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Background: Solitary pleural fibrous tumours of the diaphragm are rare and can be a diagnostic dilemma. Case presentation: A 49-year-old female presented to our clinic with a history of chronic cough with associated difficulty in breathing. Chest findings were dull percussion notes as well as reduced breath sounds on the left lower lung zone. Chest CT scan showed a left-sided intra-thoracic density with compression of the left lower lung lobe. She had a thoracotomy with the excision of a left diaphragmatic pleura tumour. Conclusion: This case intends to highlight that, though primary diaphragmatic pleura tumours are rare, they may present with non-specific symptoms and should be considered in evaluating patients with intra-thoracic tumours.

Abstract Background There are giant steps taken in the introduction of the novel malaria vaccine poised towards reducing mortality and morbidity associated with malaria. Objectives This study aimed to determine the knowledge of malaria vaccine and factors militating against willingness to accept the vaccine among mothers presenting in nine hospitals in Enugu metropolis. Methods This was a cross-sectional study carried out among 491 mothers who presented with their children in nine hospitals in Enugu metropolis, South-East Nigeria. A pre-tested and interviewer-administered questionnaire was used in this study. Results A majority of the respondents, 72.1% were aware of malaria vaccine. A majority of the respondents, 83.1% were willing to receive malaria vaccine. Similarly, a majority of the mothers, 92.9%, were willing to vaccinate baby with the malaria vaccine, while 81.1% were willing to vaccinate self and baby with the malaria vaccine. The subjects who belong to the low socio-economic class were five times less likely to vaccinate self and baby with malaria vaccine when compared with those who were in the high socio-economic class (AOR = 0.2, 95% CI 0.1–0.5). Mothers who had good knowledge of malaria vaccination were 3.3 times more likely to vaccinate self and baby with malaria vaccine when compared with those who had poor knowledge of malaria vaccination (AOR = 3.3, 95% CI 1–6–6.8). Conclusion Although the study documented a high vaccine acceptance among the mothers, there exists a poor knowledge of the malaria vaccine among them.

Background: Malnutrition is a direct or underlying cause of 45% of all deaths of under-five children in Nigeria. Nigeria has one of the highest burden of malnourished children in the world. Certain vulnerable groups such as children with chronic diseases are often neglected in nutritional studies. Objective: This study sought to determine the prevalence of malnutrition among children with epilepsy, attending the Neurology Clinic of the University of Nigeria Teaching Hospital. Materials and Methods: This was a descriptive cross-sectional study. Study participants were epileptic children aged 6 months to 18 years. Socio-economic status was determined using the Oyedeji classification. Weight and height were measured using standard protocols. The weight for height, body mass index for age, and height for age z-scores were calculated using the WHO Anthro and Anthro Plus software. Data were analyzed using SPSS version 20.0, and significant p-values were set at less than 0.05. Results: One hundred and twenty children with epilepsy aged 6 months to 18 years who met the inclusion criteria were included in the study. Seventy-eight (65%) were males; (male: female ratio = 1: 0.5). The overall prevalence of wasting, stunting, overweight, and obesity were 5.8%, 9.2%, 10.8%, and 5.8%, respectively. There were no statistically significant differences between various forms of malnutrition and the gender, age group, and socio-economic status of study participants (p > 0.05). Conclusion: Overweight was the most common form of malnutrition, followed by stunting among the epileptic children. There is need for regular anthropometric monitoring of children with drug-naive epilepsy with targeted interventions to correct malnutrition in them during the course of epilepsy management.

Background: Child labour deprives children of their childhood, their potential, and their dignity and is harmful to their physical and mental development. Aim: The aim of this study was to determine the pattern and adverse effects associated with child labour in Enugu, Nigeria. Patients, Materials and Methods: This was a cross-sectional study using an in-depth interviewer-administered questionnaire guide on child labour and adverse effects among children aged 6 to

Background: COVID-19 pandemic has had a severe impact on the global economy and the public health systems of all affected countries. Objectives: To understand the challenges (health, cognitive, economic, and psychological) posed by the lockdown for the COVID-19 pandemic on caregivers of children with chronic neurological disorders in Enugu, Nigeria. Materials and Methods: A focused group discussion was done with seven caregiver-patient pairs while observing all precautionary measures. The responses of the participants were recorded, transcribed, and analyzed. Results: There was limited access to physicians to review the children’s health, lack of money for medications with worsening of symptoms in some cases. Some children had forgotten what they had learnt during the previous academic period whereas others had torn their books. The policy imposed hunger on the households. Caregivers lost their jobs, and others had their businesses locked down and were unable to provide food. Children had access to cloth face masks but seldom adhered to its use. The participants were well adapted to handwashing. One participant had access to a hand sanitizer. The lockdown of worship centers conferred a sense of anger, frustration, and hopelessness among some of the participants. Conclusion: The lockdown affected access to health services, interrupted learning, superimposed hunger, and affected the social well-being of the study participants. It is recommended that locally adapted strategies be developed to mitigate unintended effects of health policies on sick children and their caregivers.

Introduction: Majority of Nigerians are not aware of their personal genotype, and the knowledge about sickle cell disease is quite low. We hypothesize that health education will improve the knowledge and awareness of sickle cell genotype among adolescents. This study aimed to determine the effect of health education on knowledge and awareness of sickle cell genotype among adolescents. Materials and Methods: Adolescent students of Federal Government College were recruited, and necessary data on sociodemography, knowledge, and awareness of sickle cell were obtained through a pretested sickle cell knowledge assessment questionnaire. Following health education, the same questionnaire was re-administered to the participants for assessment of any change in knowledge. Results: Majority (58.1%) of the respondents heard about sickle cell during lessons in class, while mass media was the next common source (16.5%) of knowledge and awareness. Following health education, there was an improvement in all the specific knowledge questions, especially the prevalence of sickle cell trait in Nigeria (28.1% vs. 75.2%) and the probability of carrier couple having a child with sickle cell anemia (SCA) (10.3% vs. 48.2%). There was a statistically significant increase in mean knowledge score (t = −14.203, P < 0.001), as well as a significant increase in high knowledge level (χ2 = 105.13, P < 0.001) after education. Conclusion: Health education improved the knowledge and awareness of sickle cell among adolescents in secondary schools, especially the chances of having children with SCA in carrier couples. Inculcating health education on sickle cell in secondary school curriculum will help in informed decision on marriage and birth, ultimately reducing the birth of children with SCA.

Background: Childhood brain tumors (CBTs) constitute 5% of all childhood tumors and can involve any part of the brain disrupting brain structure, form, and function with associated high morbidity and mortality. The objectives of the study were to determine the clinicopathologic pattern and treatment outcome of brain tumor in children in our setting. Materials and Methods: A 3-year prospective multicenter observational study of children with brain tumors was undertaken. Relevant patients’ clinical data sought, included histological diagnosis, World Health Organization grade and survival pattern. Data were analyzed using SPSS version 21.0, whereas the level of statistical significance was set at P < 0.05. Results: Study participants were aged 2–16 (mean 7.93 ± 4.21) years. Fifteen were female (51.7%). The duration between; illness to presentation, presentation to confirmation of diagnosis, and from presentation to specific treatment were 4.40 ± 4.40, 5.0 ± 4.0, and 6.3 ± 6.0 months, respectively.Cerebellar tumors occurred most commonly 15 (51.7%). Majority of the cases, 21 (72.4%) were low grade. Central nervous tumor was first suspected in eight cases (27.6%) at the referring center. Eleven (37.9%) and ten (34.5%) patients, respectively, survived at 1 year and 3 years of follow-up post-diagnosis. The most common complication was hydrocephalus 12(41.4%). Mortality occurred in seven (21.4%) patients arising from their brain tumors. Conclusion: Poor knowledge of health care providers in referring centers, along with delay in initiating treatment contributed to mortality and morbidity.

Abstract Background Rivers State is among the states with high HIV prevalence in Nigeria. Occupational exposure to HIV through blood or body fluids of HIV/AIDS patients is a recognised risk factor of HIV infections among healthcare workers. We identified the determinants of occupational exposures to HIV among healthcare workers in Prevention of Maternal to Child Transmission (PMTCT) sites within Port Harcourt metropolis in Rivers State. Methods A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted and multi-stage sampling technique was used to select 341 healthcare providers from 22 public and 22 private health facilities in PMTCT sites in Port Harcourt metropolis. The data collected were analysed using descriptive statistics, Chi-square and logistic regression models (p-value = 0.05). Results Respondents’ mean age was 35.9 ± SD8.4 years, 270 (80.1%) and 171(50.7%) were females, and from public health facilities respectively. Prevalence of occupational exposure of healthcare workers to HIV in the past 12 months was 153 (45.0%), and 96 (63.3%) experienced such exposure more than once. Contacts with potentially infectious body fluid accounted for the largest proportion 51 (33.3%); followed by needle stick prick 49 (32.6%). About 189 (56.1%) had safety information at their disposal and this serves as a reminder on safety precautions. The likelihood of occupational exposure was significantly higher among doctors (AOR = 2.22, 95% C.I = 1.16–4.25,) but lower among environmental health workers (AOR = 0.10, 95% C.I = 0.02–0.46,) than nurses/midwives when other factors were included in the model. Conclusion Occupational exposure to blood and body fluids remains a frequent occurrence among healthcare workers; highest among doctors in PMTCT sites in the study area. Provision of protective safety materials, training and enforcement of adherence to universal precaution strategies are highly recommended.

Objective: The purpose of the study was to clarify, through the lenses of experts and frontline publishers, ethical dilemmas related to the use of artificial intelligence (AI) in research writing. Method: We conducted a rapid review of expert opinions and publishers' policy statements on ethical considerations in using AI for research writing. We included articles published in journals indexed by academic databases that met the criteria. We also included the policy statements and guidelines of seven reputable publishers. Result: The use of AI in scientific writing is acceptable, contingent on addressing ethical considerations bordering on plagiarism, transparency, and disclosure. While AI should not be listed as an author or coauthor on its own, its use in the development of the work deserves acknowledgment. Authors must substantially rephrase AI-generated content in their own words, properly citing sources to avoid claims of plagiarism. Transparency regarding AI usage and oversight of AI-generated drafts are necessary, as there are risks related to inaccuracy and bias if AI is not supervised by human experts. Conclusion: AI can be deployed to support research writing, provided users carefully abide by ethical standards that uphold academic integrity. Implications: The findings offer valuable guidance for researchers, students, and emerging publishers on how AI's capabilities can be ethically and responsibly leveraged in academic writing. By establishing clear principles, the study equips these stakeholders with the means to incorporate AI judiciously into their knowledge production practices.

Social anxiety disorder (SAD), a highly prevalent and impairing psychological condition in adolescents, is characterized by persistent fear of social and performance situations. Existing evidence suggests that racism and discrimination may heighten risk for SAD and present barriers to treatment in Black youth. Yet, intervention research on SAD in Black adolescents is virtually nonexistent. This paper discusses the development of the first culturally responsive, school-based intervention for SAD in Black adolescents, referred to as Interacting and Changing our Narratives (ICON). Following recommendations by Castro et al. (Ann Rev Clin Psychol 6(1):213-239, 2010), a multiple stage process was used to adapt an empirically based, school intervention for SAD to be culturally responsive to the unique lived experiences of Black teenagers. Utilizing a university-community-school partnership, key stakeholders, including content area experts, school personnel, caregivers and students, were invited to participate in this process. Their recommendations guided the modifications, and were clearly reflected in the newly developed intervention. Initial piloting showed high acceptability and feasibility of ICON, and informed further revisions prior to a controlled trial. This adaptation process highlights the significant value of learning directly from the community for which an intervention is being developed.

Boerhaave´s syndrome is an uncommon syndrome characterized by spontaneous rupture of the oesophagus with a high mortality rate. While excessive alcohol intake and binge-eating are the classic precipitants of this syndrome, medication-induced vomiting causing Booerhave´s is quite uncommon. Traditionally managed operatively, conservative management is being increasingly reported in selected cases. We report the case of 21-year-old male with who developed sudden onset chest pain and dyspnoea after pentazocine induced vomiting. He was referred after lack of response to initial treatment for acute severe asthma. A chest CT scan showed pneumomediastinum, subcutaneous emphysema and oesophageal tear. He was managed conservatively with oxygen therapy, nil per mouth and antibiotics with improvement of symptoms and discharge after 8 days.

Introduction: The indications for open biopsies for intrathoracic lesions have become almost negligible. This development was made possible by less invasive maneuvers such as computed tomography-guided (CT-guided) biopsy, thoracoscopy or video-assisted thoracoscopy, and bronchoscopy. CT-guided percutaneous lung biopsy was first reported in 1976. Aim of Study: The aim of the study is to report our experience with CT-guided transthoracic biopsy. Materials and Methods: Patients with clinical and radiological evidence of intrathoracic mass were counseled and consent obtained for the procedure. They were positioned in the gantry, either supine or prone. A scout scan of the entire chest was taken at 5 mm intervals. The procedure was carried out by the consultants and senior registrar. Following visualization of the lesion, its position in terms of depth and distance from the midline was measured with the machine in centimeter to determine the point of insertion of the trucut needle (14–18-G). The presumed site of the lesion was indicated with a metallic object held in place with two to three strips of plasters after cleaning the site with Povidone-iodine. After insertion, repeat scans were performed to confirm that the needle was within the mass. A minimum of 3 core cuts was taken to be certain that the samples were representative. The results were analyzed by the determination of means and percentages. Results: Twenty-six patients underwent this procedure between 2011 and 2015. There were 15 males and 11 females (M:F = 1.4:1). The age range was between 30 and 99 years with a mean of 55 years. Histological diagnosis was obtained in 24 of the patients giving sensitivity of 92.3%. There were 3 mild complications giving a rate of 11.5%. The complications included a case of mild hemoptysis and two patients who had mild pneumothoraces which did not require tube thoracostomy. Conclusion: CT-guided biopsy is a reliable procedure for obtaining deep-seated intrathoracic biopsies with high sensitivity and minimal complication rate.

Petroleum products are very flammable and can ignite at extremely low temperatures if exposed to an open flame source or not handled appropriately. Individuals who handle petroleum products in the petroleum industry and fuelling stations are known as "petrol station attendants". The study was a descriptive cross-sectional study carried out among petrol station attendants working in a filling station owned by independent petroleum marketers in Sapele metropolis of Delta state from November 2022 to January 2023. The assessment was done with an adapted instrument for data collection, a 12-item questionnaire titled "Chemistry of Petroleum Products: Assessment of Fuel Attendants Knowledge around Sapele Metropolis". Most petrol attendants within Sapele metropolis fell within the age range of 18-35 years, predominantly 22-28 years being the highest with a respondent of 16 constituting 39% representation. There were more females working within Sapele as petrol attendants with 26 females out of 41 respondents representing 63% of the total sample population. About 51.21% of respondents did science or chemistry-related courses but their skills were limited, 58.53% of petrol attendants which was the highest proportion per qualification had Senior School Certificate Examination (SSCE) qualification, and those with a higher degree (National Diploma and Bachelor of Science) had a combined total of 14 respondents (34.1%), 48.78% of respondents which was below average were given chemistry and safety training of petroleum product by their employers, about 80.48% of respondents had managed to learn either by convention or practice safety techniques and were using safety protocol when handling petroleum product. 87.80% knew nothing about chemistry quality control tests such as octane rating, flash point, pour point, and smoke point. The percentage of science oriented graduate who work as petrol attendant in Sapele metropolis is very low. Hence, the study recommends science expertise with regards to chemistry knowledge in relation to safety practices among fuel attendants.

The methanol poisoning outbreak in Rivers State in May 2015, involved 84 persons in five local government areas. An incident management system comprised of an Emergency Preparedness and Response (EPR) committee and the Local Government Area Rapid Response Teams in an Emergency Operations Centre (EOC). The EOC teams conducted case finding activities, line listing, and descriptive analysis, a retrospective cohort study and collection of local gin samples for laboratory investigation. They also coordinated community mobilization and sensitization activities, intervention meetings with local gin sellers, trace back activities and case management. Those affected were male (72; 85.7%) aged between 20 and 79 years. Of the 55 persons whose socio-demographics were obtained, forty-one persons (74.6%) were married, and 23 (41.8%) had primary education. Case fatality rate was 83.3% with an attack rate of 16 per 100,000 persons. Those exposed to ingestion of adulterated gin were six times more likely to develop methanol poisoning than those not exposed RR=6 (1.0-38.5); P=0.0078. It is hoped that this experience has positioned the state for better preparedness towards future outbreaks.

Academia and practicing Librarians have worked together with the innovation of the 21st century which has made librarianship much more interesting. This study employed the descriptive non-experimental survey design. A total of 379 librarians participated in the study via online Google form were used for data collection. Data analysis was done the aid of relative importance index (RII). Findings showed that the highest rated infographic tools are Google Charts RII = 0.6 ranked 1st, Adobe Spark with RII = 0.5 ranked 2nd and ranked 3rd was Information Infographics RII = 0.5. Besides, top barrier to use of infographic among Librarians was the general perception that it is time consuming" with RII of 0.70. followed by requiring flexible budget" RII = 0.70 and poor internet network" RII = 0.70. The study concluded that contrary to the researcher's a-priori expectation, the outcome of this study revealed a high level of awareness and use of infographic tools among librarians in Nigeria.

Background: Tube thoracostomy is a lifesaving and frequently performed procedure in hospitals where the expertise and necessary tools are available. Where the ideal drainage receptacle is unavailable, the underwater seal device can be improvised with bottled water plastic can especially in emergency situations. Aims and Objectives: To determine the frequencies of the various indications and complications of tube thoracostomy with improvised underwater seal. Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional study with a structured proforma was used for assessment over a 3-year period (May 2010-April 2013). The proforma was filled at the time of the procedure by the performing surgeon and patients were followed up with serial chest X-rays until certified cured. A 1.5 L bottled water container was used as the underwater seal receptacle. The data was analysed with SPSS 15 software program. Results: A total of 167 patients were managed. There were 106 (63.5%) males and 61 (36.5%) females. The mean age was 34.85 ± 16.72 with a range of 1-80 years. The most frequent indication was for malignant/paramalignant effusion, 46 (27.5%). Others were trauma, 44 (26.3%), Parapneumonic effusion, 20 (12%), postthoracotomy 14 (8.4%), empyema thoracis 12 (7.2%), heart disease and tuberculous effusion 11 (6.6%) each, pneumothorax 8 (4.8%) and misdiagnosis 1 (0.6%). A hundred and one (60.5%) of the procedures were performed by registrars, 41 (24.6%) by consultants, house officers 15 (9%) and senior registrars 10 (6%). The overall complication rate was 16.8% with the more frequent complications been empyema (5.6%) and pneumothorax (3.6%). The average duration of tube placement was 13.02 ± 12.362 days and range of 1-110 days. Conclusion : Tube thoracostomy can be a relatively safe procedure with acceptable complication rates even with improvised underwater seal drainage bottles.

The rising cost of feed is a major challenge in Nigeria's poultry industry. It impacts production costs and threatens the industry's sustainability and food security. Implementing effective coping strategies for rising feed costs is crucial for poultry enterprises. This study examines poverty level, food insecurity status, and poultry farmers' coping strategies to high feed costs in South-West, Nigeria. A multistage sampling procedure was employed for this study. Three states (Lagos, Ogun, and Oyo) were purposively selected from the six states in the South-West of Nigeria. In the second stage, 575 poultry farmers from all Poultry Association of Nigeria zones were selected using a simple random sampling technique. Data on the production activities of poultry farms were collected from the farmers using a structured questionnaire. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, mean per capita household expenditure, household food insecurity access scale, double log regression, multinomial logistic regression, and stochastic frontier production models at p< 0.05. The results of data analysis showed that 48% of the poultry farmers adopted mixed farming to cope with the rising feed cost while 24.7%, 16.1% and 6.2% adopted the use of finished feed, downsizing their flock size and at the verge of exiting the venture, respectively, while 5.2% did not change strategy. At a poverty line of [??]48,500/year, 70.7% of the poultry farmers were poor. The results also indicated that 25.8% of the poultry farmers were food secure, 1.6%, 27.2% and 45.4% were mildly, moderately and severely food insecure, respectively. The multinomial logit analysis results showed that sex (p Key words: Adopted strategies, Food security, Poverty level, Poultry farmers, Feed costs, INTRODUCTION Livestock plays a crucial role in the global economy and food security. The livestock industry supports the livelihoods of a significant portion of the world's population and contributes to [...]