Background Armed conflict between the militant Islamist group Boko Haram, other insurgents, and the Nigerian military has principally affected three states of northeastern Nigeria (Borno, Adamawa, Yobe) since 2002. An intensification of the conflict in 2009 brought the situation to increased international visibility. However, full-scale humanitarian intervention did not occur until 2016. Even prior to this period of armed conflict, reproductive, maternal, neonatal, and child health indicators were extremely low in the region. The presence of local and international humanitarian actors, in the form of United Nations agencies and non-governmental organizations, working in concert with concerned federal, state, and local entities of the Government of Nigeria, were able to prioritize and devise strategies for the delivery of health services that resulted in marked improvement of health status in the subset of the population in which this could be measured. Prospects for the future remain uncertain. Methods Interviews were conducted with more than 60 respondents from government, United Nations agencies, and national and international non-governmental organizations. Quantitative data on intervention coverage indicators from publicly available national surveys (Demographic and Health Surveys (DHS), Multiple Indicator Cluster Surveys (MICS)), National Nutrition and Health Surveys (NNHS)) were descriptively analyzed. Results Overall, indicators of low reproductive, maternal, neonatal, and child health (RMNCH) status and intervention coverage were found in the pre-intervention period (prior to 2016) and important improvements were noted following the arrival of international humanitarian assistance, even while armed conflict and adverse conditions persisted. Security issues, workforce limitations, and inadequate financing were frequently cited obstacles. Conclusion It is assumed that armed conflict would have a negative impact on the health status of the affected population, but pre-conflict indicators can be so depressed that this effect is difficult to measure. When this is the case, health sector intervention by the international community can often result in marked improvements in the accessible population. What might happen upon the departure of the humanitarian organizations cannot be predicted with an appreciable degree of certainty.

BackgroundMonkeypox (MPX) is endemic in Nigeria, but it was first reported in Adamawa state, North-Eastern Nigeria, in January 2022. There are currently 172 cases of MPX in Nigeria, with four reported deaths, and Adamawa has the second-highest case count. Therefore, this study was undertaken to evaluate the epidemiological profile of this viral disease.MethodsThis is a cross-sectional study. The skin and blood samples were screened for the presence for Monkeypox virus (MPXV) and Varicella Zoster virus (VZV) DNA by real-time PCR; the clinical diagnosis was based on symptoms of visual signs of skin lesions and other clinical symptoms from January to July 2022.ResultsA total of 33 suspected cases aged 1–57 years [26 (79%) males vs. 7 (21%) females] were screened for MPX and VZV. Twenty-four (72.7%) were positive (6.1% were MPX only, 39% were VZV only, and 27% were both MPX and VZV). Most cases of MPX (82%), VZV (69%) and MPX-VZV co-infection (78%) occurred in males. More than half (54%) of those infected were children and adolescents between 0 and 19 years. All patients experienced body rashes and itching, and other clinical symptoms included fever, headache, mouth sores, muscle aches and lymphadenopathy. Over 64 and 86% of patients had contact with livestock and rodents, respectively.ConclusionMPXV, VZV and MPXV-VZV co-infections occurred predominantly among males and children in Adamawa state, Nigeria. Given the patient contact with rodents and livestock, further research on the animal reservoir is needed to highlight the transmission of MPXV in Adamawa.

The current study determined the natural angiogenic molecules using an unbiased metabolomics approach. A chick chorioallantoic membrane (CAM) model was used to examine pro- and antiangiogenic molecules, followed by gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GCMS) analysis. Vessel formation was analyzed quantitatively using the angiogenic index ( p < 0.05). At embryonic day one, a white streak or circle area was observed when vessel formation begins. GCMS analysis and database search demonstrated that angiogenesis may initiate when oleic, cholesterol, and linoleic acids increased in the area of angiogenic reactions. The gain of function study was conducted by the injection of cholesterol and oleic acid into a chick embryo to determine the role of each lipid in angiogenesis. We propose that oleic acid, cholesterol, and linoleic acid are natural molecules that set the platform for the initiation stage of angiogenesis before other proteins including the vascular endothelial growth factor, angiopoietin, angiotensin, and erythropoietin join as the angiome in sprout extension and vessel maturation.

We determined the breast-feeding patterns, Vitamin A and Iron supplement intake between various age groups of pregnant women in Adamawa state, Nigeria. Of the 161 pregnant women screened for this study, 73% were from Njoboliyo (NJ) (n=118) while 27% from GD Chanrai Memorial hospital (CMH) (n=43). Of the 161 women from the two study sites, women within the 15-24 age brackets had the highest number of study participants (65) 40%. Two-thirds of the study participants take supplements of Iron and Vitamin A (68%) in both study sites, while (22%) in Njoboliyo and (20%) in CMH breast-feed their infants for more than 6months. The intake of iron and vitamin A was observed to be higher in women of age 25-34, but it was statistical not significant (P=0.12, DF=3, X 2 =0.65). Comparing breast-feeding patterns irrespective of age, we observed that 94.1% of the pregnant mothers breast-feed their infants as opposed to the 5.9% that do not breast-feed, but the pattern showed no significant relationship when compared across the various age groups (P=0.62, DF=3, X 2 =3.05). We therefore recommend that proper awareness campaign and seminars be put in place by the government to help enlighten pregnant women on the need to continue breast-feeding their infants even after 6months.

The study of the prevalence of malaria, in relation to interpersonal communication ownership amongst adults and pregnant women in Adamawa. A database was designed at the American University of Nigeria, in collaboration with the Federal Medical Center in Yola. The database comprised patient information on age, sex, and the species of malaria, parasitaemia levels and ownership of interpersonal communication. For females, pregnancy status was noted. Over fortythree percent of all 1126 patients screened had malaria. Infection levels due to Plasmodium falciparum and P. malariae were 42.7% and 0.9 % respectively, demonstrating a significant difference (p<0.05) between these two different parasite species. Of the adults 77.8 % did not own cell phones (p<0.05) and 34.3% were women as compared to 23.4% of men. Sixty three percent of the pregnant women had malaria. The percent of pregnant women in this study who did not have any form of personal telecommunication was over ninety percent which was highly significant (p<0.05). High levels of infections due to the more deadly parasite P. falciparum were observed with sporadic cases of P. malariae in this region, and distinct differences in phone ownership based on gender in adults. The analysis of the patient database confirms a direct correlation between the absence of cell phones and the high prevalence of falciparum malaria particularly in women including pregnant women. Furthermore, higher P. falciparum levels were observed in women in the later stage pregnancy in comparison to those in the early stages.