Ionised serum calcium reference interval among rural women of reproductive age in Abuja, Nigeria

Background

Various medical conditions in pregnancy may be traced to suboptimal levels of serum calcium during pregnancy. Communities' derivation of normal serum calcium reference interval is imperative.

Objective

The objective was to determine the normal free (ionised) serum calcium reference interval among women of reproductive age in the federal capital territory (FCT) of Nigeria.

Materials and Methods

This was a cross-sectional study of 240 women from six primary health-care facilities in Abuja, Nigeria. Their blood samples were collected in serum separator bottles. The outcome measure was the determination of the reference interval of free (ionised) serum calcium among the participants.

Results

The obtained normal reference interval of ionised serum calcium (iCa) was 0.88-1.4 mmol/L. The accompanying reference intervals for total protein and albumin were 5.7-9.4 mg/dl and 3.3-5.2 mg/dl, respectively.

Conclusion

The derived reference interval of iCa in this study was 0.88-1.4 mmol/L, while the total calcium range was 2.18-2.82 mmol/L. These intervals are recommended for use in the Nigerian FCT and its environs as it provides lower intervals compared to the operational values. There is a need for a national derived value as this may change the practice.

Development, Evaluation, and Implementation of a Pan-African Cancer Research Network: Men of African Descent and Carcinoma of the Prostate

PURPOSE

Cancer of the prostate (CaP) is the leading cancer among men in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). A substantial proportion of these men with CaP are diagnosed at late (usually incurable) stages, yet little is known about the etiology of CaP in SSA.

METHODS

We established the Men of African Descent and Carcinoma of the Prostate Network, which includes seven SSA centers partnering with five US centers to study the genetics and epidemiology of CaP in SSA. We developed common data elements and instruments, regulatory infrastructure, and biosample collection, processing, and shipping protocols. We tested this infrastructure by collecting epidemiologic, medical record, and genomic data from a total of 311 patients with CaP and 218 matched controls recruited at the seven SSA centers. We extracted genomic DNA from whole blood, buffy coat, or buccal swabs from 265 participants and shipped it to the Center for Inherited Disease Research (Baltimore, MD) and the Centre for Proteomics and Genomics Research (Cape Town, South Africa), where genotypes were generated using the UK Biobank Axiom Array.

RESULTS

We used common instruments for data collection and entered data into the shared database. Double-entered data from pilot participants showed a 95% to 98% concordance rate, suggesting that data can be collected, entered, and stored with a high degree of accuracy. Genotypes were obtained from 95% of tested DNA samples (100% from blood-derived DNA samples) with high concordance across laboratories.

CONCLUSION

We provide approaches that can produce high-quality epidemiologic and genomic data in multicenter studies of cancer in SSA.

Knowledge and treatment practices of malaria among mothers and caregivers of children in an urban slum in Jos, Nigeria

BACKGROUND

Malaria is a public health problem in more than 90 countries, inhabited by a total of 2.4 billion people, representing about 40% of the world's population. Major trends over the last few decades point to a worsening situation if effective action is not taken. Sadly, this is in spite of enormous efforts and resources that have been invested in its control. The objective of this study was to describe the level of knowledge of malaria as a disease and the practice of its treatment by mothers and caregivers of under five children in Gangare, an urban slum of Jos City, Nigeria.

METHODOLOGY

A cross-sectional descriptive study design, a cluster sampling technique and an interviewer administered questionnaire were used to collect information on socio demographic profiles as well as knowledge and treatment practices of malaria from mothers and caregivers of under five children in Gangare, Jos North Local Government Area of Plateau State, central Nigeria. The data was then analyzed using Epi info2002 epidemiological software.

RESULTS

The study revealed a low level of knowledge of malaria with 248 (49.6%) being able to recognize the disease and only 124 (24.9%) attributing it to the mosquito bite. The attitude of most respondents towards malaria as an illness was however good as 275 (55%) viewed it as a very serious illness and most of them 328 (65.6%) would use hospitals/clinics for treatment. Majority of them; 462 (92.4%) have not heard of Artemisinin Combination Therapy (ACT) and only 19 (50%) of those who had heard of ACT had ever used it for the treatment of malaria. Generally their knowledge of malaria and treatment seeking practice are influenced by cost of treatment, perceived safety and level of their education. (p < 0.05).

CONCLUSION

Among mothers and caregivers living in slums in Jos, their ability to recognize malaria is poor. So also is their awareness and use of Artemisinin Combination Therapy. An improvement in their level of education and their economic power could improve their knowledge and treatment practices.