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There is evidence that Nigeria is already experiencing environmental challenges attributed to climate change (CC) and its impacts. This has clearly highlighted the need for knowledge-based strategies to help plan adequate mitigation and adaptation measures for the country. One of the basic requirements to ensure such strategies is the development of a database of national CC research. This will aid in the assessment of past and present scientific publications from which directions for future study can be mapped. The present study used standard, systematic, and bibliographic literature reviews to analyse the trend, focus, spatial variability, and effectiveness of published research on CC impacts in Nigeria. Four thematic areas of CC impact research were defined: Agriculture, Environment, Human and Multi-disciplinary study. A total of 701 articles were found to be relevant and the review shows that CC impacts and adaptations in the literature vary across research categories and locations. The period between 2011 (68 studies) and 2015 (80 studies) showed a tremendous rise in CC impact research with a peak in 2014 (84 studies). Studies in the agriculture category had the highest publications in 23 States of Nigeria. The review revealed three research gaps: (1) lack of research that investigated the magnitude of present and potential future impacts in the aquatic environment (2) little attention on CC impacts and adaptation in the Northern regions of Nigeria (3) absence of study investigating the effects of multiple variables of CC at the same time. The findings suggest that it would be useful to advance CC research in Nigeria beyond perceptive approaches to more quantitative ones. This is particularly important for highly vulnerable animals, crops, locations, and for better planning of adaptation strategies.
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BACKGROUND: It has been suggested that bimaxillary protruded anterior teeth may be related to the sella turcica anatomically and embryologically through their common progenitors. AIM: This study assessed the morphological variations and linear dimensions of sella turcica in a Nigerian population with normal and bimaxillary protruded teeth. METHODOLOGY: Lateral cephalometric radiographs of orthodontic patients were assessed. Sixty-five randomly selected radiographs of patients with bimaxillary proclination were compared with 52 radiographs of normal incisor relationship subjects. Cephalometric landmarks and dimensions of sella turcica were identified and traced manually and measured. Data were analyzed using Statistical Package for Social Sciences, (SPSS version 16.0 for windows, SPSS Inc, Chicago). Descriptive and inferential statistics were used and significance level was set at P<0.05. RESULTS: Sella turcica with normal morphology accounted for 61.5% in the population while the least was sella turcica bridge with only 6%. The sella turcica dimensions were consistently larger in young adults than the adolescents, however, no statistically significant difference was reported in its length and diameter (p>0.05) except for the depth (p<0.05). Similarly, there were no statistically significant differences in sella turcica dimensions in relation to gender and incisor relationship. CONCLUSION: The prevalence of normal morphology of sella turcica in the population was 61.5%. There was no statistically significant difference in sella turcica dimensions between normal and bimaxillary protrusion subjects (p>0.05). Similarly, no significant differences in dimensions were observed in gender and age groups (p>0.05) except for the depth of sella turcica that was significantly larger in young adults (p<0.05).
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BACKGROUND: Hyoid bone though constitute a small proportion of the human skeleton, its importance in relation to other facial structures cannot be overemphasized. Several studies have reported on hyoid bone position in relation to various types of malocclusion, however, to our knowledge, there has been no study on the relationship between the hyoid bone and bimaxillary incisor proclination. AIM: The aim of this study was to assess the relative position of hyoid bone in individuals with and without bimaxillary incisor proclination as well as other related demographic factors. METHODOLOGY: This was a comparative retrospective study of lateral cephalometric radiographs of orthodontic patients aged 12 to 40 years from two study locations (Ile-Ife and Lagos, Nigeria). Thirty randomly selected radiographs of patients with bimaxillary incisor proclination were compared with 30 radiographs of related cases with normal incisor relationship. These radiographs were manually traced using established cephalometric landmarks and analysed using SPSS 16. Independent t-test was used to compare mean values and statistical significant level was set as p<0.05. RESULTS: Most of the linear and angular dental/skeletal measurements in relation to hyoid bone position showed no significant differences within the compared groups. Hyoid bone position (H-TV) was found to be more anteriorly located in male (p=0.02) and in bimaxillary incisor proclination (p=0.004) patients than their female and normal incisor relationship groups respectively. Similarly, there was a highly statistically significant difference in linear measurement of the lower incisor tip to hyoid bone position (H-LIT) between the adolescent and young adult groups (p=0.01). CONCLUSION: The hyoid bone position in male and bimaxillary incisor proclination subjects were more anteriorly located when compared with female and normal incisor relationship groups respectively. Similarly, the distance between the hyoid bone position and the lower incisor tip was longer in young adults than the adolescent group.
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BACKGROUND: Chagas disease has a long clinically silent period following Trypanosoma cruzi infection and before development of overt clinical pathology; detectable biomarkers of infection and pathogenesis are urgently needed. We tested 22 biomarkers known to be associated with cardiomyopathy to evaluate if a biomarker signature could successfully classify T. cruzi seropositive subjects into clinical Chagas disease stage groups. METHODS: This cross-sectional retrospective case-control study enrolled T. cruzi seropositive blood donors (BD) who were further characterized as having chronic Chagas cardiomyopathy (CC-BD) or not (nonCC-BD) and seronegative (SN) control donors; we also included clinically diagnosed Chagas cardiomyopathy patients (CC-P). All subjects underwent a health history questionnaire, medical examination, electro- and echocardiograms (ECG and Echo) and phlebotomy. Biomarkers were measured on blinded samples by luminex bead array and Ortho VITROS. RESULTS: A clear biomarker pattern was observed only in more severe cardiac disease; this pattern included significantly elevated levels of inflammatory cytokines IFN-γ, IL-6, IL-10 and TNF-α and soluble cardiovascular disease biomarkers CK-MB, troponin, myoglobin, VCAM and NTproBNP while there were lower levels of MPO, PAI-1, and MCP-1. The markers determined to be the most predictive of disease by ROC curve analysis were NTproBNP and T. cruzi PCR status. CONCLUSIONS: Although many biomarkers demonstrated increased or decreased concentrations among the clinical forms of Chagas disease, NTproBNP and T. cruzi PCR were the only tests that would independently be of clinical value for disease staging, in concert with ECG, Echo and clinical assessments.
