Publications by authors named "Asukwo Onukak"

Article Synopsis
  • - Histoplasmosis, typically linked to AIDS, also significantly affects cancer patients, with most cases reported from the USA and a majority being adults presenting symptoms like fever and lymphadenopathy.
  • - Out of 34 cases studied, 73.5% were associated with hematological cancers, and diagnosis was primarily achieved through histopathology and culture methods.
  • - Favorable outcomes were noted in 70.6% of cases, but histoplasmosis remains underdiagnosed in Africa, underlining the need for better screening in cancer patients to enhance diagnosis and treatment outcomes.
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Background: Deep mycoses are serious fungal diseases commonly associated with the immunocompromised but can also present in the immunocompetent following severe exposure to fungal pathogens. Included in this group are subcutaneous and systemic fungal infections.

Objectives: Reviews highlighting skin involvement in patients with deep mycosis in the Nigerian setting are sparse in the literature.

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Article Synopsis
  • - A 40-year-old woman in Nigeria presented with neck swelling and abdominal pain, leading to an initial diagnosis of sepsis and micronutrient deficiency based on her blood tests.
  • - Despite antibiotic treatment, her condition worsened with additional symptoms like fever and fatigue, eventually being diagnosed with diffuse large B-cell lymphoma after a lymph node biopsy.
  • - A later blood test revealed yeast cells suggesting histoplasmosis, highlighting the importance of considering this diagnosis in cancer patients and the value of blood smears for detection.
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To investigate epidemiology of and risk factors for laboratory-confirmed mpox during the 2022 outbreak in Nigeria, we enrolled 265 persons with suspected mpox. A total of 163 (61.5%) were confirmed to have mpox; 137 (84.

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HIV infection continues to be a major public health issue, with significant morbidity and mortality especially in resource poor areas. Infection with HIV results in an increased risk of opportunistic infections and other complications, which may lead to hospital admission and death. Morbidity and mortality patterns among hospitalized persons living with HIV (PLHIV) have been well documented in high income countries, but there is paucity of such data in Nigeria.

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Background: Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a viral infection that has been reported in virtually every country. Healthcare workers (HCW) are more at risk of COVID-19 than the general population making them a priority group for vaccination. Before the roll out of COVID-19 vaccines in Nigeria, some HCW were using some repurposed, unapproved drugs to possibly prevent the disease.

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Introduction: point prevalence surveys have been used as a standardized tool to monitor antibiotic consumption to inform antimicrobial stewardship interventions in many countries. The 2021 WHO model list of Essential Medicines has classified antibiotics into three groups: access, watch and reserve. The aim of this paper is to describe the antibiotics used within a space of three years between 2018 and 2021 at the University of Uyo Teaching Hospital based on WHO AWaRe classification.

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Background: Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a viral infection that has been reported in virtually every country. Healthcare workers (HCW) are more at risk of COVID-19 than the general population making them a priority group for vaccination. Before the roll out of COVID-19 vaccines in Nigeria, some HCW were using some repurposed, unapproved drugs to possibly prevent the disease.

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Background: We describe clinicoepidemiologic characteristics of mpox-chickenpox coinfection in Nigeria.

Methods: A retrospective cohort analysis was performed of confirmed mpox cases in Nigeria from January 2022 to March 2023. Mpox and chickenpox were confirmed by real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR).

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Background: Research from sub-Saharan Africa that contributes to our understanding of the 2022 mpox (formerly known as monkeypox) global outbreak is insufficient. Here, we describe the clinical presentation and predictors of severe disease among patients with mpox diagnosed between Feb 1, 2022, and Jan 30, 2023 in Nigeria.

Methods: We did a cohort study among laboratory-confirmed and probable mpox cases seen in 22 mpox-treatment centres and outpatient clinics across Nigeria.

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Introduction: the death care of deceased bodies of confirmed COVID-19 cases is a critical component of holistic healthcare provision for COVID-19 cases particularly from the public health perspective of infection prevention/control. Regrettably, there is a dearth of research-based information on the management (death care) of COVID-19 deceased bodies. Thus, we aimed to determine the preservation/storage death care practices and procedures in accordance with infection prevention/control measures used for deceased bodies of suspected/confirmed COVID-19 cases deposited in our mortuary and explore their antemortem age/sex distribution.

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Lassa fever (LF) outbreaks in Nigeria mostly occur in rural areas and during the dry season, peaking between December through February. Fever is a cardinal presenting feature among the myriad manifestations of LF. Thirty four patients with clinical diagnosis of LF were analyzed.

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