Incidence of Negative Appendectomy: Experience From a Company Hospital in Nigeria

Objective: The aim of this study was to determine the rate of negative appendectomy in a company hospital in Nigeria. Background: Appendicitis is one of the most common abdominal conditions requiring surgical intervention. Appendectomy, like most surgical procedures, has its complications and therefore should only be undertaken when indicated. Case series have reported the incidence of negative appendectomy in Western nations. The purpose of this retrospective study is to evaluate the incidence of negative appendectomy in a Nigerian hospital, where all the operations were carried out by consultant surgeons. Methods: All case files of patients who received an appendectomy at Chevron Hospital in Warri, Nigeria between January, 1999 and December, 2003 were reviewed. Demographic data, symptoms and signs on presentation, intra-operative findings and histological reports on the excised vermiform appendixes were extracted from the case files and analyzed. Results: The incidence of negative appendectomy in this study was 16.1%; all nine patients that had negative appendectomy were female. Conclusion: The incidence of negative appendectomy observed at Chevron Hospital in Warri, Nigeria is lower than that reported by most studies; one factor may be that all the patients in the present study were evaluated and operated on by consultant surgeons

Differential Rheology Among ABO Blood Group System In Nigerians

Background: ABO blood groups have been reported to have rheological significance and association with different disease conditions. The non-O blood groups (A, B, and AB) have shown more susceptibility to arterial and venous thrombotic diseases with no rheological delineation. The determinants of these blood groups are based on the presence or absence of the inherited antigenic substances on the erythrocyte membrane which are responsible for the alterations in membrane and cytoskeletal properties that could affect the rheology of blood. This study was therefore aimed at ascertaining how the varying membrane biochemical antigenic architecture affects the erythrocyte’s rheological properties and that of the whole blood. Methods: A total of 138 young healthy subjects were studied; they comprised 40, 38, 50 and 10 subjects divided into blood groups (A, B, and O and AB) respectively. Hemorheological parameters such as Relative plasma viscosity (RPV), Hematocrit (HCT), Plasma Fibrinogen concentration (PFC), White blood cell count (WBC), Red blood cell count (RBC), Platelet count, Hemoglobin concentration (Hb) and Erythrocyte deformability (ED) were analyzed. The transit time model (the higher the transit time, the lesser the deformability) was used in analyzing RBC deformability. Results: We observed that blood group AB had significantly higher values of PFC, RPV and Platelet counts but significantly lower transit time (p<0.05, respectively) when compared with other blood groups. The transit times were in the order of B>A>O>AB (p<0.05, respectively). Conclusion: In conclusion, blood group AB seems to have a positive advantage of better RBC deformability despite its comparatively high RPV. This shows that hemorheological variations exists amongst the ABO blood groups and the red cell antigenic biochemistry may be a determinant of their membrane mechanical properties. Also, a slight increase in Plasma Fibrinogen Concentration seems to have a significantly profound effect on plasma viscosity and indeed RBC deformability via transit times.Keywords: Hemorheology, Deformability, Plasma Viscosity, Transit time, antigenic biochemistr

Rootstock growth and development for increased graft success of mango (Mangifera indica) in the nursery

The graft success of seedlings depends on rootstock size and the skills of grafters. A study was carried out to evaluate the effects of rootstock diameter (at root collar), skills and experience of grafters on mango seedling thinning and grafting. Skilled and unskilled grafters were involved in grafting mango plants for at least three consecutive months. Different rootstock sizes based on root collar diameter of mango seedlings were assessed. The results showed significant differences in graft-take among three groups of nurserymen. The skills and experience of grafters had a significant effect on graft success. The late emerging seedlings showed higher increase in height and diameter after thinning. A higher survival (> 75%) and reduced time to graft-take (19 days) were achieved with thicker rootstocks (0.7 cm) than thinner rootstocks (0.3 cm). The early emerging plants produced more leaves than late emerging plants after grafted. It was concluded that a higher graft-take can best be achieved with skilled grafters and thicker rootstocks

Seed constraint to cultivation and productivity of African indigenous leaf vegetables

Non-availability of improved seeds constitutes a major constraint to the cultivation and productivity of the indigenous leaf vegetables (ILVs) of Africa. Research on African ILVs has focused mainly on the ethnobotany, collection, preservation, and the assessment of food value and chemical composition ofthe ILVs. No serious breeding and seed production research has been done on the ILVs. This paper examines some factors underlying the lack of interest in the production of ILVs seeds, the problem associated with local seed processing and the way to organize a seed production programme for theILVs

A decision support tool for propagating Miombo indigenous fruit trees of southern Africa

Indigenous fruit trees (IFTs) contribute to the livelihoods of rural households as sources of food, income and medicine. Conservation and domestication of IFTs involve germplasm selection, collection,multiplication and evaluation. In addition, biodiversity and genetic improvements have been realized through propagation. However, there are numerous challenges when propagating indigenous trees andthe choice of appropriate propagation techniques determines the success of domestication programme. In this paper we synthesize different propagation methods used for indigenous fruit trees,and propose a decision support tool based on desirable attributes of individual IFT, technical requirements, expertise of the propagators and relative cost of implementing the technology in addition to field performance and tree management. Depending on circumstances, this decision support tool can be used to quickly choose a propagation method for a given fruit tree so as to maximize on germplasm collection, multiplication and evaluation without compromising field performance and management of the fruit trees

Water application rate and frequency affect seedling survival and growth of Vangueria infausta and Persea americana

Adequate amount of water is critical to successful tree nursery operation among resource-constrained smallholder farmers in Africa. Two  experiments were undertaken with the objectives of evaluating effects of water application rate and frequency on seedling growth and survival of Persea americana and Vangueria infausta. In experiment 1, water was applied to seedlings at 500 ml per 1 L polyethylene bag daily and at two, four and six day intervals. In experiment 2, water was applied to seedlings every two days at the rate of 25, 50, 100 and 150 ml per polyethylene bag. The results indicated that V. infausta was more responsive to the rate than frequency of water application. Water application of 100 ml every two days was effective in promoting seedlings growth and survival for both species. Application of 500 ml of water every two days promoted growth of P. americana, while watering frequency had no significant effect on V. infausta. It is concluded that V. infausta seedlings require less frequent watering. Both species could be successfully raised with 100 ml of water applied every two days.Key words: Nursery irrigation, nutrient reserves, root collar diameter, seedling mortality

Prevalence and burden of HBV co-infection among people living with HIV:A global systematic review and meta-analysis

Globally, in 2017 35 million people were living with HIV (PLHIV) and 257 million had chronic HBV infection (HBsAg positive). The extent of HIV-HBsAg co-infection is unknown. We undertook a systematic review to estimate the global burden of HBsAg co-infection in PLHIV. We searched MEDLINE, Embase and other databases for published studies (2002-2018) measuring prevalence of HBsAg among PLHIV. The review was registered with PROSPERO (#CRD42019123388). Populations were categorized by HIV-exposure category. The global burden of co-infection was estimated by applying regional co-infection prevalence estimates to UNAIDS estimates of PLHIV. We conducted a meta-analysis to estimate the odds of HBsAg among PLHIV compared to HIV-negative individuals. We identified 506 estimates (475 studies) of HIV-HBsAg co-infection prevalence from 80/195 (41.0%) countries. Globally, the prevalence of HIV-HBsAg co-infection is 7.6% (IQR 5.6%-12.1%) in PLHIV, or 2.7 million HIV-HBsAg co-infections (IQR 2.0-4.2). The greatest burden (69% of cases; 1.9 million) is in sub-Saharan Africa. Globally, there was little difference in prevalence of HIV-HBsAg co-infection by population group (approximately 6%-7%), but it was slightly higher among people who inject drugs (11.8% IQR 6.0%-16.9%). Odds of HBsAg infection were 1.4 times higher among PLHIV compared to HIV-negative individuals. There is therefore, a high global burden of HIV-HBsAg co-infection, especially in sub-Saharan Africa. Key prevention strategies include infant HBV vaccination, including a timely birth-dose. Findings also highlight the importance of targeting PLHIV, especially high-risk groups for testing, catch-up HBV vaccination and other preventative interventions. The global scale-up of antiretroviral therapy (ART) for PLHIV using a tenofovir-based ART regimen provides an opportunity to simultaneously treat those with HBV co-infection, and in pregnant women to also reduce mother-to-child transmission of HBV alongside HIV