Mental health service utilization in sub-Saharan Africa: is public mental health literacy the problem? Setting the perspectives right.

The severely constrained resources for mental health service in less-developed regions like sub-Saharan Africa underscore the need for good public mental health literacy as a potential additional mental health resource. Several studies examining the level of public knowledge about the nature and dynamics of mental illness in sub-Saharan Africa in the last decade had concluded that such knowledge was poor and had called for further public enlightenment. What was thought to be mental health 'ignorance' has also been blamed for poor mainstream service utilization.

Level of community mental health literacy in sub-Saharan Africa: current studies are limited in number, scope, spread, and cognizance of cultural nuances.

Background: The combination of high prevalence of mental disorders and the scarcity of resources to care for them in sub-Saharan Africa underscores the need for good mental health literacy as a potential mental health resource.

Aim: To conduct a systematic review of the findings of studies that have examined aspects of mental health literacy among community dwellers in sub-Saharan Africa.

Methods: A search was conducted using local and international indexes like MEDLINE, EMBASE and PsychInfo.

Does the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire - self report yield invariant measurements across different nations? Data from the International Child Mental Health Study Group.

Aims: This study evaluated the measurement invariance of the strengths and difficulties questionnaire (SDQ) self-report among adolescents from seven different nations.

Methods: Data for 2367 adolescents, aged 13-18 years, from India, Indonesia, Nigeria, Serbia, Turkey, Bulgaria and Croatia were available for a series of factor analyses.

Results: The five-factor model including original SDQ scales emotional symptoms, conduct problems, hyperactivity-inattention problems, peer problems and prosocial behaviour generated inadequate fit degree in all countries.

Role of personal and family factors in alcohol and substance use among adolescents: an international study with focus on developing countries.

Most studies examining adolescent alcohol and substance use or abuse hardly include samples from developing countries. To bridge some gap, the prevalence and associated social correlates of alcohol and substance use and abuse was examined among a cohort of school-going adolescents sampled from seven developing countries. Alcohol and substance abuse was measured using the CRAFFT instrument, independent socio-demographic correlates were determined using regression models.

Eosinophilic meningitis in a 10-year old nigerian boy: a case report.

Eosinophilic meningitis is rare, commonly caused by invasion of the central nervous system by helminthes. The present case is that of a 10-year-old boy who presented with history of generalized pruritus not associated with skin eruptions, followed by pain and weakness of the extremities and loss of consciousness. Patient did not receive BCG vaccination.

Safety and immunogenicity of 10-valent pneumococcal nontypeable Haemophilus influenzae protein D conjugate vaccine (PHiD-CV) in Nigerian children: Booster dose and 2-dose catch-up regimens in the second year of life.

In a previous study, 3-dose primary vaccination of Nigerian infants with the 10-valent pneumococcal nontypeable Haemophilus influenzae protein D conjugate vaccine (PHiD-CV) was immunogenic for vaccine pneumococcal serotypes, with comparable tolerability between PHiD-CV and control groups. In an open-label study (ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT01153893), 68 primed children received a PHiD-CV booster dose co-administered with a diphtheria-tetanus-acellular pertussis (DTPa) booster dose at 15-21 months and 36 children unprimed for pneumococcal vaccination received two PHiD-CV catch-up doses (first dose co-administered with DTPa booster dose) at 15-21 and 17-23 months.

The 'beyond parental control' label in Nigeria.

Recent reports in Nigeria indicate a geometric rise in incarcerated adolescents, with an overwhelming majority of this increase being attributed to adolescents being declared 'beyond parental control'. There is a nagging suspicion that the Nigerian juvenile justice system has over criminalised adolescents by declaring them 'beyond control' when behavioural problems have actually resulted from child abuse/neglect and family disruption. A study was undertaken in a juvenile justice institution in Nigeria to assess the adequacy of pre-incarceration parental care among adolescents that had been declared as 'beyond parental control'.

Beyond prevalence and pattern: problematic extent of alcohol and substance use among adolescents in Ibadan South-west Nigeria.

Background: Previous research on adolescent alcohol/substance use in Nigeria had focused on the pattern of use without consideration for the extent of use. Socio-demographic correlates have also not been well explored. Information about socio-demographic correlates can also inform target-points in preventive strategies.

Blood loss during vascular access cannulation: quantification using the weighed gauze and drape method.

Anemia is an important complication of chronic renal disease, with a significant impact on the morbidity, quality of life, and mortality in this group of patients. Inadequate erythropoietin production, reduced life span of erythrocytes in uremic serum, bone marrow suppression by uremic toxins, chronic inflammation, and contaminants in the water treatment unit are recognized etiological causes of anemia in chronic kidney disease patients. Little attention has been paid to possible contributions of small but continual loss of blood during vascular access cannulation for hemodialysis in these patients.

The effect of an educational intervention on improving rational drug use.

Objective: To evaluate the effect of an educational intervention on rational drug use amongst Primary Health Care workers in two Local Government Areas (LGAs), Mushin and Ikeja, in Lagos State.

Methods: Mushin was randomly selected as the intervention LGA while Ikeja was selected as the control L.G.