Associated anomalies in cleft lip and palate: Analysis of 811 consecutive patients

Introduction: Clefts are common birth defects and may be associated with oro-facial congenital anomalies. It has not been established if specific types of anomalies are frequently related with clefts, or which organ is most commonly affected. This study aimed to assess the prevalence of associated anomalies in consecutive cleft lip and palate patients treated at two referral centres in Northern Nigeria.Methods: Cleft lip and palate at two referral hospitals in Northern Nigeria from January 2012 to December 2015 were studied. Data were analysed using Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 16.Results: A total of 811 cleft lip and palate patients were managed. Fifty-five percent (447) were male and 45% (364) were female while 71% (578) were children and 29% (233) were adults. The prevalence of associated anomalies was 11.5%. The most common associated anomaly among cleft patients was facial anomaly (64% of cleft patients). Associated anomalies were most prevalent in patients with isolated cleft palate. Hypertelorism was the commonest type of facial anomaly recorded.Conclusion: Our study showed a low incidence of associated anomalies with a higher incidence in isolated cleft palate cases

Molluscum contagiosum virus infection amongst PLWHA in Ibadan, Nigeria

Background: Molluscum contagiosum (MC) infection is caused by a pox virus and the virus is probably passed on by direct skin-to-skin contact which may affect any part of the body. There is anecdotal evidence associating facial lesions with HIV-related immunodeficiency. This study was aimed to determine the prevalence and associated risk factors of Molluscum contagiosum infection among PLWHAs attending ART clinic at the University College Hospital, Ibadan, Nigeria. Methods: This is a descriptive cross-sectional survey of 5,207 patients (3519 female and 1688 males) attending ART clinic between January 2006 and December 2007. Physicians performed complete physical and pelvic examinations. Diagnosis of Molluscum Contagiosum infection was based on the clinical findings of typical lesions on the external genitalia, perianal, trunk, abdominal and facial regions. Results: The mean age of the patients was 34.67 yrs. ± 9.16). About 10% (542) had various sexually transmitted infections (STIs). The male to female ratio was 1: 4.2. One hundred and twenty seven subjects (23.4%) had no formal or primary education with 247 (45.6 %) beingtreatment naïve while 295 (54.4 %) were treatment experienced. Of the 542 PLWHAs with STIs, 3.3 % had undetectable viral load (< 200 copies/ ml) while 272 (50.1 %) had low CD4 count (< 200 cells / mm3.) and The Mean log10 viral load was 5.02 + 0.94. Molluscum Contagiosum infection was diagnosed in 13 patients (0.024%; 8 females and 5 males). Vaginal Candidiasis was the commonest genital infection diagnosed in 223 (41.1%) of the patients with STIs. MC patients had higher viral load, lower CD4 count and more likely to be treatment experienced".Conclusions: Molluscum Contagiosum infection is not uncommon among the HIV-infected patients, but underreported. Awareness of this cutaneous manifestation should be known to Physicians in AIDS care

Optimization of Sweet Potato Starch Hydrolyzate Production and Its Potential Utilization as Substrate for Citric Acid Production.

Aims: The aims of this work was optimization of two-step enzymatic hydrolysis of sweet potato starch using statistical approach and subsequent utilization of the hydrolyzate obtained for citric acid production. Methodology: Box Behnken design was used in this study to generate a total of 17 individual experiments for each step of the hydrolysis (liquefaction and saccharification steps). These were designed to study the effect of temperature, time and pH on the sweet potato starch hydrolyzate (SPSH) concentration. The optimization was carried out using response surface methodology (RSM). The SPSH obtained was used to culture Aspergillus niger for citric acid production. Results: A statistically significant quadratic regression model (P<0.05) was obtained for the liquefaction step. Statistical model predicted the highest sweet potato starch hydrolyzate (SPSH) concentration to be 172.23 g/L at optimal condition of temperature 61.05ºC, time 55.02 min and pH 6.5. A statistically significant quadratic regression model was also obtained for the saccharification step. Statistical model predicted the highest SPSH concentration to be 241.92 g/L, established at the optimal condition of temperature 52ºC, time 44 min and pH 4.5. The optimal liquefaction and saccharification conditions were validated with the actual SPSH concentration of 172.00 and 241.01g/L, respectively. The maximum citric acid production of 86g/L was achieved on the 8th day of cultivation when the SPSH was used for the cultivation of A. niger. Conclusion: RSM was successfully applied the two-step enzymatic hydrolysis of sweet potato starch. This work showed that the sweet potato starch hydrolyzate could serve as sole carbon source for citric acid production.