Injectable and Oral Contraceptive Use and Cancers of the Breast, Cervix, Ovary, and Endometrium in Black South African Women: Case–Control Study

A case-control study conducted in South Africa provides new estimates of the risk of specific cancers of the female reproductive system associated with use of injectable and oral contraceptives

A three-year longitudinal evaluation of the forearm bone density of users of etonogestrel- and levonorgestrel-releasing contraceptive implants

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>The aim of this study was to evaluate bone mineral density (BMD) at baseline and at 18 and 36 months of use of etonogestrel (ENG)-and levonorgestrel (LNG)-releasing contraceptive implants. This is a continuation of a previous study in which BMD was evaluated at baseline and at 18 months of use.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>A total of 111 women, 19–43 years of age, wererandomly allocated to use one of the two implants. At 36 months of follow-up, only 36 and 39 women were still using the ENG- and LNG-releasing implants, respectively. BMD was evaluated at the distal and at the ultra-distal radius of the non-dominant forearm using dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>There was no difference in the BMD of users of either implant at 18 and at 36 months. BMD was significantly lower at 18 and at 36 months at the distal radius in both groups of users compared to pre-insertion values; however, no difference was found at the ultra-distal radius.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Women 19–43 years of age using either one of these two contraceptive implants for 36 months had lower BMD values at the distal radius compared to pre-insertion values; however, no difference was found at the ultra-distal radius.</p

Rural Infrastructures and the Challenge of Food Insecurity in Nigeria: Are Good Intentions of Policymakers Enough?

The paper is based on a memorial public lecture presented in honour of the late, eminent and foremost professor of Agricultural Economics in Nigeria, Late Prof. Francis S. Idachaba (1943-2014) by the author, an erudite scholar too, mentored by the Late Prof. Idachaba himself. The paper made bold attempt at narrating the contributions of Prof. Idachaba's key contributions to Nigerian agriculture and rural development through dogged policy activism and advocacy based on scientific evidence. The purpose of the lecture thus, was not to cast aspersion on policy authorities in the same vociferous manner that Francis Idachaba used to do in and out of office; and yet remained best of friends with them till he passed but rather, as Idachaba strived to achieve in his numerous writings on the subject of this lecture, to strengthen policy makers and stakeholders' collective faith in the policy process for attaining food security in Nigeria and to ascertain the critical role of rural infrastructures in doing that. The lecture is structured into four main sections; namely: a brief background to provide a conceptual framework for interrogating the issues involved; a policy perspective of the challenge posed to attain food security; highlights of implementation strategies for meeting the challenge of food insecurity; and, the role of rural infrastructures in addressing that challenge. The lecture ends with conclusions and policy recommendations. This posthumous lecture was delivered at the 1st Francis Sulemanu Idachaba Memorial Agricultural Policy Lecture; organized by the Idachaba Foundation for Research and Scholarship (IFRES) in collaboration with Department of Agricultural Economics, University of Ibadan; held at First Bank Building, Faculty of Agriculture, University of Ibadan on 15th August 2019