APOE E4 is associated with impaired self-declared cognition but not disease risk or age of onset in Nigerians with Parkinson's disease

The relationship between APOE polymorphisms and Parkinson's disease (PD) in black Africans has not been previously investigated. We evaluated the association between APOE polymorphic variability and self-declared cognition in 1100 Nigerians with PD and 1097 age-matched healthy controls. Cognition in PD was assessed using the single item cognition question (item 1.1) of the MDS-UPDRS. APOE genotype and allele frequencies did not differ between PD and controls (p > 0.05). No allelic or genotypic association was observed between APOE and age at onset of PD. In PD, APOE ε4/ε4 conferred a two-fold risk of cognitive impairment compared to one or no ε4 (HR: 2.09 (95% CI: 1.13-3.89; p = 0.02)), while APOE ε2 was associated with modest protection against cognitive impairment (HR: 0.41 (95% CI 0.19-0.99, p = 0.02)). Of 773 PD with motor phenotype and APOE characterized, tremor-dominant (TD) phenotype predominated significantly in ε2 carriers (87/135, 64.4%) compared to 22.2% in persons with postural instability/gait difficulty (PIGD) (30/135) and 13.3% in indeterminate (ID) (18/135, 13.3%) (p = 0.037). Although the frequency of the TD phenotype was highest in homozygous ε2 carriers (85.7%), the distribution of motor phenotypes across the six genotypes did not differ significantly (p = 0.18). Altogether, our findings support previous studies in other ethnicities, implying a role for APOE ε4 and ε2 as risk and protective factors, respectively, for cognitive impairment in PD

Clinical imaging dissociation in stokes in a southern Nigerian tertiary hospital: Review of 123 cases

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First-ever generalised tonic-clonic seizures in adults in the emergency room: Review of cranial computed tomography of 76 cases in a tertiary hospital in Benin-city, Nigeria

Objective: To determine the prevalence of intracranial lesions in first-ever generalized tonic-clonic seizures in adults presenting in the Emergency Department (ED). Main outcome measure was the prevalence of intracranial lesions in cranial computerized tomography (CT). Method: 76 consecutive patients aged 18 years and above, with first-ever, non-traumatic, generalised tonic-clonic seizures that were evaluated in the ED with cranial CT, had their CT films reviewed by a specialist Radiologist. Demographic characteristics of participants were computed. The participants were divided into two groups-the group with intracranial lesions and the other without and their characteristics were compared. Main outcome measure was the presence of intracranial lesions in cranial computerized tomography. Results: Intracranial lesions were found in 57.9% of cases; cerebral atrophy and acute vascular disorders (strokes) were the leading lesions. Mean age of cases with intracranial lesions was higher compared with those with normal CT findings (55.31±17.33 years versus 38.90 ±14.69 years; p<0.001). Age above 29 years was predictive of intracranial lesions (O.R=1.109, p=0.01). Gender was not significantly associated with intracranial lesions (p=0.084). Clinical and CT diagnoses agreed only in 8.4% of the cases. (p=0.198). Conclusion: In first-ever, non-traumatic, generalized, tonic-clonic seizures  in the ED, intracranial lesions are found frequently, cerebral atrophy and acute vascular insults are the leading intracranial lesions.Keywords: First-ever, seizure, generalized, tonic-clonic, emergency, non-traumatic

Should non acute and recurrent headaches have neuroimaging before review by a Neurologist?- A review in a Southern Nigerian Tertiary Hospital

Background: Headache is a common complaint in general practice and it is known that most headaches are primary and that the yield of neuroimaging like cranial computed tomography (CT) in headache is generally low. In this study, we were able to demonstrate that the yield of  neuroimaging in non-acute and recurrent headache could be higher if cases are reviewed first by a specialist Neurologist before cranial CT.Method: Seventy-four cases that were referred to the specialist neurology clinic with complaints of chronic and recurrent headaches without focal neurological defi cit that had CT scan were reviewed consecutively using theshort form of the International Classification of Headache Disorders second edition (ICHD 2) criteria after their demographics of age, sex were  captured, to find out the proportion and characteristics of study cases that had identifiable cranial lesions on cranial CT scan. All cases were reviewed by a specialist Neurologist before CT scan and all CT fi lms were reviewed by a specialist Radiologist. Age, sex and the distribution of CT findings were described from a frequency table and mean age of study cases with and without identifiable lesions on CT were compared with t-test for any signifi cant difference and the effect of gender on the presence of identifiable lesions was tested with chi square and the agreement between clinical and CT diagnoses were tested on kappa statistics.Results: (1) Mean age of cases was 37.55 (22.06) years. (2) No signifi cant effect of gender was found on intracranial lesions (P = 0.345). (3) Intracranial lesions were found in 47.3% of cases and the mean age was higher compared to cases with normal fi ndings on cranial CT (P = 0.019). (4) Clinical and CT diagnoses agreed in 56.2% of the cases (P = 0.000).Conclusion: The high yield of intracranial lesions may be accounted for by the method of selection of cases for cranial CT

Aerobic Degradation of Drill Muds by Axenic and Mixed Bacterial Isolates from Drill Cuttings at Ologbo, Edo State, Nigeria

Increasing exploration and production activities, coupled with improper waste disposal practices have encouraged widespread contamination of ecological systems at locations of these activities. This study was to examine the biodegradation potentials of axenic and mixed bacterial isolates associated with drill cuttings emanating from onshore well located at Ologbo, Edo State. Aerobic biodegradation was determined using screen test and shake flask experiment (assessing the total viable counts (cfu/ml), pH, turbidity, Biological Oxygen Demand (BOD5) and Chemical Oxygen Demand (COD) for a period of 28 days. Results revealed heavy growth in broth cultures amended with glucose and drill muds. In shake flask experiment, the highest total viable counts of 10.2 x 103cfu/ ml and 6.4 x 103 cfu/ ml were recorded for cultures containing consortium of isolates (Enterobacter aerogenes + Micrococcus sp. In water based mud (WBM) broth; Enterobacter aerogenes + Micrococcus sp. in synthetic based mud (SBM) broth. The COD (reduced from 65 mg/ l at day 1 to 47 mg/ l at day 28) and BOD5 (reduced from 22.2 mg/ l at day 1 to 0.7 mg/ l at day 28 in synthetic based mud) results are evidence of the oxidation of the substrates. There was no significant difference in the degradation of the drilling muds by the isolates (p > 0.05). It was therefore shown that these selected isolates have potential applications in the bioremediation of sites polluted with muds waste.Keywords: Onshore drill-cutting, drill muds, microorganisms, biodegradationNig J. Biotech. Vol. 25 (2013) 46-5

Internal Efficiency Of Public Senior Secondary Schools In Edo State

The study was out to ascertain the enrolment and promotion rates of Edo State public senior secondary schools as well as wastage rates and the extent to which the schools are internally efficient. The study, therefore, investigated the internal efficiency of public senior secondary schools in Edo State. Four (4) research questions were raised to guide the study. A descriptive research design was adopted. The population of the study comprised all forty-two thousand, four hundred and seventeen (42,417) S.S.S.1 cohorts of public senior secondary school students for the 2019/2020 academic session which equally formed the sample for the study using the census sampling technique. A checklist titled “School Enrolment Checklist” (SEC) was used to elicit data for the study. The research questions were answered using percentages and the crude-cohort wastage rate (C-CWR), input/output ratio. The results of the findings showed that public senior secondary schools in Edo state had a low wastage rate as the schools were moderately internally efficient with moderate enrolment and promotion rates. The study, therefore, recommended that the state government should further motivate teachers by intensifying their training such as seminars, workshops, and conferences among others to reduce wastage in the system

Adult stroke registry in West Africa: Profile of 334 in-patients in the University of Benin Teaching Hospital, Benin City, Nigeria

Background: Profiling of stroke types in sub-Saharan Africa until recently has been done in part with the clinical diagnosis, where neuroimaging is not affordable or accessible. Objective: To profile all first-ever stroke using cranial computed tomography (CT) scan. Methods: Three hundred and thirty-four first-ever stroke had demographic data as well as the duration of admission or time to event (outcome), stroke type and severity, volume of hemorrhage in cases of parenchymal hemorrhage captured from the stroke unit register. Operationally outcome was defined as discharge to follow-up or discharge against medical advice (DAMA) or all-cause in-hospital mortality, stroke type was defined by cranial CT as cerebral infarct or intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH) or subarachnoid hemorrhage. Stroke severity was defined by the Canadian Neurological Scale (CNS) and the National Institutes of Health Stroke Score (NIHSS). Data were analyzed as appropriate. Results: Mean age was 62.63 ± 14.90 years, comprising 190 (56.9%) males and 144 (43.1%) females. Mean duration of admission was 12.91 ± 11.38 days. Totally, 251 had cerebral infarct (75.15%), 81 (24.25%) had ICH, 2 (0.60%) had subarachnoid hemorrhage. A total of 177 (51.19%) were discharged to follow-up, 15 (4.50%) were DAMA with acute case fatality of 148 (44.31%). Mean CNS score was 2.85 ± 2.57 and mean NIHSS was 17.29 ± 5.15. Age, time to outcome and NIHSS were the predictors of outcome (survival or discharged to follow-up and all-cause mortality) (odds ratio [OR] =1.043, P = 0.016, OR = 0.923, P = 0.001, OR = 2.467, P < 0.001 respectively) and NIHSS was the only predictor of survival (hazard ratio = 0.872, P < 0.001). Conclusion: This neuroimaging profiling of acute stroke type and outcome is expected to be an improvement over reviews based largely on the presumptive diagnosis

Erectile dysfunction in a sub-saharan African population: Profile and correlates in a tertiary care hospital

Background: Erectile dysfunction (ED) is a common complaint in general medical practice. This study describes the clinicodemographic features of ED. Materials and Methods: Two hundred and twelve subjects in the outpatient clinic of a tertiary care hospital were interviewed for demographic data, tobacco smoking, alcohol consumption, history of medications, previous abdominal surgery, history of diabetes mellitus, hypertension and ED, duration of ED if present, self-assessment of the level of sexual satisfaction, partner's assessment of the level of sexual satisfaction, type of remedies sought and used for ED in the past, whether or not subject has discussed the problem and patients' perception of the cause of the ED, all were interviewed with the international index of erectile function questionnaire for ED. Data was analyzed as appropriate. Results: Forty-two (19.8%) had ED and ED score was associated with age (P = 0.013), educational level (P < 0.001), monthly income (P < 0.001), alcohol consumption (P = 0.026), type of abdominal surgery done in the past (P = 0.002), self-rating of ED (P < 0.0001), partner rating (P < 0.0001), partner complaint (P < 0.0001), and frequency of complaint (P < 0.0001), it was however not significantly associated with marital status (P = 0.133), tobacco smoking (P = 0.259), quantity of tobacco smoked in pack years (P = 0.370), duration of ED (P = 0.141), drugs taken (P = 0.680). 77 (36.3%) never discussed ED before, 40 (19%) claimed that someone else was responsible, and only 15 (7.1%) had taken a phosphodiesterase inhibitor. ED score correlated negatively with fasting blood sugar with a trend toward significance (r = −0.134, P = 0.064). Conclusion: ED may be more frequent in the population studied considering the level of knowledge and attitude