Flies as carriers of antimicrobial resistant (AMR) bacteria in Nigerian hospitals: A workflow for surveillance of AMR bacteria carried by arthropod pests in hospital settings.

The dissemination of antimicrobial resistant (AMR) bacteria by flies in hospitals is concerning as nosocomial AMR infections pose a significant threat to public health. This threat is compounded in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) by several factors, including limited resources for sufficient infection prevention and control (IPC) practices and high numbers of flies in tropical climates. In this pilot study, 1,396 flies were collected between August and September 2022 from eight tertiary care hospitals in six cities (Abuja, Enugu, Kaduna, Kano, Lagos and Sokoto) in Nigeria.

Evaluation of Biodentine® and Calcium Hydroxide in the Formation of Dentin Bridge in Deep Carious Lesions.

Background: Indirect pulp capping is the main treatment modality for reversible pulpitis.

Objective: To evaluate the efficacy of Biodentine® and Calcium hydroxide in the formation of dentin bridge.

Materials And Methods: A double blinded, randomized clinical control trial involving 50 consenting subjects, aged 16 to 55 years with deep carious vital teeth.

Conducting Clinical Research in Low Research Resource Countries: Lessons Learned From the International Registry of Men With Advanced Prostate Cancer Study in Nigeria.

Purpose: There is limited cancer clinical research in sub-Saharan African countries despite the significant burden of cancers. The primary objective of this strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats (SWOT) analysis was to understand and document factors affecting the successful implementation of prostate cancer (CaP) clinical research in Nigeria.

Methods: The research team used a qualitative design involving International Registry of Men with Advanced Prostate Cancer (IRONMAN) study team members as participants from four regional sites in Nigeria.

The impact of a communal multidisciplinary tumour board on medical education.

Introduction: Numerous challenges hinder the development of multidisciplinary medical education in a resource-constrained environment. Communal tumour boards built through networking could be a suitable model for the effective management of diseases and enhancement of medical education. This study evaluated the impact of an integrated care pathway for patients with musculoskeletal tumours via multi-institutional networking in a metropolis.

Prevalence and predictors of chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy among female breast cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy in Lagos.

Background: Chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy (CIPN) is a major side effect associated with chemotherapy. It can lead to detrimental dose reductions and discontinuation of treatment because of its significant effect, which impairs the quality of life among the surviving population of cancer patients. This study assesses the prevalence and predictors of CIPN among female breast cancer patients receiving chemotherapy at the Lagos University Teaching Hospital and Lagos State University Teaching Hospital (LUTH and LASUTH), respectively.

African ancestry neurodegeneration risk variant disrupts an intronic branchpoint in .

Recently, a novel African ancestry specific Parkinson's disease (PD) risk signal was identified at the gene encoding glucocerebrosidase (). This variant (rs3115534-G) is carried by ~50% of West African PD cases and imparts a dose-dependent increase in risk for disease. The risk variant has varied frequencies across African ancestry groups, but is almost absent in European and Asian ancestry populations.

Attitudes toward scale-up of an Intensive Combination Approach to Rollback the Epidemic in Nigerian adolescents (iCARE) intervention for youth in Nigeria: results of a mixed methods early-implementation study.

Background: Youth living with HIV (YLH) are disproportionately impacted by HIV with poor outcomes along the entire HIV care continuum. In a 2020-2022 pilot study, iCARE Nigeria, successfully tested a combination intervention incorporating mobile health technology and peer navigation to: 1) improve testing and linkage to HIV care for young men, especially young men who have sex with men (YMSM) and 2) improve medication adherence and treatment outcomes for YLH. The intervention was scaled up to 5 sites in 3 Nigerian cities.

Unraveling the Mysteries of Ameloblastoma in African Population: A Comprehensive Analysis of 371 Cases from Clinical, Radiological, and Histopathological Perspectives.

Objective: To analyze the frequency, clinical, histopathological, and radiological characteristics of ameloblastoma in Nigeria over the course of two decades.

Study Design: A retrospective analysis was conducted on 371 cases at a Nigerian university hospital between 2000 and 2023. Age, gender, site, histological variants, tumor size and duration were analyzed.

Iron nutrition and COVID-19 among Nigerian healthcare workers.

Background And Objectives: The optimal iron hypothesis (OIH) posits that risk for infection is lowest at a mild level of iron deficiency. The extent to which this protection results from arms race dynamics in the evolution of iron acquisition and sequestration mechanisms is unclear. We evaluated the OIH with regard to severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), an emerging infectious agent.

Calibre Persistent Labial Artery of the Lower Lip: Oral Propranolol as a Novel Agent of Treatment.

Calibre persistent artery of the lower lip is a vascular anomaly where the branches of the inferior labial artery maintain their size up to the submucosa of the lip. There is persistent pulsatile feeling, occasional ulceration, and recurrent bleeding. Doppler ultrasound and angiogram are used to confirm diagnosis.

Development and implementation of a 3d-HDR brachytherapy program for cervical cancer in a sub-Saharan African centre.

Background: Cervical cancer is the second most common cancer among women in Nigeria where, the gap between need for, and access to, radiation therapy including brachytherapy is significant. This report documents the implementation of the first three-dimensional high-dose-rate (3D-HDR) brachytherapy service for cervical cancer in Nigeria.

Purpose: This report details the steps taken to implement the 3D-HDR brachytherapy program, the challenges faced, and the adaptive strategies employed to overcome them.

Repair of Cleft Palate in Adult Patients; Impact of Speech Therapy Following Surgical Intervention in Africa.

Cleft lip and palate anomalies constitute both aesthetic and functional impairments for affected individuals. While an individual with an unrepaired cleft palate may adjust somewhat to the associated feeding challenges as he or she gets older, the consequent speech impairment is amenable primarily to surgery. It is pertinent to assess how well speech function is restored in individuals with cleft after surgical repairs.

Insights into the Experiences of Persons with Substance Use Disorders During COVID-19 Lockdown in Lagos, Nigeria: A Qualitative Investigation.

Objective: This study investigated the impact of COVID-19 lockdown on the consumption of illicit drugs among Persons with Substance Use Disorders in Lagos, Nigeria.

Methods: Using convenience sampling, 25 participants, who use different substances consented to participate in the study. Data was collected using in-depth interview guide and thematically analysed using NVivo 12 Plus.

African ancestry neurodegeneration risk variant disrupts an intronic branchpoint in GBA1.

Recently, an African ancestry-specific Parkinson disease (PD) risk signal was identified at the gene encoding glucocerebrosidase (GBA1). This variant ( rs3115534 -G) is carried by ~50% of West African PD cases and imparts a dose-dependent increase in risk for disease. The risk variant has varied frequencies across African ancestry groups but is almost absent in European and Asian ancestry populations.

A Case Series of Diagnostic Challenges in Mycosis Fungoides in Resource-poor Settings: Blood Film Examination - A Useful Tool.

The prognosis/mortality rate in mycosis fungoides (MF)/cutaneous T-cell lymphomas (CTCL) is alarming in resource-poor countries due to delayed diagnosis in meeting recognised criteria. We highlight the diagnostic accuracy of examining peripheral blood films (PBFs). We reviewed clinically diagnosed MF/CTCL cases in the Dermatology Clinic of Lagos University Teaching Hospital between January and October 2022 and analysed clinical, haematological and histology findings.

Implementation of the advanced HIV disease package of care using a public health approach: lessons from Nigeria.

Background: Nigeria adapted the WHO package of care for Advanced HIV Disease (AHD) in 2020. The package includes CD4 + cell count testing to identify People Living with HIV (PLHIV) with AHD, screening and treatment of opportunistic infections, rapid antiretrovirals (ART) initiation, and intensive adherence follow-up. The national program adopted a phased approach in the rollout of the AHD package of care to learn lessons from a few representative health facilities before scaling up across the country.

Immunohistochemistry Expression of Programmed Death-Ligand 1 in Colorectal Carcinoma among Nigerians.

Background: Colorectal carcinoma (CRC) is the most common gastrointestinal malignancy in Nigeria with a dismal 5-year survival rate. Interactions between the CD8+ T-lymphocytes and the immune checkpoints such as cytotoxic T-lymphocyte antigen-4 (CTLA-4) and programmed death-ligand 1 (PD-L1) expressions are important. Novel antibodies have been developed against these immune checkpoints and have been found to improve clinical outcome in many solid organ malignancies.

A Comparative Analysis of Hydroxyurea Treatment on Coagulation Profile Among Sickle Cell Anaemia Children in Lagos, Nigeria.

Hydroxyurea (HU) is a disease-modifying therapy with significant clinical and laboratory efficacy among individuals living with sickle cell anaemia (SCA). This is evident through increased fetal haemoglobin, higher packed cell volume, improved red cell hydration, reduced leukocytes, and platelet function. The effect on the coagulation pathway and pathophysiologic mechanism remains unclear, especially in children living with SCA.

Analytic performance of ScreenFire HPV RS assay Zebra BioDome format and its potential for large-scale population HPV screening.

Background: Easy-to-use, rapid, scalable, high-throughput, and cost-effective HPV tests are urgently needed for low-resource settings. Atila Biosystems' high-throughput, cost-effective, and clinically validated ScreenFire HPV Risk Stratification (RS) assay identifies 13 high risk HPV (hrHPV) in 4 groups based on their oncogenic risk (i.e.

Diagnostic Capacity for Fungal Infections in Tertiary Hospitals in Nigeria and Ghana - An Onsite Baseline Audit of 9 Sites.

Objectives: To assess diagnostic mycology capacity and available fungal diagnostic services of microbiology laboratories in eight tertiary hospitals in Nigeria and one in Ghana.

Methods: On-site audits were performed in the microbiology laboratories of nine tertiary hospitals using a structured observation checklist.

Results: A total of nine tertiary hospitals' laboratories in Nigeria and Ghana were assessed between June 2022 and December 2023.

Development and feasibility of an mHealth intervention for psychoeducational support of Nigerian women diagnosed with breast cancer undergoing chemotherapy: A pilot randomized controlled trial.

Background: Breast cancer (BC) remains a significant health burden globally, with high incidence and mortality rates, particularly in Nigeria. Chemotherapy, a common treatment modality for BC, often leads to various physical and psychological side effects, impacting patients' quality of life. Despite the growing use of mobile health (mHealth) interventions to provide psychoeducational support, there is a paucity of evidence regarding their feasibility and acceptability among Nigerian women with BC.