Refractive errors in presbyopic patients in Kano, Nigeria

Background: The study is a retrospective review of the pattern of refractive errors in presbyopic patients seen in the eye clinic from January to December, 2009.Patients and Methods: The clinic refraction register was used to retrieve the case folders of all patients refracted during the review period. Information extracted includes patient’s age, sex, and types of refractive error. Unaidedand pin hole visual acuity was done with Snellen’s or “E” Charts and near vision with Jaeger’s chart in English or Hausa. All patients had basic eye examination and streak retinoscopy at two third meter working distance. The final subjective refractive correction given to the patients was used to categorize the type of refractive error.Results: There were 5893 patients, 1584 had refractive error and 644 were presbyopic. There were 289 males and 355 females (M:F= 1:1.2). Presbyopia accounted for 10.9% of clinic attendance and 40% of patients with refractive error. Presbyopia was seen in 17%, the remaining 83% required distance correction; astigmatism was seen in 41%, hypermetropia 29%, myopia 9% and aphakia 4%. Refractive error was commoner in females than males and the relationship was statistically significant (P-value = 0.017; P < 0.05 considered significant).Conclusion: Presbyopia is common and most of the patients had other refractive errors. Full refraction is advised for all patients.Keywords: Presbyopia, pattern, correctio

The Price of Truth: Corruption and Norms of Journalism in Nigeria

The media are the primary source of information in a democracy. Accurate and reliable information is the lifeblood of the democratic process. Perhaps, the most obvious players in this information flow are journalists who gain access to privilege information and attempt to provide such information as accurately as possible to the citizens to make informed and intelligent decisions. At the minimum, media audiences demand information unencumbered by deliberate falsehood or distortion of the truth. When this expectation is not forthcoming, a crisis of confidence occurs between the news media institutions and the public. This paper attempts to show that truth is undoubtedly the most fundamental norm in journalism. Truth in journalism does not only win public confidence, but also bring about well-informed citizens, more profit for the news organization, good returns to its shareholders and growth of the news media organization as a whole. Keywords: Nigeria, Truth, Corruption, Ethical Journalism, Competitive Advantag

Prevalence of low vision and blindness in a leprosarium in Kano State, Nigeria

Leprosy is a chronic infectious, granulomatous disease associated with disability and stigmatization. It is among the world’s major blinding diseases that are avoidable. The purpose of this study was to ascertain the prevalence of low vision and blindness in leprous population in Kano State, Nigeria. The Cross sectional descriptive study was conduct over a 6 months period on 283 participants aged 14 years and above. Ocular examinations of the external and internal structures of the participants were performed. Visual acuity was measured using the logMAR E chart. Of the 283 participants, 171 (60.4%) were males and the mean age was 46.8 ±18. Overall prevalence of visual impairment (0.52 – 4.0logMAR; < 6/18 – NPL [BCVA]) was 109 (38.5% CI 46.50–50.699), 53.2% of them were males and 91.7% were 30 years and above. The prevalence of low vision (0.52–1.30logMAR; < 6/18 –3/60) and blindness (1.32 – 4.0 logMAR; < 3/60 – NPL) was 13.0% and 25.0% respectively. The prevalence of low vision and blindness in this population was high, this may be due to the complications of the disease and /or as part of the ageing process. There is a great need to include ocular examination as part of routine screening and surveillance programmes in the Leprous population, this would reduce the burden of visual disability on them.Keywords: Low vision, Blindness, Leprosy, Prevalence, Kan

Exploring psychosocial predictors of STI testing in University students

Peer reviewedPublisher PD

Prevalence of Retinitis Pigmentosa in Kano State, Nigeria

Background: Retinitis pigmentosa (RP) is a slow degenerative disease of the retina which affects the photoreceptor layer, predominantly rods. Aim: A retrospective cross-sectional study aimed to determine the prevalence of RP in Kano State. Method: One thousand, five hundred folders were  reviewed from 2010-2020 in the Retina and Low Vision Clinics of Makkah Eye Hospital (MSEH) and Aminu Kano Teaching Hospital Kano (AKTH).  Clinical presentation, features, history of consanguinity, and degree of visual impairment were studied. Data were analyzed using SPSS's latest  version 25.0. Results: Sixty patients were diagnosed with RP, representing a prevalence of 4%. The ratio of male to female is 1:1. The age range was 3 to 70 years  (mean 31.17 years +/- 17.69 years). Twenty-nine patients had visual acuity of less than 3/60, indicating that half of the patients are blind. The  commonest mode of presentation was night blindness in 58.3% of the patients. Bone spicule pigmentation is the most common sign in this study  (61.7%), while those with macula edema (18.3%) and normal fundus present with the lowest frequency of 11.7%. The rate of RP correlated with  consanguineous history in this study shows a positive correlation(r=0.022). Conclusion: The degree of visual loss in Kano state citizens with RP is severe and may be related to inadequate knowledge regarding the condition  and late presentation of the patient to the hospital. There is a need for health education of the public and patients about the need for early  presentation to the hospital.&nbsp

Aetiology of low Vision Amongst Patients Attending the Eye Clinic of a Nigerian Tertiary Hospital

A prospective clinic based study involving 66 patients of both sexes and ages between 3 and 87yr seen at the newly established low vision clinic of the Aminu Kano Teaching Hospital, Kano, Nigeria over an eighteen-month period (March 2007-September 2008) was undertaken. The objective was to assess the causes of low vision. All patients had routine ophthalmologic examination to establish the initial values. Results showed that optic nerve atrophy and degenerative myopia were the leading single causes of low vision defect (16.7%) each. Furthermore, glaucoma and corneal scarring followed with 12.1% each while age related macular degeneration was not seen. Measures to ensure early detection and management of these conditions will help in reducing the incidence and improve the lives of patients with low vision defects in Northern Nigeria.Keywords: Low vision, defects Aetiolog

Microbial amylases: A review

Microbial amylases are enzymes produced by microorganisms to hydrolyze starch. There are three types of microbial amylases: alpha-amylase, beta-amylase and glucoamylase. Each of these amylases has a unique way of acting on starch to yield simple glucose monomers. Microorganisms, plants, and animals are sources of amylases, but much attention is given to microorganisms since the amylases produced by them have greater thermal stability and give rise to different sugar profiles, thus meeting industrial demands. Two major groups of microorganisms play pivotal role in amylase production: bacteria and fungi. Starch is the substrate used in amylase production. Between the two fermentation processes used in amylase production (i.e. submerged fermentation and solid state fermentation), the latter is more advantageous as it saves cost, generates little effluent, and has high volumetric productivity. Microbial amylases are greatly applied in pharmaceutical, food, chemical, paper and distilling industries

Evaluation of the anti-inflammatory Evaluation of the Anti-Inflammatory Effects of the Aqueous Leaf Extract of Pterocarpus santalinoides

The anti-inflammatory activity of the aqueous leaf extract of Pterocarpus santalinoides was evaluated using the carrageenan-induced paw oedema and leucocyte migration in rats, and croton oil-induced ear oedema in mice. The extract (50-100mg/kg) and indomethacin (10mg/kg) produced significant (