Sex hormone-binding globulin is a valuable diagnostic indicator of gestational diabetes mellitus.

Objective: To assess the performance of the Sex Hormone-Binding Globulin (SHBG) assay as a diagnostic indicator of Gestational Diabetes Mellitus (GDM) in the study population. Design: Analytical cross-sectional study. Setting: Hospital-based, Benue State University Teaching Hospital (BSUTH), Makurdi, Nigeria. Participants: Women with singleton pregnancies at 24 to 28 weeks gestational age attending Antenatal care at BSUTH, Makurdi. Intervention: Serum SHBG levels were assayed by ELISA during a diagnostic 75-gram Oral Glucose Tolerance Test (OGTT) for assessment of GDM in the cohort of consecutively selected participants who met the inclusion criteria. Main Outcome Measures: Serum levels of SHBG and presence of GDM in the participants. Result: Serum SHBG was significantly negatively correlated (rpb = - 0.534, p-value < 0.001) with the presence of GDM. It had an area under the ROC curve of 0.897 (95% Confidence Interval = 0.858-0.935; p-value < 0.001). A cut-off value of 452.0 nmol/L indicative of GDM had a diagnostic odds ratio of 21.4 in the study population. Conclusion: SHBG is a valuable diagnostic indicator for GDM in the study population. Funding: None declared.

A review of the possible prognostic values of biochemical changes in patients with SARS-CoV-2 infections

Because of high mortality and long-term hospital stay among patients with SARS-CoV-2 infections, it is important to search for biochemical changes in different organs and systems that could be useful in diagnosis and prognosis of COVID-19. We conducted a literature search of online databases including PubMed, Web of Science, Scopus and Google scholar for relevant materials on biochemical changes in SARS-COV-2 infections published between December 2019 and March 2021. The review shows that SARS-COV-2 uses the angiotensin converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) for attachment and entry into host cells. These ACE2 are abundantly expressed by the epithelial cells of the respiratory tract and moderately expressed by the epithelial cells of the esophagus, stomach, duodenum, ileum, rectum, cholangiocytes, liver hepatocytes, pancreatic beta cells, and kidney tubular cells. This explains the systemic nature of SARS-COV-2 infection, and the high morbidity and mortality associated with COVID-19. Although, tests to assess biochemical changes are not specific enough for the diagnosis of SARS-CoV-2 infection, they may be useful for predicting outcome of COVID-19. This review highlights biochemical parameters that are significantly elevated or reduced in SARS-COV-2 infections, and which can be used as predictive factors of the severity and prognosis in COVID-19 patients.

The response to re-emergence of yellow fever in Nigeria, 2017.

Yellow fever (YF) is an acute viral hemorrhagic disease caused by the YF virus (arbovirus) which continues to cause severe morbidity and mortality in Africa. A case of YF was confirmed in Nigeria on the 12th of September 2017, 21 years after the last confirmed case. The patient belongs to a nomadic population with a history of low YF vaccination uptake, in the Ifelodun Local Government Area (LGA) of Kwara State, Nigeria. An active case search in Ifelodun and its five contiguous LGAs led to the listing of 55 additional suspect cases of YF within the period of the outbreak investigation between September 18 to October 6, 2017. The median age of cases was 15 years, and 54.4% were males. Of these, blood samples were collected from 30 cases; nine tested positive in laboratories in Nigeria and six were confirmed positive for YF by the WHO reference laboratory in the region; Institut Pasteur, Dakar. A rapid YF vaccination coverage assessment was carried out, resulting in a coverage of 46% in the LGAs, with 25% of cases able to produce their vaccination cards. All stages of the yellow fever vector, Aedes mosquito were identified in the area, with high larval indices (House and Breteau) observed. In response to the outbreak, YF surveillance was intensified across all States in Nigeria, as well as reactive vaccination and social mobilisation campaigns carried out in the affected LGAs in Kwara State. A state-wide YF preventive campaign was also initiated.

Caractéristiques cliniques de la bronchopneumopathie chronique obstructive à l'Hopital d'Instruction des Armées Omar Bongo Ondimba

Il s'agit d'une étude rétrospective menée sur cinq ans à l'hôpital d'instruction des armées Omar Bongo Ondimba au cours de laquelle nous avons obtenu les résultats suivants : une prévalence de 0,78.Une prédominance masculine (68,9%), avec un âge moyen de 66 ans chez des patients présentant des co-morbidités à type de diabète (6,6%) et d'HTA (36,34%). La majorité des patients était des sans-emploi (31,45%). Les antécédents tabagiques (principale étiologie) étaient retrouvés dans 85% des cas avec 70% de fumeurs actifs et une consommation moyenne de 24±18 paquets/année.Le motif de consultation le plus fréquent était la dyspnée (50,8%) alors que le facteur favorisant prédominant était le tabac (83,6%). Mais les infections (surtout tuberculeuse) vienaient en seconde position (9,84%). L'anomalie radiologique la plus fréquente était l'emphysème centro lobulaire (30,51%). Les patients étaient pour la plupart au stade II (57,4%). Ils avaient quasiment tous bénéficié de beta 2 mimétiques (95,08%) et de corticothérapie inhalées (91,80%).La BPCO est une maladie chronique évolutive dont la principale cause reste le tabac (surtout en Occident). Mais la pollution et les infections post tuberculeuses ne doivent pas être négligées dans les pays en voie de développement. Ceci nécessite de la part des pouvoirs publics une mobilisation des ressources humaines et financières avec intégration de la BPCO dans le programme de santé publique. Le dépistage (peak Flow dans les salles de consultation) et la prise en charge des patients doivent être assurés. Il faut élaborer un cadre législatif anti-tabac et renforcer les moyens préventifs et thérapeutiques de la lutte contre la tuberculose

Psychiatric morbidity in two urban communities in Nigeria.

BACKGROUND: There is a welter of evidence for an inverse relationship between socio-economic status (SES) and mental health. The relationship is grossly under researched in the developing countries. OBJECTIVE: To ascertain rates of gross psychiatric morbidity and some demographic correlations in two communities with different socio-economic standards. DESIGN: A cross-sectional community based study. SUBJECTS: Random samples of two socio-economically dissimilar communities (N1 = 189, N2 = 148) were assessed for psychiatric morbidity. RESULTS: Rates of psychiatric morbidity obtained for the lower status community (Ajegunle) and the higher status community (Victoria Island/Ikoyi) on the GHQ-12 were 26.5 and 14.2 respectively and the corresponding figures on the SRQ (non-psychosis) were 41.8 and 18.2 and on the SRQ (psychosis) 61.5 and 31.7. A large number of positive socio-demographic correlations between cases and non-cases were obtained on SRQ and GHQ-12 in both communities. Family history of psychiatric illness significantly differentiates cases from non-cases on all measures of morbidity. CONCLUSION: The socio-economic inequality demonstrated should be minimised by evolving a social welfare policy in Nigeria and other developing countries that is responsive to the survival needs of the populace and ensures equitable distribution of resources across socio-economic strata. There is dire need for further research into the complex bearings of the link between social status and psychological wellness in the developing world.