The Imo State University (IMSU) in Owerri, Imo State, Nigeria was established in 1981 through law No. 4 passed by the Imo State House of Assembly.The university admitted the first intake of 392 pioneer students on 23 October, 1981.After the creation of Abia State in 1991, the Uturu campus of the university became the Abia State University.Imo State University is a fully functional university. Most of the programmes of the university have obtained full accreditation from National Universities Commission (NUC) of Nigeria.The result of the 1999/2000 accreditation exercise of the National Universities Commission (NUC) confirmed the high rate and acceptance of the university by the Nigerian public. The university was ranked first among all state universities in Nigeria and the 10th overall among both state and federal universities. Imo state indigenes in Imo State University were granted free education during the tenure of the then Governor Rochas Okorocha but the programme stopped in 2016. This was announced by the Acting Vice Chancellor of IMSU, Professor Adaobi Obasi through the Registrar, Professor Emeka Ejinkonye, who stated that the students of Imo origin would henceforth pay a token for certain services in the school.Imo State University at Owerri was temporary accommodated within the campus of Alvan Ikoku Federal College of Education from May to December 1992.[citation needed] The University later moved to its own premises of four building within the Federal University of Technology Owerri, at the Lake Nwaebere Campus. At the translocation of the Federal University to the permanent site, Ihiagwa near Owerri, the Lake Nwaebere Campus of that university was then acquired for Imo State University. The first batch of students was allocated to the Imo State University by JAMB in February 1993. The National Universities Commission also formally approved the re-establishment of the University in 1992 at the Lake Nwaebere Campus.[citation needed] Today, Imo State University has many Faculties and Departments that graduate students every year. The University produces First Class, Second Class and Third Class graduates. These students are absorbed into the labour force after going through one your National Youth Service Corps (NYSC). The best graduated students are usually given award and automatic employment in the university.Consequently, the government of Chief Evan Enwerem, in April, 1991 did not waste time in filling the vacuum by re-establishing the University in Owerri. Two options were considered by the government in the re-establishment of Imo State University at Owerri. The first option was to move at once, all staff and students at the various stages of their programmes in Uturu who want to remain in Imo State University, now in Owerri. The second option was to rebuild the University at Owerri over specified period of time. The second option was adopted after various constitutions by government then, and a target period of five years within which to complete re-establishment of the University at Owerri was considered. Professor T. O. C. Ndubizu, Deputy Vice-Chancellor, University of Nigeria, Nsukka was then appointed the Vice-Chancellor with the responsibility of relocating and re-establishing Imo State University.
Neonatal sepsis (NS) remains a cardinal cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide, disproportionately affecting neonates in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). Blood culture, the current diagnostic reference standard, is burdened by prolonged turnaround times and the pervasive phenomenon of culture-negative sepsis, a limitation compounded by antenatal antibiotic exposure in mothers rather than representing an intrinsically poor tool. Conventional biomarkers, including C-reactive protein (CRP), procalcitonin, and lactate, are time-dependent in their rise and require integration with clinical context and professional experience to yield meaningful diagnostic value. These limitations create a persistent window of diagnostic uncertainty during which adverse outcomes may compound, and it is precisely in this gap that artificial intelligence (AI) offers supplementary clinical value. This structured narrative review synthesizes published literature on AI, machine learning (ML), and deep learning (DL) applications for NS prediction. Evidence was drawn from peer-reviewed studies identified through a structured search of the PubMed, Google Scholar, and IEEE Xplore databases, retrieving approximately 430 records in total, of which 44 studies met inclusion criteria following title and abstract screening and full-text review. The review incorporated both early-onset sepsis (EOS) and late-onset sepsis (LOS) prediction models, with particular attention to algorithm design, validation methodology, and clinical integration. AI-based models demonstrate substantial discriminative performance when evaluated alongside but not in place of existing clinical tools. Ensemble tree-based classifiers for EOS, including CatBoost (Categorical Boosting) and XGBoost (Extreme Gradient Boosting), report area under the receiver operating characteristic curves (AUROCs) exceeding 0.95 in retrospective cohorts (95% confidence intervals not reported in source studies). Continuous physiological monitoring models for LOS achieve AUROC values of 0.81 to 0.90, with early warning signals emerging 6 to 12 hours before clinical deterioration. The HeRO (Heart Rate Observation) monitor, a validated heart rate characteristics system, produced a statistically significant 22% relative reduction in mortality in a prospective randomized controlled trial. Nevertheless, most studies remain retrospective, single-center, and deficient in external validation, limiting confidence in real-world generalizability. AI holds transformative potential as a clinical decision-support adjunct for NS prediction, offering early risk stratification that complements rather than supplants the clinician's judgment and existing diagnostic tools. Realizing this potential demands prospective multicentric validation, context-sensitive model development for LMICs, advances in explainable AI, and robust regulatory and ethical frameworks. The goal is an equitable, globally applicable partnership between AI and the clinician.
Background: Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) and rheumatoid arthritis (RA) are chronic systemic autoimmune conditions that can impact peripheral blood cells through immune dysregulation, inflammation, organ involvement and treatments. There is still a lack of comparative haematological information on populations of sub-Saharan Africa. Methods: This was a cross-sectional study which included 120 patients 40 apparently healthy controls, 40 patients with RA and 40 patients with SLE. Haemoglobin concentration, packed cell volume (PCV) and total white blood cell (WBC) count and platelet count were determined. Independent-samples t-test and one-way analysis of variance were used for between-group comparisons. A p value less than 0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results: Mean haemoglobin concentration was lower in SLE (9.71 ± 0.48 g/dL) and RA (9.98 ± 0.22 g/dL) than in controls (13.63 ± 0.26 g/dL), while PCV was also reduced in SLE (30.00 ± 1.69%) and RA (30.85 ± 1.23%) compared with controls (41.65 ± 1.14%). Mean WBC count was highest in RA (9.78 ± 0.30 ×109/L), followed by SLE (7.11 ± 0.51 ×109/L) and controls (6.08 ± 0.15 ×109/L). Platelet count showed the greatest divergence, being lowest in SLE (98.35 ± 6.12 ×109/L), highest in RA (265.25 ± 7.86 ×109/L), and intermediate in controls (223.25 ± 5.68 ×10⁹/L). Overall group differences were significant for haemoglobin (F = 839.200), PCV (F = 448.984), WBC (F = 585.767) and platelet count (F = 3439.374), all p < 0.001. Conclusion: Both SLE and RA had a significant anaemic pattern while the leukocytes and platelets showed significant differences. This research provides further evidence for the need to use routine haematological monitoring in the clinical assessment of systemic autoimmune disease and the importance of recognising that abnormal counts should be used in conjunction with the activity of disease, treatment history and other possible causes.
Background Hypertension is a leading cause of cardiovascular morbidity and mortality worldwide and is increasingly recognized among young adults. University students are often exposed to risk-related behaviours such as physical inactivity, unhealthy diets, alcohol and caffeine intake, poor sleep, and academic stress. However, hypertension awareness, screening practices, and previous diagnosis among students remain underdescribed in many Nigerian university settings. Objective To assess self-reported hypertension, awareness, knowledge, and risk-related lifestyle and psychosocial factors among final-year undergraduate students at the University of Nigeria. Methods A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted among 317 final-year undergraduate students selected through multistage sampling. Data were collected using a structured self-administered questionnaire assessing sociodemographic characteristics, family history, hypertension awareness and knowledge, lifestyle patterns, and stress-related factors. The primary outcome was a self-reported previous diagnosis of high blood pressure. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and chi-square tests, with significance set at p < 0.05. Results The mean age of participants was 23.94 ± 2.00 years, with most aged 20–25 years. Awareness of hypertension was high, as 90.5% had heard of hypertension and 93.1% demonstrated good awareness. However, only 57.7% had ever checked their blood pressure, and 11.4% reported a previous diagnosis of high blood pressure. Knowledge gaps persisted, with fewer than half correctly identifying <120/80 mmHg as a normal blood pressure reading. Risk-related behaviours were common, including low physical activity, frequent intake of salty and fatty foods, caffeine or energy drinks, short sleep duration, and late-night eating. Academic stress was also substantial, with 40.4% reporting very high semester stress. Conclusion Self-reported hypertension was notable among final-year students despite their young age. High awareness coexisted with knowledge gaps and widespread risk-related behaviours, highlighting the need for routine screening, targeted health education, healthier campus food environments, and accessible stress-management services.
Childhood obesity is an increasing public health concern in Nigeria, yet evidence on locally used control strategies and the barriers to implementation remains fragmented. This systematic review examined strategies for controlling childhood obesity in Nigeria and the social, cultural and economic factors that affect their effectiveness. Seven academic databases (CINAHL, PubMed, Cochrane, Medline, ScienceDirect, Scopus, and PsycNET), Google Scholar, ResearchGate and reference lists were searched for English-language studies published between 2014 and 2024. After screening 1,595 records, eight studies met the inclusion criteria and were appraised using a quality checklist for quantitative, qualitative, and mixed-methods research. Data were synthesised thematically. Five control strategies were identified: physical activity, dietary restriction, screen-time restriction, drugs, and herbal remedies. Physical activity and dietary restriction were the most frequently reported strategies and appeared beneficial where adherence was high. However, implementation was constrained by parental compliance, school environment, private-school sedentary patterns, limited recreational space, insecurity, urbanisation, high-calorie diets, parental work demands, socioeconomic status and cultural beliefs that normalise larger body size. The evidence suggests that individual-level interventions are unlikely to be sufficient unless supported by school, family and policy measures that address Nigeria-specific determinants of childhood obesity. Future interventions should combine nutrition education, structured school-based physical activity, parental engagement and regulation of obesogenic environments.
