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Background: Endometriosis is the presence of active ectopic endometrial glands and stroma at other sites outside the uterine cavity. It is a common cause of chronic pelvic pain which is sometimes debilitating, and inflammation is one of the known triggers of endometriosis. Interleukins 6 and 16 (IL-6 and IL-16) are proinflammatory cytokines which play essential roles in inflammatory diseases. We therefore investigated the relationship between genetic polymorphisms of interleukins 6 and 16, and the development of endometriosis in Nigerian women., Method: One hundred and thirty (130) consenting women were consecutively enrolled, sixty-five (65) of whom had endometriosis and 65 age-matched women as reference group, surgically confirmed as not having endometriosis. Spectrophotometric determination of serum concentrations of Interleukins 6 and 16 was carried out and the genotyping of IL-6 (rs1800795) and IL-16 (rs4778889, rs11556218, rs4072111) genes were performed using TaqMan assays., Results: Serum IL-16 concentration was significantly higher in women with severe chronic pelvic pain compared to those with mild pain (p = 0.023). The C allele of rs4778889 was associated with endometriosis (OR: 1.80, 95% CI: 1.08 - 3.02, p = 0.024)., Conclusion: Serum IL-16 and IL-16 rs4778889 may be important markers for endometriosis in Nigerian, and by extension, African women. Multicentre African studies would clarify this., (© 2023. The Author(s).)

Background: Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) in bacterial pathogens is a worldwide concern that demands immediate attention. Most information on AMR originates from high-income countries and little is known about the burden in Africa, particularly Nigeria. Using four sentinel sites (General hospitals) in Lagos State, this study sought to estimate the burden of AMR., Methods: This is a hospital-based surveillance using secondary health care centres. Four sites were randomly selected and included in the study. Clinical isolates were collected over a period of 6 months for each site from August 2020 to March 2021. All isolates were characterised and analysed for resistance to 15 antibiotics using the Kirby-Baur method. Multiplex PCR assay was used for the detection of Extended spectrum beta lactamase genes. Data analysis was done using SPSS version 27.0., Results: Four hundred and ninety-nine (499) patients consented and participated in this study, consisting of 412 (82.6%) females and 87 (17.4%) males. The mean age ± SD of the participants was 33.9 ± 13.8 with a range of 1-89 years. The majority (90.8%) of the participants were outpatients. Two hundred and thirty-two (232) isolates were obtained from 219 samples, comprising of 120 (51.7%) Gram positive and 112 (48.3%) Gram negative organisms. Key bacterial pathogens isolated from this study included Staphylococcus aureus (22.8%), Escherichia coli (16.4%), Staphylococcus spp. (15.9%), Enterococcus spp. (7.3%) and Klebsiella pneumoniae (6.5%). There was high prevalence of multi-drug resistance (79.3%) among the isolates with 73.6% of Staphylococcus aureus phenotypically resistant to methicillin and 70% possessed the MecA gene. 76.5% of Enterococcus spp. isolated were Vancomycin resistant. Overall, resistance to Cephalosporins was most frequently/commonly observed (Cefotaxime 87.5%)., Conclusion: A high incidence of AMR was identified in clinical bacteria isolates from selected general hospitals in Lagos State, highlighting the necessity for the implementation of national action plans to limit the prevalence of AMR. Surveillance via collection of isolates has a lot of promise, especially in resource-limited environments., (© 2022. The Author(s).)

Objective: To evaluate the feasibility and performance of self-collected vaginal swab samples for HPV screening among women in Lagos, Nigeria., Methods: A cross-sectional study was implemented from March to August 2020 among sexually active women. Study participants provided same-day paired vaginal swab samples. Medic-sampling and poster-directed self-sampling methods were used to collect the two samples per participant. A real-time PCR assay detected HPV 16, HPV 18, other-high-risk (OHR) HPV, and the human β-globin gene. The self-collected samples' sensitivity, specificity, and accuracy were determined against the medic-collected samples using the MedCalc Online Diagnostic Calculator., Results: Of the 213 women aged 16 ~ 63-year-old recruited, 187 (88%) participants had concordant results, while 26 (12%) participants had discordant results. Among the 187 concordant results, 35 (19%) were HPV positive, 150 (80%) participants were HPV negative, and two (1%) were invalid. 18 (69%) out of the 26 discordant samples were invalid. The self-collected sample was invalid for 14 (54%) participants. Two (8%) medic-collected samples were invalid. Compared to the medic-collected sample, the self-collected sample was 89.80% (95% CI: 77.77 ~ 96.60%) sensitive and 98.21% (95% CI: 94.87 ~ 99.63%) specific, with an accuracy of 96.31% (95% CI: 92.87 ~ 98.40%). The mean age for HPV positive and negative participants were 39 and 40, respectively, with an ANOVA p-value of 0.3932. The stratification of HPV infection by the age group was not statistically significant (P > 0.05)., Conclusions: With high accuracy of 96%, self-collected sampling is adequate when tested with real-time PCR and may increase the uptake of HPV testing. Though more self-collected samples were invalid than medic-collected samples, most likely due to poor collection, they could be identified for repeat testing. Future implementation can avoid this error with improved guidance and awareness., (© 2022. The Author(s).)

Background: We identified a HIV-positive cohort in virologic failure (VF) who re-suppressed without drug switch. We characterized their drug resistance mutations (DRM) and adherence profiles to learn how to better manage HIV drug resistance. A retrospective cohort study utilizing clinical data and stored samples. Patients received ART at three Nigerian treatment centres. Plasma samples stored when they were in VF were genotyped., Result: Of 126 patients with samples available, 57 were successfully genotyped. From ART initiation, the proportion of patients with adherence ≥90% increased steadily from 54% at first high viral load (VL) to 67% at confirmed VF, and 81% at time of re-suppressed VL. Sixteen (28%) patients had at least one DRM. Forty-six (81%) patients had full susceptibility to the three drugs in their first-line (1 L) regimen. Thirteen (23%) were resistant to at least one antiretroviral drug but three were resistant to drugs not used in Nigeria. Ten patients had resistance to their 1 L drug(s) and six were fully susceptible to the three drugs in the recommended second-line regimen., Conclusion: This cohort had little drug resistance mutations. We conclude that if adherence is not assured, patients could exhibit virologic failure without having developed mutations associated with drug resistance.