Analysis of resource-use efficiency and productivity of residual soil moisture tomato production in Kaduna state, Nigeria

This study was conducted to examine the resource-use efficiency and productivity of residual soil moisture tomato production Kaduna state, Nigeria. Descriptive statistics and production function analysis were used to analyze the data. The result showed that the production function analysis showed that 54,55% of the residual soil moisture tomato yields among the sampled farmers were explained by the specified inputs. The coefficients of land and labour, and Seed/seedlings significantly influence the output of residual soil moisture of tomato production. Similarly, land and seed were under-utilized, while labour is the most was over used. To improve the efficiency of inputs used, the study recommends that farmer's access to modern technologies should be enhance, there should be effective and efficient extension service, easy access to formal credit facilities and also encourage them to form cooperative societies to enable them procure their inputs at reduce rate

Case report of challenges in the management of a rare ductal dependent complex congenital heart disease in a Nigerian tertiary hospital

Objective: Complex congenital heart defects are rare and may be difficult to define. They often require early surgery for palliation or correction. A lack of facilities and manpower to provide surgery in developing countries often results in mortality.Case report: A 6 month old male infant referred to our unit on account of failure to thrive, cyanosis since birth, easy fatigability and breathlessness. On examination he was small for age with tachycardia and a grade III pansystolic murmur at the left lower sternal edge. Chest radiograph revealed an “egg on side” cardiac appearance with cardiomegaly. Echocardiography confirmed the presence of d-transposition of the great arteries with a patent foramen ovale, large ventricular septal defect and atresia of the proximal main pulmonary artery. The child died while being prepared for referral to a centre for palliative surgery. Conclusion: Transposition of the great arteries with pulmonary atresia is an uncommon congenital heart disease. Early intervention with palliative surgery is necessary to prevent mortality.Keywords: Congenital heart disease; pulmonary atresia with ventricular septal defect; great vessel anomaly; echocardiograph

Oral hygiene and gingival disease among children with structural heart disease at a tertiary hospital in North-Central Nigeria

Background: Poor oral hygiene and gingival disease are factors that increase risk of infective endocarditis in children with structural heart disease. The  objectives were to evaluate the oral hygiene status of children with structural heart disease and the prevalence of dental caries/ gingival disease among them. Methods: Descriptive, cross-sectional study. Subjects were children aged6 months to 14 years with structural heart disease. Relevant sociodemographic  and clinical data were collected. The Decayed, Missing Filled –Teeth (DMF-T) index and Simplified Oral Hygiene index-S (OHI-S) were used to evaluate for dental caries and oral hygiene respectively. Results: Forty-eight subjects were recruited. Median (IQR) age was 1.88 (0.50 – 6.75) years. Commonest structural heart diseases were ventricular septal  defects (19 subjects; 39.6%), rheumatic heart disease (6; 12.5%), and Tetralogy of Fallot (5; 10.4%). Prevalence of dental caries amongst subjects was 11.4%  (four of the 35). Six (12.5%) had gingival disease and one (2.9%) had poor oral hygiene. Thirty-two (91.4%) subjects had their mouth cleaned daily,  while only four (12.5%) of these had it cleaned at least twice a day. Conclusion: Dental caries and poor oral hygiene are common amongst children with structural heart disease

Reference values for the six-minute walk test in Nigerian adolescents aged 10 to 18 years

Objective: To determine baseline six-minute walk distance in Nigerian adolescents and establish its relationship with age, gender and anthropometric parameters.Methods: One hundred and eighty healthy adolescents (10 – 18 years) were recruited from three schools. Six-minute walk test was conducted as described by the American Thoracic Society. Demographic and anthropometric characteristics were related to achieve six-minute walk distance. A mathematical formula for predicting six-minute walk distance was generated.Results: The mean ± SD six-minute walk distance was 590.1 ± 72.02 m and was significantly longer in males (p= 0.001) among adolescents aged 10- 16 years. Age was the only characteristic significantly associated with six-minute walk distance following multiple linear regression analyses. The formulae, [six-minute walk distance = 317.3 + 21.5 x age (years) in males and 117 + 33.0 x age (years) in females] closely approximated to measured six-minute walk distance.Conclusion: This study has derived reference values for 6-minute walk test in adolescents; the use of these reference values should consider age and gender variations.Keywords: Exercise test; Six-minute-walk; Adolescents; Nigeri

Pediatric Blood Culture Isolates and Antibiotic Sensitivity Pattern in a Nigerian Tertiary Hospital

Introduction: There is a significant variation in the bacterial pathogens implicated in childhood septicemia and their antibiotic sensitivity patternfrom place to place. Sustained monitoring of this dynamics is therefore critical to rational antibiotic use. Materials and Methods: This study was thus conducted to determine the etiology of childhood septicemia and their antibiotic sensitivity pattern. Blood culture results (contaminants excluded), age, and sex of all pediatric patients with suspected septicemia between January 2013 and December 2014 were retrieved. Data were analyzed using SPSS version 20. Results: Over a 2‑year period, a total of 3680 blood samples were processed. Pathogenic bacteria were isolated in 701 samples (19%).    Staphylococcus aureus was the most common isolate (41.4%) and was most sensitive to ampicillin‑sulbactam (89%). Klebsiella species (21.7%),  coagulase‑negative Staphylococcus (14.7%), and Pseudomonas aeruginosa (11%) were other common organisms isolated. Virtually, all the isolates demonstrated a reliable susceptibility to ciprofloxacin except for S. aureus and Klebsiella species which were most sensitive to ampicillin‑sulbactam and imipenem, respectively. Conclusion: In conclusions, S. aureus is the leading cause of childhood septicemia in this locale. The significant rate of isolation of the supposedly less virulent organisms calls for an urgent review of potential risk factors and an appraisal of the hospital infection control policies and structures. Keywords: Antibiotics, isolates, paediatri

Obstructive urolithiasis in a 11/2 – year old Ouda–Yankasa ram: case report

Obstructive urolithiasis is the retention of urine subsequent to the lodgement of calculi in the urinary tract from the kidney up to the urethral orifice. This report describes the post-mortem and chemical analysis findings of the calculi in an 18-month old Ouda-Yankasa cross ram presented at the Large Animal Clinic of the Veterinary Teaching Hospital, Usmanu Danfodiyo University, Sokoto. The patient was presented on 20th of March, 2013 with reports of anorexia, disinclination to drink water and anuria that developed four days before presentation at the clinic. On clinical examination, urethral blockage and mild ascites were observed. Cystocentesis was performed to relieve the patient and plain radiograph taken but was not diagnostic. The patient died before definitive diagnosis was made for rational treatment. The post - mortem findings include frothy exudate in the trachea and bronchial airways, congestion of the lungs, hydroperitoneum with recovered fluid measuring 2,350 ml, splenomegaly, hydronephrosis, distended urinary bladder, severe haemorrhagic cystitis, urinary calculi in the bladder and throughout the urethral length and urethral stricture. The urinary calculi recovered were white, friable and amorphous, ranging from small particles to 5mm in diameter. Histopathologic section of the kidney showed atrophied glomeruli. It can thus be concluded that the atrophied glomeruli in turn impaired glomerular filtration which invariably pre-disposed the patient to uraemia leading to its death. The chemical analysis of the calculi showed that the calculi was either oxalate, phosphate or silicate, or any of these mixtures.Keywords: calculi, obstruction, phosphate, uraemi

The global burden of cancer attributable to risk factors, 2010–19: a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2019

BACKGROUND: Understanding the magnitude of cancer burden attributable to potentially modifiable risk factors is crucial for development of effective prevention and mitigation strategies. We analysed results from the Global Burden of Diseases, Injuries, and Risk Factors Study (GBD) 2019 to inform cancer control planning efforts globally. METHODS: The GBD 2019 comparative risk assessment framework was used to estimate cancer burden attributable to behavioural, environmental and occupational, and metabolic risk factors. A total of 82 risk–outcome pairs were included on the basis of the World Cancer Research Fund criteria. Estimated cancer deaths and disability-adjusted life-years (DALYs) in 2019 and change in these measures between 2010 and 2019 are presented. FINDINGS: Globally, in 2019, the risk factors included in this analysis accounted for 4·45 million (95% uncertainty interval 4·01–4·94) deaths and 105 million (95·0–116) DALYs for both sexes combined, representing 44·4% (41·3–48·4) of all cancer deaths and 42·0% (39·1–45·6) of all DALYs. There were 2·88 million (2·60–3·18) risk-attributable cancer deaths in males (50·6% [47·8–54·1] of all male cancer deaths) and 1·58 million (1·36–1·84) risk-attributable cancer deaths in females (36·3% [32·5–41·3] of all female cancer deaths). The leading risk factors at the most detailed level globally for risk-attributable cancer deaths and DALYs in 2019 for both sexes combined were smoking, followed by alcohol use and high BMI. Risk-attributable cancer burden varied by world region and Socio-demographic Index (SDI), with smoking, unsafe sex, and alcohol use being the three leading risk factors for risk-attributable cancer DALYs in low SDI locations in 2019, whereas DALYs in high SDI locations mirrored the top three global risk factor rankings. From 2010 to 2019, global risk-attributable cancer deaths increased by 20·4% (12·6–28·4) and DALYs by 16·8% (8·8–25·0), with the greatest percentage increase in metabolic risks (34·7% [27·9–42·8] and 33·3% [25·8–42·0]). INTERPRETATION: The leading risk factors contributing to global cancer burden in 2019 were behavioural, whereas metabolic risk factors saw the largest increases between 2010 and 2019. Reducing exposure to these modifiable risk factors would decrease cancer mortality and DALY rates worldwide, and policies should be tailored appropriately to local cancer risk factor burden

Analysis of Resource-Use Efficiency and Productivity of Residual Soil Moisture Tomato Production in Kaduna State, Nigeria

This study was conducted to examine the resource-use efficiency and productivity of residual soil moisture tomato production Kaduna state, Nigeria. Descriptive statistics and production function analysis were used to analyze the data. The result showed that the production function analysis showed that 54,55% of the residual soil moisture tomato yields among the sampled farmers were explained by the specified inputs. The coefficients of land and labour, and Seed/seedlings significantly influence the output of residual soil moisture of tomato production. Similarly, land and seed were under-utilized, while labour is the most was over used. To improve the efficiency of inputs used, the study recommends that farmer's access to modern technologies should be enhance, there should be effective and efficient extension service, easy access to formal credit facilities and also encourage them to form cooperative societies to enable them procure their inputs at reduce rate

Acute otitis media in childhood: a review

Acute otitis media (AOM) refers to an acute infection of the middle ear. Despite its lack of propensity for causing mortality, the morbidity burden in ambulatory paediatric practice remains huge, not only in tropical communities, but indeed on the global terrain. The current communication has emanated from a review of the current literature, and our experience in a tropical tertiary paediatric practice.The aim is to highlight the local and global epidemiological import of AOM in infants and young children, the pathogenesis and the corresponding anatomical peculiarities accounting for the vulnerability of this age-group. This review also focuses on the clinical presentation, possible complications, as well as the investigative and treatment options, indicating as required those that are of practical values in resource-poor tropical practice.The overall objective is to heighten the overall index of diagnostic suspicion of the clinician for a valid recognition of AOM as a common cause of a febrile illness in the tropical child, hence the prompt initiation of the appropriate treatment measures. This will reduce the overall prevalence of complications, some of which are serious complications and give rise to long term sequelae. We emphasise the need for a prompt otoscopy as an indispensable diagnostic tool of AOM in the child, presenting with fever and/or the symptoms of common cold.Keywords: otitis media; epidemiology; management; tropic

Acute tubular injury from toxic nephropathy presenting as bilateral renal masses in a 16-month-old child in Nigeria

Background: Renal masses in children often result from hydronephrosis, dysplastic conditions or malignancies. We present an unusual case of bilateral renomegaly caused by toxic nephropathy. Case Presentation: A 16-month-old child was brought by the parents on account of bilateral flank swellings of three-week duration, associated with weight loss. There was positive history of regular use of herbal concoctions. Abdominal ultrasound revealed bilateral renomegaly with preserved renal architecture. Renal biopsy showed enlarged proximal renal tubules with vacuolations in the tubular cell cytoplasm with many small-sized vacuoles with normal glomeruli. An assessment of bilateral renomegaly (enlarged kidneys) with preserved architecture, probably from toxic nephropathy was made. The child made remarkable improvement with conservative management resulting in progressive shrinking of the enlarged kidneys. Discussion: This is an unusual presentation of bilateral renomegaly caused by the use of herbal concoctions. While the effect of herbal concoctions causing tubular injury have been described, we found no report of an association with significant renomegaly as was seen in this patient. Conclusion: We have presented this case to alert clinicians as to this consideration in the differential diagnoses of renal enlargement in children in Nigeria