Median Nerve Conduction in Healthy Nigerians: Normative Data.

BACKGROUND: Because of lack of local normative data, electrodiagnostic laboratories in Nigeria apply standard values generated in the USA and Europe to diagnose different median nerve abnormalities. AIM: To develop normative values for motor and sensory median nerve conduction studies (NCSs) in Nigerian population. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: In a cross-sectional study design, a total of 200 healthy volunteers were selected after clinical evaluation to exclude systemic or neuromuscular disorders. NCS of the median nerves was conducted on all the healthy volunteers according to a standardized protocol. The data included in the final analysis were amplitude, latency, and nerve conduction velocity. Ethical approval was obtained for the study. RESULTS: The reference range for median nerve (motor) velocity, distal latency, and amplitude were 49.48-66.92, 1.95-4.52, and 4.3-11.3, respectively. The reference range for median nerve F-wave latency was 44.8-70.5. The reference range for median nerve (sensory) velocity, distal latency, and amplitude were 44.8-70.5, 1.98-4.52, and 16.6-58.4, respectively. CONCLUSION: Reference values for the nerve conduction parameters of the median (motor and sensory) in the study population were similar to those obtained in the literature.

The effect of early administration of glucocorticoids on learning and spatial memory.

Synthetic glucocorticoids are commonly administered to early low-birth weight infants to prevent the onset of chronic lung disease. During this period, the brain is undergoing significant structural and functional changes and is therefore particularly vulnerable to external influences. It has been observed that steroids administered postnatally may have transient retarding effect on learning and memory functions, and that animal age and sex may modify such effects. This study aims to illustrate the effect of early administration of glucocorticoids on learning and spatial memory. Wistar rat pups were grouped into two [control and treatment] of six pups each. 0.5 mg/kg of dexamethasone was administered to four day old pups for a period of three days. At 35 days the pups were subjected to spatial memory testing. Spatial memory was assessed using a Y-Maze. It was observed that the animals in the treatment group preferred to return to the start arm or explore the other arm. This is indicative of impaired spatial memory. Steroids administered postnatally may have transient retarding effect on learning and memory functions.

The Effect of Marital Status and Self-Reported Physical Exercise on the Adiposity and Blood Pressure of the Igbos of Nigeria

The effect of marital status and self-reported exercise was investigated in a sample of Igbos in Nigeria. Physical activity level was grouped into: no exercise; irregular exercise and regular exercise. In all the groups; adiposity level and mean BP decreases as the frequencies of physical activity increases and these were significant for weight; BMI; diastolic BP; body circumferences; skinfold thickness except CSF among the married men; while for the never married men significant difference exist only for WC; FAC; SSF among the three groups. For the married women; the three groups of physical activity recorded significant difference in Weight; BMI; WC and HC while the never married women had significant difference only in CSF (F = 4.5; P = 0.01). The result of this study suggests that sex; marital status and exercise have effect on adiposity and blood pressure of the subjects. The married state was conducive for the development of excess adiposity and elevated BP while regular participation in exercise brings a reduction in fat stores and blood pressure. In conclusion; there is a greater tendency for married individuals to be overweight as compared to the never married subjects and regular physical exercise has strong influence in reducing the propensity to increase weight in both men and womenhttp://www.akspublication.com/Paper02_Jan2009_.pdf

Medical impacts of anthropometric records.

Anthropology is now one of the inter-disciplinary scientific fields that is gaining much attention in forensic, socio-cultural, industrial and bio-medical applications. There is a need for a better awareness of some of the impacts--past and present, in the medical practice, of the records that were obtained by workers in this field in view of their proper applications, and future reference. Compilation of anthropometric works and records was conducted to evaluate the previous and current implications with the aim to highlight the importance of this seemingly old but yet evolving and dynamic subject and to elucidate its usefulness. However, despite the arduous efforts to get reliable data from anthropometric investigations, errors had most times characterized the concluding postulations of many workers in this field in the past, creating skepticism. But with better attention being given to the exercise, possible improvement in the methodology of the study with resultant authentic records and more reliable conclusion is anticipated.