Determination of Serum Prostate Specific Antigen Levels Amongst Apparently Healthy Nigerian Males in a University and University Hospital Community in the Federal Capital Territory.

BACKGROUND: Prostate cancer is the commonest cancer among men worldwide and serum prostate specific antigen (PSA) has remained the most commonly applied screening test for the disease till date. Current PSA test results guidelines in our population are informed by reference intervals derived from studies from Caucasians and other racial groups. With scanty data on PSA reference values from our local population, this study evaluated the serum PSA levels of apparently healthy Nigerian male subjects in whom prostate cancer and urinary tract infection have been excluded. METHOD: This study had participants aged 40 to 70 years, with no lower urinary tract symptoms or other symptoms suggestive of prostate disease recruited from the male staff population of the University of Abuja and University of Abuja Teaching Hospital and the adjoining local community. They were physically examined, had prostate ultrasonography, urine analysis, and blood sample collected for PSA testing. Data collected was analyzed using Statistical Package for Social Science (SPSS) version 24. RESULT: Of a total of 210 men who participated in the study, 191 eventually met the inclusion criteria. The average age was 52.9 years, ninety seven percent of them had heard of prostate cancer before now. The mean total PSA was 1.46 ng/mL (SD +/-1.55), while the reference interval was .23-5.60 ng/mL. The average prostate size was 41.8 mL (SD+/-20.11), and there was a positive correlation between the PSA and the prostate size (.418) as well as the age of the subjects (.446). There was no significant difference in the mean PSA value for those with or without family history of prostate cancer (P=.979). CONCLUSION: The reference range of PSA in Nigeria is higher than in other races, hence utilizing a local value in decision making would help to reduce unnecessary invasive procedures.

Short versus Long-Term Antibiotic Prophylaxis in Cesarean Section: A Randomized Clinical Trial.

OBJECTIVE: The objective of the present study was to compare the efficacy of intravenous (IV) 48 h course of cefuroxime/metronidazole with long-term course using 48 h cefuroxime/metronidazole plus 5 days oral regimen of cefuroxime and metronidazole for the prevention of post cesarean section wound infection. METHODS: Two hundred and forty-eight women were randomized into two equal groups. Women in each arm of the study received IV cefuroxime 750 mg twelve hourly and IV metronidazole 400 mg eight hourly for 48 h. Those in the long-term arm received additional tablets of cefuroxime 500 mg twelve hourly and Tabs 400 mg of metronidazole eight hourly for 5 days. After the surgery, surgical site infections were evaluated. Length of hospital stay and the cost of antibiotics were also assessed. RESULTS: The wound infection rate was not statistically significantly different between the 2 groups (1.3% vs. 3.3%, P = 0.136). The incidence of endometritis was 2.1%, with no statistically significant difference seen between the two groups (0.4% vs. 1.6%, P = 0.213). Escherichia coli was the most common isolate seen in 36.4% of infected wounds. The short arm group stayed for significantly shorter days in the hospital (2.9 ± 1.0 vs. 3.8 ± 1.1 days,P < 0.001), and the cost of antibiotics was also significantly less in the short arm group (P < 0.001). Organisms associated with nosocomial infections were seen only in the long arm that stayed in the hospital for longer days. CONCLUSIONS: Short-term prophylactic antibiotics are as effective as long-term prophylaxis and have other benefits such as shorter duration of hospital stay, reduced cost of antibiotics, and reduction of nosocomial infections.

Serological survey and risk factors associated with Toxoplasma gondii infection among HIV-infected pregnant women attending Abuja Tertiary Hospital, Nigeria.

Background: Toxoplasmosis in pregnancy could induce miscarriage, congenital anomalies in foetuses and encephalitis in HIV-infected people. Hence, there is a need to determine the prevalence of toxoplasmosis in HIV-infected pregnant women to inform clinicians about the significance of maternal toxoplasmosis in antenatal care. Aim: This study aimed to determine the seroprevalence of Toxoplasma gondii infection, associated CD4+ T-cell profile and sociodemographic risk factors among pregnant women with or without HIV infection attending the University of Abuja Teaching Hospital, Abuja, Nigeria. Methods: This hospital-based cross-sectional study involved blood samples collected from 160 HIV-infected and 160 HIV-seronegative pregnant women. These samples were analysed for anti-T. gondii (IgG and IgM) and CD4+ T-cell count using ELISA and flow cytometry, respectively. Sociodemographic variables of participants were collected using structured questionnaires. Results: The overall seroprevalence of anti-T. gondii IgG and IgM was 28.8% and 3.8%, respectively. The seroprevalence of anti-T. gondii IgG and IgM was 29.4% and 4.4%, respectively, among HIV-seropositive pregnant women and 28.1% and 3.1%, respectively, among HIV-seronegative women. There was no significant association between the seroprevalence of anti-T. gondii-IgG and anti-T. gondii-IgM with age, gestational age, education level, parity or place of residence of HIV-infected pregnant women (P > 0.05). However, there was significant association between the seroprevalence of anti-T. gondii-IgG (P = 0.03) and anti-T. gondii-IgM (P = 0.01) with education level. CD4+ T-cell count varied significantly between HIV-infected and HIV-uninfected pregnant women (P = 0.035). Conclusion: In this study, the seroprevalence of anti-T. gondii IgG and IgM did not differ in HIV-seropositive or HIV-seronegative pregnant women. However, women with primary T. gondii and HIV coinfection had lower CD4+ T-cell count than those with toxoplasmosis monoinfection.

Seroprevalence of Herpes Simplex Virus among Human Immunodeficiency Virus-Positive Patients in Resource-Limited Setting.

INTRODUCTION: There are two types of herpes simplex virus (HSV): HSV Type 1 (HSV-1) and HSV Type 1 (HSV-2). Viral comorbidity in HIV is on the increase. This study determines the seroprevalence of HSV 1 and 2 among immunodeficient patients in Gwagwalada, Nigeria. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This is a hospital-based descriptive cross-sectional study which spanned 24 months from October 2014 to September 2016. A total of 160 HIV seropositive patients were recruited from venereology clinic. RESULTS: The overall prevalence of herpes simplex infection among HIV seropositive patients in this study was 13.8%, the prevalence of herpes simplex Type 1 was 63.6%, while that of herpes simplex Type 2 was 36.4%. The mean age of the patients was 29 ± 13.9 years and the male-to-female ratio was 1:2. There were 52 male (32.5%) and 108 female (67.5%) seropositives. Among the 22 patients with positive HSV result, seven representing 31.8% were males, while 15 (68.2%) were females. The buttock was the predominant site of the body affected by herpes lesions in 7 of the patients representing 31.8%, four of these patients were infected with herpes simplex Type 2, while three representing 21.4% were herpes simplex Type 1. Other body sites are labia/penile (18.1%), oral (22.7%), and nasal (13.6%). In association with CD4 counts, five (35.7%) Herpes simplex Type 1 was isolated from patients with CD4 counts of 200-500 cell/mm and >500 cells/mm, respectively. The seroprevalence of herpes simplex Type 2 among patients with CD4 counts of <200 cell/mm was 62.5%. CONCLUSION: Herpes simplex infections are important viral comorbidity among HIV patients; this was more observed among females. Sexual practice play an important role with the occurrence of HSV-1 in patients with genital rash and predominance of buttock lesion.

Erratum: Status of Retinoids and Carotenoids and Associations with Clinical Outcomes in Maternal-Infant Pairs in Nigeria. Nutrients 2018, 10, 1286.

Due to a mistake during the production process, there were spelling errors in four of the author names in the original published version [...].

Status of Retinoids and Carotenoids and Associations with Clinical Outcomes in Maternal-Infant Pairs in Nigeria.

Vitamin A is an essential nutrient in pregnancy, and other carotenoids have been independently associated with maternal-infant outcomes. The objective of this study was to quantify the status of vitamin A and carotenoids in Nigerian maternal-infant pairs at delivery, compare these to a cohort from a developed nation, and determine the impact on clinical outcomes. Maternal and cord blood samples were collected in 99 Nigerian mother-infant pairs. Concentrations of lutein + zeaxanthin, ß-cryptoxanthin, lycopene, α- and ß-carotenes, and retinol were measured using HPLC. Descriptive statistics were calculated and Spearman coefficients were used to assess correlations between maternal and cord measurements; Mann-Whitney tests were used to compare median plasma values between dichotomous variables. Linear regression models were used to adjust for relevant confounders. A p < 0.05 was considered statistically significant. Thirty-five percent of mothers had plasma retinol concentrations ≤0.70 µmol/L; 82% of infants had plasma retinol concentrations ≤0.70 µmol/L at delivery. Maternal and infant concentrations of vitamin A compounds were highly correlated and were associated with newborn growth and Apgar scores. Despite plasma concentrations of pro-vitamin A carotenoids higher than those reported in other populations, pregnant Nigerian women have a high prevalence of vitamin A deficiency. As vitamin A related compounds are modifiable by diet, future research determining the clinical impact of these compounds is warranted.