should be made according to the user and according to specific criteria such as the height and inclination of the armrests and the depth of the seat, …

The same is true for the work surface, which should allow the user to alternate standing and sitting work. Concerning the screens, several criteria are important: The size, the height, and the distance from the eyes.

Working in an ergonomic environment contributes to the employee’s well-being and reduces the impact on health, which is mainly physical. For example, one of the consequences of working in a seated position in the office is a misalignment of the neck, shoulders and spine, the appearance of stiffness and hernias in the back, and also chronic damage to organs and muscle degeneration.

In order to avoid these various health problems, it is necessary to ergonomically adjust the work environment.

Here are some recommendations from to promote ergonomics:

1. Have a perfectly adjusted seat and screen,

2. Use “ergonomic” Accessories such as adapted document presentation systems. Using a display system where your important documents are stored between your computer screen and your keyboard this will reduce the strain on your neck.

3. Adjust your seat so that your feet are flat on the ground. Shoulders should not strain the neck.

4. Adjust the screen easily according to the different postures that you adopt. Strain on the cervical spine due to poor posture should be avoided.

5. Use accessories such as an ergonomic mouse and keyboard with specific operating modes and orientations to limit hand rubbing and wrist breakage.

The impacts of ergonomics at work are not only physical but also mental. Indeed, an ergonomic space can directly and positively impact an employee’s performance and morale.  It will also have a direct impact on the company’s image as it will be considered as a company that takes care of its employees.

Cervical Health: Experts Say Increase In Screening and Treatment Can Eradicate Disease

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Cervical health is one aspect of health that many women neglect throughout their lives. A survey conducted as a joint sponsorship between the American Social Health Association (ASHA) and the National Cervical Cancer Coalition (NCCC), focuses on comprehensive prevention strategies, effective screening, and early detection of cervical cancer.

Cervical cancer is most often diagnosed in women in the age group of 35- 44 years, with the average age at diagnosis being 50. It rarely develops in women younger than 20 years. It is estimated that more than 20 percent of cases of cervical cancer are found in women over 65. The condition rarely occurs in women who have been undergoing regular tests to screen for cervical cancer before they were 65.

Cervical cancer is the fourth most common cancer in women and over 50 million nigerian women are at risk of this disease.

Globally, cervical cancer kills 720 women daily; that is one woman every two minutes. In nigeria, out of the 14,000 women diagnosed with cervical cancer, about 30 of them die from the disease daily.

Cervical cancer occurs in the cells of the cervix – the lower part of the uterus that connects to the vagina. Persistent infection with high-risk human papilloma virus (HPV) – that spreads through sexual activity – is the main cause of cervical cancer. HPV infections are asymptomatic and resolve on their own. Early-stage cervical cancers usually have no specific signs or symptoms. As the condition advances, most people experience symptoms like vaginal bleeding after intercourse, pelvic pain or pain during intercourse; and watery and bloody vaginal discharge.

Hence the need for the campaign for prevention, screening and treatment in order to eradicate the disease.

When diagnosed, cervical cancer is one of the most successfully treatable forms of cancer, if it is detected early and managed effectively. Cancer diagnosed in late stages can also be controlled with appropriate treatment and care. With a comprehensive approach to prevent, screen and treat, ending cervical cancer as a public health problem within a few generations is possible.

In 2023, cervical cancer awareness month highlights the importance of increasing screening and prevention, which are key components of the effort to eradicate cervical cancer. Screening looks for abnormal changes in the cells of the cervix. Without treatment, some abnormal cells can eventually develop into cancer. A wide range of imaging tests like HPV DNA test, Colonoscopy, CT scan, MRI, pelvic ultrasound and other types of blood tests will be performed to determine the stage of the cancer.

YOUNG ADULTS AT RISK OF LIFE-THREATENING CONDITION

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Heart attacks are commonly associated with older and/or overweight persons, however, this life-threatening condition can also occur in younger persons and those with normal body mass index.

Heart attacks are on the rise in patients aged 20-30 years of age. Not long ago, it was rare for anyone younger than 40 years of to have a heart attack. Now 1 in 5 heart attack patients are younger than 40 years of age.   

The troubling fact is further supported with a survey conducted in the United States of America between the years 2000-2016, showing that heart attack rate increased by 2% every year in this younger age groups.

Patients who have a heart attack in their 20s or 30s face the same risks as older patients. Once they experience the first heart attack, they have the same chance of dying from a second major heart event or a stroke regardless of the age.

A heart attack happens when the supply and flow of oxygen rich blood to the heart is suddenly disrupted or blocked. This can cause serious heart muscle damage and is potentially life threatening.

If a large portion of the heart is damaged, it can cause this powerful muscular organ to seize beating which is otherwise known as Cardiac Arrest. This can lead to Sudden Cardiac Death.

Let’s highlights some of the risk factor that may cause a heart attack in younger people.

Diabetes is a key risk factor for an early heart attack.

A person who is diabetic is 2-4 times more likely to die from heart disease compared with adults who don’t have diabetes. The problem develops when blood sugar is not controlled well enough to keep it within a healthy range. High blood sugar damages blood vessels, which increases the chance of fats building up in arteries and causing atherosclerosis.

Patients with diabetes are also more likely to have other chronic health diseases that significantly increase the risk of a heart attack, including high blood pressure and high cholesterol.

Overweight and obesity are key players in heart attacks.

Being overweight has a significant influence on the risk of having a heart attack for several reasons. For starters, carrying extra weight places a high demand on the heart. Obesity alone makes a person more likely to have a heart attack even if the person healthy.

However, patients who are overweight and obese often have other health conditions that detract from their heart health, such as high blood pressure, diabetes, and high cholesterol.

Another major risk factor for a heart attack is Smoking cigarettes and vaping.

Of all the things that contribute to heart attacks in young adults, smoking cigarettes is one of the top risk factors. The risk of a heart attack increases in direct proportion to the number of cigarettes a person smokes. Smoking one pack a day more than doubles the risk for a heart attack compared with nonsmokers.

While cigarette smoking has a much higher chance of causing a heart attack compared with vaping, a person is still not off the hook if he or she vapes. E-cigarettes contain nicotine and other toxic compounds that accelerate the heart rate and raise blood pressure. A recent study found that vaping makes someone 34% more likely to have a heart attack compared with non-vapers.

Substance abuse takes a toll on the heart.

Experts are still studying the effect of marijuana on the heart, but they know that it increases heart rate and raises risk of having a heart attack. Cocaine’s impact on the heart, however, is well established. Cocaine increases heart rate, tightens blood vessels, and raises blood pressure, all of which are associated with heart attacks.

Many heart attacks are preventable because one can change the risk factors by making lifestyle changes and seeking medical help if needed, to protect one’s health.

Medical experts such as cardiologists, weight management experts, and physical therapists can provide holistic health care that addresses all forms of cardiovascular risk factors regardless of age.

But like its said, prevention is better than cure, so making the right lifestyle choices early in life can prevent one from falling victim to this life-threatening condition.

RISING CASE OF MENTAL HEALTH IN NIGERIA

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Mental health has been described as how people think, feel and behave. Mental health is a state of mental well-being that enables people to cope with all the stress of life, realize their abilities, learn well and work well and contribute to their community.

Mental health is more than just the absence of mental disorder or disabilities or about managing active conditions but also looking after ongoing wellness and happiness.

It also emphasizes that preserving and restoring mental health is crucial individually and at a community and society level.

Mental disorders comprise a broad range of problems, with different symptoms. However, they are generally characterized by some combination of abnormal thoughts, emotions, behaviour and relationships with others.

Examples are schizophrenia, depression, intellectual disabilities and disorders due to drug abuse which, in some cases, are treatable.

In Nigeria, an estimated 20–30 per cent of the population is believed to suffer from mental disorders. This is a very significant number, considering that Nigeria has an estimated population of 200 million. Unfortunately, the attention given to mental health disorders in Nigeria is inadequate.

There are more than 200 classified forms of mental illnesses. Some of the more common disorders are depression, bipolar disorder, dementia, schizophrenia and anxiety disorders. Symptoms may include changes in mood, personality, personal habits and/or social withdrawal.

Mental illnesses may be caused by a reaction to environmental stresses, genetic factors, biochemical imbalances, or a combination of these.

Psychiatrists and health experts have often linked the rapid leap of mental health disorders in the country particularly to stigma and lack of public awareness.

Health experts say, often when mental disorder is mentioned in Nigeria, what comes to mind is the picture of a naked and unkempt person who is totally unaware of his/her environment, but such category is just a little part of the varying mental disorders known, even though it could be referred to as the extreme case of the health condition.

People with mental health disorders are either stigmatized, untreated ignored or poorly understood in Nigeria, thereby causing an increase in the condition.

In 2017 World Health Day Data, revealed that about 7million Nigerians suffer from one of the most ignored and misunderstood form of mental disorder in the country – depression.

While mental health disorders are common, they vary in severity. Most people can manage their symptoms and lead full lives with the proper treatment and access to support.

Quake Relief Efforts: U.S. Eases Syria Sanctions To Help In Aid Delivery

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The US has eased sanctions on Syria to speed up delivery of aid to the country’s northwest, which has received almost no humanitarian assistance since Monday’s earthquakes.

The US Treasury issued a 180-day exemption for “transactions related to earthquake relief,” but analysts told The Guardian that the move would have little practical impact in a region badly damaged by conflict and mostly under opposition control.

“I don’t think this will suddenly open the floodgates and allow for unhindered humanitarian access and delivery in Syria,” said Delaney Simon, senior analyst at the International Crisis Group’s US program.

“There are just too many other access issues. But I hope that the license will ease the concerns of financial providers, the private sector, and other actors, to show them that sanctions won’t be a risk for them to engage in Syria.”

Deputy Treasury Secretary Wally Adeyemo said the US government would “not stand in the way of life-saving efforts for the Syrian people.”

Noting that sanctions already contained “robust exemptions” for humanitarian efforts, Adeyemo said the temporary amendment amounted to a “blanket general license” for all earthquake relief efforts.

But Charles Lister, director of the Middle East Institute’s Syria program, said delays in aid are the result of the Syrian regime’s demands to control all deliveries to the region.

“That appears to have virtually crippled the United Nations’ willingness, not ability, but willingness to essentially act forthright and in a bold way, and just provide earthquake recovery anyway, across the border,” he added.

Even so, Lister welcomed the US decision as a means to rebuff efforts by Damascus and its allies to suggest Western sanctions are to blame for delays.