Understanding the beliefs, traditions, norms and core values of individuals and communities is a crucial factor for health workers and policy makers to impact positively on their communities. This paper reviewed the historical development of family planning and the population control movements, the importance and Islamic perspectives/Muslims perceptions of the concepts. This review article emphasizes the need for a clear understanding of the Islamic perspective of family planning by health workers to assist them in developing and applying appropriate strategies for advocacy, sensitization and community mobilization for the acceptance and utilization of family planning services in predominant Muslim communities. Strategy for effective implementation of family planning programmes in predominant Muslim communities was carefully appraised. This discourse therefore was written to improve the knowledge and sharpen the skill of health workers who are likely to work in such communities for effective negotiation and application of appropriate strategies.

Aim: The aim of this study was to assess and compare the growth of homozygous sickle cell disease children aged 12 - 60 months with their non- sickle cell disease counterparts in North-Western Nigerian city of Sokoto. Methodology: The anthropometric parameters of homozygous SS children aged 12 - 60 months were compared with non- sickle cell disease children of similar socio-demographic characteristics. Results: The homozygous SS children had significantly lower mean weight (9.94 ± 3.04 kg) when compare to the non- sickle cell disease children (12.66 ± 3.57 kg) (p < 0.05). Their mean height (73.75 ± 11.82 cm) and mid upper arm circumference (9.06 ± 2.17 cm) were both comparably lower than those of their non-sickle cell disease counterparts (108.71 ± 12.21 cm and 10.19 ± 2.19 cm respectively), both differences being found to be significant (p < 0.05). Conclusion: Consistent with studies from other places, homozygous SS children had lower growth and development as evident from their lower anthropometric profiles.

Background: Late menopause is a well recognized risk factor for breast cancer. It is menopause attained at age of 55 years and above. Aim: This study was to determine the ages at menopause of both well women and female breast cancer patients in Midwestern Nigeria. Methodology: This was a prospective data analysis of all histologically diagnosed breast cancer patients, using Microsoft Excel Software. Result: Analysis of data of the 145 female patients histologically diagnosed with breast cancer had mean and median ages of 49.03 ±4.27 years and 48 years, respectively. Only 5(3.45%) of 145 patients had menopause at age of 55 years and above. Late menopause therefore, may yet not be a dominant risk factor for breast cancer in our environment as life expectancy of our women is about 48 years. Conclusion: We, therefore, recommend continuous study of the individual risk factors for breast cancer to identify those factors at play now in our environment.

Background: Acute appendicitis has a lot of differential diagnoses. However, when there is perforated duodenal ulcer with the contents tracking into the right iliac fossa, it is often extremely difficult to distinguish this condition from acute appendicitis. Aims of study: To evaluate the diagnostic dilemma encountered in attempting to differentiate between perforated duodenal ulcer (with gastric contents tracking into the right iliac fossa) and acute appendicitis. Patients and methods: The case files over a 5 year period of patients who were initially diagnosed as acute appendicitis, but found at operation to have perforated duodenal ulcer were reviewed. Results: There were 5 patients (3 males and 2 females) who were diagnosed to have appendicitis but at operation they were found to have perforated duodenal ulcer. The age range was between 33 and 82 years with a mean of 64.5years. Only two patients had a history of recurrent epigastric pain prior to presentation. Conclusion: It is often difficult to distinguish perforated duodenal ulcer when the contents track into the right iliac fossa from acute appendicitis.

Background: Maize meal as (tuwo) with Baobab soup as (miyan kuka) is a popular meal in northern and middle belt of Nigeria. Aims: The meal was fed to diabetic and healthy subjects to establish the glycaemic index of this commonly consumed meal in the environment. Subjects and Methods: Ten type II diabetic and seven healthy subjects took SOgrams of the standard food (glucose) and 50grams of available carbohydrate test meal (maize and baobab leaf soup) on two separate days. At each visit, blood was taken before administering the meal or glucose and then every 30 minutes for 150 minutes after consumption of the standard or test meal for the measurement of blood glucose. Incremental area under the glucose curve was calculated. Student's t test was used to compare the means. Results: The mean age and mean body mass index (BMI) were similar in both gioups (p>0.05). The maximum increase Of blood glucose in maize meal was significant between the type II diabetic and healthy subjects (p<0.05). The glycaemic index of the maize meal was 82 and 85 in type II diabetic and healthy subjects respectively. Maize meal had a high glycaemic load of 41 and 42.5 in diabetic and healthy subjects. Conclusion: Maize meal with baobab leaf soup was high in both glycaemic index and glycaemic load for both groups studied. Maize meal therefore has to be cooked with other low glycaemic index foods and the portion size has to be reduced before consumption by diabetic subjects.

Objectives: The aim of this study was to establish the prevalence and socio-demographic determinants of obesity among adults in an urban Nigerian population. Subjects and methods: We recruited 810 subjects between the ages of 18 to 65 years by the multi-stage cluster sampling method. Structured questionnaire was used to collect socio-demographic data's. The body weight (kg) and height (m) of subjects were measured and body mass index (BMI) calculated. Results: The prevalence of obesity was 9.8% and overweight was 35.1 %. Out of the 79 obese subjects, 24.1% were males and 75.9% were females, the male to female ratio was 1:3. Obesity was strongly associated with female gender, subjects age ≥ 40 years and marriage, while educational attainment and socioeconomic class were not significantly associated with the diagnosis of obesity. The socio-demographic determinants of obesity among adult in this urban Nigerian population were female gender, marriage and age ≥ 40 years. Conclusion: The prevalence of obesity was low when compared to the developed countries. However, it is imperative to increase the awareness of the disease among the populace.

Background: Priapism is an uncommon emergent urologic condition characterized by prolonged, painful, penile erection often with no sexual excitement. The disorder is without known cases in approximately 60% of cases. Although, cases of priapism due to known causes are unrelated to psychic sexual excitement, the idiopathic types are believed to be associated with an initial prolonged sexual stimulation. Two case reports illustrating the possibility of such cases being the first presentation of myeloproliferative disorder are thus presented.

A neonate delivered at UCH Ibadan was diagnosed to have bilateral choanal atresia being membranous on the right side and bony on the left side by computed tomography. She had surgical correction of the right sided obstruction but died on the seventh post operative day due to septicemia. The literature has been reviewed.