Enhancing Knowledge and Beliefs: The Impact of a Gender-transformative Training Program on Tuberculosis Care in Southern Nigeria.

Background: Gender-related barriers significantly impede care-seeking for tuberculosis (TB), leading to poor treatment outcomes. This study aimed to assess changes in knowledge and beliefs following a training program on gender-transformative TB programming among stakeholders in Southern Nigeria.

Methods: A cross-sectional pretest/posttest design was employed to evaluate the training's effectiveness among participants from September 2023 to March 2024.

Immunological insights into COVID-19 in Southern Nigeria.

Introduction: One of the unexpected outcomes of the COVID-19 pandemic was the relatively low levels of morbidity and mortality in Africa compared to the rest of the world. Nigeria, Africa's most populous nation, accounted for less than 0.01% of the global COVID-19 fatalities.

Tezepelumab for Patients with Severe Uncontrolled Asthma: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

Tezepelumab is a human monoclonal antibody that blocks thymic stromal lymphopoietin, an epithelial-cell-derived cytokine implicated in the pathogenesis of asthma. It was approved by the United States Federal Drug Administration (US FDA) as an add-on maintenance treatment for patients with severe uncontrolled asthma in December 2021. We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis to investigate the safety and efficacy of tezepelumab on forced expiratory volume (FEV) (L), the rate of asthma exacerbations, health-related quality of life, fractional exhaled nitric oxide (FeNO) (ppb), and blood eosinophil count (cells/mL) in patients with severe, uncontrolled asthma.

Effectiveness of self-care interventions for integrated morbidity management of skin neglected tropical diseases in Anambra State, Nigeria.

Background: Lymphatic filariasis (LF), Buruli ulcer (BU) and leprosy are neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) of the skin co-endemic in some communities in Nigeria. Not enough is known about the effectiveness of integrated morbidity management and disability prevention in people with these conditions. An integrated self-care intervention was carried out for people with these skin NTDs in two endemic communities of Anambra state, Nigeria.

Investigating barriers and challenges to the integrated management of neglected tropical skin diseases in an endemic setting in Nigeria.

Background: There is a dearth of experience in and evidence for cost-effective integrated community-based management of skin neglected tropical diseases (NTDs). The objective of this study was to assess the knowledge, attitude and care-seeking practices including self-care with a view to introducing appropriate community-based interventions for skin NTDs in an endemic setting in Southern Nigeria.

Methods/principal Findings: This exploratory study adopted a mixed-methods design consisting of cross-sectional surveys of community members and health workers using interviewer-administered questionnaires; and focus group discussions (FGDs) with community members, health care workers and patients with NTDs in Anambra State, Nigeria.

Support and unmet needs of patients undergoing multidrug-resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB) treatment in southern Nigeria.

Multidrug-resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB) is presently a major public health threat. MDR-TB patients face diverse financial and psychosocial difficulties. Researchers conducted in-depth interviews based on interview guides with 42 participants.

Evaluation of clinicians' knowledge of and attitudes to Ebola virus disease in Ebonyi State, Nigeria.

Introduction: Ebola virus disease (EVD) remains a global threat of international concern. Being at the frontline of medical care, clinicians are at high risk of infection. Inadequate knowledge of, or poor attitudes to, EVD among clinicians may lead to failure in the detection of and timely responses to EVD.

Assessment of community knowledge, attitude, and stigma of Buruli ulcer disease in Southern Nigeria.

Background: Poor knowledge can influence timely care-seeking among persons with Buruli ulcer disease (BUD).

Objectives: To assess community knowledge, attitude and stigma towards persons with BUD in endemic settings of Southern Nigeria.

Methods: This was a cross-sectional survey conducted among adult community members in four States of Southern Nigeria.

The prevalence of asthma and allergic rhinitis in Nigeria: A nationwide survey among children, adolescents and adults.

Purpose: Asthma is an important cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide and information on the prevalence of asthma in Nigeria is inconsistent. Nationally representative data, important for health planning is unavailable. We aimed to determine the current prevalence of asthma and allergic rhinitis in Nigeria.

Asthma management and control in Nigeria: the asthma insight and reality Nigeria (AIRNIG) study.

: The state of asthma management and asthma control at the population level in Nigeria is unknown. We aimed to determine the level of asthma control and asthma management practices in Nigeria. : A cross-sectional population-based study of 405 participants with current asthma (physician-diagnosed with use of asthma medication or asthma symptoms in the preceding 12 months).

Diseases, Injuries, and Risk Factors in Child and Adolescent Health, 1990 to 2017: Findings From the Global Burden of Diseases, Injuries, and Risk Factors 2017 Study.

Importance: Understanding causes and correlates of health loss among children and adolescents can identify areas of success, stagnation, and emerging threats and thereby facilitate effective improvement strategies.

Objective: To estimate mortality and morbidity in children and adolescents from 1990 to 2017 by age and sex in 195 countries and territories.

Design, Setting, And Participants: This study examined levels, trends, and spatiotemporal patterns of cause-specific mortality and nonfatal health outcomes using standardized approaches to data processing and statistical analysis.

Global, Regional, and Country-Specific Lifetime Risks of Stroke, 1990 and 2016.

Background: The lifetime risk of stroke has been calculated in a limited number of selected populations. We sought to estimate the lifetime risk of stroke at the regional, country, and global level using data from a comprehensive study of the prevalence of major diseases.

Methods: We used the Global Burden of Disease (GBD) Study 2016 estimates of stroke incidence and the competing risks of death from any cause other than stroke to calculate the cumulative lifetime risks of first stroke, ischemic stroke, or hemorrhagic stroke among adults 25 years of age or older.

Association of MiRNA122 & ADAM17 with Lipids among Hypertensives in Nigeria.

Background: Dyslipidaemia and hypertension are established major risk factors for cardiovascular diseases. The suggested roles of miRNA-122 and ADAM17 in lipid metabolism can therefore be applied in the management of metabolic disorders. The authors' aim was to determine the association between miRNA-122 and ADAM17, as well as the association between miRNA-122 and lipid fractions, in the study participants.

Worsening of the disability grade during leprosy treatment: prevalence and its determinants in Southern Nigeria.

Background: In Nigeria, little is known about the development of new or additional physical disability during leprosy treatment. The objective of this study was to determine the prevalence and evaluate factors associated with worsening of physical disability during leprosy treatment in Nigeria.

Methods: This was a retrospective cohort study conducted among leprosy patients treated in six referral facilities in six States in Nigeria between January 2011 and December 2015.

Global Mortality From Firearms, 1990-2016.

Importance: Understanding global variation in firearm mortality rates could guide prevention policies and interventions.

Objective: To estimate mortality due to firearm injury deaths from 1990 to 2016 in 195 countries and territories.

Design, Setting, And Participants: This study used deidentified aggregated data including 13 812 location-years of vital registration data to generate estimates of levels and rates of death by age-sex-year-location.

Widespread arenavirus occurrence and seroprevalence in small mammals, Nigeria.

Background: Lassa fever, killing thousands of people annually, is the most reported viral zoonotic disease in Nigeria. Recently, different rodent species carrying diverse lineages of the Lassa virus (LASV) in addition to a novel Mobala-like genetic sequence were detected within the country. Here, screening 906 small mammal specimens from 11 localities for IgG antibodies and incorporating previous PCR detection data involving the same populations, we further describe arenavirus prevalence across Nigeria in relation to host species and geographical location.

Global, Regional, and National Cancer Incidence, Mortality, Years of Life Lost, Years Lived With Disability, and Disability-Adjusted Life-Years for 29 Cancer Groups, 1990 to 2016: A Systematic Analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study.

Importance: The increasing burden due to cancer and other noncommunicable diseases poses a threat to human development, which has resulted in global political commitments reflected in the Sustainable Development Goals as well as the World Health Organization (WHO) Global Action Plan on Non-Communicable Diseases. To determine if these commitments have resulted in improved cancer control, quantitative assessments of the cancer burden are required.

Objective: To assess the burden for 29 cancer groups over time to provide a framework for policy discussion, resource allocation, and research focus.

Global Burden of Multiple Myeloma: A Systematic Analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2016.

Introduction: Multiple myeloma (MM) is a plasma cell neoplasm with substantial morbidity and mortality. A comprehensive description of the global burden of MM is needed to help direct health policy, resource allocation, research, and patient care.

Objective: To describe the burden of MM and the availability of effective therapies for 21 world regions and 195 countries and territories from 1990 to 2016.

Are Adolescents likely to Start Smoking Early if Their Parents are Smokers? A Study of Jamaican High School Students.

Background: The prevalence of cigarette smoking is high among adolescents in the Caribbean, including Jamaica. Age of initiation of cigarette smoking varies among adolescents. A number of factors has been reported to influence early age of initiation of cigarette smoking.

Single Parent Family Structure as a Predictor of Alcohol Use among Secondary School Students: Evidence from Jamaica.

The aim of this study was to examine the potential relationship between Jamaican secondary students’ alcohol drinking habits and their family structure. Methods: Data collected from a nationally representative survey of 3,365 students were analysed. Descriptive and inferential statistics were performed.

The Burden of Cardiovascular Diseases Among US States, 1990-2016.

Importance: Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the leading cause of death in the United States, but regional variation within the United States is large. Comparable and consistent state-level measures of total CVD burden and risk factors have not been produced previously.

Objective: To quantify and describe levels and trends of lost health due to CVD within the United States from 1990 to 2016 as well as risk factors driving these changes.