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Objectives: Hematologic abnormalities, indicated by a deranged full blood count, are common manifestations and important prognostic tools for human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection and AIDS. This study aimed to determine the prevalence of cytopenia and its relationship to the degree of immunosupression in HIV treatment-naïve patients. Methods: This was a cross-sectional study of treatment-naïve HIV-infected clients who enrolled at the HIV clinic of Lagos State University Teaching Hospital (LASUTH) between December 2009 and June 2010. Participants had samples taken for full blood count and CD4 counts, which are free routine pre-requisite and pre-treatment evaluations done for all registered HIV patients at LASUTH. They were asked to fill the structured questionnaires to obtain demographic data, with assistance if necessary. Results: A total of 205 cases were reviewed: 24.2% had anemia (PCV , 30%), 26.8% had leucopenia (white blood cell ,4,000/L) and 16.1% had thrombocytopenia (platelet count ,150,000/L) at enrollment. The degree of cytopenia was directly related to the degree of immunosupression. Conclusion: About one-fifth of HIV treatment-naïve patients were cytopenic at enrollment and the degree of cytopenia was directly related to the degree of immunosupression. It is necessary to investigate various causes of cytopenia in these patients so as to administer a specific intervention.

Background: Depression among adolescents has been recognized as a public health problem all over the world. In Nigeria, as in most developing countries, there is a need for more research on the epidemiology of adolescent depression as this will guide prevention, diagnosis and treatment. Objectives: The study sought to determine the one month prevalence and predictors of depression among a sample of in-school adolescents in a rural region in South West Nigeria. Materials and Methods: This was a cross sectional descriptive survey among 540 secondary school students randomly selected from the six secondary schools in the study area using a Socio demographic Questionnaire and the Patient Health Questionnaire modified for Adolescents. Subsequently, a proportion of them were interviewed with the Kiddies Schedule for Affective Disorders and Schizophrenia. Results: Data were analyzed using the SPSS version 17. Respondents were aged 10 -19 years (mean age was 14.07 ± 1.84). The one month prevalence of depression among the study population was 16.3% (using weighting method). Logistic regression analysis showed that death of a mother (OR = 11.786, 95% CI, 1.990 -23.184), being from a polygamous family (OR = 5.781, 95% CI, The one month prevalence of adolescent depression within the study population is slightly higher than what has been reported in other parts of the world. Therefore, there is a need for government to design and implement policies which can help to prevent, detect early, and treat depression among youths especially in rural areas.

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BackgroundThe degree of alcohol use influences one's mental health and psychological wellbeing. Psychological well-being of health workers, however, is crucial to the quality of care their patients receive.AimsThe aim of this study was to determine the pattern of alcohol use and factors associated with psychological well-being of health care workers at a University Teaching Hospital.MethodsThis was a cross sectional survey of health workers in the medical and surgical specialties at the State University Teaching Hospital in Nigeria. Socio-demographic questionnaire, the 10-items Alcohol Use Identification Test (AUDIT) and the 12-items General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-12) were used to assess socio-demographic, alcohol use and psychological well-being of the participants. Statistical analyses were done using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 16. Appropriate statistical tools were used to determine relationships between various variables.ResultsA total of 256 participants were interviewed. Fifteen (5.9%) of the respondents were either hazardous or harmful drinkers. Psychological distress was reported among 17.2% of the respondents and this was significantly associated with marital status, years of practice, specialty of practice, presence of ongoing chronic illness, current stressors and level of alcohol use.ConclusionA high proportion of the participants in the study were abstainers and a significant number were experiencing psychological distress. Psychological distress was however found to be significantly associated with harmful alcohol use, some socio-demographic variables, and work related factors. Efforts should be geared towards identifying these factors so as to ensure effectiveness and well-being of health workers.