Colour vision deficiency among students in Lagos State, Nigeria

Background: Congenital colour vision defects are x-linked inherited, non-progressive and untreatable disorders that describe poor colour discrimination.Objective: To determine the prevalence of congenital colour vision deficiency among students in Lagos, Nigeria.Methods: A school-based cross-sectional, cluster sample study was conducted to test the colour vision of 2326 primary and high school students. Inclusion criteria were Snellen VA 20/20 or better and absence of known ocular pathologies. Colour vision deficiency (CVD) was evaluated with the Richmond-HRR colour vision test plates.Results: There were 1014 (43.6%) males and 1312 (56.4%) females with a mean age of 13.40 ± 2.40 years (range = 7−22 years). The prevalence of CVD was 58 (2.5%), which was higher in males 49 (4.8%) than females 9 (0.7%). The prevalence of congenitalCVD was significantly associated with males (p = 0.00), but not with females (p = 0.22). Of the 58 cases of CVD, 17 (0.7%) had protan deficiency, 38 (1.6%) had deutan deficiency and three (0.1%) were unclassified.Conclusion: The prevalence of congenital CVD among students in Lagos is comparable to findings in other parts of Nigeria but differs from other parts of the country. These results strengthen the need to establish school vision screening.Keywords: Colour vision deficiency, Richmond-HRR, prevalence, red-green defects, Nigeria

Process modeling and optimization of magnetic field pretreatment of sweet pepper and fluted pumpkin leaf

Modeling and optimization of magnetic field (MF) pretreatment of sweet pepper (SP) and fluted pumpkin leaf (FPL) were done with Response Surface Methodology. Three pretreatment factors combined were: types of MF (static, pulse and alternating), MF strength (5 - 30 mT) and pretreatment time (5 - 25 min). All the MF pretreated, control (blanched) and fresh samples were dried at 50 ˚C and analyzed for fibre, vitamin C, potassium, microbial load and colour; data obtained were used for modeling and optimization of the process. Results showed that the selected 30 developed model equations reliably described the characteristics of the process with adequate precision values of greater than four (4) and significant probability values (P ≤ 0.05) in all cases. The best optimized process conditions for the MF pretreatment process are Static MF at 14.31 mT magnetic field strength and 16.40 min pretreatment time for SP and Alternating MF at 10.42 mT magnetic field strength and 9.96 min pretreatment time for FPL. Magnetic field (non-thermal) pretreatment was able to achieve all the optimization goals better than blanching (thermal) pretreatment

Materials Adaptable to the Tropics: A case Study of Cultural Centers in South-West Nigeria

Nigeria is a country located in the tropics and is subjected to issues like increasing global warming and climate change. In an attempt to solve this challenge, built environment are to be made resilient with the use of natural resources as a way to reduce maintenance cost and increase thermal comfort. In south-west of Nigeria, most cultural centres gradually go into extinction over the years which have been observed to be as a result of increased cost of maintenance among other things. To mitigate this, materials that is adaptable to tropical climate is to be adopted. Primary and secondary data collection methods were used in this study. This report premised its facts based on research conducted on suggested sustainable building materials. This study reviewed existing literatures and case study of existing selected cultural centres in the south-west of Nigeria to understand the effect of climate on the existing materials and the ones that can be adopted for the everyday use in the tropics. In conclusion, this study established that architectural design of buildings can be done to conform to the standard parameters of tropical climatic requirement in order to function autonomously in a passive manner

Retinal nerve fibre layer thickness values and their associations with ocular and systemic parameters in Black South Africans.

Purpose: To measure the retinal nerve fibre layer (RNFL) thickness values and investigate their associations with other parameters in healthy eyes of Black South Africans. Methods: 600 participants with healthy eyes, of whom 305 (50.83%) were males and 295 (49.17%) were females, with a mean age of 28.15 \ub1 13.09 years, underwent a detailed ophthalmic examination. RNFL thickness was measured by iVue SD-OCT. Results: The mean global RNFL thickness was 110.01 \ub1 7.39 \u3bcm. The RNFL was thickest inferiorly (135.06 \ub1 9.66 \u3bcm) and superiorly (131.72 \ub1 10.46 \u3bcm), thinner nasally (87.24 \ub1 13.22 \u3bcm), and thinnest temporally (73.63 \ub1 15.66 \u3bcm). Multivariate analysis showed that thicker mean global RNFL thickness was significantly associated with younger age, shorter axial length (AL) and hyperopia (p < 0.001). Mean RNFL thickness decreased by approximately 0.11 \u3bcm per year of aging life, and by 1.02 \u3bcm for each 1-mm of axial elongation. There was a 0.62 \u3bcm RNFL thickness increase for every dioptre change in spherical power towards more hyperopia. Conclusion: Mean RNFL thickness values and their associations established in this population may be of clinical value when assessing factors that influence this parameter and diagnosing diseases affecting it

Emissions from petroleum products consumption in north-central region of Nigeria

Gasoline and diesel combustion emits particulate matter and oxides of nitrogen that have been a major source of pollution in the north-central region of Nigeria. These have led to adverse effect both on individuals and on the environment at large. The emission rate from the petroleum product combustion was investigated using the emission factor approach. From result of the investigated air emissions, it was observed that Abuja the federal capital of Nigeria being the highest consumer of the product had the highest emission rate

Is monitoring of plasma 5-fluorouracil levels in metastatic / advanced colorectal cancer clinically effective? A systematic review

Background: Pharmacokinetic guided dosing of 5-fluorouracil chemotherapies to bring plasma 5-fluorouracil into a desired therapeutic range may lead to fewer side effects and better patient outcomes. High performance liquid chromatography and a high throughput nanoparticle immunoassay (My5-FU) have been used in conjunction with treatment algorithms to guide dosing. The objective of this study was to assess accuracy, clinical effectiveness and safety of plasma 5-fluorouracil guided dose regimen(s) versus standard regimens based on body surface area in colorectal cancer. Methods: We undertook a systematic review. MEDLINE; MEDLINE In-Process & Other Non-Indexed Citations; EMBASE; Cochrane Library; Science Citation Index and Conference Proceedings (Web of Science); and NIHR Health Technology Assessment Programme were searched from inception to January 2014. We reviewed evidence on accuracy of My5-FU for estimating plasma 5-fluorouracil and on the clinical effectiveness of pharmacokinetic dosing compared to body surface area dosing. Estimates of individual patient data for overall survival and progression-free survival were reconstructed from published studies. Survival and adverse events data were synthesised and examined for consistency across studies. Results: My5-FU assays were found to be consistent with reference liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry. Comparative studies pointed to gains in overall survival and in progression-free survival with pharmacokinetic dosing, and were consistent across multiple studies. Conclusions: Although our analyses are encouraging, uncertainties remain because evidence is mainly from outmoded 5-fluorouracil regimens; a randomised controlled trial is urgently needed to investigate new dose adjustment methods in modern treatment regimens

Colour vision deficiency among students in Lagos State, Nigeria

Background: Congenital colour vision defects are x-linked inherited, non-progressive and untreatable disorders that describe poor colour discrimination. Objective: To determine the prevalence of congenital colour vision deficiency among students in Lagos, Nigeria. Methods: A school-based cross-sectional, cluster sample study was conducted to test the colour vision of 2326 primary and high school students. Inclusion criteria were Snellen VA 20/20 or better and absence of known ocular pathologies. Colour vision deficiency (CVD) was evaluated with the Richmond-HRR colour vision test plates. Results: There were 1014 (43.6%) males and 1312 (56.4%) females with a mean age of 13.40 \ub1 2.40 years (range = 7 1222 years). The prevalence of CVD was 58 (2.5%), which was higher in males 49 (4.8%) than females 9 (0.7%). The prevalence of congenital CVD was significantly associated with males (p = 0.00), but not with females (p = 0.22). Of the 58 cases of CVD, 17 (0.7%) had protan deficiency, 38 (1.6%) had deutan deficiency and three (0.1%) were unclassified. Conclusion: The prevalence of congenital CVD among students in Lagos is comparable to findings in other parts of Nigeria but differs from other parts of the country. These results strengthen the need to establish school vision screening. DOI: https://dx.doi.org/10.4314/ahs.v19i2.48 Cite as: Oduntan OA, Mashige KP, Kio FE. Colour vision deficiency among students in Lagos State, Nigeria. Afri Health Sci.2019;19(2): 2230-2236. https://dx.doi.org/10.4314/ahs.v19i2.4

Oral health and subjective psychological well-being among South African adults : findings from a national household survey

OBJECTIVE : To determine the association between oral health and socioeconomic status with subjective psychological well-being. METHODS : An interviewer-administered questionnaire was conducted during 2011 on a nationally representative sample of South African adults >16 years (n=2,971) who reported on socio-demographic data, past dental visit patterns, number of remaining teeth and oral and general health status. Subjective well-being was computed as the sum of scores obtained from participants' estimates of level of happiness (scale 0-6) and rating of level of satisfaction with life (scale 0-4). Analyses included t-tests and multivariable-adjusted Poisson regression. RESULTS : The average score on a scale of 0-10 for subjective well-being was 6.31 (95%CI=6.17-6.44), which decreased with age, but increased with level of education and frequency of dental visits. Even after controlling for socioeconomic status, those who rated their oral health as good were more likely to report a higher subjective well-being (Prevalence Rate ratio (PRR) =1.14; 95% CI=1.03-1.27). Those who reported visiting a dentist at least every 6 months reported higher subjective well-being (PRR=1.10; 1.04-1.16. CONCLUSIONS : Good oral health is independently associated with greater subjective well-being. This highlights the need to prioritise oral health promotion as an integral part of promoting general health and improving the quality of life of South Africans.http://www.sada.co.zaam201

Neural and behavioural changes in male periadolescent mice after prolonged nicotine-MDMA treatment

The interaction between MDMA and Nicotine affects multiple brain centres and neurotransmitter systems (serotonin, dopamine and glutamate) involved in motor coordination and cognition. In this study, we have elucidated the effect of prolonged (10 days) MDMA, Nicotine and a combined Nicotine-MDMA treatment on motor-cognitive neural functions. In addition, we have shown the correlation between the observed behavioural change and neural structural changes induced by these treatments in BALB/c mice.We observed that MDMA (2 mg/Kg body weight; subcutaneous) induced a decline in motor function, while Nicotine (2 mg/Kg body weight; subcutaneous) improved motor function in male periadolescent mice. In combined treatment, Nicotine reduced the motor function decline observed in MDMA treatment, thus no significant change in motor function for the combined treatment versus the control. Nicotine or MDMA treatment reduced memory function and altered hippocampal structure. Similarly, a combined Nicotine-MDMA treatment reduced memory function when compared with the control. Ultimately, the metabolic and structural changes in these neural systems were seen to vary for the various forms of treatment. It is noteworthy to mention that a combined treatment increased the rate of lipid peroxidation in brain tissue

Exploring variations in childhood stunting in Nigeria using league table, control chart and spatial analysis

Background: Stunting, linear growth retardation is the best measure of child health inequalities as it captures multiple dimensions of children’s health, development and environment where they live. The developmental priorities and socially acceptable health norms and practices in various regions and states within Nigeria remains disaggregated and with this, comes the challenge of being able to ascertain which of the regions and states identifies with either high or low childhood stunting to further investigate the risk factors and make recommendations for action oriented policy decisions. Methods: We used data from the birth histories included in the 2008 Nigeria Demographic and Health Survey (DHS) to estimate childhood stunting. Stunting was defined as height for age below minus two standard deviations from the median height for age of the standard World Health Organization reference population. We plotted control charts of the proportion of childhood stunting for the 37 states (including federal capital, Abuja) in Nigeria. The Local Indicators of Spatial Association (LISA) were used as a measure of the overall clustering and is assessed by a test of a null hypothesis. Results: Childhood stunting is high in Nigeria with an average of about 39%. The percentage of children with stunting ranged from 11.5% in Anambra state to as high as 60% in Kebbi State. Ranking of states with respect to childhood stunting is as follows: Anambra and Lagos states had the least numbers with 11.5% and 16.8% respectively while Yobe, Zamfara, Katsina, Plateau and Kebbi had the highest (with more than 50% of their underfives having stunted growth). Conclusions: Childhood stunting is high in Nigeria and varied significantly across the states. The northern states have a higher proportion than the southern states. There is an urgent need for studies to explore factors that may be responsible for these special cause variations in childhood stunting in Nigeria