PRENATAL AND POSTNATAL EFFECT OF LEAD ACETATE ON THE HISTOLOGY OF FRONTAL CORTEX AND MOTOR ACTIVITY IN WISTAR RATS

Objectives: The objective of this study was to find the histologic and motor activity effect of lead on prenatally and postnatally exposed Wistar rats. Methods: In this study, twelve Wistar Rats were used and grouped into four groups of two females and one male. Group I rats served as the control and allowed feed and water freely. The rats in Group II were administered 500ppm of Pb through drinking water from gestation day 8 (GD8) to parturition (GD21). While Group III rats were given 500ppm of Pb in drinking water from postnatal day 1 (PND1) to PND21. The rats in the fourth group (Group IV) were given 500ppm of Pb from GD8 to PND21. Palmer grasp reflex was conducted to assess the motor activity of the rat pups. The animals were then humanely sacrificed and the frontal cortices were isolated for routine histological processing. Results: The histological study has shown normal neurons in the control group while degenerating cells exhibiting karyolysis, pyknosis, karyorrhexis, vacuolation were seen in the lead-treated groups. Group II and Group IV showed considerate deficit in their motor activity while Group III showed mild effect. Conclusion: From this study, lead exposure of Wistar rats at both prenatal and postnatal period of development has effect on the histology of the frontal cortex as well as on their motor activity

Prevalence of malaria infection in children attending emergency paediatrics unit of Usmanu Danfodiyo University Teaching hospital, Sokoto - Nigeria

Background: Malaria infection in children has been of concern in this part of the world - the sub-Saharan Africa. This study was undertaken to determine the prevalence of this deadly infection in children attending Usmanu Danfodiyo University Teaching Hospital (UDUTH) Sokoto.Materials and Methods: One hundred and twenty four (124) capillary blood samples were collected from patients attending the Emergency Pediatrics Unit side laboratory. The 'gold standard' method was applied using Giemsa stain to carry out the investigation. Both thick and thin blood films were investigated for malaria parasite concentration and specie identification respectively.Results: Out of the 124 samples collected, 82 (66.13%) tested positive and 42 (33.87%) were negative for malaria infection. A total of 49 (39.52%) males and 33 (26.61%) females were positive for the infection. Of all the positive samples children within the age range of 0 – 5 years had the highest prevalence of 72 (58.06%) while the other age group of 6 – 10 years had a relatively lower prevalence of 10 (8.07%). However, using Chi-square test of independence, statistical analyses suggest that there is no statistically significant association between the distribution of malaria infection and age or gender.Conclusion P. falciparum accounted for about (84.15%) of the cases of malaria infection in the study area.Keywords: Malaria, children, prevalence, UDUTH, Chi-Square

Preliminary study of Hepatitis B surface antigen on mental health care workers at federal neuropsychiatric hospital Barnawa, Kaduna Nigeria

Background: This study was designed to determine retrospectively, HBsAg status, marker of HBV infection, among Mental Health Care Workers (MHCWs) at Federal Neuropsychiatric Hospital (FNPH), Barnawa Kaduna, North West, Nigeria. Two hundred and fifty one, apparently healthy HBV vaccine naïve, MHCWs, who voluntarily participate prior to HBV-vaccination. Materials and Methods: The screening was carried out using atlas latex haemagglutination test kit, between the months of December, 2000 through March, 2001. The MHCWs were categorized into senior and junior staff. Their ages, years of service, occupation, and department were obtained from year 2000 staff nominal roll. Prior to the study ethical approval was obtained from the hospital ethical committee. Two hundred and fifty one, participant were tested for HBsAg in a pre-HBV-vaccination exercise. Results: The number and percentages of participants by gender were 127 (50.6%) males and 124 (49.4%) females, respectively. The age range was 19-60 years with a mean age of 37 ± 2 years. The Number and percentages of junior and senior staff were 163 (65.0%) and 88 (35.0%), respectively. The incidence of HBsAg was 72 (28.7%). Incidence rates was highest among the males 41 (32.3%) compared to females 31(25.0%) and51-60yrs (50.0%), the incidence among Junior Staff was 52 (31.9%), while in Senior staff was 20 (22.7%) respectively. MHCWs who served between 26-30 years were 2 (66.7%) and those within 21-25 years were 6 (26.1%). Medical Record Staff were 3 (60.0%) and staff from other departments were Pharmacy 3 (50.0%), Artisans 7 (46.7%), Security 15(42.9%), Occupational Therapy Staff 2 (40.0%), Account Staff 6 (30.0%), Social Welfare 1 (25.0%), Hospital Maids 14 (23.7%), Administration Staff 11 (23.4%), Nurses 8 (17.0%), Medical Laboratory Staff 0 (0.0%), respectively. Statistical analysis obtained using Chisquare (x2) test showed no statistically significant association (p >0.05) between incidence of HBV-infection and years of service, Sex, Age, Cadre and Occupation. Conclusions: Due to a high prevalence of HbsAg, a marker of HBV infection, among MHCWs, Pre-vaccination screening should be instituted in Nigeria’s mental health facilities for early detection of HBV-infection and selective treatment. Key words: Hepatitis B virus; HbsAg; neuropsychiatric; vaccination; screening; Barnawa; Kaduna; Nigeria

PREVALENCE OF MALARIA INFECTION IN CHILDREN ATTENDING EMERGENCY PAEDIATRICS UNIT AT USMANU DANFODIYO UNIVERSITY TEACHING HOSPITAL, SOKOTO - NIGERIA

Prevalence of malaria infection in children has been a cause of concern in this part of the world, the sub-Saharan Africa. This study aims at determining the prevalence of this deadly infection in children attending Usmanu Danfodiyo University Teaching Hospital (UDUTH) Sokoto. One hundred and twenty four (124) capillary blood samples were collected from patients attending the Emergency Paediatrics Unit side laboratory. The 'gold standard' method was applied using Giemsa stain to carry out the investigation. Both thick and thin blood films were investigated for malaria parasite concentration and specie identification respectively. Out of the 124 samples collected, 82 (66.13%) were positive and 42 (33.87%) were negative for malaria infection. 49 (39.52%) were males positive for the infection and 33 (26.61%) were females also positive for it. Of all the positive samples children within the age range of 0 – 5 years took the highest figure of 72 (58.06%) while the other age group of 6 – 10 years had a relatively lower figure of 10 (8.07%). However, using Chi-square test of independence, statistical analyses suggest that there is no statistically significant association between the distribution of malaria infection and age or gender. It was determined from this study that P. falciparum is incriminated with about 84.15% of the cases of malaria infection in this study area

Diagnostic characteristics of the 20-minute whole blood clotting test in detecting venom-induced consumptive coagulopathy following carpet viper envenoming

Introduction Envenoming by Echis spp. (carpet or saw-scaled vipers) causes haemorrhage and coagulopathy and represents a significant proportion of snakebites in the savannah regions of West Africa. Early diagnosis of envenoming is crucial in the management of these patients and there is limited evidence on the utility of the 20-minute whole blood clotting test (20WBCT) in diagnosing venom-induced consumptive coagulopathy (VICC) following envenoming by Echis ocellatus. Methods A prospective observational cohort study was conducted at the Kaltungo General Hospital in North-eastern Nigeria from September 2019 to September 2021. Standardised 20WBCTs were conducted by trained hospital staff and citrated plasma samples were collected at numerous timepoints. Prothrombin time (PT) and international normalised ratio (INR) were determined using a semi-automated analyser and INR values were calculated using international sensitivity indices (ISI). The sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive values (PPV), negative predictive values (NPV), and likelihood ratios of the 20WBCT compared to an INR ≥ 1.4 were calculated, alongside 95% confidence intervals. Results We enrolled 121 patients into our study, with a median age of 26 (18.0–35.0) years and a male predominance (75.2%). The 20WBCT was positive (abnormal) in 101 out of 121 patients at timepoint 0h, of which 95 had an INR ≥ 1.4, giving a sensitivity of 87.2% (95%CI 79.4–92.8). Among patients with a negative 20WBCT (normal), six had an INR < 1.4 giving a specificity of 50% (95%CI 21.1–78.9%). The positive and negative likelihood ratios were 1.7 (95%CI 1.6–1.9) and 0.3 (95%CI 0.1–0.4) respectively. Conclusion The 20WBCT is a simple, cheap, and easily accessible bedside test with a high sensitivity for the detection of patients with venom induced consumptive coagulopathy (VICC) following envenoming by E. ocellatus, although false positives do occur. Repeated 20WBCTs can identify patients with new, persistent, and rebound coagulopathy

Intestinal parasitic infestation among HIV Seropositive and HIV Seronegative patients attending Usmanu Danfodiyo University Teaching Hospital Sokoto, Nigeria.

A research study on prevalence of intestinal parasitism among HIV positive patients attending Usmanu Danfodiyo University Teaching Hospital, Sokoto between January-September 2010 was conducted. A total of 315 stool samples were collected; 205 samples were obtained from confirmed HIV/AIDS positive patients and 105 samples from HIV negative patients. These samples were examined using saline preparation, iodine preparation, formol ether concentration technique and modified cold Ziehl Neelsen staining technique. The prevalence rate of parasitic infection in HIV positive patients was 20.5% with the following parasites Cryptosporidium parvum 19(9.3%), Hookworm 6(2.9%), Giardia lamblia 13(6.3%), Taenia spp 2(1%), and Entamoeba histolytica 2(1 %). While in the HIV negative patients examined, the prevalence of parasitic infection was 11.8% with the following Hookworm 5(4.5%), E. histolytica 2(2%), G. lamblia 3(3%) and Ascaris lumbricoides 3(3%).  Gender distribution of the intestinal parasitism shows that male patients had 17% infection rate while in the female group 3% infection rate was recorded. There is no significant (P&gt;0.05) association between the gender and parasitic infection.Keywords: Intestinal parasite, HIV Seropositive and HIV Seronegative Patien

Accidental poisoning with aluminum phosphide presenting with excessive cholinergic symptoms with response to atropine: A case report

Accidental poisoning in children, though underreported in our environment, is common and could prove fatal. It is important to identify the primary chemical agent that is responsible for the poisoning. We present a case of accidental ingestion of fish poisoned with aluminum phosphide (AlP) used as rat poisoning by a 14-month-old girl. At presentation, the actual chemical content of the poison was not available and clinical features were suggestive of organophosphate poisoning. She was commenced on atropine together with other treatment, on which she made remarkable improvement. The atropine was continued with complete resolution of symptoms on the third day of admission. We, therefore, report a serendipitous use of atropine in the management of AlP poisoning with successful outcome

Gender preference between traditional and PowerPoint methods of teaching gross anatomy

Introduction: Teaching and learning process is increasingly metamorphosing from the traditional chalk and talk to the modern dynamism in the information and communication technology. Medical education is no exception to this dynamism more especially in the teaching of gross anatomy, which serves as one of the bases of understanding the human structure. Objective: This study was conducted to determine the gender preference of preclinical medical students on the use of traditional (chalk and talk) and PowerPoint presentation in the teaching of gross anatomy. Subjects and Methods: This was cross-sectional and prospective study, which was conducted among preclinical medical students in the University of Maiduguri, Nigeria. Using simple random techniques, a questionnaire was circulated among 280 medical students, where 247 students filled the questionnaire appropriately. The data obtained was analyzed using SPSS version 20 (IBM Corporation, Armonk, NY, USA) to find the method preferred by the students among other things. Results: Majority of the preclinical medical students in the University of Maiduguri preferred PowerPoint method in the teaching of gross anatomy over the conventional methods. The Cronbach alpha value of 0.76 was obtained which is an acceptable level of internal consistency. A statistically significant association was found between gender and preferred method of lecture delivery on the clarity of lecture content where females prefer the conventional method of lecture delivery whereas males prefer the PowerPoint method, On the reproducibility of text and diagram, females prefer PowerPoint method of teaching gross anatomy while males prefer the conventional method of teaching gross anatomy. Conclusion: There are gender preferences with regard to clarity of lecture contents and reproducibility of text and diagram. It was also revealed from this study that majority of the preclinical medical students in the University of Maiduguri prefer PowerPoint presentation over the traditional chalk and talk method in most of the questions ask

Anomalous origin of the left coronary artery from the main pulmonary artery

The anomalous origin of the left coronary artery from the pulmonary artery (ALCAPA) is a rare congenital heart anomaly; this occurs in 1/300,000 live births. ALCAPA syndrome was first described in 1933 by Bland and co-authors in autopsy specimens; however, further description of its clinical manifestations resulted in the naming of Bland–White–Garland syndrome. The case of a 2-year-old boy who was referred for echocardiographic investigation due to recurrent cough, catarrh, and occasional noisy breathing is reported in this communication; his chest X-ray was normal, while electrocardiogram showed Q-waves on limb leads I and aVL and the echocardiographic study showed ALCAPA

Assessment of Sleep Quality among Medical Doctors in a Tertiary Hospital in a Semi-Rural Setting

Introduction: Sleep is an integral part of human physiology; therefore, disorders of sleep may result in significant derangement in human functionality. Sleep medicine has received little attention in Nigeria. Against this backdrop, this survey seeks to evaluate the quality of sleep among doctors. Methodology: This was a cross-sectional descriptive study involving 59 doctors working with Federal Medical Centre Birnin Kebbi, Kebbi State, Nigeria; it was done between August 2017 and December 2017. Purposive sampling method was adopted. The Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) and the Epworth Sleepiness Scale (ESS) were adopted. The questionnaire was self-administered. Results: There were 34 (57.6%) males and 25 (42.4%) females. Their age ranged from 20 to 66 years, with a mean of 34.39 ± 8.00. The Epworth score ranged from 8 to 29, with a mean of 16.1 ± 4.4, while the PSQI score ranged from 5 to 19, with a mean of 9.5 ± 2.7. The mean work hour per week was 90.3 ± 36.2 h, and majority of the respondents worked for >80 h and or >24 h consecutively in the preceding week, and most had high ESS scores; however, this observation was not statistically significant (Fisher's exact test = 4.0904, P = 0.213). All respondents were poor sleepers and majority sleep for <7 h in the night. Respondents had worked for 5 years and less; house officers and medical offers had more tendencies for daytime sleepiness. Conclusion: All respondents were poor sleepers and also had prolonged work hours per week; there was also heightened daytime sleepiness