Normal Diameters of Extraocular Muscles: A Nigerian Retrospective Study.

BACKGROUND: The thickness of extraocular muscles (EOMs) is important in the management of several conditions associated with EOM enlargement. This study determined the normative values of EOM diameters in adult patients seen at a teaching hospital in Nigeria. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The study measured the thickness of the EOMs and the interzygomatic line (IZL) on brain images of 300 patients with non-orbital conditions (150 computed tomography [CT] and 150 magnetic resonance imaging [MRI]) archived in the radiological database of Delta State University Hospital, Nigeria, after ethical clearance. The Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (version 23) was used to obtain descriptive statistics and further compare the variables based on gender, age groups and laterality. The association between parameters was tested using Pearson's correlation test. A probability value of <5% was considered significant. RESULTS: The thickest muscles were the medial rectus (0.42 ± 0.08 cm) and superior muscle group (0.42 ± 0.33 cm) on CT and the inferior rectus (0.40 ± 0.08 cm) on MRI. The diameters were symmetrical with sexual dimorphism in the superior muscle group on CT, medial and lateral recti on MRI and sum of all EOMs on both imaging groups (P < 0.05). The superior muscle group and the sum of all EOMs showed significant age group variations and a positive correlation with age. We noted a positive correlation between each EOM diameter and the sum of all EOMs besides the IZL (P < 0.05). CONCLUSION: This study offers normative data regarding EOMs that radiologists and ophthalmologists can use to diagnose disease conditions that cause EOM enlargement and further assess their response to treatment.

Variations of the Nasal Septum in Adult Nigerians: Computed Tomography Study

Abstract Introduction The morphological variants of the nasal septum have been implicated in sinus pathology and pose a challenge during endoscopic surgeries. Objectives The present study aimed at evaluating the prevalence of nasal septum variants in adult Nigerians. Methods The present study was performed at the Radiology Department of Delta State University Teaching Hospital, Nigeria, following ethical approval. Brain computed tomography (CT) scan images of 336 adults were evaluated for nasal septum variants. The angle of the deviated nasal septum was measured, and the severity was classified. Data were analyzed using IBM SPSS Statistics for Windows, version 23.0 (IBM Corp., Armonk, NY, USA). The angle of deviation was presented in means and standard deviation. Frequencies of the variants were presented in percentages. The Student t-test was used to compare the angle of deviation, while the chi-squared test was used to compare the frequencies in the different groups. A p-value < 0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results The prevalence of straight and deviated nasal septum was 59.5% and 40.5%, respectively. Deviation was predominant in females (46%) and, more frequently, of moderate severity (75%). The angle of deviation was significantly larger in males (12.55 ± 2.99°) than in females (11.13 ± 2.41°;p = 0.003). Nasal spur had a prevalence of 11.9%, and its coexistence with deviated nasal septum was observed in 5.06%. Septal pneumatization was seen in 10 patients (3%). Conclusions Deviation of the nasal septum occurred more in females and toward the left; however, the angle of deviation was significantly higher in males. Nasal septal spur and pneumatization were the least prevalent variants.

Variations of the Nasal Septum in Adult Nigerians: Computed Tomography Study.

Introduction The morphological variants of the nasal septum have been implicated in sinus pathology and pose a challenge during endoscopic surgeries. Objective The present study aimed at evaluating the prevalence of nasal septum variants in adult Nigerians. Methods The present study was performed at the Radiology Department of Delta State University Teaching Hospital, Nigeria, following ethical approval. Brain computed tomography (CT) scan images of 336 adults were evaluated for nasal septum variants. The angle of the deviated nasal septum was measured, and the severity was classified. Data were analyzed using IBM SPSS Statistics for Windows, version 23.0 (IBM Corp., Armonk, NY, USA). The angle of deviation was presented in means and standard deviation. Frequencies of the variants were presented in percentages. The Student t -test was used to compare the angle of deviation, while the chi-squared test was used to compare the frequencies in the different groups. A p-value < 0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results The prevalence of straight and deviated nasal septum was 59.5% and 40.5%, respectively. Deviation was predominant in females (46%) and, more frequently, of moderate severity (75%). The angle of deviation was significantly larger in males (12.55 ± 2.99°) than in females (11.13 ± 2.41°; p = 0.003). Nasal spur had a prevalence of 11.9%, and its coexistence with deviated nasal septum was observed in 5.06%. Septal pneumatization was seen in 10 patients (3%). Conclusion Deviation of the nasal septum occurred more in females and toward the left; however, the angle of deviation was significantly higher in males. Nasal septal spur and pneumatization were the least prevalent variants.

Impact of Covid-19 on the Mental Health of Delta State University students, Nigeria.

BACKGROUND AND AIM OF THE WORK: The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has led to a substantial psychological burden among students. This study aimed at evaluating the impact of the COVID-19 on the mental health of university students and determining the prevalence of anxiety and depression. METHODS: This cross-sectional descriptive study utilized an online questionnaire sent to students in the Faculty of Basic Medical Sciences, Delta State University after ethical approval. The Generalized Anxiety and Disorder Scale-7 (GAD-7) and Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9) scores were analyzed using the Statistical Package of Social Sciences and expressed using descriptive statistics and percentages. An independent t-test was used to determine the gender differences in the GAD-7 and PHQ-9 scores while Pearson's correlation was used to establish a relationship between these scores with age. RESULTS: The 259 respondents comprised 118, 45.6% males and 141, 54.4% females with an average age of 21.50±2.04 years. The majority (149, 57.5%) were aged 21-25 years. The scores did not show significant differences in age and gender. Moderate to severe anxiety and depression was established in 22.4% and 28.2% of the respondents respectively. CONCLUSION: This study has shown that the prevalence of anxiety and depression due to the pandemic bears no relationship with age and gender. This is however different from previous reports due to the differences in the sample size, resource setting, timing of the study, and the courses the students studied.

Variant neurovascular relations of the sphenoid sinus in adult Nigerians.

BACKGROUND: With the advent of endoscopic sinus surgery, the variant neurovascular relations of the sphenoid sinus are important to surgeons to minimise the iatrogenic complications. This study elucidates the variant neurovascular relations of the sphenoid sinus in adult Nigerians. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This study was conducted at the Radiology Department of Delta State University Teaching Hospital after institutional approval. Brain computed tomography images of 336 patients, aged ≥20 years and spanning over 5 years' duration were utilised. We evaluated the sphenoid sinus for protrusion and dehiscence of neurovascular structures bilaterally. The position of the optic nerve in relation to the sinus was classified from Type 0-4. The Statistical Package for the Social Sciences software version 23 was used for the data analysis. The Chi-square test was used to probe for the association between the variants with regard to side and gender. P < 0.05 was considered statistically significant. RESULTS: Dehiscence and protrusion of the internal carotid artery (ICA) occurred in 34, 10.1% and 83, 24.7% patients correspondingly. The dehiscence of optic, maxillary and Vidian nerves was (26, 7.7%), (60, 17.9%), and (53, 15.8%), whereas the frequency of their protrusion was (50, 14.9%), (76, 22.6%) and (87, 25.9%), respectively. All these variants except the ICA and maxillary nerve dehiscence showed a significant association with the side of occurrence (P = 0.001). Out of the 672 optic canals evaluated bilaterally, a preponderance of Type I (534, 79.5%) was observed followed by II (96, 14.3%), IV (35,5.2%), III (7, 1.0%) and Type 0 (0, 0%). CONCLUSION: Our study has shown that the neurovascular relations of the sphenoid sinus vary from previously documented reports, thus confirming the need for pre-operative evaluation.

Histological effects of chronic administration of efavirenz on lateral geniculate body of adult Wistar rats.

BACKGROUND: The effects of chronic administration of efavirenz commonly used as part of highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) for the treatment of Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) type-1 on the weight of the brain and inferior colliculus of adult Wistar rats was carefully studied. METHODS AND MATERIALS: The rats of both sexes (n = 24), with average weight of 200g were randomly assigned into two treatment (A & B) (n=16) and Control (c) (n=8) groups. The rats in the treatment group received 600mg/70kg bogy weight of efavirenz dissolved in distilled water daily for 30days through the orogastric tube. The control group received equal volume of distilled through the same route. All rats were fed with grower's mash and given water liberally. The rats were sacrificed by cervical dislocation method on the thirty-first day of the experiment and the lateral geniculate body was carefully dissected out and quickly fixed in 10% formal saline for histological study. RESULTS: The findings indicate that rats in the treated group showed some cellular degenerative changes like sparse cellular population, pyknotic nuclei with some microcystic changes and edema in the stroma of the lateral geniculate body as compared to the control group. CONCLUSION: Chronic administration of efavirenz may have an adverse effect on the visual sensibilities by affecting the microanatomy of the lateral geniculate body of adult Wistar rats. It is recommended that further studies aimed at corroborating these observations be carried out.