Serum Calcium Level in Pregnancy: A Case Study

Calcium plays a key role in many fundamental biologic processes and it is an essentials dietary element. This is a cross sectional study aimed at establishing a reference value of serum calcium among pregnant women in Yenagoa–Bayelsa State – Nigeria. Eighty healthy pregnant women between the gestational age of 8 to 34 weeks attending antenatal clinic in Federal Medical Centre Yenagoa and eighty non-pregnant women served as control. Blood samples were collected by venipuncture and analyzed calorimetrically using O-cresolpthalein complexone method. The results showed that serum calcium in pregnant and non-pregnant women were 1.85+0.03 and 2.23+0.00mmol/L respectively. There was a significant difference between serum calcium level in pregnant and non-pregnant women (

Trends in the incidence of Hepatitis B, C and Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) among Blood Donors in a Tertiary Hospital in Nigeria

Background: There have been various claims of reduction in the prevalence of human immunodeficiency virus and other transfusion transmissible viruses in the general population following various interventions including public awareness campaigns, provision of facilities for voluntary counselling and testing, programmes for prevention of mother to child transmission and provision of antiretroviral drugs to people living with HIV/AIDS. How has these interventions affected the incidence of the transfusion transmissible viruses among blood donors? This study aims at identifying the trends in the incidence of seropositivity of hepatitis B, C and human immunodeficiency virus among blood donors in a tertiary hospital in Nigeria.Method: Blood bank records of intending blood donors who were screened for hepatitis B, C and anti HIV antibodies for the years 2004 to 2008 were retrieved and analysed.Results: A total of fifty five thousand four hundred and seventy five (55,475) intending blood donors were screened for Hepatitis B surface antigen and antibodies to HCV and HIV. HBsAg screening constituted the most frequently screened for evidence of transfusion transmissible viruses (n=26,559; 47.9%), closely followed by HIV (n=15,569; 28.0%) and the least is HCV (n=13,347; 24.1%). HBsAg seropositivity has thehighest incidence for all the years under review with mean incidence of 14.9%. This is followed by HIV seropositivity with mean incidence of 6.4% and the least is HCV with mean incidence of 6.1%.Conclusion: The trend in the incidence of seropositivity of hepatitis B and HIV among blood donors is fluctuating without any sign of sustained decline. Only hepatitis C seropositivity shows a downward trend. More intervention in public awareness campaigns on the need to abstain from high risk behaviours and improvement in screening facilities are required

Collection and Transfusion of Blood in Jos University Teaching Hospital Jos, Nigeria, 2000 – 2005

Objective: This study was embarked on to investigate the pattern of blood collection and transfusion in Jos University Teaching Hospital (JUTH), Jos between 2000 and 2005 in the face of the present human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) pandemic.Methodology: Blood bank records of blood donors and transfusions were obtained. Comparison of the blood collected against the demand for each year studied was done. Records of pre donation screening for transfusion transmissible infections were also obtained.Results: A total of 21,123 units of whole blood all of which were homologous donations were collected. Approximately three thousand units were donated yearly. A total of 19,786 units were actually transfused.A steady increase in the demand for blood was observed. Mean percentage of seropositivity for Anti- HBsAg, HCV and HIV antibodies were 21, 7.3 and 6.9 respectively. There were no screenings for Syphilis during the period under review.Conclusion: We conclude that blood collection and transfusion in JUTH is on the increase with anti- HIV positivity still being high. There is therefore, an urgent need to further improve the safety of blood transfused through provision of appropriate screening methods, encouragement of autologousdonations and ensuring good laboratory practice