Global Pathology: A Snapshot of the Problems, the Progress, and the Potential.

Context.—: For equitable global health care, the United Nations has outlined Sustainable Development Goals for health in low-income and middle-income countries (LMICs) with the goal of reaching universal health care by 2030. Currently, 47% of the global population lacks access to basic diagnostics for many common diseases.

Presence of Cryptosporidium parvum in pre-washed vegetables from different supermarkets in South East England: A pilot study.

Cryptosporidium is an important water-borne and food-borne parasite with a high burden of disease. This organism has been shown to contaminate various leafy vegetables; however, studies assessing the presence of Cryptosporidium spp in pre-washed and ready-to-eat vegetables are limited. Routine surveillance in the UK revealed a nationwide exceedance of human cases of Cryptosporidium.

Prevalence, pattern and determinants of contraceptive use among pregnant women attending antenatal clinic (ANC) in a secondary health facility in Kebbi State: a cross-sectional study.

Introduction: rapidly rising population in Africa is of great concern, especially in Nigeria because of its impact on social stability. Nigeria has been unable to meet the set targets in respect of scaling up access to contraception, and increasing contraceptive prevalence. Thus, being projected to be the third most populous country by 2050 amidst a rising unemployment rate and a shrinking economy.

Translating research to usual care of children with sickle cell disease in Northern Nigeria: lessons learned from the SPRING Trial Team.

Objectives: Evidence-based practice for stroke prevention in high-income countries involves screening for abnormal transcranial Doppler (TCD) velocity and initiating regular blood transfusions for at least 1 year, followed by treatment with hydroxyurea. This practice has not been transferred to low-resource settings like Nigeria, the country with the highest global population density of SCD. Following a multi-center randomized controlled trial among children with SCA in northern Nigeria, screening for stroke and initiation of hydroxyurea was established as standard of care at the clinical trial sites and other locations.

Hydroxyurea for primary stroke prevention in children with sickle cell anaemia in Nigeria (SPRING): a double-blind, multicentre, randomised, phase 3 trial.

Background: In high-income countries, standard care for primary stroke prevention in children with sickle cell anaemia and abnormal transcranial Doppler velocities results in a 92% relative risk reduction of strokes but mandates initial monthly blood transfusion. In Africa, where regular blood transfusion is not feasible for most children, we tested the hypothesis that initial moderate-dose compared with low-dose hydroxyurea decreases the incidence of strokes for children with abnormal transcranial Doppler velocities.

Methods: SPRING is a double-blind, parallel-group, randomised, controlled, phase 3 trial of children aged 5-12 years with sickle cell anaemia with abnormal transcranial Doppler velocities conducted at three teaching hospitals in Nigeria.

Establishing Sickle Cell Disease Stroke Prevention Teams in Africa is Feasible: Program Evaluation Using the RE-AIM Framework.

We used the Reach, Effectiveness, Adoption, Implementation, and Maintenance (RE-AIM) framework to evaluate a Stroke Prevention Team's readiness to prevent strokes in children with sickle cell anemia living in northern Nigeria. The NIH sponsored Stroke Prevention Trial in Nigeria included a goal of a sustainable stroke prevention program. The program's 1-year reach for transcranial Doppler screening was 14.

Acute urinary tract infection in patients with underlying benign prostatic hyperplasia and prostate cancer.

Introduction: the occurrence of urinary tract infection in patients with obstructing prostate causes reduction in their health-related quality of life and overall well-being. The objective of this study was to determine the prevalence, risk factors and antimicrobial sensitivity pattern of pathogens causing urinary tract infection in patients with benign prostatic hyperplasia and prostate cancer.

Methods: all patients who presented to our urology division with bladder outlet obstruction secondary to benign prostatic hyperplasia or prostate cancer between January 2016 and January 2019 were included.

Towards 2030 Target for Hepatitis B and C Viruses Elimination: Assessing the Validity of Predonation Rapid Diagnostic Tests versus Enzyme-linked Immunosorbent Assay in State Hospitals in Kaduna, Nigeria.

Introduction: Sub-Saharan Africa accounts for 25% of the estimated global 325 million people with chronic hepatitis B and C virus infections. Weak blood transfusion systems facilitate the spread of both hepatitis B and C virus infections. This is worsened by the absence of sustainable quality assurance programs and perennial shortage of sensitive screening kits.

The Prevalence of Occult Hepatitis B Infection among Blood Donors in Lagos, Nigeria.

Background: In occult hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection, the HBV DNA is present in the blood or liver tissue in patients negative for hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) with or without anti-HBV antibodies. Thus, the absence of HBsAg in the blood only reduces the risk of transmission and is not sufficient enough to ensure the absence of HBV infection.

Aim: This study was aimed at determining the prevalence of occult HBV infection among blood donors in Lagos.

Metagenomic insights into effects of spent engine oil perturbation on the microbial community composition and function in a tropical agricultural soil.

Analyzing the microbial community structure and functions become imperative for ecological processes. To understand the impact of spent engine oil (SEO) contamination on microbial community structure of an agricultural soil, soil microcosms designated 1S (agricultural soil) and AB1 (agricultural soil polluted with SEO) were set up. Metagenomic DNA extracted from the soil microcosms and sequenced using Miseq Illumina sequencing were analyzed for their taxonomic and functional properties.

NT-proBNP as a marker of cardiopulmonary status in sickle cell anaemia in Africa.

N-terminal (NT) pro-brain natriuretic peptide (proBNP) > or =160 ng/l has a 78% positive predictive value for pulmonary hypertension and is associated with increased mortality in US sickle cell disease patients, but the importance in sickle cell disease patients in Africa is not known. In a cross-sectional study at Ahmadu Bello University Teaching Hospital, Shika-Zaria, Nigeria, we studied 133 hydroxycarbamide-naïve Nigerian sickle cell anaemia patients aged 18-52 years at steady-state and 65 healthy controls. Twenty-six percent of patients versus 5% of controls had NT-proBNP > or =160 ng/l (P = 0.

Membrane type-1 matrix metalloproteinase (MT1-MMP) processing of pro-alphav integrin regulates cross-talk between alphavbeta3 and alpha2beta1 integrins in breast carcinoma cells.

We have recently demonstrated that in breast carcinoma MCF7 cells MT1-MMP processes the alphav, alpha3, and alpha5 integrin precursors generating the respective mature S-S-linked heavy and light alpha-chains. The precursor of alpha2 integrin subunit was found resistant to MT1-MMP proteolysis. The processing of the alphav subunit by MT1-MMP facilitated alphavbeta3-dependent adhesion, activation of FAK signaling pathway, and migration of MCF7 cells on vitronectin.