Cystic Ameloblastoma: A Clinico-Pathologic Review

Objective: Cystic ameloblastoma represent 10-15% of all intra osseous ameloblastomas and appear to be less aggressive than the solid ameloblastomas. The aim of this study was to examine the clinico-pathologic characteristics of cystic ameloblastomas seen at a tertiary health care centre.Materials: All cases diagnosed as cystic ameloblastoma in the Oral Pathology Department of University College Hospital, Ibadan over a 10 year period were investigated for age, gender, location of lesion, treatment, and follow-up. The cases were classified as luminal, intraluminal or mural, based on Ackermann classification. The data was entered into the statistical package for the social sciences version 18 (SPSS 18) and results expressed as percentages.Results: Fifteen cystic ameloblastomas, representing 14.3% of a total of 105 ameloblastoma cases were seen. The mean age was 28.9(±14.5) years with 73.4% occurring in the second and third decades. The male:female ratio was 2:3. Fourteen (93.3%) of the lesions were in the mandible while only one (6.7%) was in the maxilla. The mural variant was the most common histological variant with 6(40%) cases while the luminal and intra-luminal had  4(26.7%) and 5(33.3%) respectively. The multilocular radiologic appearance was more common than the unilocular in this study (ratio 8:4). Cystic ameloblastoma with multilocular appearance occurred in a higher age group (mean age 31yrs) when compared with the unilocular type which had a mean age of 16.3years.Conclusion: This study shows similar findings with previous studies but shows a higher multilocular radiological appearance as compared to unilocular variant and no case of recurrence.Keywords: Cystic ameloblastoma, Clinico-pathologic review, Uni-locular, Multi-locula

Lyapunov Functions in Piecewise Linear Systems: From Fixed Point to Limit Cycle

This paper provides a first example of constructing Lyapunov functions in a class of piecewise linear systems with limit cycles. The method of construction helps analyze and control complex oscillating systems through novel geometric means. Special attention is stressed upon a problem not formerly solved: to impose consistent boundary conditions on the Lyapunov function in each linear region. By successfully solving the problem, the authors construct continuous Lyapunov functions in the whole state space. It is further demonstrated that the Lyapunov functions constructed explain for the different bifurcations leading to the emergence of limit cycle oscillation

Relationship between obesity and oral diseases

Objective: The aim of this study was to determine the relationship between obesity and periodontal status and dental caries experience of a group of Nigerian dental patients.Materials and Methods: Participants were selected from patients attending dental outpatient clinics of the University of Benin Teaching Hospital, Benin City, Nigeria. Their weight and height were measured and body mass index (BMI) estimated in kg/m2, gingival health assessed using bleeding on probing index, oral hygiene estimated using the simplified oral hygiene index (OHI‑S), periodontal health estimated using the basic periodontal examination (BPE) and caries experience was estimated with the decayed, missing, and filled teeth (DMFT) index.Results: A few participants (3.8%) were underweight, 52.6% fell within the normal BMI range, 28.2% preobese, 12.2% obese class I and 3.2% obese class II. The mean OHI‑S score was 2.16 ± 1.13 among the overweight participants and 2.05 ± 1.13 among those who are not (P = 0.543). The mean DMFT score was 3.03 ± 4.25 among the overweight participants and 2.32 ± 3.01 among those who are not (P = 0.223). Sixty‑five percent of participants with BPE score of 0, considered to signify periodontal health, had normal BMI while all the participants with the worst BPE score recorded belong to the obese 1 group (P = 0.070). The binary logistic regression revealed that the likely predictor of gingival bleeding in the study is BMI between 35.0 and 39.9 (obese class 2) (P = 0.046, odds ratio = 0.07, 95% confidence interval = 0.01-0.96).Conclusion: It can be concluded from this study that there is no statistically significant relationship between obesity and periodontal status and dental caries experience in the studied group of dental patients. Increased BMI may however be a predictor of gingival bleeding.Keywords: Dental caries, obesity, periodontal diseas

CD4 Changes in HAART-Naive HIV Positive Pregnant Women on HAART: Low Resource Setting Experience

PURPOSE: PMTCT interventions, especially initiation of Highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) has modified the natural history of HIV infection by reducing both peripartal and neonatal HIV infections, but the pattern of the immunologic responses of these pregnant women to HAART remains speculative. It is hoped from this study, to describe the pattern of immunologic response of naïve, HIV positive pregnant women on their first initiation on HAART. METHODS: This study described the pattern of CD4 changes observed in freshly diagnosed 126 HIV positive pregnant women, stratified into the trimesters of pregnancy and commenced on HAART (Zidovudine, Lamivudine and Nevirapine) for a period of 2 months in pregnancy. CD4 counts were determined at point of recruitment and monthly thereafter using a Parteccytometer counter (Cyflow(R)). Neonatal outcome was also described. RESULTS: Our findings suggest better immunologic response and fewer neonatal infectionsin group of naïve women initiated on HAART while in the first 26 weeks of pregnancy and lesser response in those commenced in the third trimester of pregnancy.CONCLUSION: Concerted efforts should be directed towards the initiation of HAART prophylaxis before end of 2nd trimester of pregnancy.Keywords: PMTCT, pregnant women, HAART, CD4 change

Sources of Occupational Stress among Secondary School Administrators in Kano State, Nigeria

The study identified the sources of occupational stress in secondary school managers in Kano state, Nigeria. Survey design was used and a random sampling was used to select the study sample, which consisted of 421 school managers. An inventory, the School Managers Sources of Stress Inventory was used to collect data. The data was analysed using simple percentage to answer the two research questions raised. The findings showed that, Administrative routine, Work load, and Conflicting demands and roles between work and family were the highest sources of stress. Also, 77.5% of the respondents reported that their job was stressful.African Research Review Vol. 2 (3) 2008: pp. 116-12

Case report: Actinomycosis in a West African dwarf goat in Nigeria

Actinomycosis, also called Lumpy jaw is a chronic, progressive, indurated, granulomatous, suppurative abscess that most frequently involves the mandible, the maxillae or other bony tissues in the head. It is a sporadic but common disease in cattle, occasional in pigs and horses and rarely in goats (Radostits et al., 2007). Members of the genus Actinomyces are Gram positive, non-acid fast, non-spore forming rods (Songer and Post, 2005) that form a mycelium of branching filaments that fragment into irregular-sized rods (Blood et al., 2007). The species that commonly cause disease in domestic animals include A. bovis, A. hordeovulneris, A. hyovaginalis, A. israelii, A. naeslundii, A. suis, A. viscosus and Arcanobacterium pyogenes (Songer and Post, 2005). Actinomyces bovis is a common inhabitant of the bovine mouth and infection is presumed to occur through wounds to the buccal mucosa caused by sharp pieces of feed or foreign material. Infection may also occur through dental alveoli, and may account for the more common occurrence of the disease in young cattle when the teeth are erupting (Radostits et al., 2007).Actinomyces viscosus causes periodontal disease and subgingival plaques in hamsters fed a high carbohydrate diet, and also abscessation in dogs (Timoney et al., 1988) in which it is an opportunistic infection (Blood et al., 2007). The present report describes a case of actinomycosis due to A. viscosus involving a doe in a herd of 42 West African Dwarf (WAD) goats kept intensively at the Teaching and Research Farm, University of Agriculture, Abeokuta, Nigeria