Challenges in Diagnosing Advanced Abdominal Ectopic Pregnancy in Low-Resource Settings: A Case from North Western Nigeria.

Abdominal ectopic pregnancy is a rare type of ectopic pregnancy associated with high maternal and perinatal mortality. We present a case of a 28-year-old now primipara who was misdiagnosed to have abruptio placentae and ruptured uterus on two different occasions from a primary health care center but was found to have an advanced abdominal ectopic gestation at 21 weeks gestational age. The patient was managed by exploratory laparotomy and is currently doing well.

Spectrum of carotid arterial Doppler abnormalities among stroke patients at a tertiary care centre in North West Nigeria.

Background: Stroke is the second most common cause of death worldwide. It also represents one of the most common causes of disability, affecting both children and adults. The identification of risk factors for stroke is critical in preventing its occurrence.

Incidence and Risk Factors for New and Recurrent Infarcts in Adults With Sickle Cell Disease.

Background: Most adults with sickle cell disease will experience a silent cerebral infarction (SCI) or overt stroke. Identifying patient subgroups with increased stroke incidence is important for future clinical trials focused on stroke prevention. Our 3-center prospective cohort study tested the primary hypothesis that adults with sickle cell disease and SCIs have a greater incidence of new stroke or SCI compared with those without SCI.

Airway Management During Diagnostic Laparoscopic Surgery: A Comparison of I-Gel and Proseal Laryngeal Mask Airway.

Background: Supraglottic airway devices (SADs) may be used during laparoscopic procedures in place of the often utilised endotracheal tube. The Proseal laryngeal mask airway (PLMA) is designed with an inflatable cuff, which provides an excellent oropharyngeal seal, and the I-gel is a newer SAD designed with a softer and noninflatable cuff and sharing similar features with PLMA.

Aim And Objectives: This study compared the ease of insertion, haemodynamic and ventilatory parameters as well as morbidities associated with these SADs when used for airway management during diagnostic laparoscopic procedures.

Serological Profiles of SARS-Cov-2 among Adult Outpatients and Caregivers of a Family Medicine Clinic in Northern Nigeria.

Background: Serological evaluation is essential for investigating the extent of COVID-19 in the studied population and evaluating the potential effectiveness of serum antibodies as a protective factor against future disease.

Objective: The study aimed to provide data on the seroprevalence and pattern of immune response to SARS-CoV-2 infection and the associated factors among outpatients and their caregivers.

Methods: A cross-sectional study involving 208 patients and caregivers who presented at the Family Medicine Clinic.

Knowledge, attitude, and perception of low back pain and activities that may prevent it among adolescents in Nigeria.

Background: Awareness of activities that may result in low back pain (LBP) among adolescents is fundamental in preventing adulthood LBP.

Objective: The aim of this study was to investigate adolescents' knowledge, attitude, and perception of LBP and activities that may prevent LBP in Kano, North-western, Nigeria.

Methods: This was a cross-sectional survey involving 400 school-going adolescents recruited using a multistage random sampling technique.

Effects of spinal manipulation or mobilization as an adjunct to neurodynamic mobilization for lumbar disc herniation with radiculopathy: a randomized clinical trial.

Objectives: To determine the long-term clinical effects of spinal manipulative therapy (SMT) or mobilization (MOB) as an adjunct to neurodynamic mobilization (NM) in the management of individuals with Lumbar Disc Herniation with Radiculopathy (DHR).

Design: Parallel group, single-blind randomized clinical trial.

Setting: The study was conducted in a governmental tertiary hospital.

Prevalence and trends of adult overweight and obesity in Nigeria - A systematic review and meta-analysis.

Background: The prevalence of obesity and its attendant complications are on the increase globally-sub-Saharan Africa inclusive. Obesity confers an increased risk of coronary artery disease, type 2 diabetes, ischemic stroke, and some cancers. In Nigeria, several individual reports estimate an exponential increase in the prevalence of overweight and obesity.

Determinants of mortality among hospitalized patients with COVID-19 during first and second waves of the pandemic: A retrospective cohort study from an isolation center in Kano, Nigeria.

Background: Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has emerged as an important cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide. The aim of this study is to identify the clinical predictors of mortality among patients with COVID-19 pneumonia during first and second waves in a treatment center in northwestern Nigeria.

Methods: This was a retrospective cohort study of 195 patients hospitalized with COVID-19 between April 2020 to March 2021 at a designated COVID-19 isolation center in Kano State, Northwest Nigeria.

Changes in opthalmic artery doppler velocimetry in women with preeclampsia in Kano, Nigeria.

Background: Hypertensive disorders in pregnancy are among the most serious complications of pregnancy and represent important contributors to maternal and neonatal morbidity and mortality worldwide. Preeclampsia (PE)-eclampsia syndrome is the most important hypertensive gestational condition. Maternal ophthalmic artery Doppler velocimetry enables the identification of pregnant women with increased cerebral blood flow who are at risk of developing severe PE and eclampsia.

Anxiety, depression and stress among internally displaced persons and host community in an armed conflict region: A comparative study.

This study compares the psychological profile of Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) and individuals living in host communities in the war-affected setting. We conducted a cross-sectional survey from October-November 2019. Subjects were recruited from six IDPs camps and the surrounding host communities within the metropolis of Maiduguri, Nigeria by convenience sampling.

Translation, cross-cultural adaptation, and psychometric properties of the Hausa version of the Insomnia Severity Index among internally displaced persons in Africa.

Background: Although sleep disturbances and insomnia are common among Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs), these disorders remain largely understudied among victims fleeing ethnoreligious genocide. The Insomnia Severity Index (ISI), though a widely used measure of insomnia, has not been translated, cross-culturally adapted, nor validated in common African languages. This paper aimed to translate, adapt and validate the ISI scale into Hausa, the most widely spoken non-Indo-European language in African continent.

Emerging threat of drug-resistant tuberculosis and trends in the era of COVID-19: A descriptive study from northwestern Nigeria.

Background: with resistance to first line and second line anti tuberculous drugs is a serious setback in the treatment of tuberculosis (TB). The COVID-19 pandemic constitutes a serious threat that could unwind the recent gains made thus far in the control of tuberculosis. This study aims to explore the pattern of drug resistant tuberculosis (DRTB) in our institution.

Barriers and facilitators of access to maternal, newborn and child health services during the first wave of COVID-19 pandemic in Nigeria: findings from a qualitative study.

Background: COVID-19 pandemic may have affected the utilization of maternal and newborn child health services in Nigeria but the extent, directions, contextual factors at all the levels of healthcare service delivery in Nigeria is yet to be fully explored. The objective of the study was to explore the barriers and facilitators of access to MNCH services during the first wave of COVID-19 pandemic in Nigeria.

Methods: A qualitative study was conducted among different stakeholder groups in 18 public health facilities in Nigeria between May and July,2020.

Effects of prenatal exposure to maternal COVID-19 and perinatal care on neonatal outcome: results from the INTERCOVID Multinational Cohort Study.

Background: The effect of COVID-19 in pregnancy on maternal outcomes and its association with preeclampsia and gestational diabetes mellitus have been reported; however, a detailed understanding of the effects of maternal positivity, delivery mode, and perinatal practices on fetal and neonatal outcomes is urgently needed.

Objective: To evaluate the impact of COVID-19 on fetal and neonatal outcomes and the role of mode of delivery, breastfeeding, and early neonatal care practices on the risk of mother-to-child transmission.

Study Design: In this cohort study that took place from March 2020 to March 2021, involving 43 institutions in 18 countries, 2 unmatched, consecutive, unexposed women were concomitantly enrolled immediately after each infected woman was identified, at any stage of pregnancy or delivery, and at the same level of care to minimize bias.

Predictive accuracy of admission cardiotocography as a screening tool for perinatal asphyxia in high-risk parturients in Northern Nigeria.

Objective: To determine the predictive accuracy of admission cardiotocography (CTG) as a screening test for perinatal asphyxia in high-risk parturients.

Methods: A prospective study was done on a group of 180 high-risk parturients in the labor ward of Aminu Kano Teaching Hospital were subjected to a 30-min admission cardiotocography. Results were categorized based on the RCOG criteria.

Effectiveness of lumbar stabilization exercise with real-time ultrasound imaging biofeedback on lumbar multifidus muscle cross-sectional area in individuals with non-specific chronic low back pain: a study protocol for a randomized controlled trial.

Background: Structural impairment of the lumbar multifidus muscle, such as reduced cross-sectional area, is evident among individuals with chronic low back pain. Real-time ultrasound imaging (RUSI) biofeedback has been reported to improve preferential activation of as well as retention in the ability to activate the lumbar multifidus muscle during lumbar stabilization exercises (LSE). However, evidence of the effectiveness of this treatment approach in individuals with non-specific chronic low back pain (NCLBP) is still limited.

Hydroxyurea for primary stroke prevention in children with sickle cell anaemia in Nigeria (SPRING): a double-blind, multicentre, randomised, phase 3 trial.

Background: In high-income countries, standard care for primary stroke prevention in children with sickle cell anaemia and abnormal transcranial Doppler velocities results in a 92% relative risk reduction of strokes but mandates initial monthly blood transfusion. In Africa, where regular blood transfusion is not feasible for most children, we tested the hypothesis that initial moderate-dose compared with low-dose hydroxyurea decreases the incidence of strokes for children with abnormal transcranial Doppler velocities.

Methods: SPRING is a double-blind, parallel-group, randomised, controlled, phase 3 trial of children aged 5-12 years with sickle cell anaemia with abnormal transcranial Doppler velocities conducted at three teaching hospitals in Nigeria.

Diabetes mellitus, maternal adiposity, and insulin-dependent gestational diabetes are associated with COVID-19 in pregnancy: the INTERCOVID study.

Background: Among nonpregnant individuals, diabetes mellitus and high body mass index increase the risk of COVID-19 and its severity.

Objective: This study aimed to determine whether diabetes mellitus and high body mass index are risk factors for COVID-19 in pregnancy and whether gestational diabetes mellitus is associated with COVID-19 diagnosis.

Study Design: INTERCOVID was a multinational study conducted between March 2020 and February 2021 in 43 institutions from 18 countries, enrolling 2184 pregnant women aged ≥18 years; a total of 2071 women were included in the analyses.

Prevalence and factors associated with depression among medical students in Nigeria.

Background: Depression among medical students has been partly attributed to the nature of medical education, and may lead to poor academic and professional adjustment. The objectives of the study were to assess the prevalence of depression and its relationship to socio-demographic and clinical risk factors among medical students of Bayero University in Kano, Nigeria.

Methodology: A descriptive cross-sectional study was performed.

Persistent Hypertension Up to One Year Postpartum among Women with Hypertensive Disorders in Pregnancy in a Low-Resource Setting: A Prospective Cohort Study.

Background: Hypertensive disorders in pregnancy (HDPs) are associated with lifelong cardiovascular disease risk. Persistent postpartum hypertension in HDPs could suggest progression to chronic hypertension. This phenomenon has not been well examined in low- and middle-income countries (LIMCs), and most previous follow-ups typically last for maximally six weeks postpartum.

Impact of COVID-19 on utilization of maternal, newborn and child health services in Nigeria: protocol for a country-level mixed-methods study.

Battling with COVID-19 and providing essential services along the continuum of care could be challenging. This study will evaluate the impact of COVID-19 on utilization of maternal, newborn and child health (MNCH) services in Nigeria and explore the barriers being experienced by women and their families in getting access to MNCH services, as well as other contextual factors that may have shaped the utilization of MNCH services during the COVID-19 pandemic. The study will adopt an observational mixed-methods study design involving 18 health care facilities delivering MNCH services in six selected states across six geopolitical zones of Nigeria.