Perception and Healthcare seeking practices regarding dysmenorrhea among public secondary school students in Lagos, Nigeria

Objectives: Dysmenorrhea is an important health problem which may have a negative impact on female health, school activities and psychological status. This study assessed the prevalence, knowledge, perception and healthcare seeking practices of dysmenorrhea among secondary school students in Lagos State, Nigeria. The pattern of management of dysmenorrhea among respondents was also assessed. Methods: A cross-sectional descriptive survey was conducted among 420 adolescents in public secondary schools in Ikeja Local government area of Lagos State, Nigeria. Respondents were interviewed using a structured pretested questionnaire. Data was analyzed with SPSS Version 22.0. The level of statistical significance was set at p<0.05. Results: Mean ± SD age at menarche was 12.3±1.3 years. The prevalence of dysmenorrhea among respondents was 75.2%. About one-quarter 106(25.2%) had good knowledge and 209(49.8%) had good perception of dysmenorrhea. Only 10% had ever sought health care for dysmenorrhea. A statistically significant association was found between the knowledge of respondents and healthcare-seeking behavior towards dysmenorrhea (p = 0.004). Conclusion: The prevalence of dysmenorrhea was high and majority of respondents had poor knowledge. Improving adolescents’ knowledge of dysmenorrhea through health education could positively influence their health care-seeking behavior

Term quadruplet pregnancy: a case report

Higher order multiple pregnancies are rare and often associated with complications. Term delivery is uncommon. This is a report of a 22 years old G3 p2 + 0 (1 alive) teacher who had quadruplet pregnancy following ovulation induction is presented. She had elective caesarean section at term with the delivery of two live male and two live female infants with birth weights ranging between 1750gram and 2850grams. Term delivery in quadruplet pregnancy is possible as demonstrated in this case, and has the advantage of improved perinatal outcome. Bed rest early detection and management of antenatal complications, and planned elective delivery are probably the keys to a successful outcome

Acute Pulmonary Thromboembolism: A Retrospective Study in a Nigerian Private Tertiary Hospital

Background: Pulmonary embolism (PE) is a disease associated with high morbidity and mortality in the more technically advanced western world. However, in Africa and Nigeria in particular, the burden of PE is largely poorly defined as few data are available. Objectives: To characterize the clinical profile, management and outcomes in PE patients confirmed with Computerized Tomography Pulmonary Angiography (CTPA). Methods: A retrospective study was conducted at Babcock University Teaching Hospital, Ilishan-Remo, Nigeria. The medical records of PE patients confirmed by CTPA and admitted to the intensive care unit of the hospital spanning July 2016 to June 2020 were retrieved for analysis. Results: Thirty-one patients with the age range of 26 to 93 years were included and the mean age was 55.5±18.5 years. Breathlessness was the most prevalent presenting symptom. In the majority of patients (48.4%), the risk factors were not known. However, the most common risk factor and co-morbidity was pregnancy (16.1%). The in-hospital mortality rate was 9.7%. Conclusion: The clinical characteristics of PE in this cohort were similar to those described in the literature. The high mortality rate in this study also underscores the need for large population studies in black Africans

Knowledge, attitude, and utilization of HIV counseling and testing by female sex workers in Lagos State, Nigeria

Objectives: The Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) epidemic continues to expand among female sex workers (FSWs) who have limited access to and utilization of HIV counseling and testing services (HCT). HCT plays a pivotal role in increasing knowledge and awareness to prevent, treat, and control HIV/AIDS. The study objective was to determine the knowledge, attitude, utilization of HCT among brothel-based FSWs (BBFSWs). Method: This was a descriptive cross-sectional study among 300 BBFSWs in Lagos State. The respondents were recruited by snowballing after a multistage sampling method was used in the selection of the brothels. The data was collected using an adapted interviewer-administered questionnaire and analyzed using IBM SPSS Statistics version 23. The level of statistical significance was set at p<0.05. Results: Majority (63.0%) of the respondents were between the ages of 21-30 years and 67.4% had good knowledge of HIV and HCT. About 75.0% had a positive attitude towards HCT and 55.6% of FSWs in this study had utilized an HCT center in the past. The main reason for not taking HIV test was the fear of a positive result (90.6%) while the main reasons given for not visiting any HCT center were lack of confidentiality (13.3%), stigmatization (14.8%), and distance to the HCT center (67.2%). Conclusion: There was a good knowledge of HCT and a positive attitude towards HCT services by the respondents. The main reasons for not taking the HIV test as indicated by respondents were fear of a positive result. HIV-stigma related issues should be adequately addressed

Real-Time Biosynthetic Reaction Monitoring Informs the Mechanism of Action of Antibiotics

\ua9 2024 The Authors. Published by American Chemical SocietyThe rapid spread of drug-resistant pathogens and the declining discovery of new antibiotics have created a global health crisis and heightened interest in the search for novel antibiotics. Beyond their discovery, elucidating mechanisms of action has necessitated new approaches, especially for antibiotics that interact with lipidic substrates and membrane proteins. Here, we develop a methodology for real-time reaction monitoring of the activities of two bacterial membrane phosphatases, UppP and PgpB. We then show how we can inhibit their activities using existing and newly discovered antibiotics such as bacitracin and teixobactin. Additionally, we found that the UppP dimer is stabilized by phosphatidylethanolamine, which, unexpectedly, enhanced the speed of substrate processing. Overall, our results demonstrate the potential of native mass spectrometry for real-time biosynthetic reaction monitoring of membrane enzymes, as well as their in situ inhibition and cofactor binding, to inform the mode of action of emerging antibiotics

Styrene maleic acid recovers proteins from mammalian cells and tissues while avoiding significant cell death.

Detection of protein biomarkers is an important tool for medical diagnostics, typically exploiting concentration of particular biomarkers or biomarker release from tissues. We sought to establish whether proteins not normally released by living cells can be extracted without harming cells, with a view to extending this into biomarker harvest for medical diagnosis and other applications. Styrene maleic acid (SMA) is a polymer that extracts nanodiscs of biological membranes (containing membrane proteins) from cells. Hitherto it has been used to harvest SMA-lipid-membrane protein particles (SMALP) for biochemical study, by destroying the living cellular specimen. In this study, we applied SMA at low concentration to human primary cardiovascular cells and rat vascular tissue, to 'biopsy' cell proteins while avoiding significant reductions in cell viability. SMA at 6.25 parts per million harvested proteins from cells and tissues without causing significant release of cytosolic dye (calcein) or reduction in cell viability at 24 and 72 hours post-SMA (MTT assay). A wide range of proteins were recovered (20-200 kDa) and a number identified by mass spectrometry: this confirmed protein recovery from plasma membrane, intracellular membranes and cell cytosol without associated cell death. These data demonstrate the feasibility of non-lethally sampling proteins from cells, greatly extending our sampling capability, which could yield new physiological and/or pathological biomarkers

An Estimate of the Incidence of Prostate Cancer in Africa: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Prostate cancer (PCa) is rated the second most common cancer and sixth leading cause of cancer deaths among men globally. Reports show that African men suffer disproportionately from PCa compared to men from other parts of the world. It is still quite difficult to accurately describe the burden of PCa in Africa due to poor cancer registration systems.We systematically reviewed the literature on prostate cancer in Africa and provided a continentwide incidence rate of PCa based on available data in the regio

Low Incidence Of Extensor Plantar Reflex In Newborns In An Indigenous African Population

Background The plantar reflex has been reported to be predominantly flexor in African infants and in African subjects with lesions of the corticospinal tracts. This study was done to determine the incidence of extensor plantar reflex in healthy full-term newborns in an indigenous African population. Methods Healthy term newborns with Apgar score of 8 and above at one minute were recruited into the study consecutively in a maternity hospital in Ibadan, Nigeria. The plantar reflex was elicited by stroking the lateral side of the sole with firm pressure, between 24 - 48 hours after delivery. Results Of 461 newborns, the plantar reflex was extensor in 85, flexor in 374, and absent in two. The cumulative incidence of extensor plantar reflex was 18 % (95 % CI 15 - 22), while the standardised incidence ratio was 25 % (95 % CI 22 - 27). Conclusion This study shows that the plantar reflex is predominantly flexor in this indigenous African population. Although the physiological basis of this finding is not known, it may indicate early maturation of the corticospinal tracts in African newborns. But Le but de l\'étude est de déterminer l\'incidence du réflexe cutané plantaire chez des nouveaux nés Africains en bonne santé. Méthode Les nouveaux nés à terme avec un score d\'Apgar de 8 ou plus ont été inclus dans une étude consécutive realisée dans la maternité d\'Ibadan au Nigéria. Le réflexe cutané plantaire a été recherché selon les règles, 24 et 48h après la délivrance. Résultats Sur 461 nouveaux nés le réflexe cutané a été observé en extension dans 85 cas et en flexion dans 374 cas et absent dans 2 cas. L\'incidence cumulative du réflexe cutané plantaire était de 18% (95% CI 15-12), tandis que le ratio de l\'incidence standard était de 25% (95% CI 22-27) Conclusion Cette étude montre que le reflexe cutané plantaire est prédominant en flexion dans cette population africaine autochtone. Bien que les bases physiologiques de ce constat ne soit pas connu, il pourrait indiquer la précoce maturation du tractus cortico spinal chez le nouveau né africain Keywords: plantar reflex, Babinski, African, neonate, Afrique, nouveau-ne, examen neurologique, reflexes, reflexes cutane plantaire African Journal of Neurological Sciences Vol. 24 (1) 2005: pp. 25-2

Anti-Inflammatory Effect Of Some Common Nigerian Vegetables

Methanol extracts of four common Nigerian vegetables; A.graveoleus, C.argentia, T. triangulare and T.occidentalis were investigated for anti-inflammatory activity in rats using carrageenan. Carrageenan-induced oedema in the sub-plantar hind paw of vegetable extracts treated rats was significantly inhibited. This finding becomes quite relevant since these vegetables are non-steroidal compounds and from natural source. Key words: Nigerian vegetables, inflammation, oedema Nigerian Journal of Physiological Sciences Vol.18(1-2) 2003: 35-3