Armillifer armillatus infection

We report a case of human pentastomiasis in a 70-year-old retired long-distance driver/farmer whose diagnosis was made incidentally while being investigated for a 1-month history of cough and abdominal pain. The chest X-ray revealed multiple comma-shaped and rounded opacities in keeping with Armilliferinfection, most likely Armillifer armillatus. The patient made an uneventful recovery after a 10-day course of mebendazole (an antihelminthic) tablet and ciprofloxacin (antibiotic) capsules and was discharged home. He is presently being followed up. This is the first case we have seen in our medical unit thus we are reporting it

Prevalence of dyslipidemia among adult diabetic patients with overt diabetic nephropathy in Anambra state South-East Nigeria

Background: Dyslipidemia has been identified as a risk factor for the development and progression of diabetic renal disease.Objective: This study was done to determine the prevalence of dyslipidemia among diabetic patients with overt nephropathy.Materials and Methods: A total of 72 diabetic patients with overt diabetic nephropathy and 36 age- and sex-matched normoalbuminuric diabetic patients were studied. Their fasting lipid profile, fasting blood sugar, and renal function tests were evaluated.Results: Total serum cholesterol and serum triglycerides were significantly higher in patients with overt diabetic nephropathy compared to the controls; 66.7% and 62.5% versus 36.1% and 30.6%, respectively (P = 0.003 and 0.002, respectively).Conclusions: Diabetic patients with overt diabetic nephropathy have significant dyslipidemia and aggressive lipid lowering in these patients may retard their progression to end-stage renal disease

Maternal and child health interventions in Nigeria: a systematic review of published studies from 1990 to 2014

BACKGROUND: Poor maternal and child health indicators have been reported in Nigeria since the 1990s. Many interventions have been instituted to reverse the trend and ensure that Nigeria is on track to achieve the Millennium Development Goals. This systematic review aims at describing and indirectly measuring the effect of the Maternal, Newborn, and Child Health (MNCH) interventions implemented in Nigeria from 1990 to 2014. METHODS: PubMed and ISI Web of Knowledge were searched from 1990 to April 2014 whereas POPLINE® was searched until 16 February 2015 to identify reports of interventions targeting Maternal, Newborn, and Child Health in Nigeria. Narrative and graphical synthesis was done by integrating the results of extracted studies with trends of maternal mortality ratio (MMR) and under five mortality (U5MR) derived from a joint point regression analysis using Nigeria Demographic and Health Survey data (1990-2013). This was supplemented by document analysis of policies, guidelines and strategies of the Federal Ministry of Health developed for Nigeria during the same period. RESULTS: We identified 66 eligible studies from 2,662 studies. Three interventions were deployed nationwide and the remainder at the regional level. Multiple study designs were employed in the enrolled studies: pre- and post-intervention or quasi-experimental (n = 40; 61%); clinical trials (n = 6;9%); cohort study or longitudinal evaluation (n = 3;5%); process/output/outcome evaluation (n = 17;26%). The national MMR shows a consistent reduction (Annual Percentage Change (APC) = -3.10%, 95% CI: -5.20 to -1.00 %) with marked decrease in the slope observed in the period with a cluster of published studies (2004-2014). Fifteen intervention studies specifically targeting under-five children were published during the 24 years of observation. A statistically insignificant downward trend in the U5MR was observed (APC = -1.25%, 95% CI: -4.70 to 2.40%) coinciding with publication of most of the studies and development of MNCH policies. CONCLUSIONS: The development of MNCH policies, implementation and publication of interventions corresponds with the downward trend of maternal and child mortality in Nigeria. This systematic review has also shown that more MNCH intervention research and publications of findings is required to generate local and relevant evidence

Aetiological relationship between Nephrotic Syndrome and mercury-containing skin lightening creams and medicated soaps

No Abstract.Nigerian Medical Journal Vol. 46 (2) 2005: pp. 29-3

Trypanosoma vivax in Nigerian goats: Effect of chemotherapy of serum constituents of red sokoto bucks

The effect of trypanosome infection on serum protein and electrolyte levels was studied in Red Sokoto goats inoculated with Trypanosoma vivax and treated, during the course of the infection, with Berenial ( dimmazene aceturate), Samorin (isometamidium chloride) and Novidium (homidium chloride). During the infection total protein, albumin and albumin/globulin (A/G) ratio decreased significantly (P<0.05) while the globulin fraction and calcium increased progressively. Chloride concentration was elevated by the third week post infection and, despite treatmet, by the sixth week. Untreated animals died within five to six weeks of patent infection showing terminal hypoproteinaemia of 23.6% Treatment abolished trypanosomaemia within 48 hours and reversed the effect of the infection by the second or third week post drug administration. There were slight but insignificant differences in the levels of the parameters monitored in the different drug-treated groups However,four wee(cs post treatment preinfection levels of total protein and albumin, were not achieved by Berenil nor was therapy associated with modulation of the calcium and chloride concentrations to preinfection levels .Key Words: Goats, Chemotherapy, Serum, Trypanosomiasis, Protein, Electrolytes