Rising pattern of breast cancer in young women

Objectives: To study the rising pattern of breast cancer in young womenDesign: Retrospective study of cases of breast cancer from histopathological diagnosisSetting: Department of Pathology, Ilorin Teaching HospitalSubjects: Breast cancer tissues sent to histopathology department for diagnosis Interventions: Tissue fixation and processingMain outcome measures: Histopathological interpretation of Haematoxylin and Eosin (H & E) sectionsResults: In 15 years covered by the second study (1998-2012), 2665 breast specimens were received with 525 cases of carcinoma of the breast. Age range was 19 to 93 years with mean age of 48 years. Peak age group was 40--49 years, accounting for 143 cases (27.2%). There were 150 (28.6%) cases in women below 40 years. The first study covered 19 years (1979-1997). Breast specimens from women were 1247 and 397 were carcinoma and proportion of women below 40years was 23.7%. Age range was 19 to 90 years with an average age of 47.2 years. More cases of breast cancer were recorded among those less than 40 years in the second study compared with the first one and this was more pronounced in the age group 30-39 years. Consequently, statistically significant difference in the proportion of cases was seen between the two study groups in the age group 30-39 years. The 95% confidence interval obtained for the age group was -0.2657 to -0.0983 (p<0.05).Conclusion: Incidence of breast cancer is increasing, with statistically significant rise in young women. Facilities should be provided for screening, early diagnosis and management especially in the low- and middle-income countries

Isolation of Ascomycetous Fungi from a Tertiary Institution Campus Soil

Studies were carried out on the ascomycetous fungi present in six different but carefully selected sites on the University of Ilorin permanent site soil. Fungi isolation was done by the soil dilution methodincubated at 27oC for 72 hours. The predominant Ascomycetous fungi isolated include among others; Aspergillus niger, Fusarium solani, Fusarium oxysporum, Penicillium italicum, Fusarium acuminatum, Fusarium culmorum, Candida albicans, Botrytis cinerea, Geotrichum candidum, Trichoderma viride, Verticillium lateritum, Curvulariapalescens, Penicillium griseofulvum, Penicillium janthinellum, Penicillium chrysogenum, Aspergillus terreus, Aspergillus flavus, Aspergillus fumigatus, Aspergillus glaucus, Aspergillus clavatus, Cladosporium resinae, Alternaria alternate, Trichothecium roseum, Phialophora fastigiata, Aspergillus nidulans, Aspergillus wentii,Humicola grisea, Trichophyton rubrum, Helminthosporium cynodontis, Penicillium funiculosum, Penicillium purpurogenum, Saccharomyces cerevisiae, Trichoderma harzianum, Scopulariopsis candida.The physicochemical characteristics of soil samples was found to affect the distribution and population of fungi. The colony count in the study are ranged between 5.8 x 10 per gram of soil to 1.63 x 10 per gram of soil. The soil consists of high organic matter content

Knowledge and prevalence of risk factors for arterial hypertension and blood pressure pattern among bankers and traffic wardens in Ilorin, Nigeria

Background: High job strain, mental stress, sedentary lifestyle, increase in BMI are among the factors associated with significantly higher incidence of hypertension. The job of bank employees is both sedentary in nature and accompanies high mental stress. The aim of this study is to assess the level of knowledge of risk factors among respondents and to compare the blood pressure pattern of bankers and traffic wardens.Methodology: The study design is a descriptive cross-sectional conducted among bankers and traffic wardens in Ilorin to determine the pattern and knowledge of blood pressure. Self-administered questionnaires, weighing scale (Omron Digital scale), stadiometer and sphygmomanometer were used as the research instruments. Simple random sampling was used to select respondents involved in the study.Results: The prevalence of hypertension in this study was 34.4% in bankers and 22.2% in traffic wardens. The risk factors the bankers commonly had knowledge of are alcohol, obesity, high salt intake, certain drugs, stress, emotional problems and family history while the traffic wardens commonly had knowledge of all these in addition to cigarette smoking. Also, more bankers (32.2%) than traffic wardens (13.3%) were smoking cigarette and more of these cigarette smokers that are bankers (17.8%) had elevated blood pressure compared to the traffic wardens (3.3%).Conclusion: Workers in the banking industry as well as traffic wardens should be better educated about the risk factors of hypertension and bankers should be encouraged to create time for exercise.Key words: Hypertension, risk factors, bankers, traffic warden

Recent rubella infection among childbearing women in a tertiary hospital in Nigeria: A seroepidemiological indication for vaccination need

Background: Congenital Rubella Infection can be prevented and future generation saved from  disability by protecting women of reproductive age through vaccination. The study is aimed at  determining serological evidence of recent rubella infection among women of childbearing age.Method: A cross sectional study was carried out among 285 women aged between 15 and 49 years. Enzyme immunoassay method was used to detect and quantify human IgM and IgG antibodies with avidity for Rubella virus in sera of participants. Socio-demographic characteristics of the subjects, along with recent history of fever, rash and adverse pregnancy outcome among others were obtained using a questionnaire. Statistical analysis was carried out using the program statistical package for social sciences (SPSS) version 16. Majority (78.3%) of the women recruited for the study were within 15-34 years age range. Of the 285 sera assayed for Rubella IgM antibodies, 23 (8.1%; 95% CI: 4.9%-11.3 %.) was IgM seropositive, while the remaining 262 (91.9%) were seronegative. A total of 7 (2.5%) of reproductive age women in Ilorin had a recent primary infection while 16 (5.6%) had a persistent Rubella infection or recent re-infection.In conclusion, there is need for vaccination of susceptible women of reproductive age in Ilorin as a large number of women have Rubella in their reproductive age.Keywords: Rubella, Immunoglobulin M, avidity, reproductive age, Ilorin, Nigeri

Gynecological laparoscopic surgeries: A 4‑year audit at the University of Ilorin Teaching Hospital, Nigeria

Background: In addition to a shorter hospital stay and better cosmetic results, laparoscopic surgery also offers patients fewer postoperative complications compared to conventional open gynecological surgeries. With expertise and better facilities, it has come to stay as an alternative surgical approach to gynecological diagnosis and treatment.Aims and Objectives: The aim of this study was to assess the indications, intraoperative findings, and types of laparoscopic surgeries performed at the University of Ilorin Teaching Hospital, Ilorin.Materials and Methods: A retrospective observational study of 150 patients who underwent laparoscopic procedures between January 1, 2012 and December 31, 2015, at the Assisted Reproduction Technology (ART) unit of the University of Ilorin Teaching Hospital (UITH), Ilorin, Nigeria.Results: Within the period of our review, there were 1,256 gynecological operations and 150 laparoscopies, thus giving a period prevalence of 11.2%. The patients were aged 20–59 years with a mean age of 32.1 ± 3.9 years. Of the 150 laparoscopies, 30 (20%) had diagnostic laparoscopies while 120 (80%) had therapeutic laparoscopies. Of the 30 patients who had diagnostic laparoscopies, 5 (16.7%) presented with primary infertility and 12 (40%) with secondary infertility. The commonest indication for therapeutic laparoscopy was clomiphene‑resistant polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) and was found in 81 (67.5%). One (0.7%) was converted to open surgery due to technical difficulties. There was a case of iatrogenic sigmoid colon injury and no mortality recorded.Conclusion: Laparoscopic surgery offers patients a novel choice of intervention that affords establishing definitive diagnosis, shorter hospital stay, better cosmetics, and reduced morbidities/mortalities compared to open gynecological surgeries.Key words: Gynecological; Ilorin; laparoscopy; Nigeria

A review of pregnancy outcomes following laparoscopic ovarian drilling for infertile women with clomiphene resistant polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS) at a public health facility in Ilorin, Nigeria.

Background: Polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS) is the common endocrine disorder in women and its prevalence is on the increase due to availability of diagnostic tools. It is usually managed medically but for some resistant cases may require surgical intervention in the form of laparoscopic ovarian drilling (LOD). LOD is a one-off therapy avoids the need of medical therapy and its attendant complications.Aim and Objectives: The objective of this study was to determine the impact of LOD on reproductive outcomes of infertile women with clomiphene resistance PCOS among clients attending the Assisted Reproduction Technology unit of University of Ilorin Teaching Hospital.Materials and Methods: This is a prospective / longitudinal study of twenty three (23) patients of clomiphene resistant PCOS who underwent LOD between January and December 2012.Results: The patients were aged 24-45years with a mean age of 31.7 ± 5.2 years. Twenty (87%) out of twenty three were nulliparous and majority (87%) belong to middle social class. Eleven (47.8%) had primary infertility while 12 (52.2%) had secondary infertility. The mean duration of infertility is 4.5 ± 2.9 years and the number of drills per ovary ranged from 4 to 15 (mean, right ovary=8.6±3.24; left ovary=9.3±3.4). Majority (95.7%) had at least one patent tube. The mean age of patients' husbands is 38.8 ± 5.7 years with majority (82.6%) having normozoospermia. In the follow-up period, all 23 patients (100%) resumed menstruation and achieved ovulation (ovulation rate= 100%). The mean time of menstruation and ovulation were 4.1± 1.9 days and 5.3 ± 3.2 weeks respectively. Seven pregnancies were recorded from 23 patients giving a cumulative pregnancy rate of 30.4%. Of the remaining four pregnancies, one of the patients had successfully delivered, giving a live birth rate of 14.3%, while others are on-going. The mean time interval from LOD to pregnancy was 4.7 ± 1.6 months. The pregnancy outcomes had no significant association with age of the women, parity, duration of infertility and types of infertility with p > 0.05. Conclusion: LOD is a safe and effective one-off treatment for PCOS related infertility in patients who failed to respond to CC with efficacy equal to gonadotrophins and metformin. We recommend the need for its domestication in our locality.Keywords: Anovulatory infertility, Laparoscopic ovarian drilling, Polycystic ovarian syndrome, Live birt

Prevalence and risk factors of cervical cancer among women in an urban community of Kwara State, North Central Nigeria

Background. Cervical cancer is the second most common malig- nancy in women worldwide with a high incidence in under-devel- oped countries and Nigeria is one of these countries. This study aimed at screening for cervical cancer using Papanicolaou smear and to identify risk factors for cervical cancer among women in Olufadi community, Kwara state, North-central Nigeria. Methods. This was a cross-sectional study involving the screening of women aged 25-64 years for cervical cancer using Papanicolaou smear. Respondents were selected through systematic random sam- pling of households. Interviewer- administered questionnaire and clinical report form were also used to collect data. In addition, Pap smear samples were taken. Data was analyzed using SPSS version 15. Results. Only 10 (5.0%) respondents had positive cytology result, while the rest were normal. Of the 10 positive cytology results, 1(10.0%) was high grade squamous intraepithelial lesion (HGSIL) while the remaining 9(90.0%) were low grade squamous intraepithelial lesion (LGSIL) which corresponds to 0.5% and 4.5% of the total respondents respectively. Risk fac- tors for cervical cancer identified included coitarche, tobacco smoking, number of sexual partners and family history of cervi- cal cancer. Conclusion. The findings from this study attest to the increasing burden of cervical cancer. The high number of positive results obtained from the study coupled with the presence of risk factors was an indication of how useful regular screening will be in the early detection of cervical cancer

Potentially pathogenic yeasts from soil of children’s recreational areas in the city of Łódź (Poland)

Objectives: Yeasts may become potential human and animal pathogens, particularly for individuals with a depressed immune system. Their presence in the environment, especially in soil, may favour their spread into human ontocenoses. Materials and Methods: Eighty-four soil samples obtained from 21 children's recreational sites in Łódź in autumn 2010 and spring 2011 were evaluated. The yeasts were isolated by classical microbiological methods and identified on the basis of morphological and biochemical features. Results: The fungi were found in 73.8% and in 69.0% of the examined samples collected in autumn and spring, respectively. Among 97 isolates of yeasts, the species potentially pathogenic to humans and animals were Candida colliculosa, C. guilliermondii, C. humicola, C. inconspicua, C. lambica, C. lusitaniae, C. pelliculosa, C. tropicalis, Cryptococcus albidus, C. laurentii, C. neoformans, C. terreus, Kloeckera japonica, Geotrichum candidum, G. penicillatum, Rhodotorula mucilaginosa, R. glutinis, Saccharomyces cerevisiae, Sporobolomyces salmonicolor and Trichosporon cutaneum. The most frequently isolated fungi included the genus Cryptococcus (38 isolates) and two species: Rhodotorula glutinis (15), Trichosporon cutaneum (14). C. neoformans, an etiological factor of cryptococcal meningitis, was present in the sandpits of 3 kindergartens. The Candida species were identified from park playgrounds and school sports fields mainly in autumn 2010 (14 isolates), in spring 2011 - only 1 isolate. The concentration of fungal species in particular samples varied considerably, but in the majority of samples, fungi were present at concentration of up to 1×102 CFU/1 g of soil. Conclusions: Yeasts were present in the soil of parks, schools and kindergarten recreational areas; the fact may pose a health risk to humans, especially to children, and this type of biological pollution should be regarded as a potential public health concern

Pregnancy outcome among women who delivered in a secondary care hospital in Ondo, Nigeria

Objective: The objective was to review the pregnancy outcome of women who delivered in State Specialist Hospital, Ondo, Ondo State, Nigeria.Methods: One year hospital-based retrospective analysis was conducted in State Specialist Hospital Ondo, a secondary care hospital in southwestern Nigeria. The records of women who delivered in the hospital from 1st January to 31st December 2010 were reviewed. Maternal age, booking status, mode of delivery, maternal mortality, perinatal outcome and the sex of the babies delivered were assessed.Results: Two thousand seven hundred and six (2706) women delivered during the period under review with 2577(95.2%) live births and 11(0.4%) maternal deaths with a maternal mortality ratio of 427 per 100,000 live births. Hemorrhage, puerperal sepsis and hypertensive disorders of pregnancy were the leading causes of maternal deaths. The maternal age range was between 14 and 48years with the mean age of 28.2±5.3 (CI 28.0-28.4). A total of 452(16.7%) had cesarean delivery, 2239(82.7%) women had spontaneous vaginal delivery and 15(0.6%) had operative vaginal delivery (ventouse delivery). A total of 2281(84.3%) were booked patients while 425 (15.7%) were unbooked patients. The maternal mortality ratio was 9 times higher in unbooked patients than in booked patients, more males were delivered than females.Conclusion: The relatively reduced maternal mortality ratio in this hospital based study can be attributed to availability of free antenatal care and delivery services. The causes of maternal deaths in this study are preventable. There should be an improvement in the quality of care for obstetric emergencies especially for unbooked patients, and more health care providers are needed in giving quality care to these women