Teenage organophosphate insecticide poisoning: An ugly trend in Enugu, Nigeria

Background: Organophosphate poisoning is still a major problem in developing countries owing to indiscriminate use of these compounds in many households. The risk of poisoning is worsened by uncontrolled sale of organophosphorus insecticides on the streets and in open markets. We report three cases of organophosphate compound poisoning among adolescents with suicidal intent.Methods: We reviewed the hospital admission case records of three cases of organophosphate poisoning among adolescents managed at the children emergency room of University of Nigeria Teaching Hospital, Ituku Ozalla, Enugu, South-east Nigeria. Relevant information on the clinical characteristics of the patients, investigations and treatment, and outcome of treatment were obtained.Results: The events of poisoning were preceded by strained family relationship in two of the cases while failure in a promotional examination preceded the incident in one of them. Atropine monotherapy in addition to airway management and oxygen support successfully reversed the symptoms and signs in 2 of the 3 cases. One died within 18 hours of admission from cardio-respiratory depression. Mean duration of admission in patients that survived was 48 hours.Conclusion: This report highlights the ugly trend of suicidal ideation among adolescents and the challenges of management of organophosphate poisoning in our setting. It serves as a wake-up call to Nigerian parents and healthcare providers on the increased risk of indiscriminate use of organophosphorus compounds as insecticides in the homes.Keywords: Organophosphate poisoning, Atropine, Adolescents, Suicide ideation, Enug

Studies on the Thermal Stability of Peroxidase from Leaf of Oil Palm (Elaeis guineensis)

Peroxidase was extracted from leaves of oil palm tree with 0.01M phosphate buffer pH 7.0. It was partially purified using 70% ammonium sulphate ((NH4)2SO4) precipitation. This resulted in peroxidase with activity of (26U/ml) and specific activity of 35.8U/mg. Effect of heat on the activity of peroxidase was studied at temperature of 323-363°K. After gel filtration on sephadex G100, the peroxidase activity increased to 27U/ml, with specific activity of 55U/mg .The overall purification fold was 4 with 51.9% enzyme recovery. The peroxidase partially purified from leaves of oil palm tree showed pH and temperature optima of 5.0 and 50°C respectively. High pH and temperature stabilities of pH 5.0 to pH 9.0 and 50°C to 70°C were obtained respectively. Also, the activation energy (Ea) of the reaction was - 21.616kj/mol. The free energy changes (ΔG) were 96008.64, 96315.59, 97901.63, 94132.33 and 97146.75kj/mol at 323,333,343,353 and 363°K respectively. It was observed that the D-values were decreasing with increasing temperature with a Z-value of 0.044. The enthalpy results suggest that the reaction was exothermic, non-spontaneous and reversible

Inhibitory studies of peroxidase from infected African eggplant (Solanum aethiopicum) fruit

The effect of two parameters: inhibitors (potassium cyanide, salicylic acid and urea) and heat on peroxidase from the infected Solanum aethiopicum grown within the Nsukka Area of Enugu State, Nigeria was studied. The inhibitory and heat studies were carried out using standard procedures. The thermal stability of the enzyme was monitored using thermodynamic parameters after heating the enzyme over a temperature range of 30-70°C for 90 min. Potassium cyanide and salicylic acid and urea inhibited the enzyme in a concentration dependent manner. The inhibition of the enzyme by salicylic acid was an indication that the enzyme is a heme-protein. A high half-life of 64.78 mins was observed when the enzyme was heated at 50 °C for 90 mins. The free energy change (ΔG) values of 55.142, 58.731, 60.472, 60.227 and 64.296 KJ/mol and entropy (ΔS) values of -196.45, -179.07, -178.49, -195.66 and -195.43 were obtained. Similarly, low Z-value was obtained. The thermal stability results implied that high amount of energy was required to initiate the enzyme denaturation at the temperatures studied.Keywords: Peroxidase, Solanum aethiopicum, bioenergetics, Inhibitory Studies, salicylic acid, potassium cyanid

Comparative Effects of Datura stramonium Leaf and Seed Extracts on Membrane Stabilization and Platelet Aggregation In-vitro

Despite the progress in developing new therapies, inflammatory diseases remain one of the major causes of mortality. In this study, anti-inflammatory activity of the aqueous extracts of Datura stramonium leaves and seeds were evaluated. Heat and hypotonicity-induced haemolysis of human red blood cells (HRBCs) were used to determine the effect of the extracts on membrane stabilization, and the effect of the extracts on platelet aggregation was determined using calcium chloride (CaCl2)-induced platelet aggregation. The concentrations of the extracts used were 0.1, 0.2, 0.4, 0.6 and 0.8 mg/ml. Indomethacin (0.4 mg/ml) was used as the standard drug. The leaf extract significantly (p < 0.05) inhibited heat-induced haemolysis by 44.47% and 52.89% at 0.2 and 0.1 mg/ml respectively compared to the seed extract. On the other hand, the seed extract significantly (p < 0.05) inhibited heat-induced haemolysis by 29.5%, 44.88% and 50.01% at 0.4, 0.6 and 0.8 mg/ml respectively compared to the leaf extract. Effect of the leaf extract on hypotonicity-induced haemolysis showed that it significantly (p < 0.05) inhibited haemolysis from 27.27% - 68.67% corresponding to concentrations 0.1 – 0.8 mg/ml, compared to the seed extract. The effect of the extracts on platelet aggregation showed that the leaf extract exhibited significantly (p < 0.05) higher inhibition of platelet aggregation from 0 – 120 seconds, compared to the seed. Both extracts thus, have comparable effect on heat-induced haemolysis of HRBCs, though at different concentrations. The ability of the leaf extract to inhibit hypotonicity-induced haemolysis and platelet aggregation outweigh that of the seed

Physical growth and nutritional status assessment of school children in Enugu, Nigeria

Background: Physical growth of a child is a reflection of its state of nutrition. In some developing countries such as Nigeria with changing economy and rapidly growing population, the nutritional status of the children is a reflection of the general well‑being of the society.Materials and Methods: This was a descriptive cross‑sectional study in which participants were selected using a multistage sampling method. Heights and weights of randomly selected school children aged 6–12 years were measured using standard protocols. Weight‑for‑age, height‑for‑age, and body mass index (BMI)‑for‑age expressed as Z‑scores were used to characterize the nutritional status. Descriptive statistics was used to determine the frequency and standard deviations (SDs) of the anthropometric measurements. Age and gender differences in the mean body weight, height, and BMI were evaluated using an independent samples t‑test. Significant levels were set at P < 0.05.Results: A total of 1305 males and 1311 females were enrolled in the study. The mean age was 8.9 ± 1.9 years. Their mean height, weight, and BMI were 136.6 ± 10.2 cm, 29.7 ± 7.7 kg, 15.7 ± 2.4 kg/m2, respectively. Their mean ± SD scores of the WAZ, HAZ, and BAZ were 0.33 ± 1.20, 0.78 ± 1.17, and − 0.51 ± 1.27, respectively. A majority (78.9%, 2090/2616) were in the normal growth category. Wasting, overweight, obesity, underweight, and stunting were noted in 9.3% (243/2616), 6.3% (166/2616), 4.4% (117/2616), 0.9% (26/2616), and 0.4% (13/2616) of the children, respectively. Wasting was more in males (P = 0.069), and overweight was more in females (P = 0.138).Conclusion: A majority of the children have normal growth with the remainder in both extremes of malnutrition. Institution of school‑feeding programs in all Nigerian schools as well as nutrition education/campaign directed at parents and their children will help forestall the double burden of under‑ and over‑nutrition among our children.Keywords: Children, obesity, stunting, underweight, wastin

Stillbirths at the mater Misericordiae hospital, Afikpo, southeast Nigeria – a review.

Background: Stillbirths contribute significantly to fetal loss in poor sub-Saharan African countries. In Nigeria, affected parents often experience long-lasting grief. Objective: To determine the incidence of stillbirths at Afikpo, Southeast Nigeria. Methodology: A three-year retrospective review of all cases of stillbirths delivered at the Mater theMisericordiae Hospital, Afikpo, was conducted. Results: Of 1859 babies, 199 stillbirths were delivered by 190 mothers, giving a stillbirth rate of 107 per 1000 total deliveries. The mean maternal age and parity were 27.6 years and 1.8 respectively. The major complications encountered by mothers in pregnancy were unexplained intrauterine death (31 or 16.3%), malaria and twin pregnancy, and in labour, unexplained intrauterine death (21.5%), obstructed labour, and ruptured uterus. One hundred and thirty-two stillbirths (66.3%) were delivered by spontaneous vaginal (vertex) delivery, 18.7% by caesarean section and 8.9% through laparotomy for ruptured uterus. Thirty (15.8%) of the mothers had severe morbidities and four died, giving a case fatality rate of 2.1%. The mean gestational age of the stillbirths was 37.3 weeks, and birthweight 2.5 kg. Fresh (67.3%) and male stllbirths (52.3%) dominated. The probable cause of stillbirth was documented in 61.3% of cases. Fetal distress (14.6%), obstructed labour and ruptured uterus were the major culprits. No stillborn underwent post-mortem confirmation of cause of death. Conclusion: Stillbirth rates reflect the standard of available obstetric services. Improving obstetric care could reduce it. Proper classification of stillbirths with autopsy confirmation of causes of death, will improve practice. A stillbirth programme incorporating community education will facilitate these.Key words: stillbirths, pregnancy, labour, complications, Afikpo, Nigeri

Patterns of Handedness and Socio-cultural Influences on Dextrality Amongst University of Nigeria Medical Students

There are three types of handedness with different prevalence rates reported from various parts of the world including Nigeria. The aim of the study was to establish the prevalence of handedness using the students of the College of Medicine, University of Nigeria Enugu Campus as the study group. A modified Edinburgh Inventory was applied to 1200 students. Of the questionnaires returned, only those that were correctly filled, were analyzed. Of the 1200 questionnaires, 880 (73.33%) were analyzed. Three hundred and seventy six (42.7%) were females and 504 (57.3%) males. The ages of the subjects ranged from 18 to 28 with a mean age of 22.13 (+ 2.236) years. Eight hundred and twenty nine (94.2%) of the respondents were Igbos and 99.5% Christians. Overall, 3.94% were left handed, 8.43% mixed handed and 87.63% were right handed. More males were left handed than females. More than 10% of the respondents were forced to switch from left hand to right hand in their formative years. A higher percentage of females were affected by the forced hand switch, and the success rate was higher with females. The prevalence of left handedness compared favourably with reports from Nigeria, and other African and Europeans countries. Forced hand switch or forced dextrality probably plays a significant role in keeping the prevalence of left handedness low in our country, and may be partly responsible for the higher prevalence of left handedness in males than in females.Key words: Handedness, Patterns, Medical students, Nigeri

Pharmacoepidemiology and prevalence of epileptic seizures in Southeastern Nigeria

The aim of this study was to establish an estimated number of people living with epilepsy in southeastern Nigeria, to determine the prevalence and the utilization pattern of antiepileptic drugs (AEDs). A cross sectional, observational survey was used in the study. Multi-stage random sampling technique was used to select four centers in Anambra and Enugu states in southeastern Nigeria. The selected centers were Nnamdi Azikiwe University Teaching Hospital, Nnewi (NAUTH) and Neuropsychiatric Hospital, Nawfia (NHN) both in Anambra State, while University of Nigeria Teaching Hospital, Ituku-Ozalla (UNTH) and Federal Neuropsychiatric Hospital, Enugu (FNH) are located in Enugu State. Parameters evaluated from patients’ folders were gender (G), age of onset (AO), type of seizure (TS) and the probable cause of seizure (CS). The AEDs utilization pattern was evaluated and the estimation of the point prevalence was also made. A total of 365 epileptic cases of different types were investigated, with 62.7 and 37.3 percent occuring in males and females, respectively. The 13-29 age of onset (AO) showed the highest occurrence with 40.1 percent. The tonic clonic type of generalized epilepsy was highest in occurrence with 62.74% while the least was absence seizure with 2.28%. Among these, some were due to idiopathic origin while most of the cases were due to secondary or symptomatic causes. The results showed that carbamazepine, sodium valproate, diazepam and phenobarbital were the most highly prescribed drugs with 58.2, 26.1, 9.8 and 7.6 percent usages, respectively. The point prevalence for epilepsy based on this study was estimated to be 5.0 per 100,000 for southeastern Nigeria. Epilepsy in Southeastern Nigeria has a low prevalence of 5.0 per 100,000 with highest rate of onset occurring among 13-29 age range while generalized tonic clonic (GTC) seizure type occurred most and carbamazepine, a conventional AED, was the most highly prescribed.Keywords: epilepsy, pharmacoepidemiology, prevalence, southeastern Nigeria, carbamazepin