PATHWAYS TO CARE AMONG PATIENTS WITH MENTAL ILLNESS AT USMANU DANFODIYO UNIVERSITY TEACHING HOSPITAL, SOKOTO, NIGERIA.

Background: The first line of care is a paramount stage in the management of the mentally ill persons. In Nigeria, traditional and faith-based healers compete with medical professionals in providing care.

Aim: Pathway to care among patients with Mental Illness at Usmanu Danfodiyo University Teaching Hospital, Sokoto, Nigeria.

Metachronous Tumours in the Head and Neck in a Retroviral Disease Positive Patient: A Case Report and Review of Literature.

Patients diagnosed with head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC), particularly those seropositive for human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), face a heightened risk of second primary malignancies (SPMs), with common regions being the head, neck, lung, and oesophagus. This risk amplifies the severity of their clinical condition, as these SPMs contribute significantly to the mortality rates in patients with HNSCC. We detail a case of a young woman, seropositive for HIV, who developed a second squamous cancer in the nasopharynx after achieving remission from her initial oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma through chemo-radiotherapy.

Determinants of Tangible Breastfeeding Support Among Health Workers: A Multicenter Cross-Sectional Study.

Background: Breastfeeding is crucial in providing infants with needed nutrition and immunity to foster their healthy growth and development; yet, optimal support from health workers is critical for it to be successful.

Aim: To determine factors influencing tangible breastfeeding support among health workers in Nigeria.

Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted in Nigeria's six geopolitical zones between August 2022 and February 2023 among health workers ( = 2,922).

Incidence of postpartum depression among women with postpartum haemorrhage in Kano, northern Nigeria.

The burden of postpartum depression (PPD), an important but largely neglected cause of maternal morbidity, is often increased by the presence of common co-morbidities, such as postpartum haemorrhage (PPH). Additionally, stress and the absence of social support can amplify PPD risk. Understanding the relationship between these conditions will help identify at-risk women and allow prompt intervention.

Not all maggots are created equal; not all maggots are therapeutic.

Maggots in a wound ("myiasis") cannot be considered maggot therapy (therapeutic myiasis) unless, at a minimum, the species is known to be safe and effective, and the maggots have been properly disinfected. Documenting treatment details is critical and allows us to determine the cause of problems, if they arise.

Incidence and Risk Factors for New and Recurrent Infarcts in Adults With Sickle Cell Disease.

Background: Most adults with sickle cell disease will experience a silent cerebral infarction (SCI) or overt stroke. Identifying patient subgroups with increased stroke incidence is important for future clinical trials focused on stroke prevention. Our 3-center prospective cohort study tested the primary hypothesis that adults with sickle cell disease and SCIs have a greater incidence of new stroke or SCI compared with those without SCI.

Peripartum cardiomyopathy in low- and middle-income countries.

Peripartum cardiomyopathy (PPCM) causes pregnancy-associated heart failure, typically during the last month of pregnancy, and up to 6 months post-partum, in women without known cardiovascular disease. PPCM is a global disease, but with a significant geographical variability within and between countries. Its true incidence in Africa is still unknown because of the lack of a PPCM population-based study.

Impact of smoking on nasal mucociliary clearance time in Kano metropolis, Nigeria.

Background: Mucociliary clearance is an important defense mechanism in human upper and lower respiratory airways. Impairment of this process by certain conditions such as cigarette smoking can predispose to chronic infection and neoplasm of the nose and paranasal sinuses.

Methods: This was a cross-sectional study conducted in Kano metropolis, Nigeria.

Lifetime prevalence and knowledge of snakebite among graduates in Nigeria.

Background: Given the lack of studies on snakebite envenoming knowledge in the general population, we examined the lifetime prevalence of snakebite and knowledge of snakebite and its prevention and first aid among recent Nigerian graduates in national service.

Methods: This questionnaire-based cross-sectional study involved 351 consenting national youth corps members at a rural orientation camp in Kano, Nigeria.

Results: Participants' mean age was 25.

Predicting Major Complications Following Laparotomy for Gastrointestinal Conditions Using Surgical Apgar Score: A Prospective Analysis in a Nigerian Population.

Background: Surgical Apgar score (SAS) is one of the risk assessment tools used in predicting postoperative complications. It is a simple and inexpensive tool composed of three intra-operative variables; lowest heart rate, lowest mean arterial blood pressure, and estimated blood loss, which are scored with a total of 10 points, based on which patients are risk stratified for developing post-operative complications. SAS was found to have good predictive accuracy for post-operative morbidity and mortality.

The Effect of Highly Active Antiretroviral Therapy (HAART) on Accommodative-Convergence Mechanism among HIV/AIDS Patients in North-Western Nigeria.

Background: The introduction of Highly Active Anti-Retroviral Therapy (HAART) has led to a dramatic decrease in Human Immune Deficiency Virus (HIV) related morbidity and mortality in the developed as well as developing world. Whilst HAART has been effective in reducing rapidly progressive retinopathies, there are other ocular manifestations of HIV which are yet to be determined, characterised and addressed. The aim of the study was to determine the effect of HAART on Accommodative-Convergence mechanism among HIV/AIDS patients in Northwestern, Nigeria.

Predictors of Satisfaction with Wound Care Services in an Outpatient Setting in Kano, Nigeria.

Background: With the global increase in chronic wounds and the paucity of studies on patient experiences at wound care facilities, we assessed the factors associated with satisfaction with wound care services among patients or their caregivers in a Northwest Nigerian outpatient setting.

Methods: Participants were systematically selected from patients or their caregivers attending the General Outpatient Clinic of Aminu Kano Teaching Hospital, Kano, for wound dressing. A structured self-administered questionnaire was used to obtain information regarding their sociodemographic and clinical characteristics and satisfaction with service domains.

Differences in obstetric practices and outcomes of postpartum hemorrhage across Nigerian health facilities.

Objective: To explore differences in obstetric practices and clinical outcomes of postpartum hemorrhage (PPH) in Nigerian facilities.

Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional study of public health facilities providing maternal healthcare services in Nigeria. Surveys were conducted across 38 purposively sampled facilities (January 2020-March 2021) to collect information on obstetric practices related to the management of the third stage of labor, treatment of postpartum hemorrhage, and clinical outcomes related to postpartum hemorrhage in the preceding 12 months.

The Need for Adult Pneumococcal Vaccination in Nigeria.

Despite universal immunization coverage on a global scale among children, the vast majority of immunocompromised adults, and particularly the elderly, remain unvaccinated. Considering that a significant proportion of mortality from pneumococcal disease occurs among the elderly, preventive measures through pneumococcal vaccination in adults, especially the elderly with co-morbidities, needs to be urgently explored and implemented in Africa, and particularly in Nigeria, to stem the tide of deaths resulting from pneumococcal disease among this population. This article looks at the pneumococcal epidemiology and burden of disease in Nigeria, as well as the vaccines available and the rationale for adult pneumococcal vaccination.

Registry for Acute Coronary Events in Nigeria (RACE-Nigeria): Clinical Characterization, Management, and Outcome.

Background Coronary artery disease was hitherto a rarity in Africa. Acute coronary syndrome (ACS) accounts for coronary artery disease-related morbidity and mortality. Reports on ACS in Africa are few.

Persistent Hypertension Up to One Year Postpartum among Women with Hypertensive Disorders in Pregnancy in a Low-Resource Setting: A Prospective Cohort Study.

Background: Hypertensive disorders in pregnancy (HDPs) are associated with lifelong cardiovascular disease risk. Persistent postpartum hypertension in HDPs could suggest progression to chronic hypertension. This phenomenon has not been well examined in low- and middle-income countries (LIMCs), and most previous follow-ups typically last for maximally six weeks postpartum.

Adherence to Guidelines in Postpartum Management of Hypertensive Disorders in Pregnancy in Tertiary Health Facilities in Nigeria: A Multi-centre Study.

Hypertensive disorders in pregnancy (HDPs) are a leading cause of maternal morbidity and mortality. Available guidelines for their postpartum management are expected to be optimally utilized. This study aimed to determine adherence to guidelines in selected Nigerian tertiary hospitals.

Metabolic syndrome following hypertensive disorders in pregnancy in a low-resource setting: A cohort study.

Objectives: Hypertensive disorders in pregnancy (HDPs) are associated with risk of future metabolic syndrome. Despite the huge burden of HDPs in sub-Saharan Africa, this association has not been adequately studied in this population.

Study Design: This was a prospective cohort study on pregnant women recruited between August 2017 - April 2018 and followed up to one year after their deliveries and evaluated for presence of metabolic syndrome at delivery, nine weeks, six months and one year.

Atypical Diabetes Presentations in Sub-Saharan Africa Classification Puzzle and Possible Role of Precision Medicine.

Precision in the diagnosis and classification of diabetes mellitus, a complex heterogeneous disease is increasingly required to achieve treatment goals and prevent complications. Several reviews over decades have not completely solved the diabetes classification puzzle. African clinicians are sometimes confronted with the difficulty of classifying a newly diagnosed diabetes patient presenting atypically.

Real Time Sonography as an anatomy teaching aid in undergraduate radiography institutions in Northern Nigeria.

Background: Real-time ultrasound scanning is increasing in popularity as a teaching tool for human anatomy because it is non-invasive, offers real-time 3-D anatomy and is cheaper than dissections.

Objectives: To assess real-time ultrasound scanning as a teaching method of human anatomy, and to determine what teaching methods radiography students consider effective for understanding human anatomy.

Materials And Methods: One hundred and ten self-administered, structured and pre-tested questionnaires were distributed to Clinical Radiography students (Third, fourth and fifth year)in Northern Nigeria featuring University of Maiduguri and Bayero University Kano.