ABSTRACT
INTRODUCTION: Use of ionizing radiation in medical imaging for diagnostic and interventional purposes has risen dramatically in recent years with a concomitant increase in exposure of patients and health workers to radiation hazards. AIM: To assess the knowledge of radiation hazards, radiation protection practices and clinical profile of health workers in UDUTH, Sokoto, Nigeria. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted among 110 Radiology, Radiotherapy and Dentistry staff selected by universal sampling technique. The study comprised of administration of standardized semi-structured pre-tested questionnaire (to obtain information on socio-demographic characteristics, knowledge of radiation hazards, and radiation protection practices of participants), clinical assessment (comprising of chest X-ray, abdominal ultrasound and laboratory investigation on hematological parameters), and evaluation of radiation exposure of participants (extracted from existing hospital records on their radiation exposure status). RESULTS: The participants were aged 20 to 65 years (mean = 34.04 ± 8.83), most of them were males (67.3%) and married (65.7%). Sixty five (59.1%) had good knowledge of radiation hazards, 58 (52.7%) had good knowledge of Personal Protective Devices (PPDs), less than a third, 30 (27.3%) consistently wore dosimeter, and very few (10.9% and below) consistently wore the various PPDs at work. The average annual radiation exposure over a 4 year period ranged from 0.0475mSv to 1.8725mSv. Only 1 (1.2%) of 86 participants had abnormal chest X-ray findings, 8 (9.4%) of 85 participants had abnormal abdominal ultrasound findings; while 17 (15.5%) and 11 (10.0%) of 110 participants had anemia and leucopenia respectively. CONCLUSION: This study demonstrated poor radiation protection practices despite good knowledge of radiation hazards among the participants, but radiation exposure and prevalence of abnormal clinical conditions were found to be low. Periodic in-service training and monitoring on radiation safety was suggested.
ABSTRACT
Androgens which are relatively cheap were used in the treatment of anaemia in dialysis patients before the advent of Erythropoietin (EPO). However, there are concerns about their efficacy and side effects. Aims. To examine the efficacy and harms of androgens for the treatment of anaemia of chronic kidney disease (CKD) compared to EPO. Settings and Design. A systematic review and meta-analysis using an a priori protocol. Methods and Materials. We searched several databases for randomized controlled trials using the key terms anaemia, chronic kidney disease, and androgens, without language restrictions. We also searched reference lists of relevant articles. Statistical Analysis Used. Data was analyzed using Review manger 5 software. We summarized treatment effects as relative risks and mean differences, with 95% confidence intervals using a random-effect model. We tested for heterogeneity with Chi(2) and the I(2) statistics. Results. We identified four eligible trials involving 114 participants, majority (83.33%) of whom were males, mostly over 50 years of age. The pooled difference in mean haemoglobin between the nandrolone and EPO arms at the end of the trials was -0.11 (CI -0.80 to 0.58) which is not statistically significant. Conclusions. This meta-analysis revealed no difference between nandrolone and EPO for the treatment of anaemia of CKD in men over 50 years. Therefore, nandrolone can be used for the treatment of anaemia of CKD in this category of patients, in resource-limited countries. However, further studies are needed to determine the long-term safety of nandrolone in men over 50 years old, as well as its effectiveness and safety in females in general, and males less than 50 years of age.
ABSTRACT
OBJECTIVE: This study was undertaken to determine the baseline pelvic parameters as assessed by computed tomographic (CT) pelvimetry in Nigerian women and to compare the pelvic parameters with those derived from other studies. DESIGN: The study was carried out in pregnant women at 36 weeks and above referred for routine CT-pelvimetry. SUBJECT: A total of 100 pregnant women at 36 weeks and above referred to the Radiology Department were prospectively recruited for this study, they included women with breech presentation after 36 weeks gestation and women who either had previous lower segment caesarean section for reasons other than confirmed or suspected cephalopelvic disproportion (CPD). The subjects' ages ranged from 24-45 years. RESULTS: The mean anteroposterior and transverse inlet pelvic diameters were 11.6 cm +/-SD 0.9 and 12.0 +/-SD 0.8 cm respectively. The range of anteroposterior and transverse diameters of the inlet were 8.4 cm-14.0 cm and 10-13.8 cm respectively. The mean outlet diameter was 11.5 cm +/-SD 1.2 cm. The mean bispinous diameter of the pelvis was 10.6 cm +/-SD 0.9 cm. There was significant positive correlation between anteroposterior diameter inlet and outlet as well as the bispinous diameters (1st, 4th - 6th pairs) p<0.001. CONCLUSION: here are significant variations in pelvic parameters of Nigerian women when compared with values from other countries of the world. These significant variations are anthropometric in origin.
