African health sciences
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African health sciences · Mar 2016
Vitamin D status in the first-trimester: effects of Vitamin D deficiency on pregnancy outcomes.
To assess serum levels of 25-hydroxyvitamin D [25(OH)D] in the first trimester and to determine the factors affecting deficiency levels and its association with pregnancy outcomes. ⋯ A high prevalence of vitamin D deficiency was observed in early pregnancy which was related to dress code, use of multi-vitamins and season at sampling. Low 25(OH)D levels were not related with adverse pregnancy outcomes. Women with severe vitamin D deficiency were more likely to deliver vaginally.
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African health sciences · Mar 2016
Iron deficiency anaemia among apparently healthy pre-school children in Lagos, Nigeria.
Iron deficiency, and specifically iron deficiency anaemia, remains one of the most severe and important nutritional deficiencies in the world today. ⋯ The overall prevalence of iron deficiency anaemia among study subjects was 10.11%. Iron deficiency anaemia was more common in children aged two years and below. Weight-for-age and weight-for-height Z scores below minus two standard scores were strongly associated with iron deficiency anaemia.
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African health sciences · Mar 2016
Randomized Controlled TrialA randomised controlled trial comparing the effect of adjuvant intrathecal 2 mg midazolam to 20 micrograms fentanyl on postoperative pain for patients undergoing lower limb orthopaedic surgery under spinal anaesthesia.
Intrathecal adjuvants are added to local anaesthetics to improve the quality of neuraxial blockade and prolong the duration of analgesia during spinal anaesthesia. Used intrathecally, fentanyl improves the quality of spinal blockade as compared to plain bupivacaine and confers a short duration of post-operative analgesia. Intrathecal midazolam as an adjuvant has been used and shown to improve the quality of spinal anaesthesia and prolong the duration of post-operative analgesia. No studies have been done comparing intrathecal fentanyl with bupivacaine and intrathecal 2 mg midazolam with bupivacaine. ⋯ On the basis of the results of this study, there was no significant difference in the duration of effective analgesia between adjuvant intrathecal 2 mg midazolam as compared to intrathecal 20 micrograms fentanyl for patients undergoing lower limb orthopaedic surgery.
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African health sciences · Mar 2016
Comparative StudyComparative assessment of seller's staining test (SST) and direct fluorescent antibody test for rapid and accurate laboratory diagnosis of rabies.
Rabies causes 55, 000 annual human deaths globally and about 10,000 people are exposed annually in Nigeria. Diagnosis of animal rabies in most African countries has been by direct microscopic examination. In Nigeria, the Seller's stain test (SST) was employed until 2009. Before then, both SST and dFAT were used concurrently until the dFAT became the only standard method. ⋯ The relatively low sensitivity of the SST observed in this study calls for its replacement with the dFAT for accurate diagnosis of rabies and timely decisions on administration of PEP to prevent untimely deaths of exposed humans.
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Levels of endoscopic demand and capacity in West Africa are unclear. ⋯ In surveying physicians, less than half had resources to perform an EGD and none could perform an ERCP, while waiting time for emergency endoscopy in urban populations was at least one day. In assessing improvement in medical knowledge among participants after didactics, objective data paired with subjective responses was more useful than either alone. Of 23 patients who received endoscopy, 7 required endoscopic intervention with 6 having gastric or esophageal varices. Currently the endoscopic capacity in West Africa is not sufficient. A formal GI course with simulation and didactics improves gastrointestinal knowledge amongst participants.