Prevalence of rifampicin resistant tuberculosis and associated factors among presumptive tuberculosis patients in a secondary referral hospital in Lagos Nigeria

Background: Nigeria is one of the 30 high burden countries for drug resistant tuberculosis (DR-TB). This study assessed the prevalence and factors associated with rifampicin resistant tuberculosis (RR-TB) in a secondary referral hospital in Lagos State Nigeria. Methods: A retrospective review of presumptive TB register of patients screened for Mycobacterium tuberculosis (MTB) and RRTB using Xpert MTB/RIF assay at Mainland hospital between January 1 2012 and December 31 2016 was conducted. Results: A total of 2497 clients were screened for MTB and RR-TB during the study period. The majority (51.4%) were between 25 \u2013 44 years. Male: Female ratio was 1:0.8. Of the 2497 clients screened, MTB was detected in 942 (37.7%) out of which 220 (23.4%) had RR-TB. Age (AOR 1.8, 95%CI 1.3- 2.6, p = 0.001), symptomatic contact with DR-TB patients (AOR 3.3, 95%CI 2.1-5.1, p <0.001) and type of TB (AOR 2.9, 95% CI 1.7 \u2013 5.0, <0.001) were associated with RR-TB after adjusting for age, gender, HIV status and symptomatic contacts with DR-TB patients. Conclusion: The prevalence of RR-TB in new and previously treated TB patients was high in this study. Urgent steps are needed to avert an impending RR-TB epidemi

Occurrence of 30 trace elements in foods from a multi-centre Sub-Saharan Africa Total Diet Study: Focus on Al, As, Cd, Hg, and Pb

International audienceThis paper reports occurrence data related to 30 trace elements in food composite samples from a multi-regional Sub-Saharan Africa Total Diet Study. Herein, 2700 samples grouped in 225 food composite samples corresponding to 13 food groups: cereals, tubers, legumes, vegetables, fruits, nuts/seeds, meat, eggs, fish, milk/dairy, oil/fats, and beverages from eight locations in four countries, namely Benin (Littoral/Borgou), Cameroon (Duala/North), Mali (Bamako/Sikasso), and Nigeria (Lagos/Kano) were prepared as consumed, pooled, and analysed using a validated method based on inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry. The occurrence data for Al, As, Cd, Hg, and Pb as regulated by the Codex Alimentarius are discussed herein. Although the levels of As, Cd, Hg, and Pb were above the limit of quantification, they were below the maximum limits set by the Codex in most samples analysed. A distinct feature was observed for cereals and tubers, as they were mostly contaminated with Al and Pb. A pilot study regarding the impact of using artisanal cookware (made from recycled aluminium) on the contamination of food samples was performed. Relevant contamination with Al and Pb when cooking tomato samples from Cameroon and Nigeria using artisanal aluminium cookware was compared to that when cooked using stainless-steel

Breast Cancer Phenotypes in Africa: A Scoping Review and Meta-Analysis

PURPOSE Africans have been associated with more aggressive forms of breast cancer (BC).However, there is a lack of data regarding the incidence and distribution of different subtypes on the basis of phenotypic classification. This scoping review and meta-analysis was undertaken to determine the distribution pattern of BC phenotypes (luminal, human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 [HER2]1, and triple-negative breast cancer [TNBC]) across the African region. METHODS Four online databases (PubMed, Scopus, ProQuest, and EBSCOhost) were accessed to identify studies published between 2000 and 2022 reporting the representation of receptor status (estrogen receptor, progesterone receptor, and HER2) in African patients with BC. Furthermore, the meta-analysis was carried out using a random-effects model and pooled using the inverse variance method and logit transformation. 95% CI and I2 statistics were calculated using the Clopper-Pearson method to estimate between-study heterogeneity. RESULTS A total of 2,734 records were retrieved, of which 2,133 were retained for further screening. After the screening, 63 studies were finally selected for the scoping review and meta-analysis. The pooled frequency of luminal, HER2-positive (HER21), and TNBC was estimated at 56.30%, 12.61%, and 28.10%, respectively.Northern Africa had the highest frequency of the luminal subtype, while West Africa showed higher frequencies of HER21 and TNBC subtypes. The review also had a representation of only 24 countries in Africa. CONCLUSION Our results highlight the disparity in the representation of molecular subtypes among the people in different regions of Africa. There is a need to incorporate routine molecular subtyping into the management of African patients with BC

Discourse study of linguistic errors in Vanguard online readers’ comments on the alleged 2012 fuel subsidy committee bribery scandal

The study identifies common linguistic errors among online commenters. It analyses and interprets the identified errors. It relates the interpreted  errors to the socio political context of Nigeria. This was done with a view to investigating how these discussed errors were used by online  commenters on the alleged national assembly fuel subsidy committee bribery scandal. The study employed both primary and secondary sources of  data. The primary source includes 20 purposively selected readers’ comments on news reports from the Vanguard online. The secondary source  includes books, journal articles and the Internet. Data were analysed using Halliday’s Systemic Functional Grammar approach. The study discovers  that errors such as faulty sentence constructions, wrong use of, punctuation marks and spellings were used by commenters

Correction: Ingenbleek, L. et al. Regional Sub-Saharan Africa Total Diet Study in Benin, Cameroon, Mali, and Nigeria Reveals the Presence of 164 Mycotoxins and Other Secondary Metabolites in Foods

The authors wish to make the following corrections to their paper [...

Regional Sub-Saharan Africa Total Diet Study in Benin, Cameroon, Mali and Nigeria Reveals the Presence of 164 Mycotoxins and Other Secondary Metabolites in Foods

In the framework of the first multi-centre Sub-Saharan Africa Total Diet Study (SSA-TDS), 2328 commonly consumed foods were purchased, prepared as consumed and pooled into 194 composite samples of cereals, tubers, legumes, vegetables, nuts and seeds, dairy, oils, beverages and miscellaneous. Those core foods were tested for mycotoxins and other fungal, bacterial and plant secondary metabolites by liquid chromatography, coupled with tandem mass spectrometry. The highest aflatoxin concentrations were quantified in peanuts, peanut oil and maize. The mean concentration of the sum of aflatoxins AFB1, AFB2, AFG1 and AFG2 (AFtot) in peanut samples (56.4 µg/kg) exceeded EU (4 µg/kg) and Codex (15 µg/kg) standards. The AFtot concentration (max: 246.0 µg/kg) was associated with seasonal and geographic patterns and comprised, on average, 80% AFB1, the most potent aflatoxin. Although ochratoxin A concentrations rarely exceeded existing Codex standards, it was detected in unregulated foods. One palm oil composite sample contained 98 different metabolites, including 35.4 µg/kg of ochratoxin A. In total, 164 different metabolites were detected, with unspecific metabolites like asperglaucide, cyclo(L-pro-L-val), cyclo (L-pro-L-tyr), flavoglaucin, emodin and tryptophol occurring in more than 50% of composite samples. Aflatoxin B1 (AFB1), fumonisin B1 (FB1), sterigmatocystin (STC), ochratoxin A (OTA), citrinin (CIT) and many other secondary fungal metabolites are frequent co-contaminants in staple foods, such as maize and sorghum. Populations from North Cameroon and from Benin may, therefore, suffer chronic and simultaneous exposure to AFB1, FB1, STC, OTA and CIT, which are prevalent in their diet

Human dietary exposure to chemicals in sub-Saharan Africa: safety assessment through a total diet study

International audienceBackground: Human dietary exposure to chemicals can result in a wide range of adverse health effects. Some substances might cause non-communicable diseases, including cancer and coronary heart diseases, and could be nephrotoxic. Food is the main human exposure route for many chemicals. We aimed to assess human dietary exposure to a wide range of food chemicals.Methods: We did a total diet study in Benin, Cameroon, Mali, and Nigeria. We assessed 4020 representative samples of foods, prepared as consumed, which covered more than 90% of the diet of 7291 households from eight study centres. By combining representative dietary surveys of countries with findings for concentrations of 872 chemicals in foods, we characterised human dietary exposure.Findings: Exposure to lead could result in increases in adult blood pressure up to 2·0 mm Hg, whereas children might lose 8·8-13·3 IQ points (95th percentile in Kano, Nigeria). Morbidity factors caused by coexposure to aflatoxin B1 and hepatitis B virus, and sterigmatocystin and fumonisins, suggest several thousands of additional liver cancer cases per year, and a substantial contribution to the burden of chronic malnutrition in childhood. Exposure to 13 polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons from consumption of smoked fish and edible oils exceeded levels associated with possible carcinogenicity and genotoxicity health concerns in all study centres. Exposure to aluminium, ochratoxin A, and citrinin indicated a public health concern about nephropathies. From 470 pesticides tested across the four countries, only high concentrations of chlorpyrifos in smoked fish (unauthorised practice identified in Mali) could pose a human health risk.Interpretation: Risks characterised by this total diet study underscore specific priorities in terms of food safety management in sub-Saharan Africa. Similar investigations specifically targeting children are crucially needed