The impact of education level on Knowledge, Attitudes and Practices towards COVID-19 in Edo State, Nigeria.

BACKGROUND: For effective Public Health measures, factors that influence Knowledge, Attitudes and Practices (KAP) need to be understood. In this paper, we document the relationship between levels of education on the KAP towards COVID-19 among the population of Edo State, Nigeria. METHODS: A cross-sectional KAP questionnaire was delivered across 13 communities. The study population was dichotomized into those who had or had not completed secondary education. Chi-square tests were conducted to determine statistical significance. RESULTS: Of the 538 participants, 30% had completed secondary education. Those with secondary education were significantly more likely to recognize symptoms of COVID-19 (P < 0.001). For attitudes, only one option showed a statistically significant association with 78.4% of those who did not complete secondary education having a high confidence in the church compared with 66% of those who had (P = 0.022). For practices, those who have completed secondary education practiced all of the supplied measures more than those who had not, except for taking herbal supplements. DISCUSSION: Higher levels of education impacts on knowledge and practices but has less impact on attitudes regarding how well certain individuals/organizations can handle the pandemic. Findings highlighted the importance of tailoring public health communication and strategies to local populations to improve the efficacy.

A Systematic Review of the Effects of Capsaicin on Alzheimer's Disease.

Alzheimer's Disease (AD) is a progressive neurodegenerative disorder characterised by cognitive impairment, and amyloid-ß plaques and neurofibrillary tau tangles at neuropathology. Capsaicin is a spicy-tasting compound found in chili peppers, with anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and possible neuroprotective properties. Capsaicin intake has been associated with greater cognitive function in humans, and attenuating aberrant tau hyperphosphorylation in a rat model of AD. This systematic review discusses the potential of capsaicin in improving AD pathology and symptoms. A systematic analysis was conducted on the effect of capsaicin on AD-associated molecular changes, cognitive and behaviour resulting in 11 studies employing rodents and/or cell cultures, which were appraised with the Cochrane Risk of Bias tool. Ten studies showed capsaicin attenuated tau deposition, apoptosis, and synaptic dysfunction; was only weakly effective on oxidative stress; and had conflicting effects on amyloid processing. Eight studies demonstrated improved spatial and working memory, learning, and emotional behaviours in rodents following capsaicin treatment. Overall, capsaicin showed promise in improving AD-associated molecular, cognitive, and behavioural changes in cellular and animal models, and further investigations are recommended to test the readily available bioactive, capsaicin, to treat AD.