Open Versus Laparoscopic Appendectomy: A Comparison of Outcome in a Teaching Hospital, Northeast Nigeria.

Background: Appendectomy could be open or laparoscopic. Laparoscopic appendectomy (LA) is gradually gaining ground in Nigeria, but its outcome is not entirely known.

Objective: This study compared the outcomes of LA with those of open appendectomy (OA) in terms of the surgical site infection rate, post-operative pain, time to return of bowel sounds, length of hospital stay, return to normal activities and direct cost of treatment.

Preventive Antibiotic Use and Complications After Endoscopic Retrograde Cholangiopancreatography in Patients Hospitalized for Primary Sclerosing Cholangitis.

Background: The American Society for Gastrointestinal Endoscopy recommends prophylactic antibiotics before endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) in primary sclerosing cholangitis (PSC). We assessed the impact of this approach on the incidence of post-ERCP outcomes using nationwide data.

Methods: Using 2015-2021 Nationwide Inpatient Sample data and relevant ICD-10 codes, we analyzed adult hospitalizations for PSC who underwent ERCP, with and without antibiotic prophylaxis.

Clinical presentation and symptomatology of Guillain-Barré syndrome: A literature review.

Guillain-Barré Syndrome (GBS) is a rare but potentially life-threatening neurological disorder characterized by acute onset ascending paralysis and sensory abnormalities. This article provides a comprehensive overview of GBS, covering its epidemiology, etiology, clinical presentation, diagnostic evaluation, management and treatment, prognosis, psychosocial impact, recent advances in research, public health implications, and ethical considerations. Epidemiological data reveal variations in GBS prevalence, incidence rates, and geographical distribution influenced by climate, infectious disease prevalence, and genetic susceptibility.

Effect of Envenomation on Serum Hepatic Biomarkers in Snake (Echis Ocellatus) Bitten Individuals in Zamko Comprehensive Health Centre of the Jos University Teaching Hospital, North Central Nigeria.

Background: Snake bite is a neglected public health issue in many tropical and subtropical countries of the world. About 5.4 million snakebites occur each year, resulting in 1.

Metabolic Syndrome in HIV: Prevalence, correlates, concordance of Diagnostic Criteria and relationship to Carotid Intimal Media Thickness in a Sub-Saharan Population.

Background: The prevalence and usefulness of MetS in determining CVD risk in at-risk populations are influenced by its definition. In a cohort of HIV-positive Nigerians, we evaluated MetS based on various defining criteria, their agreement with one another, and their association to a CVD endpoint, Carotid-Intimal-Media-Thickness (CIMT).

Methodology: In this cross-sectional study, 145 HIV-positive individuals who were enrolled in HIV clinics at the Faith Alive Foundation and Jos University Teaching Hospital in Jos, Nigeria, were randomly chosen.

Immunohistochemical Human Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor 2 (HER2) Expression Pattern in Gastric Adenocarcinomas in a Nigerian Tertiary Hospital.

Background And Objective: The demonstration of HER2 in gastric adenocarcinoma (GA) tissues by immunohistochemistry assists in deciding whether targeted therapy would optimise the treatment of GA patients who are HER2 positive. However, this has not been extensively studied in our patients hence the need for this study.

Methods: Recipient tissue microarray blocks were constructed from donor archival formalin fixed paraffin embedded gastric tumour tissue from 80 patients seen over a period of 17 years in a retrospective descriptive study.

Non-technical skills training for Nigerian interprofessional surgical teams: a cross-sectional survey.

Introduction: Non-technical skills (NTS) including communication, teamwork, leadership, situational awareness, and decision making, are essential for enhancing surgical safety. Often perceived as tangential soft skills, NTS are many times not included in formal medical education curricula or continuing medical professional development. We aimed to explore exposure of interprofessional teams in North-Central Nigeria to NTS and ascertain perceived facilitators and barriers to interprofessional training in these skills to enhance surgical safety and inform design of a relevant contextualized curriculum.

The prevalence of internalized stigma and its association with HIV viral suppression among fully disclosed adolescents and young adults living with HIV (AYLHIV) receiving HIV care in an HIV clinic in Plateau State, Nigeria.

Internalized stigma, a condition characterized by negative self-stereotyping and social alienation, recently impacted the adolescents and young adults living with HIV (AYLHIV) epidemic curve and treatment adherence. While prior research has focused on the impact of internalized stigma among adults living with HIV, few studies focused on this AYLHIV. The study aims to determine internalized stigma proportion and its relationship to HIV viral suppression in AYLHIV.

The Implementation of Simulation-Based Learning for Training Undergraduate Medical Students in Essential Surgical Care Across Sub-Saharan Africa: a Scoping Review.

Much surgery in sub-Saharan Africa is provided by non-specialists who lack postgraduate surgical training. These can benefit from simulation-based learning (SBL) for essential surgery. Whilst SBL in high-income contexts, and for training surgical specialists, has been explored, SBL for surgical training during undergraduate medical education needs to be better defined.

In-hospital psychoeducation for family caregivers of Nigerian children with cancer (The RESCUE Study).

Objectives: High levels of caregiver burden (CB) are experienced by informal caregivers of pediatric patients with cancer. There is increasing evidence highlighting the extent of CB across sub-Saharan African countries, although there remains lack of interventions that target improvements in their experience. This study aimed to determine the impact of a structured psychoeducation program on caregivers' outcomes relating to preparedness to provide care, burden of caregiving, and quality of life (QoL).

Community cervical cancer screening and precancer risk in women living with HIV in Jos Nigeria.

Background: High HIV prevalence, and lack of organized screening for the indigent population receiving care and treatment within HIV clinics in low-resource settings increases cervical cancer incidence. We sought to determine predictors of cervical precancer in women living with HIV and receiving cervical cancer screening in Jos, Nigeria.

Methods: A cross-sectional study of women living with HIV and receiving care and treatment in adult HIV/AIDS clinics in Jos-Metropolis, Nigeria between June 2020 and April 2023.

A national perspective on exposure to essential surgical procedures among medical trainees in Nigeria: a cross-sectional survey and recommendations.

Background: In sub-Saharan Africa, recent graduates from medical school provide more direct surgical and procedural care to patients than their counterparts from the Global North. Nigeria has no nationally representative data on the procedures performed by trainees before graduation from medical school and their confidence in performing these procedures upon graduation has also not been evaluated.

Methods: We performed an internet-based, cross-sectional survey of recent medical school graduates from 15 accredited Federal, State, and private Nigerian medical schools spanning six geopolitical zones.

The Relationship Between Childhood Sexual Abuse and Eating Disorders Among African American Adolescents in the United States.

Background: Childhood sexual abuse (CSA) is one of the numerous adverse childhood experiences. CSA involves coercing a child to engage in sexual acts and is especially heinous as children are unable to consent or advocate for themselves. The formative years of a child are very crucial; therefore, the influence of sexual abuse could be irreversible.

Profile of Childhood Poisoning and Its Outcomes in the United States: A One-Year Nationwide Study of Emergency and Inpatient Admissions.

Childhood poisoning is a prevalent and significant public health issue, with a higher incidence among children under the age of five due to their natural inquisitiveness and impulsive behavior. In order to gain a better understanding of the burden and outcomes of acute poisoning in children, this study utilized data from two comprehensive databases: the 2018 Nationwide Emergency Department Sample and the National (Nationwide) Inpatient Sample. A total of 257,312 hospital visits were analyzed, with 85.

Epidemiological review of confirmed Lassa fever cases during 2016-2018, in Plateau State, North Central Nigeria.

Lassa fever (LF) is endemic in West Africa and constitutes a significant public health concern due to its potential for epidemics and associated high mortality. The first reported case and management of Lassa fever in Plateau State occurred more than 50 years ago. We set out to undertake a three-year epidemiological review of LF cases in Plateau State, North Central Nigeria.

Evaluation of Impact of Ophthalmology Rotation on Family Medicine Practice in Northern Nigeria: A Multicenter Study.

Background: Globally, 36 million people are blind and 217 million people have moderate or severe distance vision impairment. Eighty-nine percent of vision impaired people live in low and middle-income countries. To prevent progression to blindness, there is need for early diagnosis and referral for treatment.

Evaluation of rational prescribing in a hospital paediatric outpatient clinic in Nigeria.

Background: Irrational prescribing is a continuing public health issue in low/middle-income countries. This study evaluated the drug use pattern of medicines in paediatrics aged below 12 years attending the outpatient paediatric clinic of Bingham University Teaching Hospital, Nigeria.

Method: An observational cross-sectional study was conducted using patients' medical records who attended the outpatient paediatric clinic from 1 January to 30 April 2022.

Molecular detection of hepatitis B virus genotype E with immune escape mutations in chronic hepatitis B patients on long-term antiviral therapy in Jos, Nigeria.

Background: Previous studies in Nigeria have reported the presence of hepatitis B virus (HBV) genotype E and the availability of immune escape mutants. There is a paucity of data on chronic patients on long-term antiviral therapy for HBV infection.

Objective: This study assessed HBV genotypes and drug resistance variants among patients with chronic HBV infection receiving tenofovir in Jos, Nigeria.

Burden of COVID-19 Pandemic on Adolescents' Quality of Life: A Cross-Sectional Study among Secondary School Students in North-Central Nigeria.

Background: The Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has caused millions of mortalities globally. Although the prevalence and fatality rates of COVID-19 among adolescents is low, its impact on their health-related quality of life (HRQoL) is not adequately known. This study was carried out to determine the burden COVID-19 pandemic has on the HRQoL of adolescents.

A Comprehensive Review of Four Clinical Practice Guidelines of Acromegaly.

Acromegaly is an endocrine disorder characterized by dysregulated hypersecretion of growth hormone (GH), leading to an overproduction of insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1). The etiology is usually a GH-secreting pituitary adenoma with the resultant presentation of coarse facial features, frontal bossing, arthritis, prognathism (protrusion of the mandible), and impaired glucose tolerance, among others. Most pituitary adenomas arise due to sporadic mutations that lead to unregulated cellular division, subsequent tumor formation, and resultant GH hypersecretion.

A Clinicopathological Study of 236 Cystic Ovarian Lesions at Jos University Teaching Hospital, Jos, Nigeria.

Background: Cystic ovarian lesions are defined by an ovarian fluid containing space limited by a membrane. The exact prevalence of the disease is unknown. A proper diagnosis is imperative for the choice of appropriate therapy.