Effectiveness of Monthly Versus Two-Dose Regimen of Sulphadoxine-Pyrimethamine for Intermittent Preventive Treatment of Malaria in Pregnancy in Southeastern Nigeria: A Randomised Controlled Trial.

Background: There are reports of a high prevalence of maternal peripheral and placental malarial parasitaemia (MP) in southeastern Nigeria following the two-dose regimen of sulphadoxine-pyrimethamine (SP) for intermittent preventive treatment (IPT) of malaria in pregnancy.

Objective: To compare the effectiveness of monthly versus two-dose regimens of SP for IPT of malaria in pregnancy in Enugu, south-eastern Nigeria.

Methods: A randomized controlled trial involving antenatal clinic attendees at the University of Nigeria Teaching Hospital (UNTH), Ituku-Ozalla, Enugu, Nigeria.

Educational Intervention Can Improve the Pilot Balloon Palpation Method of Tracheal Tube Cuff Pressure Monitoring: An Experimental Study.

Background: Considerable morbidity is attributable to inappropriate tracheal cuff pressure. An earlier study undertaken in our hospital revealed that a normal cuff pressure of 20-30 cm HO was achieved in only 6% of intubated patients using subjective estimation methods.

Objective: To determine whether a training intervention could improve the accuracy of the subjective estimation method in our tracheal cuff monitoring.

The Burden, Challenges, and Prospects of Hand Surgery Practice in South Eastern Nigeria.

Background: Hand injuries sometimes cause significant loss of function with psychological and functional consequences. The national status on dedicated specialised hand surgery units, hand surgery fellowship programmes, and outcome of operative hand surgery cases is generally lacking.

Aims: To determine the current state of hand surgery practice in south eastern Nigeria and identify the major challenges to its practice and proffer realistic solutions.

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.

Novel flame retardants (NFRs) in e-waste: Environmental burdens, health implications, and recommendations for safety assessment and sustainable management.

Novel flame retardants (NFRs) have emerged as chemicals of environmental health concern due to their widespread use as an alternative to polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDE) in electrical and electronic devices. Humans and ecosystems are under threat because of e-waste recycling procedures that may emit NFRs and other anthropogenic chemicals into the e-waste workplace and the surrounding environment. The individual toxicity of NFRs including novel brominated flame retardants (NBFRs), their combined effects and the underlying mechanisms of toxicity have remained poorly understood.

Breastfeeding support as predictors of sustainable breastfeeding practices of nursing mothers with common mental disorders in tertiary hospital nurseries in Nigeria: a cross sectional study.

Background: The postpartum period is associated with an increased risk of maternal mental disorders. The combined effect of having the mother's infant admitted to a tertiary hospital in a low-resource setting and the need to exclusively breastfeed the infant may exaggerate this risk. This study aimed to determine the breastfeeding support provided to mothers whose infants were hospitalised in Nigerian tertiary hospital nurseries and the prevalence of common mental health disorders among this population.

Reassessing the Significance of Mycobacterium in Neglected Tropical Diseases: A Study Protocol in Nigeria.

Background: Neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) significantly impact the physical and mental well-being of affected individuals, particularly in Nigeria. This study aims to evaluate the effectiveness of integrating mental health services with self-care practices for individuals suffering from leprosy, Buruli ulcer (BU), and lymphatic filariasis (LF). The role of trained Healthcare Workers (HCWs) and NTD champions (NTD-Cs) will be explored to enhance health outcomes in this population.

Cultural and religious structures influencing the use of maternal health services in Nigeria: a focused ethnographic research.

Background: Cultural and religious structures encompass a set pattern of values, beliefs, systems and practices that define a community's behaviour and identity. These structures influence women's health-seeking behaviour and access to maternal health services, predisposing women to preventable maternal health complications. However, most maternal health policies have focused on biomedical strategies, with limited attention to women's cultural challenges around childbirth.

Developing an HIV-specific falls risk prediction model with a novel clinical index: a systematic review and meta-analysis method.

Background: Falls are a common problem experienced by people living with HIV yet predictive models specific to this population remain underdeveloped. We aimed to identify, assess and stratify the predictive strength of various physiological, behavioral, and HIV-specific factors associated with falls among people living with HIV and inform a predictive model for fall prevention.

Methods: Systematic review and meta-analysis were conducted to explore predictors of falls in people living with HIV.

Implication of Pyrethroid Neurotoxicity for Human Health: A Lesson from Animal Models.

Pyrethroids, synthetic insecticides used in pest management, pose health risks, particularly neurotoxic effects, with studies linking exposure to a neurodegenerative disorder. This review examines the neurotoxic mechanisms of pyrethroids analyzing literature from animal model studies. It identifies critical targets for neurotoxicity, including ion channels, oxidative stress, inflammation, neuronal cell loss, and mitochondrial dysfunction.

Isolation and Characterization of Multidrug-resistant Enterobacteriaceae from Kitchen Sponges: An Under-recognized Public Health Problem.

Background: The domestic kitchen is increasingly being recognized as one of the most important areas with regards to the incidences of foodborne diseases. Kitchen sponges may play a role in foodborne illnesses through cross-contamination as they provide a suitable environment for bacterial pathogen growth and transmission.

Objectives: This study was designed to isolate, characterize, and determine the antibiogram of Enterobacteriaceae contaminating household kitchen sponges in Abakaliki metropolis, Nigeria.

Rates, Diagnoses, and Predictors of Unplanned 30-Day Readmissions of Critical Care Survivors Hospitalized for Lung Involvement in Systemic Lupus Erythematosus: An Analysis of National Representative US Readmissions Data.

Introduction/objectives: Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is a chronic autoimmune disease that frequently involves the lungs, contributing to significant morbidity in hospitalized patients. Critical care survivors with lung involvement in SLE are at particularly high risk for unplanned hospital readmissions, which can reflect the complexity of their disease, which often affects multiple organs and requires immunosuppressive therapy that increases infection risk. Severe pulmonary complications, critical illness sequelae, and challenges in medication adherence or follow-up care further contribute to their vulnerability.

Mercury's poisonous pulse: Blazing a new path for aquatic conservation with eco-friendly mitigation strategies.

Many compounds and inorganic elements released from natural and anthropogenic origins contaminate the environment and are implicated in catastrophes involving most biologically driven ecological processes and public health. One such element is Mercury. Mercury exists in both inorganic elemental form and the more metabolically active molecular form e.

Co-Designing Case Scenarios and Survey Strategies to Examine the Classification and Reporting of Restrictive Care Practices in Adult Mental Health Inpatient Settings: Perspectives From International Stakeholders.

There is a global initiative to reduce the use of restrictive care practices in mental health settings. Variations in the reported rates across regions complicate the understanding of their use and tracking trends over time. However, it remains unclear whether these discrepancies reflect real differences in the implementation of these practices or are sourced from inconsistencies in incident classification and reporting methods.

Antiplasmodial Potentials, Phytocompounds and the Possible Toxic Effects of Administration of Ethylacetate Extract of Spondias mombin Linn.

Malaria, caused by Plasmodium parasites, is a global health concern. Natural products, such as plant extracts, are investigated for new antimalarial agents. Spondias mombin, traditionally used for medicinal purposes, was examined for its effects on parasitemia, haematological parameters, antioxidant activities, liver function biomarkers, and serum electrolytes in Plasmodium berghei-infected mice.

Effects of Maternal Dyslipidemia on Maternal and Perinatal Outcomes in Enugu, Southeast Nigeria: A Prospective Cohort Study.

Background: Maternal dyslipidemia is one of the consistent metabolic changes during pregnancy. There is a controversy as to whether maternal lipid disturbances in early pregnancy are associated with adverse maternal and perinatal outcome.

Aim: To determine the effects of maternal dyslipidemia on maternal and perinatal outcomes.

Fisetin attenuates AlCl-induced neurodegeneration by modulating oxidative stress and inflammatory cytokine release in adult albino wistar rats.

Aim: Natural flavonoids have powerful antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activities against neurodegenerative diseases. Fisetin is a powerful flavonoid that targets a variety of neurological disorders. Aluminum (Al) has been linked to several neurological conditions, such as Parkinsons disease, autism, and Alzheimer's disease (AD).

Validation and optimization of smart eye camera as teleophthalmology device for the reduction of preventable and treatable blindness in Nigeria.

Background/objectives: Limited resources and staffing hinders efforts to reduce preventable blindness, especially in low- to middle-income countries. The slit-lamp examination (SLE), which is essential for ophthalmology practices, is often unavailable in primary and secondary eye care facilities due to the high costs and lengthy training required for operation. We conducted a cross-sectional, multicentre study exploring the potential for a smart eye camera (SEC; a tele-ophthalmology handheld device developed by OUI Inc.

Demand and supply side factors that drive delayed referrals from traditional birth attendants to public primary healthcare facilities: Insights from three states in Nigeria.

Despite global efforts encouraging institutional deliveries with skilled attendants, many pregnant women in developing countries such as Nigeria continue to rely on traditional birth attendants (TBAs) for child delivery. Attempts at weeding off TBAs have been firmly resisted by their clients who have developed confidence and trust in their services and herald them as first and trusted responders to child delivery cases. Unfortunately, recent evidence has shown that TBAs in servicing public trust and for other reasons, often do not timely refer their clients to the closest source of formal healthcare-primary healthcare centres (PHCs).

From adiposity to steatosis: metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease, a hepatic expression of metabolic syndrome - current insights and future directions.

Background: Metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD) is a growing health concern and the risk of its development is connected with the increasing prevalence of metabolic syndrome (MetS) which occurs as a result of some complex obesity-induced metabolic changes. It is a common chronic liver disease characterized by excessive fat accumulation in the liver, the tendency to progress to more severe forms, and a corresponding increase in morbidity and mortality. Thus, effectively addressing the rising burden of the disease requires a thorough understanding of its complex interrelationship with obesity and MetS.

Satisfaction and learning experience of students using online learning platforms for medical education.

Background: Advancement in medical education has led to the adoption of online learning platforms in the development and execution of learning modules. Online learning platforms are appraised and accessed regarding their capability of ensuring a seamless experience and enhancing satisfaction in users, especially students. In this study, the satisfaction and learning experience of medical students were studied with emphasis on their sociodemographic features.