Annals of African Medicine

Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) with oral desquamative lesions is one of the rare clinical entities. Periodontal disease and SLE display various mechanisms and possess a wide range of pathological characteristics. The tissue destruction mechanism of periodontitis and autoimmune diseases share similar pathways, and mounting reports studied the association between these two entities. The present case is of a 24-year-old female patient who complained of generalized widening of spaces in between the teeth. Along with it, She suffered from loss of hair, weakness, edema in the legs as well as arthralgia...

BACKGROUND: Studying mental disorders in children is significantly important due to the huge suffering of educational and psychosocial impairments in adult life. Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is considered the most common mental disorder in children, especially in early school-aged children. It manifests in about 8%-12% of children in the world. In Saudi Arabia, it affects 4%-12% of children. OBJECTIVE: The study aimed to count the number of undiagnosed ADHD cases and the associated risk factors in Eastern Province in Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA)...

INTRODUCTION: Resection of pancreatic tissue is necessary for many pancreatic diseases. The most common form of cancer, pancreatic duct adenocarcinoma, manifests with early metastases and is thought to be resistant to other currently known treatment regimens. Such tumors present a complex and difficult management and handling challenge for a surgeon. Surgical resection affords a better prognosis with a median survival of 14-20 months following resection and up to 25% 5-year survival rates...

BACKGROUND: Hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis (HLH) is a condition characterized by hyperinflammation. It can occur due to primary genetic defect or secondary to other etiology such as infection and rheumatological conditions. Clinical features include fever, cytopenia, organomegaly and several laboratory abnormalities. It can be a life-threatening condition secondary to worsening cytopenia and multiorgan dysfunction. AIMS AND OBJECTIVES: To study the clinical profile of HLH in a tertiary care hospital in Southern India...

INTRODUCTION: Six-min walk test (6MWT) is easy to use, the least expensive, and a quick measure of physical function and it reflects the capacity to perform our day-to-day activities hence quality of life can be assessed with 6MWT. This study was planned to assess the role of 6MWT in chronic respiratory disease patients and its association with spirometry-based functional grading at a rural tertiary care center of northern India. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This was a hospital-based cross-sectional study done between December 2019 and July 2021...

BACKGROUND: STOP-BANG questionnaire is an established tool for obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) screening. Its utility in predicting difficult airway has not been evaluated. We intend to assess difficulty in airway management and associated perioperative complications in patients with undiagnosed OSA using the STOP-BANG questionnaire. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We performed a prospective observational study on 250 patients with the American Society of Anesthesiologists Physical Status Class I-II, aged 18-65 years STOP-BANG score were recorded...

BACKGROUND: The rapidity of wound bed preparation is determined in part by the type of dressing agent employed. The extension phase in which the wound is characterized by the presence of sloughs and eschar and microbial invasion could be managed nonsurgically. OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study was to compare the rapidity of wound bed preparation using unripe papaya versus honey. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Sixty-four patients were assigned into two equal groups, each dressed, respectively, with unripe papaya or honey...

BACKGROUND: UTI is the most common nosocomial infection among hospitalized patients. Emerging increasing resistance has been observed among uropathogens of the family enterobacterales. Extended spectrum beta lactamase genes encode for multidrug resistance and unrestricted use of antibiotics in hospitals provides an environment for spread of infections with limited treatment options. This necessitates therapies based on culture and antimicrobial sensitivity to improve patients' outcomes We aimed to determine susceptibility pattern of ESBL uropathogens among hospitalized patients in Aminu Kano Teaching Hospital, Kano...

AIMS: Gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GISTs) are neoplastic lesions that primarily affect the digestive tract and develop from interstitial cells of Cajal. These lesions require histopathological and immunohistochemical characterization due to their malignant potential and personalized treatment. In this investigation, the sex, age, lesional sites of origin, histopathological types, the prevalence of human epidermal growth factor receptors (HER-2) expression, prognostic indices (based on tumor size and mitotic figures), expression of CD117 and DOG1, and characteristics of patients with GIST were all characterized...

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: Restorative proctocolectomy with ileal pouch-anal anastomosis (RPC-IPAA) is usually preferred surgical treatment for ulcerative colitis (UC). Although treated primarily medically, some refractory and complicated cases of UC may require surgical intervention. It eliminates chronic UC and the risk of colonic cancer. This research aims to study the risk factors associated with the development of postoperative complications. METHODOLOGY: For this cohort study, we included all the patients who underwent RPC-IPAA in the Department of Gastroenterology, Sheth Vadilal Sarabhai General Hospital, Ahmedabad, over 6 years...

PURPOSE: The purpose of the study is to evaluate choroidal thickness (CT) and the effect of age and gender in healthy Africans using enhanced depth imaging spectral-domain optical coherence tomography. MATERIALS AND METHODS: In 172 eyes of 88 volunteers, the CT in the central subfoveal (CSF) area and at 2.5 mm superior, inferior, nasal, and temporal quadrants was measured. Four eyes were excluded due to poor image quality and image decentration. Simple linear regression was used to measure the effect of age on CT, and statistical analysis was done using IBM SPSS Statistics version 22...

INTRODUCTION: Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is an infectious disease caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2. No drug has been generally approved as safe and effective for the treatment of COVID-19. Several therapeutic agents such as COVID Organics® (CVO) have been explored as treatment options. CVO is an herbal tea composed of 62% of Artemisia annua and 38% of other plants. There is presently no existing scientific report and data on the safety and efficacy of CVO herbal drug...

CONTEXT AND AIM: Given the challenges of microscopy, we compared its performance with SD-Bioline malaria rapid diagnostic test (MRDT) and polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and evaluated the time it took for positive results to become negative after treatment of children with acute uncomplicated malaria. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: We present the report of 485 participants with complete MRDT, microscopy, and PCR data out of 511 febrile children aged 3-59 months who participated in a cohort study over a 12-month period in rural and urban areas of Ibadan, Nigeria...

BACKGROUND: Various similarities have been observed between gingival crevicular fluid (GCF) and peri-implant sulcular fluid (PISF). This has resulted in research that has evaluated similar biological fluid markers that are similar to those present within the gingival sulcus. These biomarkers have high sensitivity and are a reliable biological tool when compared to clinical and/or radiographic examination and aid in diagnosis as well as monitoring the progression of periodontal disease surrounding teeth as well as the implants...

BACKGROUND: Hepatitis C virus (HCV) is a universally prevalent pathogen and a major cause of liver-related morbidity and mortality worldwide. The evolution of antiviral therapy for HCV has rapidly progressed from interferon (IFN)-based therapies to IFN-free combinations of direct-acting antivirals (DAAs). AIMS: This study aims to assess the response of DAAs in chronic hepatitis C (CHC) patients and to study the various factors affecting the response of DAAs in CHC...

BACKGROUND: Optical coherence tomography (OCT) is a noninvasive, frequently used imaging technology that enables detailed viewing of retina anatomy. It is used to monitor disease progression in retinitis pigmentosa (RP) eyes, including detecting changes in retinal thickness. PURPOSE: The purpose of the study is to determine the clinical presentation and macular morphology in RP eyes using OCT imaging. METHODS: A retrospective review of case records and OCT scans in eyes diagnosed with RP in two ophthalmic clinics in Nigeria...

BACKGROUND: Aplastic anemia (AA) is an uncommon condition characterized by pancytopenia and hypocellular bone marrow. Interleukin (IL)-6 and IL-8 have been shown to inhibit myelopoiesis and are major mediators of tissue damage. The primary goal of this study was to determine the IL-6 and IL-8 levels in children with AA, as well as their relationship to illness severity and immunosuppressive medication response. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The IL-6 and IL-8 levels were tested in 50 children aged 3-18 years who had AA...

BACKGROUND: Transthoracic echocardiography is a very helpful noninvasive cardiovascular imaging technique for the diagnosis and risk stratification in the management of patients with cardiovascular diseases. We aimed to review the clinical indications for transthoracic echocardiography and the confirmation rate of cardiovascular diseases by echocardiography at a specialist cardiac clinic in Ghana. METHODS: Using a cross-sectional study design, the echocardiography reports of all patients above the age of 15 who were assessed at the clinic were analyzed...

INTRODUCTION: Chronic osteomyelitis (Chr OM) may result as a sequel of acute hematogenous infection or following open fractures or orthopedic surgeries. Among various osteoarticular infections, Chr OM is one of the most challenging in terms of treatment. In the present study, we evaluate the outcome of antibiotic cement-coated nails in the treatment of chronic pyogenic osteomyelitis and also discuss the future innovations in field of antibiotic-compatible biomaterials for coating the implants...

AIM: The study explores the emergence of COVID-19 pandemic fatigue among well-educated Egyptians measured in terms of their level of adherence toward COVID-19 protective measures along 20 months since the beginning of the pandemic. SETTING AND DESIGN: A cross-sectional study was conducted in October 2021, using an online questionnaire for well-educated Egyptians in different governorates. RESULTS: A total of 888 participants completed the questionnaire, their mean age was 39 ± 7...