Colour Vision Defects: Awareness, Prevalence And Effects Among Secondary School Students In Imo State, Nigeria.

Background: Colour vision defect (CVD) is a public health issue with approximately one in ten males exhibiting some form of colour deficiency. Colour is used extensively in education so CVD has a dramatic impact on the learning, educational and social potentials of children. Racial differences have been reported with higher values noted amongst people of European ancestry.

Risk Factors and Outcomes of Acute Pulmonary Embolism in African Patients: A Systematic Review.

Pulmonary embolism is a common cause of morbidity and mortality. Numerous risk factors have been identified that predispose patients to this disease. This study aims to identify these risk factors and the possible outcomes (recovery or mortality) after receiving treatment from any hospital.

Perception of Medical Students on Anaesthesiology as a Specialty: A Systematic Review.

Anaesthesia is integral to a wide range of clinical procedures; however, there is a global challenge in the anaesthesia workforce due to several contributing factors. This study seeks to assess the knowledge and perceptions of medical students regarding anaesthesia as a specialty. Understanding these perspectives is essential to addressing the global shortage of anaesthesia professionals.

Newborn screening initiatives for sickle cell disease in Africa.

Sickle cell disease (SCD) is a genetic blood disorder in high prevalence in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) that leads to high morbidity and early mortality. Newborn screening (NBS) with evidence-based interventions saves lives of individuals with SCD. SSA accounts for 75% of the global prevalence of SCD, but it has not been able to implement universal NBS for SCD.

Demand and supply side factors that drive delayed referrals from traditional birth attendants to public primary healthcare facilities: Insights from three states in Nigeria.

Despite global efforts encouraging institutional deliveries with skilled attendants, many pregnant women in developing countries such as Nigeria continue to rely on traditional birth attendants (TBAs) for child delivery. Attempts at weeding off TBAs have been firmly resisted by their clients who have developed confidence and trust in their services and herald them as first and trusted responders to child delivery cases. Unfortunately, recent evidence has shown that TBAs in servicing public trust and for other reasons, often do not timely refer their clients to the closest source of formal healthcare-primary healthcare centres (PHCs).

A Systematic Review of the Incidence and Pattern of Surgical Site Infection in Orthopedic Surgery in Africa.

Surgical site infections (SSIs) are a major health challenge in Africa, leading to poor patient outcomes. This study aims to systematically review and summarize existing research on the rate and patterns of SSIs in orthopedic surgery across Africa. A thorough search was conducted using databases such as Embase (via Ovid), PubMed, Scopus, African Journals Online (AJOL), and Google Scholar for literature published between January 2000 and July 2024.

Comparison of urine protein-creatinine ratio and urine dipstick test for significant proteinuria in preeclamptic women.

Background: Assessing for significant proteinuria in pregnancy (SPIP) stands as a key indicator for diagnosing preeclampsia. However, the initial method typically employed for this assessment, the urine dipstick test, often yields inaccurate results. While a 24-h urine collection is considered the most reliable test, its implementation can lead to delays in diagnosis, potentially affecting both maternal and fetal well-being.

Sustainability of newborn screening for sickle cell disease in resource-poor countries: A systematic review.

Sickle cell disease (SCD) is a worldwide genetic blood disorder. Roughly 400,000 babies are born with SCD each year worldwide. More than 75% of these births occur in sub-Saharan Africa.

Primary health care in Nigeria: best practices and quality of care in Nigeria.

Introduction: The significance of Primary Healthcare Centers (PHCCs) in fostering health equity and enhancing health outcomes cannot be overstated, especially in low and middle-income countries. This paper's primary area of interest is to create evidence and innovation for PHCs, with a particular emphasis on underserved groups. Thus, the study aimed to investigate the state of primary health care in Nigeria, with a particular emphasis on best practices, challenges to best practices, and quality of care.

Assessing the cataract surgical rate and gender equity in cataract services in south-east Nigeria.

Background: In 2020, almost 100 million people were blind or visually impaired from cataract. Cataract surgery is a cost-effective treatment for cataracts. In Nigeria, twice as many women are cataract blind as men.

Future support on evidence-informed priority setting and situational analysis of the potential role of Health Technology Assessment in Africa to support future pandemic preparedness and response: protocol for a scoping review.

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the importance of evidence-informed priority setting and situational analysis in pandemic preparedness and response. Health Technology Assessment (HTA) has been identified as an essential tool for evidence-informed decision-making in healthcare. However, the potential role of HTA in pandemic preparedness and response in Africa has yet to be explored.

A health technology assessment of COVID-19 vaccination for Nigerian decision-makers: Identifying stakeholders and pathways to support evidence uptake.

Background: Nigeria commenced rollout of vaccination for coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in March 2021 as part of the national public health response to the pandemic. Findings from appropriately contextualized cost-effectiveness analyses (CEA) as part of a wider process involving health technology assessment (HTA) approaches have been important in informing decision-making in this area. In this paper we outline the processes that were followed to identify COVID-19 vaccine stakeholders involved in the selection, approval, funding, procurement and rollout of vaccines in Nigeria, and describe the process routes we identified to support uptake of HTA-related information for evidence-informed policy in Nigeria.

Testing the Impacts of Rational-Emotive Couple Intervention in a Sample of Parents Seeking Divorce.

Marital burnout has not been extensively studied despite its huge consequences on family wellbeing and quality of family life. This study, using randomised-controlled trial, tested the impact of rational-emotive couple intervention on marital burnout in a sample of parents seeking a divorce. A total of 67 parents who participated during the rational-emotive couple intervention (RECI) were assessed using the marital burnout scale, Beck depression inventory, and parent rational and irrational beliefs scale.

Rationally Minimizing Natural Product Libraries Using Mass Spectrometry.

Natural product libraries are crucial to drug development, but large libraries drastically increase the time and cost during initial high throughput screens. Here, we developed a method that leverages liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry spectral similarity to dramatically reduce library size, with minimal bioactive loss. This method offers a broadly applicable strategy for accelerated drug discovery with cost reductions, which enable implementation in resource-limited settings.

Waiting Times in Prostate Cancer Diagnosis and Treatment: A Ten-Year Experience in A Nigerian Teaching Hospital.

Introduction: Prostate cancer is still the leading male cancer and the leading cause of cancer deaths in Nigeria, and other low- and middle-income countries (LMIC) in Sub-Saharan Africa. Early diagnosis is essential to ensuring prompt treatment and reducing morbidity and mortality. Reducing the waiting times for diagnosis and treatment is therefore important.

Allergen content of popular chemical hair relaxers: A product analysis.

Background: Chemical hair relaxers are widely utilized by black women, yet little research exists on the allergens present in these products.

Objective: This study aims to investigate allergen prevalence in the most popular chemical hair relaxers.

Methods: We analysed 41 products from five major retailers, identifying allergens through ingredient lists and comparing them to the 2020 American Contact Dermatitis Group Core allergen series.

Diagnostic accuracy of transvaginal ultrasonography and hysterosalpingography in the detection of uterine cavity pathologies among infertile women.

Background: Uterine cavity pathology may affect the endometrium or myometrium, resulting in distortion of the uterine cavity, and is responsible for 2%-5% of infertility. The methods for its assessment usually involve imaging modalities like pelvic ultrasonography, often transvaginal-(TVS), and hysterosalpingography-(HSG), with hysteroscopy-(HSC) as the gold standard. However, HSC is not readily available in resource-poor-settings.

Sexual and reproductive health information needs; an inquiry from the lens of in-school adolescents in Ebonyi State, Southeast Nigeria.

Background: It is important to understand the sexual and reproductive health (SRH) needs of adolescents from the adolescents themselves to address their needs properly. Hence, this paper provides new knowledge on the information needs on SRH among adolescent boys and girls in selected secondary schools in Ebonyi state, southeast Nigeria.

Method: A comparative assessment was conducted among adolescent boys and girls in public secondary schools that received a specific school-based SRH intervention (group A) and those that did not receive the intervention (group B).

Predictors of pathological gambling behaviours in parents population in Nigeria.

The increasing incidence of psychological pains, burnout, and anxiety among gamblers in Nigeria is high. This is because pathological gambling (PG) is on the rise and it is linked to many social vices such as stealing, drug abuse, and sexual abuse. It is important to investigate the trajectories of PG in Nigeria.

The Significance of Screening Family Members in Glaucoma: Opportunities and Challenges.

Precis: This article delves into the imperative of screening family members of patients with glaucoma due to the disease's hereditary nature. It discusses the significant risks faced by first-degree relatives, approaches for identification, and challenges in implementing effective screening strategies. Emphasizing education, targeted campaigns, community involvement, and collaborative healthcare approaches, the article highlights the potential for mitigating undiagnosed glaucoma cases through strategic interventions targeting high-risk individuals.

Leveraging prescription monitoring program data to evaluate the implementation of buprenorphine telehealth flexibilities: An interrupted time series analysis in Texas.

Background: In March 2020, policy changes by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration and the Drug Enforcement Administration aimed to maintain access to office-based opioid treatment services by easing telehealth buprenorphine prescribing restrictions. However, the effectiveness of these changes remains largely unmeasured. The objective of this study was to measure the effectiveness of COVID-19-related telehealth flexibilities in an all-payer cohort from the Texas Prescription Monitoring Program.

Urological Surgeries in a West African Teaching Hospital.

Introduction: Urological surgeries are a significant part of surgical services. The need for these services varies regionally and globally. Knowledge of the local need is important for prioritisation of resources.

The Burden of Urologic Diseases in a Tertiary Hospital in South-eastern Nigeria: A Three-Year Review.

Background: Urological diseases are an integral part of the surgical burden of diseases. There are national, regional, and global variations. Characterisation of the burden of disease in this specialty is important for the registry and in allocation of the already scarce resource in this sub-region.