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Background: The COVID-19 pandemic constitutes a global health threat and poses a major burden on the African continent. We assessed the real-world burden of COVID-19 infection in African Union (AU) member states to determine the distributional patterns of epidemiological measures during the first 1 year of the pandemic., Methods: This retrospective cross-sectional study utilized COVID-19 data from publicly available data repositories of the African Center for Disease Control and Prevention and Our World in Data for the period February 2020 to January 2021. AU member states were classified into low, medium, and high burdens based on COVID-19 morbidity. We conducted descriptive and inferential analyses of COVID-19-reported cases, deaths, recoveries, active cases, COVID-19 tests, and epidemiological measures that included morbidity and mortality rates, case fatality rate (CFR), and case ratios., Results: A total of 3.21 million cases were reported during the 1-year period, with 2.6 million recoveries, 536,784 cases remaining active, and 77,486 deaths. Most countries (49.1%, n  = 26) in AU experienced a low burden of COVID-19 infection compared to 28.3% ( n  = 15) with medium burden and 22.6% ( n  = 12) with high burden. AU nations with a high burden of the disease were mainly in the northern and southern regions. South Africa recorded the highest number of cases (1.31 million), followed by Morocco with 457,625 and Tunisia with 175,065 cases. Correspondently, death tolls for these countries were 36,467, 7888, and 5528 deaths, respectively. Of the total COVID-19 tests performed (83.8 million) during the first 1 year, 62.43% were from high-burden countries. The least testing occurred in the medium-burden (18.42%) countries. The overall CFR of AU was 2.21%. A morbidity rate of 327.52/10 5 population and mortality rate of 5.96/10 5 population were recorded during the first 1-year period with significant variations ( p  < 0.0001) across burden levels. Continental morbidity and mortality rates of 17,359/10 5 and 315.933/10 5 populations were recorded with significant correlation ( r  = 0.863, p  < 0.0001) between them and variations across selected epidemiological measures by COVID-19 burden levels., Conclusion: Understanding the true burden of the disease in AU countries is important for establishing the impact of the pandemic in the African continent and for intervention planning, preparedness, and deployment of resources during COVID-19 surges and future pandemics., Competing Interests: The authors declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article., (© The Author(s), 2023.)

Malaria is a life-threatening disease endemic in many African countries especially Nigeria. A mathematical model is used to study the dynamics of malaria in Nigeria. The model incorporates drug resistance, treatment, and the use of mosquito nets as preventive strategies. By fitting the model to data on the incidence of malaria in Nigeria, important parameters associated with the disease dynamics are estimated. Using these estimated parameters, the basic reproduction number is calculated, future dynamics simulated, and those parameters with a large impact on Nigerian malaria determined. Overall, the results indicate that the disease is likely to remain endemic in Nigeria unless better control measures are focused on the dominant resistant strain, treatment is improved and the use of mosquito nets become widespread., Competing Interests: The authors declare there are no competing interests regarding the publication of our manuscripts titled “A mathematical model for the dynamics and control of malaria in Nigeria” in the Infectious Disease Modelling., (© 2022 The Authors.)

In Nigeria, several studies have assessed the prevalence of overweight/obesity with different reports. The purpose of this study was to use a systematic review and meta-analysis to analyze these overweight and obesity reports from different locations in Nigeria over the last ten years. In addition, there was a dearth of systematic reviews and meta-analyses on the prevalence, trends, and demographic characteristics of overweight and obesity in the country. This was a systematic review and meta-analysis of cross-sectional population-based studies among adult Nigerians on the prevalence of overweight/ obesity (defined by body mass index) published from January 2010 to December 2020. Relevant abstracts were scrutinized and articles that included adults of all age groups and were not restricted to a particular group of people (e.g. university community) were selected. Each article was scrutinized by more than 2 authors before selection. The prevalence of overweight/obesity among all participants, among men and among women in Nigeria and its 6 geopolitical zones was determined. All analyses were performed using STATA version 14 (Stata Corp. College Station, Texas, USA). Thirty-three studies were selected and the number of participants was 37,205. The estimated prevalence of overweight and obesity was 27.6%, and 14.5% respectively. The prevalence of overweight among men and among women was 26.3% and 28.3% respectively and, the prevalence of obesity among men and women was 10.9% and 23.0% respectively. The prevalence of overweight in the 6 geopolitical zones was Southeast 29.3%, Southwest 29.3%, South-south 27.9%, Northwest 27.2%, North-central 25.3%, Northeast 20.0% and obesity South-south 24.7%, Southeast 15.7%, Southwest 13.9%, Northwest 10.4%, North-central 10.2%, Northeast 6.4%. Egger's tests showed no statistically significant publication bias among the studies that reported the overweight and obesity prevalence respectively (p = 0.225, P 0.350). The prevalence of overweight/obesity in Nigeria is high. The southern geopolitical zones had a higher prevalence of overweight/obesity., Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist., (Copyright: © 2022 Chukwuonye et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.)

Introduction: Sickle cell disease (SCD) is a hereditary red blood cell disorder of public health importance globally with Nigeria the epicenter zone in Africa. There is a paucity of knowledge on how hemoglobin variants, personal characteristics, and environment (socio-demographic triangle) interact to influence SCD propagation. A clinical overview of these epidemiologic parameters may proffer strategies for controlling the SCD disease burden. The objective of this study was to examine the prevalence patterns of SCD, including other associated epidemiologic and hematological (i.e., hemoglobin concentration, ABO blood groups) parameters from laboratory data., Methods: this was a retrospective cross-sectional study of 138 newly diagnosed SCD patients in the laboratory unit of the department of haematology using routine alkaline cellulose acetate hemoglobin electrophoresis technique from 2013 to 2014. Demographic and other relevant data were obtained from case notes and laboratory records at the presentation. The agent-host-environment variables were used in the construction of the epidemiological triad chain of transmission., Results: a total of 138 (1.63%) newly diagnosed SCD patients aged 7 months to 41 years made up of 39% (0.63% SCD prevalence) adults and 61% (1% SCD prevalence) pediatric age-groups were seen out of 8457 consecutive patients screened within the study period. About 98.55% and 1.45% were homozygous sickle-hemoglobin (SS) and heterozygous sickle-hemoglobin C (SC) variants, respectively. The pediatric department (CHER+CHOP) recorded the highest proportion of SCD (65%). In contrast, the public health department had the least proportion (1%). There was a statistically significant difference in the gender status and the months of SCD diagnosis (p=0.0147). The month of April had the highest proportion of SCD. A majority (66.7%) of the SCD had moderate grade anemia., Conclusion: the study revealed a gender disparity in the months of SCD diagnosis. However, there was no statistical difference in the pediatric and adult SCD prevalence patterns., Competing Interests: The authors declare no competing interests., (Copyright: Ogbonna Collins Nwabuko et al.)

Bluetongue virus (BTV) has 27 serotypes with some of them coexisting in different environments which make its control difficult. Wind-aided midge movement is a known mechanism in the spread of BTV. However, its effects on the dynamics of multiple BTV serotypes are not clear. Ordinary differential equation (ODE) and continuous-time Markov chain (CTMC) models for two BTV serotypes in an environment divided into two patches depending on the risk of infection are formulated and analysed. By approximating the CTMC model with a multitype branching process, an estimate for the probability of a major outbreak of two BTV serotypes is obtained. It is shown that without movement a major outbreak occurs in the high-risk patch, but with cattle or midge movement it occurs in both patches. When a major outbreak occurs, numerical simulations of the ODE model illustrate possible coexistence in both patches if the patches are connected by midge or cattle movement. Sensitivity analysis, based on the Latin hypercube sampling method, identified midge mortality and biting rates as being the most important in determining the magnitude of the probability of a major outbreak. These results indicate the significance of wind-aided midge movement on the outbreak and coexistence of multiple BTV serotypes in patchy environments., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2021. Published by Elsevier Inc.)

The common bean is a nutrient-dense food empirically known to have beneficial effects on human health. Many studies have looked at the effects of "pulses" on different health issues, providing general overviews of the importance of each pulse in health studies. This study systematically reviews and provides meta-analyses of the effect of bean extract as a supplement or whole bean on four health issues (cardiovascular diseases, diabetes mellitus, obesity, and cancers) from a dissection of clinical and randomized controlled trials using human subjects. A digital search in PubMed and Google Scholar TM resulted in 340 articles, with only 23 peer-reviewed articles matching our inclusion criteria. Findings indicated that common beans reduced LDL cholesterol by 19 percent, risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD) by 11 percent, and coronary heart disease (CHD) by 22 percent. Besides this, we noted variances in the literature on cancer findings, with some authors stating it reduced the proliferation of some kinds of tumor cells and reduced the growth of polyps, while others did not specifically examine cancers but the predisposing factors alone. However, diabetes studies indicated that the postprandial glucose level at the peak of 60 min for common bean consumers was low (mean difference = -2.01; 95% CI [-4.6, -0.63]), but the difference between the treated and control was not significant, and there was a high level of heterogeneity among studies (I 2 = 98%). Only obesity studies indicated a significantly high level of weight gain among control groups (mean difference = 1.62; 95% CI [0.37, 2.86]). There is a need for additional clinical trials using a standardized measure to indicate the real effect of the common bean on health.

Waterborne diseases are present major health problems to humanity especially in rural communities where many individuals belong to the lower socioeconomic classes (SECs). The impacts of introducing waterborne disease control measures for such communities are investigated by considering a waterborne disease model. The model is extended by introducing treatment of infected individuals and water purification as control measures. The possible benefits of considering these control measures for the various SECs are investigated. Further analyses show how different degrees of control impact the rate at which waterborne diseases are spread across SECs. The disease control model is validated by using it to study the cholera outbreak in Haiti.

In recent history, COVID-19 is one of the worst infectious disease outbreaks currently affecting humanity globally. Using real data on the COVID-19 outbreak from 22 January 2020 to 30 March 2020, we developed a mathematical model to investigate the impact of control measures in reducing the spread of the disease. Analyses of the model were carried out to determine the dynamics. The results of the analyses reveal that, using the data from China, implementing all possible control measures best reduced the rate of secondary infections. However, quarantine (isolation) of infectious individuals is shown to have the most dominant effect. This possibility emphasizes the need for extensive testing due to the possible prevalence of asymptomatic COVID-19 cases., Competing Interests: The authors declare there are no competing interests., (©2020 Collins and Duffy.)

Maintaining sustainable ecosystems are important for all the inhabitants of earth. Also, an important component of sustainable ecosystems is the maintenance of healthy coexistence of consumers and their resources which can include diseases in the species involved. We formulate a model, where the resources are plants, to explore how consumer-resource coexistence could of itself limit the spread of infectious diseases. The important mathematical features of the model are discussed using the basic reproduction number and the consumption number. The results show an association between species coexistence and a decrease in ecosystem resource disease. The possible importance of these results are discussed.

Objectives: A mathematical model making using of the Verhulst logistic equation was developed to predict the remineralization behaviors of desensitizing paste., Methods: The input parameter used for the model was obtained experimentally by brushing twenty-one simulated dentin specimens for seven days with three sample groups, namely, EB@TiO 2 , Colgate Pro-relief, and Sensodyne repair ( n  = 7). A field emission scanning electron microscope (FESEM) and ImageJ software were used to observe and measure the % occluded ratio of the dentin surface. The model fittings for the three sample groups were carried out using the built-in MATLAB least-squares fitting routine fmincon in the optimization toolbox., Results: The results suggest that the experimental parameter were in agreement with the model. It was found that the logistic equation model can make a future prediction of the remineralization pattern for EB@TiO 2 and Colgate Pro-relief. It was, however, found that the trajectory for the Sensodyne repair was a bit complex, thus making the prediction difficult., Conclusions: Overall, the salient feature of this study suggests that the logistic equation could be used to predict the remineralization behavior of desensitizing paste in the management of sensitive tooth., Competing Interests: The authors declare that they have no conflicts of interest., (Copyright © 2019 Stanley Chibuzor Onwubu et al.)

Background: The aim of this study was to identify and discuss published population-based studies carried out in Nigeria that have information on the prevalence of chronic kidney disease (CKD) and have also used the Kidney Disease Outcomes Quality Initiative (KDOQI) practice guidelines in defining CKD, with emphasis on the performance of three estimating equations for glomerular filtration rate (GFR) - Modification of Diet in Renal Disease (MDRD), Cock-croft-Gault, and CKD epidemiology collaboration (CKD-EPI) creatinine equation., Materials and Methods: A systematic literature search was carried out in Google, MEDLINE, PubMed, and AJOL database, with the aim of identifying relevant population-based studies with information on the prevalence of CKD in a location in Nigeria., Results: Seven cross-sectional population-based studies were identified. Two of the studies used the Cockcroft-Gault and observed a prevalence of 24.4% and 26%. Four of the studies used the MDRD and the prevalences observed were 12.3%, 14.2%, 2.5%, and 13.4%. One of the studies used the CKD-EPI equation and the prevalence was 11.4%. The male to female ratios of CKD prevalence in six studies were 1:1.9, 0.8:1, 1:1.6, 1:2, 1:1.8, 1:1.4, and the observed risk factors in the studies were old age, obesity, diabetes mellitus, hypertension, family history of hypertension, family history of renal disease, low-income occupation, use of traditional medication, low hemoglobin, and abdominal obesity., Conclusion: The prevalence of CKD was high but variable in Nigeria, influenced by the equation used to estimate the GFR. MDRD and CKD-EPI results are agreeable. There is a need for more population-based studies, with emphasis on repeating the GFR estimation after 3 months in subjects with GFR <60 mL/min/1.7 m 2 ., Competing Interests: Disclosure The authors report no conflicts of interest in this work.

Background: Multiple myeloma (MM) is one of the hematological malignancies that require palliative care. This is because of the life-threatening nature and the suffering associated with the illness. The aim of this study is to bring to the fore the complications experienced by people living with MM in the Niger-Delta region of Nigeria and the outcome of various palliative interventions., Methods: This was a 10-year multi-center retrospective study of 26 patients diagnosed and managed in three major centers in the Niger-Delta region of Nigeria from January 2003 to December 2012. Information on the clinical, laboratory, radiological data, and palliative treatment was obtained at presentation and subsequently at intervals of 3 months until the patient was lost to follow-up., Result: The mean duration from onset of symptoms to diagnosis was 13.12 months (95% CI, 6.65-19.58). A total of 16 (61.5%), eight (30.8%), and two subjects (7.7%) presented in Durie-Salmon (DS) stages III, II, and I, respectively. The complications presented by patients at diagnoses included bone pain (84.6%), anemia (61.5%), nephropathy (23.1%), and hemiplegia (35%). All the patients received analgesics, while 50.0% received blood transfusion, 56.7% had surgery performed, 19% had hemodialysis, and 3.8% received radiotherapy. A total of 10 (38%) patients benefited from bisphosphonates (BPs). A total of 57.6% of patients were on melphalan-prednisone (MP) double regimen, while 19% and 8% patients were on MP-thalidomide and MP-bortezomib triple regimens, respectively. A total of 3.8% of patients at DS stage IIIB disease had autologous stem-cell transplantation (ASCT). Only 7.6% of the myeloma patients survived up to 5 years post diagnosis. The overall mean survival interval was 39.7 months (95% CI, 32.1-47.2)., Conclusion: Late diagnosis and inadequate palliative care account for major complications encountered by MM patients in the Niger-Delta region of Nigeria. This could be responsible for the poor prognostic outcome and low survival interval of MM individuals in this region. There is, therefore, a need to improve the quality of palliative care received by myeloma patients in this region. This is achievable via provision of relevant and affordable health care facilities for diagnosis and treatment of the disease., Competing Interests: Disclosure The authors report no conflicts of interest in this work.

Waterborne diseases such as cholera continue to pose serious public health problems in the world today. Transmission parameters can vary greatly with socioeconomic class (SEC) and the availability of clean water. We formulate a multi-patch waterborne disease model such that each patch represents a particular SEC with its own water source, allowing individuals to move between SECs. For a 2-SEC model, we investigate the conditions under which each SEC is responsible for driving a cholera outbreak. We determine the effect of SECs on disease transmission dynamics by comparing the basic reproduction number of the 2-SEC model to that of a homogeneous model that does not take SECs into account. We conclude by extending several results of the 2-SEC model to an n-SEC model., (Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

We formulate a mathematical model that captures the essential dynamics of waterborne disease transmission to study the effects of heterogeneity on the spread of the disease. The effects of heterogeneity on some important mathematical features of the model such as the basic reproduction number, type reproduction number and final outbreak size are analysed accordingly. We conduct a real-world application of this model by using it to investigate the heterogeneity in transmission in the recent cholera outbreak in Haiti. By evaluating the measure of heterogeneity between the administrative departments in Haiti, we discover a significant difference in the dynamics of the cholera outbreak between the departments., (Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Background: Abortion is widespread in the Niger-Delta region of Nigeria, with resulting high rates of morbidity and mortality. It is thought that the private sector provides the majority of abortion services in Nigeria as a result of the restrictive abortion law in the country. The oil-rich Niger-Delta region accounts for 90% of the country's resource, is economically active and has increased opportunities for sexual networking., Method: This study assays the attitudes of staff at family planning (FP) services and practices of reproductive health and FP services among private practitioners in four states of Niger-Delta of Nigeria (the states of Edo, Delta, Bayelsa and Rivers)., Results: Women who had unwanted pregnancies were attended by 119 (87.5%) respondents. However, only 33 (24.0%) provided services for termination of pregnancy. Indeed, just over half (72; 53.4%) counselled women to continue the pregnancy while fewer (35; 25.9%) referred women to other clinics. However, there was no evidence to suggest that doctors followed up on those women counselled to continue their pregnancies. Most private sector service providers of abortion services in Nigeria (69.7%) are non-specialist doctors., Conclusion: Education of private practitioners in the principles of abortion, post-abortion care and FP is recommended to alleviate abortion-related morbidity and mortality in Nigeria.