Toxicity assessment of sub-acute and sub-chronic oral administration and diuretic potential of aqueous extract of Hibiscus sabdariffa calyces.

BACKGROUND: Food and herbal usage of Hibiscus sabdariffa (HS) is attaining improved global relevance and acceptance without recourse to its potential toxic effects. This study investigated the safety profile of acute, sub-acute, sub-chronic administrations and diuretic potential of aqueous extract of Hibiscus sabdariffa calyces (AEHSC). METHOD: Acute oral toxicity, sub-acute and sub-chronic toxicity as well as diuretic studies were carried out on HS. A total of 20 Wistar rats were used for each toxicity study and assigned into four groups of five rats. The extract was administered as a single daily dose of 125, 250 and 500 mg/kg body weight (bwt) for 28 and 90 days respectively. To evaluate diuretic activity, 25 rats were divided into five groups of five rats and administered normal saline, hydrochlorothiazide 10 mg/kg, AEHSC 67.5, 125 and 250 mg/kg via the oral route. Urine sample was collected after 18 h, volume measured and concentration of electrolytes analyzed. The hematological and biochemical parameters were evaluated as well as the histopathology of kidney and liver. RESULTS: The acute oral toxicity was found to be >2000 mg/kg. AEHSC did not alter concentration of WBC, MCV, MCHC, lymphocyte as well as total and direct bilirubin in the sub-acute study. However, AEHSC significantly (p < 0.05) increased total protein, albumin, globulin, Na+, Cl-, HCO3 - and platelet levels, while levels of uric acid, creatinine, K+, RBC, Hb, total cholesterol, triglycerides, LDL-C, HDL-C and atherogenic index were decreased significantly (p < 0.05). In the sub-chronic study, AEHSC significantly (p < 0.05) increased the levels of globulin, urea, creatinine, MCH and atherogenic index. The concentrations of uric acid, WBC, platelets and HDL-C were significantly (p < 0.05) decreased. In both the sub-acute and sub-chronic studies, activities of ALP, ALT, AST, GGT and LDH in selected organs were altered without significant increase (P < 0.05) in activity of these enzymes in the serum. The AEHSC at all the doses showed remarkable diuretic activity during 18 h period comparable to hydrochlorothiazide. The extract also showed a non-dose-dependent increase in excretion of electrolytes. Histological analysis of sections of the liver and kidney for both sub-acute and sub-chronic studies showed normal histology comparable to the control group. CONCLUSION: This study revealed AEHSC has some toxic effects in rats on sub-chronic administration. In addition, the extracts produced a significant diuretic activity. Hence, prolonged oral consumption of the extract may not be recommended.

Students' perceptions of their learning environment at the College of Medicine, University of Ilorin, Southwest, Nigeria.

BACKGROUND: Quality of medical school graduates is influenced by cumulative effect of their learning environment. Measurement of such environment at the University of Ilorin, Nigeria was done by evaluating Students' perception using the DREEM questionnaires, with a view to improving the quality of medical education. METHODS: DREEM questionnaire was applied to second, third, fourth and fifth year medical students, for assessment of the various aspects of effective educational environment. Responses were analyzed using SPSS software version 19. RESULTS: One hundred and eighty students (66.2%) were males and 92 (33.8%) females. The mean age was 21.2 years ± 2.5 with 83 (30.5%) students in second year of study, 68 (25.0%) in third year, 80 (29.4%) in fourth year and 41 (15.1%) in fifth year. Mean global perception score was 108.4 / 200 points (54.2%) and this was not affected by sex, age and year of study. Scores for "Students' Perception of Learning" (SPL) and "Students' Academic Self Perceptions" (SASP) were 28.0/48 (58.8%) and 21.8/32 (68.1%) respectively. Three key areas are in need of attention; "Students' Perception of Course Organizers" (SPCO) (22.0/44, 50.0%), "Students' Perception of Atmosphere" (SPA) (23.8/48, 49.6%) and "Students' Social Self Perceptions" (SSSP) (12.8/28, 45.7%). The SSSP score was significantly higher in males (13.18) than in females (12.06) (p=0.02; p < 0.05), and in second (13.38) and third year (13.55) students compared to fourth year (12.16) and fifth year (11.76) (p=0.003). CONCLUSION: Improvement in some aspect of teaching, atmosphere and social factors could be of further benefit to the students.

Clinico-pathological pattern of nasopharyngeal carcinoma in Ilorin, Nigeria.

BACKGROUND: Nasopharyngeal carcinoma is an uncommon tumour in Nigeria but the burden of the disease in terms of morbidity and mortality is very high. AIM: The aim of the study was to document the clinic-pathological characteristics of nasopharyngeal carcinoma in Ilorin, North central Nigeria. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This was a retrospective review of all patients seen in ENT department, University of Ilorin Teaching Hospital with the diagnosis of nasopharyngeal carcinoma between January 1 st 1999 and December 31st,2008. The patient's biodata, clinical presentation and histopathological findings are presented. The histopathological diagnosis was in accordance with the 1991 WHO classification. RESULTS: A total of 30 patients with histologically confirmed nasopharyngeal carcinoma seen during the study period accounted for 2% of the total cancers recorded in Ilorin cancer registry. There were 20 males and 10 females with a mean age of 48.7 ± 15.9 years. The commonest presenting complaint was cervical lymphadenopathy in 96.7% of patients followed by epistaxis (66.7%) and hearing loss (66.7%). Identifiable risk factors included regular intake of ungutted salted smoked fish (76.7%) and tobacco use (23.3%) with some having both risk factors. Histologically, undifferentiated carcinoma was the commonest (70%) followed by well-differentiated keratinizing squamous cell carcinoma (20%) and differentiated nonkeratinizing squamous cell carcinoma (10%). CONCLUSION: Undifferentiated carcinoma was the commonest type of nasopharyngeal carcinoma reported from this study especially among males in the 4th and 5th decades of life. Identifiable risk factors included consumption of ungutted salted smoked fish with tobaccon usage. diagnosis with effective referral system and easy access to radiotherapy would improve the survival outcome in patients with the disease.

Clinico-Pathological Pattern of Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma in Ilorin, Nigeria

Nasopharyngeal carcinoma is an uncommon tumour in Nigeria but the burden of the disease in terms of morbidity and mortality is very high. The aim of the study was to document the clinic-pathological characteristics of nasopharyngeal carcinoma in Ilorin, North central Nigeria. This was a retrospective review of all patients seen in ENT department, University of Ilorin Teaching Hospital with the diagnosis of nasopharyngeal carcinoma between January 1st 1999 and December 31st,2008. The patient's biodata, clinical presentation and histopathological findings are presented. The histopathological diagnosis was in accordance with the 1991 WHO classification. A total of 30 patients with histologically confirmed nasopharyngeal carcinoma seen during the study period accounted for 2% of the total cancers recorded in Ilorin cancer registry. There were 20 males and 10 females with a mean age of 48.7 ± 15.9 years. The commonest presenting complaint was cervical lymphadenopathy in 96.7% of patients followed by epistaxis (66.7%) and hearing loss (66.7%). Identifiable risk factors included regular intake of ungutted salted smoked fish (76.7%) and tobacco use (23.3%) with some having both risk factors. Histologically, undifferentiated carcinoma was the commonest (70%) followed by welldifferentiated keratinizing squamous cell carcinoma (20%) and differentiated nonkeratinizing squamous cell carcinoma (10%).Undifferentiated carcinoma was the commonest type of nasopharyngeal carcinoma reported from this study especially among males in the 4th and 5th decades of life. Identifiable risk factors included consumption of ungutted salted smoked fish with tobaccon usage. Early diagnosis with effective referral system and easy access to radiotherapy would improve the survival outcome in patients with the disease

Differential in vitro activity of anidulafungin, caspofungin and micafungin against Candida parapsilosis isolates recovered from a burn unit.

Recent studies suggest that differences in antifungal activity among echinocandins may exist. In this study, the activities of three echinocandins (anidulafungin, caspofungin, and micafungin) against Candida parapsilosis isolates from burn unit patients, healthcare workers and the hospital environment were determined. Additionally, the effect of these echinocandins on the cell morphology of caspofungin-susceptible and caspofungin-non-susceptible isolates was assessed using scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The C. parapsilosis isolates obtained from patients were susceptible to anidulafungin, but were less so to caspofungin and micafungin. Isolates obtained from healthcare workers or environmental sources were susceptible to all antifungals. SEM data demonstrated that although anidulafungin and caspofungin were equally active against a caspofungin-susceptible C. parapsilosis strain, they differed in their ability to damage a caspofungin-non-susceptible strain, for which lower concentrations of anidulafungin (1 mg/L) than of caspofungin (16 mg/L) were needed to induce cellular damage and distortion of the cellular morphology. To determine whether the difference in the antifungal susceptibility of C. parapsilosis isolates to anidulafungin as compared to the other two echinocandins could be due to different mutations in the FKS1 gene, the sequences of the 493-bp region of this gene associated with echinocandin resistance were compared. No differences in the corresponding amino acid sequences were observed, indicating that differences in activity between anidulafungin and the other echinocandins are not related to mutations in this region. The results of this study provide evidence that differences exist between the activities of anidulafungin and the other echinocandins.

Conjunctival Kaposi's sarcoma in HIV-positive heterosexual Nigerian woman--a case report.

BACKGROUND: Neoplastic conditions are increasingly been encountered in HIV/AIDS patients. Till date only two cases of conjunctiva Kaposi sarcoma (KS) have been reported in the background of HIV and both in males. OBJECTIVE: To present a 27-year-old African woman with histologically proven conjunctival KS and marked CD4+ cell depletion and to reinforce the fact that KS is an important differential of conjunctival tumour especially in the background of immunosupression in Africa. METHODS: A 27-year-old housewife, presented to the hospital with a three-month history of a rapidly growing tumour attached to the right upper eyelid, cough and weight loss. Patient was given full workup including x-rays, HIV status determination and histological assessment. RESULTS: She was markedly wasted, with widespread pruritic papular skin lesion, and florid oropharyngeal candidiasis. Clinical and chest x-ray findings were suggestive of bilateral lower lobar pneumonia. Screening and confirmatory tests were positive for human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) with CD4+ lymphocyte cell count of 120 cells/ml. Histologic report of the biopsy revealed the mass to be a conjunctival KS. Patient was subsequently commenced on antibiotics and antiretroviral combination therapy. The mass had regressed in size considerably along with improvement in her clinical condition at six months review. She is still being followed up at the medical clinic. CONCLUSION: This is the first reported case of conjunctival KS in an HIV positive African woman. KS should be considered as a possible differential of conjunctiva mass, especially if the patient is HIV positive irrespective of patient's gender.

Clinico-pathological patterns of squamous cell carcinoma in Nigeria.

Squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) is the second most common form of skin cancer and frequently arises in the sun-exposed skin of middle-aged and elderly individuals. We retrospectively reviewed 443 patients managed for SCC (cutaneous and non-cutaneous) in our hospital from January 1979 to December 2002. The age distribution showed peak incidence between fourth and sixth decades of life. The duration of symptoms ranged from 6 months to 552 months (standard deviation [SD] = 54.29), while the head and neck region was the most common site of cutaneous SCC. SCC is not rare in our environment. Patients with skin lesions are advised to present early to their physician for early diagnosis and appropriate treatment.

Malignant skin tumor in Blacks: experience in a teaching hospital.

BACKGROUND: Basal Cell Carcinoma (BCC) is said to be the most common human skin malignancy. Its common presentation is in a Caucasian male older than 60 years, and patients could present with multiple co-existing tumors. METHODS: We retrospectively review 146 patients treated for skin tumors in our tertiary hospital from January 1979 to December 2002. Cases notes and histopathology report cards of the patients were the source where information on individual patients was extracted. Patients treated for cutaneous melanoma were excluded from the study. RESULTS: This study showed that Squamous Cell Carcinoma (SCC) is the most common non melanomatous skin tumor in our environment. The study revealed only 8 (5.5%) cases of basal cell carcinoma which is in contrast to what is obtained in the Europe and North America. CONCLUSION: Unlike in the Caucasians, squamous cell carcinoma is the most common non-melanomatous skin tumor in our environment. Most of our cases resulted from chronic leg ulcers secondary to poorly treated traumatic ulcers while others are due to chronic burn scar. The tumor is usually more aggressive and more prone to metastasis resulting in severe morbidity and sometimes loss of limb in the affected patient.

Surgical lymph node biopsies in University of Ilorin Teaching Hospital, Ilorin, Nigeria.

BACKGROUND: To determine the diagnostic value of lymph-node biopsy, commonest causes of lymph node enlargement requiring biopsy and the usual nodes involved. METHODS: A retrospective study of 169 lymph node biopsies representing 97% of lymph node biopsies and 3.2% of total biopsies specimen received at Pathology Department of University of Ilorin Teaching Hospital Ilorin, Nigeria over a 5 year period was undertaken. RESULTS: Tuberculous lymphadenitis (38%) and metastatic nodal involvement (25%) were the commonest causes of lymph node enlargement. Generalised lymphadenopathy occurred in 105 (62%) patients while localised enlargement was seen in 64{38%) of cases. The commonest sites of localised lymphadenopathy were axillary (38%), cervical (32%), inguinal (8%), and submandibular (8%). While axillary lymph node enlargements were mostly associated with tumour metastasis, cervical node enlargements were mostly associated with tuberculosis. Supraclavicular lymphadenopathy has the highest risk of malignancy. CONCLUSION: The result shows that tuberculous lymphadenitis and metastatic nodal malignancies are the commonest causes of lymph node enlargement in our environment. Reasons for this include the often involvement of lymph nodes in tuberculous infections {as lymphadenitis constituted the most frequent form of extra pulmonary tuberculosis} and cancer's metastasis. With an effective and nationwide immunisation against tuberculosis, health education on HIV infection coupled with early screening and detection of malignancies in generals, we hope this trend will change in the future. Lymph node biopsy remains an important and valuable diagnostic tool in evaluation of lymph node enlargement as it allows for the architecture of the gland to be viewed thereby given an accurate and concise diagnosis with very minimal risk to the patient.

Intraorbital tuberculosis: a case report.

A 75-year-old woman presented at the eye clinic of the University of llorin Teaching Hospital with swelling of the left eyelids and protrusion of the left eyeball. The swelling was painless. Physical examination revealed no systemic abnormality. An incisional biopsy of the lid swelling revealed tuberculous orbital involvement. She responded well to anti-tuberculosis therapy, with regression of the lid swelling and proptosis. The importance of including intraorbital tuberculosis as a differential of orbital swelling in the environment is emphasised.

Cancer of the cervix in Ilorin, Nigeria.

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study is to review our experience with carcinoma of the cervix in Ilorin, Nigeria. METHOD: From 1st January 1990 to 31st December 1999, a total of 169 cases of invasive cervical cancer wereseen at the Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology of the University of Ilorin Teaching Hospital, Ilorin, Nigeria. RESULTS: Carcinoma of the cervix accounted for 63.1 % of histologically confirmed gynaecological cancers. Most of the patients were married 147 (98.7 %) and of low socio-economic status 132 (88.6%). One hundred and three (89.1 %) patients were in the age bracket 40-69 years with highest frequency in 40-49 years age group. The disease is associated with high parity with grandmultiparous patients constituting 119 (79.9 %) of the cases. Irregular vaginal bleeding 109 (73.2 %), vaginal discharge 58 (38.9%) and postcoital bleeding 31(20.5%) were the common symptoms. Nineteen (12.8%) patients reported at the hospital within one month of onset of symptoms. About three quarter ofthe patients had advanced disease and stage III disease was the most common stage 75 (50.4 %). CONCLUSION: This study has shown a high incidence of carcinoma ofcervix at the University of Ilorin Teaching Hospital.