Year Risk of Developing Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus ­ A Survey of Rural Communities in Southern Nigeria

BACKGROUND: The exponential rise in the prevalence of Type 2 Diabetes (T2DM) necessitates the introduction of strategies for early diagnosis to reduce the burden of the disease. This study assessed the prevalence of prediabetes and also determined the 10-year risk of developing T2DM in Southern Nigerian rural communities by adopting the validated Finnish Diabetes Risk Score (FINDRISC) tool. METHODS: 273 participants from 3 Southern rural communities aged 18 years and older were recruited in this cross-sectional study.Data in the FINDRISC stratification tool and Random Blood Glucose (RBG) variables were obtained for the participants. IBM SPSS version 21 was used to analyze the data with a level of significance put at p< 0.05. RESULTS: The participants' mean age was 54.20±16.61 years. The prevalence of prediabetes among the study participants based on RBG was 4.8% (3.8% of males and 6.6% of females, respectively).Most of the study participants (41%) had a low risk of developing T2DM which meant that 1 in 100 participants would become diabetic in a 10-year period, based on the FINDRISC scale. Amongst the male participants, the Total Diabetes Risk Score (TDRS) showed significant positive correlation with the RBG (r=0.315, p=0.001); similarly, a weak positive correlation between TDRS and RBG was noted among female participants. CONCLUSION: The propensity of developing T2DM in 10 years was indisputably low amongst rural dwellers in the Southern Nigerian rural communities studied. Further studies to compare the risk of developing T2DM between rural and urban communities would be required

Attenuation of KCN-induced Neurotoxicity by Solvent Fractions of Antiaris africana Leaf

Antiaris africana belongs to the family Moraceae, it is commonly called “False Iroko” tree and one of the medicinal plants used in treatment of mental and nervous disorders in Nigeria. We have previously established the neuroprotective properties of crude extract of A. africana. The present study was thus designed to investigate the neuroprotective effect of different solvent fractions of A. africana against cyanide neurotoxicity in vitro. Cyanide induced a significant (P<0.01) inhibition of NADH succinate dehydrogenase, a key enzyme in mitochondria function as well as significant increase in oxidative stress as observed in the high level of malonedialdehyde (MDA), protein carbonyl (PC) and activity of monoamine oxidase (MAO) and decreased concentration of reduced glutathione (GSH) as compared to the control. Co-administration with different solvent fractions of A. africana (hexane fraction [HFA], dichloromethane fraction [DFA] and methanolic fraction [MFA]) significantly ameliorated the toxic effect of KCN as compared to the induced, untreated group (P<0.05). The results in this study showed that HFA (79.04% reversal of NSD inhibitory activity of KCN), DFA (63.68% and 72.6% activity against KCN induced LPO and PC respectively). However, MFA showed the best activity against GSH depletion caused by KCN (12.21%) and inhibition of MAO activity induced by KCN (94.63%). In conclusion, all the fractions possess neuroprotective activities at varying degrees against mitochondria damage by KCN. This result further substantiated the ethnomedicinal usage of A. africana and can provide novel compounds in the treatment of mitochondria-related neurodegenerative diseases.

Prevalence of traditional cardiovascular risk factors among staff of Ladoke Akintola University of Technology, Ogbomoso, Nigeria

Aim: The aim was to describe the frequency of occurrence of traditional cardiovascular (CV) risk factors among selected university workers in Ladoke Akintola University of Technology (LAUTECH) Nigeria.Materials and Methods: A cross­sectional study of 206 staff of LAUTECH, Ogbomoso, Nigeria had an assessment for nine traditional CV risk factors. Demographic and clinical parameters were taken. Blood sample was taken to determine the random blood sugar and lipid profile. 12­lead resting electrocardiography (ECG) was done for all participants. Statistical analysis was performed with the aid of Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS)version 17.0 (Chicago Ill., USA)Results: The study population included 96 males (46.6%) and 110 females. The mean age was 45.3 ± 7.9 years (range 27-73 years). The prevalence of CV risk factors were as follows: Hypertension 84 (40.8%), visceral obesity 92 (44.7%), generalized obesity 79 (38.3%), low high density lipoprotein 113 (54.9%), impaired blood glucose 16 (7.8%), diabetes mellitus 3(1.5%),hypercholesterolemia 102 (49.5%), left ventricular hypertrophy­ECG 24 (11.7%), elevated low density lipoprotein­cholesterol 99 (48.1%). About ­ (72.3%) had two or more CV risk factors clustered together. Females had a higher prevalence of CV risk factors and its clusters than their male counterparts. Of those diagnosed with hypertension in this study, more than half had never been told they werehypertensive 48 (57.1%). Conclusion: This study suggests a very high prevalence of CV risk factors among University Staff in LAUTECH,Ogbomoso, Nigeria. Clustering of CV risk factors is more prevalent among women. Appropriate preventive strategy in terms of education and modification of risk factors are important to reduce the burden of CV diseases among this population

Burden of obesity in essential hypertension: pattern and prevalence

Obesity continues to be an epidemic worldwide. There also continues to be a relationship between obesity and hypertension both causal and consequentially. The study aims at determining the prevalence and pattern of overweight and obesity among our patients being managed for essential hypertension.The study was a cross sectional study. Consecutive patients diagnosed with essential hypertension were recruited from two university teaching hospitals in the SouthWest of Nigeria. Demographic data such as age, gender, weight and height were obtained from patients at recruitment. Patients with congestive heart failure, secondary hypertension, chronic kidney disease, and other chronic diseases were excluded. Pregnant women were also excluded. Obesity was defined according toWHOclassification.Statistical analysis was done by the Statistical Package for Social Sciences version 11.0.One thousand one hundred and two (1102) consecutive hypertensive patients were recruited. Two hundred and eighty six (286) were dropped due to evidence of overt heart failure (98) and chronic kidney disease and others (188).There were (420) males (51.5%) and 396 females (48.5%), mean age 54.97 (±13.14) years. (Range 10-91).7.6% (62) were underweight (36 males, 26 Females): 260 (31.9%) were overweight, consisting of 148 males and 112 females: 135 (16.5%) had mild obesity consisting of 48 males and 87 females: 43(5.3%) had moderate obesity with 15 males and 28 females while 30 (3.7%) had severe obesity (consisting of 22 females).About two thirds of the hypertensive patients seen in two teaching hospitals in the SouthWest of Nigeria in this study were either overweight or obese. Therefore lifestyle modification geared toward weight reduction should be emphasized in these patients

Cassava, protein and iodine interaction in the thyroid status of rats

The possible synergistic role of dietary cyanide from cassava, low iodine intake and protein deficiency and/or imbalance on the thyroid status and goiter endemia in Akungba and Oke-Agbe villages in Akoko area of south-western Nigeria was investigated using rats as model. Thirty [30] weaning albino rats were fed on corn starch or cassava as the major source of carbohydrates, 3.5 and 10.0% levels of protein supplied by either casein or Amaranthus viridis and a salt mixture with or without iodine for 42 days. Cassava with a total hydrocyanic acid [HCN] content of 25 mg kg-1 DW did not cause growth depression when fed to rats with casein at 10% protein level, Iodine deficiency resulted in slightly higher weight gain while protein deficiency especially the vegetable rations caused significant growth reductions. Interaction between cassava/iodine deficiency and protein imbalance, especially in the vegetable rations, caused a significant increase in the weight of the thyroid gland when expressed as% of body weight. Dietary cyanide caused a significant increase in serum and urinary thiocyanate levels while iodine deficiency caused a significant reduction in the plasma protein-bound iodine [PBI]. These results would partially explain the goiter endemia in Akungba and Oke-Agbe villages whose nutritional status was mimicked in these experiments