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Diagnostic Usefulness of Five Malaria Rapid Diagnostic Kits Compared with Stained Blood Smear Microscopy

O.G. Avwioro — 2025-12-31

Malaria is a major health challenge. The causative organisms are the plasmodium parasites which are transmitted to humans via infected female anopheles’ mosquitos. The gold standard for its diagnosis is light microscopy of stained blood films. This work determined the suitability of five types of malaria rapid diagnostic test (mRDT) kits; Carestart, First Response, SD Bioline, Meriscreen and NxTek as alternatives to microscopy. About 2ml venous blood was collected from each of 615 patients who showed symptoms of malaria. The blood samples were treated with the mRDKs and by microscopy using Giemsa, Leishman and Field’s stains. The results revealed that 535 (87%) had plasmodium parasites by light microscopy, while the five RDTs showed varying results. The percentage sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive values and negative predictive values were RDK 1 (89.5, 87.2, 97.9, 55.4), RDK 2 (92.6, 89.5, 98.3, 64.3), RDK 3 (90.1, 82.2, 97.1, 55.3), RDK 4 (89.1, 85.2, 97.6, 53.8) and RDK 5 (92.9, 83.0, 97.3, 63.6). The mean values were 90.8, 85.4, 97.7 and 58.1 respectively at 95% confidence level. False negative results in the RDTs were observed in low parasiteamia while false positive results were observed in some patients on medication, perhaps because of the presence of the malaria antigens after the parasites had been cleared from the blood stream. mRDKs are important alternatives to microscopy only in cases of emergencies and where facilities and trained personnel are not available. The results confirm the superiority of microscopy of stained smears to mRDKs.

Comparison of the Effect of Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation and Hot Pack on Dysmenorrhea amongst Female Interns in A Tertiary Health Facility in Nigeria

S.O. Bolarinde — 2025-12-31

Dysmenorrhea a painful menstrual cramp during menstruation is managed pharmacologically using non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs or hormonal contraceptives. However, concerns over side effects have led many to explore alternative therapies such as Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation and thermotherapy using Hydrocollator Pack. This study compared the effectiveness of Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation and Hydrocollator Pack on dysmenorrhea amongst female interns in Federal Medical Center, Owo. The study recruited 30 female interns into Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation (n=15) and Hydrocollator Pack (n=15) using a fish bowl sampling method. Data was collected using Numerical Pain Rating Scale an 11-point scale, from 0 to 10, (0 meaning “no pain” and 10 meaning “worst possible pain”) on 3 consecutive days of treatment for a period of 3 months. Statistical analysis was performed using IBM SPSS version 25 with alpha level set at 0.05. Result showed that, both interventions reduced pain, although within-group change across nine treatment days was not statistically significant for either Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation or Hydrocollator Pack (Friedman tests, p ≥.282). However, Hydrocollator Pack produced greater pain reduction than Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation at all timepoints (Holm-adjusted p ≤.05). Furthermore, comparative effect revealed that participants in Hydrocollator Pack group exhibited a significantly greater reduction in pain compared to the Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation group (p <.05). In conclusion, Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation and Hydrocollator Pack had a positive effect on dysmenorrhea in terms of pain reduction, however, Hydrocollator Pack demonstrated greater reduction in pain than Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation.

Patient Satisfaction and Perception of Healthcare Quality Among National Youth Service Corps Members Under the National Health Insurance Programme in Rivers State, South-South, Nigeria.

O.E. Daramola — 2025-12-31

Healthcare provision and access are essential for meeting individuals’ basic health needs. The Group, Individual and Family Social Health Insurance Programme–NYSC (GIFSHIP-n) was established to provide healthcare services to corps members. Assessing corps members’ satisfaction with services under the programme is important for evaluating quality of care, identifying gaps, and guiding improvements. This study assessed corps members’ satisfaction with the quality of care accessed through GIFSHIP-n in Rivers State, Nigeria, using a descriptive cross-sectional design and a self-administered online questionnaire (Google Forms). Descriptive statistics, including frequency tables and cross-tabulations were generated to summarise the data. Associations between socio-demographic characteristics and satisfaction were examined using regression analysis. A confidence limit of 95% was used and a p-value of less than 0.05 considered significant. A total of 697 corps members responded to the questionnaire, with a mean age of 25.7 ± 2.3 years. The overall mean satisfaction score was 76.4% ± 18.1. The highest satisfaction level was recorded for doctors’ consultation (83.6% ± 14.0), while the availability of prescribed drugs and waiting time recorded the lowest satisfaction levels: 71.9% ± 20.1 and 60.3% ± 22.6. Despite the high satisfaction levels in some aspects of care, many respondents expressed dissatisfaction with the unavailability of prescribed drugs and long waiting times. Hence, it is necessary to address these service delivery gaps to ensure sustainability, improve impact, and make GIFSHIP-n a model for expanding health insurance coverage across Nigeria.

Use Of Misoprostol in the Prevention and Treatment of Post Partum Haemorrhage Among Primary Health Care Workers in Zaria Metropolis, Kaduna State, Nigeria

H.A. Musa — 2025-12-31

Postpartum haemorrhage (PPH) is the most common cause of obstetric haemorrhage and the leading cause of maternal mortality in Nigeria. Injectable uterotonics such as oxytocin, ergometrine, and syntometrine are the conventional first-line drugs for the prevention and treatment of PPH. Misoprostol, an oral uterotonic approved by the Federal Ministry of Health in Nigeria, offers a practical alternative, especially in low-resource settings. This study aimed to assess the knowledge and use of misoprostol for the prevention and treatment of PPH among primary health care workers in Zaria Metropolis. A descriptive survey design was employed, involving 156 primary health care workers. Data were collected using a validated questionnaire and analyzed using descriptive statistics and chi-square tests. Results showed that only 31.3% of respondents had a high level of knowledge of misoprostol for PPH prevention and treatment. Slightly above one-third (38.3%) reported correct use of misoprostol for PPH prevention, while only 16.3% had used it correctly for treatment. Less than a quarter (23.3%) had received formal training on misoprostol use, and only 27.3% indicated that the drug was consistently available in their health facilities. A significant relationship was found between knowledge and correct use of misoprostol for both prevention and treatment of PPH (p < 0.0001). However, professional cadre did not significantly influence knowledge levels (p = 0.107). The study concludes that improved knowledge is associated with appropriate use of misoprostol and recommends increased training, supervision, and consistent drug availability to enhance PPH prevention and management.

Spousal Involvement in Postpartum Care and Health Related Quality of Life of Postpartum Women in Selected Hospitals in Ondo State

H.F. Alemeru — 2025-12-31

The study assessed the level of spousal involvement and health-related quality of life (HRQoL) among postpartum women in selected hospitals in Ondo State, Nigeria. A quantitative cross-sectional descriptive design was adopted. Data were collected from 386 postnatal women between January and May 2023 using a structured questionnaire and analyzed with SPSS version 28. Descriptive statistics (frequencies and percentages) summarized participants’ characteristics, while linear regression examined the association between spousal involvement and HRQoL at a 0.05 significance level. Most respondents were aged 26–35 years (53.6%), with a mean age of 33.5 years (SD = 0.7). The majority had two children (32.1%), were Christians (74.1%), and of Yoruba ethnicity (60.1%). About 6.0% had no formal education, 62.7% were self-employed, and 39.4% earned less than ₦30,000 monthly. Overall, 14.9% reported poor spousal involvement in postpartum care. HRQoL was generally high (77%), although 23% had low scores. The most common reason for limited spousal participation was distance from residence to the hospital (57.5%). Sociodemographic factors such as age, parity, religion, ethnicity, education, occupation, and income were significantly associated with spousal involvement. Spousal involvement was also significantly associated with HRQoL (F[2,384] = 281.95, p < 0.001, R = 0.651, R² = 0.423, Adjusted R² = 0.422, SE = 0.857). These findings underscore the need for targeted awareness and educational interventions to enhance spousal support and improve maternal well-being during the postpartum period.

Exploring the Impact of Cholesterol-Lowering Medications Versus Dietary Modification on Patient’s Health

H.O. Ojo — 2025-12-31

The liver makes cholesterol, which is a vital fat necessary for hormone synthesis, maintenance of cell membrane integrity, generation of bile acids, and the synthesis of vitamin D. A particularly high LDL level needs to be taken seriously due to its huge risk of causing atherosclerosis, heart attack, and stroke, despite the preventive effects of having ideal highs of HDL cholesterol levels. Managing hypercholesterolemia remains of utmost importance to deter cardiovascular ailments, including comorbidities like diabetes and hypertension. This study examines two main strategies for lowering cholesterol: medication and dietary changes. These cholesterol-lowering drugs include statins, PCSK9 inhibitors, bile acid sequestrants, fibrates, niacin, and cholesterol absorption inhibitors that, though proved to lower LDL cholesterol levels and prevent cardiovascular events with a probability of side effects, do have compliance issues. On the other hand, good dietary changes, such as decreasing trans fats and saturated fats and increasing soluble fiber consumption with good fats, in association with dietary guidelines like DASH and the Mediterranean diet, means an economically viable and holistic way of lipid profile improvement. A comparative review of both strategies weighs the advantages and disadvantages of the two approaches while portraying the influence on treatment decisions of patient characteristics, comorbidities, the medical practitioner's advice, and the severity of hypercholesterolemia.

Advances in Fingerprint Biometric Recognition for Modern Attendance Management: A State-of-the-Art Review

T.I. Adagbonyin — 2025-12-31

The manual attendance system has been in use for decades; however, shortcomings such as impersonation, ineffective manual record-keeping, and unreliable token-centric methodologies limit its application for this digital age. Biometric-based fingerprint technique is one of the recently evolving approaches developed to mitigate the shortcomings of manual attendance methods. It is on these premises that this current study examines the principal methodologies employed in fingerprint recognition, focusing on attendance management. Efforts were made to review the recent progress in preprocessing techniques such as normalization, segmentation, orientation estimation, ridge frequency analysis, and Gabor filtering. Also, feature extraction techniques like minutiae-based, ridge-based, and hybrid techniques were extensively analyzed. Furthermore, matching algorithms, performance metrics, and error quantification for evaluating the performance of biometric-based fingerprint systems were examined. The strengths, weaknesses, and associated bottlenecks with the biometric-based fingerprint technique, particularly the management of low-quality prints, scalability assurance, and robustness enhancement, were looked into. The outcome of this review opens up gaps for new research directions in the development of more reliable and efficient fingerprint-based attendance mechanisms.