Do Institutions and Social Capital matter in the Economic Development of Nigeria?

Abstract. This paper addresses the impact of institutions and social capital on economic development of Nigeria. It advanced an argument that economic prosperity of a country is embedded in social organizations and transformations of her institutions built from social capital. The methodology adopted was quantitative and qualitative. The results present a declining negative impact of social capital and institutional variables on economic development; affirming the importance of social capital on institutional quality. Therefore, the way forward is taking a tougher stance against abuse of power and employ mechanism of social capital to reconcile conflict among social, political and economic interest groups.Keywords: Institutions, Social capital, Economic development.JEL. D70, H10, O10, O40

Gain-of-function oncogenic mutations in TP53 enhance defined factor-mediated cellular reprogramming

Cancer is a disorder with various genetic and epigenetic alterations. Genetic alterations such as mutations, i.e., substitutions, amplifications, and deletions of nucleotide sequences, are largely irreversible, whereas epigenetic alterations can be modified by pharmacological agents that target components of the epigenetic machinery. Recent studies have showed that introduction of defined factors such as those encoded by c-MYC, SOX2, OCT3/4, and KLF4 in normal somatic cells results in their dedifferentiation into induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells. In addition, we have reported that these iPS factors induce the development of induced multipotent cancer (iPC) cells from gastrointestinal cancer cells by reducing tumor aggressiveness. The efficiency of iPS reprogramming increased when p53 was inhibited. The study of cancer cells suggests that the p53 pathways might be involved in the aggressive phenotypes of iPC cells in a long-term culture. However, the roles of gain-of-function oncogenic mutations in TP53, which is a key tumor suppressor gene, remain to be elucidated. We investigated reprogramming efficiency of iPS generation in human diploid fibroblasts that were co-transfected with TP53 mutants and defined factors. The results suggest that mutations in those TP53 regions that are involved in DNA contact might play a critical role in the efficiency of iPS generation. Taken together, our studies suggest 2 roles of TP53 mutations in reprogramming: (1) the structural mutations might contribute to, or collaborate with, other mutations to regulate the maintenance of genomic stability; (2) the DNA-contact mutations could affect the downstream target genes, which may be distinct from those involved in wild-type p53 function. These molecular manipulations of tumorigenicity and enhancement of cellular reprogramming efficiency by the p53 pathway will open an attractive and useful avenue for future medicine

Virtual bioequivalence for achlorhydric subjects: The use of PBPK modelling to assess the formulation-dependent effect of achlorhydria

Majority of bioequivalence studies are conducted in healthy volunteers. It has been argued that bioequivalence may not necessarily hold true in relevant patient populations due to a variety of reasons which affect one formulation more than the other for instance in achlorhydric patients where elevated gastric pH may lead to differential effects on formulations which are pH-sensitive with respect to release or dissolution. We therefore examined achlorhydria-related disparity in bioequivalence of levothyroxine and nifedipine formulations using virtual bioequivalence within a physiologically-based pharmacokinetic (PBPK) modelling framework. The in vitro dissolution profiles at neutral pH were incorporated into PBPK models to mimic the achlorhydria with in vitro–in vivo relationship established using bio-relevant pH media. The PBPK models successfully reproduced the outcome of the bioequivalence studies in healthy volunteers under the normal conditions as well as under proton pump inhibitor-induced achlorhydria. The geometric mean test/reference ratios for Cmax and AUC between levothyroxine tablet and capsule in patients receiving proton pump inhibitor were 1.21 (90%CI, 1.13–1.29) and 1.09 (90%CI, 1.02–1.17), respectively. Extension of the virtual bioequivalence study to Japanese elderly, who show high incidence of achlorhydria, indicated bio-inequivalence which Cmax and AUC ratios between nifedipine control-released reference and test formulations were 3.08 (90%CI, 2.81–3.38) and 1.57 (90%CI, 1.43–1.74), respectively. Virtual bioequivalence studies through the PBPK models can highlight the need for conduct of specific studies in elderly Japanese populations where there are discrepancies in pH-sensitivity of dissolution between the test and reference formulations

Stress of working abroad: a systematic review

PurposeMany companies target international markets to expand their business. Companies need to manage international teams with a wide variety of skills, knowledge and values to run their business effectively; however, there are many issues of acculturation stress. Not only business travellers and expatriates, but also immigrant workers have issues adjusting to foreign culture. The aim of the present study is to identify the stress factors affecting foreign-born workers via a systematic review.MethodsThe systematic review was conducted using PubMed, PsycINFO, Embase and Cochrane Library databases. Articles on the subject of workers living abroad, such as immigrants, expatriates and business travellers, were included. The risk of bias in the included articles was assessed using the Cochrane Collaboration’s tool for assessing risk of bias for randomised controlled trials (RCTs), RoBANS for non-RCT studies, and CASP for qualitative studies.ResultsFor the systematic review, 45 out of 14,994 articles were analysed. Six components, communication, cultural differences in the workplace, daily life, relationships with family and colleagues, financial problems and social inequality, were extracted.ConclusionForeign-born workers are suffering from acculturation and occupational stress. The results of the present study can help greatly with understanding of the stress structure of working abroad

Critical contribution of MCL-1 in EMT-associated chemo-resistance in A549 non-small-cell lung cancer

Non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is one of the leading causes of death in all lung cancer patients due to its metastatic spread. Even though cisplatin treatment after surgical resection of the primary tumor has been established as a standard chemotherapy for residual disease including metastatic spread, NSCLC often acquires a resistance against chemotherapy, and metastatic disease is often observed. Amongst many potential mechanisms, epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT) has been considered as an important process in acquiring both metastatic spread and chemo-resistance of NSCLC. In this study, we identified MCL-1 as a critical molecule for chemoresistance in A549 cells associated with TGF-β-induced EMT. Importantly, downregulation of MCL-1 by siRNA or inhibition of MCL-1 with pan-BCL2 inhibitor to inhibit MCL-1 was able to overcome the EMT-associated chemo-resistance in A549 cells. Collectively, MCL-1 can be a new therapeutic target for overcoming EMT-associated chemo-resistance in NSCLC patients in the context of post-operative chemotherapies

The drama in cross-cultural marriages and stereotypes in central Nigeria: The tiv-igede paradigm in the global age

Nio Abstract