Correction: Prevalence of asymptomatic or "silent" myocardial ischemia in diabetic patients: Protocol for a systematic review and meta-analysis.

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.

Ten Recommendations for Accelerating Hypertension and Diabetes Control to Reduce Stroke, Heart, and Renal Disease with the Aim to Save Lives in Cameroon Through Partnerships and Collaborations.

Hypertension and diabetes are currently the most common, treatable, and controllable cardiovascular and metabolic risk factors for stroke, heart, and renal diseases in Cameroon. Hypertension affects 30% of adults aged ≥ 20 years with 90% as uncontrolled cases, while type 2 diabetes affects 6% of the same population, with 70% remaining underdiagnosed. Despite publication of the first Roadmap on raised blood pressure by the World Heart Federation in 2015, the Pan African Society of Cardiology Roadmap in 2017, and the technical package for cardiovascular disease management in primary health care (WHO-HEARTS) in 2020, very little progress has been made in improving the diagnosis, treatment, and control of cardiovascular risk factors and diseases in Cameroon.

Clinical presentation and imaging findings in juvenile-onset back pain: a ten-year hospital-based retrospective analysis in Douala (Cameroon).

Introduction: Studies exploring the clinical and imaging characteristics of juvenile-onset back pain (JOBP) are scarce. The purpose of this study was to assess the clinical presentation, imaging findings, and factors associated with JOBP.

Methods: A retrospective record-based study was conducted among all pediatric cases presenting to the Rheumatology unit of the Douala General Hospital, Cameroon, from January 2014 to December 2023.

Pre-Therapeutic Assessment of Older People in Sub-Saharan Africa: Introduction to the Comprehensive Geriatric Assessment.

: With the ongoing epidemiological transition in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), conditions that require invasive treatment (surgery, cancer, and anaesthesia, etc.) will become increasingly common. Comprehensive geriatric assessment (CGA) is a multidisciplinary diagnostic process aimed at identifying older people at risk of negative outcomes.

Knowledge, perceptions and practices of COVID19 among the came-roonian population.

COVID19 is an emerging infectious disease that has spread all over the world and became a pandemic. Cameroon is the 7th most affected country in Africa, with most of the cases in metropoles. The main objective was to assess the knowledge, perceptions and practices of the Cameroonian populations about COVID19 infection.

Noncommunicable diseases behavioural risk factors among secondary school adolescents in Urban Cameroon.

Adolescence is a crucial period for noncommunicable disease (NCD) risk factors, and interventions to reduce the NCD burden must target this age group. This study aimed to evaluate the NCD behavioural risk factors in adolescents attending state secondary schools in an urban setting in Cameroon. We conducted a cross-sectional survey using adapted structured questionnaires to assess the prevalence and correlates of NCD behavioural risk factors among adolescents attending selected urban state secondary schools in Douala IV, one of the six subdivisions in Douala, Cameroon.

Universal test and treat in Cameroon: a comparative retrospective analysis of mortality and loss to follow-up before and after a strategic change in approach to HIV care.

Introduction: an increasing number of persons living with HIV (PLHIV) are accessing antiretroviral therapy (ART) since the adoption of the universal test and treat (UTT) policy by Cameroon in 2016. We sought to evaluate the effectiveness of the UTT approach to keep this growing number of PLHIV on a lifelong treatment.

Methods: a retrospective cohort analysis was conducted at the Nkongsamba Regional Hospital between 2002 and 2020, using routine data to compare the cumulative incidence of loss to follow-up (LTFU) and mortality between PLHIV initiated on ART under UTT guidelines and those initiated under the standard deferred approach.

Global, Regional and National Trends in the Burden of Neonatal Respiratory Failure and essentials of its diagnosis and management from 1992 to 2022: a scoping review.

Unlabelled: Neonatal respiratory failure (NRF) is an emergency which has not been examined extensively. We critically synthesized the contemporary in-hospital prevalence, mortality rate, predictors, aetiologies, diagnosis and management of NRF to better formulate measures to curb its burden. We searched MEDLINE and Google Scholar from 01/01/1992 to 31/12/2022 for relevant publications.

Real-World Effectiveness and Safety of Two-Drug Single Pill Combinations of Antihypertensive Medications for Blood Pressure Management: A Follow-Up on Daily Cardiology Practice in Douala, Cameroon.

Introduction: Hypertension is the leading cause of morbidity and mortality in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). Current guidelines recommend using two or more antihypertensive agents in single pill combinations (SPCs) to treat hypertension, but data from African patients that support these recommendations are lacking. We assessed the effectiveness and tolerance of three SPCs in lowering blood pressure (BP) amongst hypertensive patients in Douala.

Gender difference in the association between gout at diagnosis and metabolic syndrome in African population: a retrospective cohort study.

Introduction: few studies have specifically investigated the link between metabolic syndrome (MetS) and gout in sub-Saharan Africa. This report aimed to evaluate in patients with gout the association between gout at diagnosis and MetS and to assess the gender difference.

Methods: we performed a single-centre retrospective cohort study on all outpatients seen in the Rheumatology Unit of the General Hospital, Douala, Cameroon.

Validation of Two Asian Noninvasive Risk Models for Predicting Prevalent Undiagnosed Chronic Kidney Disease in Diabetic Patients Receiving Care at a Reference Hospital in A Sub-Saharan African Country: A Cross-Sectional Study.

Undiagnosed chronic kidney disease (CKD) is common in people with diabetes mellitus. Validated noninvasive risk models are an attractive CKD screening option in diabetic patients to identify patients who are more likely to be diagnosed with CKD via biological tests. The study aimed to validate the Korean and Thai noninvasive CKD risk prediction models in African Type 2 diabetic patients.

Modelling and projections of the COVID-19 epidemic and the potential impact of social distancing in Cameroon.

The severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) disease (COVID-19) pandemic continues to be a global health problem with a significant impact in Cameroon. The aim of this study was to improve the understanding of the spread of COVID-19 and enhance disease control strategies. We assessed the SIRD (susceptible, infected, recovered and death) model to describe COVID-19 reported cases in Cameroon from March 7 to May 31, 2020, and study the impact of social distancing.

Adiponectin levels and its relation with insulin secretion and insulin sensitivity in a group of sub-Saharan African women with polycystic ovary syndrome.

Objectives: Low levels of adiponectin have been reported in Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS). In sub-Saharan Africa, little data are available on the topic. We aimed to investigate the levels of adiponectin and its relation with insulin secretion and insulin sensitivity in women with PCOS in Yaoundé, Cameroon.

Immune response to hepatitis B vaccine following complete immunization of children attending two regional hospitals in the Southwest region of Cameroon: a cross sectional study.

Background: Hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection despite being a vaccine preventable disease remains a global public health problem. In Cameroon, the hepatitis B vaccine was introduced in the expanded program on immunisation in 2005, but there has been limited evaluation of the HBV surface antibody response post vaccination.

Objective: We investigated the immune response to hepatitis B vaccine in infants who received the DPT-Hep B-Hib vaccine, and we assessed HBsAg carriage in non-responders.

Profile and outcomes of patients admitted with hyperglycemic emergencies in the Buea Regional Hospital in Cameroon.

Introduction: hyperglycemic emergencies (diabetic ketoacidosis and hyperglycemic hyperosmolar state) are the most common serious acute metabolic complications of diabetes which result in significant morbidity and mortality. There is paucity of data on hyperglycemic emergencies in Cameroon. The objective of this study was to investigate the precipitants and outcomes of patients admitted for hyperglycemic emergencies in the Buea Regional Hospital in the South West Region of Cameroon.

The COVID-19 Prevalence among Children: Hypotheses for Low Infection Rate and Few Severe Forms among This Age Group in Sub-Saharan Africa.

Despite some cases of severe or critical manifestations of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) described among children, the prevalence of this infection in the pediatric population is quite low worldwide, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa. Current data suggest indeed that, independent of the population considered overall, severe and critical cases of COVID-19 are rare among children. This observation prompted us to discuss the possible hypotheses which could explain the low prevalence of COVID-19 among children; amongst others, we discuss (1) immunomodulation by the Bacillus Calmette-Guerin vaccine or by some parasitic infections such as malaria, schistosomiasis, and helminthiasis and (2) cross immunization with other coronaviruses commonly found in the sub-Saharan African setting.

Use of WhatsApp®, for distance teaching during COVID-19 pandemic: Experience and perception from a sub-Saharan African setting.

Background: In the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, to palliate to the lockdown and cover academic programs, the faculty of medicine and pharmaceutical sciences (FMPS) of the university of Dschang (UDs) in Cameroon has implemented e-learning using WhatsApp®.

Aim: Describe the opinion of students and lecturers after its implementation of e-learning at the FMPS of UDs.

Methods: We designed a uniform teaching scheme using WhatsApp® during the university lockdown.

Inflammation and Insulin Resistance in a Group of Sub-Saharan African Women with Polycystic Ovary Syndrome.

Background: Studies report high levels of inflammatory markers in women with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), reflecting chronic low-grade inflammation. This inflammation is thought to be associated with insulin resistance. We aim to evaluate inflammatory markers [high sensitivity C reactive protein (CRP) and interleukin 6] and insulin resistance in women with PCOS in Yaoundé, Cameroon.

Hydroxychloroquine and COVID-19: can we learn from the use of rituximab in systemic lupus erythematosus?

Rituximab (RTX), a chimeric monoclonal anti-CD20 antibody has become part of the standard therapy for patients with CD20-expressing B-cell lymphoma and rheumatoid arthritis. After encouraging results with open studies in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), RTX has not shown its effectiveness in randomized controlled trials. However, its efficacy has been validated in renal, hematological, and neuropsychiatric disorders.

Prevalence and factors associated with low back pain in schoolchildren in Cameroon, sub-Saharan Africa.

Background: Data on the prevalence and factors associated with low back pain (LBP) in schoolchildren are scarce in Africa, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa.

Objectives: To assess the prevalence and factors associated with LBP in schoolchildren in Cameroon.

Patients And Methods: We performed a cross-sectional study in 10 randomly selected schools (public and private) in Douala, Cameroon.

Prevalence of asymptomatic or "silent" myocardial ischemia in diabetic patients: Protocol for a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Introduction: Myocardial ischemia (MI) is a top ranked cause of death among diabetic patients, yet it is mostly asymptomatic or "silent". There is a need for summary epidemiologic measures on this highly lethal and unnoticeable complication of diabetes. The proposed systematic review and meta-analysis aims to estimate of the global prevalence of silent MI among diabetic patients.