Body mass index, blood pressure, and cognitive impairment among type 2 diabetic patients in a primary care setting, North-Central Nigeria

The long-term effects of certain clinical factors on cognition cannot be overemphasized. The morbidity of Cognitive Impairment (CI) in patients with type 2 diabetes has been found to increase when associated with some clinical factors. The main objective of this study was to determine the relationship between CI and Body Mass Index (BMI) as well as CI and Blood Pressure (BP), among type 2 diabetic patients attending the primary care unit of a tertiary hospital. It was a descriptive hospital-based crosssectional study. Ethical approval was obtained from the Ethical Review Committee of the University of Ilorin Teaching Hospital (UITH) before the commencement of the study. Data was collected from 274 adult type 2 diabetic patients attending the Family Medicine clinics of the hospital, from March through May 2017. Interviewer-administered structured and semi-structured questionnaires were used to obtain information from the respondents. The Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) was used to assess CI among respondents. The BMI and BP of participants were obtained following standard procedure. Data was collated and analyzed using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences version 21 (SPSS- 21). The elderly constituted a higher proportion of participants 55.4%. Respondents were mainly females (70.8%), married (78.8%), and educated (78.1%). The clinical factor that had a statistically significant association with CI was the BMI of participants with a chi-square value (χ2) of 11.139 and a p-value of 0.048. Blood pressure had no statistically significant association with CI (χ2 of 5.181 and p-value of 0.159). CI is common in our clinics with a prevalence of 27% seen in this study. BMI had a statistically significant association with CI while BP was not. Hence, maintaining a normal weight may help in controlling CI. Physicians in primary care should routinely screen type 2 diabetic patients for CI as well as control risk factors for it.

Knowledge, attitude and preventive practices of sexually transmitted infections among unmarried youths in an urban community in Lagos State, Nigeria

Background: Sexually transmitted infections (STIs) are of public health importance as over 1 million STIs are acquired daily worldwide. One-third of the new cases of curable STIs affect younger persons aged less than 25 years. Sexually transmitted infections can lead to severe complications beyond the immediate impact of infections as such. Aim: This study assessed knowledge of, attitude towards and preventive practices of STI among young unmarried persons in Surulere local government area (LGA) of Lagos State, Nigeria. Setting: The study was conducted among young unmarried persons in Surulere LGA, Lagos State, Nigeria, between June and November 2018. Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted among 450 young unmarried persons selected using a multistage sampling technique. An interviewer-administered questionnaire was used to obtain data. Analysis was carried out with Epi-Info 7.2.2.2 software. Chi-square was used to test for associations. Level of significance was at p ≤ 0.05. Results: The mean age was 19.9 + 2.5 years. Majority of the respondents (84.7%) had heard of STIs. About two-third (65.6%) had good knowledge, while majority (98.6%) had good attitude towards the prevention of STIs, but less than half (34.0%) had good preventive practices. Knowledge of STI was statistically significantly associated with age, level of education, attitude and preventive practices of the respondents. Conclusion: Most of the respondents were aware and had good attitude towards prevention of STI, but gaps exist in knowledge and preventive practices. Hence, targeted education to improve the knowledge and preventive practices against STI among young unmarried persons is recommended

Pattern of corneal disorders in Ekiti: a tertiary eye center experience

Purpose: The cornea is the most significant refractive medium in the eye. Pathologies affecting the cornea usually have a great impact on vision. The etiology of corneal disorder varies from one geographical location to another. The objective of this study was to determine the pattern of corneal disorders at Ekiti State University Teaching Hospital, Ado-Ekiti. Materials and Methods: A retrospective study of case records of patients with cornea disorders over a 5-year period was carried out. Demographic characteristics, presenting visual acuity, and risk factor for cornea disorders were retrieved. Data were entered into the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences version 20, and statistical significance was inferred at P < 0.05. Results: Corneal disorders accounted for 3.3% of the eye disorders seen during the period of study. The median age was 37 years. Males outnumbered females giving a ratio of 1.9:1 and the age range from 0.25 to 92 years. There were more females than males in the 11­20 years' age group. Students (84, 25.4%) and artisans (62, 18.8%) were the two leading occupational groups. Infectious cases constituted 27.2% of the cases. Visual acuity at presentation was <3/60 in 131 (39.7%) cases. Foreign body entry was the leading etiologic agent in 101 (30.6%) cases. Conclusion: Half of the patients were blind at presentation, and many of them presented after more than 1 week of the onset of symptoms. Corneal foreign body, trauma, and vernal keratoconjunctivitis were the leading known predisposing factors. There will be need to emphasize more on the role of protective eye devices among our people, especially those who engage in outdoor activities

Factors contributing to primary caregiver delay in presenting children with chronic kidney disease for medical care in Ghana

Background: Conforming to the 2016 World Kidney Day focus on raising awareness of the early detection of kidney diseases in children, we report on factors that contribute to primary caregiver delay in presenting their children with chronic kidney disease (CKD) for medical care in Kumasi, Ghana. Aim: The objective of the study was to explore and describe the factors that contribute to primary caregiver delay in presenting children with CKD for medical care in Kumasi, Ghana. Setting: The study was conducted in the Paediatric Renal Unit in Kumasi, Ghana. Methods: A qualitative study was conducted in January 2017. Semi-structured interviews were used to collect data from a convenience sample of 10 primary caregivers whose children were admitted for CKD, but were not too ill. The primary caregivers had to respond to the research question: What factors contribute to your delay in presenting your child with CKD for medical care? Thematic data analysis and the ecological model of Schneider (2017) were used to organise the findings. Results: Four themes and related subthemes, including intrapersonal-related factors, interpersonal-related factors, community-related factors and infrastructural factors were identified as those that contribute to delay in presenting children with CKD for medical care. Conclusion: The findings show that primary prevention strategies for CKD in children should not only focus on personal-related factors but also cut across all levels of the socio-ecological model in order for them to be effective

Knowledge, attitude, practices and associated factors of HIV/AIDS among adolescents in Ora Community, Edo State

Background: Adolescents constitute a significant proportion of the vulnerable group in the society and often engage in risky sexual behaviours which predispose to HIV/AIDS. Objective: To assess the knowledge, attitude,preventive practices of HIV/AIDS and its associated factors amongadolescentsin Ora community, Edo State.Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional study was carried out among440 secondary school students selected by stratified sampling technique. Data was obtained with pretested interviewer-administered questionnaires.Results:Two hundred and forty-two(242; 55.0%) of the respondents were aged 10 ­14 years.Two hundred and seventy-one 271 (61.6%) ofthe respondentshad good knowledge of HIV/AIDS, while 291 (59.3%) had a positive attitude towards HIV/AIDS. Age15 ­19 years(p=0.001) malesex(p =0.049) and respondents in SS2 class (p=0.005) were significantly associated with knowledge.A negative attitude was recorded among139 (51.3%) students who had good knowledge. The relationship between knowledgeand attitude towards HIV/AIDS was statistically significant(p=0.01). Twenty-five(73.5%) of the sexually active respondents had poor preventive practiceregardingHIV/AIDS.Conclusion: More than half of the students had good knowledge and positive attitude towards HIV/AIDS while a majority of themwho were sexually active had poor preventive practices. Respondents aged 15­19 years, malesand in SS2class significantly had goodknowledgeof HIV/AIDS. Health education intervention programstargeted on the prevention of HIV/AIDS should be designed for Secondary School Students

Pre-exposure Prophylaxis and Antiretroviral Therapy for HIV Prevention in South Africa which is the Best Use of Resources

An estimated 1.6 million new HIV infections occurred in 2012 in sub-Saharan Africa (1); highlighting the need for continued investments in HIV treatment and prevention efforts. With an HIV prevalence of about 18; South Africa (RSA) remains a particularly affected country; despite sustained investments in HIV control programs such as expansion of antiretroviral therapy (ART). In recent years; scientific innovations in HIV control have expanded the range of available interventions - male circumcision; topical microbicides; oral pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) and treatment as prevention (TasP) have all sparked significant interest due to their potential effectiveness (ART reduces HIV transmission by up to 96; PrEP by more than 60) and versatility (circumcision is effective without additional actions required from the person; PrEP is meant for use by uninfected individuals; ART is given to infected individuals). While all these options are potentially available; resources remain limited and choosing which interventions to implement at scale is a difficult task; given the complex nature of disease transmission; the impact of behaviour in epidemic dynamics (number of partners; rates of condom use; adherence to treatment/prevention regimens); and the different costs of these programs

Safety and Tolerability of Yellow Fever Vaccines

Yellow fever is a non-contagious viral haemorrhagic fever with an estimated 200 000 cases annually and a high fatality rate. Yellow fever vaccination is one of the main methods of primary prevention. Although yellow fever vaccines are largely considered to be safe adverse events which are sometimes life threatening can occur. This article reviews the safety and the tolerability of yellow fever vaccines

'Every Teacher is a Researcher!': Creating Indigenous Epistemologies and Practices for HIV Prevention through Values-Based Action Research

Since gender is an undisputed driver of HIV infection; teachers concerned with HIV prevention education should ideally encourage critical awareness of and culturally sensitive practices around gender inequalities. Many interventions and programmes have been developed for teachers to enable them to do this; however most have met with limited success. This article proceeds from the viewpoint that for HIV-prevention interventions to be sustainable and effective; teachers should be actively engaged in their design; implementation and evaluation. It outlines how teachers in an HIV prevention programme utilised an action research design to explore their own gender constructs as a necessary first step to the creation of more gender-sensitive school climates and teaching practices. This values-based self-enquiry moved the teachers to action on two levels: first; to adopt a more gendersensitive approach in their own personal and professional lives and second; to take action to challenge gender inequalities within their particular educational contexts. Evidence is presented to justify the claim that action research of this genre helps teachers to generate indigenous epistemologies and practices that not only are effective in creating sustainable and empowering learning environments for HIV prevention education; but also for teaching and learning in general