Long-term maternal outcomes 5 years after cesarean section in Sierra Leone: A prospective cohort study.

Cesarean section (CS) is a life-saving procedure when performed for the right indication but carries substantial risks, specifically during subsequent pregnancies. The aim of this study was to evaluate obstetric outcomes for women 5 years after a CS performed by medical doctors and associate clinicians. This was a prospective multi-center observational study of women who had a CS at any of nine hospitals in Sierra Leone.

A 7-Month Review of Clinical and Demographic Predictors of Childhood Mortality in a Tertiary Children Hospital in Freetown, Sierra Leone.

Background: Sierra Leone ranks among nations with unacceptably high infant and under-5 mortality rates. Understanding the clinical and demographic dynamics that underpin paediatric mortalities is not only essential but fundamental to the formulation and implementation of effective healthcare interventions that would enhance child survival.

Subjects And Material: This was a 7-month review of all mortalities from May 24th 2021 to December 31st 2021 at Ola During Children's Hospital in Freetown, Sierra Leone.

Assessment of self-medication practices and safety profile of medicines utilisation among pregnant women attending antenatal clinics in Freetown, Sierra Leone: a multicentre cross-sectional study.

Background: Despite the potential foetal and maternal risks of self-medication, studies on self-medication practice and the safety profile of medicines used during pregnancy are scarce in our setting. This study determined the self-medication practice and safety profile of medicines used among pregnant women.

Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted in face-to-face interviews among 345 pregnant women at three hospitals in Sierra Leone.

Advanced HIV disease and associated factors among young people aged 15-24 years at a tertiary hospital in Sierra Leone: a cross-sectional study.

Background: Advanced HIV disease (AHD) in young people living with HIV (PLHIV) is an increasingly pressing public health issue in sub-Saharan Africa. Despite global progress in early HIV testing and reducing HIV-related deaths, many youths experience increased rates of HIV disease progression in sub-Saharan Africa. This study describes the burden, clinical manifestations, and factors for disease progression among young PLHIV aged 15 - 24 years seeking medical services at a major public hospital in Sierra Leone.

Implementation of Family Centered Care for Neonates Admitted in a Special Care Baby Unit in Sierra Leone.

Purpose: To assess the feasibility of implementing family centered care and the impact this would have on parental satisfaction in a special care baby unit in Sierra Leone.

Patients And Methods: A cross-sectional, mixed methods study was conducted at the Rokupa Government Hospital, Sierra Leone. 16 nursing staff of the Special Care Baby Unit and 7 caregivers of neonates admitted in the unit participated in the study.

Prevalence and correlates of metabolic syndrome among adults in freetown, Sierra Leone: A comparative analysis of NCEP ATP III, IDF and harmonized ATP III criteria.

Background: Metabolic syndrome (MetS) is a global health concern, especially for low and middle-income countries with limited resources and information. The study's objective was to assess the prevalence of MetS in Freetown, Sierra Leone, using the National Cholesterol Education Program (NCEP) Adult Treatment Panel III (ATP III), International Diabetes Federation (IDF) and Harmonize ATP III. Additionally, we aimed to establish the concordance between these three different criteria used.

Burden of child mortality from malaria in high endemic areas: Results from the CHAMPS network using minimally invasive tissue sampling.

Background: Malaria is a leading cause of childhood mortality worldwide. However, accurate estimates of malaria prevalence and causality among patients who die at the country level are lacking due to the limited specificity of diagnostic tools used to attribute etiologies. Accurate estimates are crucial for prioritizing interventions and resources aimed at reducing malaria-related mortality.

A Clinical and Ethical Dilemma: Expectant Management for Ectopic Pregnancy with a Vital Fetus in a Low-Resource Setting.

Background: Guidelines recommend the prompt surgical removal of any ectopic pregnancy (EP) in the presence of a vital embryo. This treatment impacts future fertility, particularly in low-resource settings where access to assisted reproductive techniques is limited. In addition, growing evidence is reporting live births after conservative management of initially undiagnosed abdominal pregnancies.

Outcome of Emergency Blood Transfusion in Children Seen at a Tertiary Children's Hospital in Freetown: A Descriptive Cross-sectional Study.

Objective: This study sought to describe the prevalence and clinical outcome after emergency blood transfusion among children presenting with severe anemia in a tertiary children's hospital in Sierra Leone.

Method: This was a retrospective study of 395 children who received emergency blood transfusion at the Ola During Children's Hospital in Freetown. Association between mortality and sociodemographic and clinical factors was assessed using χ 2 test.

Stroke in Sierra Leone. the stroke risk factors for people with HIV: A prospective case-control study.

Background: HIV infection rates are relatively low in Sierra Leone and in West Africa but the contribution of HIV to the risk factors for stroke and outcomes is unknown. In this study, we examined stroke types, presentation, risk factors and outcome in HIV stroke patients compared with controls.

Methods: We used data from the Stroke in Sierra Leone Study at 2 tertiary hospitals in Freetown, Sierra Leone.

Impact of health systems reform on COVID-19 control in Sierra Leone: a case study.

Background: There are various impacts of COVID-19 on health systems of the world. The health systems of low- and middle-income countries are less developed. Therefore, they have greater tendencies to experience challenges and vulnerabilities in COVID-19 control compared to high-income countries.

Mature Solid Teratoma of the Retroperitoneum Presenting as Sigmoid Colon Polyp with Lower Gastrointestinal Bleeding: A Case Report.

Background: Mature colonic teratomas are rare tumors and no case, to the best of our knowledge, has been reported from the African continent. In addition, some pedunculated teratomas in the colon have been treated by endoscopic polypectomy and classified as primary teratoma of the colon. We report a case of a distinct intra sigmoid pedunculated teratoma originating from the retroperitoneum of a 4-year-old African girl and we highlight the potential for misclassification of primary origin of endoscopically removed polypoid teratomas in the colon.

Sclero-Hyalinized Low-Grade Appendiceal Mucinous Neoplasm Clinically Mimicking an Ovarian Mass.

Low-grade appendiceal mucinous neoplasm is a tumor of the appendix whose major clinical relevance derives from its inherent potential for peritoneal dissemination as pseudomyxoma peritonei. It sometimes poses challenges in clinical, radiological, and pathological diagnosis, and it may be confused with gynecological conditions in females. We report a case of low-grade appendiceal mucinous neoplasm presenting as firm sclerotic cystic mass and was initially suspected to be an ovarian mass in a postmenopausal woman.

The Analysis of bcl-2 in Association with p53 and Ki-67 in Triple Negative Breast Cancer and Other Molecular Subtypes in Ghana.

Background: Little is known about the role of apoptosis in the tumorigenesis and prognosis of breast cancer in Ghana. Chemotherapeutic drug efficacy partially relates to apoptosis induction, rendering it a vital target in cancer therapy with unique biomarker opportunities that have not been exploited. Aberrations in this pathway are central to tumorigenesis, tumor progression, overall tumor growth, and regression during treatment therapies.

The most stable pinning configurations in transverse supracondylar humerus fracture fixation in children: A novel three-dimensional finite element analysis of a pediatric bone model.

Purpose: This study aimed at finding out the effect of exit height, trajectory and number of pins on the stability of cross and divergent-lateral pins used in the fixation of extension-type, transverse supracondylar humerus fracture (SHF) in children, based on finite element analysis.

Methods: Distal humerus model consisting of the ossific nucleus of the capitellum (ONC) and distal cartilage of a 6-year-old boy was developed via three-dimensional finite modeling. Various cross and divergent-lateral pinning models with either two or three pins were simulated on an extension-type, transverse SHF and tested in six loading directions.

Healthcare Workers' Knowledge, Attitude, Practice and Perceived Health Facility Preparedness Regarding COVID-19 in Sierra Leone.

Background: Healthcare workers (HCWs) are known to spearhead the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic. As such, their knowledge, attitude, and practice (KAP) toward coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) are considered critical to the success of the current COVID-19 response efforts. This study aims to determine HCWs' KAP toward COVID-19 and assesses their perception of their healthcare facilities preparedness to respond appropriately to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic in Sierra Leone.

Prevalence, Awareness and Risk Factors of Hypertension among Health Workers at the Connaught Teaching Hospital, Sierra Leone.

Background: Hypertension among the health workforce is a major public health problem due to its high prevalence and dire consequences. This study aimed to determine the prevalence of hypertension, awareness, and related cardiovascular risk factors among health workers in a Teaching Hospital in Sierra Leone.

Methods: This was a cross-sectional descriptive study conducted among 250 health workers.

Parasitic chyluria in a 72-year-old Sierra Leonean woman: A case report.

Although Sierra Leone lies within the worldwide filarial belt, chyluria (the passage of milky coloured urine) is a rare presenting symptom in clinical practice. This report describes a confirmed case of parasitic filariasis presenting in a 72-year-old woman. After treatment with a combination of ivermectin and albendazole, her symptoms resolved within 48 h and she was symptom free at 6 months.

Determinants of Choice of Place of Delivery among Women Attending Two Referral Hospitals in Kano North-West Nigeria.

Background: Women are often unable to choose for themselves when, where, and from whom to seek care. This study was undertaken to determine factors that influence a woman's choice of place of delivery among women attending immunization clinics in two referral hospitals in Kano, Nigeria.

Materials And Methods: A hospital-based cross-sectional descriptive study conducted among 314 women who delivered in Kano, Nigeria.

The burden of trauma presenting to the government referral hospital in Freetown, Sierra Leone: An observational study.

Introduction: Trauma accounts for a significant proportion of the global burden of disease, with highest mortality rates seen in Africa. This epidemic is predicted to increase with urbanisation and an aim of the Sustainable Development Goals is to reduce deaths and trauma caused by road accidents. Data available on urban trauma in Sierra Leone is limited.