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Lagos state remains the epicenter of COVID-19 infection in Nigeria. To facilitate the emergency preparedness and response to COVID-19, the State Governor and Incident Commander constituted a Think Tank comprising 13 experts from various disciplines committed to the health of the public. The Think Tank assisted the government with decision-making strategies and supported the emergency operation centre (EOC) for the COVID-19 response. Their main achievements were developing frameworks for decision-making and strategies for phased easing of the State-wide lockdown. The challenges encountered were that it was often viewed as a parallel structure to the EOC and separated from the traditional civil service structure; causing some reluctance to implement ideas generated by the Think Tank. Nevertheless, the Think Tank played an important role during the COVID-19 pandemic; the lessons learned might help other states and resource-limited countries wishing to adopt this approach to emergency response., (Copyright © 2024 Copyright: © 2024 Annals of African Medicine.)

Background: The Nigerian government implemented the National Tobacco Control Act (NTCA) in 2015, which prohibits tobacco advertising, promotion, and sponsorship (TAPS) exposure to children under 18 years of age. This study was conducted to assess the prevalence of attitudes and exposure to TAPS among in-school adolescents in Lagos State, Nigeria, 5 years after the implementation of the Act and to identify the factors associated with TAPS exposure among the adolescents., Materials and Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted among 968 in-school adolescents selected through multistage random sampling. The data were collected using self-administered questionnaires adapted from the Global Youth Tobacco Survey., Results: Overall, 77% had been exposed to at least one form of TAPS in the past 30 days. The most frequently reported channel of exposure was through product placements, with 62% reporting exposure in films, TV, and videos. Up to 15.2% and 12.6% were exposed to TAPS through promotional activities and sponsorships, respectively. The majority (82.3%) had pro-tobacco attitudes, while about a third (33.1%) had pro-TAPS attitudes. Factors associated with TAPS exposure were having pro-TAPS attitudes (odds ratio [OR]: 3.5, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 2.3-5.3), being female (OR: 2, 95% CI: 1.4-2.7), and residing in a rural area (OR: 1.6, 95% CI: 1.2-2.3)., Conclusion: Five years after implementing the NTCA, more than two-thirds of the adolescents reported exposure to TAPS, mainly through films, TV, and videos. This suggests that the NTCA is poorly enforced. Efforts to ensure the effective implementation of comprehensive TAPS bans are warranted. Gender-sensitive strategies that target adolescents' attitudes and school-level factors should be emphasized., Competing Interests: None

Objectives: The aim of this study is to describe the experience and outcome of higher order multiple (HOM) births in a private tertiary health facility in Nigeria., Materials and Methods: This was a retrospective review of records of HOM over 3 years in a private tertiary health facility in Nigeria. Relevant data on HOM births were extracted from both the patients' case notes, admission registers and maternity ward and delivery records of the hospital using a predesigned pro forma. Data were analyzed using Statistical Package for Social Sciences Version 22.0., Results: The prevalence of HOM births was 0.72% of 1950 births over the 3 years study period; while for triplets, quadruplets, and quintuplets were 0.56%, 0.1% and 0.05%, respectively. The mean gestational age was 32 ± 3 weeks, and all except three sets of triplets were by Assisted Reproductive Technology (ART). Respiratory distress syndrome, neonatal jaundice, and neonatal sepsis accounted for more than 80% of the neonatal complications noted in HOM births. However, there was no significant difference between neonatal survival of HOM as compared to twin deliveries, P = 0.08., Conclusion: HOM is becoming increasingly common in Nigeria. The strongest risk factor is ART, and neonatal complications are common reinforcing the need to streamline ART protocols in Nigeria.

Objective: This article aims to determine the incidence of periapical granuloma from extracted teeth and correlate the clinical diagnoses with the histopathological types of periapical granuloma., Patients and Methods: Over a period of eight months, a prospective study designed as a routine biopsy of recoverable periapical tissues obtained from patients who had single tooth extraction was carried out., Results: One hundred and thirty-six patients participated in the study, with 75 (55.1%) histopathologically diagnosed periradicular lesions. There were 23 (16.9%) cases of periapical granuloma, with a male to female ratio of 2: 1. The lesion presented mostly between the third and fourth decades of life (n=9, 6.6%). Clinically diagnosed acute apical periodontitis was significantly associated with periapical granuloma, with predominantly foamy macrophages and lymphocytes (P<0.05)., Conclusion: Periapical granuloma appears to be a less common periapical lesion in this study compared to the previous reports. In contrast to reports that relate to an acute flare of the lesion with abundant neutrophilic infiltration, this study has shown marked foamy macrophages and lymphocytes at the acute phase, which are significantly associated with the clinical diagnosis of acute apical periodontitis. We recommend the classification of periapical granuloma into early, intermediate, and late stages of the lesion, based on the associated inflammatory cells.