Pattern of Demand for Removable Acrylic Partial Denture (RPD) in the city of Port Harcourt, Nigeria

Background: Pattern of demand for RPDs and distribution of stock teeth carried by these prostheses is rarely reported. The current study is designed to determine the pattern of demand for RPDs and to compare the patterns of distribution of stock teeth carried by these prostheses between the right and left sides of each jaw and between the upper and lower jaws respectively.Materials and Methods: This retrospective study reviewed the authorization forms of 1,000 adult patients who requested for RPD from two dental hospitals in the metropolitan city of Port Harcourt, Nigeria. The gender, type (upper, lower or both) of RPD and the teeth requested were analyzedResults: There were 906 properly filled forms belonging to 464 (51.2%) females and 442 (48.8) males. More males (38.5%) compared to 32.5% females requested for upper RPD and more females (15.8%) as against 7.3% males demanded for lower RPD. More males (3.5%) compared to females (3.0%) requested for combination of upper and lower RPD. A decline in the number of teeth demanded was noted as we move away from the central incisor to the nd 2nd premolars. No marked difference was noted between the distribution of teeth provided for the right and left sides of each jaw. More prosthetic teeth were demanded for the upper jaw.Conclusion: More females requested for removable acrylic partial denture. No marked difference was noted  between the distribution of teeth provided for the right and left sides of each jaw. More prosthetic teeth were demanded for the upper jawKey words: Acrylic partial denture, removable, stock teet

Some conservation aspects of papyrus endemic passerines around Lake Victoria, Kenya

No Abstract

The pattern of medical mortalities in a specialist hospital in north-central Nigeria.

Background: Review of causes of morbidity and mortality in health care facilities is an important exercise which gives a picture of the prevailing disease pattern in the particular community and at the same time looks out for any change in the disease pattern over time. This exercise is a necessary component for planning of the health care needs of the community. Objective: To determine the mortality pattern on the medical wards of the Kogi State Specialist Hospital, a tertiary center located in Lokoja, North-Central Nigeria. Methods: A retrospective review of medical records of all patients admitted to the medical wards of the hospital over a period of 18 months (December 2008 – May 2010) was carried out. The information recorded from these sources included the age and gender, diagnosis/cause of death and the duration of admission. Results: A total of six hundred and eighty-four patients were admitted during the period being studied with a predominance of female patients (Female: Male Ratio = 1.07). There were seventy-six deaths (11.1%) during the period in question with HIV and related >complications accounting for most recorded mortality (32.9%) closely followed by non-communicable cardiovascular conditions (hypertension, heart failure and CVD) – 28.9%. Conclusion: This study clearly shows that HIV infection and its complications remains the leading cause of death despite the advent of HAART. Clearly there is a need to revisit the strategies of HIV prevention and control. Also there is an urgent need to focus on the prevention and treatment of non-communicable diseases like hypertension and diabetes.Keywords: Mortality pattern, causes, medical wards, Nigeri

The characteristics and suitability of the soils of some major cocoa growing areas of Nigeria: Tung lga of Cross River

The soils of the major cocoa growing district of Etung Local Government Area of Cross River State were surveyed using a flexible grid method to assess the  suitability of these soils for cocoa production. This study  was carried out as part of efforts to revitalize cocoa production in Nigeria. Both the linear and square root  parametric models of suitability assessment were used for the evaluation exercise. From the computed values of the current index productivity (1.80 12.75), all the mapping units delineated from the exercise were currently not suitable (N2) for cocoa production. The limiting factors identified include high rainfall (> 2500 mm annually) and relative humidity (65.5% - 85%), low fertility (N, P, K, Ca, Mg) resulting from nutrient leaching, low pH (3.45 4.90 in KCl) and cation exchange  capacity (1.67 10.75 cmol kg-1), and low to toxic  concentrations of Fe, Mn, Cu and B in the soils. However, the values of potential productivity index (13.41 - 45) suggested that most of the mapping units will be marginally suitable (S3) for cocoa production with adequate application of appropriate fertilizers and suitable soil management practices. This will require a carefully designed fertilizer trial to ascertain the optima fertilizer level, fertilizer types and application methods.Key words: Land suitability, Cocoa production, Soil fertility, Soil management and Etung LGA

Evaluation of Pharmaceutical and Chemical Equivalence of Selected Brands of Diclofenac Sodium Tablets

There is the need to subject different brands of the same drug to physicochemical tests to determine their pharmaceutical and chemical equivalence and the possibility of substituting brands and generics, while achieving the same therapeutic effect. Hence, this work was done to determine the variations in the properties of five brands of enteric coated slow release diclofenac sodium tablets. The brands were subjected to standard physicochemical tests. The results from the generics were compared to those of the innovator brand with reference to official standards. All the brands passed the chemical tests for drug content with a range of 98.1 to 100.76% w/w diclofenac sodium content. The innovator brand passed all the other tests, while the generics passed some tests but failed others. There were significant differences (p < 0.05) in the values obtained for uniformity of weight and friability tests for all the brands. No significant differences were observed for crushing strength and disintegration tests. The results showed that the brands are chemically but not physically equivalent. The generic brands could neither be substituted for each other nor for the innovator brand to achieve the same therapeutic effects.Keywords: Tablet release properties, pharmaceutical equivalence, diclofenacEast and Central African Journal of Pharmaceutical Sciences Vol. 15 (2012) 3-

Ruptured tubal pregnancy: predictors of delays in seeking and obtaining care in a Nigerian population.

PURPOSE: Morbidity and mortality from ruptured tubal pregnancies (RTPs) have been linked with delays in seeking and receiving care. Evaluation of the reasons for these delays and their contributions to maternal deaths is rarely done for women with RTPs in resource-constrained settings. PATIENTS AND METHODS: This was a 3-year retrospective review of the case records of women with tubal pregnancies managed at the Ekiti State University Teaching Hospital, Ado-Ekiti, Nigeria. Clinical and sociodemographic parameters were obtained, including information on onset of symptoms and intervals between the symptoms and when help was sought and obtained at the hospital. RESULTS: There were 92 cases of tubal pregnancies, giving an incidence of 18 per 1,000 births. Most of the patients were married (74.7%), parous (64.9%), and urban dwellers (76.9%), and 11% were severely anemic on arrival. The case-fatality rate was 1.1% and 74.7% had delay in seeking care, while 82.4% of the women spent more than 2 hours after admission before surgical intervention. Rural dwellers (adjusted odds ratio 2.96, 95% confidence interval 1.08-8.36) and those without formal education (adjusted odds ratio 6.39, 95% confidence interval 1.06-67.30) had delays in seeking help, while problems with funds (χ (2)=7.354, P=0.005) and initial misdiagnosis (χ (2)=5.824, P=0.018) predicted delay in obtaining help at the hospital. CONCLUSION: RTPs are common gynecological emergencies in our environment that are often associated with delayed decisions to seek help and obtain care. Efforts should be geared toward women's education and financial independence, improved hospital accessibility, and better diagnostic skills

Pre-donation screening of blood for transfusion transmissible infections: The gains and the pains - experience at a resource limited blood bank

Objective: To determine whether or not pre-donation testing of blood donors affords substantial cost savings without compromise to blood transfusion safety. Predonation testing of blood donors for Transfusion Transmissible Infections (TTIs) is done in most developing countries because substantial cost savings are made from resources, materials and man-hours which would have been spent to procure infected blood units.Simple rapid test kits used in pre-donation testing is not as sensitive as the Enzyme Linked Immuno-sorbent Assay (ELISA) method used in post-donation screening in a quality assured manner.Design: It is a retrospective study where records of pre- and post-donation tests done in donor clinic of University of Ilorin Teaching Hospital, between January and December 2010 were retrieved. All processes and inputs were evaluated and costs calculated for predonation testing by simple rapid  techniques and post donation screening by ELISA.Results: 5000 prospective donors were tested in the study period. The cost of single rapid Pre-donation testing was less than that of single ELISA Postdonation screen. The cost of double rapid Pre-donation and Post donation ELISA screen exceeded the cost of single post donation ELISA screen. Substantial cost savings were made when single rapid Pre-donationtesting is relied on. More blood units were found reactive for the TTIs with the more expensive Postdonation ELISA.Conclusion: Pre-donation testing of blood donors was not cost effective. Although, there is an apparent savings if pre-donation testing is not followed by postdonation ELISA testing, it is done at a compromise toblood transfusion safety.Key words: pre-donation, post-donation, TTIs screening

Inhibition of glutathione S-transferases (GSTs) activity from cowpea storage bruchid, Callosobrochus maculatus Frabiricius by some plant extracts

Crude ethanolic extracts of Tithonia diversifolia, Cyperus rotundus and Hyptis suavolens have insecticidal activity against Callosobrochus maculatus Frabiricius. The ethanol extracts of the plants have positive results for alkaloids, saponin, tannins and flavonoids. Antioxidant and reducing properties were also determined in the crude ethanol extracts. Cowpea storage bruchid, C. maculatus glutathione S-transferases was a potential target for the plants extracts. Gluathione S-transferase fromcowpea storage bruchid was purified by affinity gel chromatography of glutathione sepharose. Inhibition effect of the plant extracts on the GST was studied by spectrophotometric method. The binding of the extract was competitive by the Dixon plot with Ki of 84, 132 and 180 ug/mL for T.diversifolia , C. rotundus and H. suavolens, respectively. We suggest that reported efficacy of the extract is due to the antioxidant properties and competitve binding inhibition on GST may contribute to the pharmacological basis of the efficacy against cowpea storage bruchid, C. maculatus Frabiricius and its attendant managements

Prevalence of asymptomatic bacteriuria among pregnant women in Nnewi, southeast Nigeria

Asymptomatic bacteriuria (ASB) in pregnancy is associated with obstetric complications including preeclampsia, pyelonephritis, preterm labour, low birth weight and prematurity. Determining the prevalence of asymptomatic bacteriuria among pregnant women locally is needed to justify routine screening for ASB in pregnancy. This cross sectional, case controlled study examined 440 women comprising equal numbers of pregnant and non pregnant women attending various clinics at Nnamdi Azikiwe University Teaching Hospital (NAUTH) Nnewi, Nigeria with the aim of determining the prevalence of ASB among them and the antibiotic sensitivity of the isolated organisms. Urine culture using MacConkay and blood agar were used to isolate bacteria organisms. Significant bacteriuria was defined as the finding of single pure isolate of ≥105 in two consecutive, freshly voided, midstream urine. The prevalence of asymptomatic bacteriuria among the pregnant women was 19.5% (n=43) and 6.4% ( n=14) for the non pregnant women. (x2=16.9,0R=3.6, P=0.00). There was no significant influence of age (x2=1.89,P=0.39), parity (x2=3.92,P=0.14) or social class (x2=5.7, p=0.22) on the prevalence of asymptomatic bacteriuria in pregnancy. Escherichia coli (E. coli) was the commonest isolated organism, 30(52.6%) followed by Staphylococcus aureus, 10 (17.5%) and Klebsiella sp, 9 (15.8%). The isolated E. coli was 100% sensitive to ofloxacin, nitrofurantoin and nalidixic acid and 83.3%, 73.3% and 66.7% sensitive to augmentin, gentamicin and cefuroxime, respectively. Sensitivity to ampicillin and cotrimoxazole were 43.3% and 30.0%, respectively. The prevalence of asymptomatic bacteriuria among pregnant women attending antenatal clinic in NAUTH is high and the isolated organisms were mainly susceptible to ofloxacin, nitrofurantoin and nalidixic acid. Routine screening for ASB in pregnancy in the hospital is recommended for all pregnant women.Keywords: Prevalence, Asymptomatic bacteriuria, Nnewi, Nigeri