A Clinico-Pathological Study of Vulvo-Vaginal Disease at a Nigerian Tertiary Health Facility.

INTRODUCTION: The vulva and vagina are of great significance to womanhood owing to the myriads of specialized functions they perform. The diseases of this organ have physical, social, mental, and psychological ramifications. The aim of this work is to study the pathological pattern and clinical presentation of diseases of the vulva and vagina at the Department of Anatomical Pathology and Forensic Medicine of the Jos University Teaching Hospital between 1st January 2011 and December 31st, 2020. METHODOLOGY: This study is descriptive of all cases of histologically diagnosed vulval and vaginal lesions seen at the Center. Histological diagnosis, biodata, and clinical information of patients were retrieved from the medical records. Data realized were analyzed and presented in tables as simple frequencies, percentages, ranges, and measures of central tendencies. RESULTS: Two hundred and fifteen vulval and vaginal biopsies were included in the study. Squamous cell carcinoma was the commonest histologically diagnosed lesion accounting for 70(32.6%) cases of all lesions and 77.8% of all malignancies. The second commonest lesion and the most frequent benign pathology is the Condyloma acuminatum (viral warts) which accounted for 41(19.1%) cases. The age bracket 20 to 59 years constituted 79.5% of cases (171 cases). The age range, mean, median, and mode in years were 5.0-85.0, 39.5+15.9, 38.0, and 50.0 respectively. CONCLUSION: Squamous cell carcinoma and veneral warts are the commonest lesions of the vulva and vagina in our environment. Robust vaccination programs against the etiological agent, the human papilloma virus is highly recommended.

INTRODUCTION: La vulve et le vagin ont une importance considérable pour la féminité en raison des myriades de fonctions spécialisées qu'ils remplissent. Les maladies de cet organe ont des ramifications physiques, sociales, mentales et psychologiques. L'objectif de ce travail est d'étudier le modèle pathologique et la présentation clinique des maladies de la vulve et du vagin au département de pathologie anatomique et de médecine légale de l'hôpital universitaire de Jos entre le 1er janvier 2011 et le 31 décembre 2020. METHODOLOGIE: Cette étude est descriptive de tous les cas de lésions vulvaires et vaginales diagnostiquées histologiquement au Centre. Le diagnostic histologique, les données biologiques et les informations cliniques des patientes ont été extraits des dossiers médicaux. Les données obtenues ont été analysées et présentées dans des tableaux sous forme de fréquences simples, de pourcentages, d'intervalles et de mesures de tendances centrales. RÉSULTATS: Deux cent quinze biopsies vulvaires et vaginales ont été incluses dans l'étude. Le carcinome épidermoïde était la lésion histologiquement diagnostiquée la plus fréquente, représentant 70 (32,6 %) cas de toutes les lésions et 77,8 % de toutes les tumeurs malignes. La deuxième lésion la plus fréquente et la pathologie bénigne la plus fréquente est le condylome acuminé (verrues virales), qui représente 41 (19,1 %) cas. La tranche d'âge de 20 à 59 ans représentait 79,5 % des cas (171 cas). La fourchette d'âge, la moyenne, la médiane et le mode en années étaient respectivement de 5,0-85,0, 39,5+15,9, 38,0 et 50,0. CONCLUSION: le carcinome épidermoïde et les verrues générales sont les lésions les plus fréquentes de la vulve et du vagin dans notre environnement. Des programmes de vaccination robustes contre l'agent étiologique de cette pathologie, le virus du papillome humain, sont fortement recommandés. Mots clés: Vulve, Vagin, Cancer, Verrue.

Comparative efficacy assessment of pentamidine isethionate and diminazene aceturate in the chemotherapy of Trypanosoma brucei brucei infection in dogs.

The chemotherapeutic efficacy of diminazene aceturate (Berenil)--a standard veterinary trypanocide and pentamidine isethionate (PMI)--a human trypanocide was compared in dogs experimentally infected with Trypanosoma brucei brucei. Also, the activities of the drugs on some serum liver enzymes were evaluated before and after treatment to ascertain the relative safety of the drugs. Fifteen local dogs (mongrels) were used for the study. Three of the dogs were uninfected controls, and twelve were infected with a stock of T. brucei brucei. Three of the infected dogs were untreated controls, three were given diminazene aceturate (DA) at 7 mg/kg body weight intramuscularly (i/m), another three received pentamidine isethionate (PMI) at 4 mg/kg i/m on days 14, 17, 19, 27, 29, and 31 post infection (PI) and the remaining three dogs were also given same dose of PMI on days 14, 16, 18, 20, 22, 24 and 26 PI. Both trypanocides effectively cleared the parasites from the blood of the infected treated dogs. However, the infection subsequently relapsed at day 42 PI in one of the dogs in the DA treated group which later died at day 70 PI. Relapse infection was not recorded with the PMI treated groups although two dogs died in the PMI treated group II (treatment at days 14, 17, 19, 27, 29, and 31 PI) without showing relapsed parasitaemia. The packed cell volume (PCV), red blood cell (RBC) count, and haemoglobin (Hb) level which decreased significantly following infection, were reversed by the trypanocidal treatment. The reversal in the red cell values was faster in the PMI treated groups than in the DA treated group. The serum alkaline phosphate (SAP), aspartate aminotransferase (AST), and alanine aminotransferase (ALT) levels increased following infection and drug administration. The increase in the enzyme levels was greater in the DA treated groups than PMI treated groups. It was thus concluded that PMI given at 4 mg/kg i/m at days 14, 16, 18, 20, 22, 24, and 26 PI constituted a safe and efficient trypanocide and exhibited a superior trypanocidal action than DA in T. brucei brucei infected dogs.