The Hausa 12-item short-form health survey (SF-12): Translation, cross-cultural adaptation and validation in mixed urban and rural Nigerian populations with chronic low back pain.

INTRODUCTION: Measuring health-related quality of life (HRQOL) in patients with chronic low back pain (LBP) is crucial to monitor and improve the patients' health status through effective rehabilitation. While the 12-item short-form health survey (SF-12) was developed as a shorter alternative to the 36-item short-form health survey for assessing HRQOL in large-scale studies, to date, no cross-culturally adapted and validated Hausa version exists. This study aimed to translate and cross-culturally adapt the SF-12 into Hausa language, and test its psychometric properties in mixed urban and rural Nigerian populations with chronic LBP. METHODS: The Hausa version of the SF-12 was developed following the guidelines of the International Quality of Life Assessment project. Fifteen patients with chronic LBP recruited from urban and rural communities of Nigeria pre-tested the Hausa SF-12. A consecutive sample of 200 patients with chronic LBP recruited from urban and rural clinics of Nigeria completed the instrument, among which 100 respondents re-tested the instrument after two weeks. Factorial structure and invariance were assessed using confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) and multi-group CFA respectively. Multi-trait scaling analysis (for convergent and divergent validity) and known-groups validity were performed to assess construct validity. Composite reliability (CR), internal consistency (Cronbach's α), intraclass correlation coefficients (ICC), and Bland-Altman plots were computed to assess reliability. RESULTS: After the CFA of the original conceptual SF-12 model, 2 redundant items were removed and 4 error terms were allowed to covary, thus providing adequate fit to the sample. The refined model demonstrated good fit and evidence of factorial invariance in three demographic groups (age, gender, and habitation). Convergent (11:12; 91% success rate) and divergent (10:12; 83% success rate) validity were satisfactory. Known-groups comparison showed that the instrument discriminated well for those who differed in age (p < 0.05) but in gender and habitation (p > 0.05). The physical component summary and the mental component summary demonstrated acceptable CR (0.69 and 0.79 respectively), internal consistency (α = 0.73 and 0.78 respectively), test-rest reliability (ICC = 0.79 and 0.85 respectively), and good agreement between test-retest values. CONCLUSIONS: The Hausa SF-12 was successfully developed and showed evidence of factorial invariance across age, gender, and habitation. The instrument demonstrated satisfactory construct validity, internal consistency, and test-retest reliability. However, stronger psychometric properties need to be established in general population and other patients groups in future studies. The instrument can be used clinically and for research in Hausa-speaking patients with chronic LBP.

Status of malondialdehyde, catalase and superoxide dismutase levels/activities in schoolchildren with iron deficiency and iron-deficiency anemia of Kashere and its environs in Gombe State, Nigeria.

BACKGROUND: Iron-deficiency anemia (IDA) or iron deficiency (ID) is by far the most common form of disorder affecting the cognitive development, physical growth and school performance of children in developing countries including Nigeria. OBJECTIVES: In the present study, we aimed to examine whether IDA or ID, or both are associated with oxidative stress or otherwise by assessing the perturbations in oxidative stress markers including malondialdehyde (MDA), catalase (CAT) and superoxide dismutase (SOD). METHODS: Here, a total of eighty-one IDA, ID, and healthy control subjects of twenty-seven replicates each, were recruited and investigated. Human serum MDA, CAT and SOD levels were quantitatively analyzed using Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbant Assay. RESULTS: Mean serum MDA levels of IDA (5.10 ± 2.35 mmol/L) and ID (4.05 ± 1.35 mmol/L) groups were found to perturb significantly (p < 0.05), being higher than those of control (3.30 ± 0.95 mmol/L) subjects. Similarly, mean serum MDA levels of IDA (5.10 ± 2.35 mmol/L) group was found to be significantly (p < 0.05) higher when compared with ID (4.05 ± 1.35 mmol/L) subjects. Conversely, mean serum CAT and SOD activities of IDA (8.35 ± 2.21 ng/mL and 340.70 ± 153.65 ng/mL) group were found to differ significantly (p < 0.05), and those of ID (9.40 ± 1.47 ng/mL and 435.00 ± 144.75 ng/mL) subjects were found to perturb slightly (p > 0.05), being lower than those of control (10.40 ± 4.31 ng/mL and 482.12 ± 258.37 ng/mL) subjects. CONCLUSIONS: Taken together, the results of the present study showed that lipid peroxidation was dramatically increased in both IDA and ID subjects in hydroperoxide-superoxide-dependent manner; in contrast, enzymatic antioxidant capacity was drastically decreased in both IDA and ID groups as evidenced by biochemical markers.

Meningococcus serogroup C clonal complex ST-10217 outbreak in Zamfara State, Northern Nigeria.

After the successful roll out of MenAfriVac, Nigeria has experienced sequential meningitis outbreaks attributed to meningococcus serogroup C (NmC). Zamfara State in North-western Nigeria recently was at the epicentre of the largest NmC outbreak in the 21st Century with 7,140 suspected meningitis cases and 553 deaths reported between December 2016 and May 2017. The overall attack rate was 155 per 100,000 population and children 5-14 years accounted for 47% (3,369/7,140) of suspected cases. The case fatality rate (CFR) among children 5-9 years was 10%, double that reported among adults ≥ 30 years (5%). NmC and pneumococcus accounted for 94% (172/184) and 5% (9/184) of the laboratory-confirmed cases, respectively. The sequenced NmC belonged to the ST-10217 clonal complex (CC). All serotyped pneumococci were PCV10 serotypes. The emergence of NmC ST-10217 CC outbreaks threatens the public health gains made by MenAfriVac, which calls for an urgent strategic action against meningitis outbreaks.