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This article discusses the place of the concept of global citizenship within the context of African values. It holds that if the modern concept of global citizenship education as espoused by UNESCO and other global organisations is relatively recent, the same concept is ancient within the context of sub-Saharan Africa and it is subsumed within African values. The article argues that the search for a universal theory of global citizenship education is yet to yield any positive result and it critiques the three methodologies so far adopted in promoting global citizenship education across the world. The article concludes that whilst modern global citizenship education is tied to the material world and the benefits derivable therefrom, the concept of global citizenship education advanced by at least five African values is rooted in the depth of humanity from where it rises to smoothen human relations and sooth the pains caused by human avarice.

Etavopivat is an investigational, once daily, oral, selective erythrocyte pyruvate kinase (PKR) activator. A multicenter, randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blind, 3-part, phase 1 study was conducted to characterize the safety and clinical activity of etavopivat. Thirty-six patients with sickle cell disease (SCD) were enrolled into 4 cohorts: 1 single-dose, 2 multiple ascending doses, and 1 open-label (OL). In the OL cohort, 15 patients (median age 33.0 years [range, 17-55]) received 400 mg etavopivat once daily for 12 weeks; 14 patients completed treatment. Consistent with the mechanism of PKR activation, increases in adenosine triphosphate and decreases in 2,3-diphosphoglycerate were observed and sustained over 12 weeks treatment. This translated clinically to an increase in hemoglobin (Hb; mean maximal increase 1.6 g/dL [range, 0.8-2.8]), with >1 g/dL increase in 11 (73%) patients during treatment. In addition, the oxygen tension at which Hb is 50% saturated was reduced (P = .0007) with a concomitant shift in point of sickling (P = .0034) to lower oxygen tension in oxygen-gradient ektacytometry. Hemolysis markers (absolute reticulocyte count, indirect bilirubin, and lactate dehydrogenase) decreased from baseline, along with matrix metalloproteinase-9 and erythropoietin. In the OL cohort, adverse events (AEs) were mostly grade 1/2, consistent with underlying SCD; 5 patients had serious AEs. Vaso-occlusive pain episode was the most common treatment-emergent AE (n = 7) in the OL cohort. In this, to our knowledge, the first study of etavopivat in SCD, 400 mg once daily for 12 weeks was well tolerated, resulting in rapid and sustained increases in Hb, improved red blood cell physiology, and decreased hemolysis. This trial was registered at www.ClinicalTrials.gov as #NCT03815695.

PURPOSE: The current standard method for pectus excavatum (PE) repair is the Nuss procedure. One major postoperative complication is the displacement of the implanted metal bar, which is used to remodel the chest wall. Blocking the possible ways that the bar can be displaced with the use of stabilizers and peri/intracostal sutures has reduced the incidence of bar displacement. Despite the modifications, bar dislocation is often reported. We adopted the medial position stabilizer placement method and imposed no postoperative restrictions. In this study, we analyzed the bar dislocation rate with this modification and concurrent postoperative full activity. METHODS: Nuss procedure modification where stabilizers are placed bilaterally in the medial location was done on patients irrespective of age and Haller index greater than 3.25. A single bar was used for all patients. Cryoanalgesia was performed on every patient. No postoperative restrictions were imposed on the patients. Full immediate activities, including sports, were allowed. RESULTS: 114 patients (103 male, 11 female) were analyzed from 2016 to 2023. The median age was 15 years old. There was zero incidence of bar displacement. The combined incidence of other postoperative complications was 4%: 2 wound infections and 2 hematoma formations, both needing incision and drainage. CONCLUSION: Bilateral medial stabilizer placement resulted in no incidence of bar dislocation. Return to immediate full activities after the Nuss procedure did not appear to increase the incidence of bar displacement if stabilizers were placed medially.

This article discusses the UNESCO concept of learning city in relation to the peculiarities of the African city. After reviewing earlier theoretical frameworks recommended for the promotion of learning city projects within sub-Saharan Africa, the article comes to the conclusion that those earlier theoretical frameworks are prescriptive. Upon further analysis of the peculiarities of the African city, the article opines that only within a reflexive theoretical framework that is supported by traditional African pedagogies would a learning city project in sub-Saharan Africa succeed.

Purpose – Various challenges faced by non-academic personnel in Nigerian institutions, such as a lack of team spirit, inadequate salary, insufficient staff development programs, poor infrastructure, strike actions, insecurity, subpar health insurance, and limited career progression, prompted an examination of their effect on performance at the University of Ilorin. Aims(s) – This research aimed to investigate the influence of compensation structure, career development, and team spirit on the non-academic staff's performance. Design/methodology/approach – With a population of 1,600 and a sample size of 320, as established by Taro Yamane's sample size calculation, the study used a descriptive research approach. A questionnaire was used for data collection, and the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) program was used for basic regression analysis. Findings – The results showed that non-academic staff performance at the public institutions were positively and significantly impacted by compensation structure, career growth, and team spirit. The study successfully determined the impact of trade unionism on non-academic employee performance, emphasizing the positive effects of a sound wage structure, strong team spirit, and career advancement. Limitations of the study – The fact that the results are context-specific represents a major limitation. Originality/value – The results suggested that the public institutions should prioritize and assess team spirit, along with enhancing non-academic personnel's remuneration packages. Furthermore, career advancement was identified as a key factor influencing non-academic staff performance, emphasizing the importance of providing opportunities for professional growth and promotion to motivate employees to excel and contribute to the institution's success.

Abstract Coastal cities are at the frontlines of climate change impacts, resulting in an urgent need for substantial adaptation. To understand whether and to what extent cities are on track to prepare for climate risks, this paper systematically assesses the academic literature to evaluate climate change adaptation in 199 coastal cities worldwide. We show that adaptation in coastal cities is rather slow, of narrow scope, and not transformative. Adaptation measures are predominantly designed based on past and current, rather than future, patterns in hazards, exposure, and vulnerability. City governments, particularly in high-income countries, are more likely to implement institutional and infrastructural responses, while coastal cities in lower-middle income countries often rely on households to implement behavioral adaptation. There is comparatively little published knowledge on coastal urban adaptation in low and middle income economies and regarding particular adaptation types such as ecosystem-based adaptation. These insights make an important contribution for tracking adaptation progress globally and help to identify entry points for improving adaption of coastal cities in the future.

ObjectiveTo investigate whether functional upper eyelid malposition is associated with unrecognized deficits in automated perimetry among glaucoma patients by examining patients undergoing eyelid surgery who had not been identified as requiring eyelid taping during glaucoma field testing.MethodsIn this retrospective pre-post study, an automated database search followed by manual chart review was used to identify eligible patients from January 2012 to March 2020. Included patients had reliable visual field testing within two years before and after functional upper blepharoplasty or ptosis repair and no comorbid ocular diagnoses. As part of routine practice, glaucoma visual field technicians taped patients with pupil-obstructing eyelid malposition; taped examinations were excluded from analysis. Clinical and demographic characteristics, mean deviation, and pattern standard deviation were evaluated within a two year period before and after eyelid surgery.ResultsThe final analysis included 60 eyes of 38 patients. Change in visual field parameters after eyelid surgery did not reach statistical significance in crude or adjusted analyses. Among patients with ptosis, the margin reflex distance-1 was not associated with change in mean deviation after surgery (Pearson R2 ​= ​0.0061; P ​= ​0.700). Five of 17 eyes excluded from analysis due to unreliable pre-operative visual fields demonstrated substantial improvement after surgery.ConclusionsFunctional upper eyelid malposition does not appear to cause spurious visual field abnormalities among glaucoma patients with reliable visual fields who were determined not to require eyelid taping at the time of their visual fields. Unreliable visual fields could be a sign of eyelid interference in this population.