Risk of invasive pneumococcal disease during pregnancy and postpartum and association with adverse maternal and foetal outcomes: A prospective cohort study, England, 2014-19.

Background: Pneumococcal infections are associated with significant morbidity and mortality, especially at the extremes of age and in those with underlying conditions. Little is known about the risks, presentations or outcomes of invasive pneumococcal disease (IPD) during pregnancy or the postpartum period.

Methods: The UK Health Security Agency conducts enhanced national surveillance of IPD in England.

Epidemiological trends in viral meningitis in England: Prospective national surveillance, 2013-2023.

Background: In the conjugate vaccine era, viruses are the most common cause of meningitis. Here, we evaluated epidemiological trends in laboratory-confirmed viral meningitis across all age-groups over an 11-year period in England.

Methods: In England, hospital laboratories routinely report laboratory-confirmed infections electronically to the UK Health Security Agency.

Global Prevalence of Severe Neonatal Jaundice among Hospital Admissions: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

Evidence regarding the adverse burden of severe neonatal jaundice (SNJ) in hospitalized neonates in resource-constrained settings is sparse. We attempted to determine the prevalence of SNJ, described using clinical outcome markers, in all World Health Organization (WHO) regions in the world. Data were sourced from Ovid Medline, Ovid Embase, Cochrane Library, African Journals Online, and Global Index Medicus.

Marked variability in institutional deliveries and neonatal outcomes during the COVID-19 lockdown in Nigeria.

Background: The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic and the interventions to mitigate its spread impacted access to healthcare, including hospital births and newborn care. This study evaluated the impact of COVID-19 lockdown measures on newborn service utilization in Nigeria.

Methods: The records of women who delivered in hospitals and babies admitted to neonatal wards were retrospectively reviewed before (March 2019-February 2020) and during (March 2020-February 2021) the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown in selected facilities in Nigeria.

The Vulnerable Newborn of a Mentally Ill Mother in a Resource-Limited Setting.

Mental illness is not uncommon in women of childbearing age. Pregnancy, delivery and the postpartum state could precipitate mental illness in predisposed women or worsen psychiatric symptoms in those known to have mental ill-health. Maternal mental illness exposes the infant to neglect, abuse or outright harm.

Safely resuming neglected tropical disease control activities during COVID-19: Perspectives from Nigeria and Guinea.

Since its early spread in early 2020, the disease caused by the novel Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) has caused mass disruptions to health services. These have included interruptions to programs that aimed to prevent, control, and eliminate neglected tropical diseases (NTDs). In March 2020, the World Health Organization (WHO) released interim guidelines recommending the temporary cessation of mass drug administration (MDA), community-based surveys, and case detection, while encouraging continuation of morbidity management and vector control where possible.

Strengthening retinopathy of prematurity screening and treatment services in Nigeria: a case study of activities, challenges and outcomes 2017-2020.

Objectives: Retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) will become a major cause of blindness in Nigerian children unless screening and treatment services expand. This article aims to describe the collaborative activities undertaken to improve services for ROP between 2017 and 2020 as well as the outcome of these activities in Nigeria.

Design: Descriptive case study.

The association between halitosis and oral-health-related quality of life: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

Aim: To investigate whether halitosis is associated with impaired oral-health-related quality of life (OHRQoL).

Materials And Methods: This is a systematic review of the literature. Electronic searches were performed in PubMed via Medline, Web of Science, Scopus, and EMBASE up to and including June 2021.

Patterns of dyslipidemia amongst hypertensive patients in Abuja, North Central Nigeria.

Introduction: dyslipidemia and hypertension are independent cardiovascular risk factors that are linked by insulin resistance and commonly coexist as components of the metabolic syndrome. The consequences of dyslipidaemic patterns includes high cardiovascular risk profile and sequalae. Data on lipid patterns amongst hypertensive patients in Abuja, a city with affluent pattern of life style and rising cardiovascular risk profile is very scanty or limited to just levels of total plasma cholesterol.

First wave of COVID-19 did not reach the homeless population in Aarhus.

Introduction: The deadly coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has rapidly become a pandemic affecting the whole world. Lower health literacy and higher mortality rates in the homeless and vulnerable population compared with the background population potentially leaves this group or people more exposed to COVID-19. This study assessed the vulnerable population of Aarhus in relation to COVID-19 infection.

Congenital absence of the nasal septum in a Nigerian newborn with multiple congenital anomalies.

Congenital absence of the nasal septum (hyporhynia) is infrequently reported in the literature. We report a rare case in a newborn with multiple congenital anomalies with the aim to highlight its rarity and compatibility with life in a resource-limited setting. The case notes of the child were summarised and the relevant literature reviewed to give the report a context.

Enablers of adherence to clinic appointments for children attending an antiretroviral clinic in Northern Nigeria: Perspectives of caregivers and care providers.

Background: Nigeria has the highest burden of paediatric HIV infection, and the success of control efforts in the country is crucial to the global control of the HIV epidemic. However, defaults from schedules of care pose a threat to paediatric HIV control in Nigeria. This study was conducted in a pioneer facility for the implementation of the National HIV Prevention and Treatment Programmes.

The effect of foot reflexotherapy on the dynamics of cortical oscillatory waves in healthy humans: An EEG study.

Background: Foot reflexotherapy is a noninvasive complementary therapy that has gained considerable application in several fields of human endeavor. The therapy is used to relieve the symptoms of several ailments. For instance, foot reflexotherapy when applied to the cortical areas of the left or right foot relieves pain and stress.

Evaluation of the cognitive effect of newborn resuscitation training on health-care workers in selected states in Northern Nigeria.

Background: Neonatal deaths contribute significantly to slower progress in under-5 mortality reduction. Lack of sufficiently trained birth assistants partly contributes to early neonatal deaths. Resuscitation training equips frontline health-care workers (HCWs) with requisite knowledge and skills to prevent birth asphyxia.

Outcome of Extremely Low Birth Weight Babies in Zaria; A Ten-Year Review.

Background: Survival among extremely low birth weight (ELBW) babies (birth weight below 1000grams) in resource limited settings is still very low. The study aimed to determine the correlation between materno-foetal factors and outcome in this category of neonates.

Study Design: A retrospective study in which patients' records admitted into the Neonatal Unit of Ahmadu Bello University Teaching Hospital between January 2005 and December 2014 were retrieved.

Nasal Bubble CPAP: One Year Experience in a Neonatal Unit of a Tertiary Health Facility in Northwestern Nigeria.

Aims And Objectives: Nasal bubble continuous positive airway pressure (NBCPAP) respiratory support, though decades old, is beginning to gain popularity in developing countries including Nigeria. We reviewed neonates who benefitted from NBCPAP, to describe the demographics and outcome of NBCPAP respiratory support in newborns admitted to the neonatal unit of Ahmadu Bello University Teaching Hospital (ABUTH), Zaria, over a one year period.

Materials And Methods: The study is a descriptive observational review of all neonates who required NBCPAP respiratory support in the neonatal unit of ABUTH Zaria.