Prevalence of sero-markers and non-invasive assessment of liver cirrhosis in patients with Hepatitis B virus infection in Freetown, Sierra Leone: a cross-sectional study.

Background: Hepatitis B virus (HBV) is a major global health problem. Although sub-Saharan Africa has a high proportion of the global burden of HBV, the epidemiology and clinical features of HBV in this region are poorly characterized, and access to diagnostic and treatment services remain limited.

Methods: We conducted a retrospective study of HBV-infected children and adults of all age groups who were evaluated at public and private health facilities in Freetown, Sierra Leone between January 2017 and January 2019.

Diagnosis and treatment outcomes of adult tuberculosis in an urban setting with high HIV prevalence in Sierra Leone: A retrospective study.

Objective: To assess the diagnosis, treatment outcomes, and predictors of mortality in adult tuberculosis (TB) patients in an urban setting with a high HIV prevalence.

Methods: A retrospective study was conducted of adult TB patients aged ≥15 years who were treated at Connaught Hospital in Freetown, Sierra Leone from January through December 2017. Multivariate logistic regression was used to identify predictors of mortality.

Antibiotic use among hospitalized adult patients in a setting with limited laboratory infrastructure in Freetown Sierra Leone, 2017-2018.

Objectives: Our study aimed to assess antibiotic use in adult inpatients in the context of limited laboratory services at the main tertiary hospital in Sierra Leone.

Design: A cross-sectional study of consecutive adult inpatients (≥18 years) between October 2017 and February 2018 at Connaught Hospital in Freetown.

Results: A total of 920 patients were interviewed, of which 753 (81.

Causes of hospitalization and predictors of HIV-associated mortality at the main referral hospital in Sierra Leone: a prospective study.

Background: HIV infection is a growing public health problem in Sierra Leone and the wider West Africa region. The countrywide HIV prevalence was estimated at 1.7% (67,000 people), with less than 30% receiving life-saving ART in 2016.

Superior Effectiveness of Zidovudine Compared With Tenofovir When Combined With Nevirapine-based Antiretroviral Therapy in a Large Nigerian Cohort.

Background: Despite sparse efficacy data, tenofovir-emtricitabine or tenofovir-lamivudine plus nevirapine is used in many resource-constrained settings.

Methods: This retrospective cohort study included patients initiating nevirapine-based antiretroviral therapy (ART) with either tenofovir-emtricitabine or lamivudine (tenofovir group) or zidovudine-lamivudine (zidovudine group). Clinical, virologic, and immunologic evaluations were performed at baseline and every 6 months.

Enhancement of health research capacity in Nigeria through north-south and in-country partnerships.

Research productivity in Sub-Saharan Africa has the potential to affect teaching, student quality, faculty career development, and translational country-relevant research as it has in developed countries. Nigeria is the most populous country in Africa, with an academic infrastructure that includes 129 universities and 45 medical schools; however, despite the size, the country has unacceptably poor health status indicators. To further develop the research infrastructure in Nigeria, faculty and research career development topics were identified within the six Nigerian universities of the nine institutions of the Medical Education Partnership Initiative in Nigeria (MEPIN) consortium.

Immunologic criteria are poor predictors of virologic outcome: implications for HIV treatment monitoring in resource-limited settings.

Background: Viral load (VL) quantification is considered essential for determining antiretroviral treatment (ART) success in resource-rich countries. However, it is not widely available in resource-limited settings where the burden of human immunodeficiency virus infection is greatest. In the absence of VL monitoring, switches to second-line ART are based on World Health Organization (WHO) clinical or immunologic failure criteria.

Risk factors and clinical presentation of hepatitis C virus infection in Nigerians with chronic liver disease.

Chronic liver disease is becoming a major public health problem in Nigeria and hepatitis C virus is becoming a significant causative factor in its aetiology worldwide and in Nigeria. We determined the risk factors and clinical presentation of hepatitis C virus infection in Nigerians with chronic liver disease. A structured interviewer-administered questionnaire was administered in order to determine the risk factors for hepatitis C virus infection and a physical examination was carried out in order to determine the clinical presentation.

Suboptimal etravirine activity is common during failure of nevirapine-based combination antiretroviral therapy in a cohort infected with non-B subtype HIV-1.

Objective: The primary objective of this study was to estimate etravirine activity in a cohort of patients infected with non-B subtype HIV-1 and failing nevirapine-based therapy.

Materials And Methods: Genotypic resistance testing was performed if viral load was >OR= 1,000 copies/ml after receiving at least six months of therapy. Suboptimal response to etravirine was predicted by a score >OR= 2.

Clinical and genotypic findings in HIV-infected patients with the K65R mutation failing first-line antiretroviral therapy in Nigeria.

Introduction: The HIV-1 epidemic in African countries is largely due to non-B HIV-1 subtypes. Patterns and frequency of antiretroviral drug resistance mutations observed in these countries may differ from those in the developed world, where HIV-1 subtype B predominates.

Methods: HIV-1 subtype and drug resistance mutations were assayed among Nigerian patients with treatment failure on first-line therapy (plasma HIV RNA >1000 copies/mL).