Relative Therapeutic Efficacy of Phonophoresis and Cryotherapy as Combined Therapy in the Management of Musculoskeletal Injuries

This study was designed to investigate the efficacy of phonophoresis and cryotherapy as combined therapy (double-modality therapy – DMT) in the management of pain among subjects with musculoskeletal injuries (MSIs).Subjects were assigned randomly to one of three groups: DMT group  (n=17) received cryotherapy and 15% methyl salicylate phonophoresis, PHONO group (n=14) received 15% methyl salicylate phonophoresis, andCRYO group (n=19) received cryotherapy and ‘sham’ phonophoresis. Ultrasound at an intensity of 1.5 W/cm² and frequency of 1MHz was used to apply methyl salicylate while intermittent cryotherapy was the mode ofapplication. The pre- and post-treatment pain perception scores (PPS) of the patients were assessed using the visual analogue scale (VAS), and the sessions of treatment in all groups were recorded. Treatment was administered on alternate days and subjects in all groups were discharged when they were pain free. In total, 233 treatment sessions were recorded – 61(26.2%) in DMT, 77(33.0%) in PHONO and 95(40.8%) in CRYO group respectively, which indicated no significant difference (P > 0.05). In the DMT, CRYO and PHONO groups, 16, 12 and 7 subjects respectively were pain free after 1 to 5 treatments. The difference in the severity of pain was significant (P < 0.05) in each group post-treatment, which suggests that DMT, phonophoresis and cryotherapy were equally effective. The study has demonstrated the therapeutic efficacy of DMT, but it was not superior to the single treatment protocol of phonophoresis or cryotherapy. It might  however, take less treatment sessions to reduce pain among the subjects with the use of DMT compared with other two modalities.KEYWORDS: cryotherapy, double-modality therapy, musculoskeletal injury, phonophoresis, ultrasoun

Molecular detection of mobilized colistin resistance (mcr-1) gene in Escherichia coli isolates from Port Harcourt, Nigeria

The emergence of plasmid borne colistin resistance in recent years has been problematic as a result of the potential for rapid dissemination through bacterial populations. This mcr-1 mediated resistance has been reported from around the globe and active surveillance is essential to monitor the developing issue. This study set out to determine the occurrence of such strains in a group of 60 Escherichia coli isolates using DNA extraction and amplification techniques. Following molecular confirmation of the identities of the E. coli isolates based on the detection of E. coli specific 16sRNA gene fragments, phenotypic colistin resistance of isolates was determined and isolates were screened for the mcr-1 gene using standard procedures. Of the 35 confirmed E. coli isolates, 60% were found to be colistin resistant, with a higher level of resistance noted among the non-clinical isolates. Plasmid mediated mcr-1 resistance was however found to be present in only 8.6% of total isolates, making up 14.3% of the colistin resistant strains. This mcr-1 mediated resistance was only noted in clinical isolates however. This detection of mcr-1 mediated colistin resistance in E. coli isolates from Port Harcourt, Nigeria is worrisome as it could point at a looming epidemic of colistin resistance and hence the development of untreatable bacterial isolates. Further studies are essential to properly assess the scope and spread of this situation.Keywords: Colistin resistance, mcr-1, Escherichia coli, Nigeri

Platelet counts and mean platelet volume amongst elderly Nigerians

determining reference values of Platelet Counts, Mean Platelet Volume and the relationship between the Platelet Count and Mean Platelet Volume. These parameters were determined from 400 healthy elderly subjects comprising 210 males and 190 females. with a mean age of 69.4±7.9 years . 400 young adults were used as control comprising 200 males and females respectively with a mean age of 24.1 ±4.2years. Healthy elderly adults had a mean platelet count of 161.8±3.0 X 109/L and 214.5±3.1 X 109/Lin males and females respectively. Sex and age differences in platelet counts were observed in the elderly subjects (P < 0.05). The mean (SEM) for mean platelet volume for healthy elderly males and females was 9.8±0.6 fl and 9.7±0.6 fl respectively. There was an inverse correlation between mean platelet volume and platelet counts (r = - 0.286, P < 0.05). Platelet count was lower in healthy elderly subjects compared to the young adults control (P < 0.05). The use of separate reference value of platelet count in the elderly is advocated. Keywords: Platelet count, Platelet volume, Elderly Nigerians, Zaria Nigeria

Thyroid hormone: the modulator of erectile function in the rabbit.

The possible role of thyroid hormones in the Nitric Oxide (NO)- mediated response to sexual stimulation, and on prostaglandin E1 (PGE1) and Sildenafil in the treatment of erectile dysfunction was investigated using the corpus cavernosum of the New Zealand rabbit animal model. The parameters studied were penile erection monitored as contractile force of the erectile tissue, sperm count and motility; in parallel with the haematocrit, red cell count or rheology, Heart Rate (HR), Mean Arterial Pressure (MAP), Thyroid Stimulating Hormones (TSH) and Thyroixine levels. Hypothyroidism or thyroidectomy was found to cause depletion of Endothelium Derived Relaxant Factor (EDRF) thereby causing very feeble contraction of the cavernosum muscle, in both Prostaglandin E1 (PGE1) and Sildenafil, oligospermia and less than 45% motile sperms. Thyroxine treatment produced contraction proportionate to the concentrations of PGE1 and Sildenafil; providing evidence that the erectogenic actions of both PGE1 and Sildenafil are possible only in the presence of adequate thyroid hormone level.Key Words: Corpus Cavernosum, Contractility, Erection, PGE1, Sildenafi

Comparison of the Therapeutic Efficacy of Double-Modality Therapy, Phonophoresis and Cryotherapy in the Management of Musculoskeletal Injuries in Adult Nigerian Subjects

Summary: This study was designed to compare the efficacy of double-modality therapy, phonophoresis and cryotherapy in the management of pain among subjects who suffered from musculoskeletal injuries   (MSIs).Sixty (60) subjects were assigned randomly to one of three groups: DMT group (n=20) received cryotherapy and 15% methyl salicylate  phonophoresis, PHONO group (n=20) received 15% methyl salicylate phonophoresis and CRYO group (n=20) received cryotherapy and „sham. phonophoresis. Ultrasound at an intensity of 1.5 W/cm² and frequency of 1MHz was used to apply methyl salicylate while intermittent cryotherapy was the mode of application. Subjects. pre- and post-treatment pain perception scores (PPS) using visual analogue scale (VAS) were assessed and the sessions of treatment in all groups were recorded. Treatment was  administered on alternate days and discharges were made in all groups when subjects were pain free. A total of 275 treatment sessions was recorded – 72 (26.2%) in DMT, 105 (38.2%) in PHONO and 98 (35.6%) in CRYO group respectively which indicated no significant difference (P&gt;0.05). Nineteen (19), thirteen (13) and twelve (12) subjects were pain free in DMT, CRYO or PHONO groups respectively after 1 to 5 treatments. The difference in the severity of pain was significant (P&lt;0.05) in each group post-treatment which suggests that DMT, phonophoresis and cryotherapy were equally effective. The study has demonstrated therapeutic efficacy of DMT, but it was not superior to the single treatment protocol of phonophoresis or cryotherapy. However, it might take fewer sessions in the DMT group to treat and make more than 90% of the subjects pain free and fit to return to active performance.Keywords: Cryotherapy, Double-modality therapy, Musculoskeletal injury, Phonophoresis, Ultrasoun

Thyroidectomy and induced hypothyroidism: a factor in the genesis of hydrosalpinx

The primary or natural cause of hydrosalpinx seemingly remains elusive; though some reports had indicated that increased intraluminal pressure is responsible for the phenomenon. This study was designed to determine the remote causes of increased intraluminal pressure using animal thyroid hormone as a pressure sensitive hormone. Four groups of sexually mature female Wistar rats (n=25), categorized into (1) Control or enthyroid rats, (2) thyrodectomized (T), (3) thyroidectomized but treated with thyroxine (TTT) and (4) thyroxine-treated or euthyroid rats (TT), were used for this study. For 60 days, the animals were fed with rat chow, while thyroxine (10ug/kg) was specifically administered to each of the rats in TTT and TT groups every alternate days of the experimental period. At the end of the experiment, the animals were sacrificed after blood sample collection, to harvest the uterine horn tissues, which were subsequently processed for histological study; with emphasis on the tubo-uterine junction. Results showed significant cytoarchitectural changes in the experimental groups, while thyroxinemia without  thyrotocosis -as indicated by the non-significant T4 level (P&lt;0.040), was observed in the TT group that received  physiological doses of thyroxine. Our findings suggest therefore, that hypothyroidism might be a primary factor in the genesis of hydrosalpinx.Key Words: hydrosalpinx, oedema, thyrodectomy, hypothyroidism, thyroxine treatment

Thyroid hormone: a “prime suspect” in human immuno deficiency virus (hiv/aids) patients?

Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome (AIDS) is the final and most serious stage of the disease caused by human immunodeficiency virus. The Immune system is the target of AIDS. We investigate presentlyany possible involvement of thyroid hormone, the deficiency of which gives rise to oedema and susceptibility to nonspecific infections; with a view to finding the primary factor seeding the disease. It has been reported that circumcision reduced the incidence of HIV/AIDS infection. Beyond circumcision however there might be someconstitutional factor that comprises HIV infection to clinical AIDS. It is against this background that our research team turned to possible dyshormonopoisis and to thyroid hormone as a prime suspect among other possible factors that cause clinical AIDS. Moreover the hormone has been reported to be crucial for optimum immune function. A population of 200 seropositive AIDS patients were investigated against a control of 50 subjects made up of 25 healthy circumcised males and 25 healthy females; all of who were seronegative for the disease. The parameters investigated include thyrotropin (TSH), Thyroxine (T4), Total protein (TP), Albumin (Alb), Globulin (Glob), Immune complex (IC3) and Bence Jones proteins (BJP) levels in serum or urine. All seropositive clinically HIV/AIDS patients were hypothyroid. Seronegatives had significantly higher T4, TP, and Alb levels at

Characterizing the metabolic phenotype of intestinal villus blunting in Zambian children with severe acute malnutrition and persistent diarrhea

Background: Environmental enteric dysfunction (EED) is widespread throughout the tropics and in children is associated with stunting and other adverse health outcomes. One of the hallmarks of EED is villus damage. In children with severe acute malnutrition (SAM) the severity of enteropathy is greater and short term mortality is high, but the metabolic consequences of enteropathy are unknown. Here, we characterize the urinary metabolic alterations associated with villus health, classic enteropathy biomarkers and anthropometric measurements in severely malnourished children in Zambia. Methods/Principal findings: We analysed 20 hospitalised children with acute malnutrition aged 6 to 23 months in Zambia. Small intestinal biopsies were assessed histologically (n = 15), anthropometric and gut function measurements were collected and the metabolic phenotypes were characterized by 1H nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy. Endoscopy could not be performed on community controls children. Growth parameters were inversely correlated with enteropathy biomarkers (p = 0.011) and parameters of villus health were inversely correlated with translocation and permeability biomarkers (p = 0.000 and p = 0.015). Shorter villus height was associated with reduced abundance of metabolites related to gut microbial metabolism, energy and muscle metabolism (p = 0.034). Villus blunting was also related to increased sucrose excretion (p = 0.013). Conclusions/Significance: Intestinal villus blunting is associated with several metabolic perturbations in hospitalized children with severe undernutrition. Such alterations include altered muscle metabolism, reinforcing the link between EED and growth faltering, and a disruption in the biochemical exchange between the gut microbiota and host. These findings extend our understanding on the downstream consequences of villus blunting and provide novel non-invasive biomarkers of enteropathy dysfunction. The major limitations of this study are the lack of comparative control group and gut microbiota characterization

Effect of alligator pepper (Zingiberaceae Aframomum melegueta) on first trimester pregnancy in Sprague Dawley Rats

Alligator pepper (Aframomum melegueta) is a spice that is widely used in many cultures for entertainment, religious rites, food flavor and as a part of many traditional doctors medications. Pregnant women are among those who ingest Alligator pepper in these activities. This experiment was carried out to determine the health risk or benefit of Alligator pepper to pregnant women if any. Fifteen male rats and fifteen female rats of proven fertility from a pilot study were randomly paired in fifteen cages in a well ventillated room. After three days of mating, the males were withdrawn from the females, which were allowed to stay in their separate maternity cages for 18-25 days. The females in the control group were fed with normal rat chow and clean drinking water ad libitum for the duration of the experiment. Each of the rats in the experimental group was served 20 g of rat chow mixed with 50mg of Alligator pepper for one day only and thereafter fed with normal rat chow and clean drinking water ad libitum for 18-25 days. The rats in the control group had a mean of 7 litters each, while the rats in the experimental group did not litter at all. It was concluded that ingestion of large quantities of Alligator pepper poses a health risk to women in their first trimester of pregnancy.Key words : Effect, Alligator pepper, Herbal remedy, Nutrition, Pregnanc