Factors associated with sarcopenia among older patients attending a geriatric clinic in Nigeria

Context: Aging is characterized by progressive and generalized loss of skeletal muscle mass and strength called sarcopenia which causes poor health and  disability. There is paucity of data on this syndrome of public health importance among older Nigerians. Aim: This study determined the prevalence and factors associated with sarcopenia among persons aged 60 years and above at a geriatric center in Nigeria.Materials and Methods: A cross‑sectional study of 642 persons aged ≥60 years who attended the geriatric center between March and July 2014. Sarcopenia was diagnosed using the European Working Group on Sarcopenia in Older People criteria. Bivariate and multivariate analyses were carried out using SPSS 20. Alpha was set at 0.05.Results: The mean age ± standard deviation of the respondents was 69.1 ± 7.2 years, and 378 (60.6%) were females. The point prevalence of sarcopenia was 5.4% which was significantly higher among the females compared with the males (7.1% vs. 2.8%) P = 0.02. Low muscle mass and low gait speed were found in 10.9% and 36.1%, respectively. Logistic regression analysis showed age (odds ratio [OR] =1.090; 95% confidence interval [CI] =1.034–1.149, P = 0.01), having no formal education (OR = 2.810; 95% CI = 1.043–7.573, P = 0.04), malnutrition (OR = 5.817; 95% CI = 1.471–23.434, P = 0.01), and female gender (OR = 3.068; 95% CI = 1.068–8.817, P = 0.04) to be the predictors of sarcopenia.Conclusion: Older people in this setting are at risk of developing sarcopenia,  especially the females. Healthcare workers should address the social and health‑related factors which could lead to sarcopenia.Keywords: Geriatric clinic, Nigeria, older patients, sarcopeni

Assessment of indoor air environment of a Nigerian museum library and its biodeteriorated books using culture-dependent and –independent techniques

The surface-associated microflora on four deteriorated historical books kept in the library of a Nigerian museum were studied to identify microbial communities present, determine potential biodeteriogens and evaluate microbial aeroflora as a putative source of contamination. The application of culture-independent and -dependent techniques identified members of Actinobacteria, Bacteriodetes, Firmicutes and Proteobacteria as bacterial colonizers of the volumes, with Bacillus, Stenotrophomonas and Variovorax as the dominant genera. The fungal community belonged to Ascomycota with Aspergillus and Penicillium as the prevalent taxa. The retrieved microorganisms included some species that had never been detected on documentary heritage, though they have been found in association with soil particles and insects. Cellulolytic screening assay ascertained thirteen bacterial and six fungal isolates as potential biodeteriogens of the said documents. The higher microbial build-up on the discoloured areas compared to the control areas of the books highlighted microorganisms as a cause of the deterioration. The airborne microbial population, determined with passive sampling, revealed the microbial cell density to be higher in the rainy season than the dry. This is the first report on the use of both genetic fingerprinting and traditional methods in a biodeterioration study of books in Nigeria. The findings of the study should be taken into account to ensure the proper preservation of written heritage