Prevalence, Pattern and Effect of Intimate Partner Violence against Women in Abeokuta, South West Nigeria.

BACKGROUND: The world over, women are victims of violence in close and intimate relationships where they are expected to be safe and protected. Intimate partner violence (IPV) significantly impacts the physical and mental well-being of those affected. This study assessed the prevalence, pattern and effects of IPV amongst women in Abeokuta South Local Government Area (LGA) of Ogun State, South West Nigeria. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This community-based cross-sectional study was carried out in Abeokuta - South LGA in Ogun State. Data were collected from 339 women in intimate relationships using a structured interviewer-administered questionnaire. Ethical approval (HPRS/381/471) was obtained from the Ogun State Ministry of Health Ethical Review Committee. Analysis was done using IBM® SPSS version 23, and results were presented in frequencies and proportions using tables and charts. RESULTS: About three-quarters (73.2%) of the 339 respondents had experienced one form of IPV. Psychological/emotional violence, 224 (66.1%), and physical violence, 161 (47.5%), were the study's most commonly reported forms of violence. Amongst those affected, 186 (54.9%) were 'insulted', 87 (25.7%) were 'embarrassed in public' and another 124 (36.6%) were slapped. The effects of IPV reported were bruises/lacerations, unwanted pregnancies, sexually transmitted infections and attempted suicide. CONCLUSION: The prevalence of IPV of all forms were high in the studied population. Therefore, the government needs to create more awareness of the problem and promote investments in women's empowerment to reverse this trend.

Sex Influences Genetic Susceptibility to Depression-Like Behaviors in Chronic Unpredictable Mild Stress-Exposed Wistar Rats.

Depression is one of the most common mood disorders among psychiatric diseases. It affects about 10% of the adult population. However, its etiopathogenesis remains poorly understood. Exploring the dynamics of stress-susceptibility and resilience will help in understanding the molecular and biological mechanisms underlying the etiopathogenesis of depression. This study aimed to determine the differences and/or similarities in factors responsible for susceptibility to depression-like behaviors in male and female Wistar rats subjected to chronic unpredictable mild stress (CUMS). Sixty Wistar rats (30 male and 30 female) weighing between 120 and 150 g were used for this study. The rats were divided into two sub-groups: control (10) and test (20) groups. Rats in the test groups were subjected to CUMS. Depression-like behaviors were assessed using light-dark box, sucrose preference, and tail suspension tests. Rats that showed depression-like behaviors following the behavioral tests (CUMS-susceptible group) were sacrificed, and their hippocampi were excised. Genomic deoxyribonucleic acid (gDNA) was purified from the hippocampal samples. Purified gDNA was subjected to whole genome sequencing (WGS). Base-calling of sequence reads from raw sequencing signal (FAST5) files was carried out, and variants were called from alignment BAM files. The corresponding VCF files generated from the variant calling experiment were filtered. Genes were identified, their impacts estimated, and variants annotated. Functional enrichment analysis was then carried out. Approximately 41% of the male and 49% of the female rats subjected to CUMS showed significant (p < 0.05) depression-like behaviors following assessment on behavioral tests. WGS of the hippocampal DNA revealed 289,839 single nucleotide polymorphisms variant types, 7002 insertions, and 34,459 deletions in males, and 1,570,186 single nucleotide polymorphisms variant types, 109,860 insertions, and 597,241 deletions in female Wistar rats. Three genes with high-impact variants were identified in male and 22 in female Wistar rats, respectively. In conclusion, female Wistar rats are more susceptible to depression-like behaviors after exposure to CUMS than males. They also have more gene variants (especially high-impact variants) than male Wistar rats.

Comparison of Zuspan regimen and its 12-hour modification in women with severe pre-eclampsia and eclampsia in two hospitals in Abeokuta.

BACKGROUND: Hypertensive disorders in pregnancy (HDP) are leading causes of maternal mortality (with severe pre-eclampsia/eclampsia [SPE/EC] being causes of death). Magnesium sulphate (MgSO4) has proven to be the drug of choice for SPE/EC management. However, its availability and cost remain a drawback to its use in developing countries. This study aimed to compare Zuspan regimen with its 12-hour modification for SPE/EC management in two major hospitals in Abeokuta, Ogun state, South Western Nigeria. METHODS: A randomized controlled trial of non-inferior parallel design carried out at Federal Medical Centre and Sacred Heart Hospital, Abeokuta involving 148 consenting women who were randomized into two groups A and B. Both groups had 4 g loading dose of MgSO4, but the duration of maintenance was reduced to 12-hours in Group A (intervention) while Group B received the standard Zuspan regimen (control). Outcome measures were the occurrence/recurrence of convulsions (primary), maternal side effects and perinatal outcomes (secondary). RESULTS: There was no statistically significant difference in the occurrence/recurrence of seizures between the two groups for both SPE/EC. No signs of maternal toxicity were observed in both arm of the study. There were no statistically significant differences in the perinatal/neonatal death and Apgar scores at 1 and 5 min. However, there was a significant increase in the number of days on admission in the control group of those neonates delivered to mothers with eclampsia. CONCLUSION: A 12-hr modification of Zuspan regimen was found to be non-inferior to the standard Zuspan regimen in the management of SPE/EC.