Fingerprint White Line Counts: An Upcoming Forensic Tool for Sex Determination

Abstract Fingerprints are one of the common forensic tools used in personal identification. However, the associated secondary epidermal creases of fingerprints, fingerprint white line count (FWLC), has received less attention within the forensic community. This study was conducted with an aim to determine the potential of FWLC in sex inference among adult Nigerians. A cross sectional study was carried out with 150 males and 150 females with age range of 18-30 and 18-33 years, respectively. Live scanner (Digita persona, China) was used to capture the plain fingerprint for FWLC. Mann Whitney, Kruskal Wallis and logistic regression analyses were employed for determination of digit variation (based on side and type), sexual dimorphism and prediction models, respectively. Likelihood ratio and posterior probability were used to determine the favour odd for sex inference from FWLC. A significant higher mean value of FWLC was observed in females (2.24 ± 2.03) compared to males (0.85 ± 1.29). Absence of white line was indicative of male origin in all the digits except for left index digit (favor odd of 0.72 for females and 0.29 for males). However, FWLC from 5 to 11 were more likely to be of female origin. The best discriminator of sex was the left FWLC with a percentage accuracy of discrimination of 72%. The percentage contribution of the left FWLC in the discrimination of the sexes was observed to range from 23.0 to 30.20%. The FWLC was found to be a potential predictor of sex among adult Nigerians of Hausa ethnic origin

Bilateral massive corpus leteum cysts in a human immunodeficiency virus positive singleton pregnancy at term

Corpus luteum cyst at term is a rare occurrence. It is unusual for these cysts to be bilateral. We report a case of massive bilateral corpus luteum cysts in a term singleton pregnancy. A 32-year-old gravid 2, para 1, known human immunodeficiency virus positive patient on highly active antiretroviral therapy had an elective cesarean section at term on account of a low CD4 count and ovarian cysts. At surgery, she was found to have massive bilateral ovarian cysts. Each of the cysts was about the size of a 20-week size gravid uterus, (Left side 20 cm × 23 cm×15 cm; Right side 22 cm × 24 cm ×10 cm). After the 3.4 kg male baby was delivered in a good condition, a bilateral cystectomy was performed. Subsequent histopathology confirmed the diagnosis of corpus luteum cyst of pregnancy

Pelvic organ prolapse managed at Usmanu Danfodiyo University Teaching Hospital, Sokoto: A 10-year review

Background: Pelvic organ prolapse can have a detrimental effect on woman's quality of life by limiting physical, social, psychological, and sexual functions. We determined the prevalence, predisposing factors, and complications of pelvic organ prolapse at the Usmanu Danfodiyo University Teaching Hospital (UDUTH), Sokoto. Materials and Methods: A retrospective study of the cases of pelvic organ prolapse managed at UDUTH, Sokoto, between January 1, 2003, and December 31, 2012. Results: The prevalence of pelvic organ prolapse was 1.4% of all gynecological admissions. The mean age of the patients was 45.3 ± 16.1 years. Majority of the patients, i.e., 63.7% were premenopausal. The grand multiparous women constituted 65.9% of the patients. The most common presenting symptom was a mass protruding through the vagina. The prolapsing organs included uterus 75.8%, bladder 12.1%, rectum 6.6%, and a combination of bladder and rectum 5.5%. The most common predisposing factor identified was unsupervised home delivery. Most of the patients had surgical intervention that included vaginal hysterectomy 59.3%, anterior colporrhaphy 7.7%, posterior colpoperineorrhaphy 6.6%, and combined anterior colporrhaphy and posterior colpoperineorrhaphy 5.5%. Hemorrhage was the most common intraoperative complication encountered in anemia 10.7% and wound infection 2.7% was most prevalent in the postoperative period. Conclusion: Multiparity, prolonged labor, and unsupervised deliveries were significant predisposing factors of pelvic organ prolapse antenatal care; skilled supervised deliveries and access to effective family planning methods will decrease the prevalence

Primary vaginismus: treatment with botulinum toxin

Background: Vaginismus is a rare condition. It may result in unconsummated marriages with subsequent marital disharmony. The most severe forms of these spasms of the vaginal muscles are often refractory to a variety of conventional treatment.Case Report: The index case was a 35-year old nulligravid, civil servant who presented to the gynaecological outpatient clinic with a complaint of inability to have coitus since she married 5years prior to presentation. She had several counselling sessions by both gynaecologists and psychiatrists, and had used several forms of treatment with improvement in her condition. She, subsequently, had successful treatment with intra-vaginal botulinum toxin injection.Conclusion: In cases of severe vaginismus, botulinum toxin injection can be considered as a first line option of treatment.Keywords: BotoxR, fear, penetration, spasm, vagina

Prevalence and pattern of sexual assault in Usmanu Danfodiyo University Teaching Hospital, Sokoto, Nigeria

Introduction: sexual violence is an important public health problem of growing concern all over the world. This study was conducted to determine the prevalence and pattern of sexual assault managed in Usmanu Danfodiyo University Teaching Hospital Sokoto, Nigeria. Methods: it was a retrospective study that looked into cases of sexual assault admitted into the hospital between January 2010 and December 2014. Information on patients’ biodata, and relevant details on the cases were extracted from the patients’ case files and analyzed. Results: out of the 5317 gynecological admissions during the period under study, 45 (0.84%) were cases of sexual assault. Of these, only 34 case files were available for data extraction. The patients’ age ranged from 2 to 37 years (mean = 12.6 + 8.3). About two thirds (61.8%) of those affected were young children (aged 12 years and below). In majority of cases (70.6%) the assault was penetrative, and in most of the cases (91.2%) only a single assailant was involved. In close to two thirds of cases, the assailant was either an acquaintance (38.2%) or a family member (20.6%). Although law enforcement agents were informed in majority (58.8%) of cases, arrests were made in less than half (41.2%). Conclusion: although the prevalence of sexual assault in this study appears to be low, a major cause for concern is the fact that those affected were predominantly young children. Parents should be more vigilant in monitoring their children’s movement, and stringent laws should be enacted and enforced to curb this heinous act.The Pan African Medical Journal 2016;2

Cardiovascular Risk Profile Among Reproductive-Aged Women in the U.S.: The Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System, 2015–2020

Introduction Suboptimal cardiovascular health is associated with adverse pregnancy outcomes and long-term cardiovascular risk. The authors examined trends in cardiovascular risk factors and correlates of suboptimal cardiovascular risk profiles among reproductive-aged U.S. women. Methods With data from 335,959 women in the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (2015–2020), the authors conducted serial cross-sectional analysis among nonpregnant reproductive-aged women (18–44 years) without cardiovascular disease who self-reported information on 8 cardiovascular risk factors selected on the basis of Life's Essential 8 metrics. The authors estimated the prevalence of each risk factor and suboptimal cardiovascular risk profile (≥2 risk factors) and examined trends overall and by age and race/ethnicity. Using multivariable Poisson regression, the authors assessed the sociodemographic correlates of suboptimal cardiovascular risk profile. Results The weighted prevalence of women aged <35 years was approximately 64% in each survey year. The prevalence of suboptimal cardiovascular risk profile increased modestly from 72.4% (71.6%–73.3%) in 2015 to 75.9% (75.0%–76.7%) in 2019 (p<0.001). This increase was mainly driven by increases in overweight/obesity (53.1%–58.4%; p<0.001). Between 2015 and 2019, significant increases in suboptimal cardiovascular risk profile were observed among non-Hispanic White (69.8%–72.6%; p<0.001) and Hispanic (75.1%–80.3%; p<0.001) women but not among non-Hispanic Black (82.7%–83.7%; p=0.48) or Asian (68.1%–73.2%; p=0.09) women. Older age, rural residence, and non-Hispanic Black and Hispanic race and ethnicity were associated with a higher prevalence of suboptimal cardiovascular risk profile. Conclusions There has been a modest but significant increase in suboptimal cardiovascular risk profile among U.S. women of reproductive age. Urgent preventive efforts are needed to reverse this trend and improve cardiovascular health, particularly among subgroups at increased risk, to mitigate its implications