IntroductionThe effect of socio-demographic and nutritional factors on lung functions of African children is poorly studied. This study set out to determine the effects of these factors on lung functions of Nigerian school children.MethodsRural and urban secondary schools students in Ilesa, Nigeria were selected by multistage sampling. The socio-demographic, nutritional status as well as lung function parameters measured using incentive Spirometry (MIR Spirolab III srl, Italy) of the children were obtained and compared among the rural and urban children.ResultsA total of 250 children (128 rural and 122 urban) aged 9 to 17 years participated in the study over a 12 month period. Mean (SD) age was 12.6 (1.9) years and Male: Female 1:1.1. The urban children were heavier, taller and have larger lung volumes than their age and sex matched rural counterpart. Stunted rural males [Mean (SD) FVC 1.8 (0.3) L vs. 2.2 (0.6) L t-test = 2.360; p = 0.022], underweight females [Mean (SD) FVC 1.8 (0.4) L vs. 2.2 (0.6) L; t-test = 2.855; p = 0.006] and those exposed to unclean fuel [Mean (SD) FVC 2.1 (0.6) L vs. 2.4 (0.5) L; t-test = 2.079; p = 0.041] had significantly lower lung volumes compared to their counterparts without these conditions.ConclusionUndernutrition, low socio-economic class and use of unclean fuels adversely affect the lung functions of Nigerian children. Improved standard of living, use of clean fuel and adequate nutrition may ensure better lung health among these children.

Background: Thrombospondin-1 (TSP-1) and 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25-OHD) play significant roles in the pathogenesis of sickle cell anemia (SCA). TSP-1 enhances cellular adhesion/inflammation, hence contributing to vaso-occlusive crisis (VOC); vitamin D, in contrast, retards inflammation and may lower rate of pain episodes. We determined serum levels of TSP-1 and 25-OHD in Nigerian children with SCA and their matched hemoglobin AA controls; and assess the relationship between the 2 biomarkers. Methods: In total 90 children (32 SCA in steady state, 30 SCA in VOC, and 28 HbAA controls) were studied. Serum TSP-1 and 25-OHD levels were measured with ELISA and HPLC, respectively. Results: The mean TSP-1 of children with VOC was significantly higher than those in steady state (P=0.022) and HbAA controls (P<0.001). Similarly, the mean TSP-1 of those in steady state was higher than the controls (P=0.007). However, mean serum 25-OHD of the children with VOC was significantly lower than those in steady state (28.9±8.2 ng/mL vs. 37.1±12.3 ng/mL, P =0.004). There was a significant inverse correlation between TSP-1 and 25-OHD among the VOC subgroup, r=−0.57, P=0.001. The mean TSP-1 of the 28 children with SCA who had suboptimal vitamin D (213.5±118.6 ng/mL) was higher than 144.2±58.7 ng/mL of the 34 SCA who had normal serum vitamin D, P=0.008. Conclusions: Children with SCA, especially those with VOC, had high serum TSP-1 and low 25-OHD. Also, an inverse relationship exist between serum 25-OHD and TSP-1 in children with VOC. These findings provide basis for further studies into the regulation of TSP-1 by vitamin D.

Background: Knowledge of the profile of pediatric discharge against medical advice (DAMA) may help design interventions to reduce its prevalence. Objectives: This study aimed to assess the profile of pediatric DAMA at Ekiti State University Teaching Hospital (EKSUTH), Ado-Ekiti, Ekiti State, Nigeria. Methods: This retrospective cross-sectional descriptive study included all pediatric cases of DAMA from January 2012 to December 2018. Relevant information was extracted from the patients’ case notes. Data was analyzed using the statistical package for social sciences (SPSS) version 23. Results: The overall prevalence of pediatric DAMA was 3.8%. Of the 233 pediatric DAMA with complete information, 127 (54.5%) were males. Severe malaria (27.3%) was the most common diagnosis among DAMA cases at the children emergency ward (CEW), while severe perinatal asphyxia (25.0%) and neonatal sepsis (25.0%) were the most common at the special care baby unit (SCBU). Only 1 (0.4%) patient was enrolled in the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS). Moreover, 43 (18.5%) parents took DAMA due to financial constraints, and 55% of the patients had their DAMA form signed by their fathers. In addition, among the patients who referred for follow-up, 11 (4.7%) patients fully recovered, 2 (0.8%) recovered with disability, 1 (0.4%) was readmitted, and 1 (0.4%) died. The highest and lowest DAMA rates were in the months of May and December, respectively. Patients aged under five years old who took DAMA significantly had infectious diseases compared to older age groups (P

Background Neonatal Tetanus (NNT) is a vaccine preventable disease of public health importance. It is still being encountered in clinical practice largely in developing countries including Nigeria. NNT results from unhygienic delivery practices and some harmful traditional cord care practices. The easiest, quickest and most cost-effective preventive measure against NNT is vaccination of the pregnant women with the tetanus toxoid (TT) vaccine. The case-fatality rate from tetanus in resource-constrained settings can be close to 100% but can be reduced to 50% if access to basic medical care with adequate number of experienced staff is available. Materials and methods This retrospective study reviewed the admissions into the Special Care Baby Unit (SCBU) of the Ekiti State University Teaching Hospital, Ado-Ekiti from January 2011 to December 2020. The folders were retrieved from the records department of the hospital; Information obtained from folders were entered into a designed proforma for the study. Results During the study period, NNT constituted 0.34% of all neonatal admissions with case fatality rate of 52.6%. Seven [36.8%] of the babies were delivered at Mission home/Traditional Birth Attendant’s place while 5 [26.3%] were delivered in private hospitals. Cord care was with hot water compress in most of these babies16 [48.5%] while only 9% of the mothers cleaned the cord with methylated spirit. Age at presentation of less than one week was significantly associated with mortality, same with presence of autonomic dysfunction. Low family socio-economic class 5 was significantly associated with poor outcome, so also maternal age above 24 years. Conclusion This study revealed that neonatal tetanus is still being seen in our clinical practice with poor outcome and the risk factors are the same as of old. Increased public health campaign, promotion of clean deliveries, safe cord care practices, affordable and accessible health care provision are recommended to combat NNT scourge.

Background Due to the chronic nature of sickle cell disease (SCD), affected individuals may seek help from diverse places thus raising the need to understand their health-seeking behavior (HSB) in order to design an appropriate management policy for them. Aim The aim of this study was to evaluate the HSB among pediatric SCD patients relative to their non-SCD counterparts attending a tertiary facility in Southwest Nigeria and identified predictors of poor HSB among SCD patients. Methods A total of 110 children with SCD were recruited and studied for their HSPs which were compared with 110 non-SCD patients with other chronic medical conditions. Questionnaires were used to obtain self-reported information on participants’ socio-demographic data and HSB. Logistic regression was used to determine the predictors of poor HSB among the SCD cohort. Results More SCD patients received treatments at private hospitals, patent medicine stores and faith-based centers compared to their non-SCD counterparts (p=0.0052; 0.006; and 0.007), respectively. No difference was observed in the patronage of traditional care centres 10 (9.1%) vs 6 (5.5%). More SCD patients 61 (55.5%) vs 35 (31.8%) exhibited poor HSB (p=0.0004). SCD patients who were not enrolled on health insurance scheme were 18 times more likely to have poor HSB (OR=18.38, 95% CI (4.41–76.57), p value= <0.0001) while absence of VOC within the preceding year reduces the risk of poor HSB by 91.5% (OR=0.085, 95% CI (0.028–0.258), p value= <0.0001). Conclusion SCD patients in the study locality had poor HSB. This raises the need for their education on proper HSB. More enrollment into health insurance scheme and the prevention of VOC will lessen the burden of poor HSB. The high patronage of non-hospital care facilities in this study raises the need for stakeholders to monitor activities and train the operators at these informal care centres.