Normative values and anthropometric determinants of lung function indices in rural Nigerian children: A pilot survey

Introduction: Respiratory diseases represent some of the most common causes of hospital visits in childhood. Most of our decision making rely on clinical assessment without the benefit of objective measures of pulmonaryfunction. The ability to measure pulmonary function provides a tool that can confirm clinical diagnosis, monitor response to therapy and follow progression of disease. Correct interpretation of pulmonary function test requires an appreciation of normal values.Patients and methods: Lung function test was performed on rural children in Akwa Ibom State, Nigeria, to determine normal values among healthy children. One hundred and fifty two children aged 6-16 years old  comprising 89 males and 63 females were included in this study. Anthropometric measurements including height, weight, sitting height, chest circumference and body surface area were obtained. The Peak Expiratory Flow (PEF), forced vital capacity (FVC) and Forced Expiratory Volume in one second (FEV1) were measured using the spirolab III electronic spirometer manufactured by Medical International Research (MIR) Italy. It was a descriptive cross sectional study.Results: One hundred and fifty-five children; 89 (58.6%) males and 63(41.4%) females were studied. The mean age (±SD) of the males was10.5+2.95 years while that of the females was 10.7 + 3.19 years.The mean PEFR, FVC and FEVI were 3.95±1.55 litres per second (l/s) 1.58±0.58 litres (l) and 1.57±0.56l in the males while for the f ema le s 3.73±1.03l / s , 1.45±0.43l and 1.41±0.41l respectively. The FVC and FEV1 of the males were significantly higher than that of the females (p=0.03respectively). Height was the significant predictor of PEFR (p=0.04), while the height and sitting height were the important predictors of log FVC and FEV1 for the males respectively (p= 0.007 and 0.02; 0.004 and 0.027).For the female subjects, age was a significant predictor of log PEFRand Log FVC (p=0.047 and 0.003), while Age and Sitting height were the significant predictors of log FEV1 (p=0.02 and 0.03 respectively).Conclusion: The study has observed higher lung function indices in the males than in female children. In addition to age and height, sitting height has been observed as an important predictor of the lung function indices of the children studied. This study should be seen as a pilot study and will require data from a large population to establish normal values for ourpopulation.Key words: Lung function, rural, children, anthropometric determinant

Is the Art of Renal Biopsy on the Decline in Nigeria?

Background: Renal biopsy remains the means by which definitive parenchymal kidney disease diagnoses are made. With the renal biopsy, the activity, progression and prognosis of renal parenchymal diseases can be studied with objectivity. We investigated the trend of renal histopathology request in a tertiary hospital in Nigeria over 31 years.Objective: To determine the trend of renal biopsy requests in one of the biggest tertiary hospitals in Nigeria over a 31-year period (1981- 2011).Methods: We retrospectively analysed all the renal biopsies submitted to the Department of Pathology, University College Hospital (UCH) Ibadan, South-West Nigeria over a 30 year period (1981-2011). Trend of requests of all the biopsies submitted from the Surgery, Paediatrics and Medicine departments was analysed using a test for linear  trend. Gender and age groups trends were also studied.Results: A significant reduction in the rates of renal biopsy request over the 31-year period (p=0.001) was noted which is attributed to diminution in requests from the Medicine and Paediatrics Departments (p<0.001), while the rates of requests from Surgery Department remain fairly uniform over this period (p=0.05). Decrease in biopsy requests significantly cuts across the ages in both genders. Conclusion: Lack of adequately trained manpower, poor health insurance scheme and lack of facilities may be contributory in renal biopsy requests decline. Adequate efforts should be made towards reviving this important investigative modality in Nigerian tertiary hospitals.Keywords: Kidney, Biopsy, Histology, Trend test, UCH Ibadan

RetractedAwareness, knowledge and perseption of HIV/AIDS and sexual behaviour amongst pre-clinical, medical students in a Nigerian University

Please note that this paper has been retracted by the journal due to a conflict of interest