The preference of radiology as a postgraduate medical specialty among final year medical students of Usmanudanfodiyo University, Sokoto

Background: Recruitment into medical specialties outside the core clinical departments remains a stumbling block to advancing medical practice in Nigeria. We set out to determine the factors influencing choice of diagnostic radiology as a field of specialization by the final year medical students in Usmanu Danfodiyo University College of Health Sciences, Sokoto.Methodology: A descriptive cross sectional study was done. All the 2015/2016 session final year medical students of Usmanu Danfodiyo University were administered a structured questionnaire by the authors. SPSS version 20.0 was used for the result analysis. Univariate and bivariate analyses were done where appropriate to describe variables.Results: A total of 62 out of 65 final year medical students responded. Fifty one (82.3%) had interest in specializing after school. However, only 4(6.5%) of the students had interest in radiology. Male sex was found to be a predictor for the choice of radiology.Conclusion: Career guidance/re-orientation and clarification of general misconception about radiology is necessary to avoid shortage of trained radiologists in the near future.Keywords: Career choice, Radiology, Medical student

Phytoremediation of cadmium-polluted soils with Ipomoea asarifolia (Desr.) Roem. & Schult

Phytoremediation is an alternative method for restoring soils polluted with heavy metals which is cost-effective and environment-friendly. The present study evaluated the potential of Ipomoea asarifolia to remediate  soils experimentally-amended with Cadmium. The plant was grown on soils amended with 0, 1500, 2000, and 2500 mg CdCl2 salt. The salt was mixed with small portions of the soils and made upto 3kg salt/soil mixtures each. These were applied into 4 separate polythene-pots labelled; A, B, C and D respectively. Sample A containing 3kg non-amended soil (without Cd) served as the control. The concentrations of Cd applied to the soils were therefore; 0, 306.61, 408.82 and 511.02 mg//kg soils in the samples A-D respectively. Atomic absorption spectrophotometry (AAS) was used to analyse the bioaccumulation of Cd in the plant’s parts, over three harvesting phases of the study period. The results revealed that I. asarifolia is a good phytoaccumulator as it accumulated a total biomass of 0.23 ± 0.63, 272.85 ± 1.99, 377.40 ± 0.63 and 459.48 ± 0.60 mg/kg Cd from the amended soils A-D respectively. The Transportation Indices; RTI and STI for translocation of Cd to the plant’s stems and leaves were both greater than 1 (TI >1), indicating that the plant has a phytoextraction potential for Cadmium. These results therefore, suggest that I. asarifolia could be effective in phytoremediation of Cadmium-polluted environments.Keywords: Heavy metals, cadmium, pollution, phytoremediation, Ipomoea asarifoli

Pattern of serum zinc level, peripheral blood lymphocyte and neutrophil counts among patients with sickle cell disease

Background: Zinc is an important mineral element serving as a cofactor in a number of cellular pathways including those involved in cell growth and proliferation. Sickle cell disease (SCD) is associated with excessive haemolysis and defective kidney function with consequential decrease in body’s pool of vital micronutrients. The abnormal loss of zinc in SCD may affect leucopoiesis. Aim: This study was aimed to determine the relationship between serum zinc and leukocyte subsets (Lymphocyte, neutrophil) in adult patients with SCD in steady state together with their counterpart apparently healthy controls. Materials and Methods: Blood samples were collected from 33 adult participants with SCD and 33 apparently healthy controls. Lymphocytes and Neutrophils counts were performed using automated haematology analyser (Sysmex KX21N) and serum Zinc level was determined spectrophometrically using the Br-PADAP method. Results: The results shows statistically significant difference in absolute lymphocyte and neutrophil counts for the two groups were P < 0.0001 and P < 0.0001, respectively. The serum zinc level was also statistically significant between the groups: P<0.0002. However, serum zinc level of subjects with SCD showed no correlation with lymphocyte and neutrophil counts p<0.0610 and <0.6775, respectively. Conclusions: Significant statistical difference was observed, indicating SCD patients have higher WBC count and neutrophil counts and reduced serum zinc and lymphocyte counts. There was no significant correlation between the leucocyte subset counts and serum zinc levels in both the SCD patients and the normal healthy controls. Keywords: Sickle Cell Disease; Lymphocytes; Neutrophils and Zinc

Microbiota of gills and antibiotic susceptibility patterns of bacteria isolates from Clarias gariepinus in different holding facilities

Gill is a key respiratory and excretory organ in fish as it provides oxygen need for survival and excretes waste products. However, gills can be infected with pathogenic and opportunistic bacteria leading to increasing fish morbidity and mortality. This study was carried out to isolate, estimate and identify bacteria on the gills of Clarias gariepinus reared in different holding facilities. The susceptibility patterns of the bacteria were also studied using 10 antibiotics commonly used in pisciculture in Nigeria. A total of 84 bacteria belonging to 12 genera were isolated from the gills of 75 Clarias gariepinus. Gram-negative bacteria isolated included Salmonella species (3.6%), Pseudomonas species (7.1%), Aeromonas species (2.4%), Escherichia coli (13.1%), Proteus species (11.9%) Klebsiella species (3.6%), Citrobacter species (4.8%), and Shigella species (3.6%). Gram-positive Corynebacterium species (3.6 %), Staphylococcus species (20.3%), Bacillus species (19.0%) and Streptococcus species (7.1%) were also isolated. The result showed varying bacteria species when considering the different holding facilities. Greater than 50 % of Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria isolated were resistant to 5 and 6 different antibiotics respectively while greater than 80 % of all the bacteria were resistant to ≥ 3 antibiotics. The presence of these bacteria in fish predict subsequent impediment in pisciculture and may lead to socioeconomic losses, environmental contaminations and high public health risk. This study calls for concern and an urgent intervention on antibiotic stewardship among fish farmers. Keywords: Antibiotics resistance, Clarias gariepinus, Fish farms, Gills microbiota, Kaduna stat

Toxicity Studies on Aqueous-Methanol Pod Extract of Vigna unguiculata (Cowpea) in Wistar Strain Albino Rats

Herbal preparation of Vigna unguiculata (cowpea) pod has long been used by a group of Hausa people from northern Nigeria called Yan tauri performers and traditional healers. This study was conducted to evaluate the toxicological effect of the extract in Wistar strain albino rats using biochemical, haematological and histopathological indices of toxicity. Acute toxicity (LD50) and sub-chronic toxicity studies were determined using the method developed by OECD. Twenty-five (25) rats were grouped into five(5) consisting of five(5) rats each, one of the groups served as control., Group II, III, IV and V were orally administered with the extract at a daily dose of 400 mg/kg, 800 mg/kg, 1200 mg/kg and 1600 mg/kg of the extract, respectively for 28 days. The LD50 of the extract was greater than 5000 mg/kg and its oral administration for 28 days did not produce significant changes (P˃0.05) on biochemical and haematological indices.  Histopathological evaluation revealed mild widening of Bowman’s capsule of animals administered with 1200 mg/kg and 1600 mg/kg of the extract. It can thus be concluded that the pod is non-toxic. Keywords: Vigna unguiculata pod, Yan tauri performers, Aqueous-methanol extract, Acute and subchronic toxicit

Prevalence and Outcome of Increased Nuchal Translucency in Usmanu Danfodiyo University Teaching Hospital, Sokoto, Nigeria: A Cohort Study

Background: An important component of the first‑trimester scan is nuchal translucency thickness at 11 weeks to 13 weeks 6 days of gestation. A nuchal translucency ≥3.3 mm is a significant early pregnancy scan finding associated with Trisomies 13, 18, and 21 and congenital heart diseases. Aims: To determine the prevalence and outcome of increased fetal nuchal translucency among pregnant women. Subjects and Methods: A prospective cohort study at the Obstetrics and Gynaecology Department of Usmanu Danfodiyo University Teaching Hospital Sokoto. This was a prospective study of 265 consecutively recruited women in the first trimester of pregnancy who presented to antenatal clinics over a 20‑week period. An NT scan was conducted at 11 weeks to 13 weeks 6 days followed by an anomaly scan at 18–22 weeks. Patients were followed up to delivery and 6‑week post‑partum. The neonates were examined at delivery and at 6‑week postnatal life. Data entry and analysis was done with IBM SPSS version 20. The level of significance was set at less than 0.05. Frequency distribution; student t‑test and Chi‑squared test. Results: The 95th percentile NT was 3.3 mm and the prevalence of increased  NT above 3.3 mm was 3%. The mean maternal age of the participants was28.1 ± 5.1 years and the modal parity was Para 0. The most common anomalies associated with increased NT were ventricular septal defect and spina bifida. A congenital anomaly was significantly associated with increased NT (P <0.001). Conclusions: The prevalence of increased fetal nuchal translucency is relatively high in our environment and is associated with congenital fetal defects. Routine screening with first‑trimester ultrasound will help detect congenital anomalies early

Lipid profile and haematological parameters of post-partum rats exposed to natron (kanwa)

Background: Peripartum cardiomyopathy (PPCM) is a potentially life-threatening dilated cardiomyopathy of uncertain origin. The prevalence varies across the world with Nigeria being one of the countries mostly affected, particularly the northern part, possibly due to puerperal practices such as consumption of natron containing porridge.Objective: This study was designed to examine the effect of natron (kanwa) on lipid profile and haematological parameters of post-partum rats exposed to natron.Methods: A total of 30 post-partum rats were randomly divided into five groups (I-V) of 6 rats each. Group I served as control, Group II-V were treated with 50mg/kg, 100mg/kg, 200mg/kg and 300mg/kg of natron for a period of four (4) weeks respectively. At the end of the experimental period, the animals were anesthetized and blood samples were collected for lipid profile and hematological studies.Results: The findings of the work revealed that treatment of rats with natron at 100mg/kg, 200mg/kg and 300mg/kg body weight caused significant decrease (p?0.05) in some lipid profile and some hematological parameters such as white blood cells count and percentage lymphocyte. There were no significant (p 0.05) alterations in both lipid and hematological parameters of rats treated with 50mg/kg of natron. Conversely, atherogenic index significantly increased (p<0.05)in group III IV and V in comparison to control.Conclusion: The study suggests that consumption of natron may be link to the increased risk of artherosclerosis and affect the immune function in post-partum animals.Keywords: Post-partum cardiomyopathy, Natron, Lipid Profile, Haematological parameter

Phytoremediation potential of Ipomoea asarifolia on lead polluted soils

This study evaluated the potential of Ipomoea asarifolia to remediate lead (Pb) polluted soils. The plant was grown on soils amended with varying levels of Pb in different polythene pots and atomic absorption spectrophotometry (AAS) was used to analyse the accumulation of Pb in roots, stems and leaves of the plant within three harvesting phases of the study period. The results revealed that the plant accumulated a total biomass of 308.13mg, 392.07mg and 482.21mg Pb from 328.24 ± 2.33mg/kg, 433.03 ± 0.59mg/kg and 537.25 ± 0.92mg/kg Pb-polluted soils respectively. The Transportation Indices for Pb translocation to the different parts pf the plant showed that I. asarifolia has both RTI and STI of less than 1 (TI<1) for Pb, indicating that the plant has both phytoaccumulation and phytostabilisation potential for Pb in soils polluted with the heavy metal. The results therefore, suggest that the plant could have potential for phytoremediation of PbKey words: Phytoremediation, pollution, Ipomoea asarifolia, heavy metal, lea