Common Causes of Neonatal Death in Calabar, South-South Nigeria: An Autopsy Study

Background: Neonatal deaths are deaths of live born babies occurring before 28 completed days. The vast majority occur in low-income countries like Nigeria with a high neonatal mortality rate. There is paucity of autopsy studies due to refusal of family to give consent for such procedures. Aim: To identify the commonest causes of neonatal death in 53 neonatal autopsies in Calabar, Nigeria. Materials and Methods: Detailed postmortem was carried out using lettules techniques and bits taken for histological analysis to ascertain the cause of death. Other relevant contributory factors such as the gestational age, mode of delivery, place of birth, antemortem cause of deaths and maternal obstetric history were obtained from the medical records and autopsy request forms. Results: In the one-year retrospective study of 53 neonatal autopsies, male: female ratio was 1: 0.83 and mean age at death was 6.5 + 7.3 days, ranging from 1 to 28 days. The commonest cause of neonatal death was severe birth asphyxia seen in 10 cases (18.9%), followed by kernicterus in 6 cases (11.3%), birth trauma seen in 6 cases (11.3%), congenital heart disease seen in 5 cases (9.4%), and prematurity seen in 5 cases (9.4%). Conclusion: The study confirms the usefulness of neonatal autopsy in ascertaining the definitive cause of death. Severe birth Asphyxia was identified as the commonest cause of death in the neonatal period followed by birth trauma, kernicterus and congenital heart diseases.

Critical Congenital Heart Disease Sadly Diagnosed at Autopsy in Calabar, South-South Nigeria

Congenital heart disease (CHD) is the most common type of birth defect causing more deaths in the first year of life than any other birth defect. Medical practice in a third-world country is faced with numerous challenges, created by poor health facilities and the unavailability of basic imaging studies at the community level where the majority of the poor resides. We present a case series of 4 neonates with a ratio of 1: 3 admitted into the neonatology unit of the University of Calabar Teaching Hospital, Calabar, Nigeria. Two of the patients were delivered at home by a traditional birth attendant via spontaneous vertex delivery and the rest two were booked cases in a private and obstetric unit of the University of Calabar Teaching Hospital. Their age ranged were 18 hours to 27 days of life and their common presentation were poor sucking, difficulty in breathing, central cyanosis and failure to thrive. A fetal echocardiogram was carried out for one of the cases and there was strong clinical suspicion of congenital heart disease but the precise type is unknown. The other three could not afford the necessary investigations required. They were all oxygen-dependent till death. Pathologic-anatomic findings showed a rare Critical congenital heart defect of the univentricular heart chamber of various types for the three cases and a case of TGA. The Immediate cause of death for all four cases was congestive cardiac failure.

Degradation of polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbons by two strains of Pseudomonas

ABSTRACT The goal of this investigation was to isolate competent polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbons degraders that can utilize polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbons of former industrial sites at McDoel Switchyard in Bloomington, Indiana. Using conventional enrichment method based on soil slurry, we isolated, screened and purified two bacterial species strains PB1 and PB2. Applying the ribotyping technique using the 16S rRNA gene analysis, the strains were assigned to the genus Pseudomonas (Pseudomonas plecoglossicida strain PB1 and Pseudomonas sp. PB2). Both isolates showed promising metabolic capacity on pyrene sprayed MS agar plates during the preliminary investigations. Using time course studies in the liquid cultures at calculated concentrations 123, 64, 97 and 94 ppm for naphthalene, chrysene, fluroanthene and pyrene, P. plecoglossicida strain PB1 and Pseudomonas sp. PB2 showed partial utilization of the polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbons. Naphthalene was degraded between 26% and 40%, chrysene 14% and 16%, fluroanthene 5% and 7%; pyrene 8% and 13% by P. plecoglossicida strain PB1 and Pseudomonas sp. PB2 respectively. Based on their growth profile, we developed a model R2 = 1 to predict the degradation rate of slow polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbon-degraders where all the necessary parameters are constant. From this investigation, we confirm that the former industrial site soil microbial communities may be explored for the biorestoration of the industrial site.

Carbazole degradation in the soil microcosm by tropical bacterial strains

In a previous study, three bacterial strains isolated from tropical hydrocarbon-contaminated soils and phylogenetically identified as Achromobacter sp. strain SL1, Pseudomonas sp. strain SL4 and Microbacterium esteraromaticum strain SL6 displayed angular dioxygenation and mineralization of carbazole in batch cultures. In this study, the ability of these isolates to survive and enhance carbazole degradation in soil were tested in field-moist microcosms. Strain SL4 had the highest survival rate (1.8 x 107 cfu/g) after 30 days of incubation in sterilized soil, while there was a decrease in population density in native (unsterilized) soil when compared with the initial population. Gas chromatographic analysis after 30 days of incubation showed that in sterilized soil amended with carbazole (100 mg/kg), 66.96, 82.15 and 68.54% were degraded by strains SL1, SL4 and SL6, respectively, with rates of degradation of 0.093, 0.114 and 0.095 mg kg−1 h−1. The combination of the three isolates as inoculum in sterilized soil degraded 87.13% carbazole at a rate of 0.121 mg kg−1 h−1. In native soil amended with carbazole (100 mg/kg), 91.64, 87.29 and 89.13% were degraded by strains SL1, SL4 and SL6 after 30 days of incubation, with rates of degradation of 0.127, 0.121 and 0.124 mg kg−1 h−1, respectively. This study successfully established the survivability (> 106 cfu/g detected after 30 days) and carbazole-degrading ability of these bacterial strains in soil, and highlights the potential of these isolates as seed for the bioremediation of carbazole-impacted environments.

Growth and biosurfactant synthesis by Nigerian hydrocarbon-degrading estuarine bacteria

The ability of microorganisms to degrade petroleum hydrocarbons is important for finding an environmentally-friendly method to restoring contaminated environmental matrices. Screening of hydrocarbon-utilizing and biosurfactant-producing abilities of organisms from an estuarine ecosystem in Nigeria, Africa, resulted in the isolation of five microbial strains identified as Corynebacterium sp. DDv1, Flavobacterium sp. DDv2, Micrococcus roseus DDv3, Pseudomonas aeruginosa DDv4 and Saccharomyces cerevisae DDv5. These isolates grew readily on several hydrocarbons including hexadecane, dodecane, crude oil and petroleum fractions. Axenic cultures of the organisms utilized diesel oil (1.0 % v/v) with generation times that ranged significantly (t-test, P < 0.05) between 3.25 and 3.88 day, with concomitant production of biosurfactants. Kinetics of growth indicates that biosurfactant synthesis occurred predominantly during exponential growth phase, suggesting that the bioactive molecules are primary metabolites. Strains DDv1 and DDv4 were evidently the most metabolically active in terms of substrate utilization and biosurfactant synthesis compared to other strains with respective emulsification index of 63 and 78 %. Preliminary biochemical characterization indicates that the biosurfactants are heteropolymers consisting of lipid, protein and carbohydrate moieties. The hydrocarbon catabolic properties coupled with biosurfactant-producing capabilities is an asset that could be exploited for cleanup of oil-contaminated matrices and also in food and cosmetic industries. Rev. Biol. Trop. 56 (4): 16031611. Epub 2008 December 30.

La capacidad de los microorganismos para degradar hidrocarburos del petróleo es de gran importancia para hallar un método aceptable y ambientalmente amigable para la restauración de terrenos ambientalmente contaminados. Al investigar las capacidades de los organismos de un ecosistema de estuario que utilizan hidrocarburos y producen biosurfactantes, se produjo como resultado el aislamiento de cinco cepas microbianas identificadas como Corynebacterium sp. DDv1, Flavobacterium sp. DDv2, Micrococcus roseus DDv3, Pseudomonas aeruginosa y DDv4 Saccharomyces cerevisiae DDv5. Estas cepas crecieron fácilmente en varios hidrocarburos incluyendo hexadecanos, dodecanos, petróleo crudo y fracciones de petróleo. Los cultivos axénicos de organismos utilizaron diesel (1.0% v/v) con períodos por generación con ámbitos significativos (t-test, P <0.05) de entre 3.25 y 3.88 días, con la consiguiente producción de bio-surfactantes. La cinética del crecimiento indica que la síntesis de bio-surfactante se produjo principalmente durante la fase de crecimiento exponencial, lo que sugiere que las moléculas bioactivas son metabolitos primarios. Las cepas DDv1 y DDv4 fueron evidentemente las más metabólicamente activas en términos de utilización del sustrato y la síntesis de bio-surfactantes en comparación con otras cepas con índices respectivos de emulsificación de 63 y 78%. La caracterización bioquímica preliminar indica que los bio-surfactantes son heteropolímeros constituidos de fracciones de lípidos, proteínas y carbohidratos. Las propiedades catabólicas de los hidrocarburos, junto con las capacidades de producción de bio-surfactantes, es una ventaja que puede ser aprovechada para la limpieza de terrenos contaminados con petróleo y también en la industria alimentaria y cosmética.

Evaluation of patients' adherence to chemotherapy for breast cancer

The study aimed to establish the common reasons for non-adherence to drug treatment among breast cancer patients at the Obafemi Awolowo University Teaching Hospitals Complex; Ile-Ife; Nigeria over a ten-year period (Jan 1993 - Dec 2002). Patients' adherence and reasons for non-adherence to chemotherapy were evaluated using descriptive statistics. Two hundred and twenty-five breast cancer patients including 199 females and 6 males with breast cancer were recruited. 12(5.3) patients had Stage I disease while 126 (56) were in stage IV. The non-adherence rate was 80.9and 111(73) of the non-adherent patients were eventually not seen again. Of the one hundred and one patients who gave reasons for non-adherence; 45complained of financial difficulties; 18thought they were well enough; 15were fearful of subsequent operation and 11were unable to further bear the drug side effects. In conclusion; the study demonstrated poor economic status of the patients as one of the major reasons for non-adherence to cancer chemotherapy in Nigeria. Government subsidy of breast cancer treatment; improved health education and advocacy complemented by home visiting to encourage hospital attendance would be required for better adherence to chemotherapy