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Cervical cancer is the most common human papillomavirus (HPV)-related disease. Knowledge of the natural history and aetiology of cervical cancer offers unique opportunities for its prevention, and the development of HPV screening tests is one of the most effective strategies. The current HPV diagnostics detect HPV DNA or E6/E7 mRNA in cervical/vaginal samples using molecular-based technologies. HPV screening tests are more sensitive than cytology or visual inspection with acetic acid (VIA) as a primary screening method and are even more clinically valuable in triaging mild cytological abnormalities as a hybrid test. As technical and laboratory resources are grossly limited in marginalized or underserved settings which thus require that women travel long distances for screening and treatment. The practical implementation of an HPV-based screening programme may face many challenges and measures should be instituted to overcome these challenges without compromising disease detection. These measures may include a reduction in screening frequency using the WHO global strategy of offering HPV screening tests at 35 and 45 years of age, adoption of a high throughput testing technology, and improved access to vaginal HPV self-sampling screening tests to women in remote settings or those who are reluctant to undergo gynecologic examination. Another important strategy is the implementation of a "see-and-treat" approach using a point-of-care platform that requires limited skills of laboratory technicians. In addition, the development and large-scale incorporation of more specific HPV testing technologies that are much cheaper and easier to use in non-laboratory settings than the currently available options should be prioritized for underserved settings. At the same time, there is a need to develop and commence the implementation of an affordable and readily available intermediate or secondary test with optimal specificity for triaging or segregating clinically unimportant HPV infections that do not require colposcopy.

Several attempts are made to increase hormonal contraceptive usage in Nigerian women. This study aimed to determine the haematological and haemostatic parameters of reproductive-age women on hormonal contraceptives at the Family Health Clinic of Lagos University Teaching Hospital and Planned Parenthood Federation of Nigeria, Lagos. A comparative cross-sectional study was conducted amongst 88 participants recruited using a consecutive sampling technique. Sociodemographic data were collected through face-to-face interviews with the use of a structured questionnaire. Three and half millilitres of venous blood was collected for full blood count estimation and 4.5ml for tests of haemostasis (PT, APTT, TT, D-dimer, Protein C) from each participant. Data was analysed using Statistical Package for Social Science (SPSS) version 22 as well as Microsoft Excel. Test for normal distribution was done using histogram, box plot, and Kolmogorov-smirnov. Mean difference in values for numerical variables was computed using Mann-Whitney U test statistics while median value was reported as measures of central tendency. A p-value of

Background: Preeclampsia is a pregnancy-specific multi-systemic progressive disorder that is unique to human pregnancy occurring in the second half of pregnancy. Reliable biochemical markers for prediction, diagnosis and management of preeclampsia would have a great impact on maternal health and several of these markers have been suggested. Relaxin is a peptide that has shown promising effect in the treatment of cardiovascular diseases and it is believed to increase vascular endothelial growth factor and placenta growth factor both of which promote angiogenesis and placentation in pregnancy. Thus, relaxin may play an important regulatory role in maternal vascular adaptations during pregnancy. Aim: This study therefore aimed to find out the difference, if any, in serum relaxin levels in preeclamptic and normotensive pregnant women at Lagos University Teaching Hospital. Methods: This was an analytical comparative cross-sectional study involving pregnant women with preeclampsia (study group- 48 had mild preeclampsia while 42 had severe preeclampsia) and age-, parity- and gestational age-matched women without preeclampsia (comparative group). Venous samples were collected from eligible participants after counselling and obtaining informed consent. Serum relaxin was determined using the Quantikine Human Relaxin-2 Immunoassay according to manufacturer’s instructions. A structured questionnaire was also administered to collect relevant sociodemographic and clinical information. Data were entered and analyzed using the IBM Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS Statistics) Version 23. Armonk, NY: IBM Corp. Categorical variables were summarized and presented as frequency and percentages. The test of normality of continuous variables was performed using the Kolmogorov-Smirnov test. The continuous variables such as age that were normally distributed were presented as mean (± standard deviation). All tests were two- tailed and statistical significances was set at p < 0.05. Results: The mean level of serum relaxin in women with preeclampsia was significantly lower than that of the normotensive women (0.24+0.03ng/ml vs. 0.42±0.05ng/ml; p < 0.001). However, there was no significant difference in the mean serum relaxin levels in participants with mild preeclampsia when compared to those with severe preeclampsia (0.24 + 0.02ng/ml vs. 0.23ng/ml + 0.01; p = 0.271). Conclusion: Women with pre-eclampsia have significantly lower levels of serum relaxin than normotensive pregnant women. However, there is no significant difference in mean serum relaxin levels in women with mild when compared to those with severe preeclampsia. Therefore, development of pre-eclampsia is associated with lower serum levels of relaxin, though the relaxin levels may not indicate the severity of disease.

There are various different types of nanocellulose such as nanofibrillated cellulose (NFC), nanocrystal cellulose (NCC), and nanocrystal sphere (NCS). Each nanocellulose contains ordered nanocrystallites and low-ordered nano domains (amorphous). Nanocellulose can be used in several different applications such as coating for a wearable sensor device, film for supercapacitors, flexible fire-resistant foams for architecture, manufactory, and aerospace. All of these were made, following some chemical and mechanical processes. Some nanocellulose has a highly crystalline structure that has the potential to improve mechanical properties for industrial applications. Therefore, the present review compiles the most recent information on nanocellulose crystallinity influence on the polymer composites. In this review, the crystallinity of nanocellulose from different sources is discussed. The preparation of several nanocrystals cellulose via chemical treatment, particularly cellulose hydrolysis are described. It can be concluded that , the cellulose crystalline structure as filler or reinforce was responsible for the improvement of polymer matrix properties.

Background: Preeclampsia (PE) is a multi-systemic progressive disorder that is unique to human pregnancy, occurring usually after 20 weeks of gestation. Useful biochemical markers to be utilized for early prediction of preeclampsia continue to elude us. The search for biomarkers is aimed identifying women at increased risk of developing PE, so that medical interventions may be instituted very early in pregnancy to ameliorate its occurrence and improve maternal and fetal outcome. Aim: This study aimed to determine the association between serum levels of Cystatin C and/or free β-subunit of hCG measured in early pregnancy and the development of pre-eclampsia and its severity. Methods: This was a prospective cohort study of 290 pregnant women recruited during routine antenatal care, at the gestational age of between 13 and 19 weeks. After obtaining an informed consent from each participant, a structured questionnaire was used to collection relevant information followed by the collection of 5 mL of venous blood sample. Serum cystatin C and free sub unit of β-hCG levels were determined by standard enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) method. All participants were followed up till delivery and those who developed preeclampsia was classified as mild and severe preeclampsia. Data were entered and analyzed using STATA version 16 statistical software. Hypothesis testing was done using chi-square test for categorical variables, and the independent-samples t-test and ANOVA for numerical variables. Results: We found significantly elevated serum levels of cystatin C and free subunit of β-hCG in women who developed preeclampsia, (p < 0.002 and 0.001) respectively. Conclusion: Our study has shown that in a healthy population of pregnant women that elevated serum levels of cystatin C and free beta hCG concentration measured in early second trimester were associated with an increased risk of developing preeclampsia and its severity. This suggests that the combination of these analytes may have a role as a marker of pre-eclampsia and its severity especially when used in combination.

PURPOSE We assessed the impact of mHealth on Pap test screening uptake and also determined the factors that affect screening uptake among women in Lagos, Nigeria. MATERIALS AND METHODS A randomized controlled trial was carried out among women in two tertiary health institutions in Lagos, Nigeria, between July 2020 and March 2021. Participants were randomly assigned to either a text message (mHealth) intervention or usual care arm. The main study outcome was the uptake of Pap smear testing within 6 months of enrollment in the study. We tested the associations between two groups of continuous variables using the unpooled independent-sample t-test (normal distribution) and that of two groups of categorical variables with the chi-square (χ2) test. Using a multinomial logistic regression model, we adjusted for relevant sociodemographic and clinical predictors of uptake of Pap smear screening. Statistical significance was defined as P < .05. RESULTS There was a significantly higher rate of uptake of Pap smear screening among women in the mHealth arm compared with those in the usual care arm (51.0% v 35.7%, P = .031). Following adjustment in the final multivariate model, level of income (odds ratio [OR] = 5.13, 95% CI, 1.55 to 16.95), awareness of Pap smear (OR = 16.26; 95% CI, 2.49 to 76.64), General Outpatient clinic attendance, and introduction of mHealth intervention during follow-up (OR = 4.36; 95% CI, 1.44 to 13.22) were the independent predictors of Pap smear uptake. CONCLUSION The use of mHealth technologies intervention via short-text message services is a feasible solution for cervical cancer prevention in low- and middle-income countries, and thus, the widespread use of mHealth services by health care providers and policymakers could contribute to the implementation of cervical cancer prevention services in Nigeria and in the settings of other low- and middle-income countries.

BackgroundEarly evidence suggested that the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic was less severe in Africa compared to other parts of the world. However, more recent studies indicate higher SARS-CoV-2 infection and COVID-19 mortality rates on the continent than previously documented. Research is needed to better understand SARS-CoV-2 seroprevalence and immunity in Africa.MethodsOur collaboration with the Lagos State COVID-19 Taskforce, enabled secondary analyses of immune responses in healthcare workers (HCWs) and Oxford/AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine recipients from the general population across 5 local government areas (LGAs) in Lagos State, Nigeria. Western blots were used to simultaneously detect SARS-CoV-2 spike and nucleocapsid (N) antibodies and stimulation of peripheral blood mononuclear cells with N followed by an IFN-γ ELISA was used to examine T cell responses.FindingsAntibody data demonstrated high SARS-CoV-2 seroprevalence of 71.6% (96/134) in HCWs and 54.8% (63/115) in the general population. Antibodies directed to only SARS-CoV-2 N, suggesting pre-existing coronavirus immunity, were seen in 10.4% (14/134) of HCWs and 20.0% (23/115) of the general population. T cell data showed that IFN-γ responses against SARS-CoV-2 N were robust in detecting exposure to the virus, demonstrating 87.5% sensitivity and 92.3% specificity.InterpretationThese results have important implications for understanding the paradoxical high SARS-CoV-2 infection with low mortality rate in Africa as compared to other parts of the world, as well as for the development of T cell-based diagnostics and vaccines.FundingHarvard University, Motsepe Presidential Research Accelerator Fund for Africa

Background: Dermatoglyphics parameters are genetically determined and have been a genetic blueprint to understand certain gene expression phenotypically. Objectives: This study was designed to establish dermatoglyphic characteristics that are specific for blood type identification. Materials and Methods: Conventional blood typing method using antigen-antibody complex reaction was carried out to categorize the subjects into, blood types A, B, AB and O Finger and palmar dermatoglyphic data was obtained using convectional ink method. Finger pattern intensity, pattern distribution, ridge counts and palmar parameters were measured. These were done by counting and classifying ridge patterns, pattern configuration and ridge densities. Results: Dermatoglyphic parameters observed in blood type A showed large pattern sizes while blood group AB had small patterns sizes as measured by the total finger ridge counts. Blood type O and A demonstrated increased digital ridge counts on digits D1 and D4 on the left and right hands while blood type AB significantly showed lower digital ridge count on D1 with associated lower pattern intensity. 2D:4D ratio across the blood types was insignificantly distributed. Blood type B and O showed significant distribution of palmar pattern II and III with associated double radial-based crease (DRBC). High degree of symmetrical arrangement observed in the axial tri-radius (T), however, TII Position characterized the B and O blood group. Conclusion: This study demonstrated the dermatoglyphics parameters specific for different blood grouping among undergraduate students of the College of Health Sciences, Osun State University, Nigeria.

To improve the overall survival of epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC) patients, a more precise risk identification after completion of standard treatment will enhance patients' follow-up surveillance and the use of individualized targeted therapy.This study explored the potential risk predictors of early mortality in EOC patients who had standard treatment with debulking surgery and chemotherapy.The study included 93 EOC patients who had standard treatment and were followed up between January 2011 and December 2020. The sociodemographic, clinical, and laboratory data of patients with EOC including the update on their 3-year follow-up status were retrospectively collected and analyzed. Early mortality is defined as the death of a patient within 3 years of completion of standard treatment. Patients' data were computed using descriptive statistics and the associations between patients' factors and the risk of early mortality were tested using the binary logistic regression model.Early deaths occurred in 36 (38.7%) of patients with EOC. In the final multivariate analyses, early tumor relapse within 6-months of treatment completion was the only independent risk factor that predicts early mortality in EOC patients (risk ratio = 8.6, 95% confidence interval: 3.3-24.5,Our study suggests that early tumor relapse may be a useful surrogate of early mortality in EOC. However, our findings should be interpreted with caution pending further corroboration through an adequately powered, prospective multicenter study.

Sarah O John-Olabode,1 Kehinde S Okunade,2 Ayorinde James,3 Gbenga Olorunfemi,4 Obiefuna I Ajie,5 Akinniyi A Osuntoki,6 Alani S Akanmu1 1Department of Hematology and Blood Transfusion, College of Medicine, University of Lagos, Lagos, Nigeria; 2Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, College of Medicine, University of Lagos, Lagos, Nigeria; 3Department of Biochemistry and Nutrition, Nigerian Institute of Medical Research, Lagos, Nigeria; 4Division of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Public Health, University of Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa; 5Department of Clinical Pathology, College of Medicine, University of Lagos, Lagos, Nigeria; 6Department of Biochemistry, College of Medicine, University of Lagos, Lagos, NigeriaCorrespondence: Sarah O John-OlabodeDepartment of Hematology and Blood Transfusion, College of Medicine, University of Lagos, Lagos, NigeriaTel +234 8096608152Email sarahajibola@yahoo.comIntroduction: Inherited thrombophilia and venous thromboembolism (VTE) have been closely linked to adverse pregnancy outcomes such as preeclampsia/eclampsia contributing to increased maternal and perinatal morbidity and mortality. There is, however, little genetic data from Africa including Nigeria that explores the prevalence of common VTE genetic risk markers such as factor V Leiden mutation (FVL G1691A) and prothrombin gene mutation (F2 G20210A) among pregnant women in Nigeria.Purpose: To determine the prevalence and distribution of FVL G1691A and F2 G20210A in pregnant women in Lagos, Nigeria.Patients and Methods: This hospital-based cross-sectional pilot study was conducted among pregnant women between 1 July 2019 and 31 August 2020. The genotype of interest was determined through amplification by polymerase chain reaction using G1691A of FV and prothrombin A20210G specific primers. Descriptive data were presented using Stata version 15 (Stata Corp) statistical software.Results: Of the 400 recruited participants, 397 and 389 samples were successfully processed for FVL G1691A and F2 G20210A mutations, respectively. Three participants had FVL heterozygous mutation; thus, the prevalence of heterozygous mutation of FVL among the study participants was 0.76%, 95% CI: 0.002– 0.023%, n=3/397. There was no F2 G20210A mutation detected among the study participants.Conclusion: This study indicates that screening for factor V Leiden mutation and prothrombin gene mutation in pregnancy might not be of any clinical significance among Nigerian women. However, carrying out a genome-wide associated study is recommended to determine the true impact of these two common inherited thrombophilias in this population.Keywords: factor V Leiden G1691A, prothrombin G20210A gene mutation, factor 2, factor V, preeclampsia, venous thromboembolism

Alcohol exposure to the cerebellum has been known to trigger cerebellar dysfunctions through several mechanisms. This present study was designed to evaluate the repealing effect of D-ribose-L-cysteine (DRLC) on alcohol-induced cerebellar dysfunctions in juvenile BALB/c mice. The animals were randomly divided into 4 groups (

Aims:This study was aimed at investigating the prognostic impact of pretreatment thrombocytosis in epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC) patients in Lagos, Nigeria.Methods:This was a retrospective cohort study involving the review of the clinical record of 72 patients with histologically confirmed EOC who were managed at the Lagos University Teaching Hospital, Lagos, Nigeria over a 7-year period from January 2010 to December 2016. Information on the sociodemographic data and platelet counts at diagnosis of EOC were retrieved from the patients' medical records. Descriptive statistics were then computed for all baseline patients' characteristics. Survival analyses were carried out using the Kaplan-Meier estimates. Multivariate analysis of these data was performed with the Cox proportional hazards model.Results:This study revealed that the prevalence of pretreatment thrombocytosis was 41.7% among the women with EOC. Fifty-three (73.6%) of the women had the advanced-stage disease (FIGO stage III-IV) while 52 (72.2%) had high-grade disease (II-III). The majority (66.7%) of the women had a serous histological type of EOC while 76.4% had documented recurrence. Pretreatment thrombocytosis was significantly associated with the women's parity (P= 0.009), serum carbohydrate antigen 125 levels (P= 0.018), median progression-free survival (PFS) (P< 0.001), 3-year median overall survival (OS) (P< 0.001), type of primary treatment (P= 0.002), extent of cytoreduction (P< 0.001), presence of ascites (P= 0.002), International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics (FIGO) stage (P= 0.008), and histological type (P= 0.011). Pretreatment thrombocytosis was negatively associated with PFS (hazard ratio [HR] = 0.25; 95% CI 0.83, 0.75;P= 0.014) and 3-year OS (HR = 0.03; 95% CI 0.03, 0.27;P= 0.002).Conclusions:The study suggests that pretreatment thrombocytosis may be a useful predictor of survivals in EOC patients.

Background: Parvovirus B19 (B19V) is a transfusion transmissible infection that can result in severe consequences in vulnerable population that includes pregnant women, immunocompromised and chronic hemolytic anemia patients. The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence and factors associated with B19V infection amongst blood donors in South–West Nigeria. Materials and Methods: We conducted a comparative cross-sectional study to determine the seroprevalence of B19V immunoglobulin M (IgM) antibody among 183 blood donors at the blood bank of a tertiary hospital. The results were analyzed with SPSS 23 software, prevalence and associated factors were determined using frequencies and logistic regression, respectively. Results: The prevalence of B19V IgM was 7.1% (95% confidence interval: 4–11) with a higher prevalence among male donors compared to females (84.6% vs. 15.4%, P = 0.54). There was a statistically significant difference in the seropositivity of B19V IgM amongst the ethnic groups with the Yoruba ethnic group having a higher proportion of B19V IgM-positive participants P = 0.04. Ethnicity, gender, and steady employment were also associated with increased odds of infection, while increasing age appeared to be protective; though none of these factors were statistically significant. Conclusion: This study has shown that there is still high exposure to transfusion transmissible B19V infection.

We assessed the predictors of Pap smear testing uptake within 6 months after cervical cancer prevention education among women in Lagos, Nigeria. This was a prospective follow-up study conducted as part of the 'mHealth-Cervix trial' in the two teaching hospitals in Lagos, Nigeria, between August 2020 and April 2021. Participants were followed up for 6 months after pre-enrolment cervical cancer prevention education. The potential socio-demographic and clinical predictors of Pap smear testing uptake during the 6-month follow-up were tested using the predictive model in a binary logistic regression analysis. Statistical significance was reported as

Background Several studies have shown that whether complete tumor resection can be achieved during debulking surgery depends on various patient-related factors. However, none of these studies was conducted among patients with epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC) in sub-Saharan Africa. In this study, we aimed to determine the preoperative predictors of optimal tumor resectability (OTR) during primary debulking surgery (PDS) in patients with EOC. Methodology In this study, we reviewed all patients with histologically diagnosed EOC who underwent PDS between January 2011 and December 2020. We included 83 patients with complete clinical records for subsequent data analysis. Descriptive statistics were computed for patients' data, and binary logistic regression analysis was used to assess the strength of associations between patients' preoperative characteristics and OTR. Results The overall rate of OTR was 53.0%, while the rate in advanced EOC patients was 36.1%. In the univariate analyses, pleural effusion, ascites, tumor bilaterality, size of the largest tumor, retroperitoneal lymph nodes, omental caking, peritoneal thickening, significant extrapelvic tumor, serum cancer antigen-125 (CA-125) levels, and hemoglobin levels were recorded as the predictors of OTR. However, after adjusting for covariates in the final multivariate models, we found that the absence of moderate-to-large pleural effusion (odds ratio (OR) = 5.60; 95% confidence interval (CI) = 1.32, 23.71) and having serum CA-125 levels of ≤370 U/mL (OR = 6.80; 95% CI = 1.19, 38.79) were the overall independent predictors of OTR while not having any preexisting comorbidity (OR = 18.21; 95% CI = 2.40, 38.10), and the absence of pleural effusions (OR = 13.75; 95% CI = 1.80, 24.85) or enlarged retroperitoneal lymph nodes (OR = 11.95; 95% CI = 1.35, 16.07) were predictors of OTR in advanced EOC patients. Conclusions We demonstrated that the radiological absence of pleural effusions and enlarged retroperitoneal lymph nodes and having no preexisting medical morbidity and serum CA-125 levels of ≤370 U/mL were the independent predictors of OTR during PDS. The preliminary data generated from this study can be used to develop variables for a prediction model in a future validation study.