Phenotypic profile and antibiogram of biofilm-producing bacteria isolates from diabetic foot ulcers in Zaria, Nigeria.

BACKGROUND: Diabetic foot ulcers (DFUs) present with high morbidity and reduce patient's quality of life. There is a gross paucity of data on biofilm-producing bacteria in DFU Infection in North-Western Nigeria. The study sought to determine the biofilm-forming ability of bacteria isolates from DFUs and determine their antimicrobial susceptibility pattern in Zaria, North-Western Nigeria. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This hospital-based cross-sectional study of patients with DFUs was conducted from June 2018 to February 2020. Consecutive biopsies were aseptically collected. Bacteria were isolated and identified using a Microgen kit. Biofilm forming ability and antibiogram of isolates were determined using microtitre plate and disk diffusion methods, respectively. RESULTS: Of the 225 participants enrolled, males constituted the majority, 144 (64.0%) with 88 (36.0%) females, the median age of participants was 54 (48-60) years, and the age range was 36-77 years. A total of 172 bacteria were isolated, and 123 (71.5%) were biofilm producers. Staphylococcus aureus (26.7%) was the highest biofilm producer, while Citrobacter freundii and Stenotrophomonas maltophilia were the least biofilm producers, 1 (0.6%) each. A disproportionate resistance pattern was demonstrated among the biofilm and non-biofilm producers against the cephalosporins tested, ceftazidime (68% vs. 18%), ceftriaxone (50% vs. 8.0%) and cefotaxime (21% vs. 0.0%). About 46% and 68% of the biofilm producers were resistant to gentamycin and ciprofloxacin, respectively. While only 2% of the non-biofilm producers were resistant to imipenem, 11% of the biofilm producers were resistant to it. CONCLUSION: These findings revealed a high proportion of biofilm-producing bacteria and were more resistant than non-biofilm producers.

Pattern of prevalent Hepatitis B virus genotypes in Zaria, Nigeria.

BACKGROUND: Hepatitis B virus (HBV) is hyperendemic in Nigeria. Available literature reveal genotype E as being predominant in West Africa. This study aimed at identifying the current pattern and prevalent genotypes of HBV in Zaria, Nigeria. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Four millilitre of blood was collected in ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid-container from each of 165 HBV surface antigen-positive participants recruited purposively from the gastroenterology clinic from May to August, 2017. Plasma was separated and frozen at -20°C till analysis. Multiplex-nested polymerase chain reaction using type-specific primers was used to identify the various HBV genotypes. RESULTS: Median (and interquartile range) age of the participants was 31.0 (25.5-39.0) years, with males constituting 107 (64.8%). Majority (83.6%) of the samples analysed were HBV-DNA-positive with 82.6% of the HBV-DNA-positive samples being mixed genotype infections. Irrespective of mode of occurrence, five HBV genotypes were identified with HBV/E (97.1%) being the most predominant, followed by HBV/B (82.6%), HBV/A (24.6%), then HBV/C (17.4%), while HBV/D (0.7%) was the least prevalent. CONCLUSION: In most (99.1%) of the mixed-infection were a combination of genotype E, the predominant genotype, with other genotypes predominantly genotype B. HBV genotypes E, B, A, C and D are the prevalent genotypes in Zaria, Nigeria, as they occur in single genotype and in mixed-genotypes pattern.

Investing in community-based education to improve the quality, quantity, and retention of physicians in three African countries.

CONTEXT: The Medical Education Partnership Initiative (MEPI) is a $US 130 million program funded by the United States government supporting 13 African medical schools to increase the quantity, quality, and retention of physicians in underserved areas. This paper examines how community-based education (CBE) is evolving at MEPI schools to achieve these goals. METHODS: We utilized data from the first two years of site visits and surveys to characterize CBE efforts across the MEPI network and provide detailed descriptions of three models of CBE among the MEPI programs. RESULTS: There is widespread investment in CBE, with considerable diversity in the goals and characteristics of training activities among MEPI schools. Three examples described here show how schools are strengthening and evaluating different models of CBE to achieve MEPI goals. In Nigeria, students are being sent for clinical rotations to community hospitals to offload the tertiary hospital. In Uganda, the consistency and quality of teaching in CBE is being strengthened by adopting a competency-based curriculum and developing criteria for community sites. At Stellenbosch University in South Africa, students are now offered an elective year-long comprehensive rural immersion experience. Despite the diversity in CBE models, all schools are investing in e-learning and faculty development. Extensive evaluations are planned to examine the impact of CBE strategies on the health workforce and health services. DISCUSSION: The MEPI program is stimulating an evolution in CBE among African medical schools to improve the quality, quantity, and retention of physicians. Identifying the strategies within CBE that are reproducible, scalable and optimize outcomes will be instructive for health professions training programs across the continent.

Characterization of high risk human papilloma virus genotypes associated with oropharyngeal cancers in a Nigerian population.

INTRODUCTION: head and neck cancers have essentially been a disease of the elderly but recent studies are beginning to demonstrate their increasing incidence in young people with infections such as human papilloma virus (HPV). This study was carried out to determine the prevalence of high risk Human papilloma virus (hrHPV) related oropharyngeal carcinoma and its prevalent genotypes as well as their strength of association with HIV in adult Nigerian subjects. METHODS: this was a cross-sectional study of 41 patients with oropharyngeal carcinomas seen over a 2-year period. Patients had incisional and/or excisional biopsy done under anesthesia. A portion of the specimen from which the DNA was extracted was placed in Digene HC2 DNA collection device while the 2nd portion for histopathological analysis was fixed using 10% Neutral Buffered Formalin (NBF) and embedded in paraffin blocks. Oropharyngeal cancer HPV genotyping was done using HPV genotypes 14 real-tm quant kit (SACACE, Italy). The data was analyzed using SPSS version 23. RESULTS: prevalence of HPV was 17.1% with a male to female ratio of 2.7: 1. The identified genotypes were 16, 33, 35 and 52 with 28.6% of patients having more than one genotype. Most of the age groups studied were affected. Squamous cell carcinoma and ameloblastic carcinoma were the cancers associated with HPV. HPV was not identified in the HIV positive patients. CONCLUSION: high-risk human papilloma virus genotypes 16, 33, 35 and 52 are associated with oropharyngeal carcinoma in Nigeria but were not found in HIV patients. This finding provides a strong evidence for the use of the 9-valent prophylactic vaccine for the prevention of oropharyngeal cancer in Nigeria. Public awareness and HPV prevention strategies should reduce significantly the incidence of oropharyngeal carcinomas in our environment.

Predictors of Mortality From a Population-Based Cancer Registry Data in Jos, Nigeria: A Resource-Limited Setting.

Background: It is a well-documented fact that world-wide cancer incidence and mortality remains high in Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) infected population despite potent antiretroviral therapy. With the current capture of HIV status of cancer patients in our cancer registry at Jos Nigeria, this study aims to assess the effect of HIV on cancer mortality outcomes. Methodology: We conducted a 2-year retrospective cohort study of cancer registry data from Jos, north central Nigeria. The cancers were grouped into cervical, breast, liver, hematologic, colonic, AIDS defining, prostate and others in this study. Patients were followed up to determine their patient time contribution from time at initiation of cancer treatment to death or the end of study period. Those lost to follow-up were censored at date of their last known follow-up in clinic. Results: Out of 930 cancer cases evaluated, 52 (5.6%) were HIV positive, 507 (54.5%) were HIV negative and 371 (39.9%) did not know their HIV status. After 525,223 person- days of follow-up, there were 232 deaths leading to a crude mortality rate of 4.3 per 10,000 person-days. Median survival probability for both HIV-infected and HIV uninfected patients were equal (1,013 days). Unadjusted hazard of death was associated with greater age, HR 0.99 (95% CI: 0.98,0.99, p = 0.002); hepatitis virus, HR 2.40 (95% CI: 1.69,3.43, p = 0.001); liver cancer, HR 2.25 (95% CI:1.11,4.55, p = 0.024); prostate cancer, HR 0.17 (95% CI: 0.06,0.393, p = 0.001). In an adjusted model, only prostate cancer AHR 0.23 (95% CI: 0.12, 0.42, p < 0.001) and liver cancer AHR 2.45 (95% CI: 1.78, 5.51, p < 0.001) remained significantly associated with death regardless of HIV status. Conclusion: Having liver cancer increases risk for mortality among our cancer patients. Screening, early detection and treatment are therefore key to improving dismal outcomes.

Subclinical atherosclerosis and associated risk factors among HIV-infected adults in Jos, North Central Nigeria: a cross-sectional study.

INTRODUCTION: human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) is evolving into a leading cause of cardiovascular diseases (CVD) in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) where the burden of HIV remains high. Atherosclerosis underlie progression to CVD. We therefore examined the prevalence of subclinical atherosclerosis and its association with traditional and non-traditional risk factors for CVD in Nigerian HIV-infected adults. METHODS: this was a cross-sectional study involving randomly selected stable HIV-infected patients with undetectable viral load attending HIV clinics at the Jos University Teaching Hospital and Faith Alive Foundation in Jos, Nigeria. Demographic data, biophysical measurements, cardiovascular risk factors and information regarding HIV-related factors, fasting serum lipid profile, fasting plasma glucose, high-sensitivity C-reactive protein and Carotid-Intima-Media-Thickness (CIMT) were assessed. Subclinical atherosclerosis was defined using a cut-off value of mean CIMT ≥ 0.78 mm. Data were analyzed with the Statistical Package for Social Sciences® (SPSS) software version 23.0 (IBM Corp., Chicago, Illinois, USA). Bivariate analysis and multivariate logistic regression were used to examine the association between risk factors of CVD and subclinical atherosclerosis. The statistical significance level was set at p ≤ 0.05. RESULTS: a total of 148 HIV adults (70.9% being females) on Anti-Retroviral Therapy (ART) were included in this study. The prevalence of subclinical atherosclerosis was 7.4%. Among subjects with subclinical atherosclerosis (SCA), 63.6% were males and 81.8% were hypertensive. Elevated blood glucose, lipids and high-sensitivity C-reactive protein, body mass index (BMI), HIV-related parameters (duration of HIV infection, antiretroviral regimen, CD4+ cell count), current smoking status, alcohol use, were not significantly associated with subclinical atherosclerosis (p>0.05). Male gender [OR(95%CI=4.91(1.36-17.77)], age [OR(95%CI)=1.14(1.06-1.23)], hypertension [OR(95%CI=14.4(3.03-71.86)] and metabolic syndrome [OR(95%CI=8.34(1.73-40.18)] were significantly associated with SCA at bivariate analysis. After adjusting for age, sex and antiretroviral regimen, only increasing age [Adjusted Odds Ratio (AOR) (95% confidence interval (CI)] = 1.12(1.01-1.25)] and hypertension [AOR (95%CI)=10.67 (1.31-87.18)], remained as independent predictors of subclinical atherosclerosis (SCA). CONCLUSION: the prevalence of subclinical atherosclerosis among HIV-infected adults is high in Nigeria. It is significantly associated with increasing age and hypertension. Traditional CVD risk factors such as dyslipidaemia, diabetes mellitus and obesity were not associated with subclinical atherosclerosis in this population.

Changing patterns in trend of top 10 cancers in the Jos University Teaching Hospital's (JUTH) cancer registry (1996-2018), Jos, north-central Nigeria.

Introduction: Changes in the epidemiology of cancers in some African countries due to demographic shift and change in lifestyle is well documented. Availability of screening, diagnostic and treatment facilities for the population serving a registry overtime is likely to impact on parameters of collated and stored data. We therefore sought to document changes in trends observed in the data stored at the Jos University's (JUTH's) cancer registry over the period of years in focus and highlight the role of certain local factors on these changes. Methodology: This is a 22 year retrospective descriptive study of top ten common cancers documented at the cancer registry at JUTH. JUTH is a tertiary health center located at Jos, North-Central Nigeria. Variables such as age, topography of cancer and sex were obtained and their proportions described. Results: A total of 4,279 top ten cancers were recorded during the period of study of which years 1996-2005 accounted for 2,035(47.56 %), 2006-2015; 1,606 (37.53 %) and January 2016-June 2018; 638 (14.91 %). In the different periods considered prostate cancer was the commonest in males (1996-2005:226(28.83%); 2006-2015:224(37.27%) and January 2016-June 2018:136(37.99%). While among females breast cancer was commonest 491(39.25%) from 1996-2005, 2006-2015 cervical cancer 371 (36.92%) and 2016-2018 breast cancer 140 (50.00%). In the period 2016-2018 liver cancer became the third commonest cancer while cervical cancer came to fifth position 35(5.49%). Conclusion: Changing trends in the registry's data to provide conclusions useful for policy formulation and implementation.

Evaluating community-based medical education programmes in Africa: A workshop report.

BACKGROUND: The Medical Education Partnership Initiative (MEPI) supports medical schools in Africa to increase the capacity and quality of medical education, improve retention of graduates, and promote regionally relevant research. Many MEPI programmes include elements of community-based education (CBE) such as: community placements; clinical rotations in underserved locations, community medicine, or primary health; situational analyses; or student-led research. METHODS: CapacityPlus and the MEPI Coordinating Center conducted a workshop to share good practices for CBE evaluation, identify approaches that can be used for CBE evaluation in the African context, and strengthen a network of CBE collaborators. Expected outcomes of the workshop included draft evaluation plans for each school and plans for continued collaboration among participants. The workshop focused on approaches and resources for evaluation, guiding exploration of programme evaluation including data collection, sampling, analysis, and reporting. Participants developed logic models capturing inputs, activities, outputs, and expected outcomes of their programmes, and used these models to inform development of evaluation plans. This report describes key insights from the workshop, and highlights plans for CBE evaluation among the MEPI institutions. RESULTS: Each school left the workshop with a draft evaluation plan. Participants agreed to maintain communication and identified concrete areas for collaboration moving forward. Since the workshop's conclusion, nine schools have agreed on next steps for the evaluation process and will begin implementation of their plans. CONCLUSION: This workshop clearly demonstrated the widespread interest in improving CBE evaluation efforts and a need to develop, implement, and disseminate rigorous approaches and tools relevant to the African context.

Community-based education programs in Africa: faculty experience within the Medical Education Partnership Initiative (MEPI) network.

PURPOSE: This paper examines the various models, challenges, and evaluative efforts of community-based education (CBE) programs at Medical Education Partnership Initiative (MEPI) schools and makes recommendations to strengthen those programs in the African context. METHODS: Data were gathered from 12 MEPI schools through self-completion of a standardized questionnaire on goals, activities, challenges, and evaluation of CBE programs over the study period, from November to December 2013. Data were analyzed manually through the collation of inputs from the schools included in the survey. RESULTS: CBE programs are a major component of the curricula of the surveyed schools. CBE experiences are used in sensitizing students to community health problems, attracting them to rural primary health care practice, and preparing them to perform effectively within health systems. All schools reported a number of challenges in meeting the demands of increased student enrollment. Planned strategies used to tackle these challenges include motivating faculty, deploying students across expanded centers, and adopting innovations. In most cases, evaluation of CBE was limited to assessment of student performance and program processes. CONCLUSIONS: Although the CBE programs have similar goals, their strategies for achieving these goals vary. To identify approaches that successfully address the challenges, particularly with increasing enrollment, medical schools need to develop structured models and tools for evaluating the processes, outcomes, and impacts of CBE programs. Such efforts should be accompanied by training faculty and embracing technology, improving curricula, and using global/regional networking opportunities.