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BACKGROUND: Stroke is the second cause of mortality and the foremost leading cause of disability globally. Many potential biomarkers have been described to contribute to prognosticating the severity in the acute phase of stroke as well as help with risk stratification. Copeptin, an inactive peptide that is produced in an equimolar ratio to arginine vasopressin and adequately mirrors an individual's stress response to acute illnesses like acute ischaemic stroke as evidenced by elevated or increasing levels is being explored in this study to determine its relationship with acute stroke severity and infarct size on admission. METHODS: This is a cross-sectional study of 80 neuroimaging-confirmed acute ischaemic patients who presented within seven days of symptom onset and 80 control subjects. The ischaemic stroke cases had stroke severity and infarct volume determined on admission by the National Institute of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS) and neuroimaging (brain CT/MRI). A baseline serum copeptin level was measured in the study subjects. Spearman correlation and Kruskal Wallis test were used to determine the relationship between serum copeptin level with admission NIHSS and infarct size respectively. The receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve was calculated to determine the sensitivity and specificity of copeptin to predict severity and outcome. RESULTS: The mean age of the study group was 61.3 ± 12.7 years with 55.0% males and 45.0% females. The serum level of copeptin was significantly higher in the stroke cases with a median of 28.6 pmol/L (interquartile range (IQR)- 15.4-31.6 pmol/L) versus 8.8 pmol/L (IQR- 3.2- 10.7 pmol/L) among the stroke-free controls (p= 0.001) at a statistically significant level. There was a weak correlation between copeptin and NIHSS calculated at admission to measure stroke severity (r- 0.02, p= 0.873). Patients with infarct sizes in the fourth quartile (infarct sizes greater than 18.78 cm3) had higher copeptin levels, though this was not statistically significant (H= 2.88; p= 0.410). Admission serum copeptin did not show a statistically significant prognostic value in predicting stroke severity and mortality in stroke patients who presented within seven days of symptom onset with an area under curve (AUC) of 0.51 (95% CI: 0.36-0.65; p= 0.982). CONCLUSION: In this study, copeptin was higher among the stroke cases compared with the stroke-free controls which suggests a significant prognostic value in risk stratification in the acute phase of stroke; however, this did not significantly correlate with stroke severity and thus warrants further study in this field to elucidate it's fascinating potential as a prognostic biomarker (especially in the acute period) as this may enable allocation of a better-focused therapy for stroke patients.
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Background: To determine the level of knowledge and challenges associated with learning movement disorders among final-year medical students. Methodology: A cross-sectional survey of 79 final-year medical students at the Madonna University, Elele, Rivers State. Consenting students filled out the study questionnaire, which consisted of socio-demographic variables and questions on the knowledge and challenges of learning movement disorders. Data were collected and analysed using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences Version 20. Results: The mean age of the study participants was 27.41±2.78 years, with a male-to-female ratio of 1.3:1. Almost (91.1%) all the study participants had heard about parkinsonism from their lectures, followed by chorea (88.6%). More than half of the participants knew about one type of movement disorder or the other. Forty-three (54.4%) students expressed difficulty understanding movement disorder lectures. Inadequate exposure to patients with movement disorders and lack of audiovisual aids to enhance learning experience were the greatest challenges in learning movement disorders. Conclusion: Parkinsonism was the most recognized movement disorder among the study participants. More than half of the participants admitted to having challenges with movement disorder lectures. Paucity of movement disorders cases during clinical rotation and lack of teaching aids were cited as major challenges affecting learning and appreciation of movement disorder lectures. Medical educators are encouraged to deploy appropriate methods that optimize learning experience among medical students during movement disorder lectures.
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Background: Stroke is a common neurological disorder with a huge global burden in terms of mortality and morbidity. Epidemiological evidence has shown that modifiable risk factors are responsible for more than 90% of all strokes. Stroke outcome in hospitalized patients is influenced by several variables, such as socio-demographic factors, stroke subtype, and admission severity. The interaction between stroke outcomes and these parameters is often complex. The study is aimed to profile hospitalized stroke patients and determine outcome predictors. Methodology: A descriptive retrospective study of 100 patients hospitalized for acute stroke. Their medical records were reviewed for demographic and clinical variables and relevant data were retrieved and analysed using appropriate statistical methods. Results: Of the 100 acute stroke patients studied, 36% were men and 64% were women. The mean age was 65.16±15.72. About 78%had ischemic stroke while 21% had haemorrhagic strokes. The commonest risk factor was hypertension (71.2%). On multivariate analysis, stroke subtype and admission duration were significantly linked to stroke outcome. Conclusion: Ischemic stroke comprises more than two-thirds of stroke admissions, with hypertension being the most common risk factor and stroke case fatality of 23%. Stroke subtype and admission duration significantly predicted stroke outcomes. The need to step up measures aimed at improving acute stroke care in hospitalized patients is imperative as this will hopefully improve overall outcomes in resource constraint settings such as Nigeria.
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Background: Tuberculosis (TB) and the Human Immune Deficiency Virus (HIV) represent major public health challenges and are intricately linked to each other. This is more prevalent in the sub-Saharan African region, where about 80% of this co-infection is recorded. This study aimed to review the prevalence, profile, and treatment outcome of TB-HIV co-infected patients. Methodology: A hospital-based retrospective study was conducted in a tertiary center in southeast Nigeria for the period 2015-2017. Information elicited from participant's medical records included socio-demographic profile (age, sex, residential area, and occupation), Cluster of Differentiation 4 (CD4) count level at the time of diagnosis of co-infection, weight, treatment outcome, as well as the record of the number of TB patients who presented within this same period. Results: The total number of TB/HIV co-infected patients who participated in the study during this period was 207, with a prevalence of TB/HIV co-infection of 33.9%. The highest proportion of cases was recorded among participants within the age group of 31-40, and the cases of co-infection were more common in males (58.9%) and students (27.5%). The results also showed a significant relationship between gender, occupation, residential area, and TB/HIV co-infection. Most of the co-infected participants had a CD4 count of <300 cells/mm3 and an associated poor treatment outcome of 41.1%. Conclusions: TB/HIV co-infection needs to be properly addressed, and screening for HIV among TB patients should be a priority. This will help in early diagnosis and subsequently improve the treatment outcome of both diseases.
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Neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder (NMOSD) is a disease of the central nervous system and the optic nerves that disproportionately affects women and occasionally coexists with other autoimmune diseases. NMOSD manifesting as skin lesions is a rare phenomenon. Furthermore, these skin lesions in the setting of NMOSD during pregnancy have not been described. We report the case of a 31-year-old woman from sub-Saharan Africa who presented with initial recurrent skin lesions followed by paraparesis during her second trimester of pregnancy. Her next pregnancy was associated with sudden vision loss. She had positive serology for aquaporin-4 antibodies and subsequently developed a positive dsDNA antibody two years after the initial NMOSD diagnosis. Her skin lesions and symptoms improved following the administration of azathioprine. This case highlights the impact of pregnancy on NMOSD and the significance of a heightened level of suspicion for NMOSD in patients who exhibit recurring skin lesions preceding paraparesis events.