Aural foreign bodies encountered in a Tertiary Health Facility Bingham University Teaching Hospital Jos

Introduction-Aural FB is anything but wax lodged in the ear; it could be organic or inorganic, animate or inanimate. Common Fbs are grains/seeds, cotton buds, beads, etc. commonly introduced by children due to curiosity and adventurous exploration of body orifices. Removal by trained personnel and specialists is safe with minimal or no complications but attempts or removal by unqualified personnel can present severe complications.Method- A three year retrospective study to evaluate aural FB encountered in a tertiary institution; data of 234 patients with aural FBs were collected and analyzed.Results-234 patients were evaluated, 136 males and 96 females-thus having a M:F= 1.4:1. Most of the FB occurred in the age range of 0-10 years with grains/seeds as the commonest FB. Cotton buds were seen mostly in adults. Most of them were removed in clinic settings without complications.Conclusion- Removal of aural FBs by untrained or nonprofessionals can present with severe complications thus attempts at removal should be avoided; referral to the trained professionals is advised for a save outcome

Baseline and recurrent exposure to the standard dose of artemisinin-based combination therapies (ACTs) induces oxidative stress and liver damage in mice (BALB/c)

Background In malaria-endemic countries, repeated intake of artemisinin-based combination therapies (ACTs) is rampant and driven by drug resistance, improper usage, and easy accessibility. Stress effects and potential liver tox- icity due to the frequent therapeutic use of ACTs have not been extensively studied. Here, we investigated the effects of repeated treatment with standard doses of the commonly used ACTs artemether/lumefantrine (A/L) and artesu- nate-amodiaquine (A/A) on oxidative stress and liver function markers in male mice (BALB/c). Methods Forty Five mice were divided into three groups: control, A/L, and A/A. The drugs were administered three days in a row per week, and the regimen was repeated every two weeks for a total of six cycles. The levels of oxidative stress and liver function markers were measured in both plasma and liver tissue after initial (baseline) and repeated exposures for the second, third, and sixth cycles. Results Exposure to A/L or A/A caused a significant (p < 0.001) increase in plasma malondialdehyde (MDA) lev- els after the first and repeated exposure periods. However, Hepatic MDA levels increased significantly (p < 0.01) only after the sixth exposure to A/A. Following either single or repeated exposure to A/L or A/A, plasma and liver glutathione peroxidase (GPx) and catalase (CAT) activities, plasma aspartate and alanine transaminase, alkaline phos- phatase activity, and bilirubin levels increased, whereas total plasma protein levels decreased significantly (p < 0.001). Varying degrees of hepatocyte degeneration and blood vessel congestion were observed in liver tissues after a single or repeated treatment period. Conclusion Irrespective of single or repeated exposure to therapeutic doses of A/L or A/A, plasma oxidative stress and liver damage were observed. However, long-term repeated A/A exposure can led to hepatic stress. Compensa- tory processes involving GPx and CAT activities may help reduce the observed stress

The Physicochemical Potentials of Water from Bore Holes, Tube Wells, Water Harvesters, Water Hawkers and Direct Fetching from Open Water Sources Like Lakes and Rivers in Makurdi Benue State and Keffi, Nasarawa State Nigeria. A Quest for Sustainable Develo

World Water Day- 22 March 2018 with the theme ‘Nature for Water’ – is exploring nature-based solutions to the water challenges we are facing in the 21st century. The  Sustainable Development Goal 6  committed the world to ensure that everyone has access to safe water by 2030 .Looking around our environment are  simple but definite sources of water that can generate up to 5000l water  or more at a time year round . Some boreholes, rivers, tube wells, water harvesters, water hawkers and direct fetching from open water sources like lakes and rivers within 2 areas Keffi Nasarawa State and Makurdi Benue State Nigeria were sampled and analysed for physicochemical and bacterial load properties. Results are displayed side by side the WHO /Nigeria Guidelines for Drinking  Water standards 2005  .Relatively high values are recorded for total solids ,  total hardness ,color , conductivity and bacterial load  per 100ml in both cities  which can be treated with simple and available  water treatment equipment .  Sustainable Development Goal 6 ensuring that everyone has access to safe water by 2030 is realizable and affordable if the proper will is in place. Keywords: Sustainable, Guidelines, physicochemical, water and equipment DOI: 10.7176/CMR/11-4-02 Publication date: April 30th 201

The prevalence of ectopic pregnancy in Jos, North Central Nigeria: a reproductive health challenge

Background: Ectopic pregnancy is a life threatening gynecological emergency with a rising incidence of maternal morbidity especially in resource poor settings. Most cases present in the emergency unit when ruptured.Objective: The objective of this study was to determine the prevalence, identifiable risk factors, clinical presentation and management outcome of ectopic pregnancy.Method: This was a retrospective review of cases of ectopic pregnancies seen and managed in the gynecological unit of Plateau State Specialist Hospital (PSSH) Jos from 1st September 2012 to 31st August, 2017. The medical records of the patients managed for ectopic pregnancy as well as the delivery register from the labor room, theater register and gynecological admissions during the study period were retrieved. The data were collected with the aid of data entry form designed for this purpose. The relevant data collected were analyzed using epi info 16 version and presented in tables.Results: During the period, a total number of 13,596 deliveries were recorded while there were 2067 gynecological admissions. One hundred and seventy two (172) patients had ectopic pregnancies accounting for 1.27% of all deliveries and 8.3% of gynecological admissions. The mean age of the patients was 29±5years. The peak age group was 20-25 years (32.0%); 92(53.5%) had secondary school as their highest level of education; 135(78.5%) were married and 49(28.4%) were multigravida. All the patients; 172(100%) presented with a history of abdominal pain while 8(4.7%) presented in shock. A total of 161(93.6%) were diagnosed based on history and clinical examination findings; 152(88.4%) had trans-abdominal scan and 12(7.0%) had abdominal paracentesis (though frowned at in modern day practice). The commonest identifiable risk factors for ectopic pregnancies were pelvic inflammatory disease(PID) in 111(64.5%) of patients followed by previous history of abortions in 17(9.9%) of patients. A total number of 169(98.3%) of the patients had total salpingectomy for ruptured ectopic pregnancies via open abdominal surgeries with 87(50.6%) done on the right fallopian tubes. Three (1.7%) of the patients had oophorectomy. Eighty one(47.1%) of the patients had blood transfusion with no case fatality.Conclusion: Ectopic pregnancy still remains a major health challenge among women of reproductive age group in Nigeria. Efforts should therefore be directed at prompt and timely management to reduce maternal morbidity and mortality in developing countries, availability and accessibility of contraceptive methods, accessibility to healthcare centers and affordable healthcare, proper treatment of PID, use of better technologies in management of cases and human capacity development.Keywords: Prevalence, reproductive age group, ectopic pregnancy, resource poor settings, life threatening, emergenc

Effects of Soil Properties and Operational Variables on the Compactibility of a Sandy Loam Soil

The evaluation of an empirical equation for the determination of degree of compaction of a sandy loam soil was carried out using seven soil physical properties and four compaction operational variables. The soil used was obtained from a borrow pit in Gombe. Five levels of compactive effort, E/A, using a drop-weight type compactor varying from 107.91 to 539.55 Nm was used to compact each of seven pairs of embankment and slice thicknesses (Z, z respectively) with Z varying from 210 to 450 mm and z from 30 to 210 mm. The developed empirical equation, π1&nbsp;= Gπ2k&nbsp;in which π1 is the dimensionless degree of compaction and π2&nbsp;is a dimensionless combination of the soil properties and the compaction operational variables, has a very high coefficient of determination, r2&nbsp;varying from 98.8% to 98.9%. G and k are each polynomial functions of compactive effort per loading, eL. that is, G = αGeL2+βG&nbsp;eL&nbsp;+ λG&nbsp;and k=αkeL2+βkeL+ λk. The values of the respective α, β and λ are highly statistically significant at 99.95 confidence level. The “dependent” variables (G and k) are highly correlated at 99.95% confidence level of statistical significance with the “independent” variable (eL). The multivariate expression of the degree of compaction obtained in this study shows that compaction depends, not only on cumulative compactive effort, E/A, but also on the compactive effort per loading (eL), embankment and slice thicknesses (Z and z respectively) as well as on easy-to-measure soil properties (i.e. soil texture, soil uniformity coefficient, antecedent soil moisture and antecedent bulk density)

Substance abuse and adherence to antiretroviral therapy among patients attending clinic at a specialist hospital in Jos, Nigeria

Substance abuse does not only increase susceptibility to HIV/AIDS through high risk Sexual behaviors but it also hastens the progression of the disease among infected persons than in those who do not abuse drugs. Furthermore, drug use impairs adherence to antiretroviral therapy (ART) leading to reduction in ART effectiveness and ultimately increased HIV-related mortality. In North Central Nigeria there is a dearth of information concerning the influence of substance abuse on adherence to ART which has substantially altered the fate of HIV-infected people. The objectives of this study therefore, were to determine the type of substances abused by HIV-infected patients attending clinic at Plateau State Specialists Hospital (PSSH) and to determine the effect of substance abuse and sociodemographic factors on adherence to ART among these patients. Ethical approval was obtained before the commencement of the study which was crosssectional in design. The study was carried out at the infectious disease unit of the Plateau State Specialists Hospital, Jos among 160 consecutive patients. The Alcohol, Smoking and Substance Involvement Screening Test (ASSIST) was used for the assessment of the types of substance abused and AIDS Clinical Trials Group(ACTG) adherence instrument was used to assess reasons for non- adherence. The results showed that 61.9% of the patients did not use any substance of abuse, 38.1% either abused one substance or a combination of substances. Substance abuse were (p = 0.0001), alcohol abuse (p = 0.003) and educational status (p = 0.0001) significantly associated with non-adherence to ART while, age (p = 0.954), employment status (p = 0.924) and marital status (p = 0.466) were not. However, logistic regression revealed that only alcohol abuse (B = -1.383, df = 1, p = .002) predicted non adherence to ART. We recommend the screening of patients on ART for substance abuse and a multi-disciplinary approach to the treatment of HIV/AIDS.Keywords: HIV, substance abuse, medication adherenc

Log-linear Model of Diabetic Patients of Plateau State General Hospitals

This study investigates Diabetes Mellitus, which is a disorder that is assuming pandemic proportion worldwide. With secondary data from Plateau State General Hospitals and a log-linear model analysis carried out using statistical package (SPSS version 21), to find out if there is a relationship between diabetes, gender and Body mass index (BMI). The result shows that there is a significant relationship between female as reported to BMI and diabetes with a P- value of 0.0007, and male as reported to BMI and diabetes with a     P- value of 0.000. This i­ndicates an interaction between gender, BMI and diabetes because all their P-values are less than the alpha level of 0.05. The study recommends public education on regular BMI checking, regular exercise and proper diet by both sex to avoid obesity which is generally associated with an increase in risk of diabetes mellitus. Keywords: Diabetes Mellitus, Obesity, Body mass index and log-linear analysis.

Crop Coefficient of Tomato under Deficit Irrigation and Mulch Practices at Kano River Irrigation Project, Nigeria

This work determined the effects of deficit irrigation and mulching practices on crop coefficient (Kc) of tomato in the Kano River Irrigation Project (KRIP) Kadawa, Kano, Nigeria. Experiments comprised of four levels of water application depths (40, 60, 80, and 100% of weekly reference evapotranspiration) and four levels of mulching (No-Mulch (NM), Rice-Straw-Mulch (RSM), Wood-Shaving-Mulch (WSM) and White-Polyethylene-Mulch (WPM)) was conducted to examine changes in Kc value. The mean Kc values (early, developmental, mid and late stages) of fully irrigated treatments were 0.70, 0.81, 1.07 and 0.78; 0.64, 0.76, 0.99 and 0.71; 0.60, 0.73, 0.94 and 0.69; and 0.53, 0.66, 0.86 and 0.62 for NM, RSM, WSM and WPM respectively while that of deficit irrigation ranged from 0.17 to 1.13 across the treatments, noting that the highest Kc was observed under NM treatments. Statistical analysis reveals that the effect of various levels of irrigation and mulching practices on Kc of tomato was highly significant at P＜0.05 level of significance with a high mean value of 1.13 obtained at I100 and NM respectively. It was concluded to encourage tomato farmers in KRIP to adopt the use of their rice straw for mulching cum deficit irrigation (20%) towards conserving irrigation water for sustainability. Also, results obtained from this study can be used as a guide to farmers in irrigating tomato crop and to engineers in the design of irrigation systems

Sociodemographic predictors of depression among survivors of armed conflict with posttraumatic stress disorder in Dogonahawa, north central Nigeria

Background: Survivors of mass violence are at high risk of developing a wide range of psychological disorders. Nevertheless, little is known about the impact of trauma in post conflict low-income countries where armed conflict abounds.Objective: This study was carried out to assess the prevalence of comorbid  depression among victims of armed- conflict in Dogonahawa, north-central Nigeria who developed posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and those who did not. It also assessed the socio-demographic predictors for comorbid depression among those who developed PTSD.Method: A cross-sectional study that employed a multi stage sampling technique to select eligible subjects in Dogonahawa, north-central Nigeria. The PTSD module of Mini International Neuropsychiatric Interview (MINI) was used to assess for current symptoms of PTSD, while the Beck Depression Inventory-II (BDI-II) was used to assess for depression.Results: The results showed that 55.5% and 44.7% of the respondents had PTSD and PTSD with comorbid depression respectively. The difference in prevalence was statistically significant with adults diagnosed with PTSD in this community being significantly more likely to experience comorbid depression than those without PTSD (p&lt; 0.001). Being a female gender and being the head of household were found to be the predictors for comorbid depression among respondents with PTSD.Conclusions: Mental health consequences of conflict continued to endure four years after the armed conflict. In the light of the above, mental health emergency  interventions after exposure to traumatic event need to be developed to enhance healing and recovery.KeyWords: PTSD, co-morbid depression, sociodemographic predictors, depression, Armed, Conflict, Dogonahaw

Distinct Expression Patterns of Hedgehog Signaling Components in Mouse Gustatory System During Postnatal Tongue Development and Adult Homeostasis

The Hedgehog (HH) pathway regulates embryonic development of anterior tongue taste fungiform papilla (FP) and the posterior circumvallate (CVP) and foliate (FOP) taste papillae. HH signaling also mediates taste organ maintenance and regeneration in adults. However, there are knowledge gaps in HH pathway component expression during postnatal taste organ differentiation and maturation. Importantly, the HH transcriptional effectors GLI1, GLI2 and GLI3 have not been investigated in early postnatal stages; the HH receptors PTCH1, GAS1, CDON and HHIP, required to either drive HH pathway activation or antagonism, also remain unexplored. Using lacZ reporter mouse models, we mapped expression of the HH ligand SHH, HH receptors, and GLI transcription factors in FP, CVP and FOP in early and late postnatal and adult stages. In adults we also studied the soft palate, and the geniculate and trigeminal ganglia, which extend afferent fibers to the anterior tongue. Shh and Gas1 are the only components that were consistently expressed within taste buds of all three papillae and the soft palate. In the first postnatal week, we observed broad expression of HH signaling components in FP and adjacent, non-taste filiform (FILIF) papillae in epithelium or stroma and tongue muscles. Notably, we observed elimination of Gli1 in FILIF and Gas1 in muscles, and downregulation of Ptch1 in lingual epithelium and of Cdon, Gas1 and Hhip in stroma from late postnatal stages. Further, HH receptor expression patterns in CVP and FOP epithelium differed from anterior FP. Among all the components, only known positive regulators of HH signaling, SHH, Ptch1, Gli1 and Gli2, were expressed in the ganglia. Our studies emphasize differential regulation of HH signaling in distinct postnatal developmental periods and in anterior versus posterior taste organs, and lay the foundation for functional studies to understand the roles of numerous HH signaling components in postnatal tongue development