Magnesium Supplementation did not affect the Antiseizure Property of Ketogenic Diet but Reduced Lipid Dysmetabolism.

BACKGROUND: Ketogenic diets (KD) have been used globally in epilepsy management. Similarly, supplementation of diets with magnesium has been associated with disease prevention and improvement. However, the effect of magnesium (Mg) supplementation in conjunction with KD on epilepsy has not yet been investigated. We hypothesized that magnesium supplementation in KD would improve the effectiveness of the diet. METHODS: Forty-eight male Wistar rats were used for the study. The animals were fed on 4 diet types: I-normal rat chow (ND), II-ND with Mg supplement (ND+Mg), III-medium chain ketogenic diet (KD) and IV-KD with Mg supplement (KD+Mg). Animals in each group were divided into 3: experimental, control and observatory. The experimental drug was intraperitoneal Pentylenetetrazole (PTZ) administered at 25 mg/kg. The rats were observed for 2 hours after the drug administration and induced seizures noted. The levels of serum electrolytes and plasma lipid levels were determined using standard methods. RESULTS: The seizure latency was significantly prolonged 60.8±0.5mins in group III compared with 8.7±2.1mins in group I (p<0.05). The seizure duration was 42.5±2.5mins in group III and 142.3±4.7 in group I (p<0.05). With Mg supplementation, seizure latency was 62.6±1.5mins in group IV and 7.9±0.7mins in group I (p<0.05). The seizure duration was 45.5±4.5min in group IV and 139.3±3.9mins in group II (p< 0.05). The KD-fed rats showed a tendency to develop dyslipidemia as evidenced by elevated Total Cholesterol /HDL and LDL/HDL (2.32±0.32 and 1.19±0.08) in group III, which was reversed in the KD+Mg fed group IV (1.96±0.32 and 1.08±0.09) with p<0.05. CONCLUSION: Mg supplementation of KD did not affect its antiseizure property and does not confer antiseizure effect on ND. Mg supplement showed a tendency to reduce derangement in lipid metabolism associated with KD.

Posterior reversible encephalopathy syndrome complicating postpartum eclampsia in a Nigerian: case report.

AIMS AND OBJECTIVES: This is a case of posterior reversible encephalopathy syndrome (PRES) associated with postpartum eclampsia in a primiparous Nigerian. CASE PRESENTATION: A 20-year-old primiparous woman presented to the emergency unit of the department of obstetrics and gynaecology of our hospital with symptoms and signs consistent with postpartum eclampsia. While being managed for this, she developed weakness of the left limbs with associated altered sensorium. Significant findings on physical examination were hypertension, left-sided hemiparesis and cortical blindness. She had a computed tomographic (CT) scan of the brain which showed features consistent with posterior reversible encephalopathy syndrome. She was given full supportive care with control of her blood pressure and she made a significant improvement. She was discharged home about 3 weeks after admission with improvement in clinical condition and is currently being followed up in our neurology clinic. CONCLUSION: PRES complicating eclampsia is a clinicoradiological diagnosis. In most cases neurological symptoms improve with good supportive care and adequate treatment of the underlying condition as was the case in this patient. However permanent neurological sequelae can result from delayed diagnosis and treatment; therefore a high index of suspicion, early diagnosis and treatment are essential.

PSYCHIATRIC MORBIDITY IN A NIGERIAN NEUROLOGY CLINIC.

OBJECTIVE: The objective of the study was to determine the prevalence and nature of psychiatric morbidity among patients attending a neurology outpatient clinic. DESIGN: A two-stage screening procedure with General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-12) and Schedules for Clinical Assessment in Neuropsychiatry (SCAN) was used to assess psychological disorders over a one year period. Psychiatric diagnosis was based on ICD-10 criteria. SETTING: University of Ilorin Teaching Hospital (UITH), Ilorin-Nigeria SUBJECTS: Two hundred and thirty-five (235) patients aged 18 years and above attending the neurology outpatient clinic. RESULTS: Overall prevalence of psychiatric morbidity was 26.0% (61/235). The most frequent diagnoses were depression (14.9%), generalised anxiety disorder (5.5%), dementia (2.6%) and substance use disorder (1.3%). Significantly more patients with stroke had psychiatric morbidity. CONCLUSION: The study supports previous reports that psychiatric disorders are quite common among patients with neurological disorders. Efforts should, therefore, be directed at identifying and treating neurological patients with psychiatric morbidity since this will ensure improved outcome. In this regard, mental health professionals would need to provide liaison services for the neurologists and train them in the use of simple screening instruments for detecting associated psychiatric disorders with appropriate referral where necessary.

Early-onset sensorineural hearing loss in Lassa fever.

Lassa fever (LF) is a viral hemorrhagic disease which affects one-fourth to two million people annually with the fatality rate of about 10,000. It is associated with sensorineural hearing loss (SNHL) usually at the convalescent stage. Recently, cases of SNHL at the acute phase have been reported. This study was done to further investigate the incidence and features of SNHL in acute phase of LF. It is a prospective case-control study of LF patients seen with acute SNHL conducted between July 2007 and April 2009 at Irrua Specialist Teaching Hospital Nigeria. The diagnosis of acute LF was based on the clinical features and detection of IgM antibodies and/or positive Lassa virus-specific reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction using primers S36+ and LVS 339 while SNHL was diagnosed clinically and confirmed with PTA and speech discrimination tests. Patients with other acute febrile illnesses were used as control. Statistical analysis was done using SPSS version 11 and Fisher's exact test while level of significance was set at p < 0.05. Out of the 37 confirmed cases of LF, 5 (13.5%) and none (0%) of the control developed early-onset SNHL (p = 0.03). Forty percent of the cases studied had negative IgM. The audiograms showed involvement at all frequency groups with pure tone average 65-85 dB and the speech discrimination 20-40%. The overall case fatality rate was 27.0%, and for early SNHL cases 60.0% (p > 0.05). The incidence of SNHL in LF infection is about 13.5% and could be a reflection of a worse disease process. There is possibility of direct viral invasion aside immunological reaction as a causative mechanism.

Cryptococcal meningitis in a newly diagnosed AIDS patient: a case report.

BACKGROUND: Cryptococcus neoformans is a very important cause of fungal meningitis in immunosuppressed patients OBJECTIVE: To describe a case of cryptococcal meningoencephalitis in an HIV/AIDS patient from the University of Ilorin Teaching Hospital. METHODS: An 18 -year -old male student presented with cough, weight loss, and fever. He was clinically assessed and had full laboratory investigations including cerebrospinal fluid CSF and then started on chemotherapy. Both the clinical and neurological evaluation of the patient was described along with the laboratory analyses of his CSF. Outcome of how he was managed was also reported. RESULTS: Cryptococcus neoformans presented as an AIDS defining fungal infection for the first time in this 18 year old undergraduate who was infected probably from transfusion of unscreened blood He had advanced HIV infection (CD4+ count of 29 cells/ul) and severe cryptococcal meningoencephalitis. He was unsuccessfully managed with fluconazole, a second choice drug for this condition, amphotericin B being not available. CONCLUSION: Nigerians should have access to effective blood transfusion services at all public and private hospitals across the country. The National Essential Drug list should be expanded to include drugs such as amphotericin B which hitherto were considered exotic.

Intracardiac tumor: a risk factor for stroke in the young--a case report.

BACKGROUND: Stroke occurs commonly in individuals above 65 years, especially in the background of atherosclerosis and other risk factors. In young persons below 45 years it is a rare disorder with devastating sequelae on the affected individual. OBJECTIVE: Presently there are few reports on the aetiology/risk factors for stroke in young adults in Nigeria. This is due to limited facility for thorough investigation; therefore management of such cases poses a diagnostic challenge. In this report we present a case of embolic stroke in a male undergraduate that began with two brief episodes of transient left sided weakness before a completed stroke four hours later. 2-D echocardiography showed that the likely source of emboli to be a non-pedunculated left atria tumour attached to the root of posterior mitral valve leaflet. CONCLUSION: Intracardiac mass should be considered a possible risk factor for ischemic stroke in young adult, especially in the absence of other risk factors such as connective tissue disorders, HIV/AIDS, hemoglobinopathy or use of recreational drugs. High index of suspicion is required in order not to overlook such source of emboli. Early diagnosis offers the best panacea for a definitive therapy and prevention of stroke recurrence with its devastating sequelae.

The relationship between gallstone disease and gall bladder volume.

BACKGROUND: The role of a large gallbladder volume with regards to a predisposition to gallstones is unknown. It is likely that an increase in gallbladder volume could result in impaired gallbladder motility and bile stasis which may encourage gallstone formation. This study is therefore to determine the relationship between the presence of gallstone disease and gall bladder volume. METHODOLOGY: One hundred type 2 diabetic patients and 100 age and sex-matched controls underwent real time ultrasonography to determine the relationship between the presence of gallstone disease and gallbladder volume. Their demographic characteristics were recorded and compared. The ultrasound examinations was done in the morning following an overnight fast (to prevent gall bladder contraction) without sedation. Longitudinal and transverse scans of the right upper quadrant was done in both the supine and left lateral positions The gallbladder volume was measured. RESULT: The mean gallbladder volume in diabetic patients with gallstone disease 28.4 +/- 18.6 ml was higher than in those without gallstone disease 27.4 +/- 14.8 ml p = 0.844. The mean gallbladder volume in the controls with gallstone disease 26.5 +/- 14.7 ml was also higher than in those without gallstone disease 24.1 +/- 12.7 ml p = 0.189. CONCLUSION: The fasting gallbladder volume tended to be larger in patients with gallstones (i.e. both diabetic patients and controls).

Stroke in young adults: report of three cases and review of literature.

OBJECTIVE: To highlight the occurrence, and review the literature on stroke in young adults. METHODS: This paper reports three cases of young strokes. Brain imaging was done for two cases. The two were haemorrhagic stroke; one from an identified arteriovenous malformation and the other from a suspected vascular malformation or intracranial aneurysm. The third case was a young man with nephrotic syndrome who presented with clinical features of a thrombotic stroke. A review of the literature on stroke in young adults was done via Medline search for relevant publications. RESULTS: The literature review shows that a thorough diagnostic work up is required in young adults with stroke if one is to identify the diverse, but often treatable, causes of stroke in this age group. CONCLUSION: Stroke is a significant, albeit uncommon, cause of mortality and morbidity in young adults.

INTRAMEDULLARY TUBERCULOMA OF THORACIC SPINAL CORD IN AN APPARENTLY HEALTHY NIGERIAN: CASE REPORT.

Spinal intramedullary is an uncommon form of tuberculosis causing spinal cord injury in this environment. We report a case of thoracic intramedullary tuberculoma in an immunocompetent male Nigerian with negative screening for tuberculosis. He presented with 8 months history of back pain and 2 months history of progressive weakness in both lower limbs. Physical examination revealed a well-nourished man with spastic paraplegia. Chest radiograph and CT scan were normal but Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the thoracolumbar region showed cord oedema and circumscribed intramedullary lesions at D12 and L1 levels with target sign. The patient was promptly prepared and had D12 and L1 laminectomy and posterior myelotomy with excision of the intramedullary lesion. Histology showed granulomatous lesion with central caseation in keeping with a tuberculoma. He was treated with a 4-drug antituberculous regimen with physiotherapy and he made complete neurological recovery 8 months post-operatively. Intramedullary tuberculoma should be considered in differential diagnosis of intramedullary tumors in this environment. Treatment with antituberculous drugs results in good outcome.

Psychiatric morbidity in stroke patients attending a neurology clinic in Nigeria.

BACK GROUND: Stroke produces a wide range of mental and emotional disorders. Neuropsychiatric complications associated with stroke may have negative effects on the social functioning, overall quality of life and the recovery of motor functioning of stroke survivors. OBJECTIVE: To determine the prevalence and nature of psychiatric morbidity among stroke patients attending neurology outpatient clinic of the University of Ilorin Teaching Hospital (UITH), Ilorin-Nigeria. METHODS: All patients with stroke aged 18 years and above at an outpatient neurology clinic in Ilorin, Nigeria were assessed for mental and emotional disorders using the Schedule for Clinical Assessment in Neuropsychiatry (SCAN) over one year (March 2009 to February 2010). RESULTS: Overall prevalence of psychiatric morbidity was 36.0% (30/83) among 83 patients who constituted the study population. Specific diagnoses recorded were depression (19.2%), generalised anxiety disorder (9.6%), harmful alcohol use (2.4%); dementia, somatoform disorder, phobia and delusional disorder each had a prevalence of 1.2%. Clinical and sociodemographic variables were not significantly associated with psychiatric morbidity. CONCLUSION: Psychiatric disorders are often associated with stroke. Identifying and treating stroke patients with these psychiatric co-morbidities could thus help to improve the overall quality of life of these patients.