African Journal Biomedical Research最新文献

Africa is gradually becoming the epicentre for the burden of cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) worldwide, and community-based data alluding to the pattern and dynamics of escalating epidemiological thresholds of CVDs among indigenous Africans are limited. This manuscript focuses on the design and methods of Community-based Investigation of the Risk Factors for Cardiovascular Diseases in Ibadan and suburbs (COMBAT-CVDs), an ongoing community-based door-to-door study assessing the profile, burden and dynamics of CVDs risk factors among residents of Ibadan and suburbs. COMBAT-CVDs is a cohort of community-dwelling indigenous Africans, males and females, ≥18years from ten communities in Ibadan, Nigeria. The recruitment of participants for the first wave (W₀) started in 2020, covering; questionnaire administration and physical examination. The World Health Organization's STEPS Instrument for Chronic Disease Risk Factor Surveillance was used for data collection. Data were collected on sociodemographic, socioeconomic and lifestyle-related characteristics, history of CVDs, stress, depression and sleep quality. Also, anthropometric and blood pressure measures were conducted by trained personnel using standard operating procedures and instruments. Data collection for the second wave is underway, and the collection of blood and other biological samples for genetic epidemiology is planned, subject to availability of funds. For the W₀ recruitment, a total of 3638 community-dwelling adults (males - 54.6% and females - 45.4%) participated with a ≥99.7% response rate. The COMBAT-CVDs will likely provide novel data, insightful characterization of CVDs risk factors and evidence for context-specific and culturally relevant interventions for the community-based prevention and management of CVDs among Africans in this setting.

The document of ethical approval is an important official requirement for research involving human participants worldwide. It is the process whereby an investigator submits the full research proposal and related documents including detailed informed consent process to an independent Institutional Review Board (IRB) for scrutiny. The process of seeking review and approval is necessary to ensure adequate measure are in place to safeguard and protect research participants as entrenched in the principles of The Declaration of Helsinki and The Belmont Report. It is the responsibility of every clinical researcher to obtain ethical approval, therefore, their obligation to understand the process of review and establish relationship with local IRB in order to enhance smooth review and approval. This article, therefore, explains clinical research and distinguishes between research and clinical care, clarifies briefly what constitutes a study protocol and describes the researchers' relationship with IRB.

Cancers are major contributors to mortality among women in developing countries, with patterns changing over time. This study was done to ascertain the changes in trends and patterns of breast, cervical and ovarian cancers in women over two periods of one decade each, thirty-five years apart. Data on breast, cervical and ovarian cancers in Nigerian women over the two ten-year periods were obtained from the Ibadan Cancer Registry, using a well-structured proforma with extraction of information such as age, cancer sites and year of presentation. The extracted data were analyzed and related to information provided by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC). There were about 400 cases of breast, cervical and ovarian cancers from 1960 to 1969 with cervical cancer having the highest relative frequency, while about 3000 cases of these cancers were reported from 2004 to 2013, with breast cancer having the highest ratio frequency. The age group with the highest frequencies for the three cancer types from 2004 to 2013 was 40 - 49 years, while it was 60 - 69 years from 1960 to 1969. Mean ages at presentation were 48.96 ± 13.32, 54.40 ± 13.41 and 44.42 ± 16.99 years for breast, cervical and ovarian cancers respectively. Breast and cervical cancers are the two commonest cancers in Nigerian women over the five-decade period, with breast cancer overtaking cervical cancer as the most frequently diagnosed. The number of cancer cases recorded increased seven-fold and the peak age group at diagnosis of breast cancer dropped by about twenty years over the period.

Cervical cancer is the most common cancer of the female genital tract worldwide and a leading cause of cancer-related deaths. For many years, the cervical Papanicolaou smear or Pap Test has been the standard method for cervical cancer screening. Screening with a Pap test has been shown to reduce the cervical cancer incidence by 60-90% and mortality by up to 90%, especially when more than 70% of those at risk accessed the test. The objective of the current study was to ascertain the level of knowledge of screening for cervical cancer among female secondary school pupils, since they were or would soon be at risk of the disease. This cross-sectional descriptive study recruited 361 female secondary school students from three different schools in Ibadan. Data was obtained over a period of five months, using a structured self-administered questionnaire, and analysed using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 22. Of the 361 respondents aged 10 to 21, 78.7% had heard about cervical cancer but only 11% had good knowledge about it. Nearly 85% of the respondents had never heard about cervical cancer screening methods. Pupils attending private schools were more likely to have a better knowledge of cervical cancer screening methods than those attending public schools (p < 0.001). Majority of the secondary school students were not equipped with sufficient knowledge about cervical cancer, its causation and the screening methods to prevent it. Such information ought to be included in the curricula of secondary schools.

Diabetes is now becoming a major public health problem globally. It is increasingly associated with renal diseases, particularly chronic kidney disease worldwide. A simple, accurate, reproducible and non-invasive method of evaluation is necessary for early morphological assessment for timely intervention, diagnosis, treatment, and evaluation of renal diseases in diabetes mellitus. In this cross-sectional comparative study, among one hundred and four adult diabetic cases and fifty-three healthy controls, the ultrasonographic renal dimensions were determined and compared in both cases and controls. Correlations were sought between the renal dimensions and the clinical, anthropometric, and metabolic characteristics of the study population. The dimensions of the kidneys in diabetic cases versus controls were; lengths (9.94± 0.76cm vs 9.27 ± 0.90 and 10.28 ± 0.87cm vs 9.41± 1.02cm(p=<0.001), cortical thickness (1.77± 0.28cm vs 1.26± 0.49cm, p<0.001 and 1.89± 0.52cm vs 1.37± 0.78cm, p<0.001 and volumes (121.9± 39.50cm3 vs 107.8± 29.82cm, p=0.026 and 136.3± 45.09cm3 vs 118.8± 33.79cm3, (p=0.015) were significantly higher in Diabetes mellitus cases on the right and left respectively. The waist circumference, fasting blood sugar, postprandial blood sugar, cholesterol, and urinary albumin, all had correlations with the mean kidney length. Taking together, the ultrasonographic renal lengths, cortical thickness, and volumes are increased in diabetic disease without renal function compromise compared to age-, gender- and body mass index-matched non-diabetic controls. The clinical, anthropometric, and metabolic parameters of the diabetes cases also showed significant correlations with mean kidney length.

Presbyopia is an age-related condition that results from the gradual decline in accommodation leading to inability to focus at near distances. This study sought to determine the prevalence, correction coverage, unmet need and impact on the quality of life of presbyopia among Bodija market traders in Ibadan, Nigeria. A cross sectional study was conducted on 314 participants aged 35 years and older selected by a non-probability sampling method. Their near vision was tested and corrected to the nearest diopter. Presbyopia was defined as being able to read the N8 optotype at a distance of 40 cm after correction with plus lens of at least one diopter. The prevalence of presbyopia was 46.8% (95% CI: 41.20, 52.5). The prevalence was significantly higher in those aged 50 years or more (95% CI: 2.98, 7.77), in females (95% CI: 1.45, 3.64) and in individuals with no formal education (95%CI: 3.32, 10.91). The presbyopia correction coverage was 29.9% and unmet need was = 70.1%. The major barriers reported as reasons for not obtaining near vision spectacles were lack of money and spectacles not being a priority. Presbyopes reported more difficulty with near work (p<0.001). The prevalence of presbyopia in Bodija market is relatively low compared to other reports with major risk factors being increasing age, female gender and no formal education. Presbyopia correction coverage is low with high unmet need it is important to create awareness and provide affordable and accessible near vision spectacles for those in need.

Ear infections in the United Kingdom were reported at a prevalence of 90% in children aged 0-6 years peaking at six years, the commonest age for Ugandan children to start primary school. This study was done to determine prevalence of ear infections in primary one children in Mbarara district, identify commonest ear infections, the causative pathogens isolated and their antibiograms and comparing the prevalence of ear infection in urban and rural schools. A cross sectional study was carried out among three urban day schools and three rural day schools randomly chosen in Mbarara district. History was taken using a data collection form and examinations were done using an otoscope. All pus swabs from infected ears were inoculated on Blood agar, Chocolate agar, MacConkey Agar plates before smears for Gram staining were made. Identification of the pathogen was through biochemical tests and API system. Sensitivity tests to antibiotics were set on Mueller Hinton Agar using the disc diffusion technique of Kirby-Bauer. Otoscopy was done on 600 children, 8.0 %( 48) showed signs of ear infections. The commonest ear infection was otitis externa. Staphylococcus aureus species showed the highest prevalence with 75% (6). Staphylococcus aureus species showed 100% sensitivity to gentamicin, 80% sensitivity to ciproflaxin. Serratia marcencens also showed 100% sensitivity to ciproflaxin, The prevalence of ear infection was 8.0% among children in primary one in Mbarara district in a cross sectional study.

Psychosocial functioning is increasing a public health priority issue among young people. Previous reports have focused on the effect of personal health conditions on the psychosocial well-being of children but contextual analysis of environmental or social factors could provide relevant information for interventions. In the context of HIV/AIDS, the present study examined the personal- and contextual-level predictors of Psychosocial Functioning Index (PFI) among adolescents in Benue state, Nigeria. Data on 2,276 adolescents was extracted from a cross-sectional study in Benue State for secondary analysis. The PFI was obtained using the final score of an existing scale (Adolescents Psychosocial Functioning Inventory). Participant's characteristics were summarized using descriptive statistics and compared using Chi-square test. Multilevel logit models were used to assess the individual- and contextual-level predictors of the PFI of adolescents. A nominal p-value ≤0.05 was considered significant in all analyses. Participants were 14.77±2.04 years old and mostly female (53.9%). About 19% of the participants have single parents while 62.1% have self-employed mothers. Proportion with elevated PFI was significantly higher among adolescents who have self-employed mothers (84.4%) and alcohol/substance users (82.7%). In adjusted analysis, adolescents who reported alcohol/substance use (OR=1.65; 95%CI: 1.14 to 2.38) were twice more likely to have elevated psychosocial functioning index compared to non-users. The psychosocial functioning index is high among study participants and differs contextually. Adolescent's psychosocial functioning depends on their life styles and parents' marital and economic situations. Family empowerments and other family level intervention programmes will benefit adolescents in these categories.