Search

Background: Human papilloma virus (HPV) is associated with a subset of oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma and mouth or throat warts. However, there is currently limited information about oral HPV infections in Nigeria., Objective: This study aimed to provide information on the occurrence and circulating genotypes of HPV among patients attending three (one government and two private) dental clinics in Ibadan, Nigeria., Methods: An oral swab was collected from 231 dental clinic attendees in Ibadan between January 2016 and March 2017 and tested for HPV DNA by polymerase chain reaction targeting the E6/7 genes of the virus., Results: Twenty-three of the 231 swab samples were HPV DNA positive comprising 16 mono-infections and seven co-infections in 13 males and ten females. Genotype 16 was present in ten patients, genotype 6/11 in five, Genotype 18 and genotype 33 in four each, genotype 31 in three and genotype 39 in one. Twenty-one cases were high-risk HPV genotypes, while two were low-risk. Samples had co-infection and five had low risk type 6/11 either as single or as co-infection. Persons who had engaged in oral sex as well as those aged 21-30 years has significantly higher prevalence., Conclusion: This study showed that although HPV genotype 16 is the most common type among dental clinic attendees in Ibadan, other genotypes are also circulating and that oral sex is a risk factor for the infection. Therefore, introducing a multivalent HPV vaccine will reduce the risk of HPV-associated oropharyngeal carcinoma and other cancers in Nigeria., Competing Interests: The authors declare that they have no financial or personal relationships that may have inappropriately influenced them, as well as the participants in writing this article., (© 2022. The Authors.)

This article was migrated. The article was marked as recommended. Introduction The People's Open Access Education Initiative (Peoples-uni) provides online education for health professionals in Public Health at the master's level. Although fees are low due to the use of volunteers and Open Educational Resources, a bursary scheme is provided to waive all or some of the fees. This study tests the hypothesis that student outcomes of completing and passing modules are higher among those given a bursary than others. Methods Data were retrieved for all students enrolling between 2009-2017, including demographics and module outcomes, where available. Multivariable logistic regression was used to identify factors associated with a successful bursary application, as well as to elicit whether a successful bursary application was associated with ever completing, or ever passing, a module. Results Data were obtained from 1499 students. Of these, 624 (42%) had ever completed a module, and 513 (34%) had ever passed a module. 503 students (34%) had applied for a bursary, of whom 285 (57%) were successful. After adjusting for demographic variables, employment status and education level, students who were given a bursary were more likely to ever pass a module (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] 2.3, 95% CI 1.7,3.3), as were those who applied for a bursary but were unsuccessful (aOR 1.9, 95% CI 1.3,2.8), compared with students who had not applied for a bursary. Similar results were obtained for the outcome of completing a module. Conclusions Students who were successful in gaining a bursary, as well as those who were not but still able to enroll, were more likely to complete or pass a module than those who did not apply. These results point to the success of the bursary scheme and give us confidence to continue to offer bursaries, in order to sustain the mission of improving population health through capacity building in low resource settings., (Copyright: © 2019 Machingura PI et al.)

Introduction: Petroleum products are mostly inflammable and require strict regulations for safe handling. This study characterises the epidemiology of people who sustained burns from leaking petroleum pipes in Lagos, Nigeria. Risk factors for the leaks were determined and proposals for preventive measures made., Materials and Methods: Records of burn patients treated in our hospital from June 1999 to September 2004 were studied and victims of petroleum pipeline fires treated from October 2004 to May 2007 interviewed., Results: Nine incidents of pipeline fire disasters occurred during the study period. A total of 646 victims sustained 100% burns and died at the disaster sites. Deliberate pipeline damage caused explosions in 55.6% of the cases and spontaneous ruptures in 44.4%. Forty-eight patients were admitted to our hospital for major burns from pipeline explosions. Their ages ranged from 15 to 50 years with a mean of 25.36 ± 5.62 years. The total body surface area (TBSA) involved in burns ranged from 31% to 100% with a mean of 75.71 ± 18.60. Over 40% of the patients had burns beyond 80% TBSA. Mortality rate was 67.3%. Poverty, irregular supply and high prices of petroleum products were responsible for the deliberate pipeline damage and lack of maintenance and surveillance for the spontaneous ruptures., Conclusion: The incidents of fire disasters from broken petroleum pipelines increased over the study period with considerable mortality. Programmes to reduce poverty, regular product supply, pipeline maintenance and surveillance may reduce the occurrence of the disasters., (Copyright © 2010 Elsevier Ltd and ISBI. All rights reserved.)

Burns expose the deeper tissues of the skin or body to invasive microbes. Topical preparations for treating burn wounds, to be useful, should ideally have antibiotic power and promote healing. Silver compounds have been the mainstay of topical burn treatment for decades. However, most chemical substances retard wound healing. Several natural agents such as honey and moist exposed burn ointment (MEBO) are believed to protect wounds from infection and promote healing without causing any of the adverse effects of purified chemicals. In this study, we compared the wound healing properties of MEBO, a herbal preparation of Chinese origin, with silver sulphadiazine (SSD), a long-standing conventional burn dressing. Ten adult Sprague Dawley rats were divided into two groups. They were housed in separate cages and received partial-thickness burn wounds on their dorsal skin. They were then treated with MEBO and SSD. The wounds were inspected daily until day 8, when all the animals were sacrificed, perfused with normal saline, and had their wounds excised and prepared for histology. It was found that animals in both groups were well preserved. No clinical infections occurred. Wound healing was at an advanced stage by day 8 in all the animals. Clinical and histological examination showed that the two agents gave the animals comparable protection and healing possibilities. It is concluded that MEBO is a suitable and efficacious alternative to conventional silver-based topical therapies for treating partial-thickness burn wounds.