Annals of Biomedical Sciences

Prevalence and outcome of malnutrition in under-five children attending the paediatric emergency ward of a tertiary hospital in southern Nigeria

FE Eki-Udoko , AO Atimati , AM Ikemefuna , RO Ewah-Odiase — Wed, 06 Sep 2023 00:00:00 +0000

Background: Under-five children continue to be the worst affected by the effect of malnutrition. It is important to know the burden of this menace to enable the generation of effective strategies to tackle the various forms of malnutrition in our environment.
Objective: This study is aimed at determining the prevalence of malnutrition and its outcome in under five children admitted into the children emergency ward of the University of Benin Teaching Hospital, Benin City.
Materials and Methods: This is a retrospective study of under-five children admitted over a period of one year, into the children emergency ward of the University of Benin Teaching Hospital, Benin. Retrieved data was entered into a spread sheet and analyzed using statistical package for social sciences (SPSS), version 23.
Results: Ninety-two out of 1922 children aged 1 - 59 months admitted within the study period were malnourished, giving a prevalence of 4.8%. The male to female ratio was 1:1.4 and the age group of 25 - 36 months had the highest proportion (30.4%). Primary malnutrition accounted for about 52% of the total with marasmus contributing a greater proportion (64.6%). The mortality rate among the children with malnutrition was 30.4% with secondary malnutrition contributing 46.4%.
Conclusion: A low prevalence of malnutrition and a high mortality rate was found in underfive children admitted into the children emergency ward.

Laparoscopic cholecystectomy at the University of Benin Teaching Hospital: An audic

Omorodion O Irowa , Peter. I Agbonrofo , Osarenkhoe Osemwengie — Wed, 06 Sep 2023 00:00:00 +0000

Background: General surgery laparoscopic procedures commenced at the University of Benin Teaching Hospital two years ago. Although the path taken to achieve this feat was tortuous but the well-established benefits of laparoscopy surgery served as a drive. Laparoscopic cholecystectomy has become a procedure of choice for cholelithiasis/cholecystitis in the general surgery services of the University of Benin Teaching Hospital.
Aim/Objective: This study is to highlight the pattern of presentation for and the outcome of laparoscopic cholecystectomy in UBTH.
Patients and Method: This is a 2-year observational cohort study. The study included all adult patients referred from general practice clinic, referrals within general surgery and other health care facilities within the catchment area of the UBTH. Patients’ data which included the age, sex, diagnoses, duration of bed stay, complications and histology of resected specimen were entered into a structured proforma. Data was analyzed using Microsoft Excel 2016.
Results: A total of 34 cholecystectomies were done over the 2year study period. The F: M ratio was approximately 10:1. The mean age is 45.7(13.7) years; range is 21-75 years with a cluster in the 4th decade of life. Symptomatic cholelithiasis was the diagnosis in 33 (97%) patients while one patient had acalculus cholecystitis. The mean duration of hospital stay was 2 days with a range of 1-5 days. Port site infection occurred in 2 (5.9%) patients while one (2.9%) had biloma with no mortality recorded. Histology reports confirmed chronic cholecystitis on all gallbladder specimens resected.
Conclusion: Laparoscopic cholecystectomy was a safe procedure within the services of general surgery at the University of Benin Teaching Hospital. The diagnosis and indication for the procedure were accurate as histology reports confirmed chronic cholecystitis on all resected specimens. The duration of hospital stay was short with associated low complication rate following the procedure. We therefore advocate laparoscopic cholecystectomy for patients with symptomatic cholelithiasis in this setting.

Sero-prevalence of hepatitis c virus infection in pregnant women in Benin-City, Edo-State, Nigeria

Nkechi Augustina Olise , Mabel Bilu Ehi Omosun — Wed, 06 Sep 2023 00:00:00 +0000

Background: Hepatitis C Virus causes chronic liver disease worldwide and also an important cause of acute hepatitis and jaundice in pregnancy, with serious complications. Viral hepatitis C, (HCV) during pregnancy is associated with high risk of maternal complications and is a leading cause of fetal death. Some pregnant women may not be aware of their HCV status.
Aim: The aim of this study is to determine the prevalence of HCV infection in pregnant women in Benin City, Edo state, Nigeria.
Methods: This study was carried out at the University of Benin Teaching Hospital, Central hospital and Stella Obasanjo Hospital for Women and Children. Two hundred apparently healthy pregnant women that gave consent were recruited for the research. Serum from four milliliters of venous blood was used for the test, Biopanda HCV Rapid Test strip, a qualitative membrane based immunoassay for the detection of antibodies to HCV was used for this research. Data obtained were analysed using IBM SPSS version 24.0.
Results: Prevalence of 35.4% was recorded among pregnant women in Benin-city. Ages 31-40 years had the highest prevalence of infection. There was no association between prevalence of HCV infection and educational status (p=0.211). There was also no statistical significance relationship between the prevalence of HCV and history blood transfusion.
Conclusion: the data obtained from this study shows that there is high prevalence of HCV among pregnant women in Benin-city which therefore provides additional burden of disease in Edo state, Nigeria.

Toxic effects of some drugs utilized for COVID-19 infection in albino rats

SE Aghahowa , J Dolor , E Erijitomah , ME Aghahowa , P Aikoriogie — Wed, 06 Sep 2023 00:00:00 +0000

Background: During the scourge of SARS-CoV-2 infection, some drugs have been used off-label alone or in combination for the prevention and treatment. The scope of drugs seems to spread across different chemical entities.
Aim: This study assessed the toxic effects of some drugs used off-label such as Chloroquine, Azithromycin, Atazanavir/Ritonavir, Lopinavir/Ritonavir and Zinc combinations in albino wistar rats.
Method: The drugs combinations were grouped as chloroquine (CQQ), chloroquine, azithromycin and zinc (CZIZN), chloroquine, azithromycin, atanavir/ritonavir and zinc (CZIARZN), chloroquine, azithromycin, lopinavir/ritonavir, and zinc (CZILIRTZN) in recommended doses of kg/body weight. All drugs were administered orally for a study period of twenty-one days after acclimatization. After drug administration, the rats were weighed after day 14 and 28. They were sacrificed under chloroform
anaesthesia. Collected blood samples were assessed for common toxicity markers such as lipid profile, serum electrolytes, serum glucose and haematological indices.
Result: Out of the 38 toxicological parameters studied, 14 were significantly altered. There was a significant reduction in body weight due to CZIARZN and CZILIRTZN after 10 days, the reduction persisted until 21 day (P<0.05). Serum glucose level reduced in all the groups but more prominent with CZIZN combination. Serum chloride ion changed significantly due to CZIARZN (P<0.05). Alkaline phosphatase also increased significantly due to CCZIARZN, CZILIRTZN (P<0.05). Eleven out of nineteen haematological parameters changed significantly (P<0.05). Serum glucose and lipids were not altered significantly. After ten days, five (5) animals died in the group receiving CZIARZN, while three rats died in the group receiving CZILIRTZN combination.
Conclusion: The utilized anti-COVID-19 drugs used singly or as combination altered renal, liver, and haematological parameters. Even when there were no changes in other parameters, there is still need for caution in the use of drugs because some individuals may be dose sensitive.

Ten-year histopathological analysis of phylloides tumour in a tertiary hospital in Nigeria

Victor J Ekanem , Ferdinand O. Ijekeye — Wed, 06 Sep 2023 00:00:00 +0000

Objective: Phylloides Tumour, previously called cystosarcoma phyllodes is a rare fibroepithelialtum our. The aim of this study was to evaluate the basic clinical and morphological features of this tumour.
Materials and Method: All cases of histologically diagnosed phylloides tumours were retrospectively analysed over a ten year period.
Results: A total of 28 cases of phylloides tumour were seen over a 10 year period. Phylloides tumour accounted for 1.1% of all breast lesions. The age range was from 14 to 63 years with the mean age of 30.4 years. Two age frequency peaks were seen. The first peak was in the age range of 16 to 20 years and another peak in the age range of 36 to 40 years. The mean age for benign phylloides was 26.6years whereas the mean age for malignant phylloides was 56.6 years. Phylloides Tumour was found to occur on both sides of the breast equally with 14 on the right and 13 on the left. Out of the 28 cases of the phylloides tumour, 22 (78.6%) were classified as benign, 4 (14. 3%) as borderline and 2 (7.1%) as malignant. The average tumour size was 8cm in diameter.
Conclusion: Most cases of phylloides tumour are benign. However, the malignant potential is related to advancing age. Older patients should be managed with a higher index of suspicion for malignancy.