Prevalence and trends of pregnancy-related acute kidney injury in sub-Saharan Africa: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Background: Pregnancy-Related Acute Kidney Injury (PRAKI) is an important contributor to maternal-fetal morbidity and mortality. The burden of PRAKI in sub-Saharan Africa is not well documented. We conducted a systematic literature review and meta-analysis to estimate the prevalence of PRAKI in sub-Saharan Africa.

Practical recommendations for therapy and monitoring of mogamulizumab patients in Germany.

Mycosis fungoides (MF) and Sézary syndrome (SS) are the most common subtypes of the heterogeneous group of cutaneous T-cell lymphomas (CTCL). With the expansion of the biologic treatment landscape, new treatment options have become available in recent years, most notably the C-C chemokine receptor 4 (CCR4)-directed monoclonal antibody mogamulizumab. Based on the phase III pivotal trial, mogamulizumab is recommended by the German S2k guidelines for the second-line treatment of stage IB and above SS and MF, after at least one prior systemic therapy.

The long-term impact of vaccine clinical research on national stakeholders involved: Experience from a low-income Country.

Clinical trials are the most rigorous scientific and regulated method to investigate the safety and efficacy of vaccines or drugs in pre-licensure stage. Clinical trial design and implementation are complex, time-consuming and involves close engagement with country's regulatory authority, clinical trial sites, investigators, and the healthcare system. Over the past few decades, a significant number of clinical trials have been conducted in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), particularly in resource-limited settings.

Integrated Multidisciplinary Approach to Acute Chest Pain: Perspectives From Family Medicine, Emergency Medicine, and Internal Medicine.

Background: Acute chest discomfort is a common clinical problem that has to be well understood and managed collaboratively by specialists from many fields of medicine.

Objective: This study aimed to explore and evaluate the perspectives of healthcare professionals in family, emergency, and internal medicine regarding the management of acute chest pain, with a specific focus on diagnostic practices, interdisciplinary collaboration, and protocol adherence to establish best practices for a unified approach.

Methodology: This cross-sectional study, conducted from June 2022 to July 2024, included 218 healthcare professionals with over a year of experience in family, emergency, and internal medicine, selected through convenient sampling from hospitals such as Lady Reading Hospital, Hayatabad Medical Complex, Mardan Medical Complex, and Government Mian Meer Hospital.

Gender and racial diversity Assumed by text-to-image generators in microsurgery and plastic surgery-related subspecialities.

Background: Since the release of ChatGPT by OpenAI in November 2022, generative artificial intelligence (AI) models have attracted significant attention in various fields, including surgery. These advancements have been particularly notable for creating highly detailed and contextually accurate images from textual prompts. A notable area of clinical application is the representation of surgeon demographics in various specialties, particularly in the context of microsurgery and plastic surgery-related subspecialties.

Acceptance of COVID-19 vaccine and its related determinants in Nigeria: An online survey.

Background: Vaccine hesitancy is a major challenge in the fight against the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. Identifying the sociodemographic factors associated with vaccine acceptance among Nigerians is crucial for improving vaccine uptake.

Aim: To assess the acceptance rate of COVID-19 vaccine and its related determinants among Nigerians.

Acute and chronic effects of inspiratory muscle training in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus: a systematic review of randomized controlled trials.

Objectives: To conduct a systematic review to determine the acute and chronic effects of inspiratory muscle training (IMT) in type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) patients on cardiac autonomic function, glucose variability, inspiratory muscle strength and endurance, hemodynamic variables, and exercise capacity.

Methods: A search was carried out according to a specific search strategy, following the PRISMA statement, and three independent reviewers have undertaken the article selection process. Searches were carried out in June 2023, on the following electronic databases: EMBASE, MEDLINE (PubMed), SCOPUS (Elsevier), and Web of Science.

'Making abortion safe': abortion and post-abortion care providers' experiences of stigma in Rwanda, Zimbabwe, Sierra Leone and Nigeria.

Background: Social stigma and the marginalisation of abortion care within medical settings can negatively affect abortion providers. While some research has evaluated stigma interventions in legally restrictive settings, little work has explored the experiences of healthcare professionals (HCPs) providing abortion and post-abortion care (PAC) outside the USA. This study, part of the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists' 'Making Abortion Safe' programme, aimed to understand providers' experiences of abortion stigma in four African countries with restrictive legislation.

Chronic stress induces depression-like behavior in rats through affecting brain mitochondrial function and inflammation.

Chronic stress is involved in pathophysiology of depression, and causes some neurochemical alterations in brain. Both mitochondrial dysfunction and neuroinflammation are implicated in mediating the depression-like behavior. The objectives of present study were, at first, to confirm that chronic unpredictable mild stress (CUMS) induces depression-like behavior and alters mitochondrial function and inflammatory responses within the brain, and then to explore the role of mitochondria in the development of this depression-like behavior.

Cardiovascular Involvement in Tuberculosis Patients Treated in Southern Africa.

Background: Tuberculosis (TB) is the leading cause of death among people with HIV and a major global health challenge. Subclinical cardiovascular manifestations of TB are poorly documented in high TB and HIV burden countries.

Objectives: The purpose of this study was to quantify the prevalence of cardiovascular involvement in TB patients and investigate changes after completion of anti-TB treatment.

Young-Onset Diabetes in Sri Lanka: Experience From the Developing World.

Young-onset diabetes (YOD) is characterised by unique diagnostic and management challenges more pronounced in resource-limited settings like Sri Lanka. We aimed to ascertain the prevalence, patterns and characteristics of YOD in Sri Lanka and describe the state of care. Retrospective review of baseline data of all patients enrolled in the prospective multicentre Database for Young-Onset Diabetes, Sri Lanka (DYOD-SL), was performed, from April 2021 to April 2023.

Randomized Pilot Trial of the Text-Based Adherence Game for Ghanaian Youth with HIV.

This study examined the feasibility, acceptability, and preliminary efficacy of a mobile intervention called the Text-Based Adherence Game (TAG). TAG aimed to improve HIV treatment adherence among young people with HIV (YPWH) in Ghana. Participants, YPWH aged 18 to 24, were recruited from an HIV clinic in Kumasi, Ghana where study procedures were conducted.

Basic ENT training for enhanced healthcare worker knowledge, attitudes and practices in a resource-limited setting: a pre-post and post-post cross-sectional study.

Introduction: Diagnostic errors in ear, nose and throat (ENT) diseases are prevalent among healthcare workers (HCWs) in resource-limited settings, yet comprehensive data that describe HCW knowledge, attitudes and practices (KAP) regarding ENT disease management remains scarce. Further, the impact of basic ENT training on HCW KAP in such settings is largely undetermined.

Objective: We assessed HCW KAP before and after basic training in ENT disease management.

Comparative Efficacy of Continuous Positive Airway Pressure and Antihypertensive Medications in Obstructive Sleep Apnea-Related Hypertension: A Narrative Review.

Introduction: Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) presents a significant global health concern, affecting a substantial portion of the population, particularly among young and middle-aged adults.

Aim: This review aims to assess the efficacy of continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) compared to antihypertensive medications in managing OSA-related hypertension.

Methods: A comprehensive literature search was conducted across multiple databases, yielding studies published from 2000 to March 2024 that investigated CPAP, antihypertensives, or their combination therapy in OSA patients.

Building global collaborative research networks in paediatric critical care: a roadmap.

Paediatric critical care units are designed for children at a vulnerable stage of development, yet the evidence base for practice and policy in paediatric critical care remains scarce. In this Health Policy, we present a roadmap providing strategic guidance for international paediatric critical care trials. We convened a multidisciplinary group of 32 paediatric critical care experts from six continents representing paediatric critical care research networks and groups.

Contrasting genetic burden for bipolar disorder: Early onset versus late onset in an older adult bipolar disorder sample.

Older Adults with Bipolar Disorder (OABD) represent a heterogeneous group, including those with early and late onset of the disorder. Recent evidence shows both groups have distinct clinical, cognitive, and medical features, tied to different neurobiological profiles. This study explored the link between polygenic risk scores (PRS) for bipolar disorder (PRS-BD), schizophrenia (PRS-SCZ), and major depressive disorder (PRS-MDD) with age of onset in OABD.

Family planning utilization among postpartum women in the Bule Hora District, southern Ethiopia.

Background: Contraception use remains low in Ethiopia, particularly within the first year after childbirth. While some women might have medical conditions that limit their contraceptive options, the primary obstacle to wider family planning adoption is not a specific health problem. Instead, it is the lack of equitable access to high-quality family planning services.

Clinical feasibility study of transcatheter edge-to-edge mitral valve repair in dogs with the canine V-Clamp device.

Objective: To determine procedural feasibility, safety, and short-term efficacy in dogs with severe degenerative mitral regurgitation (MR) undergoing transcatheter edge-to-edge repair (TEER) with a canine-specific device.

Design: Prospective, single-arm (uncontrolled), single-institution clinical feasibility study.

Animals: Fifty client-owned dogs with severe degenerative MR operated over a 28-month period.

Exploration of the pathogenesis of nephrotic syndrome and traditional Chinese medicine intervention based on gut microbiota.

Nephrotic syndrome (NS) represents a prevalent syndrome among various chronic kidney disease pathologies and is known for its higher severity and worse prognosis compared with chronic glomerulonephritis. Understanding its pathogenesis and identifying more effective treatment modalities have long been a concern of kidney specialists. With the introduction of the gut-kidney axis concept and the progress in omics technologies, alterations in the gut microbiota have been observed in primary and secondary NS.

Surprise Baby: Abdominoplasty Performed During Unknown Pregnancy.

Abdominoplasty is a commonly performed procedure for patients after significant weight loss and in postpregnancy women. Stable weight and completed family planning are critical for optimal outcomes, as pregnancy postabdominoplasty can increase risks for both mother and fetus and potentially compromise aesthetic results. We present the first reported case of a patient undergoing abdominoplasty while unknowingly pregnant.

Awareness of Melanoma and Skin Self-Examination at a Tertiary Care Hospital in Pakistan: A Study of Knowledge, Attitudes, and Practices.

Background Melanoma, the most lethal form of skin cancer, contributes to a majority of skin cancer fatalities globally. It carries a grim prognosis with a high propensity for early metastasis. People are not aware of moles, their natural course of progression, and skin self-examination.

The Implementation and Outcomes of Personalized Antihypertensive Therapy Based on Pharmacogenetic Testing: A Retrospective Study Examining Blood Pressure Control and Medication Tolerability.

Background: Hypertension management typically relies on standardized treatment regimens, which may not account for individual genetic variations that affect drug metabolism and response.

Objective: The objective of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of personalized antihypertensive therapy, guided by pharmacogenetic testing, in terms of blood pressure (BP) control and medication tolerability.

Materials And Methods: A retrospective cohort study was conducted at Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre, Karachi, from January 2023 to December 2023.

High seroprevalence of CMV among Algerian hemodialysis patients and the general population: Intermediate-risk patients for post-transplant CMV infection.

Introduction: Cytomegalovirus (CMV) is a virus of the herpesviridae family. CMV infection is associated with increased morbidity and mortality in immunocompromised subjects such as hemodialysis patients and transplant recipients. The aim of our study was to determine the serological status of potential kidney recipients and donors in order to assess the risk of post-transplant CMV infection and disease.

Vitexin alleviates MNNG-induced chronic atrophic gastritis via inhibiting NLRP3 inflammasome.

Ethnopharmacological Relevance: The dried fruit of Crataegus pinnatifida Bunge (Hawthorn in Chinese) is a traditional medicine used in China, Japan and Korea for thousands of years. Hawthorn is documented in the Chinese Pharmacopoeia, as a folk medicine that is used to eliminate food, strengthen the stomach, move qi and dissipate blood stasis, treat stagnation of meat and food, gastric distention and fullness, and has anti-inflammatory effects. Vitexin, a flavonoid glycoside, is an important biologically active compound derived from Hawthorn, with significant antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties.

Medical research engagement among resident doctors in Nigeria: assessing knowledge, attitudes, and barriers in a public and private tertiary hospital in Nigeria.

Background: Medical research is an essential aspect of the training of resident doctors and is required by postgraduate medical colleges in Nigeria as part of the fulfilment of fellowship awards. However, research participation among resident doctors in Nigeria is low, despite seemingly high interest in research among resident doctors. The objective of our study is to examine the knowledge, attitudes, practices, and barriers related to medical research among resident doctors in a public and private tertiary care in Nigeria.