This maiden edition of the Western Journal of Medical and Biomedical Sciences (WJMBS)  goes with the title “COVID-19 Pandemic, a disease stretching Medical knowledge and Innovations beyond limit”  is coming at a time all the countries of the world are facing a serious medical emergency with no solution at hand yet-SARS-Cov 2 viral disease. The doors and vaults of Pharmacy shops across the globe have literally been thrown open in search for a drug to bring this pandemic to an end. From a review study in this issue, the authors found no suitable drug to treat the disease at present, and that the heavy casualties recorded by the disease across the globe have not allowed adequate time for research into potentially effective drugs. Also, authors have looked into pulmonary and extra-pulmonary manifestations of COVID-19 and came to the conclusion that physicians should be on alert and open-minded as the disease could mimic any clinical entity. They went further to state that COVID-19 is still evolving and we may witness other yet-to-be documented features outside gastrointestinal, neurologic, cardiovascular, ophthalmic, and olfactory features. 

Laparoscopic surgery among patients with liver cirrhosis has always been an issue of serious skepticism among surgeons for fear of uncontrollable bleeding among these patients. In a study researchers looked at the potential benefits vis-à-vis the complications of laparoscopic surgery in patients with liver cirrhosis. They found out that the benefits of this procedure for diagnostic, therapeutic and prognostic purposes far outweigh the perceived complications of the procedure, and they went ahead to recommend it on patients with liver cirrhosis among surgeons. Gastrointestinal endoscopy is not a new procedure among the arsenals of clinical procedures worldwide, however, its rate of utilization and the purposes appear to be generally low in Sub-Saharan Africa, Nigeria inclusive. In a study, the authors looked at the utilization of gastrointestinal endoscopy in a semi-urban community in Nigeria and found out that economic and social factors hampered full utilization of potential benefits of this procedure, and that the procedure was adjudged safe. The range of procedures performed included both diagnostic and therapeutic such as oesophagogastroduodenoscopy, colonoscopy; sclerotherapy, polypectomy , band ligation, foreign body retrieval and endoscopic mucosal resection.  Acute infectious purpura fulminans ia a rapidly progressive infectious disease culminating in disseminated intravascular coagulation requiring a prompt advanced medical intervention. Mortalities are generally high in poor resource-restrained settings due to lack of appropriate facilities. The authors presented a case of Acute infectious purpura fulminans in a two-year-old child which was successfully managed in the midst of resource and facility constraints, thus demonstrating ingenuity in clinical practice. Other quite interesting articles on alcohol addiction, domestic violence, and innovative healthcare technologies in otorhinolaryngological practice among others are also available for our education and reading delight.
This is the first double-blind, peer-review scientific journal coming out of University of Medical Sciences, Ondo-City, Nigeria and I thank the Senate of the University for approving the immediate commencement of this journal.  I also thank the Dean, Faculty of Basic Clinical Sciences Professor Michael S. Odimayo who served as a link between University management and the journal editorial board to ensure that work was sustained without hitches.  I hereby congratulate all the authors who have made history by going through a rigorous review process and their articles found suitable for publication in this maiden edition of the journal. Our desire is to continue to publish high impact research articles borne out of sound scientific researches in all fields of medicine and allied sciences so as to continue to contribute to and improve on the existing body of knowledge.  I, therefore, call on all researchers, faculty members and scientific authorities to partner with us by offering useful counsels, advice, guides and outright criticisms that will help us improve on the subsequent editions of the journal.
On behalf of the resilient and hard-working editorial board and our dedicated reviewers who despite the challenges posed by COVID-19 remained focused to see to the completion of this edition I, welcome and usher you into the world of WJMBS.

Prof. Godwin TA JOMBO
Editor-in-Chief