Correlation of optic nerve sheath diameter with height, weight, body mass index and age

Abstract: The study was conducted to determine the relationship or association between optic nerve sheath diameter and age, weight, sex, height, and Body mass index (BMI) in children of the South West Nigeria extraction. A cross-sectional study was carried out among 2-14-year-old children of the selected school in a suburban town in Southwest Nigeria. Approval was obtained from the institutional Human Research Ethics Research Committee, and consent was obtained from parents of the children. Where indicated, assent was obtained from the children. A pediatric ophthalmologist ascertained the normalcy of the eyes with visual acuity, refraction and fundoscopy. Height and weight were measured according to standard protocol and BMI was calculated from weight and height. The scanning was done by a radiologist with 4-12MHz Linear transducer on a gently closed upper eyelid with a B-mode ultrasound machine (Clear Vue 550 Phillips Model). No sedation was involved. The mean ONSD for the right eye was 0.54±0.07cm (5.4mm), while the left eye was 0.56±0.07cm (5.6mm). The optic nerve sheath diameter was longer in the left eye for all subjects, and this may be due to the fact that females have shorter diameter in the right eyes. ONSD did not correlate with height, weight and BMI. The mean ONSD is affected by sex in the right eye. This may be indicative of a relatively lower intraocular pressure in the right eyes of the girls. Therefore, in the use of the optic nerve sheath diameter as surrogate for intraocular pressure, it is preferable to use the left eye in which there is no sex difference

Estimation of stature from hand and foot dimensions of annang indigene of Akwa Ibom State, Nigeria

Background: Stature is a significant anthropometric determinant of the physical identity of an individual. Aim: This study was carried out to estimate stature of Nigerian Annang indigenes of Akwa Ibom State from hand and foot dimensions. Methods: Two hundred (200) adults Annang indigenes (100male and female each) were randomly selected for this study. Hand and foot dimensions were obtained by direct linear measurements using a 150mm digital vernier caliper (with accuracy of 0.01mm); while stature was determined by stadiometric measurement of the height (to the nearest 0.1m). Measurements obtained include; second (2D), fourth digit (4D) and right foot length (RFL). All measurement were converted to centimeters (cm). SPSS (IBM® version 20, Armonk, New York, USA) t-test was to evaluate gender difference in the measured dimensions; while Pearson's correlation and Generalized Linear Modeling were used to derive Regression equation for estimation of stature from the measured dimensions. The significance level was set at 95% as P≤0.05 was considered significant. Results: The t-test showed that males displayed significantly higher mean values than the females for all measured parameters (P<0.001). Single regression sex specific regression formulae were derived and the result showed that better prediction (r) values were obtained for females F (2D=0.428, 4D=0.430, RFL=0.587; P<0.01) population when compared to males M (2D=0.319, 4D=0.231, RFL=0.456 P<0.05). Conclusion: This study suggests the existence of sexual difference in hand and foot dimension and also the possibility of accurately estimating stature from the right foot length, right second and fourth digit

Perceptions of Body Size and Its Association with HIV/AIDS

Objective: To explore the perception among black South African women that people who are thin are infected with HIV or have AIDS.Setting: Khayelitsha; an urban township in Cape Town.Subjects: 513 women aged 18-65 years.Methods: This was an exploratory study employing both quantitative and qualitative research methodology. Data were collected in two phases. The first phase involved collecting quantitative data among 513 participants. During the second phase; qualitative data were collected in a purposely selected sub-sample of 20 women. For the qualitative data collection; participants were shown eight body figures; ranging from thin to obese; and asked to choose a figure representing the ideal figure; a preferred figure and a figure thought to symbolise health. They were also invited to choose a figure that they thought represented a person infected with HIV or who had AIDS. They had the option of saying that they did not associate any of the figures with people infected with HIV or who had AIDS. Weight and height measurements were also taken. After the quantitative analysis was completed; focus group discussions explored perceptions about body image and the relation to HIV among purposely selected participants. Data were summarised by content based on questions discussed. Results: Sixty-nine per cent of the participants associated a thin figure with a person infected with HIV; or who had AIDS. Only 10.2 thought the thin figure symbolised health. Fifty per cent preferred a normal-weight figure; while 34.2 thought that normal weight symbolised health. Only 2 thought that people in the normal-weight category were infected with HIV or had AIDS.Thirty-four per cent preferred to be overweight and 31 thought that being overweight symbolised health. None of the participants thought the overweight figure represented people infected with HIV or who had AIDS. Only 8 preferred the obese figure. The results of the qualitative data analysis suggested that participants preferred to be overweight and at risk of acquiring cardiovascular diseases; rather than being thin and stigmatised as a person infected with HIV or who had AIDS. Conclusion: This study revealed that the stigma associated with HIV and AIDS may undermine strategies for prevention of chronic noncommunicable diseases among urban black South African women

Height as a Surrogate for Bodyweight for Estimating the Dosage of Praziquantel and Artesunate in theTreatment of Urinary Schistosomiasis in School-Age Children

World Health Organization recommends mass treatment of all school children in areas where the prevalence of schistosomiasis is greater than 50. Praziquantel and artesunate are reported to display broad-spectrum antischistosomal activities. Since the susceptibilities of the different stages of schistosomes to the two drugs are distinctively different; it has been established that the use of these two drugs in combination will be beneficial for the treatment of urinary schistosomiasis. Dosage is determined by weight; which can be difficult to determine in field conditions. The use of calibrated height meter with height-based dosage calibration will make the work less cumbersome in field settings. Data on age; weight; and height from 264 school children who were screened and found to be infected with Schistosoma haematobium; diagnosed by the presence of the ova in their urine; were used to predict an alternative to bodyweight and thus the dosage of praziquantel and artesunate required to treat this disease. A very strong positive correlation (r = 0.8) was obtained for the height of treated children measured against weight while a moderately positive correlation coefficient (r = 0.6) was obtained for weight against age measurements; depicting that height can be used in lieu of weight for correct dose determination. A height meter calibrated with the equivalent number of tablets of praziquantel and artesunate could thus be used as a simple measurement to determine the dosage of praziquantel and artesunate needed to treat children in the field. This calibrated height will expedite treating large population of children in mass treatment campaigns in an endemic community

Short stature at the University College Hospital Ibadan; Nigeria

Twenty four patients (female and male) were evaluated for short stature at the University College Hospital; Ibadan; Nigeria; over a seven years period. The causes of short stature were linked to various diseases. Although comprehensive hormonal data were not available in most of these patients; the clinical descriptive study is the first attempt at reporting some of the causes of short stature in Nigerians