Prevalence of Tinea Capitis among Children in Osogbo, Nigeria, and the Associated Risk Factors

Tinea capitis is a fungi infection of the scalp that disproportionately affects children in rural and underserved communities in Nigeria. A case-control study was conducted to identify the causative agents and factors that predispose school pupils to tinea capitis in two selected government-owned public primary schools in Osogbo, Southwestern Nigeria. A total of 230 participants were included in the study: 115 cases and 115 controls. Head scrapings were collected from pupils with suspected T. capitis lesions, viewed under Potassium Hydroxide smear microscopy and cultured in Sabouraud’s Dextrose Agar (SDA) for characteristic fungal elements. A total of 105 (91%) samples were successfully cultured, of which 56% (59/105) were from male pupils. Tricophyton rubrum (34%), Tricophyton mentagrophyte (31%) and Microsporum canis (18%) were the most prevalent organisms. Other dermatophytes obtained include Microsporum nanuum (3%), Epidermophyton floccusum (6%), Tricophyton verucosum (1%), and Microsporum gypseum (8%). Pupils between the ages of 4 and 7 years had the highest distribution (67%) followed by those between the ages of 8 and 11 years (39%). Playing with animals, the sharing of combs and not bathing with soap were significantly associated with tinea capitis infection (P < 0.05) in each case. This study showed a high prevalence of tinea capitis caused by the identified dermatophytes in the area

Support in the Battle against COVID-19: A National Qualitative Study among Midwives in Indonesia

The outbreak of the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in 2019 was met with various responses globally in an effort to reduce its spread. Despite these efforts, however, low- and middle-income countries like Indonesia are still being confronted with challenges, especially the healthcare providers who are frontline workers in the struggle. The current study aimed to explore the support expected by and provided to Indonesian midwives and pregnant women during the COVID-19 pandemic. The research method used was a descriptive-interpretative qualitative research design. The data was collected through conducting in-depth interviews with 24 midwives who were purposively sampled and evenly recruited across all regions and all areas of midwifery practice in Indonesia. The recorded interviews were coded and themes were identified, after which a thematic analysis was done. Two main themes emerged and nine sub-themes were identified from the main themes. The study findings offered new insights into the individual and collective experiences of midwives from various regions in Indonesia. They had to adjust by leveraging the internet and mobile telephones in order to continue delivering standard care to pregnant women amid the pandemic. In addition, the midwives saw the need to provide food and financial support to pregnant women. However, despite the end of the pandemic being in sight in September 2022, there is a need to continue to support midwives and pregnant women in the disruption caused by the pandemic. Government agencies and non-governmental organisations (NGOs) should plan interventions targeted at providing specific support to midwives and pregnant women. © Unisa Press 2022

Evaluation of serum magnesium differences in hypertensive crises and control patients: A randomly matched case‐control study

Although the role of magnesium in blood pressure has been well studied among hypertensive patients, no study has explored the role of magnesium in hypertensive crises. The primary objective of this study is to evaluate the differences in serum magnesium levels between hypertensive crises patients and matched controls (age‐, sex‐, race‐, and diabetes‐matched) in a 1:1 random match. This study is a single‐center, retrospective, chart review, case‐control study of patients with hypertensive crises (case group) and patients without hypertensive crises (control group). Patients were included in the case group if they were 18 years of age or older with hypertensive crises and have a documented magnesium level. The control group patients were required to be 18 years of age or older, have no diagnosis of hypertensive crises, and have a documented magnesium level. The primary outcome of the study was to compare the mean serum magnesium in patients with hypertensive crises versus patients without hypertensive crises. Three hundred and fifty‐eight patients were included in the study: 179 patients in both the case group and control group. The primary outcome results showed that serum magnesium concentration was not significantly different between the case group (1.89 ± 0.29 mg/dl) and control group (1.90 ± 0.31 mg/dl) (p = .787). This study found no significant difference in serum magnesium levels in patients with hypertensive crises compared to a random matched control group. Larger observational or experimental studies may be useful to evaluate the effect of magnesium on blood pressure in hypertensive crises