Intraocular Pressure in Pregnant and Non-Pregnant Nigerian Women

A number of hormones are known to affect intraocular pressure. Of these, the female sex hormones are the predominant ones to cause variations in intraocular pressure. The aim of this study was to determine if variation in sex hormones in pregnancy affects intraocular pressure. This study was a longitudinal one. 117 pregnant women aged 20 to 35 years in their first trimester of pregnancy were followed longitudinally throughout the course of pregnancy, and six weeks post partum. One hundred non pregnant women with a regular menstrual cycle of 26-29 days were also recruited and examined for changes in intraocular pressure. Intraocular pressure was measured with the handheld Kowa applanation tonometer. Mean Intraocular Pressure (MIOP) was 14.7 ± 2.2 mmHg, 13.2 ± 2.0 mmHg and 11.0 ± 1.3 mmHg in the three trimesters respectively. There was thus a fall in Intraocular Pressure during pregnancy and this was highly statistically significant (P<0.0001). At 6 weeks postpartum MIOP increased to 14.2 ± 1.8 mmHg. The difference between the mean values of Intraocular Pressure in the third trimester and 6 weeks postpartum was also statistically significant P<0.0001. Intraocular pressure decreased as pregnancy advanced. Postpartum, there was increase in intraocular pressure to near pre pregnant level. The difference in mean IOP between the pregnant and non pregnant women was statistically significant (P<0.05)

Ocular changes in pregnant Nigerian women

Objective: Pregnancy results in a lot of hormonal changes in the body and the eyes are no exception. These ocular changes could be physiologic, pathologic or a modification of a pre-existing condition. The aim of this study was to determine physiologic ocular changes that are associated with pregnancy in healthy Nigerian women.Materials and Methods: A total of 100 women were followed longitudinally through out the course of their pregnancy and 6 weeks postpartum. The women were recruited at 8 weeks of pregnancy at the anti-natal clinic in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of Benin Teaching Hospital, Nigeria. The women were aged between 20 and 35 years. Tests carried out included visual acuity, ophthalmoscopy, retinoscopy, and tonometry. The tests were carried out in each of the three trimesters of pregnancy and 6 weeks postpartum.Results: There was a fall in intraocular pressure across the trimesters and this was very significant (P<0.0001). Postpartum, the intraocular pressure began to rise. The difference between the third trimester and post-partum values was also statistically significant (P< 0.0001). The difference in visual acuity through out the pregnancy was not significant (P= 0.8477). Although, there was a fall in refractive error across the different trimesters, it was not statistically significant (P=0.3). There was also no difference in the third trimester and the 6 weeks postpartum values of both visual acuity and refractive error.Conclusion: Ocular changes associated with pregnancy are transient and most tend to resolve postpartum, with values returning to near pre-pregnant state

Oculo-visual status of newly employed workers in a tertiary institution in Nigeria

Background: Visual impairment due to ocular diseases is a significant public health problem in many parts of the world including Nigeria. Worldwide, more than one billion people suffer from poor vision because they do not have the eyeglasses they need. Uncorrected refractive errors are a major cause of global disability and drastically reduce productivity, educational opportunities, and overall quality of life. Data is scant on pre- employment visual screenings in Nigeria because not many companies or employers of labor set this as a requirement for job placement.Objective: The purpose of this study was to report the oculovisual findings of new workers seen at a tertiary eye clinic.Method: Descriptive study. Two thousand one hundred records of newly employed staff of the University of Benin, Nigeria, who were employed between November 2011 and August 2014 were reviewed. They were examined at the Optometry Clinic of the University. Of the 2100 case notes reviewed, 1203 (57.28%) were males and 897 (42.71%) were females. Age ranged from 23 to 65 years with a mean age of 43 ± 2.1 years.Results: Refractive errors 25% and presbyopia 42.1% were the main visual problems recorded. The most common refractive error was hyperopia 26.8%, followed by astigmatism 21.3% and myopia 9.6%. Ocular conditions that were common among the workers were conjuctivitis 36.6%, corneal disorders 25.2% and infection 21.1%.Conclusion: Mandatory routine eye test is advocated for new workers, especially those in establishment or companies were good vision is paramount to increased efficiency and productivity.Keywords: Vision, workers, employment, eyes, screening

Gone but Not Forgotten: The Commemorative Arts of Benin

This essay focuses on how the people of Benin (Nigeria) use their traditional art to formally memorialize major historical events and the life and deeds of notable citizens in their society, especially their Kings (Oba). For this purpose, they evolve diverse enigmatic symbols and artforms in sundry media and styles. In this essay, an effort is made to examine some of these artforms and the symbols used as embellishment on them, in order to determine the context in which they are utilized and how they perform their function. In the process of doing this, the stylistic and iconographic significance of the artforms and symbols are also expounded

Combating Human Trafficking in Nigeria: The Role of the Visual Arts

This essay takes a critical look at the problem of human trafficking in Nigeria and how the visual arts can be used as a means of stemming this worrisome and embarrassing problem that has become a global dilemma. It argues that the visual arts and artists can be mobilized fully and productively for the purpose of re-directing and re-educating Nigerians towards cultivating a more positive approach to life. Specifically, it advocates the use of art as a veritable tool for engendering the development of women and young girls in the areas of self-reliance, self-confidence and social integration as well as   in re-orientating and sensitizing them towards the ills of trafficking in persons. The areas discussed include: the financial empowerment of women through the visual arts, the use of museums and galleries as teaching and mass mobilisation outlets, creating public awareness through art competitions, exhibitions, lectures, seminars, workshops and public art, the rehabilitation of victims through art therapy and the establishment of out-of-school art organizations and recreational centres such as art clubs, camps and hobby centres. Keywords: Human Trafficking, Nigeria, Art Exhibitions, Art Clubs, Museums and Gallerie

Control Of Rigid Robots With Large Uncertainties Using The Function Approximation Technique

This dissertation focuses on the control of rigid robots that cannot easily be modeled due to complexity and large uncertainties. The function approximation technique (FAT), which represents uncertainties as finite linear combinations of orthonormal basis functions, provides an alternate form of robot control - in situations where the dynamic equation cannot easily be modeled - with no dependency on the use of model information or training data. This dissertation has four aims - using the FAT - to improve controller efficiency and robustness in scenarios where reliable mathematical models cannot easily be derived or are otherwise unavailable. The first aim is to analyze the uncertain combination of a test robot and prosthesis in a scenario where the test robot and prosthesis are adequately controlled by different controllers - this is tied to efficiency. We develop a hybrid FAT controller, theoretically prove stability, and verify its performance using computer simulations. We show that systematically combining controllers can improve controller analysis and yield desired performance. In the second aim addressed in this dissertation, we investigate the simplification of the adaptive FAT controller complexity for ease of implementation - this is tied to efficiency. We achieve this by applying the passivity property and prove controller stability. We conduct computer simulations on a rigid robot under good and poor initial conditions to demonstrate the effectiveness of the controller. For an n degrees of freedom (DOFs) robot, we see a reduction of controller tuning parameters by 2n. The third aim addressed in this dissertation is the extension of the adaptive FAT controller to the robust control framework - this is tied to robustness. We invent a novel robust controller based on the FAT that uses continuous switching laws and eliminates the dependency on update laws. The controller, when compared against three state-of-the-art controllers via computer simulations and experimental tests on a rigid robot, shows good performance and robustness to fast time-varying uncertainties and random parameter perturbations. This introduces the first purely robust FAT-based controller. The fourth and final aim addressed in this dissertation is the development of a more compact form of the robust FAT controller developed in aim~3 - this is tied to efficiency and robustness. We investigate the simplification of the control structure and its applicability to a broader class of systems that can be modeled via the state-space approach. Computer simulations and experimental tests on a rigid robot demonstrate good controller performance and robustness to fast time-varying uncertainties and random parameter perturbations when compared to the robust FAT controller developed in aim 3. For an n-DOF robot, we see a reduction in the number of switching laws from 3 to 1

Abstracts of Proceedings of the African Association of Physiological Sciences (AAPS) Education Workshop, Kigali, Rwanda, December 2-4, 2018

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Clinical Findings And Management Of Chronic Blepharitis In A 25-year Old Female -a Case Report

Blepharitis is an inflammation of the eyelid margins which sometimes leads to secondary changes in the conjunctiva and cornea. Symptoms of blepharitis tend to be longstanding, thus, blepharitis is more of a chronic condition than being acute and both eyes are usually affected, however, the symptoms can easily be eased.Once symptoms have eased, daily'eyelidhygiene' canusuallykeepthe symptoms toa minimum. Vision is rarely affected. This case report reviewed themanagement of blepharitis in a 25-year old girl the clinical findings andtreatment optionswerealsodiscussed. Keywords: Blepharitis,Madarosis, Conjunctivitis,Keratitis, Staphylococcus aueru

Huge Benign Granulosa Cell Tumour In A 61 Year Old Nigerian Grandmultipara With Late Presentation

Objective: To re-appraise clinicians that huge ovarian lesions with features of malignancies may still be benign and that late presentation is a problem in genital cancer management that should be addressed. Subject, material and method: A case report of a huge benign granulosa cell tumour in a postmenopausal woman is presented. Results: She presented as a case of a huge right ovarian tumour with weight loss, respiratory and abdominal discomfort one year after initial diagnosis was made because of fear of surgery. She had laparotomy, total abdominal hysterectomy and bilateral salpingoophorectomy. Histology revealed granulosa cell tumour of the benign type. Conclusion: Huge ovarian tumours in the elderly could be benign. In the absence of proper screening technique for ovarian cancers, laparotomy for histological purposes is required. Health education and proper counselling is imperative to reduce delays of patients to hospitals. Key Words: Huge, benign, granulosa cell tumour, 61 year old, Late presentation

Early onset pregnancy induced hypertension/eclampsia in Benin City, Nigeria

Pregnancy induced hypertension/eclampsia is a major cause of maternal and perinatal morbidity and mortality in Nigeria. There have been very few studies focussed on early onset pregnancy induced hypertension/eclampsia in Nigerian women To determine the incidence, clinical features and outcome of cases of early onset pregnancyinduced hypertension /eclampsia in a Nigerian tertiary hospital, and compare maternofetal outcome in early and late onset disease.: A retrospective study of all cases of early onset pregnancy induced hypertension/eclampsia seen over a five-year period in a tertiary hospital.: Severity of disease, rates of induction of labour, caesarean section rate, maternal mortality, abruptio placenta, still births, severe birth asphyxia and early neonatal deaths. : Early onset pregnancy induced hypertension/eclampsia contributed 6.3% of all cases of hypertensivedisorders in pregnancy with an incidence of 1:141 deliveries. Most cases presented at between 28-32 weeks gestation (78.3%) The disease was severe at presentation or rapidly progressive in 39 cases (84.8%) leading to delivery within 72 hours of presentation. Caesarean section was the mode of delivery in 58.7% of cases. The perinatal survival rate was 34.0%. Early onset pregnancy induced hypertension was associated withsignificantly higher risk of presenting with eclampsia, having induction of labour and worse perinatal outcome than late onset disease.: Most cases of early onset pregnancy induced hypertension in the study population presented with severe and rapidly progressive disease and were associated with significantly higher risk of obstetric intervention and worse perinatal outcome than late onset disease