Clinical Features and Pattern of Presentation of Breast Diseases in Surgical Outpatient Clinic of a Suburban Tertiary Hospital in South-West Nigeria

Objective: To characterize the clinical features and pattern of presentation of breast diseases as observed in our practice. Materials and Methods: A prospective study of 121 consecutive patients with breast complaints presenting in our Surgical Outpatient Clinics. The relevant data were collected by two surgeons using the prescribed forms and was analyzed using Epi Info 2003, Mann–Whitney (test of two groups) Chi-squared and Fishers exact test was used to compare parameters of benign and malignant groups. P value <0.05 was considered as significant. Results: One hundred and nineteen patients were females, two were males. The age range was 14–70 years. Forty two (34.7%) patients were in the 21–30 year age group. The commonest symptoms were breast lump in 111 (91.7%) patients, and breast pain in 28 (23.1%) patients. Breast pain was a significant presenting complaint in patients with breast malignancy (P=.026). On clinical examination 103 (85.1%) patients had palpable lumps, and seven patients were normal. Forty four patients (36.3%) had malignant disease, seventy patients (57.8%) had benign breast diseases and seven were normal. Fifty nine of the 70 benign diseases were fibroadenoma. One hundred and three patients (85%) had appropriate therapy, while 18 patients (14.8%), including eight with malignant disease absconded. Conclusion: In the study, a breast lump was the commonest clinical feature of breast disease. Over 60% of these were benign. Breast pain was a statistically significant presentation in patients with malignant breast disease. One in seven of the patients absconded.Keywords: Breast lumps, breast malignancy, breast pain, fibroadenomaNigerian Journal of Surgery, Jan-Jun 2012 | Volume 18 | Issue

Aspects of the Growth and Reproductive Biology of the Guinean Tilapia, Tilapia guineensis (Bleeker, 1862) in a Tropical Freshwater Lake, Nigeria

Aspects of the growth and reproductive biology of the Guinean Tilapia, Tilapia guineensis from Asejire Lake was investigated from January, 2013 to December, 2013. Significant relationships(r> 0.89) occurred between the length and weight of T.guineensis for the combined, male, female and every month.  The values of the parameter slope (b) in the length-weight relationship being less than 3 indicated negative allometric growth. The mean condition factor (2.023 ± 0.01) being greater than one showed the fish is in good condition in the freshwater environment.  The multiple peaks observed in the gonadosomatic index signify the species is a multiple spawner. Fecundity of Tilapia guineensis ranged from 3418 – 9852 eggs for a fish with total length 18.9 cm to 29.7 cm respectively Keywords: Tilapia guineensis, length weight relationship, gonad maturity stages, fecundity, freshwater environmen

Nasal carriage of methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus among medical students of a private institution in Ilishan-Remo, Ogun State, Nigeria

Background: Nasal carriage of methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) is a major factor for its transmission especially from the health workers and medical students to their patients. There are a number of published data on the prevalence of MRSA among health workers but data on nasal colonization of medical students by MRSA are sparse in Nigeria. The objectives of this study are to determine the prevalence of nasal carriage of MRSA among medical students of the Ben Carson School of Medicine, Babcock University, Ilishan-Remo, Ogun State, Nigeria, and identify risk factors associated with this nasal carriage. Methodology: A case control study involving 100 clinical (study group) and 100 pre- clinical (control group) medical students was undertaken between March 2018 and October 2019. Structured questionnaire was administered to obtain socio-demographic information and potential risk factors. Nasal swab was collected from each student and cultured for isolation of S. aureus by standard microbiology techniques. Phenotypic MRSA was detected by the cefoxitin 30μg disk diffusion method according to the guideline of Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute. The mecA gene was detected by conventional polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assay. Results: The prevalence of S. aureus nasal carriage among the study group was 14% (14/100) while the prevalence among the control group was 6% (6/100) (p=0.097). The prevalence of phenotypic MRSA among the study group was 4% (4/100) and 1% (1/100) among the control group (p=0.3687) while mecA gene was detected in 3 of the 4 (75%) phenotypic MRSA positive study participants and in the only (100%) phenotypic MRSA positive (1%) control group. Antibiotics usage without prescription, antibiotic treatment of common cold, and use of antibiotics in the previous one year, were significantly associated with MRSA carriage among the study group. Conclusion: Although the prevalence of nasal carriage of S. aureus and MRSA among clinical and pre-clinical medical students was not statistically significant, the risk factors identified with carriage of MRSA among the study group indicates the need for antimicrobial stewardship program to reduce carriage and transmission of MRSA by medical students. Keywords: methicillin resistant, Staphylococcus aureus, mecA gene, nasal carriage, medical student

Emergence and spread of two SARS-CoV-2 variants of interest in Nigeria.

Identifying the dissemination patterns and impacts of a virus of economic or health importance during a pandemic is crucial, as it informs the public on policies for containment in order to reduce the spread of the virus. In this study, we integrated genomic and travel data to investigate the emergence and spread of the SARS-CoV-2 B.1.1.318 and B.1.525 (Eta) variants of interest in Nigeria and the wider Africa region. By integrating travel data and phylogeographic reconstructions, we find that these two variants that arose during the second wave in Nigeria emerged from within Africa, with the B.1.525 from Nigeria, and then spread to other parts of the world. Data from this study show how regional connectivity of Nigeria drove the spread of these variants of interest to surrounding countries and those connected by air-traffic. Our findings demonstrate the power of genomic analysis when combined with mobility and epidemiological data to identify the drivers of transmission, as bidirectional transmission within and between African nations are grossly underestimated as seen in our import risk index estimates

The evolving SARS-CoV-2 epidemic in Africa: Insights from rapidly expanding genomic surveillance.

Investment in severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) sequencing in Africa over the past year has led to a major increase in the number of sequences that have been generated and used to track the pandemic on the continent, a number that now exceeds 100,000 genomes. Our results show an increase in the number of African countries that are able to sequence domestically and highlight that local sequencing enables faster turnaround times and more-regular routine surveillance. Despite limitations of low testing proportions, findings from this genomic surveillance study underscore the heterogeneous nature of the pandemic and illuminate the distinct dispersal dynamics of variants of concern-particularly Alpha, Beta, Delta, and Omicron-on the continent. Sustained investment for diagnostics and genomic surveillance in Africa is needed as the virus continues to evolve while the continent faces many emerging and reemerging infectious disease threats. These investments are crucial for pandemic preparedness and response and will serve the health of the continent well into the 21st century

The evolving SARS-CoV-2 epidemic in Africa: Insights from rapidly expanding genomic surveillance

INTRODUCTION Investment in Africa over the past year with regard to severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) sequencing has led to a massive increase in the number of sequences, which, to date, exceeds 100,000 sequences generated to track the pandemic on the continent. These sequences have profoundly affected how public health officials in Africa have navigated the COVID-19 pandemic. RATIONALE We demonstrate how the first 100,000 SARS-CoV-2 sequences from Africa have helped monitor the epidemic on the continent, how genomic surveillance expanded over the course of the pandemic, and how we adapted our sequencing methods to deal with an evolving virus. Finally, we also examine how viral lineages have spread across the continent in a phylogeographic framework to gain insights into the underlying temporal and spatial transmission dynamics for several variants of concern (VOCs). RESULTS Our results indicate that the number of countries in Africa that can sequence the virus within their own borders is growing and that this is coupled with a shorter turnaround time from the time of sampling to sequence submission. Ongoing evolution necessitated the continual updating of primer sets, and, as a result, eight primer sets were designed in tandem with viral evolution and used to ensure effective sequencing of the virus. The pandemic unfolded through multiple waves of infection that were each driven by distinct genetic lineages, with B.1-like ancestral strains associated with the first pandemic wave of infections in 2020. Successive waves on the continent were fueled by different VOCs, with Alpha and Beta cocirculating in distinct spatial patterns during the second wave and Delta and Omicron affecting the whole continent during the third and fourth waves, respectively. Phylogeographic reconstruction points toward distinct differences in viral importation and exportation patterns associated with the Alpha, Beta, Delta, and Omicron variants and subvariants, when considering both Africa versus the rest of the world and viral dissemination within the continent. Our epidemiological and phylogenetic inferences therefore underscore the heterogeneous nature of the pandemic on the continent and highlight key insights and challenges, for instance, recognizing the limitations of low testing proportions. We also highlight the early warning capacity that genomic surveillance in Africa has had for the rest of the world with the detection of new lineages and variants, the most recent being the characterization of various Omicron subvariants. CONCLUSION Sustained investment for diagnostics and genomic surveillance in Africa is needed as the virus continues to evolve. This is important not only to help combat SARS-CoV-2 on the continent but also because it can be used as a platform to help address the many emerging and reemerging infectious disease threats in Africa. In particular, capacity building for local sequencing within countries or within the continent should be prioritized because this is generally associated with shorter turnaround times, providing the most benefit to local public health authorities tasked with pandemic response and mitigation and allowing for the fastest reaction to localized outbreaks. These investments are crucial for pandemic preparedness and response and will serve the health of the continent well into the 21st century

The effects of graded levels of brewers' dried grains and maize cobs in the diets of pigs on their performance characteristics and carcass quality

No abstract

Antimicrobial activity of Plumbago zeylanica plant extracts and its application in water and laboratory disinfection

This study was carried out to investigate the antimicrobial activities/ potentials of Plumbago zeylanica components (leaf, stem and root) on four bacterial species, Baccilus subtilis, Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli and Klebsiella pneumonia with the aim of using the active part of the plant to be used in water and laboratory disinfection. The plant parts crude extract was concentrated using a rotary evaporator and dried in a freeze drier. Different concentrations of the plant parts were then prepared from the dried plant extract and tested on the four pathogens using agar diffusion methods. The results indicated that active antimicrobial properties are concentrated more in the roots been very effective against Escherichia coli even at low concentration. However, at higher concentration all the plant extracts became effective against the bacteria. The study concludes that the roots of Plumbago zeylanica possess the highest antimicrobial potentials for disinfection. Then, the root extract was tested on effluent water and the results showed significance reduction level of Escherichia coli