The Journal of Middle East and North Africa Sciences

10-19

Authors: Gwong Timothy Madaki; Gylych Jelilov; Murat Akyuz

This study examined the disaggregated impact of government expenditure on human capital development in Nigeria from 1989 – 2018. In spite of the enormous government spending, little have been felt in the area of human capital development, fundamental to consistent economic growth of any nation. It no news that educational sector has been poorly managed and funded to regenerate the desired human capital development which in turn spurs economic growth. Intuitively, the study adopted the ordinary least squares method, novel for its BLUE properties of it estimators. Several pre and post tests were done on the series used. The result found that capital expenditure has significant impact on human capital development cum economic growth in Nigeria and this finding is consistent with the endogenous hypothesis. Amazingly, variance decomposition result suggests that recurrent and capital expenditure collectively contribute to change in human capital development in Nigeria, approximates Wagner’s hypothesis. In general, the results were in line with documented evidence from relevant studies such as the works of Al-Shatti (2014), Peter (2015) and Udoka and Anyingang (2015). It was recommended that Government should make sure that fixed assets and recurrent expenditures are properly managed to accelerate economic growth through deliberate investment in educational sector. In addition, government should propagate efficiency in the allocation of resources on human development by encouraging more private sector participation to ensure productivity-intensive growth.

27-34

Authors: Sasank Isola; Aleyda M. San Hernandez; Chetana Singh; Danel J. Valero; Javariya Nisar; Jose I. Trujillo Ramirez; Karisma K. Kothari; Domonick K. Gordon

This study aimed to ascertain the reason for the widely observed prevalence of tobacco smoking among patients with schizophrenia. The reason for this line of inquiry is because in addition to causing malignancy, cardiovascular, and respiratory sequelae in smokers, tobacco smoking in patients with schizophrenia has been shown to cause unique neurologic, cognitive, and memory deficits. Therefore, investigating the reasons for this tendency could enable physicians to provide patients with schizophrenia with the means to effectively quit. The studies cited in this literature review were obtained by searching through Google Scholar, PubMed, and PubMed Central databases for full-text studies in the recent past conducted on human subjects, though no PRISMA checklist was created because this is not a systematic review. This review article highlights potential explanations for the association between schizophrenia and tobacco smoking. These include that tobacco smoking improves various symptoms of schizophrenia and that this may occur through the stimulation of specific receptors. Also, common genetic factors are identified, explaining the common neurologic abnormalities seen in both patients who smoke and those who have schizophrenia. In addition, this review highlights multiple shared specific genes that provide potential explanations for the link between schizophrenia and smoking. The results of the study therefore suggest that future researchers may find it productive to further investigate these neurologic, genetic, and receptor-based commonalities in the hopes of eventually creating schizophrenia medications that stimulate nicotinic acetylcholine receptors, or conversely, to eventually design screening tests or gene therapies geared towards one of the aforementioned genetic commonalities. Designing case-control or cohort studies to prove the utility of these drugs or tests may prove rewarding.

5-11

Authors: Maria Carolina Beeter; Ortiz Juan Fernando; Feiyang Tao; Jazmin Carolina Cozar; Marcos A. Sanchez-Gonzalez

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is caused by a new beta coronavirus (severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2, or SARS-CoV-2) and has resulted in a worldwide pandemic. Although previous research on other beta coronaviruses has found detrimental effects on pregnant women and neonates, it is uncertain whether vertical transmission of SARS-CoV-2 exists. We conducted a literature review to explore the association between confirmed COVID-19 infection during the pregnancy and potential vertical transmission of the virus. We searched PubMed using the following medical subject headings (MeSH): ("Coronavirus"[MeSH]) AND "Pregnancy"[MeSH]; ("Coronavirus"[MeSH]) AND "Infectious Disease Transmission, Vertical"[MeSH]. Inclusion criteria were full articles, female study objects, English language, papers published within one year, and human studies. Non-English papers, animal studies, meta-analysis, clinical trials, literature reviews, and systematic reviews were excluded from our data collection. Sixteen articles were eventually selected for this review. By July 2020, two cases have demonstrated high chances of vertical transmission, but definitive evidence is lacking; these women were nearly all infected in the second or third trimester, and most underwent cesarean delivery. The virus's effects earlier in pregnancy are mainly unknown; no neonates have been delivered from women infected in the first trimester of pregnancy. More research and data are needed to assess the presence and potential consequence of vertical transmission of SARS-CoV-2. The preferred approach to investigating a possible intrauterine viral infection is to detect the virus in the placenta, amniotic fluid, cord blood, or neonatal pharyngeal swab samples collected immediately after birth.

15-32

Authors: Hussin J. Hejase; Ale J. Hejase; Ghada M. Chehimi; Joumana A. Younis

This study aims to compare reading habits between Lebanon and France by identifying the reading habits among a sample of both residents in general and the educated populace in particular. A quantitative research approach is adopted relying on a survey questionnaire administered to equal samples of 130 persons, selected conveniently based on their willingness to participate, and belonging to different age categories and sexes. Results show that Lebanon has a lower average of reading time. Furthermore, 62.8% of the Lebanese versus 49.2% of the French dedicate 1 to 4 hours per week of reading time as compared to 3.1% of the Lebanese who dedicate 8 to 11 hours per week of reading time versus 21.5% of the French. Both dedicate below the world figures knowing that India occupied the first place with an average of 10.42 hours of reading per week. Lebanon and France are among the group that includes USA and Portugal where the majority of the people mainly read to get informed, keep updated, research a topic, and to be well developed. Lebanon is among the countries which are suffering from a decline in reading and readers though it occupies as well as France high position among the countries of high reading rates where a Lebanese reads an average of 20 books per year versus 25 by the French, a fact that puts Lebanon’s rank better than Spain, USA, Mexico, Portugal and Canada, but less than France; further, an estimated 11.5% of the Lebanese residents and 3.8% of the French do not read when looking at the general reading habits. Outcomes may help add scope and direction to policy makers in the government, to universities and other teaching and learning institutions and the nongovernment organizations which are concerned.

40-47

Authors: Venkatesh Babu; Abhipsa Roy

Aim: To evaluate the feeding behaviors in nighttime bed-sharing children between zero to four years old and its correlationto their oral health. Methods: A cross sectional study was conducted in a simple randomly selected sample of 200 children who were between 0-4-year old and their mothers. A printed questionnaire was given to the mother that enquired about child demographics, mother demographics, the total family income, whom the child lives with, who took care of the child during the day, birth order, birth maturity, medical problems, and child temperament. The data also included information on nighttime feeding behaviors that were used by the parent to help the child to sleep. Dental caries was recorded according to WHO criteria 2013. Results: Most of the children participating in this study bed shared with their mothers every night of the week and were mostly below two years old, lived with both parents, were perceived to be stubborn and were more likely to either breast feed throughout the night, or breastfeed or bottle feed to help them sleep. Also, they had a higher incidence of caries rate than the children who did not bed share with their mothers every night of the week. Conclusion: This study is important since it shows few practices that are associated with nighttime bed sharing habit which consequently places the child at a higher risk for developing caries. The dentists should inquire about the feeding habits (especially the night time feeding practices) as well as the night time bed sharing habits of the mother-children dyads so that adequate counseling can be provided to the mother, if needed and preventive strategies can be made targeted especially at mothers and children who bed share at night.

5-9

Authors: Humera Batool; Cesar Peralta; Sankuru Santosh K. Dora; Zeina Al Achkar; Pousette Hamid

Eating disorders (EDs) are found to have high rates of comorbidity accompanied by other mental illnesses in particular with Major Depressive Disorder (MDD). The main objective of the present study was, to conduct a systematic review on the risk of depression in patients suffering from eating disorders (anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa). The study was conducted using online databases: such as PUBMED, PsycInfo, ScienceDirect and Google Scholar. Data are collected from studies conducted from 2000 to 2018. Of the selected studies, 6 were case-control studies, 6 were cross-sectional studies, 2 systematic reviews, and only one case study. Out of the 15 selected studies, the majority of them indicated that there is no correlation between eating disorders and depression. This systematic review demonstrates that there is no authenticated scale to evaluate the specific relationship between an eating disorder and different types of depression. There is however a scale that evaluates the relationship between depressive and eating behavior, the Emotional Eating Scale (EES). Based on the results obtained from the majority of the selected studies, it is evident that there is no connection between eating disorders and depression. Usually, symptoms pertaining to depression and eating disorders are comorbid. Hence considering the same view, depressive symptoms are frequently evaluated in regards to an eating disorder. Therefore, additional efforts are needed to extend interventions that are simpler and applicable in diminishing both major depression and eating disorder in order to increase the efficiency of therapy.

19-31

Authors: Hussaini Dakasku; Gylych Jelilov; Abdurrahman Isik; Murat Akyuz

This study empirically explored the impact of monetary policy instruments on economic growth in Nigeria from the period 1986 to 2018. Autoregressive distributed lag model (ARDL) was employed for the long run and short run dynamic relationship between each of the policy variables; Money supply, Interest rate and Exchange rate, and the target variable; Gross domestic product. The estimated long run model shows that log of money supply has a positive impact on the log of GDP, Exchange rate in its current period is inversely related to the target variable, while its one period lag positively impacts the target variable. Also, the Interest rate in its current value exerts a positive and significant impact on economic growth in Nigeria. Similarly, in the short run, one period lag of the target positively impacts its current value, while the Exchange rate in its current and one period lag, significantly, exerts a negative and positive impact on economic growth respectively. The error correction mechanism coefficient shows that the speed of adjustment of the variables to equilibrium in the short run is 19%. Therefore, the study concludes that monetary policy instruments are significant in explaining economic growth in Nigeria. Also, it is recommended that necessary measures should be taken by the monetary authority to ensure proper use of the instruments by maintaining favorable interest rate, exchange rate and money supply in to attain the desired level of growth in the economy.

4-13

Authors: Mashael AlKhateeb; Reham Alrantisi; Amal Abujaber; Hesham AlDhalaan; Tariq Abalkhail; Ibrahim Althubaiti; Emad Kanaan; Salah Baz

Background: Drug-resistant epilepsy defined as persistent seizures despite adequate doses of two appropriate first-line antiepileptic drugs (AED). Uncontrolled seizures cause injuries, disability, and increased mortality, thus surgery should be considered once the seizures are proven to be medically resistant. Surgical interventions may benefit patients (pts) with incomplete responses to AEDs after evaluation in the epilepsy monitoring unit (EMU) under video-EEG monitoring. Video-EEG monitoring in the epilepsy monitoring unit (EMU) is a limited clinical resource and availability of standardized units even scarcer. Knowledge of the preadmission predicting factors for length of stay (LOS) in the EMU may allow providers to utilize hospital resources and EMU beds more efficiently. Purpose: This study investigates the effect of patient-related variables, in-EMU -hospital stay for maximum EMU resource utilization. Methods: The records for all consecutive admissions to the EMU stay at King Faisal Specialist Hospital & Research Centre, between January 1, 2016 and December 31, 2016 will be reviewed retrospectively. Results: Our results about univariate analyses focusing on variables known before admission shows that EMU LOS (in days) was not significantly correlated with patient age, number of event types, or number of AEDs at admission. While the number of seizures recorded in EMU significantly correlated with age. Conclusion: Pre-admission clinical variables may predict EMU LOS. These factors could be used at the administrative level for maximum EMU resource utilization. The Clinical Pathway (CP) we established below is a general guideline and does not replace clinical judgment. Care should be individualized to meet the specific needs of each patient. The CP can, therefore, be deviated from when deemed appropriate with the reason documented.

19-24

Authors: Ivonne Maldonado Hernández; Héctor Domínguez Martínez; Jorge Luis Castañeda Gutiérrez; Kathy Laura Vargas Matamoros

The recycling of multilayer containers has enormous potential in Mexico, due to the fact that, on the one hand, there is currently a high percentage of waste from it and, on the other hand, the product obtained as a result of this process is cellulose, which has an attractive level of demand for the practice of recycling in general. Another singular fact is the fact that the State of Tlaxcala has a privileged location for the establishment of production plants of different types and the recycling of multilayer containers is no exception, for which reason it has been proposed to establish a plant in the state of Tlaxcala, having the task of defining where in the State to establish the plant. This article deals with a proposal for the micro location of a multilayer packaging recycling plant in the State of Tlaxcala. This proposal is based on two techniques used to establish the micro location. These techniques are the Delphi technique, accompanied by the methodology for decision-making called the analytic hierarchy and analytic network processes for the measurement of intangible criteria and for decision-making (AHP), which are combined to achieve the stated objective.

36-41

Authors: Ali Johnson Onoja; Felix Olaniyi Sanni; Paul Olaiya Abiodun; Chris Olusola Ogedengbe; Sheila Iye Onoja; Aisha Abu

Introduction: Client satisfaction is considered as the best indicator of the quality of service provision and a major element to boost the uptake of family planning (FP) services. This study aimed to compare the quality of services and client satisfaction in both private and public health facilities in Nigeria. Methodology: Facility-based cross-sectional study was carried out from June 7 – 28, 2017 by African Health Research team with 498 female FP users. Respondents were selected by using systematic random sampling from 12 private, and 18 public health facilities in Nigeria. A pre-tested structured questionnaire was used to collect data and the data were analyzed using IBM-SPSS version 25.0 and statistically significant association was declared at p-value <0.05. Result: The study found that the waiting time for most of the clients in both private (62.7%) and public (75.2%) was less than 30 minutes (p=0.101). While 73.1% of FP clients in private facilities were satisfied with waiting time, 82.1% reported the same in public facilities (p<0.081). The average quality of service was significantly higher in public facilities (93.3%) than the private (86.6%) (p<0.001). No significant difference was observed in overall client satisfaction between private (88.7%) and public facilities (92.4), p = 0.858. Conclusion: This study found high quality of FP services and client satisfaction in both public and private health facilities in Nigeria, though public facilities showed higher quality of services than the private facilities. However, there is a need for more improvement in both facilities to enhance client satisfaction.

7-11

Authors: Dacia Julissa Arenas Espinosa; Alejandra Torres López; Miguel Ángel Rodríguez Lozada

Abstract. The important performance of bars in today´s society imposed the creation of this research work, which is directly focused on the performance of the organizational factors of these companies in the municipalities of Apizaco, Huamantla and Tlaxcala downtown, through a methodology that allowed obtaining a diagnosis considering the main areas that are: management, processes, human resources, sales, accounting and physical facilities and the main organizational factors that intervene for proper performance. Subsequently, a statistical correlation analysis was carried out to determine the link between organizational factors and it was determined that the factors with the highest correlation are: the organizational climate, recruiting staff, the motivation, the quality of services and advertising. Resumen. El importante desempeño de los bares en la sociedad actual impuso la creación de este trabajo de investigación, el cual está enfocado directamente en el desempeño de los factores organizacionales de dichas empresas en los municipios de Apizaco, Huamantla y Tlaxcala centro, a través de una metodología que permitió obtener un diagnóstico considerando las principales áreas que son: dirección, procesos, recursos humanos, ventas, contabilidad e instalaciones físicas y los principales factores organizacionales que intervienen para un correcto desempeño. Posteriormente se realizó un análisis estadístico de correlación por municipio para determinar la vinculación entre factores organizacionales y se determinó que los factores con mayor correlación son: el clima organizacional, el reclutamiento de personal, la motivación, la calidad de los servicios y la publicidad.