African journal of medicine and medical sciences最新文献

Background: Cardiovascular diseases presently rank high as leading causes of death globally. The increasing acceptability of phytomedicine is due to the increasing inefficacy of many modern drugs used for the control of many diseases. The aim of this study was to investigate the ameliorative effects of β-sitosterol (BSS) in comparison with lisinopril, a standard antihypertensive drug, on certain biochemical hypertensive parameters in rats.

Methods: Hypertension was induced with cadmium chloride and biochemical analysis of serum was carried out following treatment with BSS and lisinopril. Serum urea, creatinine and electrolytes were assayed using standard kit as tests for renal function, while alkaline phosphatase (ALP), aspartate transaminase (AST) and alanine aminotransferase (ALT) served as enzyme indices of the liver function. The effect on the serum lipid profile was assessed and histological examination performed on tissues of the liver and kidney.

Results: The rats treated with BSS showed a significant decrease (p<0.05) in the serum creatinine concentration when compared with the hypertensive rats. Treatment with lisinopril showed a significant increase (p<0.05) in the activity of AST and ALP when compared with the normal rats. There were slight variations in the concentration of serum electrolytes of rats treated with BSS and lisinopril respectively when compared with normal and hypertensive rats. BSS significantly reduced calcium levels when compared with the hypertensive group. The histopathological examination of the liver and kidney of animals treated with BSS was not different from the control which showed normal histological structure, while the liver of the hypertensive animals showed scanty inflamed cells.

Conclusion: The study shows that BSS is effective in restoring basal liver and kidney functions in hypertensive rats.

Background: Intimate Partner violence (IPV) is one of the common forms of violence against women and is a global public health problem that transcends social, economic, religious and cultural groups. It is often perceived as a private problem or a normal part of life but it contributes greatly to morbidity and mortality.

Objective: To assess the prevalence and correlates of intimate partner violence by male civil servants in Oyo State Secretariat Ibadan, Nigeria.

Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted using a multi-stage sampling technique. A total of 609 respondents completed a pre-tested self-administered questionnaire. Data were analysed using SPSS version 18 and STATA version 12. Chi-square statistic was used to test associations between categorical variables and predictors of perpetration of intimate partner violence were determined using logistic regression model at a level of statistical significance of 5%.

Result: The mean age was 38.8±9.9 years and about 74.5% were married. The prevalence of IPV perpetration in the 12 months preceding the study was 66.0%. The prevalence of controlling behaviour was 52.2%, psychological abuse - 31.2%, sexual violence - 23.0%, and physical violence - 11.7%. The predictors of perpetrating any form of IPV included previous history of physical fight with another woman [OR: 2.4 (95% CI: 1.30-3.40)], having a negative attitude towards wife beating [OR 2.5 [95% CI: 1.85-3.42], childhood exposure to parental IPV [OR: 2.1 (95% CI: 1.30-3.41)] and use of alcohol [OR: 1.6 (95% CI: 1.14-2.15].

Conclusion: The different types of IPV were prevalent among the male civil servants, despite their educational status. Strategies to stop IPV should include male education to change attitudes that encourage violence in relationships to use of non-violent conflict resolution strategies. Education should also include the dangers of alcohol abuse and involvement in physical fights.

Background: Development of craniofacial structures is a complex process and disruption of any of the numerous steps can lead to development of oro-facial clefts. This is a surgically amenable anomaly as from early life that has had conflicting pattern of demographics reported by various researchers globally. There are several factors that are critical to the surgical outcome.

Objective: Study the demographics and the management outcome of cleft lip, alveolus and palate and highlight factors responsible for improved care in recent time.

Design: Descriptive cohort study.

Setting: Tertiary health institution.

Method: All consecutive patients managed for cleft lip, alveolus and palate (CLAP) over 7years and 10months were studied.

Outcome: Cleft lip, alveolus and palate repair was performed on 149 patients, January 1, 2001- December 31, 2008 with an incidence of 2.1/1000 live births. From this, 27 patients, averaging 4.5 patients per year were operated for the first 6 1/3 years while the remaining 122(81.9%) the next 1 1/2 years, averaging 81.6 patients yearly. Their ages ranged from 3 months - 60 years with 77 (51.7%) males and 72 (48.3.0%) females. Cleft lip was the main presentation in 108(72.5%) of which 72(66.7%) were left sided. Bilateral cleft lip were14 (9.4%). Five (3.4%) patients had associated anomalies out of which 3(60.0%) had CLAP while 2(40.0%) isolated cleft lip or palate. The technique for cleft lip repair was Millard's and Noordhoof's while palatal cleft was the two-flap palatoplasty with intravelar veloplasty. Success was recorded in 142(95.3%) with complication observed in 7(4.7%) patients.

Conclusion: The rarity of cleft lip, alveolus and/or palate in the African native documented previously may no longer be tenable as observe in this study. Management outcome has improved owing to the collaboration with SmileTrain, USA, along with multidisciplinary approach.

Background: Obesity phenotypes are known to have varying effects on pulmonary function but their effects on trends of pulmonary function indices' recovery among abdominal surgery patients is unclear.

Objective: To investigate the influence of obesity phenotype on pulmonary function trend among abdominal surgery patients.

Methods: An observational study involving 28 female patients aged 20-60 years who were never-smokers. Participants were classified into four groups namely: healthy BMI without abdominal obesity; healthy BMI with abdominal obesity; overweight/obese without abdominal obesity; and overweight/obese with abdominal obesity. Pulmonary function indices (FEV₁, FVC and PEF) were taken day-1 pre-op; 5^th, 6^th and 7^th day post-surgery. Data were summarized using mean and standard deviation, while Kruskal-Wallis and Jonckheere trend test were used to test for differences and trend across the groups at p < 0.05.

Results: Participants were comparable in age and height. Pre-op, group IV had the lowest pulmonary function indices and group I had the highest FEV₁, FVC. At 7-day post-op, there was significant difference in pulmonary function indices across the groups, while trend test showed that obesity pattern had significant effect on the trend of FEV₁, FVC and PER with group I having the highest values, followed by group III and group II, while group IV had the lowest values.

Conclusion: Obesity phenotype had significant effect on trend of pulmonary function indices among participants. Patients with abdominal obesity, irrespective of BMI, had poor pulmonary function.

Ocimum gratissimum has been reported in several ethnopharmacological surveys as a plant readily accessible to the communities and widely used with a lot of therapeutic potentials. In this study, we aimed to experimentally evaluate the anti-inflammatory effects of hydro-ethanolic extract in animal models of inflammation and nociception and membrane stabilization assay. O gratissimum leaves hydroethanolic extract was subjected to phytochemical screening and spectrophotometric quantification of polyphenolics. The extract was investigated for anti-inflammatory effects in carrageenan -induced paw oedema and cotton pellet - induced granuloma in rats. The antinociceptive effects were investigated in acetic acid -induced writhing in mice and formalin test in rats. Animals were randomly divided into groups; negative control, extract treated (200 -800 mg/kg) and indomethacin (10 mg/kg) standard reference groups. In- vitro anti-inflammatory activity was performed by testing for membrane stability in heat/hypotonic solution -induced rat erythrocytes destabilization assay. Phytochemical screening revealed presence of saponins, tannins, alkaloids, flavonoids, terpenoids, and cardenolides. Quantification of the polyphenolic content revealed the presence of appreciable quantities of phenolics and flavonoids. Carrageenan-induced paw oedema, cotton-pellet granuloma, acetic acid -induced writhing and formalin induced paw licking tests showed that hydroethanolic extract of O gratissimum possess anti-inflammatory and anti-nociceptive effects. The extract did not induce gastric lesion formation in stomach of cotton-pellet granuloma rats. The extract was more efficient at reducing membrane destabilization than indomethacin in the membrane stability assay. These results suggest that hydroethanolic extract of O gratissimum leaves exhibits anti-inflammatory and anti-nociceptive effects in the animals.

Introduction: Annually, over a million new cases of breast cancer results in about 375,000 deaths worldwide. Recently, the burden of the disease has been on the increase in Nigeria and most cases present in hospitals late when cure becomes elusive. The choice of postgraduate students for this study was as a result of their potential to impact positively on the rest of the population by the virtue of their present or future positions. This forms the basis for this study.

Methods: This cross-sectional descriptive study recruited 278 female postgraduate students of the University of Ibadan, Nigeria as participants using purposive sampling technique. Data were collected with the aid of a validated structured questionnaire. The research protocol was approved by the UI/UCH Ethical Committee. Both descriptive and inferential statistics were used for data analysis with the aid of Statistical Package of Social Sciences (SPSS) version 16.

Results: The students' mean age was 27 years ± 5.1 Std. Most of the postgraduate students were aware of the breast self examination (BSE), clinical breast examination (CBE) and mammography through health workers. Out of 159 respondents that claimed to be practicing BSE, 118 (58.4%) used to practice it occasionally. Out of 53 postgraduate students that had CBE done, 7.4% had CBE done by nurse/midwives. Among the students 11.4% had good knowledge of BSE. Similarly, 33.7% had good knowledge of breast cancer risk factors. Besides, the higher the level of knowledge of breast cancer the more the possibility that postgraduate students will practice BSE (Chi-square = 15.169, df = 4, P-value = 0.004).

Conclusion: It is suggested that health workers should reach students within the academic communities with effective breast cancer prevention campaign programmes. Besides, both printed and electronic media should be used for dissemination of health education/information to ensure wider coverage.

Background: There is a growing concern about childhood sarcomas, with recent studies suggesting an increase in the frequency of childhood sarcomas in sub-Saharan Africa. This study was carried out to determine the pattern of childhood sarcomas in Jos, North Central Nigeria and to compare the data obtained with other previous related studies.

Methods: Review of the Jos University Teaching Hospital cancer registry from January 2001 to December 2010. Data of all children (0-15 years) in the data base were retrieved for analysis.

Results: Two hundred and ten histological diagnosis of malignancies were made in children over the period, with 81 cases (39%) being childhood Sarcomas. The sarcomas occurred predominantly in males (54%) with male/female ratio of 2:1. The minimum age was 2 months and the maximum age was 15 years. Soft tissue sarcoma (STS) was the most predominant group which accounted for 73 cases (90%) of all sarcomas seen. Rhabdomyosarcoma (RMS) was the most common STS, it accounted for 65 cases (89%) of the STS and 80% of all the sarcomas. This is followed by Kaposi Sarcoma (KS) accounting for 6.9% of STS. There were 8 cases of Osteosarcoma which accounted for 10% of all the sarcomas. Embryonal RMS predominated in the very young children while all other sarcomas affected the older children. Extremities were the sites of predilection for most of the sarcomas (36%). Seventeen (17) cases of the RMS were of superior prognostic group, 34 (54%) were of intermediate prognostic group while 24 cases (37%) were of poor prognostic group.

Conclusion: Childhood sarcomas are common in our environment and RMS is the single most common sarcoma while the non-rhabdomyosarcoma soft tissue sarcomas (NRSTS) are rare.

Background: Otomycosis is a challenging and frustrating common Otologic condition to both patients and managing clinician. This fungal infection most often involves the squamous epithelium of the external auditory canal and is; characterized by pruritus, occasional otalgia and hypoacusis.

Objectives: To highlight the predisposing factors and management of Otomycosis in our center.

Study design: Retrospective review of 35 patients with a clinical diagnosis of otomycosis treated from January 2012 to March 2013.

Setting: The study was carried out at the Jos University Teaching Hospital, in the outpatient clinic of the department of Ear Nose Throat & Head.

Participants: Thirty-five patients diagnosed with otomycosis had their medical data analyzed for this study.

Intervention: Antifungal eardrop was used for dressing the ears.

Result: 35 patients were seen within 15 months period (Jan. 2012- Mar. 2013). There were 11 males: 24 females given a gender ratio of 1:2.1. The commonest age group involved was 41-50(25.71%). There were 13, 10 and 6 cases of right, left and bilateral cases of Otomycosis m respectively. 16 cases were seen during the wet season and 19 cases during the dry season. In terms of occupation, house wives and civil servants constitute 28.60 and 17.15 % respectively. Diabetic mellitus was noted in1 (2.86%) patient.

Conclusion: The predisposing conditions for Otomycosis are present in Jos environment and can usually be diagnosed by clinical examination. This study suggested that otomycosis found are predominantly unilateral, more common in older age group, in female mainly housewives, civil servants and Candida species is the most common causative organism implicated in causation of otomycosis and treated with clotimazole containing drugs. Discontinuation of antifungal agent is most appropriate in antibiotic induced otomycosis.

Little is known about factors that determine the QoL of elderly persons living in developing societies undergoing rapid social changes. A representative sample of elderly Nigerians, aged 65 years and over (n = 2152), was assessed for QoL using the World Health Organization Quality of Life instrument (WHOQoL-Bref). Other than sociodemographic factors, respondents were also evaluated for major depressive disorder, physical conditions as well as for social network, support and engagement. Using linear regression modeling, these factors were explored for their ability to predict the physical, psychological, social and environmental domains of QoL. Economic status was the most consistent predictor of the four domains of QoL, with the coefficients ranging between 1.0 and 1.68 (p < 0.001 in every instance). Among health variables, functional disability (range: 7.07-19.86) and self-rated overall health (range: 7.89-18. 42) were the most salient. Participation in community activities (range 7.74-17.48) was the most consistent social predictor. Even though health factors are important, social factors, in particular those relating to the quality of social support and participation, are the most important predictors of QoL.