Potentials of Moringa oleifera Leaf Extracts as Biostimulant on the Field Performance of Sweetcorn

The potentials of Moringa oleifera Leaf Extract (MLE) as a bio-stimulant have been established in some vegetable crops.  A field experiment was conducted at the Teaching and Research Farm of Ekiti State University, Ado-Ekiti in 2015 cropping season to study the effects of MLE as bio-stimulant on the performance of two varieties of sweet corn. Treatment consisted of two forms of MLE (dry and fresh), three times of application which are 2 weeks after planting (WAP), 2 and 4 WAP, 2, 4 and 6 WAP and a control. The experiment was laid out in a randomized complete block design with three replicates.  Application of MLE significantly increased plant height; stem girth, number of leaves, cob weight, cob length, kernel row and cob girth of sweet corn. The highest yield in terms of cob weight was observed to be 16.8% and 16.3% higher than the control for dry and fresh methods respectively. The highest cob weight which was 21.15% higher than the control was observed when application was done once. Furthermore, the yellow variety had higher cob weight than white variety with about 2.55%. It is concluded that application of MLE can be used to improve the productivity of sweet corn. Keywords: Sweetcorn, Maize, leaf extract, Moringa olifera, biostimulan

Immunohistochemical analysis of pituitary adenomas in a West African hospital

Purpose: Pituitary adenomas are the commonest tumors of the sellar region and constitute 10% to 15% of intracranial neoplasms. The conventional classification of pituitary adenomas is according to the hormone expression of the tumors as determined by immunohistochemical methods. There is paucity of existing research on the frequencies of the various immunohistochemical types in our environment. The purpose of this retrospective study was to determine the relative frequency of specific pituitary adenoma subtypes seen at our hospital over a period of twelve years.Methods: Forty seven pituitary adenomas received over the study period satisfied the inclusion criteria and their paraffin blocks were retrieved from the archives of the department of Pathology, University College Hospital, Ibadan. Tissue sections were stained with antibodies for Prolactin, Growth hormone, ACTH, TSH, FSH and LH using the streptavidin-biotin-peroxidase method. The tumors were classified using the 2004 WHO classification of pituitary adenomas. Results were tabulated and analyzed using the SPSS statistical software package.Results: Most adenomas presented between the fourth and seventh decades with a slight female preponderance. Gonadotroph and null cell adenomas were commonest and each constituted 34%, followed by prolactinomas, which accounted for 14.9% of the tumors. There were no thyrotroph adenomas.Conclusion: The lower incidence of prolactinomas in this study may be due to the use of other therapeutic modes rather than surgical treatment but may also indicate racial differences. However there is a need for further characterization of the null cell adenomas using ultrastructural and molecular studies.Keywords: Pituitary, Adenoma, Classification, Immunohistochemistry, Endocrin

Malignant ameloblastoma: a challenging diagnosis

Ameloblastoma is an uncommon and locally aggressive, benign, odontogenic tumor, with local recurrence when not adequately excised. A rare variant of this neoplasm with the benign features but accompanied with metastases has been described. This rare variant is malignant ameloblastoma and is known to have a poor prognosis. We present the case of a young woman who had recurrent mandibular tumors, which were resected twice and histologically reported as ameloblastoma. Four years later, she presented with pulmonary metastasis and atelectasis. A review of the literature on this very rare neoplasm was also performed

Histopathological profile of childhood thyroid carcinoma in Ibadan, Southwestern Nigeria

BackgroundThyroid carcinoma is a common endocrine malignancy. It is however rare in childhood and often occurs as a result of radiation exposure or inherited genetic mutations. Most childhood thyroid carcinomas are well differentiated. There are very few epidemiological studies of this disease in Nigeria and our study aimed to determine the frequency in a subset of our population. The study aimed to determine the prevalence and histopathological characteristics of childhood thyroid carcinoma in our environment.MethodsThis was a retrospective review of histopathologically diagnosed thyroid carcinoma in children less than 18 years of age in the Department of Pathology, University College Hospital, Ibadan over a 40-year period. Histopathological diagnosis, age, sex and other relevant clinical information were extracted from the hospital records and surgical pathology records of the department. All cases of patients under18 years old had their slides re-examined and reclassified by two pathologists according to the World Health Organization histopathological classification of thyroid tumours. ResultsThere were 25 cases of thyroid carcinomas seen in children within the study period. Papillary thyroid carcinoma was the most common, accounting for 80% of the cases. Follicular carcinoma accounted for 12%, and medullary and anaplastic carcinoma accounted for 4% each. The mean age at presentation was 13 years. There was a female preponderance with females accounting for 60% of cases. Tumours with distant metastasis made up 20% of the cases.ConclusionChildhood thyroid carcinomas are rare in our environment, with a minority of cases presenting with metastases

Malignant ameloblastoma

Ameloblastoma is an uncommon and locally aggressive, benign, odontogenic tumor, with local recurrence when not adequately excised. A rare variant of this neoplasm with the benign features but accompanied with metastases has been described. This rare variant is malignant ameloblastoma and is known to have a poor prognosis. We present the case of a young woman who had recurrent mandibular tumors, which were resected twice and histologically reported as ameloblastoma. Four years later, she presented with pulmonary metastasis and atelectasis. A review of the literature on this very rare neoplasm was also performed

Proliferaton index in pituitary adenomas from a black African population

Background: The WHO has recognized a variant of pituitary adenomas with potential aggressive behaviour which have been termed atypical pituitary adenomas. This group of tumours are recognized by their mitotic rate of more than >3%, p53 expression and invasion of surrounding structures. There has however been no study of the occurrence of these tumours in a black African population. This study is a preliminary attempt to examine this group of tumours in blacks.Methods: This study retrospectively reviewed fifty-seven histologically diagnosed and immunohistochemically characterized pituitary adenomas received in our department over a twenty-one year period. Specimens were stained with ki67, a nuclear marker of cell proliferation which has been identified as the single best predictor of atypical pituitary adenoma.Results: Twelve of the tumours showed atypical features with eight (67%) of these tumours being prolactinomas. Two of the tumours were gonadotrophs and two were null cell adenomas. There was no correlation with age or gender. Two of the tumours required neurosurgical re-exploration with one of these showing a higher mitotic index in the second biopsy.Conclusion: The study suggests similarity in the rate of occurrence of pituitary adenomas with atypical features in a black African population with what is seen in Caucasians. Prolactinomas constitute a significant percentage of the tumours with this feature.Keywords: Pituitary adenoma, Immunohistochemistry, Atypical, Ki6

Large penile plexiform neurofibroma in an 11-year old boy

BackgroundNeurofibromatosis is a genetically inherited disorder of the nervous system (brain and spinal cord) which mainly affects the development of nerve (neural) cell tissues, causing tumors (neurofibromas) to develop on nerves. It is the most common single gene disorder of the nervous system and inheritance is through autosomal dominance. They are usually classified into types 1 and 2, the type 1 is the commoner type and also known as superficial neurofibroma. Plexiform neurofibromas are the next most common type of tumor in individuals with type 1 neurofibroma.   Plexiform neurofibromas are histologically benign tumors that are made up of a variety of cell types including neuronal axons, Schwann cells, fibroblasts, mast cells, macrophages, perineural cells and extracellular matrix materials such as collagen.  They can occur in any part of the body and can grow throughout the person’s lifetime, often becoming disfiguring, disabling or deadly via compression of vital structures or conversion to a malignant sarcoma or malignant peripheral nerve sheath turmor. The aim of this report is to present a large penile plexiform neurofibroma which required extensive dissection for complete excision and reconstruction of the phallus and glans penis.ObjectivesTo present a huge penile plexiform neurofibroma and the mode of surgical treatment.MethodsThe huge penile plexiform neurofibroma was completely excised and the penile defect resulting from the excision was repaired.ConclusionPlexiform neurofibromas are congenital tumors of peripheral nerve sheaths which may also develop near nerve roots deep within the body. They are usually benign but carry a malignant potential in 5-10% of patients. Plexiform neurofibromas are commoner in the face, chest and limbs but the index case occurred on the penile shaft.

Central nervous system tumours in children in Ibadan, Nigeria: a histopathologic study

Introduction: Contrary to some earlier teachings that central nervous system (CNS) tumours are uncommon in black children, these neoplasms are the fourth most common paediatric tumours in Ibadan. Our centre is the major referral centre for CNS tumours in Nigeria. The last major study of paediatric CNS neoplasms from Ibadan was in 1985. An update of the data on paediatric CNS neoplasms at our centre is presented. Methods: A retrospective review of all histologically diagnosed CNS tumours in children (0-14 years) from January 2001 to December 2010 from the database of the Department of Pathology, University College Hospital, Ibadan, Nigeria was done. The cases were classified using the 2007 WHO Classification of Tumours of the Central Nervous System and were also based on their supratentorial and infratentorial locations. Results: Seventy-seven tumours, 44 in males, were included in the study. Astrocytic tumour comprised 20 cases, embryonal tumours 15, ependymal tumours 15, germ cell tumours 6, sellar tumours (all craniopharyngiomas) 9 and other histological types- 12 cases. Thirty-seven were WHO Grade 1, eleven Grade 2, ten Grade 3 and nineteen Grade 4 neoplasms. Thirty-six cases were supratentorial and thirty-eight were infratentorial in location. The most common tumours in this series were pilocytic astrocytomas, medulloblastomas, craniopharyngiomas and ependymomas in that order. Conclusion: Childhood CNS tumours are being increasingly diagnosed in our centre. This is largely explained by the recent expansion of the available neurosurgical services.Pan African Medical Journal 2016; 2

Biosynthesis and antimicrobial activity of pseudodesmin and viscosinamide cyclic lipopeptides produced by pseudomonads associated with the cocoyam rhizosphere

Pseudomonascyclic lipopeptides (CLPs) are encoded non-ribosomally by biosynthetic gene clusters (BGCs) and possess diverse biological activities. In this study, we conducted chemical structure and BGC analyses with antimicrobial activity assays for two CLPs produced byPseudomonasstrains isolated from the cocoyam rhizosphere in Cameroon and Nigeria. LC-MS and NMR analyses showed that thePseudomonassp. COR52 and A2W4.9 produce pseudodesmin and viscosinamide, respectively. These CLPs belong to the Viscosin group characterized by a nonapeptidic moiety with a 7-membered macrocycle. Similar to other Viscosin-group CLPs, the initiatory non-ribosomal peptide synthetase (NRPS) gene of the viscosinamide BGC is situated remotely from the other two NRPS genes. In contrast, the pseudodesmin genes are all clustered in a single genomic locus. Nano- to micromolar levels of pseudodesmin and viscosinamide led to the hyphal distortion and/or disintegration ofRhizoctonia solaniAG2-2 andPythium myriotylumCMR1, whereas similar levels of White Line-Inducing Principle (WLIP), another member of the Viscosin group, resulted in complete lysis of both soil-borne phytopathogens. In addition to the identification of the biosynthetic genes of these two CLPs and the demonstration of their interaction with soil-borne pathogens, this study provides further insights regarding evolutionary divergence within the Viscosin group

Congenital hydronephrosis in a 2-year-old boy

Hydronephrosis is enlargement of renal collecting system including renal calyces with or without ureters. It is the most common prenatal anomaly and accounts for about 30–50% prenatal ultrasonography anomalies. Urinary tract dilation occurs in 1/100 pregnancies (1%) and causes significant uropathy in 1/500 (0.2%) cases. Antenatal hydronephrosis means dilation of the fetal renal collecting system that could be detected on prenatal ultrasonography and the prevalence is between 0.5% and 4%. Outcome depends on the underlying etiology. The index case was prenatally discovered at a gestational age of 6 months and postnatal assessment revealed a Grade V hydronephrosis with the absence of excretion or function on the right side