Search

Background: Various medical conditions in pregnancy may be traced to suboptimal levels of serum calcium during pregnancy. Communities' derivation of normal serum calcium reference interval is imperative. Objective: The objective was to determine the normal free (ionised) serum calcium reference interval among women of reproductive age in the federal capital territory (FCT) of Nigeria. Materials and Methods: This was a cross-sectional study of 240 women from six primary health-care facilities in Abuja, Nigeria. Their blood samples were collected in serum separator bottles. The outcome measure was the determination of the reference interval of free (ionised) serum calcium among the participants. Results: The obtained normal reference interval of ionised serum calcium (iCa) was 0.88–1.4 mmol/L. The accompanying reference intervals for total protein and albumin were 5.7–9.4 mg/dl and 3.3–5.2 mg/dl, respectively. Conclusion: The derived reference interval of iCa in this study was 0.88–1.4 mmol/L, while the total calcium range was 2.18–2.82 mmol/L. These intervals are recommended for use in the Nigerian FCT and its environs as it provides lower intervals compared to the operational values. There is a need for a national derived value as this may change the practice.

Purpose Cancer of the prostate (CaP) is the leading cancer among men in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). A substantial proportion of these men with CaP are diagnosed at late (usually incurable) stages, yet little is known about the etiology of CaP in SSA. Methods We established the Men of African Descent and Carcinoma of the Prostate Network, which includes seven SSA centers partnering with five US centers to study the genetics and epidemiology of CaP in SSA. We developed common data elements and instruments, regulatory infrastructure, and biosample collection, processing, and shipping protocols. We tested this infrastructure by collecting epidemiologic, medical record, and genomic data from a total of 311 patients with CaP and 218 matched controls recruited at the seven SSA centers. We extracted genomic DNA from whole blood, buffy coat, or buccal swabs from 265 participants and shipped it to the Center for Inherited Disease Research (Baltimore, MD) and the Centre for Proteomics and Genomics Research (Cape Town, South Africa), where genotypes were generated using the UK Biobank Axiom Array. Results We used common instruments for data collection and entered data into the shared database. Double-entered data from pilot participants showed a 95% to 98% concordance rate, suggesting that data can be collected, entered, and stored with a high degree of accuracy. Genotypes were obtained from 95% of tested DNA samples (100% from blood-derived DNA samples) with high concordance across laboratories. Conclusion We provide approaches that can produce high-quality epidemiologic and genomic data in multicenter studies of cancer in SSA.

Aim: It has been observed that potential beneficiaries rarely request for alternatives to corrective eyeglasses in our setting. The objective of this study was to determine awareness and attitude towards alternatives to spectacle correction, specifically; contact lens and refractive eye surgery among spectacle wearers in a resource-limited setting.Methods: A cross-sectional survey of 214 spectacle wearers in seven Nigerian hospitals using semi-structured questionnaire. Information sought included demographic characteristics, awareness, and attitudes to contact lens and refractive eye surgery as well as reasons for the poor interest in alternatives to eyeglasses.Results: There were 93 males and 121 females, with a mean age of 40.2 years (SD 15.8.). Most, 198 (92.6%) had at least secondary education. Ninety-eight (45.8%) and 113 (52.8%) patients were aware of the options of contact lens and refractive eye surgery respectively, but 171 (80%) were averse to wearing contact lenses or having refractive eye surgery. Reasons given included lack of information, high cost, and possible complications that may arise. Higher education was significantly associated with participants’ awareness of alternatives to eyeglasses (contact lens [P = 0.016], refractive eye surgery [P=0.009]) but not with willingness to use contact lens (P = 0.96) or refractive eye surgery (P = 0.425).Conclusion: There was relatively high awareness but low willingness to use alternatives to corrective eyeglasses among users. Education on alternatives to corrective eyeglasses, allaying fears on their complications, and making them more affordable could enhance awareness and create a more positive attitude towards them.