Morbidity pattern of underfives with moderate acute malnutrition in southern Nigeria

Background:Moderate acute malnutrition (MAM) is a leading cause of childhood morbidity and mortality globally. The morbidity pattern of underfives with this condition is yet to be described. Objective: To describe the morbidity pattern of underfives with MAM.Method: Across sectional study was conducted in two Primary Health Centres in Uruan Local Government Area of Akwa Ibom State. Caregivers'brought children aged 6- 59 months to the health facilities following community mobilization. Eligible children were recruited into the study after obtaining parental consent. Avalidated proforma was used to obtain the biodata and symptoms of common illnesses in the children. Ageneral physical examination, anthropometric measurements and systemic examination were performed. Results: Atotal of 162 children were recruited into the study. Their mean (±SD) age was 20.4 ± 13.0 months. Over 70% of them were 6 - 23 months of age. Their mean (±SD) length/height was 77.3 ± 29.6 cm, mean (±SD) weight was 8.3 ± 3.4 kg and mean (±SD) mid upper arm circumference was 12.4 ± 4.5 cm. The main symptoms noted in the children were; fever 99 (61.1%), cough 84 (51.9%), weight loss 81 (50.0%), diarrhoea 40 (24.7%) and vomiting 40 (24.7%) while pallor 77 (47.5%), lymphadenopathy 56 (34.6%), hair changes 49 (30.2%), skin changes 27 (16.6%) were the main signs in them.Conclusion: The main symptomatology of underfives with MAM were fever, cough and weight loss

Knowledge; Awareness; and Practice of the Use of Peak Flow Meters by Physicians in the Management of Asthma in Children

The peak flow meter (PFM) is a useful device in asthma monitoring and in determining the severity of symptoms. Against the background of reported under utilisation of PFMs in the management of asthma and prescription for home use; and the paucity of such data in developing countries; this study was carried out to assess the knowledge; awareness; and practice of physicians on the use of PFMs in the management of children with asthma. The work was a prospective cross-sectional study involving 67 doctors working in the paediatric departments of two government hospitals in Lagos State; Nigeria. The number of doctors varied as not all responded to all the questions. The figures therefore correspond with the number of doctors that responded to the particular issue/question addressed. The survey was conducted with a self-administered structure questionnaire. Information obtained included the availability of PFMs in consulting rooms; knowledge of their use; benefits; frequency of prescription; and constraints in prescribing PFMs for the home management of asthma. Only 13 (20.0) of the doctors (n=65) used the peak expiratory flow rate (PEFR) regularly in the diagnosis of asthma. The designation of the respondents and the years of experience in the management of asthma were significantly related to the frequency of prescription of the PFM (p=0.007; p=0.003 respectively).Non-availability was the highest constraint to PFM use (75.0); followed by the cost of the PFM (51.7). This study revealed that the physicians' knowledge about the PFM was suboptimal. The meters were rarely used in diagnosis nor prescribed for home management by physicians attending to asthmatic children at the two referral hospitals. The cost and availability of the PFM should be addressed by the hospital management

Phytochemical Screening, Antioxidant, Antimicrobial and Toxicity Activities of Polar and Non-Polar Extracts of Albizia zygia (DC) Stem-Bark.

Aims: To determine the secondary plant metabolites present in Albizia zygia (DC) stembark and investigate its antioxidant, antimicrobial and toxicity activities. Study Design: Methanol (polar) and hexane (non-polar) were used to extract the dried stem bark of A. zygia and biological activities were carried out. Place and Duration of Study: Natural products/Medicinal Chemistry Unit, Department of Chemistry, University of Ibadan, Nigeria, between July, 2012 and February, 2013. Methodology: Chemical methods were used for phytochemical screening. Antioxidant screening was determined by scavenging effect on 2,2-diphenyl-1-picryl hydrazyl (DPPH) and hydroxyl radical generated from hydrogen peroxide methods, agar well diffusion method was used for antimicrobial screening while brine shrimp lethality test was used to determine the toxicity of the extracts. Results: Alkaloid, saponin, glycoside, steroid, resin and reducing sugar were found in both the methanol and hexane extracts while flavonoid and cardio active glycoside were observed only in the hexane extract. The methanol extract had the highest % inhibition at 1.0 mg/ml (93.28%) in the DPPH method and was better than that of ascorbic acid and α- tocopherol. But at 1.0 mg/ml, the n-hexane extract with % inhibition of 78.76% showed better antioxidant activity than butylatedhydroxylanisole (BHA) (40.12%) and α-tocopherol (21.69 %). The antimicrobial activities of the stem extracts of A. zygia against Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aereus, Bacillus subtilis, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Klebsiellae pneumonae, Salmonellae typhi, Candida albicans, Rhizopus stolon, Aspergillus niger and Penicillum notatum showed that the methanol extract was more active than n-hexane extract at 50 mg/ml. Brine shrimp lethality test showed that the methanol extract with LC50 of 1.70 μg/ml was more toxic than the non-polar n-hexane extract with LC50 of 174.19 μg/ml. Conclusion: This study underscores the importance of application of A. zygia in ethno medicine and extracts from A. zygia could be used as antioxidant and antimicrobial agents.

Health related quality of life and psychological variables among a sample of asthmatics in Ile-Ife south-western Nigeria

Assessment of health related quality of life [HRQL] has become central to assessing the selfperceived impact of physical and mental impairment on patient's health. Studies have reported a high rate of psychological disturbances among asthmatics; however, the impact of these psychological factors on HRQL remains unexplored. To assess the health related quality of life among a sample of asthmatics and to identify the psychological and clinical variables that affect quality of life among asthmatics. A total of 81 patients attending the clinic were assessed using the Mini-Asthma Quality of Life questionnaire [Mini-AQLQ], and the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale [HADS]. Sociodemographic and clinical variables were also obtained from the patients, the lung function was assessed using Peak Expiratory Flow Rate [PEFR]. Mean age of all the patients was 35.22 [SD +/- 14.36] with a mean duration of asthma symptoms of 17.5 [SD +/- 14.4] years. Mean peak expiratory flow was 336 l/min [SD +/- 74.12]. Anxiety was present in 44.4% of respondents, while 40% of respondents reported the presence of depressive symptoms, 48.1% of the respondents reported low scores on the asthma quality of life questionnaire. Poor quality of life was associated with the presence of psychological symptoms, female sex, and lower educational level. Psychosocial variables are just as important as clinical variables as determinants of health related quality of life among asthmatics

Pediatric Ocular Manifestations of HIV/AIDS in Makurdi Benue State; a Hyperendemic State in Nigeria

Benue State; Nigeria; currently has the highest seroprevalence nationwide. Data available from developed countries and the few available ones from the developing countries have all indicated that the pattern and prevalence of HIV-related ocular morbidity in the paediatric population is quite different from those that occur in the adult population.This study is aimed at ascertaining the pattern of ocular affectations of HIV-infected paediatric age group. A retrospective study of all the children aged 1-16 years; diagnosed cases of HIV/AIDS who presented to the eye unit or were seen by Invitation for Consultation in other units of the Federal Medical Centre in Makurdi between June 2002 to May 2006. A register was open in the Eye Department of Federal Medical Centre between June 2002 to May 2007. Extracted from this register were the bio-data of the patients; Ocular presentation; corrected Visual acuity and Ocular diagnosis of all Seropositive HIV/AIDS children reviewed. Of all the358 seropositive children; only 121 ( 33.8) had ocular affectations. . There were 206 (57.5) males 152 (42.5) females. The most common anterior segment lesions were conjunctival microangiopathy; non-purulent conjunctivitis; recurrent chalazion and external hordeolum. The most prevalent posterior segment ocular lesions were peri-vasculitis; toxoplasmal retinochoroiditis retinal haemorhages; and macular edema. In conclusion; posterior segment and neuro-ophthalmic complications of the HIV/AIDS were the major causes of ocular morbidity and visual impairment. Ocular assessment is of paramount importance for early detection and management of vision threatening complication of HIV/AIDS in children