A survey of club foot cases in southern Nigeria using radiographic request forms

Background: Clubfoot is a birth defect where the foot is inverted andtwisted inwards. If not corrected, affected individuals usually walkwith the side of their feet or ankles.Methods: A survey of cases of clubfeet (Talipes equinovarus) wascarried out in two orthopedic hospitals and one rehabilitation centercoded NOHI, NOHE and SJRC in three cities (Lagos, Enugu andEssien-Udim) each representing a zone in Southern Nigeria. Patients’clinical history and biodata were collected from their radiologicalrequest forms between years 2000 – 2005. Number of cases in eachzone, age at presentation for correction, patients’ gender, foot andnumber of feet affected were recorded.Results: A total of 1202 clubfeet cases were recorded. About713(59.3%) were males and 489 (40.7%) were females. Highestnumber of cases was in Lagos (56.5%) followed by Essien Udim(21.8%). Majority 599(49.8%) of the children were presented between1 – 6 months after birth. About of 97(76%) of patients who werepresented after 30 weeks were from the South-South region ofSouthern Nigeria. Bilateral involvement was predominant (59.2%)followed by unilateral right sided involvement (23.2%). A ratio of1.5:1 was found between males and female patients.Conclusion: The highest number of cases recorded was in denselypopulated areas with a greater male to female ratio. Bilateralinvolvement is common and a greater proportion of children arepresented within the first six months of birth. Late presentation fortreatment in South-South Nigeria may be due to ignorance, povertyand lack of orthopedic hospitals and specialists to provide qualityservice

Sonographic Correlation of Liver Dimension and Anthropometric Variables of Height, Weight and Body Mass Index (BMI)

Background: Estimation of liver size can be used as an index to monitor various aspects of liver disease and response to therapy.Purpose: To evaluate the relationship between anthropometric variables (Height, Weight and Body Mass Index) with liver size was carried out in subjects with clinically and sonographically confirmed normal liver.Materials & Methods: This prospective sonographic study was carried out in Calabar, Uyo, Zaria and Makurdicosmopolitan cities of Nigeria. Scans were performed on 388 subjects and their liver sizes measured in the Midclavicular and anterior axillary lines, respectively. Patients’ heights and weights were also measured and used to calculate their respective body mass indices.Results: Mean liver diameter in the study population was 12.9±1.7cm (Range 9.2 – 15.2cm) and 11.6±1.7cm (Range 8.0 – 14.5cm) at the midclavicular and anterior axillary lines respectively. About 98.5 % of the study population had liver sizes ≤15.0cm while 1.5% had sizes at the upper limits of 15.3 – 16cm. Height and BMI appeared to have sone influence on liver size (r=+60; P<0.05, +0.65; P<0.05) respectively at the midclavicular line but not at the anterior axillary line. An insignificant relationship was observed with weight and liver size (r= +0.1; P<0.05) both in the MCL and AAL.Conclusion: Liver size is affected more by individual’s height and body mass index and less by their weight in the region studied

Extracts of Pterocarpus osun as a histological stain for collagen fibres

The staining ability of Pterocarpus osun extract on tissue sections was determined. 2 kg of P. osun stem was dried, milled to obtain a fine powder and a red pigment extracted from the powder with 1 L of 70% ethanol at 78°C for 24 h. The alcoholic and acidic extracts were used to stain tissue sections. Collagen fibres, red blood cells and muscles were stained in shades of reddish brown. Preliminary phytochemical screening of this extract revealed that it contained alkaloids, steroid ring, cardiac glycosides and reducing sugar.African Journal of Biotechnology Vol. 4 (5), pp. 460-462, 200

PREVALENCE AND FACTORS ASSOCIATED WITH URINARY SCHISTOSOMIASIS AMONG INFANTS AND PRESCHOOL-AGED CHILDREN IN SETTLEMENTS AROUND OYAN RESERVOIR IN OGUN STATE, NIGERIA

The need for more information on the risk factors for schistosomiasis among infants and preschool-aged children as become important for the development of health education programme since this age group is currently excluded in preventive chemotherapy programmes.  Therefore, the prevalence and intensity of, and risk factors for, infant and preschool-aged children infection with Schistosoma haematobium were explored in two endemic settlements around Oyan Reservior in Ogun State, Nigeria. Mothers and caregivers’ knowledge of the disease, water contact activities of their preschooler, age at first exposure and control measures were recorded using a structured questionnaire. Of the 86 preschooler screened from the two settlements 46 (53.5%) were infected, with an overall geometric mean intensity of 0.36 eggs/10 ml urine. The prevalence of egg-patent S. haematobium infection was 27.8% in Ibaro and 72.0% in Imala-Odo respectively. There were significant differences in prevalence (P=0.0005) and intensity (P=0.0006) of infection between the two communities, however, these did not increase significantly with age in both communities.  Interviews revealed that preschoolers were exposed to infected reservoir water as early as after birth, while older preschoolers frequently visited water bodies on their own to play, bath and wash cloth. There was significant reduction in prevalence of schistosomiasis among preschool-aged children in Ibaro community compared to Imala-Odo community; this could be attributed to awareness about the disease, and its mode of transmission.  Intensive health education still remains the alternative for reducing transmission in preschoolers in the absence of standardized treatment dosage for them.Â

INTESTINAL HELMINTHS PREVALENCE IN PRIMARY SCHOOL CHILDREN AFTER DEWORMING IN ABEOKUTA, SOUTHWESTERN NIGERIA

Periodic deworming of school children with antihelminthic drugs is frequently employed by government agencies to reduce morbidity due to intestinal helminths in rural settings. Such an exercise was recently conducted in February 2012 by the Ogun State Ministry of Health for public school children in Abeokuta, Southwestern Nigeria.  This cross-sectional study was carried out two months later to assess the impact of de-worming exercise. Four schools: Baptist Primary School, Bode-Ijaye, First Baptist Primary School, Ijaye, Moshood Abiola model school, Adatan and Itesi Methodist school, Adatan were randomly selected out of 25 schools and screened for intestinal helminth infection in May 2012, using stool microscopy. Questionnaires were also administered to investigate their knowledge, attitudes and practices associated with intestinal helminths transmission. Of the 216 school children examined for intestinal helminths, 55 (25.5%) had intestinal helminthiasis, with Ascaris lumbricoides infection having the highest prevalence of 30 (13.9%), followed by hookworm infection 16 (7.4%) and 3 (1.4%) for Trichuris trichiuria. Co-infection with Ascaris/hookworm, Ascaris/Taenia was also observed although at very low prevalence. Infections were significantly higher (p=0.021) in school children using pit latrines 32 (32.99%) than those using water closet system 22 (19.13%). The presence of infection two months after the exercise suggests a strong need for incorporation of pre deworming  and post deworming assessment plans into subsequent deworming exercises in the state. &nbsp

Comparison of Performance Properties of Muds Formulated With Synthesized C14 and C16 Esters of Lauric Acid

Drilling muds have relied on a range of base fluids, with mineral oil-based formulations dominating the landscape for decades. However, mineral oil-based muds contain a plethora of toxic aromatic compounds which are persistent in the environment. Hence, the objective of the paper was to synthesize and compare the performance properties of drilling muds formulated with C14 and C16 esters of lauric acid using appropriate standard procedures. Benchmarking of the esters with a reference synthetic base fluid indicated that the esters have suitable physicochemical properties for application as synthetic base drilling fluid. Their kinematic viscosities are within the API recommended range, ethyl laurate (EL) has a lower cloud point relative to the reference, and the two base fluids have higher flash point and electrical stabilities relative to the reference. The results obtained from comparing the rheology of muds prepared with ester products and that prepared with the reference fluid indicate that the muds prepared with ethyl, and n-butyl laurate have higher electrical stability than the mud prepared with the reference base fluid. The results also show that the muds prepared with the esters synthesized in this work displayed better rheology profiles than the mud prepared with the reference synthetic base fluid. However, ethyl laurate (EL) formulated mud had better thermal stability than n-butyl laurate (BL) at the temperature range studied. Through the investigation of these ester-based drilling muds, we showcased the potential of these esters to enhance drilling efficiency, minimize environmental impact, and optimize operational performance

Endoparasites of Bucks Raised under Intensive and Semi-Intensive System

An investigation was carried out on bucks in intensive and semi-intensive systems of management. A total of sixteen (16) bucks (male goats) were randomly purchased for the study. The animals were divided into four groups of four animals per treatment and fed Panicum maximum, Gliricidia sepium for Treatment 1 while Treatment 2 were fed Panicum maximum, Gliricidia sepium plus concentrates. Those in T3 were fed concentrate and allowed to graze and T4 were fed Panicum maximum and were also allowed to forage. The result showed significant difference (P<0.05) in infestations of strongyles amongst the treatments

Cross-Location Analysis of the Impact of Household Socioeconomic Status on Participation in Urban and Peri-Urban Agriculture in West Africa

This study explores the relation between household socioeconomic status (SES) and participation in urban and periurban agriculture (UPA) in three West African cities. We used a structured questionnaire to survey 700 randomly selected households: 250 in Kano, Nigeria, 250 in Bobo Dioulasso, Burkina Faso, and 200 in Sikasso, Mali. Multiple correspondence analysis was applied on household asset variables to create an index of assets which was used as a proxy for household SES. The results showed no significant differences in households’ rate of participation in UPA across socioeconomic groups. Participation in UPA was rather significantly (P < 0.001) and positively related to household size. Interestingly, the analysis revealed that field crop cultivation and gardening were more common among households in the low and medium SES groups while those in the high SES group were more likely to keep livestock

Neglected Tropical Diseases in Sub-Saharan Africa: Review of Their Prevalence, Distribution, and Disease Burden

The neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) are the most common conditions affecting the poorest 500 million people living in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), and together produce a burden of disease that may be equivalent to up to one-half of SSA's malaria disease burden and more than double that caused by tuberculosis. Approximately 85% of the NTD disease burden results from helminth infections. Hookworm infection occurs in almost half of SSA's poorest people, including 40–50 million school-aged children and 7 million pregnant women in whom it is a leading cause of anemia. Schistosomiasis is the second most prevalent NTD after hookworm (192 million cases), accounting for 93% of the world's number of cases and possibly associated with increased horizontal transmission of HIV/AIDS. Lymphatic filariasis (46–51 million cases) and onchocerciasis (37 million cases) are also widespread in SSA, each disease representing a significant cause of disability and reduction in the region's agricultural productivity. There is a dearth of information on Africa's non-helminth NTDs. The protozoan infections, human African trypanosomiasis and visceral leishmaniasis, affect almost 100,000 people, primarily in areas of conflict in SSA where they cause high mortality, and where trachoma is the most prevalent bacterial NTD (30 million cases). However, there are little or no data on some very important protozoan infections, e.g., amebiasis and toxoplasmosis; bacterial infections, e.g., typhoid fever and non-typhoidal salmonellosis, the tick-borne bacterial zoonoses, and non-tuberculosis mycobaterial infections; and arboviral infections. Thus, the overall burden of Africa's NTDs may be severely underestimated. A full assessment is an important step for disease control priorities, particularly in Nigeria and the Democratic Republic of Congo, where the greatest number of NTDs may occur