High Reticulocyte Count with Abnormal Red Blood Cell Morphology in Normal Wistar Rats after Garlic Administration.

Despite the high acceptability of Allium sativa (Garlic) as a remedy for many diseases as earlier stated by manyresearchers, previous studies have shown that chronic and unregulated consumption of garlic may result to intra vascularhaemolytic anaemia in rats. The present study was conducted to examine the effect of crude extract of garlic on microscopicstatus of red blood cells and some other haematological indices of normal albino rats. The animals were grouped into two;group 1 were normal animals treated with water while group 2 were normal animals administered 150mg/kg body weight ofcrude extract of garlic on alternate days for three weeks. At the end of three weeks treatment, blood samples obtained fromthe tail vein of the rats were used for haematological indices and erythrocyte morphology. The values obtained wereexpressed as Mean± SEM and compared using student t test. The results showed that there was no significant difference inthe PCV which was 43.20 ± 0.80% and 45.00 ± 0.36% in both control and experimental groups respectively. However, theRBCs were significantly decreased (P< 0.05) from 166.80 ± 3.44 x106 µL-1 in the control group to 87.80 ± 9.34 x106 µL-1 inthe treatment group. The percentage reticulocyte counts on the other hand significantly increased from 2.60±4.25% in controlgroup to 11.20± 16.4% in treated group. Fragmented RBCs with a lot of schistocytes with adequate platelets were seen onperipheral blood film of crude garlic treated rats as compared to control. Our results suggested intravascular haemolysis andnumerous reticulocytes on blood film confirmed our view on bone marrow response. The presence of schistocytes andacanthocytes may be an indication that the liver is involved in the observed effect.

The effect of aqueous preparation of Allium cepa (onion) and Allium sativa (garlic) on erythrocyte osmotic fragility in Wistar rats: in vivo and in vitro studies.

Allium cepa (onion) and Allium sativa (garlic) are bulbous herbs used as food item, spice and medicine in different parts of the world. The effects of onion and garlic on the osmotic fragility of red blood cells in albino rats were assessed in vivo and in vitro. In the in vivo studies, five albino rats weighing between 150 - 200g composed each of three study groups. Group A were administered 150mg/Kg body weight aqueous onion preparation; Group B 75mg/Kg body weight aqueous onion and 75mg/Kg body weight garlic preparations; and Group C served as the control and were administered distilled water. The treatment regimens were orally administered thrice a week, for a period of four weeks by gavages. The in vitro erythrocyte osmotic fragility was also evaluated in 12 Wistar rats that were not pre-treated with either onion alone or onion and garlic. The animals were divided into three groups. Blood samples from group A rats were treated with 150mg onion while blood from group B rats was treated with 75mg onion and 75mg garlic extracts. Group C served as the control and were treated with normal saline and osmotic fragility assays were carried out. The degree of haemolysis was greater in the treatment group compared to control and the percentage haemolysis was greater in blood samples with onion and garlic compared to the onion group. The same observation was made in the in vitro study, but the degree of haemolysis was significantly higher in in vitro than the in vivo experiments. It is concluded that onion and garlic increase the osmotic fragility of red blood cells in albino rats.

Prevalence of, and attitude towards, needle-stick injuries by Nigerian gynaecological surgeons.

UNLABELLED: Health care workers who have occupational exposure to blood and other potentially infectious materials are at increased risk for acquiring blood-borne infections. The emotional impact of a needle-stick injury can be severe and long lasting, even when a serious infection is not transmitted. OBJECTIVE: To assess the prevalence and attitude towards needle-stick injuries by Nigerian gynaecological surgeons. METHODOLOGY: A cross-sectional study was conducted at the 40th Annual General Meeting and Scientific Conference of the Society of Gynaecology and Obstetrics of Nigeria (SOGON) held in Ibadan, southwest Nigeria from the 23rd to the 26th of November 2005. Data was collected using a self-administered questionnaire. RESULTS: Seventy two questionnaires out ofa hundred administered were finally analysed. Sixty-five (90.3%) respondents had experienced needle-stick injuries in the workplace. This occurred in the majority of cases (86.2%) during suturing. Only 9.2% of those experiencing a needle-stick injury took the correct or appropriate action afterwards. Consultants were not significantly more likely than Residents to take appropriate actions after needle-stick injuries (p > 0.10, X2 = 2.11, 1 df). Fifty-two (80%) of those with needle-stick injuries did not report the incident to the appropriate office. Only 26 (37.1%) of 70 respondents indicated the presence of a needle-stick policy in their centres. CONCLUSION: The prevalence of needle-stick injuries among sampled Nigerian gynaecological surgeons is high. Majority are either unaware or do not take appropriate actions after exposure to hazardous body fluids from needle-stick injuries, either through first-aid steps or post-e4posure prophylaxis. All health institutions should have a working needle-stick policy in their centres, and health care workers continually educated on it.

Domestic violence on pregnant women in Abuja, Nigeria.

Violence against women is a human rights violation, which is increasingly becoming a serious public health issue. When it occurs in pregnant women, victims are recognised to be at higher risk of complications of pregnancy. A cross-sectional questionnaire survey was carried out over a 3-month period from May to July 2005 to document the prevalence, knowledge and perception of domestic violence (DV) on pregnant women attending the antenatal clinic of the National Hospital, Abuja, Nigeria. The mean age of the respondents was 31.5 +/- 4.25 years, with a range of 20 - 42 years. Most (85.2%) had attained tertiary education. While most (92.9%) were aware of DV in pregnancy, 125 women (37.4%) had experienced DV. Psychological abuse ranked highest with 66.4%, while physical and sexual abuse accounted for 23.4% and 10.2% of the group. Of this group, 21.2% required medical treatment as a result of DV, and all were aware of possible pregnancy complications, such as abortion, premature labour and depression. Most (81.9%) of the respondents felt DV was illegal. A majority (29.7%) kept their DV secret with a few numbers reporting to family, doctors, clergy or close friends. With higher educational status, the experience of DV was greater, although this was not statistically significant (p > 0.05). Similarly with increasing parity, although this tended to reverse after parity of 3. The prevalence of DV found in Abuja, the centrally located capital city of Nigeria is higher than that from the study in Zaria, northern Nigeria (28%). This is cause for concern, and points to a rising trend in the northern region of the country although the centres are different. Similarly, the husband/spouse was the most common offender; responsible here for 74.2% of cases. This may give justification to recent calls for paternal educational classes for spouses. Increasing public awareness remains the key, through education and public enlightenment campaigns, with more emphasis on the identified perpetrator class.

Predictors of academic performance in the pre-clinical sciences: effects of age, sex and mode of admission at the Maiduguri Medical School.

The effect of age on admission, sex and mode of admission as correlates of academic performance in the final pre-clinical examination was investigated. Records of 222 medical students covering five academic years (1987-1992) were obtained and matched for each student with the result of the final pre-clinical examinations in Anatomy, Physiology and Biochemistry. Age significantly affected students' performance as those below 20 years and those above 24 years performed better than those with ages between 20 and 24 years. A higher proportion of the male medical students were successful in all the three subjects when compared with females. Medical students admitted through the Joint Matriculation Examination performed better than those admitted through the remedial science and direct entry programmes. The implications of these findings are discussed.