Serum zinc levels in hospitalized children with acute lower respiratory infections in the north-central region of Nigeria.

Background: Macronutrient deficiency has continued to attract significant research interest, where as the import of micronutrients like zinc has only recently become the focus of interest. Thus against the background of a dearth of data on zinc levels in Nigerian children with Acute Lower Respiratory Infection (ALRI), this study was carried out in Ilorin, Nigeria to determine the serum zinc levels in hospitalized children with ALRI.

Methodology: A comparative cross-sectional hospital based study involving 120 children aged two months to five years with ALRI recruited as subjects, and 120 age-appropriate controls without ALRI was carried out.

Amulets, Bands and Other Traditional Applications seen among Emergency and Neonatal Pediatric Admissions in a Tertiary Centre, Nigeria.

Objectives: This study aims to investigate the types and indications of amulets, bands and traditional applications among pediatric emergencies and neonatal admissions into the Federal Medical Centre, Bida, Nigeria.

Methods: This was a cross-sectional study conducted between January and July, 2008. Children admitted into the emergency and neonatal units of the institution with traditional applications were recruited.