Volar Digital Transverse Creases of the Nigerians

The volar transverse creases of the second to fifth fingers have been shown to be genetically influenced and not caused primarily by embryonic flexion movements.  The presence of extra, displaced and missing volar digital transverse creases in individuals with normal joint anatomy may reveal abnormalities. This study aims at documenting the prevalence patterns of volar digital transverse creases of digits II-V in the normal Nigerian hands. Volar digital transverse creases of the digits II-V of 303 male and 168 female Nigerians were studied using palm prints obtained by ink method. Single crease (M) had highest frequency in the distal crease, followed by proximal crease and then middle crease. Double crease (D) frequency was highest in the middle phalanx, followed by proximal crease and then distal crease. Triple (T) frequency was highest in the middle phalanx; it was not common in the proximal and distal phalanx. Frequency of E and E+ creases were common in the middle phalanx, followed by distal phalanx and less common in the proximal phalanx. No differences exist between male and female digital creases of Nigerians, there is reduced frequency of the crease types T, E and E+ in all the fingers of male and female, and the male fingers II-IV showed absent E and E+ in the proximal phalanx. Keywords: Digital, Transverse, Creases, Nigerians

Occult Hepatitis B Virus Infection among HIV Positive Patients in Nigeria

HIV has been known to interfere with the natural history of hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection. In this study we investigate the prevalence of occult hepatitis B virus infection (OBI) among HIV-infected individuals in Nigeria. Overall, 1200 archived HIV positive samples were screened for detectable HBsAg using rapid technique, in Ikole Ekiti Specialist Hospital. The HBsAg negative samples were tested for HBsAg, anti-HBc, and anti-HCV by ELISA. Polymerase chain reaction was used for HBV DNA amplification and CD4 counts were analyzed by cytometry. Nine hundred and eighty of the HIV samples were HBsAg negative. HBV DNA was detected in 21/188 (11.2%) of patients without detectable HBsAg. CD4 count for the patients ranged from 2 to 2,140 cells/μL of blood (mean = 490 cells/μL of blood). HCV coinfection was detected only in 3/188 (1.6%) of the HIV-infected patients (P>0.05). Twenty-eight (29.2%) of the 96 HIV samples screened were positive for anti-HBc. Averagely the HBV viral load was <50 copies/mL in the OBI samples examined by quantitative PCR. The prevalence of OBI was significantly high among HIV-infected patients. These findings highlight the significance of nucleic acid testing in HBV diagnosis in HIV patients