Research participants' perception of ethical issues in stroke genomics and neurobiobanking research in Africa.

Background: There is a growing interest in stroke genomics and neurobiobanking research in Africa. These raise several ethical issues, such as consent, re-use, data sharing, storage, and incidental result of biological samples. Despite the availability of ethical guidelines developed for research in Africa, there is paucity of information on how the research participants' perspectives could guide the research community on ethical issues in stroke genomics and neurobiobanking research.

Determinants of Choice of Facility-Based Delivery among Mothers in Kwara State, Nigeria.

Background: Nigeria has the highest number of maternal deaths in the world, which is a major public health problem. One of the major contributory factors is high prevalence of unskilled birth attendance from low facility delivery. However, the reasons for and against facility delivery are complex and not fully understood.

Unmet needs for family planning and its determinants among women of reproductive age in Ilesha Southwest Nigeria: A cross-sectional study.

Background: A high rate of unintended pregnancy is said to be driving population growth, particularly in Sub-Saharan Africa, where approximately half of all pregnancies are unintended, coming too soon or even unwanted. Most of these unintended pregnancies could have been prevented with effective family planning services. There, however, remains an unmet gap

Objectives: This study determined the prevalence of unmet needs for family planning and examined its determinants among women of reproductive age group at a tertiary health facility in Southwest Nigeria.

Psychological and stigma profiles of HIV patients in a North-Central city of Nigeria.

Background: The World Health Organization defines health as a state of complete physical, mental, and social well-being and not merely the absence of infirmity and disease. Researchers and clinicians have mainly focused on health outcomes that are physically or laboratory measured. These, however, do not reflect how the affected individual feels and functions in daily life.

Multilevel Analysis of Individual and Contextual Factors Associated with Polio Non-Vaccination in Africa: Further Analyses to Enhance Policy and Opportunity to Save More Lives.

Africa was certified polio-free in 2020 and to maintain the polio-free status, African countries need to attain and maintain optimal routine polio vaccination coverage. One indicator for optimal polio vaccination coverage is the prevalence of children who have received no polio vaccination through routine services. The objective of the study was to examine the individual-, neighbourhood-, and country-level factors associated with non-vaccination against polio in Africa.

Coping strategies among patients attending HIV clinics in a North-central State of Nigeria.

Background: Nigeria ranks third among the countries with the highest HIV/AIDS burden in the world, next only to India and South Africa. The North-Central zone which Kwara State belongs to has the highest concentration of HIV prevalence rate of 7.5%, while the North-Western zone recorded the lowest prevalence of 2.

Unraveling the Ethical, Legal, and Social Implications of Neurobiobanking and Stroke Genomic Research in Africa: A Study Protocol of the African Neurobiobank for Precision Stroke Medicine ELSI Project.

The ethical, legal, and social implications (ELSI) of emerging neurobiobanks and data resources are unclear in an African scientific landscape with unique cultural, linguistic, and belief systems. The overarching goal of the African Neurobiobank for Precision Stroke Medicine-ELSI Project is to identify, examine, and develop novel approaches to address ELSI issues of biobanking and stroke genomic research in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). To accomplish the goal we will (1) explore knowledge, attitude, perceptions, barriers, and facilitators influencing ELSI issues related to biobanking and stroke genomic research; (2) use information obtained to craft a community intervention program focused on ELSI issues; and (3) build capacity and careers related to genomics and biobanking for effective client/community engagement while enhancing regulatory, governance, and implementation competences in biobanking science in SSA.

Case report of a patient with 'one-and-a-half plus syndrome: nine syndrome'.

This case talks about 'One-and-a-half plus syndrome', a clinical syndrome affecting binocular vision and facial nerve. One-and-a-half plus syndrome is a less known clinical syndrome which constitutes of a conjugate horizontal gaze palsy in one direction and an internuclear ophthalmoplegia in the other direction. Despite the known association between ischemia, autoimmune disorders, multiple sclerosis, with mono neuritis multiplex resulting in extra ocular movement disorder, one-and-a-half plus syndrome is rarely considered in the differential diagnosis of eye ball movement disorders, as many clinicians are not able to diagnose such a case as ' the eyes don't see what the mind doesn't know'.

Pattern and predictive factors of health-related quality of life of patients with hypertension, diabetes and concomitant hypertension with diabetes in Ilorin, Nigeria.

Background: Hypertension and diabetes are the two most important modifiable risk factors for cardiovascular disease (CVD) among Nigerian population. Because of the lifelong nature of the two diseases and the attendant long treatment regimen required, assessing the health-related quality of life (HRQoL) is an important outcome of these diseases.

Objective: This study assessed the pattern and predictive factors of HRQoL among patients with hypertension, diabetes and concomitant hypertension and diabetes using the 36-item short-form version 2.

Willingness to support antenatal blood donation among married men in a Metropolitan City in North-central Nigeria.

Aims And Objectives: Improving blood availability through voluntary or compulsory antenatal blood donation is pivotal to reducing maternal morbidity and mortality in developing countries. Willingness to donate blood is adjudged to be an important step to the actual practice of donating blood. This study aimed to determine the knowledge, attitude and willingness of men towards antenatal blood donation.

Interventions for the prevention of mycobacterium avium complex in adults and children with HIV.

Background: Mycobacterium avium complex (MAC) infection is a common complication of advanced acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) disease and is an independent predictor of mortality and shortened survival.

Objectives: To determine the effectiveness and safety of interventions aimed at preventing MAC infection in adults and children with HIV infection.

Search Methods: We searched MEDLINE, EMBASE, and The Cochrane Library (search date December 2012).

Interventions for HIV-associated nephropathy.

Background: Human immunodeficiency virus-associated nephropathy (HIVAN) is the most common cause of end stage kidney disease (ESKD) in human immunodeficiency virus-1 (HIV-1) serotype patients and it mostly affects patients of African descent. It rapidly progresses to ESKD if untreated. The goal of treatment is directed toward reducing HIV-1 replication and/or slowing the progression of chronic kidney disease.

Emotional intelligence and selection to administrative chief residency.

Objective: The authors sought to determine whether emotional intelligence, as measured by the BarOn emotional quotient inventory (EQ-i), is associated with selection to administrative chief resident.

Method: Authors invited senior-year residents at the University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston to participate in an observational cross-sectional study using the BarOn EQ-i. In October 2009 they sent an invitation e-mail to 66 senior residents, with a reminder e-mail 1 month later.

Design of bent photonic crystal fiber supporting a single polarization.

In this work, it is shown that the differential loss between the TE- and TM-polarized fundamental modes in a highly birefringent photonic crystal fiber (PCF) can be enhanced by bending the fiber. As a result, a design approach for single-mode single-polarization operation has been developed and is discussed. A rigorous full-vectorial H-field-based finite element approach, which includes the conformal transformation and the perfectly matched layer, is used to determine the single-polarization properties of such a highly birefringent PCF by exploiting its differential bending losses.

A hand-powered, portable, low-cost centrifuge for diagnosing anemia in low-resource settings.

This report describes the development of a hand-powered centrifuge to determine hematocrit values in low-resource settings. A hand-powered centrifuge was constructed by using a salad spinner. Hematocrit values were measured by using the hand-powered device, and results were compared with those of a benchtop centrifuge.

The cost-utility analysis of adult male circumcision for prevention of heterosexual acquisition of HIV in men in sub-Saharan Africa: a probabilistic decision model.

Objective: The aim of this study was to assess the cost-utility of adult male circumcision (AMC) versus no AMC in the prevention of heterosexual acquisition of HIV in men in sub-Saharan Africa.

Methods: A decision tree was constructed and parameterized using data from published sources. The economic evaluation was conducted from the perspective of government health care payer.

Economic evaluations of adult male circumcision for prevention of heterosexual acquisition of HIV in men in sub-Saharan Africa: a systematic review.

Background: There is conclusive evidence from observational data and three randomized controlled trials that circumcised men have a significantly lower risk of becoming infected with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). The aim of this study was to systematically review economic evaluations on adult male circumcision (AMC) for prevention of heterosexual acquisition of HIV in men.

Methods And Findings: Studies were identified from the following bibliographic databases: MEDLINE (Ovid), EMBASE (Ovid), Cochrane Library (Wiley's internet version), NHS EED and DARE Office of Health Economics HEED.

A trend analysis and sub-regional distribution in number of people living with HIV and dying with TB in Africa, 1991 to 2006.

Background: The tuberculosis (TB) bacillus and the Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) have formed a powerful alliance and are together responsible for more than five million deaths per year. TB is leading to increased mortality rates among people living with HIV/acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS). The aim of this study was to investigate the geographical and temporal distribution of TB-HIV deaths in Africa in order to identify possible high-risk areas.

Mode degeneration in bent photonic crystal fiber study by using the finite element method.

The development of highly dispersive lower and higher order cladding modes and their degeneration with respect to the fundamental core mode in a bent photonic crystal fiber is rigorously studied by use of the full-vectorial finite element method. It is shown that changes in the bending radius can modify the modal properties of large-area photonic crystal fibers, important for a number of potential practical applications.

Interventions for HIV-associated nephropathy.

Background: Human immunodeficiency virus associated nephropathy (HIVAN) is the most common cause of end stage kidney disease (ESKD) in Human immunodeficiency virus-1 (HIV-1) serotype patients and it mostly affects patients of African descent. It rapidly progresses to ESKD if untreated. The goal of treatment is directed toward reducing HIV-1 replication and/or slowing the progression of chronic kidney disease.

A population-based study of effect of multiple birth on infant mortality in Nigeria.

Background: Multi-foetal pregnancies and multiple births including twins and higher order multiples births such as triplets and quadruplets are high-risk pregnancy and birth. These high-risk groups contribute to the higher rate of childhood mortality especially during early period of life.

Methods: We examined the relationship between multiple births and infant mortality using univariable and multivariable survival regression procedure with Weibull hazard function, controlling for child's sex, birth order, prenatal care, delivery assistance; mother's age at child birth, nutritional status, education level; household living conditions and several other risk factors.

Geography of Africa biomedical publications: an analysis of 1996-2005 PubMed papers.

Background: Scientific publications play an important role in scientific process providing a key linkage between knowledge production and use. Scientific publishing activity worldwide over the past decades shows that most countries in Africa have low levels of publication. We sought to examine trends and contribution of different Africa subregions and individual countries as represented by the articles indexed by PubMed between 1996 and 2005.

Rhinoscleroma: a clinicopathological study from the Gulf region.

Introduction: Rhinoscleroma is a chronic progressive inflammatory disease of the upper respiratory tract. We report a clinicopathological series from the Gulf region.

Methods: The clinical and pathological features of patients diagnosed with rhinoscleroma at three main hospitals in Saudi Arabia and Bahrain over a 20-year period are presented.

Clinical and histopathological features of zoonotic cutaneous leishmaniasis in Saudi Arabia.

Background: Zoonotic cutaneous leishmaniasis (ZCL) caused by Leishmania major is a growing public health problem and endemic in many parts of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. The vector is Phlebotomus papatasi and the animal reservoirs are mainly desert rodents.

Methods: In this prospective study, the clinical and histopathological features of ZCL in 120 patients are described and classified.