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Foreword This issue, the first in the 2026 series comes with the title: “Psychosocial and Socio-Economic Drivers of Substance Use” in which a team of researchers carried out a study on a cross-sectional analysis of psychosocial and socio-economic drivers of substance use among youth in Kaduna metropolis, northwest Nigeria. They found that: lifetime prevalence of substance use was 42.8%, and current use prevalence was 36.8%. Alcohol, cannabis, and tramadol were the most common substances used and peer pressure was found to be the predominant contributing factor. They recommended interventions by targeting specific peer group dynamics, mental health, and also enhancing family/social support systems. In another study researchers looked at the patterns of Congenital Heart Diseases (CHDs) in the pediatric population using a 2D echocardiography at university of benin teaching hospital. They found that acyanotic CHDs predominated (82.1%) with atrial septal defects (34.0%) and ventricular septal defects (31.6%) being the most common lesions. Also tetralogy of Fallot (11.6%) was the most frequent cyanotic CHD. And nearly half of the children (47.6%) had severe CHDs. They therefore recommended that preventive measures should be targeted towards the risk factors observed which were: maternal education, marital status, tribe, and place of residence. Rabies appears to have been largely controlled in many parts of the world in the 21st century, particularly through domestic animal vaccination. Here, researchers presented a case of late presentation of rabies with encephalopathy at a facility with limited technological and infrastructural endowments. Patient management was challenging, with a poor outcome. They therefore advocated for strong and regular advocacy and sensitization about canines serving as vectors for the disease in our communities. It is generally believed that Human Papilloma Virus (HPV) is strongly associated with Nasopharygeal Carcinoma (NPC), and hence researchers sought to find expression of HPV genes in cases of this cancer. And they found that all the samples tested showed adequate DNA quality with successful β-globin amplification but none of the NPC cases demonstrated detectable HPV DNA by PCR. This indicates a possibility of other underlying factors in the aetiopathogenesis of NPCs generally. Blood donation is always a welcome development among major health facilities across the country to address both emergency and pressing medical needs. In this study researchers sought to find out the rate of “Turn back” among prospective blood donors in the midst of the growing need for the product. Findings showed deferral rate to be 14.7% and that deferred donors were predominantly young males, with a mean age of 29.4 ± 7.7 years and a male-to-female ratio of 298:1, and the majority were family-replacement donors (95%). Permanent deferrals (85.6%) were chiefly due to HBV (51.4%), followed by HCV (18.7%), VDRL (11.3%), and HIV (4.2%). Temporary deferrals (14.4%) were mostly due to low PCV (9.6%). Professor Michael Simidele Odimayo Editor-In-Chief 31st March 2026