Predictors of hypocalcemia among children admitted in the Emergency Pediatric Unit of the University of Maiduguri Teaching Hospital, Maiduguri, Nigeria.

Objectives: To determine the prevalence and pattern of hypoglycemia among children admitted to the Emergency Pediatric Unit (EPU) at the University of Maiduguri Teaching Hospital, Maiduguri, Nigeria.

Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted between February and September 2020. Blood glucose, along with other relevant laboratory investigations, was measured for each patient upon admission to the EPU using a point-of-care test glucometer (ACCU-CHEK with strips).

Key factors affecting people's unwillingness to be confined during the COVID-19 pandemic in Spain: a large-scale population study.

Population confinements have been one of the most widely adopted non-pharmaceutical interventions (NPIs) implemented by governments across the globe to help contain the spread of the SARS-CoV-2 virus. While confinement measures have been proven to be effective to reduce the number of infections, they entail significant economic and social costs. Thus, different policy makers and social groups have exhibited varying levels of acceptance of this type of measures.

Benchmarking Analysis of the Accuracy of Classification Methods Related to Entropy.

In the machine learning literature we can find numerous methods to solve classification problems. We propose two new performance measures to analyze such methods. These measures are defined by using the concept of proportional reduction of classification error with respect to three benchmark classifiers, the random and two intuitive classifiers which are based on how a non-expert person could realize classification simply by applying a frequentist approach.

Assessment of Psychological Distress in Health-care Workers during and after the First Wave of COVID-19: A Canadian Longitudinal Study: Évaluation de la Détresse Psychologique Chez Les Travailleurs de la Santé Durant et Après la Première Vague de la COVID-19: une étude longitudinale canadienne.

Objectives: Health-care workers (HCW) exposed to COVID-19 are at risk of experiencing psychological distress. Although several cross-sectional studies have been carried out, a longitudinal perspective is needed to better understand the evolution of psychological distress indicators within this population. The objectives of this study were to assess the evolution of psychological distress and to identify psychological distress trajectories of Canadian HCW during and after the first wave of COVID-19.

Vaccination against Nonmutated Neoantigens Induced in Recurrent and Future Tumors.

Vaccination of patients against neoantigens expressed in concurrent tumors, recurrent tumors, or tumors developing in individuals at risk of cancer is posing major challenges in terms of which antigens to target and is limited to patients expressing neoantigens in their tumors. Here, we describe a vaccination strategy against antigens that were induced in tumor cells by downregulation of the peptide transporter associated with antigen processing (TAP). Vaccination against TAP downregulation-induced antigens was more effective than vaccination against mutation-derived neoantigens, was devoid of measurable toxicity, and inhibited the growth of concurrent and future tumors in models of recurrence and premalignant disease.

Prevalence and Pattern of Human Immunodeficiency Virus-Associated Nephropathy among Human Immunodeficiency Virus-Positive Children at the University of Maiduguri Teaching Hospital, Nigeria.

The kidney is an important target organ in human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection, and a variety of renal disorders could occur throughout the course of the disease. HIV- associated nephropathy (HIVAN) is the most common form of kidney disease resulting directly from HIV infection. The true prevalence of HIVAN among infected African children is unknown largely due to lack of surveillance and reporting.

Tumor-targeted silencing of the peptide transporter TAP induces potent antitumor immunity.

Neoantigen burden is a major determinant of tumor immunogenicity, underscored by recent clinical experience with checkpoint blockade therapy. Yet the majority of patients do not express, or express too few, neoantigens, and hence are less responsive to immune therapy. Here we describe an approach whereby a common set of new antigens are induced in tumor cells in situ by transient downregulation of the transporter associated with antigen processing (TAP).

Urinary schistosomiasis in Boko Haram-related internally displaced Nigerian children.

We aimed to determine the prevalence of urinary schistosomiasis among internally displaced children in Maiduguri, Nigeria. Data on the children's sociodemographic characteristics and risk factors for schistosomiasis were collected, over a period of six months, using an interview-based questionnaire. Ten milliliter of urine sample was collected from each child and investigated for hematuria and ova of Schistosoma haematobium.

Upregulation of HLA Class I Expression on Tumor Cells by the Anti-EGFR Antibody Nimotuzumab.

Defining how epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR)-targeting therapies influence the immune response is essential to increase their clinical efficacy. A growing emphasis is being placed on immune regulator genes that govern tumor - T cell interactions. Previous studies showed an increase in HLA class I cell surface expression in tumor cell lines treated with anti-EGFR agents.

Neonatal Tetanus Immunity in Nigeria: The Effect of HIV Infection on Serum Levels and Transplacental Transfer of Antibodies.

Background. Tetanus toxoid immunisation of pregnant mother has remained the most effective strategy in eliminating neonatal tetanus. Impaired production and/or transplacental transfer of antibodies may affect the effectiveness of this strategy.

Uncomplicated malaria in children: The place of rapid diagnostic test.

Background: Malaria has remained a major cause of morbidity and mortality among the under-five children in Nigeria. Prompt and accurate diagnosis of malaria is necessary in controlling this high burden and preventing unnecessary use of anti-malarial drugs. Malaria rapid diagnostic test (MRDT) offers the hope of achieving this goal.

Linking oncogenesis and immune system evasion in acquired resistance to EGFR-targeting antibodies: Lessons from a preclinical model.

Searching for biomarkers that associated with the acquired resistance of malignant cells to epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR)-targeting monoclonal antibodies is crucial to improve the clinical benefits of these therapeutic agents. We have recently demonstrated that molecular alterations in both oncogenic and immunological pathways may be responsible for such an insensitivity. Our findings suggest that a combination of targeted anticancer agents and immunomodulatory drugs may be useful for overcoming the acquired resistance of cancer cells to EGFR-specific monoclonal antibodies.

Preclinical modeling of EGFR-specific antibody resistance: oncogenic and immune-associated escape mechanisms.

To define the molecular basis of secondary resistance to epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR)-specific antibodies is crucial to increase clinical benefit in patients. The limited access to posttreatment tumor samples constitutes the major barrier to conduct these studies, representing preclinical experimentation as a useful alternative. Anti-EGFR antibody-based therapy has been reported to mediate tumor regression by interrupting oncogenic signals and, more recently, by inducing antitumor immunological responses.

Passive measles immunity in a Nigerian tertiary health care facility: the influence of human immunodeficiency virus infection on measles antibody levels in mother-infant pairs at birth.

Background: Infants are protected from measles infection by maternal measles antibodies (MMA). The level of these MMA at birth in newborn children depends on the levels in their mother and the extent of placental transfer. We investigated maternal HIV infection as a predictor of levels of MMA in mother-infant pairs in Maiduguri.

Body weight loss by very-low-calorie diet program improves small artery reactive hyperemia in severely obese patients.

Background: Endothelial dysfunction is a major underlying mechanism for the elevated cardiovascular risk associated with increased body weight. We aimed to assess the impact of weight loss induced by an intensive very-low-calorie diet (VLCD) on arterial wall function in severely obese patients (SOP).

Methods: Thirty-four SOP were admitted to the metabolic ward of the hospital for a 3-week period.

Replication study of 10 genes showing evidence for association with multiple sclerosis: validation of TMEM39A, IL12B and CBLB [correction of CLBL] genes.

Background And Objectives: Ten genes previously showing different evidence of association with multiple sclerosis have been selected to validate.

Methods: Eleven polymorphisms were genotyped with the iPLEX™ Sequenom in a well-powered collection of Spanish origin including 2863 multiple sclerosis cases and 2930 controls.

Results: Replication extended to the following polymorphisms: PKN2 (rs305217), GTF2B (rs7538427), EPHA4 (rs1517440), YTHDF3 (rs12115114), ANKFN1 (rs17758761) and PTPRM (rs4798571), which did not reach the threshold of significance in a follow-up of the first genome-wide association study (GWAS) conducted in multiple sclerosis; TMEM39A (rs1132200), which appeared as a newly identified susceptibility gene in the same study; a gene previously reaching GWAS significance in Italy, CBLB (rs9657904); IL12B (rs6887695, rs10045431), a susceptibility gene shared by diverse autoimmune diseases and, finally, another gene showing inconclusive association with multiple sclerosis, CNR1 (rs1049353).

Induction of immunogenic apoptosis by blockade of epidermal growth factor receptor activation with a specific antibody.

Despite promising results in the use of anti-epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) Abs for cancer therapy, several issues remain to be addressed. An increasing emphasis is being placed on immune effector mechanisms. It has become clear for other Abs directed to tumor targets that their effects involve the adaptive immunity, mainly by the contribution of Fc region-mediated mechanisms.

Bivalent binding by intermediate affinity of nimotuzumab: a contribution to explain antibody clinical profile.

Nimotuzumab is an EGFR-targeting antibody that has demonstrated encouraging clinical results in the absence of severe side-effects observed with other approved anti-EGFR antibodies. We investigated whether different clinical behavior of nimotuzumab is related to its bivalent/monovalent binding profile. Binding properties of nimotuzumab and cetuximab, the most development of anti-EGFR antibodies, were studied in vitro using chip surfaces and cells with varying EGFR expression levels.

Clinical staging of HIV infection as a surrogate for CD4 count in HIV-infected children.

Background: Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection is a major cause of infant and childhood mortality and morbidity; without treatment about 50% of them will succumb to HIV/AIDS before the age of two years.

Objective: to evaluate the usefulness of clinical manifestations of HIV infection as a surrogate for CD4 counts in antiretroviral-naive HIV-infected children.

Methods: newly diagnosed HIV-infected children, antiretroviral-naive attending a paediatric infectious diseases unit were enrolled.

Study of hepatic functions and prevalence of hepatitis B surface antigenaemia in Nigerian children with human immunodeficiency virus infection.

Background: HIV and hepatitis B virus (HBV) co-infected patients have a significantly increased risk of dying from liver disease especially after starting treatment with highly active antiretroviral therapy. We aim to determine the prevalence of hepatitis B surface antigenaemia in HIV-infected children and their significance in relation to hepatic functions.

Method: Two hundred and eighty four HIV-infected children aged between 4 mouths to 15 years attending the Paediatric infectious disease clinic of University of Maiduguri Teaching Hospital (UMTH) Maiduguri, Nigeria from September 2007 to December 2007 were the subject for this study.

Urinary tract infection in febrile children in Maiduguri north eastern Nigeria.

One hundred and forty five children aged 1 month to sixty months who had fever at presentation to the paediatric department of University of Maiduguri Teaching Hospital were investigated for urinary tract infection in this prospective study from November 2004 to October 2005. Prevalence of urinary tract infection was found to be 13.7 per cent.

Nimotuzumab, an antitumor antibody that targets the epidermal growth factor receptor, blocks ligand binding while permitting the active receptor conformation.

Overexpression of the epidermal growth factor (EGF) receptor (EGFR) in cancer cells correlates with tumor malignancy and poor prognosis for cancer patients. For this reason, the EGFR has become one of the main targets of anticancer therapies. Structural data obtained in the last few years have revealed the molecular mechanism for ligand-induced EGFR dimerization and subsequent signal transduction, and also how this signal is blocked by either monoclonal antibodies or small molecules.

QTL detection for milk production traits in goats using a longitudinal model.

Eight paternal half-sib families were used to identify chromosomal regions associated with variation in the lactation curves of dairy goats. DNA samples from 162 animals were amplified by PCR for 37 microsatellite markers, from Capra hircus autosomes CHI3, CHI6, CHI14 and CHI20. Milk samples were collected during 6 years, and there were 897 records for milk yield (MY) and 814 for fat (FP) and protein percentage (PP).

More reliable data for diarrhoeal intervention programmes: rethinking on knowledge, attitude and practice studies.

The aim of this study was to propose an alternative approach to traditional knowledge, attitude and practice (KAP) studies to enhance the quality of data on which educational health programmes are based. The methodology proposed and illustrated involved a triangulation of approaches derived from linguistics, cognitive science, and medical laboratory sciences. Three diarrhoeal health talks (educational messages) as given to mothers in three primary-care facilities in Borno State (Northeast Nigeria) were subjected to a linguistics analysis.

Urinary tract infection in severely malnourished children at the University of Maiduguri Teaching Hospital.

One hundred and ninety-four children with severe protein energy malnutrition were investigated for urinary tract infection in this prospective study. The prevalence of urinary tract infection was found to be 11.3 per cent.