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Background: Over 630 million women and children worldwide have been displaced by conflict or live dangerously close to conflict zones. While the adverse effects of physical destruction on healthcare delivery are relatively well understood, the effects on healthcare-seeking behavior remain underexplored, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa. This study aims to better understand the interconnections and knowledge gaps between exposure to armed violent conflicts and healthcare-seeking behaviors for maternal and child health in sub-Saharan Africa. Methods: Five key electronic databases (PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, PsycNET, and African Journals Online) were searched for peer-reviewed publications between 2000 and 2022. The review was designed according to PRISMA-P statement and the protocol was registered with PROSPERO database. The methodological quality and risks of bias were appraised using GRADE. A data extraction instrument was modelled along the Cochrane Handbook for Systematic Reviews and the Centre for Reviews and Dissemination of Systematic Reviews. Result: The search results yielded 1,148 publications. Only twenty-one studies met the eligibility criteria, reporting healthcare-seeking behaviors for maternal and child health. Of the twenty-one studies, seventeen (81.0%) reported maternal health behaviors such as antenatal care, skilled birth attendance, postnatal care services, and family planning. Nine studies (42.8%) observed behaviors for child health such as vaccination uptake, case management for pneumonia, diarrhea, malnutrition, and cough. While conflict exposure is generally associated with less favorable healthcare-seeking behaviors, some of the studies found improved health outcomes. Marital status, male partner attitudes, education, income and poverty levels were associated with healthcare-seeking behavior. Conclusion: There is a need for multifaceted interventions to mitigate the impact of armed violent conflict on healthcare-seeking behavior, given its overall negative effects on child and maternal healthcare utilization. While armed violent conflict disproportionately affects children's health compared to maternal health, it is noteworthy that exposure to such conflicts may inadvertently also lead to positive outcomes. Prospero registration number: CRD42023484004. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There is an urgent need to transform immunization programmes into agile learning systems where implementation strategies that are effective within a particular setting can be systematically and rapidly incorporated into policies and practice in other places to drive performance improvement. However, to facilitate the spread of implementation strategies, their documentation needs to be thorough and clear, with adequate granular information about the active components to foster successful cross-context replication. This article unpacks the strategic value of enhancing documentation of implementation strategies and leverages an implementation science lens to propose a framework called Documenting and Reporting Implementation strategies of Vaccination Efforts (DRIVE) that immunization stakeholders including researchers can use. The DRIVE framework has eight sections which include: name of implementation strategy, description of implementation problem, description of implementation context, definition of implementation strategy, mechanism of action of the implementation strategy, specification of the implementation strategy, facilitators, and barriers of successful implementation of the strategy, and additional information. For countries to make faster progress towards the Immunization Agenda 2030, it is essential that systems learning is prioritised in immunization programmes so that useful implementation strategies, both programme-based and research-based, are adequately documented, rapidly spread and sustainably integrated into practice settings across contexts to improve vaccination coverage and other performance indicators. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives There are currently no national guidelines regarding bladder cancer treatment and clinical care pathways in Nigeria. The aim of this scoping review was to identify any gaps in the knowledge of epidemiology, clinical care and translational research in order to aid the development of a defined clinical care pathway and guide future research.Methods A scoping review was conducted by searching Medline, Ovid Gateway, The Cochrane library and Open Grey literature using predefined search terms from date of inception to June 2020. Studies were included if they discussed the epidemiology or treatment pathway of bladder cancer. All data were charted and were analysed in a descriptive manner. A consultation phase was also conducted consisting of a multidisciplinary team of clinicians and bladder cancer survivors.Results A total of 19 studies were deemed suitable for inclusion. The themes included the epidemiology of bladder cancer (high prevalence of schistosomiasis), research surrounding the biology of the disease and translational research including potential biomarkers. The consultation phase highlighted some possible sociocultural and infrastructural issues relating to both the diagnosis and treatment of bladder cancer, with poor knowledge of bladder cancer and its symptoms within the general population identified as a key issue.Conclusion Even though the factors surrounding the relationship between schistosomiasis and the histopathology of bladder cancer remain unclear, there is potential for screening for schistosomiasis in endemic regions of sub-Saharan Africa. Other key areas for future research include the dissemination of information to the general population surrounding bladder cancer and its symptoms to encourage prompt diagnosis.

Objective: The objective of this study was to identify the factors associated with the outcome of the 2023 diphtheria outbreak in Jigawa State, Nigeria. Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted amongst all line-listed diphtheria cases reported from Jigawa State, Nigeria, using the 2023 Integrated Disease and Surveillance Response line list of cases that met the World Health Organization case definition of diphtheria. A total of 245 line-listed cases from January 2023 to December 2023 met the criteria for inclusion in the study. Data were analysed using IBM SPSS version 22.0 with a P value set at ≤5%. Binary logistic regression was used to identify the independent predictors of the outcome of the 2023 outbreak. Results: The maximum age of the line-listed cases was 39 years, and the minimum was 1 year with a median of 8 (interquartile range = 5–8) years. More than two-thirds (68.2%) of the cases were ≥5 years of age. More than one-third of the cases (39.6%) were from the northeast senatorial zone of the state. Out of the total 245 cases, 14 died of the disease representing a case fatality rate of 6%, and an attack rate of 3.4 per 100,000 populations. The majority of the cases (95.5%) had fever, cough (81.2%), pharyngitis (86.9%), tonsillitis (96.7%) and laryngitis (82.0%). More diphtheria-related mortalities were recorded amongst cases <5 years of age (7.7%), female cases (5.9%), rural residence (7.7%) and cases from the northeast senatorial zone (8.2%) of the state. Significantly higher mortalities (8.8%, P = 0.003) were recorded amongst cases with nasopharyngitis. The odds of diphtheria-related mortality were higher amongst cases who presented clinically with nasopharyngitis and were 4 times more likely to die (adjusted odds ratio = 3.9; 95% confidence interval = 1.1–14.3) compared with those with no nasopharyngitis. Conclusions: Significantly higher mortalities were recorded amongst diphtheria cases whose samples were not taken, and those with nasopharyngitis. These findings underscored the importance of improved immunisation uptake, early and prompt case detection, investigation and proper management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Obesity is a preventable public health problem associated with a significantly increased risk of noncommunicable diseases. This study aimed to find the socio-demographic and nutritional factors associated with obesity amongst adults from high-burden kidney disease areas of Jigawa State, Nigeria. Methodology: A cross-sectional survey was conducted to assess the socio-demographic and nutritional factors associated with obesity among 361 adults from four local government areas (LGAs) of Jigawa state identified to have a high burden of kidney diseases. The Modified WHO STEPS questionnaire and multi-stage sampling technique were employed, and data were analyzed using IBM SPSS version 22.0. Results: The minimum age of the respondents was 18, and the maximum was 102 with a median of 45 (interquartile range = 30-80) years. The prevalence of obesity and overweight in the high-burden LGAs of Jigawa state was 33.0% and 27.1% respectively. Hadejia LGA had the highest (68.1%) prevalence of obesity. The prevalence of overweight was higher in Jahun LGA (38.9%). About one-third (38.2%) had a waist circumference (WC) greater than 88cm. Up to half of the female respondents had a waist-hip ratio (WHR) greater than 0.85. For male respondents, many (74.3%) had a WHR of greater than 0.9, and obesity was significantly higher (39.8%, P s< 0.001) among those =40 years of age. Obesity was significantly higher (39.8%,P < 0.001) among those =40 years of age, known diabetic, (57.1%, P=0.02), and rare consumption of vegetables, (45.8%, P<0.001). The odds of developing obesity were significantly higher among those who were known diabetics and were 3 times more likely to be obese than those who were not known to be diabetics (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] = 3.1, 95% CI = [1.1-8.9]. Conclusions: The prevalence of obesity was high in the areas with high burdens of kidney disease. The government and relevant stakeholders should develop a cost-effective prevention, early diagnosis, and treatment model. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Hypertension is the leading risk factor for preventable cardiovascular-related complications and mortalities worldwide. Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional survey was conducted to assess the prevalence and factors associated with hypertension among 361 adults from four local government areas (LGAs) of Jigawa state identified to have high burden of kidney diseases. The Modified WHO STEPS questionnaire and multi-stage sampling technique were employed and data were analysed using IBM SPSS version 22.0 Results: The age of the respondents ranged from 18 to 102 years with a median of 45 (interquartile range = 30–80) years. More than a quarter (34.9%) of the respondents were unemployed. Few reported history of alcohol ingestion (0.8%) and cigarette smoking (1.1%). The prevalence of systolic hypertension was 116 (32.1%), while that of diastolic hypertension was 133 (36.8%). Jahun LGA had higher cases (36.7%) of systolic hypertension, whereas Dutse LGA had higher cases (47.8%) of diastolic hypertension. Systolic hypertension was significantly higher (P < 0.001) among those >35 years of age. The odds of developing systolic hypertension were significantly lower among those between the ages of 18 and 35 years, and those between the ages of 18 and 35 years were less likely to have systolic hypertension than those above the age of 35 years (adjusted odds ratio = 9.0; 95% confidence interval = 4.6–17.6). Similarly, those who reported family history of diabetes and hypertension (P < 0.001) had a significantly higher proportion of systolic hypertension. Conclusions: The prevalence of hypertension was alarming in the high burden kidney disease areas. The government should develop a sustainable model for the mass community screening of risk factors and community‑based health insurance for the effective management of all identified cases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Kidney diseases requiring haemodialysis are becoming an emerging public health problem. This study aimed to determine the burden, socio-demographic and other risk factors associated with haemodialysis in Northwest Nigeria. Methodology: The study was a retrospective multicentre review of secondary data from the dialysis centres of public hospitals in northwestern Nigeria. Risk factors for renal failure were examined in 1329 patients who were enrolled for haemodialysis between 2019 and 2022 in the four public dialysis centres in Kano and Jigawa state. Data were analysed using IBM SPSS Statistics for Windows, version 22.0, with statistical significance set at P ≤ 0.05. Results: The minimum age of the patients was 2 years and the maximum was 100 years with a median of 48 (interquartile range = 31, 60) years. Chronic kidney disease (CKD) was found amongst more than two‑thirds 998 (75.1%) of the patients. Up to 51 (3.8%), 62 (4.7%) and 10 (0.8%) were seropositive for HIV, hepatitis B and hepatitis C, respectively. Acute kidney injury (AKI) was significantly higher (67.9%, P < 0.001) amongst patients with post‑partum haemorrhage (PPH), and were 24 times more likely to develop AKI when compared with those with no PPH (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] =24, 95% confidence interval [CI] = [13.5–44.5]). CKD was significantly higher amongst patients with hypertension (HTN) (84.9%, P < 0.001), and were 3.2 times more likely to develop CKD compared with non‑hypertensives (aOR = 3.2, 95% CI = [2.4–4.1]). Acute on CKD (AOCCKD) was significantly higher amongst patients with chronic glomerulonephritis (CGN) (28.1%, P < 0.001), and were three times more likely to develop AOCCKD than those without CGN (aOR = 3, 95% CI = [2.1–4.2]). Conclusion: PPH was the major reason for AKI related haemodialysis while diabetes and HTN were the major causes of CKD-requiring haemodialysis. CGN was more amongst patients who had dialysis due to acute exacerbation of CKD. The government and relevant stakeholders should ensure a favourable policy for the screening and management of patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Overconsumption of energy drinks (EDs) is a global public health concern because of its potential health consequence. Objectives: This study aimed to determine the prevalence and factors associated with ED consumption amongst undergraduate students in Kano, Northwest Nigeria. Methodology: A descriptive cross-sectional study design was used to study 381 undergraduate students, selected using a two-stage sampling technique. Data were collected using interviewer-administered questionnaires and analysed using SPSS version 22.0 with P = 0.05 considered to be statistically significant. Results: A total of 381 students were studied. The mean ± standard deviation age of the students was 23.1 ± 3.6 years with male-to-female distribution of about 1:1. Period prevalence of 67.0% within the last 30 days and point prevalence of 23.9% were found. The commonly used ED was Power Horse 44.6%. Up to 59.6% consumed EDs to boost their physical and mental capacity. Odds of ever-consuming EDs were lower in female undergraduates (adjusted odds ratio [aOR]: 0.5, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.3-0.7) and higher in Hausa/Fulani ethnic group (aOR: 1.7, 95% CI: 1.04-2.7). Amongst those who were currently consuming EDs, being 24 years or less (aOR: 1.9, 95% CI: 1.04-3.4) and coming from the Hausa/Fulani tribe (aOR: 2.5, 95% CI: 1.4-4.4) were associated with increased consumption. Male undergraduates (aOR: 0.2, 95% CI: 0.1-0.4) and students who were residing on campus were less likely to be current consumers of EDs (aOR: 0.5, 95% CI: 0.3-0.9). Conclusion: Consumption of EDs is increasing amongst students and therefore relevant government agencies should ensure regulated advertisement and consumption to avert the health consequences. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Malaria is a major public health problem in Nigeria with 97% of its population with high morbidity and mortality. Mosquitoes play an important role in the transmission of malaria parasites. This study was conducted to evaluate the current resistance status of Anopheles gambiae to insecticides. Methods: Larvae of An. gambiae was collected from three zones; A, B and C differentiated on the basis of variation in agricultural ecosystems between August and November, 2018 in the northeast and northwestern parts of Nigeria. They were carefully reared to adult stage and insecticidal susceptibility tests were conducted. Results: The mosquitoes tested showed high levels of resistance to all the insecticides used with the exception of malathion. Study zone A, recorded 74% mortality after 24h to deltamethrin compared to 81% from zone B and 82% from zone C, respectively. Mosquitoes from zone B exposed to DDT had the highest level of resistance at 37% compared to 40% and 53% from zones A and C, respectively. Resistant to bendiocarb was also observed, with zone A having the lowest mortality of 44% compared to 48% from zone C and 55% from Zone B, respectively. According to the results of knockdown tests, mosquitoes from Zone A exposed to deltamethrin recorded the lowest knockdown across the study locations while zone B recorded the lowest knockdown for DDT. Conclusion: The results of the study provide an insight into the current status of An. gambiae to four major insecticides in northern Nigeria as guideline for mosquitocontrol. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Poor compliance with recommended hand hygiene practise by health-care workers is an emerging public health threat associated with significant morbidity, mortality and spread of multidrug-resistant microorganisms. Objective: This study assessed the effect of voice reminder on compliance with recommended hand hygiene practise among the baseline, and post-intervention compliance with recommended hand hygiene among health-care workers using the WHO checklist for observation of 5-moments of hand hygiene of health-care workers in Kano. Methods: Quasi-experimental study design was used. A total of 408 (204 in each arm) baseline and post-intervention observations were conducted in two hospitals in Kano, selected using a multistage sampling technique. Voice reminders were installed in the intervention hospital, and post-intervention observation was conducted 3 months after introducing a voice reminder. SPSS version 22.0 was used for data analysis. Relationship between variables was tested using χ2 and McNemar's test within the groups at 0.05 α-level of significance. Results: Baseline compliance with hand hygiene in the intervention and control hospitals were 31.4% and 48.0%, respectively. Post-intervention compliance in the intervention and control hospitals were found to be 78.0% and 65.2%, respectively. Voice reminder improved compliance with hand hygiene practise when compared with baseline by +148% (P# = 0.3) in the intervention hospital compared with +36% (P# =0.1) in the control hospital. The differences were not statistically significant post-intervention when compared with the baseline. Conclusions: Voice reminder intervention improved hand hygiene compliance among health-care workers in the intervention hospital compared with the control hospital. Voice reminders should be provided in the hospitals by stakeholders. This can help in improving compliance with hand hygiene among health-care workers and reducing the burden of hospital-acquired infections due to the hands of health-care workers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Malaria is a major public health problem and life threatening parasitic vector-borne disease. For the first time, we established and report the molecular mechanism responsible for Anopheles gambiaes.l. resistance to pyrethroids and DDT from Yamaltu Deba, Southern Guinea Savanna, Northern-Nigeria. Methods: The susceptibility profile of An. gambiaes.l. to four insecticides (DDT 4%, bendiocarb 0.1%, malathion 5% and deltamethrin 0.05%) using 2–3 days old females from larvae collected from study area between August and November, 2018 was first established. Genomic DNA was then extracted from 318 mosquitoes using Livak DNA extraction protocol for specie identification and kdr genotyping. The mosquitoes were identified to species level and then 96 genotyped for L1014F and L1014S kdr target site mutations. Results: The mosquitoes were all resistant to DDT, bendiocarb and deltamethrin but fully susceptible to malathion. An. coluzzii was found to be the dominant sibling species (97.8%) followed by An. arabiensis(1.9%) and An. gambiae s.s(0.3%). The frequency of the L1014F kdr mutation was relatively higher (83.3%) than the L1014S (39%) in the three species studied. The L1014F showed a genotypic frequency of 75% resistance (RR), 17% heterozygous (RS) and 8% susceptible (SS) with an allelic frequency of 87% RR and 13% SSwhile the L1014S showed a genotypic frequency of RR (16%), RS (38%) and SS (46%) with an allelic frequency of 40% RR and 60% SS, respectively. Conclusion: This study reveals that both kdr mutations present simultaneously in Northern-Nigeria, however contribution of L1014F which is common in West Africa was more than twice of L1014S mutation found in East Africa. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Immunization is a very cost-effective and readily available intervention capable of preventing Vaccines Preventable Diseases (VPDs). This study aimed to identify and compare the prevalence and factors associated with zero-dose immunization status among children of nomadic and non-nomadic Fulani in Yobe State, North-East Nigeria., Methodology: A comparative cross-sectional design was used to study 348 nomadic, and 345 non-nomadic under-five children, selected using a multi-staged sampling technique. Data were collected using interviewer administered questionnaire, observation of child immunization card, and recall by the caregivers, and were analysed using IBM SPSS version 22.0 with a statistical significance set at P ≤5%., Results: The maximum age of the nomadic caregivers was 60 and the minimum was 17 years with a mean ±SD of 28.2±7.7 years. The maximum age of the non-nomadic caregivers was 78 and the minimum was 17 years with a mean ±SD of 33.0±10.0 years. The prevalence of zero dose children among nomadic and non-nomadic Fulani were (70.1%, 242), (61.8%, 63) respectively. The zero-dose children were significantly higher among nomads (87.2%, p<0.001) and non-nomad (54.4%, p<0.001) with no available child immunization card.The children of vaccines hesitant caregivers of nomads and non-nomads were 10 or more times more likely to be zero dose than non-hesitant caregivers (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] =477, 95% CI = [177-13031]), and (Adjusted odds ratio [aOR] =9.7, 95% CI = [2.1-44.3]) respectively., Conclusion: The burden of zero-dose was alarmingly high among nomads compared to non-nomad Fulani despite widespread immunization outreach services in the study area. The government and relevant stakeholders should intensify Context-specific health promotion activities and outreach services targeting these underserved populations., Competing Interests: There are no conflicts of interest, (Copyright © 2024 Nigerian Medical Association.)

Background: Anorectal malformations (ARMs) comprise a spectrum of congenital anomalies that continue to present a challenge to patients, caregivers and paediatric surgeons. The main objective of this study was to determine the anal position index (API) from anal dimple and neoanus at the sphincter muscle complex in children with high ARM., Methods: Using a cross-sectional study design, the API was assessed from anal dimple and neoanus at the sphincter muscle complex in children with high ARM. All eligible children with high ARM who presented to AKTH during the study period were recruited into the study., Results: Forty eligible patients with an age range of 8 months to 108 months were recruited. Twenty-five were males (62.5%) with a male: female ratio of 1.7:1. The mean pre-operative API using anal dimple was 0.47 ± 0.05, while that of the post-operative API using neoanus was 0.53 ± 0.04. There was a statistically significant difference between the two indices (t = -11.8, P < 0.01). There was also a statistically significant difference amongst male and female indices P < 0.05, but there were no significant differences between different age groups., Conclusion: This study has shown that there was a statistically significant difference between the pre-operative API and post-operative API; thus, the position of the anal dimple does not significantly predict the central position of the sphincter muscle complex., (Copyright © 2024 Copyright: © 2024 African Journal of Paediatric Surgery.)

Introduction: hypertension is a major public health problem globally. The occurrence has been associated with unhealthy lifestyles (such as high salt consumption, physical inactivity, excessive intake of alcohol and unhealthy diet), which are very critical for hypertension control. The study was conducted to assess the lifestyle practices and their determinants among adults with hypertension in Nigeria., Methods: data on 762 adults living with hypertension were extracted from a cross-sectional survey conducted across three States (Abia, Kano and Oyo States) in Nigeria. A semi-structured pre-tested, interviewer-administered questionnaire was used for data collection. Knowledge of lifestyle practices was categorized into good and poor at 25 th percentile cut-off point. Overall lifestyle practice was grouped into healthy and unhealthy practices. Healthy lifestyle practice was defined as score of four and above while unhealthy lifestyle practice was defined as score of three and below; in all the 7 specific domains of lifestyle practices assessed (maximum obtainable was 7). The cut off was chosen based on 90% sensitivity from the Receiver Operating Curve (ROC) distribution of the scores. Data was summarized using descriptive statistics, Chi-square test and binary logistic regression were used to explore associations and determine predictors of lifestyle practices. Level of significance was set at 5%., Results: the mean age of the respondents was 55.4±16.3 years. About one-quarter of the respondents (24.3%) had good knowledge of lifestyle practices. Overall, 11.8% of respondents were engaged in good lifestyle practices. Independent predictors of good lifestyle practices were earning monthly income of N30,000 and above [AOR=1.58; 95% CI (1.03-2.42)], being a farmer [AOR=1.09; 95% CI (0.55-2.18)] and artisan [AOR=1.50; 95% CI (0.70-3.14)]., Conclusion: the poor knowledge of lifestyle practices and engagement among adults with hypertension found in this study underscore the need to emphasize integrating lifestyle education for effective management of hypertension., Competing Interests: The authors declare no competing interests., (Copyright: Mobolaji Modinat Salawu et al.)

Management of hypertension is challenging in multi-cultural and multi-ethnic sub-Saharan African countries like Nigeria. This diversity calls for multi-dimensional interventional approaches for hypertension control. This study assessed the treatment seeking behaviour and associated factors among adults with high blood pressure from three ethnic groups in Nigeria. A cross-sectional study was conducted among 762 adults with high blood pressure from three purposively selected States representing the three main tribes in Nigeria. Using a multistage stratified sampling technique, five communities were selected from two Local Government Areas (LGAs) stratified into urban and rural LGAs in each State. All consenting respondents in each community were consecutively screened for hypertension and recruited. A pretested interviewer-administered questionnaire was used to obtain information on socio-demographic characteristics, treatment seeking behaviour and factors affecting their choice. Data were summarized using descriptive statistics. Relationship between individual, health-related factors and treatment seeking behaviour, as well as the predictors were assessed using a binary logistic regression. at p<0.05 Participants' mean age was 55.4 ± 16.6 years, 63.0% were females and most were Igbo speaking (39.9%). About half (368, 48.3%) were unaware of their status. Of those aware, most (58.9%) went to hospital upon diagnosis of hypertension while some sought advice from health care professionals (28.5%) mostly Hausas, others either went to chemists (6.2%) or did nothing (5.1%), predominantly Yorubas. Significant predictors of orthodox treatment seeking practices for hypertension were female gender [(AOR = 2.60; 95%CI (1.18-5.71)], availability of medicine and personnel [(AOR = 8.7; 95%CI (4.15-18.3)] and perceived good quality of care [(AOR = 4.88; 95%CI (1.81-13.1)]. Orthodox treatment was the common choice among adults with high blood pressure. To further encourage patronage of orthodox treatment, the health facilities should be adequately equipped with medications and trained personnel to improve the quality of care. Targeted education on continuous practice of orthodox treatment is recommended., Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist., (Copyright: © 2024 Bamgboye 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.)

Background: Obesity is a preventable public health problem associated with a significantly increased risk of non-communicable diseases. This study aimed to find the socio-demographic and nutritional factors associated with obesity amongst adults from high-burden kidney disease areas of Jigawa State, Nigeria., Methodology: A cross-sectional survey was conducted to assess the socio-demographic and nutritional factors associated with obesity among 361 adults from four local government areas (LGAs) of Jigawa state identified to have a high burden of kidney diseases. The Modified WHO STEPS questionnaire and multi-stage sampling technique were employed, and data were analyzed using IBM SPSS version 22.0., Results: The minimum age of the respondents was 18, and the maximum was 102 with a median of 45 (interquartile range = 30-80) years. The prevalence of obesity and overweight in the high-burden LGAs of Jigawa state was 33.0% and 27.1% respectively. Hadejia LGA had the highest (68.1%) prevalence of obesity. The prevalence of overweight was higher in Jahun LGA (38.9%). About one-third (38.2%) had a waist circumference (WC) greater than 88cm. Up to half of the female respondents had a waist-hip ratio (WHR) greater than 0.85. For male respondents, many (74.3%) had a WHR of greater than 0.9, and obesity was significantly higher (39.8%, P s< 0.001) among those ≥40 years of age. Obesity was significantly higher (39.8%,P < 0.001) among those ≥40 years of age, known diabetic, (57.1%, P=0.02), and rare consumption of vegetables, (45.8%, P<0.001).The odds of developing obesity were significantly higher among those who were known diabetics and were 3 times more likely to be obese than those who were not known to be diabetics (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] = 3.1, 95% CI = [1.1-8.9]., Conclusions: The prevalence of obesity was high in the areas with high burdens of kidney disease. The government and relevant stakeholders should develop a cost-effective prevention, early diagnosis, and treatment model., Competing Interests: There are no conflicts of interest., (Copyright © 2023 Nigerian Medical Association.)

Background: Malaria is a parasitic vector-borne disease endemic in the tropical and subtropical countries of the world. The aim of this study was to investigate the current activities of the detoxification enzymes in resistant and susceptible Anopheles gambiae s.l. in northern Nigeria., Methods: Anopheles larvae were collected from northeast and northwestern Nigeria between Aug and Nov 2018. Biochemical analyses was carried out on the mosquitoes exposed to various insecticides (deltamethrin, DDT, bendiocarb, malathion) to measure and compare the enzymatic activities of the major detoxification enzymes (P 450 , GSTs, Esterase)., Results: High levels of resistance was observed; DDT 37%-53% (95%, CI: 29-61), bendiocarb 44%-55% (CI: 39-60) and deltamethrin 74%-82% (CI: 70-86). However, these mosquitoes were found to be susceptible to malathion 99%-100% (CI: 98-100). The P450 and GSTs enzymes were found to be elevated in the resistant mosquitoes exposed to deltamethrin (1.0240±0.1902); (1.3088±1.2478), DDT (1.7703±1.4528); (1.7462±0.9418) and bendiocarb (1.1814±0.0918); (1.4479±1.0083) compared to the Kisumu strain (0.764±0.4226); (0.6508±0.6542), (0.3875±0.3482); (0.4072±0.4916) and (0.6672±0.3949); (0.7126±0.7259) at P <0.05. Similarly, the resistant mosquitoes expressed increased activity to esterase (0.7606±1.1477), (0.3269±1.1957) and (2.8203±0.6488) compared to their susceptible counterpart (0.6841±0.7597), (0.7032±0.5380) and (0.6398±0.4159) at P <0.05. The enzyme ratio was found to be: P450 (1.341, 4.568 and 1.77); GSTs (2.011, 4.288 and 2.031); Esterases (1.111, 0.469 and 4.408). One way Anova and single sample t-test were also conducted to determine the effect of the enzymes on the resistant and susceptible strains., Conclusion: High level of insecticide resistance was observed with significant elevation of detoxification enzymes activities in the resistant mosquitoes., Competing Interests: Conflict of interest The authors declare that they have no competing interest., (Copyright © 2021 Yusuf et al. Published by Tehran University of Medical Sciences.)

Background: In line with global standards and progress made in Prevention of Motherto- Child Transmission (PMTCT), an assessment of the outcome of Early Infant Diagnosis in northern Nigeria is necessary to evaluate progress towards zero Human immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) infection among children., Objectives: This study assessed the infection rate and risk factors for mother-to-child HIV transmission among HIV-exposed children in Kano, northwest Nigeria., Methods: Using a retrospective cohort design, pregnant HIV-positive women and their exposed infants were recruited over a period of six years (2010 to 2016). Participants were enrolled during pregnancy or at delivery in the PMTCT clinic of a tertiary health facility in Kano, Nigeria. The main outcomes for the study were Early infant diagnosis positivity for HIV at 6 weeks and risk factors for positivity., Results: Of the 1,514 infants studied, early infant diagnosis was positive for HIV among 13 infants (0.86%). Infants whose mothers did not have antiretroviral therapy (adjusted Prevalence Ratio aPR = 2.58, 95%CI (1.85- 3.57)), who had mixed feeding (aPR = 12.06, 95%CI (9.86- 14.70)), and those not on antiretroviral prophylaxis (aPR = 20.39, 95%CI (16.04- 25.71)) were more likely to be infected with HIV. HIV-exposed infants on nevirapine and zidovudine prophylaxis were 95% and 74%, respectively, less likely to be infected with HIV., Conclusion: HIV infection rate remains high among HIV-exposed infants whose mothers did not receive PMTCT services. Scaling up proven interventions of early commencement of antiretroviral treatment for mothers, adherence to antiretroviral prophylaxis, and avoidance of mixed feeding among HIV-exposed infants would protect future generations from HIV infection., (Copyright© Bentham Science Publishers; For any queries, please email at epub@benthamscience.net.)

Background: Children with cerebral palsy (CP) suffer from multiple problems and potential disabilities. These range from musculoskeletal problems, mental retardation, epilepsy, ophthalmologic and hearing impairment among others. Consequences of hearing loss include problems with speech and language development. Early detection in this difficult-to-test population may prevent these consequences of hearing loss. An otoacoustic emission assessment is useful in this regard. This study assessed transient-evoked otoacoustic emissions (TEOAEs) in children with CP., Materials and Methods: The study population were children with CP who presented at the paediatric neurology clinic during the study period. An equal number of control population matched for age and sex were also recruited using simple random sampling. An interviewer-administered questionnaire was used to obtain relevant clinical information. All participants selected underwent a detailed ear, nose and throat examination and TEOAE testing., Results: There were 330 participants in this study, categorised into CP cases (165) and non-CP controls (165). The age range of the participants was 1-12 years, with a mean age of 4.44 ± 2.92 among CP patients and 4.47 ± 2.90 among the controls. The male-to-female ratio was 2:1. TEOAEs were 'failed' in 83.6% of the CP patients and in 28.5% of the controls. This study found a statistically significant difference in 'failed' TEOAE result between the CP patients and the controls (P = 0.0001)., Conclusion: This study found a high prevalence of 'failed' TEOAEs in children with CP in Kano., Competing Interests: None

Heads of government in Africa responded to the COVID-19 pandemic by setting up high-level task forces at continental and national levels to coordinate preparedness and response strategies, in a bid to mitigate the spread of this virus on the continent. However, the current strategy at both continental and national levels are narrowly focused on COVID-19 and this is not sustainable. This is because Africa has a high burden of communicable and non-communicable diseases and sustaining access to essential life-saving health services is also critical during this pandemic. Therefore, we call for a more holistic health systems-based model for COVID-19 outbreak response. We recommend that response strategies should be transitioned from vertical isolated programmes to a broad-based "time-bound" integrated health system intervention that links with existing health programmes as well as other government and non-governmental sectors., Competing Interests: The author declares no competing interests., (© Abdu Abdullahi Adamu et al.)