APOE E4 is associated with impaired self-declared cognition but not disease risk or age of onset in Nigerians with Parkinson's disease

The relationship between APOE polymorphisms and Parkinson's disease (PD) in black Africans has not been previously investigated. We evaluated the association between APOE polymorphic variability and self-declared cognition in 1100 Nigerians with PD and 1097 age-matched healthy controls. Cognition in PD was assessed using the single item cognition question (item 1.1) of the MDS-UPDRS. APOE genotype and allele frequencies did not differ between PD and controls (p > 0.05). No allelic or genotypic association was observed between APOE and age at onset of PD. In PD, APOE ε4/ε4 conferred a two-fold risk of cognitive impairment compared to one or no ε4 (HR: 2.09 (95% CI: 1.13-3.89; p = 0.02)), while APOE ε2 was associated with modest protection against cognitive impairment (HR: 0.41 (95% CI 0.19-0.99, p = 0.02)). Of 773 PD with motor phenotype and APOE characterized, tremor-dominant (TD) phenotype predominated significantly in ε2 carriers (87/135, 64.4%) compared to 22.2% in persons with postural instability/gait difficulty (PIGD) (30/135) and 13.3% in indeterminate (ID) (18/135, 13.3%) (p = 0.037). Although the frequency of the TD phenotype was highest in homozygous ε2 carriers (85.7%), the distribution of motor phenotypes across the six genotypes did not differ significantly (p = 0.18). Altogether, our findings support previous studies in other ethnicities, implying a role for APOE ε4 and ε2 as risk and protective factors, respectively, for cognitive impairment in PD

Headache associated with sexual activity: From the benign to the life threatening

Background: Neurologic syndromes like headache may on occasion complicate sexual activity. Though largely benign, the headache may seldom be a symptom of an underlying sinister and life threatening neurologic disorder such as aneurysmal subarachnoid heamorrhage. Method: Relevant published materials on the subject of headache associated with sexual intercourse and their cross references from Pubmed Medline, Cochrane Library, International Headache society, EMBASE and other relevant bibliographic repositories were ferreted since 1980 till date. Result: HAS is mainly a diagnosis of exclusion. The secondary or malignant form has a course that is dictated by its underlying cause. HAS in the primary or benign form is amenable to treatment with drugs including indomethacin, propranolol and calcium channel blockers (nimodipine, verapamil and diltiazem) with excellent prognosis. Conclusion: Early evaluation for underlying cause of HAS and institution of appropriate treatment is recommended

Should non acute and recurrent headaches have neuroimaging before review by a Neurologist?- A review in a Southern Nigerian Tertiary Hospital

Background: Headache is a common complaint in general practice and it is known that most headaches are primary and that the yield of neuroimaging like cranial computed tomography (CT) in headache is generally low. In this study, we were able to demonstrate that the yield of neuroimaging in non-acute and recurrent headache could be higher if cases are reviewed first by a specialist Neurologist before cranial CT. Method: Seventy-four cases that were referred to the specialist neurology clinic with complaints of chronic and recurrent headaches without focal neurological deficit that had CT scan were reviewed consecutively using the short form of the International Classification of Headache Disorders second edition (ICHD 2) criteria after their demographics of age, sex were captured, to find out the proportion and characteristics of study cases that had identifiable cranial lesions on cranial CT scan. All cases were reviewed by a specialist Neurologist before CT scan and all CT films were reviewed by a specialist Radiologist. Age, sex and the distribution of CT findings were described from a frequency table and mean age of study cases with and without identifiable lesions on CT were compared with t-test for any significant difference and the effect of gender on the presence of identifiable lesions was tested with chi square and the agreement between clinical and CT diagnoses were tested on kappa statistics. Results: (1) Mean age of cases was 37.55 (22.06) years. (2) No significant effect of gender was found on intracranial lesions (P = 0.345). (3) Intracranial lesions were found in 47.3% of cases and the mean age was higher compared to cases with normal findings on cranial CT (P = 0.019). (4) Clinical and CT diagnoses agreed in 56.2% of the cases (P = 0.000). Conclusion: The high yield of intracranial lesions may be accounted for by the method of selection of cases for cranial CT

Should non acute and recurrent headaches have neuroimaging before review by a Neurologist?- A review in a Southern Nigerian Tertiary Hospital

Background: Headache is a common complaint in general practice and it is known that most headaches are primary and that the yield of neuroimaging like cranial computed tomography (CT) in headache is generally low. In this study, we were able to demonstrate that the yield of neuroimaging in non-acute and recurrent headache could be higher if cases are reviewed first by a specialist Neurologist before cranial CT. Method: Seventy-four cases that were referred to the specialist neurology clinic with complaints of chronic and recurrent headaches without focal neurological deficit that had CT scan were reviewed consecutively using the short form of the International Classification of Headache Disorders second edition (ICHD 2) criteria after their demographics of age, sex were captured, to find out the proportion and characteristics of study cases that had identifiable cranial lesions on cranial CT scan. All cases were reviewed by a specialist Neurologist before CT scan and all CT films were reviewed by a specialist Radiologist. Age, sex and the distribution of CT findings were described from a frequency table and mean age of study cases with and without identifiable lesions on CT were compared with t-test for any significant difference and the effect of gender on the presence of identifiable lesions was tested with chi square and the agreement between clinical and CT diagnoses were tested on kappa statistics. Results: (1) Mean age of cases was 37.55 (22.06) years. (2) No significant effect of gender was found on intracranial lesions (P = 0.345). (3) Intracranial lesions were found in 47.3% of cases and the mean age was higher compared to cases with normal findings on cranial CT (P = 0.019). (4) Clinical and CT diagnoses agreed in 56.2% of the cases (P = 0.000). Conclusion: The high yield of intracranial lesions may be accounted for by the method of selection of cases for cranial CT

Adult stroke registry in West Africa: Profile of 334 in-patients in the University of Benin Teaching Hospital, Benin City, Nigeria

Background: Profiling of stroke types in sub-Saharan Africa until recently has been done in part with the clinical diagnosis, where neuroimaging is not affordable or accessible. Objective: To profile all first-ever stroke using cranial computed tomography (CT) scan. Methods: Three hundred and thirty-four first-ever stroke had demographic data as well as the duration of admission or time to event (outcome), stroke type and severity, volume of hemorrhage in cases of parenchymal hemorrhage captured from the stroke unit register. Operationally outcome was defined as discharge to follow-up or discharge against medical advice (DAMA) or all-cause in-hospital mortality, stroke type was defined by cranial CT as cerebral infarct or intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH) or subarachnoid hemorrhage. Stroke severity was defined by the Canadian Neurological Scale (CNS) and the National Institutes of Health Stroke Score (NIHSS). Data were analyzed as appropriate. Results: Mean age was 62.63 ± 14.90 years, comprising 190 (56.9%) males and 144 (43.1%) females. Mean duration of admission was 12.91 ± 11.38 days. Totally, 251 had cerebral infarct (75.15%), 81 (24.25%) had ICH, 2 (0.60%) had subarachnoid hemorrhage. A total of 177 (51.19%) were discharged to follow-up, 15 (4.50%) were DAMA with acute case fatality of 148 (44.31%). Mean CNS score was 2.85 ± 2.57 and mean NIHSS was 17.29 ± 5.15. Age, time to outcome and NIHSS were the predictors of outcome (survival or discharged to follow-up and all-cause mortality) (odds ratio [OR] =1.043, P = 0.016, OR = 0.923, P = 0.001, OR = 2.467, P < 0.001 respectively) and NIHSS was the only predictor of survival (hazard ratio = 0.872, P < 0.001). Conclusion: This neuroimaging profiling of acute stroke type and outcome is expected to be an improvement over reviews based largely on the presumptive diagnosis

Intellectual Impairment in Patients with Newly Diagnosed HIV Infection in Southwestern Nigeria

Neurocognitive impairment is a detrimental complication of HIV infection. Here, we characterized the intellectual performance of patients with newly diagnosed HIV infection in southwestern Nigeria. We conducted a prospective study at Owo Federal Medical Center by using the adapted Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale (WAIS). The raw scores were converted to standardized scores (z-scores) and correlated with clinical and laboratory findings. Fifty-eight HIV positive patients were recruited; 72% were in WHO stages 3 and 4. We detected a high rate of intellectual impairment in HIV positive patients and controls (63.8% and 10%, resp.; P<0.001). HIV positive patients performed worse throughout the subtests of both verbal and performance intelligence quotients. Presence of opportunistic infections was associated with worse performance in the similarities and digit symbol tests and performance and full scale scores. Lower body weight correlated with poor performance in different WAIS subtests. The high rate of advanced disease stage warrants measures aimed at earlier diagnosis and treatment. Assessment of neurocognitive performance at diagnosis may offer the opportunity to improve functioning in daily life and counteract disease progression

J Acquir Immune Defic Syndr

Continuous Quality Improvement (CQI) is a process where health teams systematically collect and regularly reflect on local data to inform decisions and modify local practices and so improve delivery of services. We implemented a cluster randomized trial to examine the effects of CQI interventions on Prevention of Mother-to-Child Transmission (PMTCT) services. Here, we report our experiences and challenges establishing CQI in 2 high HIV prevalence states in northern Nigeria. Facility-based teams were trained to implement CQI activities, including structured assessments, developing change packages, and participation in periodic collaborative learning sessions. Locally evolved solutions (change ideas) were tested and measured using process data and intermediate process indicators were agreed including overall time spent accessing services, client satisfaction, and quality of data. Health workers actively participated in clinic activities and in the collaborative learning sessions. During the study, the mean difference in time spent accessing services during clinic visits increased by 40 minutes (SD = 93.4) in the control arm and decreased by 44 minutes (SD = 73.7) in the intervention arm. No significant difference was recorded in the mean client satisfaction assessment score by study arm. The quality of data was assessed using a standardized tool scored out of 100; compared with baseline data, quality at the end of study had improved at intervention sites by 6 points (95% CI: 2.0 to 10.1). Health workers were receptive to CQI process. A compendium of "change ideas" compiled into a single change package can be used to improve health care delivery

MAPT allele and haplotype frequencies in Nigerian Africans: Population distribution and association with Parkinson's disease risk and age at onset

INTRODUCTION: The association between MAPT and PD risk may be subject to ethnic variability even within populations of similar geographical origin. Data on MAPT haplotype frequencies, and its association with PD risk in black Africans are lacking. We aimed to determine the frequencies of MAPT haplotypes and their role as risk factors for PD and age at onset in Nigerians. METHODS: The haplotype and genotype frequencies of MAPT rs1052553 were analysed in 907 individuals with PD and 1022 age-matched healthy controls from the Nigeria Parkinson's Disease Research network cohort. Clinical data related to PD included age at study, age at onset (AAO), and disease duration. RESULTS: The frequency of the H1 haplotype was 98.7% in PD, and 99.1% in controls (p = 0.19). The H2 haplotype was present in - 1.3% of PD and 0.9% of controls (p = 0.24). The most frequent MAPT genotype was H1H1 (PD - 97.5%, controls - 98.2%). The H1 haplotype was not associated with PD risk after accounting for gender and AAO (Odds ratio for H1/H1 vs H1/H2 and H2/H2: 0.68 (95% CI:0.39-1.28); p = 0.23). CONCLUSIONS: Our findings support previous studies that report a low frequency of the MAPT H2 haplotype in black ancestry Africans but document its occurrence in Nigerians. The MAPT H1 haplotype was not associated with an increased risk or age at onset of PD in this cohort