ABSTRACT
Background: The World Health Organization's designation of Corona Virus Disease - 2019 (COVID-19) as a global pandemic in 2020 shocked the world. There is no known treatment for the virus, although the FDA has licensed several vaccines for its prevention; thus, desperation within society has resulted in a growing use of medicinal plant-based therapies, such as Azadirachta indica, Zingiber officinale, Allium sativum, Nigella sativa, and, Vernonia amygdalina among others, that have been claimed to alleviate COVID-19 symptoms. Aim: the study assessed the health risk of some heavy metals associated with the consumption of Z. officinale rhizome in some selected Local Government Areas of Akwa Ibom (Southern Nigeria) and Enugu (Eastern Nigeria) States, where consumption was increased significantly due to COVID-19 pandemic. Method: Atomic absorption spectroscopy was used to quantify the amount of heavy metals in Zingiber officinale following standard digestion procedures. Health Risk Assessment was conducted using Estimated Daily Intake, Target Hazard Quotient, Hazard Index, Carcinogenic Risk as well overall statistical analysis, to ascertain the long-term health potential risk of consuming Zingiber officinale herbal supplements. Result: The mean concentration of arsenic, cadmium, and lead in Z. officinale rhizome ranges from 0.001 to 0.942 mg/kg, 3.403 to 4.386 mg/kg, and 0.002 to 0.244 mg/kg, respectively, while that of mercury, and nickel all locations was 0.001 mg/kg, and 1.377 to 3.100 mg/kg, respectively. Conclusion: All heavy metals but arsenic and mercury were higher in concentration than the prescribed limit, hence possess are potential risks among these locations in the future. The hazard quotient (HQ) values of all heavy metals were <1 in all the samples, thus relatively safe to consume the plant but with caution to checkmate arsenic or mercury poisoning.

ABSTRACT
Background: In Nigeria, it is estimated that about 1.9 million people were living with HIV in 2019, with a national HIV prevalence of 1.4% among adults aged 15-49 years. HIV status disclosure and adherence to Highly Active Antiretroviral Therapy (HAART) medication is important for the prevention and control of HIV/AIDS. Several factors have been identified as being associated with increased adherence to HAART including HIV status disclosure. Disclosure of HIV status pose a great challenge in our society due to associated stigma and other negative consequences. The aim of this study was to explore the relationship between HIV status disclosure and adherence to HAART. Methods: The study was a cross-sectional analytical study involving 361 adults aged 18 years and above attending the Antiretroviral Therapy Clinic of the Federal Medical Centre Keffi. Subjects were randomly recruited by systematic random sampling. Informed consent was obtained and data on socio-demographic, HIV status disclosure, adherence to HAART and WHO clinical staging were collected using a structured pre-tested questionnaire. Data on viral load and CD4 cell count were determined through blood sample analysis. Results: Three hundred and sixty-one PLWHA were analysed, of whom 306(84.8%) had disclosed their HIV status. The mean age of the participants were 39.75 ± 10.00 years with majority aged between 30 to 39 (41.8%). Majority of the participants were female (301;83.4%) with male to female ratio of 1:5. Disclosure rate was more in males (54;90.0%) than females (252;82.4%). There was a significant association between HIV status disclosure and age (p-value=0.04), source of income (p-value= <0.001), use of contraceptive for females (p-value= <0.001), case manager (p-value= <0.001), perceived general state of health (p-value= <0.001) and plans for future pregnancy (p-value=0.030). Also, HIV status disclosure had a significant positive effect on adherence to HAART (p-value= <0.001). Participants who ...

ABSTRACT
Self-care of Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD) patients undergoing Hemodialysis (HD) at RSUD Prof. Dr. W.Z. Johannes Kupang has not been carried out optimally by patients. The low self-care of patients has an impact on the quality of life of patients which includes the domains of physical health, psychological, social relationships, and low spiritual environment. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to develop a social support-based self-care model to improve the quality of life of Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD) patients receiving Hemodialysis (HD). The research method used was an explanatory study to develop the model. The Phase I sample consisted of 115 patients, while Phase II involved 17 informants (patients, patients' families, health workers, religious leaders, and community leaders). Research variables include Basic Conditioning Factor (BCF), social support, care agency, self-care agency, self-care needs, self-efficacy, self-care management, and quality of life of CKD patients. The model development process was also supported by qualitative data obtained from Phase II through Focus Group Discussions. The results showed that the social support-based self-care model sourced from family, health workers, religious leaders, and community leaders can improve the quality of life of Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD) patients with Hemodialysis (HD) indirectly through self-efficacy variables. Therefore, it can be concluded that self-efficacy is very important in providing support and motivation to patients through their families and partners so that they can improve the quality of life of CKD patients undergoing hemodialysis.

ABSTRACT
Background: Sexually Transmitted Infections (STIs) pose a significant global public health challenge as they are a major cause of acute illnesses, infertility, disabilities and death among men and women, particularly among adolescents and young adults than any other age group. Objectives: This study assess the knowledge, preventive practices, and occurrence of sexually transmitted infections (STIs) among female undergraduate students. Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional study design was conducted among 415 respondents using the convenient sampling technique. Relevant data were collected using a semi structured questionnaire that covers aspects of the research objectives and all questionnaires were retrieved and analysed using descriptive and inferential at a p-value< 0.05 level of significance. Result: This study revealed that more than half (56.4%) of the respondents were between 21-25years of age and the mean ± S.D was 23.32 ± 4.285. Majority (84.6%) have a good knowledge, 9.2% have a fair knowledge and 6.3% have a poor knowledge; more than half (57%) of the participants demonstrated a good level of preventive practices. 12.8% of the respondents had ever contracted a sexually transmitted infection with gonorrhea being the most prevalent accounting for 67.9% of all cases. It was also deduced that the level of knowledge of respondents on STIs had no significant influence on their preventive practices with a p-value of 0.407. However, level of knowledge had a significant influence on occurrence of STIs among respondents with p-value of 0.017.

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Background: Androgenetic Alopecia (AGA) is a hereditary androgen-dependent disorder characterized by a gradual conversion of terminal hair into miniaturized hair with typical bitemporal recession and balding vertex and is considered the most common type of baldness characterized by progressive hair loss. Aims and objectives: This study evaluated the testosterone and Dehydroepiandrosterone Sulfate (DHEA-S) in males with androgenetic alopecia. Methods: This case control study was carried out in the department of Dermatology & Venereology, Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University (BSMMU), Dhaka during the period of January 2024 to December 2024. A total of 70 patients with androgenetic alopecia and without history of androgenetic alopecia were included in the study. The study had 35 male patients presenting with patterned hair loss were recruited as AGA group, whereas 35 had age and sex-matched with no evidence of hair loss were recruited as control group. Serum FSH, LH, prolactin, testosterone, SHBG, DHEA-S and free androgen index were estimated. Results: In this study, the mean age was 25.7±2.7 years in AGA group and 25.3±2.5 years in control group. The mean BMI was 26.6±2.5 kg/m2 in AGA group and 26.0±2.7 kg/m2 in control group. The difference were not statistically significant (p>0.05) between AGA and control groups. Mean serum LH (7.6±1.5 vs. 4.7±1.4 µIU/mL; P =0.001), serum prolactin (14.0±3.8 vs. 10.8±4.4 ng/ml; P =0.001), serum testosterone (6.5±1.9 vs. 5.2±2.0 ng/ml; P =0.005), DHEA-S (297.0±11.7 vs. 260.9±14.7 µg/dl) and free androgen index (72.5±30.8 vs. 49.2±27.1; P =0.001) are significantly increased in AGA group than control groups. The mean serum FSH (3.9±1.5 vs. 5.5±2.5 µIU/mL; P =0.002) and SHBG (23.4±6.2 vs. 29.2±9.6 nmol/l; P =0.004) are significantly decreased in AGA group than control groups. Conclusion: This study was concluded that serum LH, prolactin, serum testosterone, DHEA-S and free androgen index are increased whereas, serum FSH and ...

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Background: The WHO highlights that barriers to reporting GBV include fear of stigma, lack of confidence in justice systems, and inadequate support service. Cultural norms and inadequate legal protections further hinder GBV reporting and support in this setting. Gender-based violence is a threat to public health and affects women and girls in different ways and forms. Women and girls around the world are often the targets — either directly or caught in the crossfire of inter-communal violence. They also bear the brunt of economic pressures through displacement, loss of livelihood, and property destruction, or the loss of household breadwinners because of the violence. This study delved from awareness to barriers of reporting prevalence and forms of gender based violence among adolescents in conflict settings of Southern Kaduna. Methodology: The research utilizes a cross-sectional design with simple random and convenient sampling technique among adolescents who were chosen from secondary schools, community, churches, mosques, and youth clubs at a particular time providing a snapshot of forms of gender-based violence among adolescents in conflict areas using Zangon-Kataf. Data were amassed via structured questionnaires, analyzed using SPSS. Results: Findings were presented through percentages in tables. Results revealed that a majority of adolescents or respondents reported having experienced GBV at some point in their lives. The findings of this study underscore that while a certain percentage of respondents reported not experiencing GBV in the past year, a significant proportion experienced it rarely, occasionally, or frequently. This suggests that GBV is an ongoing issue in the community, with many individuals experiencing repeated instances of violence. Furthermore, the study disclosed that the community was identified as the most frequent location for GBV incidents, followed by the workplace and home. In addition, physical violence was cited as the most ....

ABSTRACT
Prediabetes is a significant metabolic disorder associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD). Identifying cardiovascular risk factors in individuals with prediabetes is crucial for early intervention and prevention strategies. This study aimed to assess the prevalence and distribution of cardiovascular risk factors among newly diagnosed prediabetes patients and their associations with different prediabetes subtypes. A cross-sectional study was conducted among 100 newly diagnosed prediabetes patients at a tertiary care center in Bangladesh. Prediabetes was classified into four subgroups: isolated impaired fasting glucose (IFG), isolated impaired glucose tolerance (IGT), both IFG and IGT, and isolated HbA1c-defined prediabetes, based on the American Diabetes Association (ADA) 2017 criteria. Cardiovascular risk factors, including body mass index (BMI), central obesity, hypertension, dyslipidemia, and microalbuminuria, were assessed. Statistical analyses were performed to compare risk factor prevalence among the subgroups. Dyslipidemia (98%), central obesity (90%), and metabolic syndrome (69%) were the most prevalent cardiovascular risk factors. Family history of diabetes (51%) and cardiovascular disease (33%) were also common. The IFG group exhibited the highest prevalence of dyslipidemia (100%), metabolic syndrome (85.7%), and hypertension (42.9%), though differences across subgroups were not statistically significant. A significant correlation was found between spot urinary albumin-creatinine ratio and 2-hour plasma glucose levels (p = 0.002). Cardiovascular risk factors are highly prevalent in prediabetes, emphasizing the need for early screening and targeted interventions to prevent disease progression and reduce future CVD burden.