Pattern of Eye Disorders among Inmates of a Nigerian Prison

Aim:To determine the prevalence of eye disorders among the inmates of a Nigerian prison with a view to providing eye health care for the prisoners. Methods: A cross sectional survey of the ocular health status of the prisoners in a Nigerian prison was carried out using a pretested protocol designed for the study. Data was obtained on bio-data as well as anterior and posterior segment examinations. These were analyzed using EPI-INFO version 6.0. Results: Two hundred and sixty-nine (26.8) out of the 1005 prisoners examined had eye disorders. The commonest ocular problems noted were presbyopia (21.5); pterygium (19.3) refractive error (15.6) and allergic conjunctivitis (12.5). One inmate (0.1) was blind; 12 (1.2) had monocular blindness while 5(0.5) had low vision. Cataract was the commonest cause of monocular blindness and also the only cause of bilateral blindness. Conclusion: The prevalent eye diseases in the prison community are similar to the findings in the general population. There is a need to train the staff of the medical clinics in Nigerian prisons as integrated eye health workers to enable them meet the basic eye health needs of the prisoners

Uterotonic properties of the methanol extract of Monechma ciliatum.

The oxytocic activity of the hot methanol extract (HME) of the leaves of Monechma ciliatum was compared with other uterine stimulants like ergometrine, oxytocin, 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT), acetylcholine (ACh) and prostaglandins (PGs) E2 and F2alpha (PGE2 and PGF2alpha) in the presence of some antagonists in an attempt to explain the mechanism of action of the extract. The effects of the reference drugs on uteri isolated from rats pretreated with HME for 2 weeks were also observed. Atropine blocked the effect of ACh and partially blocked those of HME while L-366-948 blocked only the effect of oxytocin. Indomethacin inhibited the effects of HME as well as all the other drugs, except the PGs and ACh. D-600 blocked the effect of all the drugs including HME. Methysergide antagonised only the effect of 5-HT and partially blocked ergometrine. Prolonged treatment altered the uterine musculature and the activity profile of the reference drugs. These results suggest that the HME may be acting by more than one mechanism to contract the uterus and explains the mechanism of the anti-implantation activity of the plant.