Stockouts, provider bias deny women access to contraceptives -- Experts

 ... Jagun, Azege, Shokunbi urge journalists to expose barriers

 

Mrs. Yinka Shokunbi

Dr Alu Azege

Dr Moriam Jagun

By Admin

Nigeria’s contraceptive shelves may be stocked, but many women and girls still cannot obtain or freely use family planning services because of cost, stockouts, provider bias, stigma, misinformation and other barriers, reproductive health stakeholders have warned.

The Executive Director, Centre for Bridging Health Gaps, Dr Moriam Jagun, said Nigeria must stop equating the availability of contraceptive commodities with genuine access, urging journalists to investigate the barriers preventing women and young people from making informed reproductive choices.

Addressing members of the Network of Reproductive Health Journalists of Nigeria (NRHJN) during a forum to mark the 2026 World Contraception Day, held under the theme, “No Barriers, Just Choices: Contraceptive Access Now!”, Jagun said access went beyond having contraceptives physically available.

“Contraceptive availability is not the same as access, which has several dimensions, including financial, physical, social, cultural, religious and informational accessibility. We can have contraceptives in the country, or even sitting on the shelf in a facility, and still not have true access.”

Jagun identified provider bias as another major barrier, particularly when healthcare workers allow personal beliefs and values to influence the care they provide.

“The message to providers should be to inform and support, not make the decision for the client. Success is not simply how many women accept contraception. We should ask whether she was informed, had options, chose freely and can change or discontinue the method if she wishes,” she said.

She warned that national figures could mask inequalities affecting rural women, adolescents, women with disabilities and other underserved groups.

“Universal access will not happen accidentally, we have to deliberately design services for those most likely to be left behind,” she said.

Supporting the call for greater scrutiny, the Executive Director of the Media Health and Rights Initiative of Nigeria, Mrs. Alu Azege, described Nigeria’s contraceptive challenge as a delivery problem, not a demand problem.

Azege who urged journalists to investigate stockouts, funding, procurement and provider practices instead of simply reporting official policies and programmes, said “Nigeria’s unmet need is not a demand problem. Nigerians need it, we are demanding it. It’s a delivery problem. Access isn’t delivered just by hashtags, it’s delivered by procurement budgets and providers doing their jobs, and also exposed when they don’t.”

She challenged journalists to investigate whether pregnancies are planned and wanted, arguing that unintended pregnancies should prompt questions about gaps in the health system.

“Intention is what turns childbearing from a risk into a choice. Ask three basic questions: The method I want, is it in stock? Is it affordable? Is it from a provider who serves instead of lectures?”

Earlier, the President of the NRHJN, Mrs Oluyinka Shokunbi, said Nigerian women and girls needed unhindered access to contraceptive choices, warning that cultural, religious and information barriers continued to limit their ability to decide if, when and how often to have children.

“More than ever before, Nigerian women need the power to make contraceptive choices, and they need it now,” she said, noting that the falling age of sexual debut had increased the urgency of providing young people with accurate sexual and reproductive health information, particularly as many parents remained reluctant to discuss sexuality with their children.

She expressed concern that contraceptive access is critical not only for preventing unintended pregnancies but also for improving health and advancing gender equality by enabling women and girls to pursue education, careers and wider participation in society.

Robot gets living human skin that wrinkles and heals

By Admin

Scientists have taken robotics a startling step closer to the human body after growing living human skin on a working robotic finger, creating a machine covering that stretches, bends and even develops wrinkles as the robot moves.

The breakthrough, achieved by researchers at the University of Tokyo, involved growing skin from human cells directly on a robotic finger. The cells formed layered tissue resembling natural human skin, including the dermis and outer epidermis.

The study, “Living skin on a robot,” was published in “Matter”. As the robotic finger bent and stretched, the living skin moved with it and developed natural-looking wrinkles around the joints, mimicking the behaviour of human skin. The researchers then tested whether the tissue could respond to injury.

After making a small cut in the artificial skin, they applied a collagen-based bandage. The living cells gradually repaired the wound, with the researchers reporting substantial healing over about a week.

The experiment points to a potentially new direction for robotics, in which machines could eventually be covered with living tissue rather than conventional synthetic materials.

The researchers' work could have implications for the development of more lifelike robots, advanced prosthetic devices and machines designed to interact more naturally with humans.

However, scientists say the technology remains far from producing a fully functioning human-like robotic body. One of the major challenges is keeping the living tissue alive. Unlike synthetic robot coverings, the cultured skin requires a moist environment to survive.

The University of Tokyo researchers' achievement nevertheless demonstrates that living human tissue can be integrated with a moving robotic structure and respond mechanically to movement and injury.

The development raises a striking possibility: future robots may not be covered entirely in plastic, rubber or metal. Some could carry living tissue capable of moving, changing and healing.

Fibroid Care Centre @Nordica hits 1,000 successful HIFU treatments milestone

By Admin

The Fibroid Care Centre (FCC) at Nordica, has performed its 1,000th successful High-Intensity Focused Ultrasound, HIFU, treatment for fibroids and adenomyosis, reaching the milestone five years after the centre began offering the procedure, marking a significant development in the use of focused ultrasound technology for fibroid care in Nigeria.

The 1,000th milestone was attained against the backdrop of the burden of uterine fibroids among Nigerian women and interest among  patients in treatment options that may avoid or reduce the need for invasive surgery where medically appropriate.

In a statement, the FCC, which is West Africa's first specialist centre for the non-invasive and minimally invasive treatment of uterine fibroids and adenomyosis, described fibroids as common non-cancerous growths in or around the uterus that can cause heavy or prolonged menstrual bleeding, pelvic pain, pressure and abdominal enlargement. 

“For women with symptomatic fibroids, surgery remains an established treatment option, but some patients seek alternatives that do not involve a surgical incision.;That search for alternatives is reflected in the experiences of some women treated at the centre,” the Centre noted.

 

One patient who pleaded anonymity, said her recovery had brought noticeable changes to her menstrual cycle, with her bleeding reducing to five days and the blood clots and discomfort she previously experienced disappearing.

“My healing process has been good, noticeable changes in my body and monthly cycle. My bleeding has reduced drastically to five days, no discomfort or blood clotting, swelling has reduced. I can sleep on my tummy now. I feel good now,” she said, noting that she plans to undergo a follow-up scan to assess the status of her fibroid.

Another woman referred to the centre from Equatorial Guinea was also reported to have experienced relief after treatment. Her referee said the patient had initially needed reassurance about the treatment but later reported being regularly pain-free.

“I'm reaching out to thank you and your team for the excellent care provided to the patient and friend in Equatorial Guinea that I recommended your practice to, and for meeting with her to allay her fears and concerns. The last I heard from her, she mentioned that post-surgery, she has been regularly pain free. She sends her sincere thanks to you.”

According to the Centre, the 1,000-treatment milestone reflects its investment in HIFU technology and the development of local expertise even as the patient experiences highlight the expanding range of approaches available to women living with fibroids. 

“HIFU uses focused ultrasound energy to target and destroy fibroid tissue without a surgical incision. It is not suitable for every patient, with eligibility depending on factors including the size, number, location and accessibility of the fibroids, as well as the patient's overall health and treatment goals.

“For appropriately selected patients, HIFU can provide a non-incisional treatment option. However, outcomes vary, symptoms can persist or recur, and some patients may require additional treatment or follow-up.

Fibroids are non-cancerous growths in or around the uterus and can cause heavy or prolonged menstrual bleeding, pelvic pain, pressure and abdominal enlargement. Treatment options vary according to the characteristics of the fibroids and the individual patient's circumstances.

The 1,000-treatment milestone is being marked at a forum where medical professionals and former patients are expected to discuss HIFU and its place among the treatment options available for women with fibroids and adenomyosis.

Youth mental health: Vanguard summit probes gaps, responsibility

By Admin 

A young Nigerian is battling addiction. Another is sinking into depression. A third is having suicidal thoughts but cannot find where to turn.

Who steps in?

That question will confront psychiatrists, policymakers, families, schools, civil society groups and mental health advocates as the 4th Vanguard Mental Health Summit opens in Lagos on Friday, October 9, 2026.

The summit, holding at the Civic Centre, Victoria Island, will put the question of responsibility at the heart of a high-level panel discussion: “Who is Responsible for the Mental Health of Young People in Nigeria?”

Rather than leaving the burden of care to hospitals and mental health professionals, the discussion will examine what government, families, schools, communities, health workers, civil society and young people themselves must do to prevent mental health problems, intervene early and ensure access to care.

It will also confront the gaps. What happens when a young person needs help but treatment is unavailable or unaffordable? Who responds when substance use spirals into dependence? And when warning signs of suicide are missed, where does responsibility lie?

Moderating the panel is Dr. Ayantunde Kayode Ayankola, Senior Consultant Psychiatrist in Drug and Addiction Treatment and Rehabilitation at the Neuropsychiatric Hospital, Aro, Abeokuta.

The panel brings together Dr. Olufunmilayo Eniola Akinola, Consultant Psychiatrist at the Federal Neuro-Psychiatric Hospital, Yaba; Dr. Tolu Ajomale, Director, Special Projects and Mental Health, Lagos State Ministry of Health; Barrister Ayo Adebusoye, Secretary General, Nigeria Network of NGOs; and Deborah Omage, a lived experience leader and mental health policy advocate.

Their perspectives will take the conversation beyond the consulting room, examining mental health through the lenses of policy, community support, human rights and youth participation.

The summit, organised under the theme “Advancing Youth Mental Health in Nigeria through Access, Action and Advocacy,” also carries the sub-theme, “Mental Health in a Digital Age: Navigating Social Media, Technology and Wellbeing.”

Youth addiction, suicide prevention, treatment gaps and early intervention are expected to feature prominently, alongside growing concerns over the influence of social media and digital technology on young people's wellbeing.

The keynote will be delivered by Dr. Veronica Oluyemisi Nyamali, President of the Association of Psychiatrists in Nigeria and Chief Consultant Psychiatrist at the Federal Neuro-Psychiatric Hospital, Yaba.

Prof. Taiwo Lateef Sheikh, Continental Representative for LifeLine International and Professor of Psychiatry and Psychopharmacology at Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, will speak on “Mental Health As Our Social Capital,” while Prof. Mashudat Abiola Bello-Mojeed, Professor of Psychiatry and Public Health and Chief Consultant Psychiatrist at the Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service Centre, Yaba, will examine the impact of social media on young people.

The summit will also turn attention to the difficult intersection of substance use and the justice system. Dr. Daniel Ikpechukwu, a substance abuse and behavioural health counsellor based in Georgia, USA, will speak on “Youth Drug Addiction and the Justice System: Advancing Treatment, Rehabilitation and Recovery in Nigeria.”

Prof. Afekhide Ernest Omoti, President of the Nigerian Medical Association, will examine the challenge of translating youth mental health policy into practice, while Dr. Oluwafemi Oluwatayo, Consultant Psychiatrist and CEO of Retreat Healthcare, will demonstrate Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation, or TMS, a treatment technique used in managing certain mental health conditions.

Since its launch in 2021, the Vanguard Mental Health Summit has provided a platform for mental health professionals, policymakers, civil society organisations, young people and other stakeholders to confront some of the country's most pressing mental health challenges.

The fourth edition comes with a sharper focus on what happens after the diagnosis, the policy and the public conversation: who takes responsibility, who provides support and who acts when a young person begins to struggle?

Those questions will be central to the summit as stakeholders seek to move the youth mental health conversation from concern to concrete action.

New cancer immunotherapy shows promise

 

By Admin

A new cancer study is attracting global attention after researchers reported that injecting an experimental immunotherapy into a single tumour appeared to spark an immune response against cancer cells in other parts of the body.

The findings, which emerged from an early-stage clinical trial, have generated considerable excitement among scientists and cancer specialists. The reason is simple: the treatment could help the body's immune system recognise and attack tumours far beyond the site where the injection was administered.

Immunotherapy has already transformed cancer care by helping the immune system identify and destroy cancer cells more effectively. In this latest study, researchers observed signs that targeting one tumour may set off a wider anti-cancer response throughout the body, a phenomenon known as a systemic anti-tumour response.

For many experts, that's one of the most important goals in modern oncology. If successful, the approach could improve treatment outcomes for patients whose cancers have spread to multiple parts of the body.

Still, researchers are urging caution. While the results are encouraging, the trial remains in its early stages and much more work lies ahead. Larger clinical studies will be needed to establish the treatment's safety, determine how effective it is and identify the patients most likely to benefit from it.

Scientists also stressed that promising results in an early trial don't always lead to success in later phases of research, where treatments are tested in larger and more diverse patient populations.

Even so, the findings reflect the rapid progress being made in cancer treatment. Researchers say emerging immunotherapy strategies continue to push the boundaries of what may be possible, opening the door to more targeted and effective therapies while offering fresh hope in the fight against cancer.

Medical experts believe advances such as these underscore the evolving nature of cancer research and the relentless search for better ways to tackle one of the world's deadliest diseases.

What happens to your brain after age 50?

By Admin

It starts innocently. A name refuses to come. You walk into a room and forget why you’re there. Your phone is in your hand, yet you spend several minutes looking for it. An old friend’s face is familiar, but the name just won’t come. “It’s old age,” someone says.

For millions of people, especially as parents and relatives move into their 50s, 60s and 70s, such moments have become almost too ordinary to question. But scientists are beginning to see the ageing brain differently.

New research has found that the human brain undergoes a major biological shift between about 50 and 75. Deep inside the brain, some of the immune cells that have been there since early development begin to decline. They are increasingly replaced by cells with stronger inflammatory characteristics.

At the same time, cells that help maintain the brain’s protective barrier become less abundant, while the highly organized three-dimensional structure of DNA inside several types of brain cells begins to deteriorate. The changes are happening long before most people would think of themselves as elderly, and that is what makes the discovery particularly intriguing.

For Nigerians, 50 is often an age of peak responsibility rather than retreat. There are children in university, ageing parents to support, businesses to run, careers to manage and, increasingly, plans to remain economically active well into the 60s and 70s. Life may be moving faster than ever. Yet, underneath it all, the brain may already be undergoing a profound transformation.

Published in Science, the study could help explain why advancing age is the strongest known risk factor for Alzheimer’s disease and other neurodegenerative conditions. It doesn't mean that turning 50 sets off dementia. Nor does it mean that every forgotten name is a warning sign.

But it does raise a question many families may want answered: when does ordinary forgetfulness stop being “old age”, and what exactly is happening inside the ageing brain?

For quite a number of people approaching middle age, as well as those caring for older relatives, this study offers a reason to pay closer attention to brain health. Growing older isn't just about changes we can see in the body, the brain, too, undergoes profound biological changes, many of which scientists are only beginning to unravel.

The brain has specialized cells that protect nerve cells, clear away cellular debris and respond to injury or infection. These cells known as microglia play a vital role in keeping the brain's internal environment healthy. But researchers have found that this cellular workforce changes considerably during midlife.

Between approximately ages 50 and 75, the population of microglia that originated during embryonic development declined sharply, at the same time, cells with molecular features resembling immune cells found in the bloodstream became more prominent. The replacement microglia-like cells also showed stronger inflammatory characteristics.

That finding challenges the long-standing assumption that the brain's original immune cells remain its dominant defenders throughout a person's life. It also raises questions about whether the changing immune environment contributes to chronic inflammation and makes the ageing brain more vulnerable to damage.

Bing Ren, one of the study's corresponding authors, said microglia are essential for maintaining the brain. When their basic functions fail, toxic materials can accumulate, triggering inflammatory processes that may contribute to neurodegenerative diseases.

For the average person, it doesn't mean that everyone over 50 will develop dementia, or that these changing cells automatically cause Alzheimer's disease. 

The discovery, rather, offers scientists a possible explanation for how the ageing brain may become more susceptible to damage.. The study identifies biological changes, it does not establish that those changes directly cause disease in every older person.

In many homes, forgetfulness in older people is readily dismissed as old age. An elderly father asks the same question several times, a mother forgets where she kept her belongings, an older relative struggles to recall a familiar name. Some forgetfulness is a normal part of ageing, but when memory problems persist, worsen or begin to interfere with everyday activities, they deserve medical attention.

The new research does not establish that the cellular changes identified are responsible for any individual's symptoms. What it does is add to the growing scientific effort to understand the biological processes involved in neurodegenerative diseases.

For families, the practical lesson is straightforward: don't automatically write off significant changes in an older person's memory or behavior as “old age.” A medical assessment can help identify possible causes and determine whether further investigation is necessary.

The scientists also observed a substantial decline in cell populations involved in maintaining the blood-brain barrier. This barrier serves as a protective filter between the bloodstream and brain tissue. It regulates the movement of substances into the brain and helps shield delicate neural structures from potentially harmful materials circulating in the blood. As people age, changes in the cells supporting this barrier may affect how well it functions.

The finding is particularly relevant in a country where older adults may also be dealing with hypertension, diabetes and other chronic health conditions. However, the study did not establish how those conditions influence the specific cellular changes observed. Neither did it examine a distinct population. The findings, therefore, point to an important area for further biological research. 

Nathan Zemke, Director of Single-cell Genomics at the Center for Epigenomics at the University of California, San Diego, described the study as an important step towards understanding how ageing reshapes the human genome in brain cells. Still, the research remains focused on identifying biological changes. It does not establish a treatment, nor does it show that lifestyle changes can reverse the genome alterations observed.

 Can you do anything to protect your brain?

While the study did not test specific lifestyle interventions or establish that any particular diet, supplement or exercise program can prevent the cellular changes it identified, the findings offer an opportunity to revisit the established principles of maintaining good health as we age.

For middle-aged and older Nigerians, this includes paying attention to blood pressure, blood sugar, physical activity, sleep and other ongoing health needs. Regular medical check-ups can help identify conditions that require treatment. These measures shouldn't be presented as a proven way to stop the particular brain changes described in the study. Rather, they're part of preventive healthcare, which becomes increasingly important with advancing age.

For now, the study offers a different way of looking at ageing. Brain ageing isn't necessarily a simple, steady decline. Between midlife and older age, several biological systems may change together, including immune cells, vascular support systems and the organization of the genome.

As scientists work to understand what these changes mean, one point deserves emphasis: protecting brain health shouldn't be a conversation that begins only after memory problems appear.

Heartbeat by sound: Scientists develop non-invasive pacemaker

 

By Admin

What if a person who needs a pacemaker no longer had to undergo surgery to have one implanted? Imagine having no wires threaded into the heart, no pulse generator implanted under the skin and, potentially, no repeat procedures to deal with implanted hardware?

Instead, there is a small patch sitting on the chest, using sound waves to help keep the heart beating normally. This possibility, which once sounded more like science fiction than medicine, has moved a little closer to reality.

Researchers have developed an experimental wearable pacemaker that uses focused ultrasound to stimulate the heart without placing a device or electrical leads inside the body. The system, developed by scientists from the University of Southern California, Massachusetts Institute of Technology and collaborating institutions, has been tested in engineered human heart cells and animals.

They report that they were able to control cardiac activity and restore normal heart rhythm in rats with abnormal heartbeats. They also carried out experiments using pig tissue to assess whether the technology could work at a scale closer to the human heart.

The findings, published in Nature Biomedical Engineering, could open a new direction in the treatment of cardiac rhythm disorders. But there is an important caveat: this is still experimental technology, not a replacement for the pacemakers used in hospitals today.

The device is described as a non-invasive ultrasound pacemaker, or NUP. It is designed to adhere to the chest and use focused ultrasound to reach the heart. This is a significant departure from conventional cardiac pacing.

Traditional pacemakers work by delivering electrical impulses to the heart, usually through leads positioned in or around the heart and connected to a pulse generator implanted under the skin. The new system uses sound.

More specifically, it relies on a technique called sonogenetics, in which specially engineered cells are made responsive to ultrasound. The researchers modified heart muscle cells, known as cardiomyocytes, so they could express a mechanosensitive ion channel called MscL-G22S.

When focused ultrasound reaches the modified cells, the channels respond to the mechanical force by opening. Calcium ions then enter the cells; calcium is crucial to the way heart muscle contracts.

What the researchers have done is to create a system in which sound waves can activate specially modified heart cells and trigger contraction. The result is something that looks remarkably different from the familiar image of a pacemaker.

No electrical wire has to reach the heart. Instead, ultrasound travels through the chest to stimulate the target cells. But getting sound into the heart isn't enough. It has to get to the right place. The heart is constantly moving. It also sits beneath skin, fat, muscle and other tissues. Any system designed to stimulate it from outside the body therefore has to be capable of accurately locating and targeting cardiac tissue.

The researchers addressed this by combining ultrasound stimulation with imaging. Their wearable system can identify the relevant region of the heart and direct focused ultrasound towards it. According to the study, the system achieved spatial targeting of less than 1 millimeter and was capable of controlling stimulation frequencies of up to 9 Hz.

In rats with abnormal heart rhythms, the researchers were able to use ultrasound stimulation to restore sinus rhythm. That level of control is important because cardiac pacing isn't simply about making the heart beat.

A pacemaker has to deliver stimulation in a controlled and reliable way. An inaccurate or poorly timed stimulus could be ineffective or potentially dangerous. The experimental system is therefore designed not merely to stimulate the heart, but to do so with considerable precision.

However, there is no ultrasound pacemaker available for patients today. The work remains at the experimental stage. Researchers reported safety testing in rats during daily activities over an eight-month period and carried out additional experiments using ex vivo pig models to examine the technology at a larger scale.

But success in laboratory models and animals does not establish that the technology is safe or effective in humans. There is also a fundamental requirement that makes this approach very different from simply sticking an ultrasound patch onto an ordinary heart. The target heart cells have to be made responsive to ultrasound. That involves genetic modification, so the cells express the ultrasound-sensitive ion channel.

The researchers investigated the genetic safety of their approach, but moving from experimental studies to human treatment would require extensive additional research, clinical trials and regulatory approval.

Implanted cardiac devices have transformed the treatment of people with certain rhythm disorders. But implantation is still a medical procedure, and implanted hardware can bring complications, including problems involving leads and the need for procedures associated with device management.

A genuinely non-invasive pacing system could change that equation. Instead of putting hardware inside the body, doctors could eventually have the option of delivering cardiac stimulation from outside it.

The researchers' system combines stimulation with ultrasound imaging. That creates the possibility of a future wearable device capable of doing more than simply delivering a stimulus. It could potentially monitor cardiac activity, identify an abnormal rhythm and respond automatically. 

One wearable device could eventually combine monitoring, diagnosis and treatment. That would represent a major change in the way some cardiac rhythm disorders are managed.

For now, however, patients should not expect their cardiologist to prescribe an ultrasound patch in place of a conventional pacemaker. The technology has not yet made that leap. What the researchers have demonstrated is an early proof of concept that raises a bigger question about the future of cardiac pacing.

The future, however, may sound very different. It may not involve a wire inside the heart. It may involve sound travelling through the body.