PREVALENCE OF HEPATITIS B AND C VIRAL INFECTIONS IN PREGNANT WOMEN ATTENDING ANTENATAL CLINIC IN NNEWI, NIGERIA

Infections due to Hepatitis B and C viruses are significant health problems around the globe, Nigeria inclusive. This study was conducted among 100 pregnant women attending ante natal clinic at NnamdiAzikiwe University Teaching Hospital, Nnewi, Anambra State, Nigeria to determine the seroprevalence of Hepatitis B Virus (HBV) and Hepatitis C Virus (HCV) and to determine whether liver amino transferases can be affected. The blood samples were tested for hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) and Anti-HCV using HBsAg and Anti-HCV one step rapid test strip and furthermore using ELISA technique. Serum alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and serum aspartate aminotransferase (AST) activities were also estimated in all the subjects using Reitman - Frankel method. The results showed that six percent(6%) and one percent (1%) of the 100 blood samples tested positive for HBV and HCV respectively. The mean AST levels for HBsAg negative and positive subjects were 10.55±2.36 and 12.17±2.23 respectively while the mean ALT levels were 5.54±1.94and 8.00±3.10 respectively. The mean AST for anti-HCV negative and positive subjects were 10.67±2.38 and 9.00±0.00 respectively while the ALT were 5.71±2.09 and 4.00±0.00 respectively There was significant increase in the levels of ALT between the HBsAg positive and negative pregnant subjects (P<0.05). HBV and HCV infection can be present in pregnant women and can alter liver amino transferases. Therefore testing for HBsAg and Anti-HCV is recommended for all pregnant women at first prenatal and postnatal visit so that HBsAg and HCV positive mothers will receive prompt intervention

COMPARATIVE ASSESSMENT OF LIPID PROFILE IN PRE-MENOPAUSAL AND MENOPAUSAL WOMEN IN NNEWI NIGERIA

The study was aimed at determining the effect of menopause on lipid profile. A total of 100 apparently healthy subjects who comprised 50 menopausal women aged 45 – 77 years and 50 pre-menopausal women between the aged between 20-52 years were recruited. Ethical approval was obtained from the Faculty of Health Science and Technology, Nnamdi Azikiwe University ethics committee and informed consent of each participant was obtained prior to recruitment. We estimated serum levels of total cholesterol using the enzymatic end point method as described by Roeschlau et al., (1974), HDL was performed using the combination of phosphotungstate precipitation and enzymatic method as described by Burstein et al., (1980), LDL by the combination of polyvinyl sulphate precipitation and enzymatic method of Assman et al., (1984), VLDL was estimated using the method as described by Friedwald et al., (1972) and triglycerides by the enzymatic method as described by Tietz (1990). The results shows that the mean levels of serum triglycerides (TG) and low density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL cholesterol) showed a statistically significant increase in menopausal women compared with the premenopausal subjects (P<0.05) while there was no significant difference in the mean values of serum high density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL cholesterol), very low density lipoprotein cholesterol (VLDL cholesterol) and total cholesterol (P>0.05). There was a progressive increase in the mean levels of total cholesterol, triglycerides, LDL-cholesterol and VLDLcholesterol with duration of menopause while the levels of HDL-cholesterol decreased with duration of menopause. There were no significant variations among the various age categories of the menopausal subjects and the levels of the lipid parameters studied (p>0.05). The findings suggest that premenopausal women have less proatherogenic lipid profile than their menopausal counterparts

COMPARATIVE ASSESSMENT OF LIPID PROFILE IN PRE-MENOPAUSAL AND MENOPAUSAL WOMEN IN NNEWI NIGERIA

The study was aimed at determining the effect of menopause on lipid profile. A total of 100 apparently healthy subjects who comprised 50 menopausal women aged 45 – 77 years and 50 pre-menopausal women between the aged between 20-52 years were recruited. Ethical approval was obtained from the Faculty of Health Science and Technology, Nnamdi Azikiwe University ethics committee and informed consent of each participant was obtained prior to recruitment. We estimated serum levels of total cholesterol using the enzymatic end point method as described by Roeschlau et al., (1974), HDL was performed using the combination of phosphotungstate precipitation and enzymatic method as described by Burstein et al., (1980), LDL by the combination of polyvinyl sulphate precipitation and enzymatic method of Assman et al., (1984), VLDL was estimated using the method as described by Friedwald et al., (1972) and triglycerides by the enzymatic method as described by Tietz (1990). The results shows that the mean levels of serum triglycerides (TG) and low density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL cholesterol) showed a statistically significant increase in menopausal women compared with the premenopausal subjects (P<0.05) while there was no significant difference in the mean values of serum high density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL cholesterol), very low density lipoprotein cholesterol (VLDL cholesterol) and total cholesterol (P>0.05). There was a progressive increase in the mean levels of total cholesterol, triglycerides, LDL-cholesterol and VLDLcholesterol with duration of menopause while the levels of HDL-cholesterol decreased with duration of menopause. There were no significant variations among the various age categories of the menopausal subjects and the levels of the lipid parameters studied (p>0.05). The findings suggest that premenopausal women have less proatherogenic lipid profile than their menopausal counterparts

Assessment Of Tumour Necrosis Factor-Alpha (Tnf- Α) And Creatinine Levels In Echis Ocellatus Bite Victims In Jos Metropolis, Nigeria

This study was designed to assess tumour necrosis factor-alpha and creatinine levels in Echis ocellatus bite victims. A total of 50 subjects were recruited. Out of this number, 40 were victims of E. ocellatus bite and the remaining 10 were non-victims of snake bite who served as the control group. Blood samples were collected from the victims within 24 hours of the snake bite and EchiTAb-G antivenom administered within the same period. Another batch of blood sample was collected 48 hours post-administration of the anti-venom. Tumour necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) levels were estimated by the Enzyme Linked Immunosorbent Assay technique while creatinine levels were determined using kinetic-spectrophotometric procedure. The mean serum levels of tumour necrosis factor-alpha and creatinine were significantly increased in E. ocellatus bite victims compared with the control group (P<0.05). Furthermore, the mean serum level of TNFalpha was significantly lower in E. ocellatus bite victims, post-administration of anti-venom, compared with the pre-administration of anti-venom (P<0.05). In contrast, no significant difference was observed in the mean serum level of creatinine in E. ocellatus bite victims, post-administration of anti-venom, compared with the pre-administration of anti-venom (P>0.05). Moreover, the mean serum level of creatinine was found to be significantly increased in E. ocellatus bite victims, post-administration of anti-venom, compared with the control group (P<0.05), while no significant difference was observed in the mean serum level of tumour necrosis factor-alpha in E. ocellatus bite victims, post-administration of anti-venom, compared with the control group(P>0.05). A positive correlation existed between tumour necrosis factor-alpha and creatinine levels in E. ocellatus bite subjects (r= 0.782). Echis ocellatus bite is a risk factor for renal damage indicated by an elevated serum creatinine, thus health authorities should make EchiTAb-G anti-venom freely available in health facilities and administered as quickly as possible to reduce the risk of renal damage in Echis ocellatus bite-prone areas