FOREWORD: VOL. 2, ISSUE 2, 2021

You are welcome to the second issue of the second volume of Western Journal of Medical and Biomedical Sciences (WJMBS). This edition goes with the title: “N-acetyl-β-D-glucosaminidase[NAG] / creatinine ratio in the assessment of diabetic nephropathy” where the authors looked at other more convenient ways in early diagnostic and prognostic management of diabetes/diabetic nephropathy. The changing lifestyles tending towards sedentary and feeding habits tending towards more refined and highly processed foods among Africans in the Sub-saharan region has triggered an upsurge of Diabetes mellitus to epidemic level in the region and continues to rise yearly. This team of researchers sought to find out easy ways of detection of early kidney disease associated with Diabetes mellitus so as to halt progression of kidney damage to irreversible end-stage kidney disease. And they established that detection of elevated urinary NAG/Creatinine ratio is an early warning sign of kidney disease among patients with Diabetes nephropathy, hence calling for early intervention to save the kidney.
Dyslipidaemias have generally been known to be associated with the anti-retroviral drugs used in the management of HIV/AIDS disease and authors in a study in this edition sought to know the differences in the patterns of plasma lipid profile changes among HIV patients on antiretroviral medications and those not. They observed elevated serum cholesterol and High-Density Lipoprotein (HDL) levels as well as derangements in anthropometric parameters predisposing to obesity. This shows that morbidities and mortalities in HIV/AIDS patients may also be as a result of the metabolic effects of the drugs used in its management rather than the virus itself.
Postpartum haemorrhage (PPH) is still a common obstetric presentation at health centres across Nigeria, Africa and is indeed not uncommon in the developed parts of the world as well. In a study in this edition, a team of researchers set out to ascertain the incidence, maternal and perinatal outcomes of postpartum haemorrhage and its maternal outcome at a Federal Medical Centre in Nigeria. They found out that Primary PPH was the commonest presentation which was observed in about 85% of the cases, and that PPH was commoner in the unbooked patients. They then recommended early booking for all pregnant women to guard against this common complication.
There have been massive vaccination campaigns to bring down the rate of spread of COVID-19 across the globe, and this effort appears to be on the verge of being challenged now by the new SARS-CoV-2 variants as a result of its rapid mutations. We now have alpha, beta, gamma, kappa, delta variants among others but the most virulent of them all so far is the delta variant which has been causing localized epidemic spikes across the globe and has started developing resistance to the vaccines. It is our view that composition of future COVID-19 vaccines should strongly consider the possibility that vaccine escape is just by the corner. Also, the supply of vaccineS so far to Africa does not depict equity with a wide gap between the High income and the low-income countries. This lopsidedness in vaccine distribution should be corrected to guarantee the possibility of a world free from COVID-19 in the future.

Prof. Godwin TA JOMBO
Editor-in-Chief