Anxiety, depression and stress among internally displaced persons and host community in an armed conflict region: A comparative study.

This study compares the psychological profile of Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) and individuals living in host communities in the war-affected setting. We conducted a cross-sectional survey from October-November 2019. Subjects were recruited from six IDPs camps and the surrounding host communities within the metropolis of Maiduguri, Nigeria by convenience sampling. Data were collected using the Hausa version of Depression Anxiety Stress Scale-21, and analysed by logistic regression using adjusted odds ratio (AOR) at 95% Confidence Interval (CI). A total of 562 subjects were recruited. Living in IDP camp was the most significantly predictor of depression, anxiety, and stress. The common predictors were living in an IDP camp, and marital status (separated). Aged 18-29years was a protective factor compared to those ≥50years. Living in IDP camps, separated from partners, lack of education and pre-conflict employment were significant predictors of depression, anxiety and stress.

Translation, cross-cultural adaptation, and psychometric properties of the Hausa version of the Insomnia Severity Index among internally displaced persons in Africa.

BACKGROUND: Although sleep disturbances and insomnia are common among Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs), these disorders remain largely understudied among victims fleeing ethnoreligious genocide. The Insomnia Severity Index (ISI), though a widely used measure of insomnia, has not been translated, cross-culturally adapted, nor validated in common African languages. This paper aimed to translate, adapt and validate the ISI scale into Hausa, the most widely spoken non-Indo-European language in African continent. METHODS: A six-stage validation model was used for the translation and adaptation of the ISI into Hausa [(ISI-Hausa), Item-Content Validity Index (I-CVI)=0.9 to 1.0]. The tool was administered among IDPs residing in Maiduguri, North-Eastern Nigeria, from October to November 2019. A total of 281 participants from six camps were recruited via convenience sampling. The psychometric properties of the scale were assessed using an Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA), Cronbach's alpha (α) and Intraclass Correlation Coefficients (ICC) for determining factor structure, internal consistency and test-retest reliability, respectively. RESULTS: Exploratory factor reduction resulted in a two-factor solution, with " severity of insomnia " identified as the construct for Factor 1 and " impact of insomnia " as the construct for Factor 2. Factor 1 consisted of four scale items and Factor 2 consisted of three items. Factor loadings for each item ranged from 0.535-0.812. The scale demonstrated acceptable internal consistency (α=0.72) and good test-retest reliability (ICC=0.72) (p<0.001). CONCLUSION: The ISI-Hausa scale is a psychometrically sound and culturally relevant tool for assessing the severity and impact of insomnia among Hausa speaking IDPs in Africa.

Delayed Presentation of Posttraumatic Diaphragmatic Hernia Masquerading as Recurrent Acute Asthmatic Attack.

Diaphragmatic hernia following blunt abdominal injury is extremely rare and often diagnosed late. Missed diagnosis is also common with this condition. We herein present a delayed presentation of diaphragmatic hernia following blunt abdominal injury that was initially misdiagnosed as recurrent acute asthmatic attack due to repeated presentation with episodic difficulty in breathing.

Evaluation of haematological changes in Plasmodium-berghei-infected mice administered with aqueous extract of Phyllantus amarus.

This study was designed to evaluate the changes in some hematological parameters of P-berghei-infected mice treated with aqueous extract of Phyllantus amarus, a plant that is used traditionally to treat malaria patients in some Nigerian communities. The aqueous extract of the leaves at 200, 400 and 600 mg kg(-1) body weight/day dose levels were used to treat the test groups immediately after infection for the suppressive test and 72 hours post infection for the curative test while a standard antimalarial drug, Artesunate, at a dose of 50 mg kg(-1) body weight was administered on the positive control group. The negative control group was left untreated. The level of parasitemia, variation in weight, Percentage Packed Cell Volume (% PCV), erythrocytes (RBC) and leukocytes (WBC) counts in the different groups were monitored throughout the period of study. The crude extract was screened for its phytochemical composition. The crude extract at 200, 400 and 600 mg kg(-1) body weight/day suppressed parasitemia by 54.67, 61.25 and 61.24% after treating for four days in the suppressive test as against 72.32% for the standard drug while the level of parasitemia was reduced by 64.35, 66.71 and 67.13%, respectively after treating for five days in the curative test as against 71.87% for the standard drug. The variations in the values of Percentage Packed Cell Volume (% PCV), weight, leukocyte and erythrocyte counts for treated groups before and after treatment was not significant (p < 0.05). Alkaloids, flavonoids, tannins, glycosides, saponin, carbohydrate and phenols were found to be present in the crude extract. The findings of this study show that the use of Phyllantus amarus as antimalaria regimen by local medical practitioners does not adversely affect the weight and the haematological parameters determined.