British Journal of Healthcare and Medical Research

Prevalence of Cryptococcal Infection among HIV Infected Patients Attending a Tertiary Hospital in South-west Nigeria

2026-02-12T18:29:02+00:00

Background: Cryptococcal infection is a fungal infection often found in immunocompromised patients like HIV – AIDS. The infection is found in 2-7 cases per 100,000 of HIV – AIDS patients with a 12% fatality in USA. Approximately 625,000 deaths globally are reported yearly from cryptococcal infection. Sub – Saharan Africa has been reported to have the highest Cryptococcal infection mortality in HIV – AIDS patients annually. Aim: This study was conducted to determine the prevalence of Cryptococcal infection among HIV infected patients attending a tertiary Hospital in Nigeria to serve as a template for the necessary interventions required to combat the menace of the high morbidity and mortality associated with Cryptococcal infection in people living with HIV-AIDS. Materials and Method: This is a retrospective cross- sectional review of a 5 years (2021-2025) hospital records. A pro forma was used in collecting data from the hospital records. Analysis was done using descriptive statistical tool of the statistical package of social sciences version 27 to obtain frequency, percentages and bar chart while T- test was used to obtain P values for incidence of Cryptococcal infection and gender distribution among the study population. The level of statistical significance was set at a predetermined P< 0.05. Results: The prevalence of cryptococcal infection among the HIV infected patients in this study was 11.8% which indicates that more than one in ten patients in this cohort had evidence of Cryptococcal infection, reflecting a considerable burden in the population. A statistically significant difference (P= 0.017) of Cryptococcal infection was found by gender with higher seroprevalence of 16.7 in female compared to 4.8% in males suggesting a gender based disparity in infection risk within the cohort. Conclusion: Cryptococcal infection is a very relevant opportunistic infection among HIV –infected patients in Nigeria with overall prevalence of 11.8 percent with statistically significant association with gender, females having higher prevalence.

Aging Immunity Microbiome Axis

2026-02-24T00:01:44+00:00

Human ageing influence immunity and modify microbiome. Ageing scientific workers have made three questions as; why ageing, why do we age, and how do we age. They evolve theories in trying to answer them. The concepts of; ageing, immunity and microbiome were elucidated. Ageing affect immunity , ageing affect microbiome. Mutual communications between these elements were bidirectional. The objective of the present opinion paper was to suggest and prove for an” Ageing-immunity-microbiome axis” through review current relevant publications and showcase analysis for an age human population. This suggested axis pathway starts as low grade inflammation, chronic low grade inflammation, inflamm-ageing , inflamma-immuno-ageing, immune senescence then microbiome modifications. Each of the tripartite elements of the axis affect and affected by the other via multiple bidirectional cross-talk communications.

Poor Eating Habits are the Primary Factor in Obesity -Induced NCD Vulnerability in Young Gabonese Adults

2026-02-04T16:11:36+00:00

We previously reported obesity as an important behavioural risk factor for chronic non-communicable diseases (NCDs), which are increasingly prevalent among young, active populations in Gabon (Ongali et al., 2020). However, which one among lifestyle and diet remains the most responsible for the development of obesity is still debated. Herein, we investigate the relative impact of sedentary lifestyles versus poor dietary habits on obesity development within a university setting. Our findings reveal obesity rates of 18% among male students and 27% among female students. The data highlight that while physical inactivity contributes to weight gain, poor dietary habits, characterized by high consumption of fast food and sugary beverages, alongside irregular meal patterns, are the predominant drivers. These results suggest that dietary choices are the primary factor increasing NCD vulnerability among young Gabonese adults. This study calls on public health authorities to carry out awareness campaigns and take steps to combat obesity among young people to prevent NCD.