Background: Self-monitoring of blood glucose (SMBG) is as an important aspect of the management of diabetes mellitus. There have been different studies with different SMBG prevalence and varied degrees of association between SMBG and glycaemic control. This study is therefore aimed at determining the prevalence of SMBG practice and the degree of association between SMBG and glycaemic control among persons with diabetes in a North Central Nigerian population. Methods: This was a cross-sectional study carried out at the Endocrinology clinic of the University of Abuja Teaching Hospital. The nature of the study was explained to the participants before informed consent was duly obtained from them. One hundred and forty five (145) participants were consecutively enrolled from the clinic. Data was collected using questionnaires administered to the participants by trained assistants. Analysis of data was conducted using IBM SPSS version 21 (IBM SPSS Co. LTD., New York, USA; June 6, 2012). Results were expressed as means and standard deviation (SD) at 95% confidence interval (CI). The significance level used was p < 0.05. Results: The mean fasting blood glucose (FBG) of persons who practised SMBG was lower than that of those who did not (7.2 vs 9.2 mmol/L, p=0.001). The range of FBG was also lower for those that practised SMBG compared to persons that did not practise (3.6-14.4 vs 4.02-15.0 mmol/L, p=0.001). Similarly, those who practised SMBG had a lower mean 2-hour postprandial glucose (2HrPP) compared to those who did not practise SMBG (9.6 vs 12.2 mmol/L, p=0.004). Likewise, the 2HrPP range was lower among those that indulge in SMBG practice than those who did not (3.0-16.8 vs 5.8-20 mmol/L, p=0.004). Conclusion: Persons who practised SMBG had better glycaemic control than those who don’t. Most of them own their glucometers and the majority checked their blood glucose daily followed by those that checked thrice weekly.

People living with HIV have accounted for 38–50% of those affected in the 2022 multicountry mpox outbreak. Most reported cases were in people who had high CD4 cell counts and similar outcomes to those without HIV. Emerging data suggest worse clinical outcomes and higher mortality in people with more advanced HIV [1, 2]. The first report of mpox that led to the discovery of the global outbreak was made to WHO on May 13, 2022. The outbreak spread to 110 countries and was declared a public health emergency of international concern. The Director-General of WHO called on member states to ensure respect for human rights and to address stigma and discrimination. As of Jan 31, 2023, there were 85 549 confirmed cases of mpox reported by 110 countries, including 89 deaths [3, 4].

The cocolmeca herb (Smilax) belongs to the smilacaceae family, comprising around 350 species of tropical and subtropical distribution, used as popular medicine in Central America and the Caribbean islands. In Mexico it has been used mainly for weight loss. Case presentation: A 52-year-old man with a history of systemic arterial hypertension and grade I obesity, with consumption of smilax for at least two months, presented deterioration in renal function, with initial studies with urea 90 mg/dl and serum creatinine 3.6. mg/dl, infectious and systemic causes were ruled out, acute tubulointerstitial nephritis was confirmed by percutaneous biopsy, management was given with methylprednisolone boluses and renal function improved. The use of traditional remedies is common throughout the world, with use rates exceeding 80% in some populations. It is considered that approximately 2% of chronic kidney disease (CKD) is due to AIN.