Surgical treatment of perineal giant condylomata acuminata (Buschke Lowenstein tumor): Case series from a developing country.

INTRODUCTION: Giant condylomata acuminatum (GCA) also referred to as Buschke-Lowenstein tumor (BLT) is a rare tumor primarily associated with low-risk HPV 6 and 11, which is believed to be a slow growing intermediate tumor with low potential to transform into invasive cancer. CASE PRESENTATION: We presented our experience with three cases of BLT (one woman and two men). CLINICAL DISCUSSION: The three patients had surgical excision and two of them had reconstruction of the surgical defect with good clinical outcome. CONCLUSION: We highlighted the importance of early identification of symptoms, treatment options and risk of recurrence as well as primary preventive strategies.

Characterisation of colistin resistance in Gram-negative microbiota of pregnant women and neonates in Nigeria.

A mobile colistin resistance gene mcr was first reported in 2016 in China and has since been found with increasing prevalence across South-East Asia. Here we survey the presence of mcr genes in 4907 rectal swabs from mothers and neonates from three hospital sites across Nigeria; a country with limited availability or history of colistin use clinically. Forty mother and seven neonatal swabs carried mcr genes in a range of bacterial species: 46 Enterobacter spp. and single isolates of; Shigella, E. coli and Klebsiella quasipneumoniae. Ninety percent of the genes were mcr-10 (n = 45) we also found mcr-1 (n = 3) and mcr-9 (n = 1). While the prevalence during this collection (2015-2016) was low, the widespread diversity of mcr-gene type and range of bacterial species in this sentinel population sampling is concerning. It suggests that agricultural colistin use was likely encouraging sustainment of mcr-positive isolates in the community and implementation of medical colistin use will rapidly select and expand resistant isolates.

Evaluation of antimicrobial usage in companion animals at a Veterinary Teaching Hospital in Nigeria.

This study investigated various qualitative and quantitative indices of antimicrobial use (AMU) in companion animals (CAs) at a Veterinary Teaching Hospital (VTH-A) and its annex (VTH- B) from 2019 to 2021. For 694 documented animals, antimicrobial administrations (AADs) were 5, 278 times, of which 98.8% (5217) and 1.2% (61) were in dogs and cats respectively. At the VTH- A, oxytetracycline (1185 times, 22.5%) was mostly administered in dogs and metronidazole (26 times, 0.5%) in cats. Similarly, at VTH- B, oxytetracycline was administered 895 times (17.0%) in dogs while amoxicillin was given 7 times (0.1%) in cats. The prescription diversity (PD) was estimated at 0.73 and 0.82 in VTH-A and VTH-B respectively. The quantity of antimicrobials (AMs) used was 10.1 kg (A, 6.2 kg and B, 3.9 kg). Oxytetracycline administrations and quantity of metronidazole (P < 0.0001) were higher than other Active Ingredients (AIs). Furthermore, 16.5% of AIs were classified as Critically Important Antibiotics (CIA) with the highest priority, while enrofloxacin, ciprofloxacin, and azithromycin fell under the World Health Organisation (WHO) Watch group. The In-Depth Interview (IDI) indicated that the high frequency of oxytetracycline administrations was linked with being the first choice for blood parasite treatment by the clinicians at the hospital. The quantity of metronidazole used was perceived to be higher due to the clinicians' preference for the treatment of acute gastroenteritis, its wider dose range, and the frequency of administration (bi-daily). The study provides baseline data on AMU indices in CAs, for the development of antimicrobial stewardship (AMS) and communication training, and policy modifications to enhance antimicrobial therapy optimization in tertiary veterinary hospital care in Nigeria.

Study protocol for a Developmental Epidemiological Study of Children born through Reproductive Technologies (DESCRT).

STUDY QUESTIONS: The primary objective of this study is to determine what parental factors or specific ART may influence the risk for adverse cardiometabolic outcomes among children so conceived and their parents. The secondary objective of this study is to prospectively examine the effects of infertility or ART on the intrauterine environment, obstetric and neonatal outcomes. WHAT IS KNOWN ALREADY: Pregnancies conceived with ART are at an increased risk of being affected by adverse obstetric and neonatal outcomes when compared to spontaneously conceived (SC) pregnancies among fertile women. Small cohort studies have suggested ART-conceived children may have a higher risk of long-term cardiometabolic disturbances as well. Currently, few studies have compared long-term cardiometabolic outcomes among ART-conceived children and non-IVF treated (NIFT) children, to children conceived spontaneously to parents with infertility (subfertile parents). STUDY DESIGN SIZE DURATION: The Developmental Epidemiological Study of Children born through Reproductive Technologies (DESCRT) is a prospective cohort study that aims to: establish a biobank and epidemiological cohort of children born to subfertile or infertile parents who either conceived spontaneously (without assistance) or used reproductive technologies to conceive (all offspring were from couples assessed and/or treated in the same institute); prospectively examine the effects of infertility or ART on the intrauterine environment, obstetric and neonatal outcomes; and determine what parental factors or ART may influence the cardiometabolic risk of children so conceived. Pregnancies and resultant children will be compared by mode of conception, namely offspring that were conceived without medical assistance or SC or following NIFT, IVF with fresh embryo transfer or frozen embryo transfer (FET), and by fertilization method (conventional versus ICSI). DESCRT has a Child group evaluating long-term outcomes of children as well as a Pregnancy group that will compare obstetric and neonatal outcomes of children conceived since the commencement of the study. Recruitment started in May of 2017 and is ongoing. When the study began, we estimated that ∼4000 children would be eligible for enrollment. PARTICIPANTS/MATERIALS SETTING METHODS: Eligible participants are first-trimester pregnancies (Pregnancy group) or children (Child group) born to parents who were evaluated at an infertility center in the University of California, San Francisco, CA, USA who were SC or conceived after reproductive treatments (NIFT, IVF ± ICSI, FET). Children in the Child group were conceived at UCSF and born from 2001 onwards. In the Pregnancy group, enrollment began in November of 2017.The primary outcome is the cardiometabolic health of offspring in the Child group, as measured by blood pressure and laboratory data (homeostatic model assessment for insulin resistance (HOMA-IR), oral glucose disposition). There are several secondary outcome measures, including: outcomes from parental survey response (assessing parent/child medical history since delivery-incidence of cardiometabolic adverse events), anthropomorphic measurements (BMI, waist circumference, skinfold thickness), and laboratory data (liver enzymes, lipid panel, metabolomic profiles). In the Pregnancy group, outcomes include laboratory assessments (bhCG, maternal serum analytes, soluble fms-like tyrosine kinase-1 (sFLT-1), and placental growth factor (PlGF)) and placental assessments (placental volume in the second and third trimester and placental weight at delivery). Importantly, aliquots of blood and urine are stored from parents and offspring as part of a biobank. The DESCRT cohort is unique in two ways. First, there is an extensive amount of clinical and laboratory treatment data: parental medical history and physical examination at the time of treatment, along with ovarian reserve and infertility diagnosis; and treatment specifics: for example, fertilization method, culture O2 status, embryo quality linked to each participant. These reproductive data will aid in identifying explanatory variables that may influence the primary cardiometabolic outcomes of the offspring-and their parents. Second, the DESCRT control group includes pregnancies and children SC from parents with subfertility, which may help to assess when infertility, as opposed to reproductive treatments, may be affecting offspring cardiometabolic health. STUDY FUNDING/COMPETING INTERESTS: This study is funded by the National Institutes of Health NICHD (1R01HD084380-01A1). A.J.A. is a shareholder in Carrot and consultant for Flo Health. The other authors have no conflicts of interest. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: NCT03799107. TRIAL REGISTRATION DATE: 10 January 2019. DATE OF FIRST PATIENT'S ENROLLMENT: 10 May 2017.

Foliar application of nanoceria attenuated cadmium stress in okra (Abelmoschus esculentus L.).

Foliar application of nanoparticles (NPs) as a means for ameliorating abiotic stress is increasingly employed in crop production. In this study, the potential of CeO2-NPs as stress suppressants for cadmium (Cd)-stressed okra (Abelmoschus esculentus) plants was investigated, using two cycles of foliar application of CeO2-NPs at 200, 400, and 600 mg/l. Compared to untreated stressed plants, Cd-stressed plants treated with CeO2-NPs presented higher pigments (chlorophyll a and carotenoids). In contrast, foliar applications did not alter Cd root uptake and leaf bioaccumulation. Foliar CeO2-NPs application modulated stress enzymes (APX, SOD, and GPx) in both roots and leaves of Cd-stressed plants, and led to decreases in Cd toxicity in plant's tissues. In addition, foliar application of CeO2-NPs in Cd-stressed okra plants decreased fruit Cd contents, and improved fruit mineral elements and bioactive compounds. The infrared spectroscopic analysis of fruit tissues showed that foliar-applied CeO2-NPs treatments did not induce chemical changes but induced conformational changes in fruit macromolecules. Additionally, CeO2-NPs applications did not alter the eating quality indicator (Mg/K ratio) of okra fruits. Conclusively, the present study demonstrated that foliar application of CeO2-NPs has the potential to ameliorate Cd toxicity in tissues and improve fruits of okra plants.

Antibiotic resistance genes in the gut microbiota of mothers and linked neonates with or without sepsis from low- and middle-income countries.

Early development of the microbiome has been shown to affect general health and physical development of the infant and, although some studies have been undertaken in high-income countries, there are few studies from low- and middle-income countries. As part of the BARNARDS study, we examined the rectal microbiota of 2,931 neonates (term used up to 60 d) with clinical signs of sepsis and of 15,217 mothers screening for blaCTX-M-15, blaNDM, blaKPC and blaOXA-48-like genes, which were detected in 56.1%, 18.5%, 0% and 4.1% of neonates' rectal swabs and 47.1%, 4.6%, 0% and 1.6% of mothers' rectal swabs, respectively. Carbapenemase-positive bacteria were identified by MALDI-TOF MS and showed a high diversity of bacterial species (57 distinct species/genera) which exhibited resistance to most of the antibiotics tested. Escherichia coli, Klebsiella pneumoniae and Enterobacter cloacae/E. cloacae complex, the most commonly found isolates, were subjected to whole-genome sequencing analysis and revealed close relationships between isolates from different samples, suggesting transmission of bacteria between neonates, and between neonates and mothers. Associations between the carriage of antimicrobial resistance genes (ARGs) and healthcare/environmental factors were identified, and the presence of ARGs was a predictor of neonatal sepsis and adverse birth outcomes.

Do Personality Traits Influence the Association Between Depression and Dementia in Old Age?

Depression and personality traits are independent predictors of dementia or cognitive impairment. Despite the well-established relationship between these two psychosocial factors and dementia, no research has been documented on how personality traits can influence dementia in older adults exhibiting depressive symptoms. This study explores the influence of personality traits on the association between change in depression and dementia in old age. A population-based longitudinal cohort study involving two waves of data collected 5 years apart, containing 2210 American older adults, from the National Social Life, Health, and Aging Project to explore if personality traits influence how change in depression predicts the development of dementia. We assessed these relationships while adjusting for sociodemographic characteristics. Change in depression increased the likelihood of dementia at T2 by 4.2% (AOR = 1.04, p = 0.019) in the co-variate adjusted model. Personality traits, overall, did not influence how depression predicts the development of dementia. However, agreeableness individually nullified the effect of depression on the development of dementia, whereas extraversion was the only personality trait that significantly predicted dementia. Prosocial behaviors should be promoted in old age as these appear to be protective. In addition, early life education and a strong social support can keep the depression-dementia spectrum at bay in old age.

Consensus statement from the international consensus meeting on post-traumatic cranioplasty.

BACKGROUND: Due to the lack of high-quality evidence which has hindered the development of evidence-based guidelines, there is a need to provide general guidance on cranioplasty (CP) following traumatic brain injury (TBI), as well as identify areas of ongoing uncertainty via a consensus-based approach. METHODS: The international consensus meeting on post-traumatic CP was held during the International Conference on Recent Advances in Neurotraumatology (ICRAN), in Naples, Italy, in June 2018. This meeting was endorsed by the Neurotrauma Committee of the World Federation of Neurosurgical Societies (WFNS), the NIHR Global Health Research Group on Neurotrauma, and several other neurotrauma organizations. Discussions and voting were organized around 5 pre-specified themes: (1) indications and technique, (2) materials, (3) timing, (4) hydrocephalus, and (5) paediatric CP. RESULTS: The participants discussed published evidence on each topic and proposed consensus statements, which were subject to ratification using anonymous real-time voting. Statements required an agreement threshold of more than 70% for inclusion in the final recommendations. CONCLUSIONS: This document is the first set of practical consensus-based clinical recommendations on post-traumatic CP, focusing on timing, materials, complications, and surgical procedures. Future research directions are also presented.

Prevalence of Pre-Diabetes, Diabetes and Associated Cardiovascular Risk Amongst Healthcare Workers in Ahmadu Bello University Teaching Hospital (ABUTH), Zaria using Glycated Haemoglobin.

BACKGROUND: There is a global rise in the prevalence of diabetes mellitus and pre-diabetes is a fore-runner to type-2 diabetes. Pre-diabetes is reversible, therefore, measures should be taken to halt or slow down its progression to frank diabetes. AIM: The study aimed to evaluate the prevalence of pre-diabetes and diabetes amongst staff of ABUTH, Zaria and identify some cardiovascular risks associated with them. METHODS: A cross-sectional analytical study carried out on 377 healthcare workers who presented at the Medical out-patient department of ABUTH, Zaria in response to an invitation for the 2017 World Diabetes Day free medical screening. HbA1c was assessed via Immunofluorescence method. The difference in HbA1c amongst healthcare workers was determined by One-way Analysis of Variance with Post-hoc Bonferroni test. Cardiovascular risk associations were assessed via Multiple Binary Logistic Regression. RESULTS: Pre-diabetes and diabetes prevalence were 19.4% and 6.5% respectively. There were 28.6% undiagnosed diabetic healthcare workers. There was no significant (p=0.35) difference in HbA1c between different categories of healthcare workers, however, random blood glucose was significantly (p=0.042) higher in other healthcare workers than doctors. There was a significant (p<0.01) association between systolic hypertension and risk of developing pre-diabetes and diabetes (OR, 4.11, CI 0.98-17.30). CONCLUSION: There is a high prevalence of pre-diabetes and diabetes amongst healthcare workers in Zaria. The odds of hypertensive healthcare workers developing pre-diabetes and diabetes is high. Efforts should be geared at intensifying health education, increased work physical activity and proper diet.

Assessment of the Holistic Model of Neurosurgical Patient Care at the University College Hospital (UCH), Ibadan.

BACKGROUND: Holistic ward round (HWR) is a polyadic, multiphasic, holistic model of neurosurgical patient care. It is a multidisciplinary ward round where all healthcare providers involved in patients care, the patients, the relations, as well as clergymen (depending on the patients' faith and need) collectively work to review patient's condition and make decisions in the patient's best interest. OBJECTIVES: The study assessed the effectiveness of the holistic model of care and identified the challenges facing this model of healthcare delivery. METHODS: The study was qualitative in design and In-depth Interviews (IDIs) were conducted with eighteen (18) participants who were purposively selected. They include neurosurgeons, nurses, medical social workers and physiotherapists. The data were thematically content analysed with the help of ATLAS.ti (v.7) software. RESULTS: The study found that patients and relations have immensely benefitted from the model of care through psychosocial support. The major challenges facing HWR were logistic, timing and common problems found in the Nigerian healthcare system. CONCLUSION: It was concluded that for HWR to effectively help spinal cord injured patients further, the healthcare providers, patients and their families require support in different forms from outside the hospital.

PATTERN OF REFERRALS OF HEAD INJURY TO THE UNIVERSITY COLLEGE HOSPITAL, IBADAN.

BACKGROUND: Although there are now many neurosurgical units in Nigeria, cases of head injury (HI) continue to present in the University College Hospital, UCH, Ibadan, from hospitals all over the country. OBJECTIVE: This report aims to highlight the contemporary patterns of referrals of cases of head injury for neurosurgery in Ibadan. METHOD: The study emanated from an analysis of registry of cases of head injury managed in our practice covering a 7-year period at the UCH Ibadan. The clinical/ trauma-demography of cases of head injury referred were analyzed quantitatively and then compared with head injury cases that presented primarily to UCH Ibadan during the same period. An alpha value of <0.05 was considered significant for associations for pattern of referrals. RESULTS: Of the 1034 cases of head injuries in the registry, 23.6% presented primarily to UCH, Ibadan; 423 (40.1%) were from outside Ibadan/Oyo state. Most of the cases were earlier seen in other health facilities in four out of Nigeria's six geopolitical zones including other teaching hospitals with practicing neurosurgeons. The reasons for these inter-hospital, inter-state referrals included absence of neurosurgical expertise (67%) or lack of other logistics like neuroimaging, bed space and intensive care unit services. Head Injury was caused by road accidents in more than 85% of the cases. The patients referred inter-state had more severe injuries, more delayed attainment of critical milestones in their trauma care, and higher frequency of neurosurgical operative interventions. They also had worse in-hospital outcome and longer length of stay. CONCLUSION: The University College Hospital, Ibadan continues to play a pivotal role in the management of head injury in Nigeria. The results support an urgent need for stakeholders in the health sector to provide all that is required to uphold the status of the Hospital as a center of excellence in neurosurgery and neurosciences.

Utilization of isolated marine mussel cells as an in vitro model to assess xenobiotics induced genotoxicity.

Freshly isolated cells are used as an ideal experimental model in in vitro toxicology analysis, especially the detection of diverse xenobiotics induced genotoxic effects. In present study, heavy metals (Zn, Cu, Cd, Pb) and PCBs were selected as representative xenobiotics to verify the ability of in vitro model in assessing genotoxic effects in cells of marine mussels (Mytilus galloprovincialis). DNA damage and chromosome aberration were assessed in freshly isolated cells from haemolymph, gill and digestive gland by single cell gel electrophoresis and micronucleus assay respectively. Gill cells showed more sensitive to Zn exposure among three types of cells, indicating tissue-specific genotoxicity. Significantly higher DNA aberrations were induced by Cu in haemocytes compared to Cd and Pb, indicating chemical-specific genotoxicity. An additive effect was detected after combined heavy metals and PCBs exposure, suggesting the interaction of selected xenobiotics. To our knowledge, this is the first attempt to study the complex effects of organic and/or inorganic contaminants using freshly isolated cells from marine mussels. Genetic responses are proved to occur and maintained in vitro in relation to short-term xenobiotics induced stresses. The utilization of the in vitro model could provide a rapid tool to investigate the comprehensive toxic effects in marine invertebrates and monitor environmental health.

Constraints in the neurosurgical management of pituitary tumours in an African developing country: a 5-year observational study from Benin Republic.

INTRODUCTION: Benin Republic, a very low-income-sub- Saharan African developing country, has a severely resource-constrained health system. There is hardly any data available on the pattern of pituitary tumour in this country METHODS: A single surgeon, hospital-based retrospective analysis of the pattern, presentation and clinical / surgical course of7a prospective cohort of pituitary tumours seen over a 5-year period is presented RESULTS: There were 38 cases, 20 (52.6%) female; 27% of all brain tumours seen. They were macroadenomas in 97. 4%, and greater than 4cm in 63.2%. They occurred mainly (86.8%) in people aged 15 to 59 years. Delayed neurosurgical presentation, mean 5.16years (range 1-23years) was the rule in 94.7%%; and, visual and endocrinological dysfunction the two most prominent symptomatology. Due to severe logistic constraints, neuroimaging evaluation was possible with cranial CT only in about 90% of the cases. Also only 9 cases (23.7%) did eventually receive the planned neurosurgical operative treatment, in 5 cases of which even this surgical treatment Was only facilitated by some foreign neurosurgical missions. CONCLUSIONS: Pituitary adenomas represent a sizeable proportion of brain tumours in Benin Republic. National health care resources in this low income African country for their optimal clinical / radiological evaluation, and surgical treatment, are grossly inadequate; indeed, almost non-existent.

Correlation of intraoperative cytological and final histological diagnoses: a retrospective 10-year study of neurosurgical cases from Ibadan, Nigeria.

OBJECTIVE: Intraoperative cytology is a cost-effective, rapid, and easy technique, and studies have shown good correlation between intraoperative cytology and histology. We undertook this study to compare the intraoperative cytology diagnoses of brain lesions made in our unit over a 10-year period with the definitive histological diagnoses. The aim was to determine the degree of accuracy of this procedure. STUDY DESIGN: This is a retrospective study of intraoperative neuropathology consultation cytology smears or imprints and histology of 69 cases obtained over a 10-year period. Cytology smears were stained using both Papanicolaou and Giemsa. Histology sections were prepared from routine formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded tissue and stained using H and E method. Each of the smears and histology samples were assessed by at least two pathologists. Cytological diagnosis was correlated with final histological diagnosis. The sensitivity and specificity of cytological diagnosis was evaluated using final histological diagnosis as gold standard. RESULTS: Correlation was strongest with inflammatory lesions followed by low-grade neoplasms. High-grade neoplasms also showed good concordance, but the degree of correlation was lower than in the other categories. Misdiagnosis was commonest with benign tumors. CONCLUSION: Intraoperative cytology is a relatively simple, reliable, and accurate diagnostic technique and should be more commonly used, particularly in low-resource settings.

2-(2-nitrovinyl)furan promotes oxidation of cellular proteins, lipids, and DNA of male rat liver and kidney.

The effect of 2-(2-nitrovinyl)furan on the redox status of male rat liver and kidney was evaluated. Twenty male rats were randomized into four groups; group A received olive oil and groups B, C, and D rats received 12.5, 25, and 50 mg/kg bodyweight of 2-(2-nitrovinyl)furan intraperitoneally, daily at 24 h interval, respectively, for 14 days. 2-(2-Nitrovinyl)furan significantly reduced (P < 0.05) alkaline phosphatase, alanine, and aspartate aminotransferase activities in male rat liver and kidney with a corresponding increase in serum. The activities of superoxide dismutase, catalase, glutathione peroxidase, glutathione reductase, and levels of reduced glutathione/glutathione disulfide (GSSG) ratio in the liver and kidney of 2-(2-nitrovinyl)furan-treated rats decreased significantly (P < 0.05). In contrast, GSSG, protein carbonyl, conjugated dienes, lipid hydroperoxides, malondialdehyde, and fragmented DNA (%) in 2-(2-nitrovinyl)furan-treated rats increased significantly (P < 0.05). Overall, data from this study revealed that 2-(2-nitrovinyl)furan exhibited its toxic effect by suppressing or depleting the antioxidant systems.

Blighia sapida leaves halt elevated blood glucose, dyslipidemia and oxidative stress in alloxan-induced diabetic rats.

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE: Blighia sapida leaves are used in the management of diabetes in Nigeria. Thus the antidiabetic activity of methanolic Blighia sapida leaf extract and its capability to halt oxidative stress and dyslipidemia in alloxan-induced diabetic rats were investigated. METHODS: In vitro antioxidant activity of the extract (0.2-1.0mg/mL) was investigated using 2,2-diphenyl-1-1picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical, superoxide ion, hydrogen peroxide, and hydroxyl radical and ferric ion reducing system. Antidiabetic was evaluated in alloxan-induced diabetic rats. RESULTS: The methanolic extract of Blighia sapida leaves at 1.0mg/mL scavenged DPPH, superoxide ion, hydrogen peroxide, and hydroxyl radical at 80.34%, 57.39%, 72.36% and 77.0% respectively, while ferric ion was significantly reduced. Single oral dose of the extract significantly reduced blood glucose level in a dose dependent manner with highest dose producing 18.6% reduction after 240min. Similar reduction was produced after 28 days of extract administration with the highest dose producing 65.65% reduction which compared significantly (P<0.05) with the control group and glibenclamide treated groups. Alloxan-induced diabetic mediated alterations in liver and serum cholesterol, triacylglycerides, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDLc), low density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol and very low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (VLDLc) were significantly (P<0.05) restored by the extract. Methanolic extract of Blighia sapida leaves significantly attenuated the decrease in the activities of reactive oxygen species detoxifying enzymes (superoxide dismutase, catalase, glutathione peroxidase, glutathione reductase and glucose 6-phosphate dehydrogenase) in the liver and pancreas of alloxan-induced diabetic rats. Elevation in the concentrations of malondialdehyde, conjugated dienes, lipid hydroperoxides, protein carbonyl, and fragmented DNA was significantly (P<0.05) lowered by Blighia sapida leaves extract. CONCLUSION: Overall, methanolic extract of Blighia sapida leaves at all doses used reduced blood glucose level and prevented oxidative stress and dyslipidemia in alloxan-induced diabetic rats.

Public perception of climate change and its impact on health and environment in rural southwestern Nigeria.

BACKGROUND: Climate change (CC) has received extensive media attention recently, and it is currently on the international public health agenda. A study of knowledge and attitudes to climate change, most especially from rural Nigerian communities, is important for developing adaptation strategies. This is a study of public perceptions of CC and its impact on health and environment in rural southwestern Nigeria. METHODS: This was a community-based descriptive cross-sectional study of 1,019 rural respondents using a multistage sampling method. The research instrument used was a pretested, structured, interviewer-administered questionnaire. Data were analyzed using SPSS software. χ2, Cramér's V, and Kendall's τ-c statistics were employed in addition to fitting the data to a logistic regression model to explore associations found significant on bivariate analysis. RESULTS: Mean age of respondents was 36.9 (±12.4) years. About 911 (89.4%) of respondents opined that there has been a change in climate in the last 10 years. Supernatural reasons were prominent among respondent-reported causes of CC. Identified risky behavior contributing to CC included smoking (10.7%), bush burning (33.4%), and tree felling (41.0%). Poor knowledge of causes but good knowledge of effects of CC were found in this study. About two-thirds of respondents had a positive attitude to causes of CC, while half had a positive attitude to the effects of CC. A significant association was found between educational status (P˂0.001, Kendall's τ-c=-0.042), occupational status (P˂0.01, Kendall's τ-c=0.088), and attitude to causes of CC. Further analysis using logistic regression showed that occupational status was significantly associated with likelihood of having a positive attitude, but educational status and marital status were not. CONCLUSION: Rural areas of Nigeria are vulnerable to the adverse effects of CC. Respondents' poor knowledge but positive attitude to CC calls for dissemination of adequate information on CC in sustained health-promotion programs.

Bridelia ferruginea promotes reactive oxygen species detoxification in N-nitrosodiethylamine-treated rats.

This study was aimed at investigating the in vitro and in vivo reactive oxygen species (ROS) scavenging and detoxification potentials of aqueous extract of Bridelia ferruginea (B. ferruginea). Reactive oxygen species scavenging potentials of the aqueous leaf extract of B. ferruginea (0.2-1.0 mg/ml) was investigated using 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical, superoxide ion, hydrogen peroxide, hydroxyl radical, and ferric ion reducing system. The detoxification of ROS was evaluated in N-nitrosodiethylamine-induced redox imbalance in the liver of rats. B. ferruginea extract at 1.0 mg/ml scavenged the DPPH, superoxide ion, hydrogen peroxide, and hydroxyl radical at 87%, 83%, 92%, and 86%, respectively, it also reduced ferric ion significantly. ROS detoxifying enzymes (superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase, glutathione peroxidase, glutathione reductase, and glucose 6-phosphate dehydrogenase) activities were significantly (p < .05) induced by B. ferruginea. These inductions significantly (p < .05) attenuated the N-nitrosodiethylamine-mediated decrease in ROS detoxifying enzymes and compared favorably with Vitamin C. N-nitrosodiethylamine-mediated elevation in the concentrations of malondialdehyde, conjugated dienes, lipid hydroperoxides, protein carbonyl, and percentage DNA fragmentation were significantly (p < .05) lowered by B. ferruginea extract. Overall, the results of this study show that B. ferruginea leaf extract possess ROS scavenging and detoxification potentials.

Is breaking of bad news indeed unacceptable to native Africans? A cross-sectional survey of patients in a Nigerian neurosurgical service.

OBJECTIVES: Breaking of bad news is anecdotally deemed to be culturally unacceptable, even intolerable, to native Africans. We sought whether this hypothesis could be formulated among a cohort of patients who had difficult diagnoses given them in a Nigerian neurosurgical service. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A semi-structured, interviewer-administered questionnaire was used in a cross-sectional survey among a consecutive cohort of patients on their opinion and preferences regarding the full disclosure of the grave prognoses of their difficult neurosurgical diagnoses. RESULTS: A total of 109 patients, 74 (67.9%) males, were sampled over a one-and-half-year period. They were mainly young adults, mean age of 40.2 (SD 14.2) years; more than half of them, 56%, had only basic literacy education, but the majority, 99.1%, declared themselves to have serious religious commitments. Less than 3% of the study participants chose not to receive their medical bad news whilst the majority who preferred to have the full disclosure of their medical diagnosis wanted their relations around during the process in 88%, and indeed, 91% would not be happy to be kept in the dark by their knowing relations. Finally, whilst the majority (98%) did not see the prospects of getting any governmental support, hope in God (88%) and family support (40%) were the means by which they expected to cope with the realities of their new futures. CONCLUSIONS: This data-driven study showed that contrary to anecdotal belief breaking bad news was not intolerable to a cohort of native Nigerian-African patients in a neurosurgical practice.

Parental determinants of offspring head circumference using a sample of patients attending a government hospital in Lagos, Nigeria.

BACKGROUND: Head circumference at birth is an important neonatal parameter in view of its association with perinatal and postnatal morbidity and mortality. It is an indicator of brain volume and a tool for assessing the development of the central nervous system. Being a complex hereditary trait, predicting baby's head circumference from parental anthropometrics could complement the already existing ultrasonographic method of prediction. OBJECTIVE: To identify the parental anthropometric determinants of baby's head circumference in Lagos, Nigeria, using a sample of patients attending a government hospital. METHODS: Parental anthropometric parameters were obtained from 250 couples. The baby's head circumference was measured immediately after birth. The data were subjected to multivariate analysis. RESULTS: The parental variables that were most predictive of babies' head circumference were mid-parental weight, maternal height, maternal weight gain during pregnancy and maternal age. CONCLUSION: Assessment of these parental attributes can complement ultrasonographic data in predicting baby's head circumference for better perinatal outcome.