THE DEARTH OF STANDARD ANATOMICAL TERMINOLOGIES IN YORÙBÁ LANGUAGE: Butchers’ terminologies to the rescue?

The need to replace foreign-language medical terms with indigenous terms has prompted researchers to search for indigenous equivalents of the foreign medical terms. This study which focused on the dearth of standard anatomical terminologies in Yorùbá language was an attempt to examine the adoptability of butchers’ terminologies as descriptive anatomical terms for human abdomino-thoracic organs. Practising butchers in the South West Nigeria were interviewed on their terminologies for cow’s abdomino-thoracic organs and the basis for each terminology. The butchers’ terminologies, in Yorùbá language were critically appraised for adoptability as anatomical terms for human abdomino-thoracic organs. The study observed that cow’s abdomino-thoracic organs were grossly similar to those of humans. Majority (65%) of the cow’s abdomino-thoracic organs are named by the butchers’ in traditional Yorùbá terminologies. The butchers’ terminologies were etymologically derived based on pre-existing concepts similar to the modern terminologies derived from the ancient Greek and Latin words. About 25% of the butchers’ terminologies were the same with some human anatomical terminologies which were in use by the health care professionals. The terminologies concur with the cultural attitudes of the Yorùbá with reference to the private parts of the human body and majority (80%) of the butchers’ terminologies is simple and familiar to the people. Given these characteristic features, we concluded that the butchers’ terminologies are strongly adoptable as descriptive anatomical terms for human abdomino-thoracic organs and may resolve the dearth of standard anatomical terminologies in Yorùbá language. The findings may form a baseline for future studies on the translation of anatomical terminologies to Yorùbá language

Incidence of Postoperative Residual Paralysis in a Nigerian Teaching Hospital

Background: Postoperative residual paralysis (PORP) is a known risk factor after general anesthesia (GA) for critical respiratory events and increased postoperative morbidity. PORP is defined as a train‑of‑four ratio (TOFR) of <0.9 using acceleromyography (AMG). TOFR <0.9 has been associated with increased risk of aspiration, obstruction of the upper airway and an impaired hypoxic ventilatory response. Aim: The aim of this study was to determine the incidence of PORP, associated factors related with its occurrence and critical respiratory events in the postanesthesia recovery room (PAR) at our institution. Methodology: Forty‑one adult patients were scheduled for elective surgeries requiring GA with the use of at least 1 dose of a nondepolarizing neuromuscular blocking drug (NMBD). An independent anesthetist quantitatively measured TOFR of recruited patients postoperatively in the recovery room using the TOF-watch SX acceleromyograph (Organon Teknika) 5 min after arrival. Results: The incidence of PORP was 75.6% (n = 31), with severe PORP (TOFR <0.7) seen in 41.5% (n = 17) of patients. Median time to full recovery in the PAR was 33 min (range 5–164 min). There was no statistical difference in the incidence of PORP related to the choice of NMBD (P = 0.186) or duration of surgery (P = 0.175). No respiratory complications or events were observed in patients with residual blockade. Conclusion: The incidence of PORP is quite high and undetected in our environment. Quantitative monitoring for residual paralysis is advocated as part of routine monitoring with the use of NMBDs for improved patient safety.Keywords: Incidence, neuromuscular blockade, Nigeria, postoperative, residualparalysi

Efficacy of certain plant extracts against seed-borne infection of Collectotrichum destructivum on cowpea (Vigna uniguculata)

Aqueous extracts of leaves of Moringa oleifera Lam, Vernonia amygdalina and Annona muricata were evaluated for the control of Collectotrichum  destructivum on seeds of cowpea (Vigna uniguculata). The seeds were soaked in sterile distilled water extract (10, 20 and 30%, w/v) of the leaves for 6, 12 and 18 h. All these plant extracts had significant inhibitory growth effect on the fungal pathogen. M. oleifera extract was more effective than other plant extracts and compared favorably with benomyl in thecontrol of the pathogen

Evaluation of some bioagents and botanicals in in vitro control of Colletotrichum destructivum

Collectotrichum destructivum has not been effectively controlled. This led to trials on the use of bioagents and botanicals to control the pathogen. The bio-agents such as Pseudomonas fluorescens,Bacillus subtilis, Trichoderma harzianum and Trichoderma pseudokoningii were inoculated as dixenic culture with the pathogen to monitor antagonistic effect. In another experiment, botanicals of tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum) and castor plant (Ricinus communis) were incorporated as poison in a growth media. Of all the four bio-agents used, only P. fluorescens was able to inhibit the growth of the pathogenmycelia significantly by 52%. Though B. subtilis also inhibited the growth of the pathogen, the effect on the pathogen was not significant when compared with that of P. fluorescens. The extracts of R.communis at higher concentration acted as growth “promoter” to the pathogen; its mycelia had a better sporulation and fluffiness than that of the controlled plate. The extract of N. tabacum significantly controlled the growth of the pathogen at the highest concentration when compared with other extracts and the control. In comparison, bio-agents were found to have better control of the pathogen than the botanicals. P. fluorescens was the best bio-agent in the control of C. destructivum

One lung ventilation using double‑lumen tubes: Initial experience from Lagos, Nigeria

Background: One lung ventilation (OLV) is a technique routinely used in thoracic anesthesia to facilitate thoracic surgery. Double‑lumen tubes (DLT) remain the most popular and reliable choice for one lung ventilation especially in adult patients though use in Nigeria is limited. This study aimed to describe the experience in our institution with the use of double‑lumen tubes for one lung ventilation.Materials and Methods: This was a retrospective cross‑sectional study conducted on all patients who had double‑lumen tube intubations for one lung ventilation between March 2008 and Feb 2013.Results: A total of 55 patients (27 males and 28 females, with a mean age of 39.6 ± 15.7 years) had left double‑lumen tube intubations during the period. There were 30 left‑sided (54.5%) and 25 right‑sided (45.5%) surgical procedures performed. Tube position was verified by flexible bronchoscopy in 50 patients (91.9%) and by chest auscultation in 5 patients (9.1%) with satisfactory collapse in all but one of the procedures. The major surgical indications for one lung ventilation were Video‑assisted Thoracic Surgery (VATS) in 22 patients (40%) and Heller’s cardiomyotomy in 17 (30.9%). There were no mortalities and all patients had a complete recovery with no sequelae attributable to double‑lumen tube use or one lung ventilation.Conclusions: One lung ventilation is an integral component of modern anesthetic practice. It can be safely practiced in Nigeria with appropriate equipment and expertise. The use of DLT for OLV to enhance thoracic anesthetic practice should be encouraged in other Nigerian institutions.Key words: Anesthesia, double‑lumen tubes, Nigeria, one lung ventilation, thoraci