Students of the health sciences are the future frontliners to fight pandemics. The students’ participation in COVID-19 response varies across countries and are mostly for educational purposes. Understanding the determinants of COVID-19 vaccine acceptability is necessary for a successful vaccination program. This study aimed to investigate the factors associated with COVID-19 vaccine acceptance among health sciences students in Northwest Nigeria. The study was an online self-administered cross-sectional study involving a survey among students of health sciences in some selected universities in Northwest Nigeria. The survey collected pertinent data from the students, including socio-demographic characteristics, risk perception for COVID-19, and willingness to accept the COVID-19 vaccine. Multiple logistic regression was used to determine the predictors of COVID-19 vaccine acceptance. A total of 440 responses with a median (interquartile range) age of 23 (4.0) years were included in the study. The prevalence of COVID-19 vaccine acceptance was 40.0%. Factors that independently predict acceptance of the vaccine were age of 25 years and above (adjusted odds ratio, aOR, 2.72; 95% confidence interval, CI, 1.44–5.16; p = 0.002), instructions from heads of institutions (aOR, 11.71; 95% CI, 5.91–23.20; p<0.001), trust in the government (aOR, 20.52; 95% CI, 8.18–51.51; p<0.001) and willingness to pay for the vaccine (aOR, 7.92; 95% CI, 2.63–23.85; p<0.001). The prevalence of COVID-19 vaccine acceptance among students of health sciences was low. Older age, mandate by heads of the institution, trust in the government and readiness to pay for the vaccine were associated with acceptance of the vaccine. Therefore, stakeholders should prioritize strategies that would maximize the vaccination uptake.
Clopidogrel is a widely-used antiplatelet drug. It is important for the treatment and prevention of coronary heart disease. Clopidogrel can effectively reduce platelet activity and therefore reduce stent thrombosis. However, some patients still have ischemic events despite taking the clopidogrel due to the alteration in clopidogrel metabolism attributable to various genetic and non-genetic factors. This review aims to summarise the mechanisms and causes of clopidogrel resistance (CR) and potential strategies to overcome it. This review summarised the possible effects of genetic polymorphism on CR among the Asian population, especially CYP2C19 *2 / *3 / *17, where the prevalence rate among Asians was 23.00%, 4.61%, 15.18%, respectively. The review also studied the effects of other factors and appropriate strategies used to overcome CR. Generally, CR among the Asian population was estimated at 17.2–81.6%. Therefore, our overview provides valuable insight into the causes of RC. In conclusion, understanding the prevalence of drug metabolism-related genetic polymorphism, especially CYP2C19 alleles, will enhance clinical understanding of racial differences in drug reactions, contributing to the development of personalised medicine in Asia.
Many studies have been conducted in health-care settings with regards to complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) use among patients. However, information regarding CAM use among patients in the emergency department (ED) is scarce. The aim of this article was to conduct a systematic review of published studies with regards to CAM use among the ED patients. A literature search of published studies from inception to September 2015 was conducted using PubMed, Scopus, and manual search of the reference list. 18 studies that met the inclusion criteria were reviewed. The prevalence rate of CAM use among ED patients across the studies ranged of 1.4-68.1%. Herbal therapy was the sub-modality of CAM most commonly used and frequently implicated in CAM-related ED visits. Higher education, age, female gender, religious affiliation, and chronic diseases were the most frequent factors associated with CAM use among the ED patients. Over 80% of the ED physicians did not ask the patients about the CAM therapy. Similarly, 80% of the ED patients were ready to disclose CAM therapy to the ED physician. The prevalence rate of CAM use among patients at ED is high and is growing with the current increasing popularity, and it has been a reason for some of the ED visits. There is a need for the health-care professionals to receive training and always ask patients about CAM therapy to enable them provide appropriate medical care and prevent CAM-related adverse events.