Balance confidence and associated factors among patients with knee osteoarthritis.

Introduction: Knee osteoarthritis (KOA) is a progressive condition that results in decreased mobility, self-imposed restriction of activity, and impaired functions such as loss of self-efficacy, fear of falling, and balance impairments. This study assessed balance confidence and associated factors among patients with KOA.

Methods: This cross-sectional study involved 115 patients with KOA.

Upper limb disabilities and associated factors among breast cancer survivors: A quantitative cross-sectional study.

Objectives: Complications following breast cancer treatment result in chronic upper limb disabilities. To plan an informed and effective rehabilitation for timely intervention to prevent, mitigate, or manage the functional impairments for breast cancer survivors, especially in settings with limited resources, the burden of upper limb disabilities needs to be ascertained. This study examined upper limb disabilities and associated factors among breast cancer survivors.

Factors influencing the decision of Nigerian optometry students to work in rural areas upon graduation: a cross-sectional survey.

Background: Access to eye care in rural Nigeria remains limited, as most optometrists work in urban areas. This study explores the factors influencing Nigerian optometry students' decision to work in rural settings after graduation.

Methods: A cross-sectional survey was conducted among 400 optometry students from ten accredited Nigerian universities.

Urban slum housing quality, and its public health implications in Nigeria: a case of urban slum residents in Enugu metropolis, South East, Nigeria.

Introduction: Housing remains a strategic social determinant of health. In Sub-Saharan Africa, most urban dwellers live in slums with attendant health implications. This study assessed the housing conditions of the slums of Enugu metropolis and the public health implications.

Incidence of mental disorders and its predictors among air force personnel exposed to counter-insurgency operations in a West African country: a 6-month follow-up study.

Background: Despite robust reports in the literature concerning the effect of exposure to combat on mental health, there is a paucity of studies in the Nigerian Air Force (NAF) using a longitudinal design. This study was designed to determine the incidence of mental disorders among a cohort of NAF personnel exposed to combat and highlight its association with psychosocio-religious variables.

Methods: It was a follow-up study using a total population sampling in which all the 290 deployed personnel participated.

Breast size, thoracic kyphosis, and thoracic spine pain: a correlational survey of Nigerian postpartum mothers.

Background: Thoracic spine postural dysfunctions are common postpartum-related health problems, compromising breastfeeding efficacy and quality of life among women. Previous studies have particularly associated these conditions with increased breast sizes in several populations. However, such empirical evidence is scarce in the Nigerian population.

Burden of In-Hospital Admissions and Outcomes of Thoracic Outlet Compression Syndrome in the United States From 2010 to 2021.

Introduction Despite advancements in medical and surgical management, thoracic outlet syndrome (TOS) remains a complex and often understudied condition with variable outcomes. This study assessed hospitalization rates and outcomes, including patient characteristics, mortality risks, and healthcare costs associated with TOS hospitalizations. Methods We analyzed elective and nonelective hospitalization data for TOS between 2010 and 2021 from the National Inpatient Sample (NIS) and National Readmission Databases (NEDS) and classified the data into neurogenic, venous, and arterial subtypes using the International Classification of Diseases (ICD) diagnostic and procedural codes.

Cleistopholis patens root bark extract exerts cardioprotective effect against doxorubicin-induced myocardial toxicity in rats.

Background: Myocardial Infarction still persists as the most prevalent cardiovascular disease and is a top cause of morbidity and mortality in doxorubicin treated cancer patients. This study evaluated the prophylactic effect of the ethanol root bark extract of Cleistopholis patens (ERBECP) against doxorubicin-induced myocardial infarction in wistar rats. Extraction, preliminary phytochemical analysis, acute toxicity study and body weight (b.

Mind the gap in kidney care: Translating what we know into what we do.

Historically, it takes an average of 17 years to move new treatments from clinical evidence to daily practice. Given the highly effective treatments now available to prevent or delay kidney disease onset and progression, this is far too long. The time is now to narrow the gap between what we know and what we do.

Challenges and prospects of clinical trials in Nigeria - Lessons from the WHO COVID-19 solidarity plus trial.

Conducting randomized clinical trials (RCTs) during a pandemic is essential for obtaining timely evidence on safe and effective treatments, but it presents numerous obstacles. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the World Health Organization (WHO) sponsored multinational RCTs investigating repurposed drugs among hospitalized COVID-19 patients across countries with varying clinical research capacities. In Nigeria, several challenges hindered our progress, including inadequate infrastructure, initial insufficient investigator certification and expertise, and delays in securing regulatory approvals due to bureaucratic hurdles.

THE NIGERIAN ATRIAL FIBRILLATION NATIONAL REGISTRY: RATIONALE, DESIGN AND EARLY FINDINGS.

Introduction/background: Atrial fibrillation (AF) is the most common sustained cardiac arrhythmia. The AF Atrial Fibrillation Registry, which commenced in June 2023, was designed to provide clinical epidemiological data on patients with AF in the country.

Objective(s): The objective is to describe the rationale, design, and early findings from the registry.

Public acceptance of coercive measures in Nigerian mental health care.

Background: For the first time, Nigeria has enacted a new mental health law that regulates the use of coercive measures in mental health care.

Aim: The study aimed to investigate the extent to which the Nigerian public accepts the use of coercive measures in the treatment of people with mental health conditions and to understand the impact of stigma and other sociodemographic characteristics.

Methods: A cross-sectional survey was conducted among 615 adult respondents from Nigeria's six geopolitical zones.

Development and validation of situational judgement test for assessment of behavioural competencies required for effective medical practice in Nigeria.

Background: The personal qualities of health workers determine the way health services are provided to clients. Some key personal qualities (also called behavioural competencies) of physicians that contribute to quality healthcare delivery include ethical responsibility, empathy, patient-centeredness, diligence, good judgment, respectful, teamwork, team leadership/conflict management, ability to take correction and tolerance. In this study, we developed and validated clinical scenarios (dilemmas) for assessing priority behavioural competencies for medical practice in Nigeria.

A targeted review on occurrence, remediation, and risk assessments of bisphenol A in Africa.

Bisphenol A (BPA) is a vital raw material used to manufacture various household and commercial goods. However, BPA is a contaminant of emerging concern (CEC) and an endocrine-disrupting chemical (EDC) capable of migrating and bio-accumulating in environmental and biological compartments. At threshold levels, they become toxic causing adverse health and environmental issues.

DETERMINANTS OF RISKY SEXUAL PRACTICES AND ACCESS TO SEXUAL REPRODUCTIVE SERVICES AMONG ADOLESCENTS IN SECONDARY SCHOOLS IN URBAN AND RURAL AREAS OF ENUGU STATE NIGERIA.

Background: Adolescent risky sexual behaviors in Nigeria pose significant public health challenges, including unplanned pregnancies, unsafe abortions, and sexually transmitted infections (STIs). Understanding the determinants of these behaviors in urban and rural contexts is crucial for effective intervention development.

Objective: This study explored the determinants of risky sexual behaviors and access to adolescent reproductive health services (ARHS) among in-school adolescents in Enugu State, Nigeria.

RESEARCH PRODUCTIVITY AND ASSOCIATED CHALLENGES AMONG POSTGRADUATE DOCTORS AT THE UNIVERSITY OF NIGERIA TEACHING HOSPITAL, ENUGU.

Background: Continuous evidence-based research is crucial in medical education, guiding clinical practice and informing healthcare policy. It is a core pillar of postgraduate academia. Despite the need to generate and disseminate quality scientific evidence, there is a significant disparity in research engagement and publication rates, with a small fraction of scholars contributing the majority of publications.

Neurological manifestations of lysosomal storage diseases.

Lysosomal storage diseases (LSDs) encompass a group of rare inherited metabolic disorders characterized by the accumulation of undegraded substrates within lysosomes, leading to multisystemic manifestations, including profound neurological involvement. This article provides a concise overview of the neurological manifestations of LSDs, with a focus on central nervous system (CNS) involvement and treatment strategies. While the paper intricacies of each LSD subtype and its associated CNS manifestations, it aims to provide a summary of the essential findings and implications.

Machine Learning Approaches for Microorganism Identification, Virulence Assessment, and Antimicrobial Susceptibility Evaluation Using DNA Sequencing Methods: A Systematic Review.

Microbial infections pose a substantial global health challenge, particularly impacting immunocompromised individuals and exacerbating the issue of antimicrobial resistance (AMR). High virulence of pathogens can lead to severe infections and prolonged antimicrobial treatment, increasing the risk of developing resistant strains. Integrating machine-learning (ML) with DNA sequencing technologies offers potential solutions by enhancing microbial identification, virulence assessment, and antimicrobial susceptibility evaluation.