Virus Load Kinetics in Lassa Fever Patients Treated With Ribavirin: A Retrospective Cohort Study From Southern Nigeria.

Background: The standard of care for Lassa fever is the use of ribavirin with supportive therapy. There is little information on the course of viremia and its relationship with clinical outcomes in patients treated with ribavirin.

Methods: We conducted a retrospective analysis of virologic and clinical parameters of 152 reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction-confirmed Lassa fever cases admitted and treated with ribavirin therapy.

A comprehensive analysis of stroke admissions at a rural Nigerian tertiary health facility: Insights from a single-center study.

Objectives: This research intended to examine the demographic and clinical attributes of stroke admissions in a rural Nigerian hospital.

Materials And Methods: A retrospective analysis of stroke admissions was conducted over 1 year. All necessary data were obtained from patients' records and SPSS was employed for data analysis.

Identification of genetic risk loci and causal insights associated with Parkinson's disease in African and African admixed populations: a genome-wide association study.

Background: An understanding of the genetic mechanisms underlying diseases in ancestrally diverse populations is an important step towards development of targeted treatments. Research in African and African admixed populations can enable mapping of complex traits, because of their genetic diversity, extensive population substructure, and distinct linkage disequilibrium patterns. We aimed to do a comprehensive genome-wide assessment in African and African admixed individuals to better understand the genetic architecture of Parkinson's disease in these underserved populations.

MAPT allele and haplotype frequencies in Nigerian Africans: Population distribution and association with Parkinson's disease risk and age at onset.

Introduction: The association between MAPT and PD risk may be subject to ethnic variability even within populations of similar geographical origin. Data on MAPT haplotype frequencies, and its association with PD risk in black Africans are lacking. We aimed to determine the frequencies of MAPT haplotypes and their role as risk factors for PD and age at onset in Nigerians.

The West Africa Lassa fever Consortium pre-positioned protocol for a Phase II/III adaptive, randomised, controlled, platform trial to evaluate multiple Lassa fever therapeutics.

: This is a standardized, pre-positioned protocol for the coordinated evaluation of Lassa fever therapeutics. The protocol is the product of discussions that took place in 2021 and 2022 among international investigators from a wide range of scientific and medical disciplines working together within the West Africa Lassa fever Consortium (WALC). : This is a clinical Phase II/III multicentre randomised controlled platform trial using a superiority framework with an equal allocation ratio and a composite primary endpoint of all-cause mortality OR new onset of i) acute kidney failure (AKF), OR ii) acute respiratory failure (ARF), OR iii) shock assessed from enrolment (D0) to D28.

The unusual finding of peripheral lymphadenopathy among confirmed Lassa fever patients in Nigeria.

Lassa fever is a viral haemorrhagic fever belonging to the arenaviridae family that is well known to be endemic to West Africa. The clinical presentation of the disease ranges from asymptomatic to fulminant illness. Lymphadenopathy a clinical manifestation of inflammation, infection, or malignancy has not been widely reported in Lassa fever disease.

Focussed Assessment with Sonography in acute Lassa Fever (FASLa): Development of a point-of-care protocol and description of common ultrasound findings.

Background: Managing Lassa fever (LF) patients is challenging because of the complexity of this life-threatening infectious disease, the necessary isolation measures, and the limited resources in countries where it is endemic. Point-of-care ultrasonography (POCUS) is a promising low-cost imaging technique that may help in guiding the management of patients.

Methods: We conducted this observational study at the Irrua Specialist Teaching Hospital in Nigeria.

allele and haplotype frequencies in Nigerian Africans: population distribution and association with Parkinson's disease risk and age at onset.

Background: The microtubule-associated protein tau ( ) gene is critical because of its putative role in the causal pathway of neurodegenerative diseases including Parkinson's disease (PD). However, there is a lack of clarity regarding the link between the main H1 haplotype and risk of PD. Inconsistencies in reported association may be driven by genetic variability in the populations studied to date.

COVID-19 mortality rate and its associated factors during the first and second waves in Nigeria.

COVID-19 mortality rate has not been formally assessed in Nigeria. Thus, we aimed to address this gap and identify associated mortality risk factors during the first and second waves in Nigeria. This was a retrospective analysis of national surveillance data from all 37 States in Nigeria between February 27, 2020, and April 3, 2021.

APOE E4 is associated with impaired self-declared cognition but not disease risk or age of onset in Nigerians with Parkinson's disease.

The relationship between APOE polymorphisms and Parkinson's disease (PD) in black Africans has not been previously investigated. We evaluated the association between APOE polymorphic variability and self-declared cognition in 1100 Nigerians with PD and 1097 age-matched healthy controls. Cognition in PD was assessed using the single item cognition question (item 1.

Two Cases of Lassa Fever Successfully Treated with Ribavirin and Adjunct Dexamethasone for Concomitant Infections.

Lassa fever is a viral hemorrhagic fever treated with supportive care and the broad-spectrum antiviral drug ribavirin. The pathophysiology, especially the role of hyperinflammation, of this disease is unknown. We report successful remission of complicated Lassa fever in 2 patients in Nigeria who received the antiinflammatory agent dexamethasone and standard ribavirin.

Pharmacokinetics of Ribavirin in the Treatment of Lassa Fever: An Observational Clinical Study at the Irrua Specialist Teaching Hospital, Edo State, Nigeria.

Background: Lassa fever is endemic in large parts of West Africa. The recommended antiviral treatment is ribavirin. Two treatment regimens are currently endorsed in Nigeria: the "McCormick regimen" based on a study published in 1986 and the "Irrua regimen" constituting a simplified schedule developed at the Irrua Specialist Teaching Hospital, Nigeria.

Clinical and laboratory profile of systemic lupus erythematosus patients at a rural tertiary centre in South-South Nigeria: experience from a new rheumatology clinic.

Objectives: Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is an autoimmune disorder with a poorly understood aetiology. It predominantly affects females and has a variety of clinical manifestations. In Nigeria, there are limited data on the prevalence and burden of the disease.

A standardised Phase III clinical trial framework to assess therapeutic interventions for Lassa fever.

Background: Only one recommendation currently exists for the treatment of Lassa fever (LF), which is ribavirin administered in conjunction with supportive care. This recommendation is primarily based on evidence generated from a single clinical trial that was conducted more than 30 years ago-the methodology and results of which have recently come under scrutiny. The requirement for novel therapeutics and reassessment of ribavirin is therefore urgent.

Epidemiological comparison of the first and second waves of the COVID-19 pandemic in Nigeria, February 2020-April 2021.

Background: With reports of surges in COVID-19 case numbers across over 50 countries, country-level epidemiological analysis is required to inform context-appropriate response strategies for containment and mitigation of the outbreak. We aimed to compare the epidemiological features of the first and second waves of COVID-19 in Nigeria.

Methods: We conducted a retrospective analysis of the Surveillance Outbreak Response Management and Analysis System data of the first and second epidemiological waves, which were between 27 February and 24 October 2020, and 25 October 2020 to 3 April 2021, respectively.

A Cross-Sectional Comprehensive Assessment of the Profile and Burden of Non-motor Symptoms in Relation to Motor Phenotype in the Nigeria Parkinson Disease Registry Cohort.

Background: Data on non-motor symptoms (NMS) in black Africans with Parkinson's disease (PD) are sparse.

Objective: To describe the profile of NMS in the Nigeria PD Registry (NPDR) cohort and explore the relationship between NMS and PD motor phenotype.

Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional study of the frequency and burden of NMS, based on the non-motor symptoms scale (NMSS) and the Chaudhuri method respectively in our cohort.

Coexistence of Systemic Lupus Erythematosus and Syringomyelia: A Case From a Rural Center in Nigeria.

Systemic lupus erythematosus and syringomyelia are two distinct conditions with different pathogenetic pathways as well as diverse genetic and clinical characteristics. The coexistence of these two conditions has not been previously documented in the literature. We describe a 38-year-old male who presented with progressive bilateral weakness and pain in the lower limbs and loss of sphincteric functions three years following a diagnosis of lupus nephritis.

Clinical characteristics, treatment modalities and outcome of coronavirus disease 2019 patients treated at thisday dome isolation and treatment centre, federal capital territory Abuja, Nigeria.

Introduction: Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), a highly transmissible viral infection has spread worldwide causing exponential increase in morbidity and mortality. But so far, there is limited information available to describe the presenting characteristics, outcomes and treatment modalities of COVID-19 patients in Nigeria. This study aimed to describe the demographic and clinical characteristics, underlying comorbidities, treatment modalities and outcomes of patients isolated and treated in a repurposed COVID-19 isolation and treatment centre in Abuja, Nigeria.

Fibromyalgia in HIV-positive patients in Nigeria: A cross-sectional prospective study.

Background: Fibromyalgia is a chronic pain syndrome of unknown etiology characterized by chronic widespread musculoskeletal pain and tenderness. It affects the quality of life of patients and has been associated with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). The study aimed to determine the prevalence of fibromyalgia in HIV-positive patients and assess the effect of fibromyalgia on their functional status.