Contamination of Sachet Water in Nigeria: Assessment and Health Impact

Adequate supply of fresh and clean drinking water is a basic need for all human beings. Water consumers are frequently unaware of the potential health risks associated with exposure to water borne contaminants which have often led to diseases like diarrhoea, cholera, dysentery, typhoid fever, legionnaire’s disease and parasitic diseases. The inadequacy of pipe borne water-supply in Nigeria is a growing problem; as a result people resort to buying water from vendors, and sachet or bottled water became a major source of drinking water. Although, portable and affordable, the problems of its purity and other health concerns have begun to manifest. Sachet water have been reported to contain bacteria such as Bacillus sp., Pseudomonas sp., Klebsiella sp., Streptococcus sp., and oocysts of Cryptosporidia sp. Apart from environmental contaminants, improper storage and handling by vendors also poses a serious threat to the health of the ignorant consumers. This paper tends to review the quality of these ‘pure water’; its physical examination, microbial assessments, its impacts on health, and the various strategies adopted by the concerned authorities to regulate this thriving industry

Type 2 segmental darier's disease in a twelve-year old Nigerian male - A case report

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Epidemiology of gunshot injuries in Kano, Nigeria

Background: The incidence of civilian gunshot injuries has been reported to be on the increase globally. This study was undertaken to determine the epidemiology of gunshot injuries in Kano, Northern Nigeria. Patients and Methods: A retrospective analysis of patients with gunshot injuries seen at five major government hospitals in Kano metropolis over a four year period (1999-2002). Results: There were 224 cases, with males out-numbering females by a ratio of 27:1. Eighty -one point three percent of patients were aged between 20 and 44 years. The most commonly injured body regions were the lower limbs (31.6%), chest (15.6%), upper limbs (9.4%) and head (9.0%). A fatal outcome was recorded in 12.5% of cases. Most injuries occurred among traders, students, farmers and security agents, and armed robbery attacks and civil conflicts were the aetiological factors in majority of cases. Conclusion: Gunshot injuries are a major cause of morbidity among adult men in Kano. Addressing the root causes of violence such as poverty, unemployment, and substance abuse will reduce the incidence of gunshot injuries in our society. Keywords: gun-shot injuries, firearms, epidemiology Nigerian Journal of Surgical Research Vol. 7(3&4) 2005: 296-29

Thyroid cancers in nodular goitres in Northwestern Nigeria

Background : Cancer is an occasional incidental finding in nodular goitres, but there has been no formal study on this disease in our centre which is located in an endemic goitrous region. Aims and objectives: To determine the prevalence and pattern of malignant growths in multinodular goitres. Methodology : This is a seven year (2000-2006) retrospective study of all histologically diagnosed malignancies within nodular goitres at Aminu Kano Teaching Hospital, Kano Results : There were 160 multinodular goitres during the study period, out of which 24 (15.0%) had histologically diagnosed cancer and one out of the thirteen patients with solitary thyroid nodule (7.6%) had carcinoma. The ages of the patients with carcinoma ranged from 16 to 65 years, with a mean age of 38.8 years. Eighteen (72%) were females, and 7(28%) were males. Six out of the 25 cases of carcinoma were detected preoperatively by fine needle aspiration cytology. Well differentiated follicular carcinoma was the predominant histological type in 13 (52%) cases, followed by papillary in ten (40%), medullary carcinoma in one (4%) and anaplastic carcinoma in one (4%) patient. Conclusion : One-seventh of nodular goitres in our centre harboured malignancy, and follicular carcinoma was the prevalent histological type. This is consistent with the findings elsewhere in endemic goitrous regions. Ultrasound guided fine needle aspiration would improve preoperative diagnosis and guide appropriate surgical management

Prostate cancer disparities in Black men of African descent: a comparative literature review of prostate cancer burden among Black men in the United States, Caribbean, United Kingdom, and West Africa

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>African American men have the highest prostate cancer morbidity and mortality rates than any other racial or ethnic group in the US. Although the overall incidence of and mortality from prostate cancer has been declining in White men since 1991, the decline in African American men lags behind White men. Of particular concern is the growing literature on the disproportionate burden of prostate cancer among other Black men of West African ancestry in the Caribbean Islands, United Kingdom and West Africa. This higher incidence of prostate cancer observed in populations of African descent may be attributed to the fact that these populations share ancestral genetic factors. To better understand the burden of prostate cancer among men of West African Ancestry, we conducted a review of the literature on prostate cancer incidence, prevalence, and mortality in the countries connected by the Transatlantic Slave Trade.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Several published studies indicate high prostate cancer burden in Nigeria and Ghana. There was no published literature for the countries Benin, Gambia and Senegal that met our review criteria. Prostate cancer morbidity and/or mortality data from the Caribbean Islands and the United Kingdom also provided comparable or worse prostate cancer burden to that of US Blacks.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>The growing literature on the disproportionate burden of prostate cancer among other Black men of West African ancestry follows the path of the Transatlantic Slave Trade. To better understand and address the global prostate cancer disparities seen in Black men of West African ancestry, future studies should explore the genetic and environmental risk factors for prostate cancer among this group.</p

Ameloblastic carcinoma: Report of a case

Ameloblastic carcinoma is a rare epithelial odontogenic tumour of the jaws which exhibits cytological features of ameloblastoma and carcinoma. A case of ameloblastic carcinoma in a 52 year old male is reported. Clinical / histological characteristics of this tumour and current knowledge on the classification of odontogenic malignancies are discussed. The importance of including ameloblastic carcinoma in the differential diagnosis of persistent jaw swellings associated with toothache or mobility of teeth or failure of healing of extraction sockets is emphasized. Nigerian Journal of Surgical Research Vol. 7(1&2) 2005: 222-22

Impact of health system challenges on prostate cancer control: health care experiences in Nigeria

Prostate cancer is the second most frequently diagnosed cancer of men (913 000 new cases, 13.8% of the total) and the fifth most common cancer overall. Prostate cancer is the sixth leading cause of death from cancer in men (6.1% of the total)

An Estimate of the Incidence of Prostate Cancer in Africa: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Prostate cancer (PCa) is rated the second most common cancer and sixth leading cause of cancer deaths among men globally. Reports show that African men suffer disproportionately from PCa compared to men from other parts of the world. It is still quite difficult to accurately describe the burden of PCa in Africa due to poor cancer registration systems.We systematically reviewed the literature on prostate cancer in Africa and provided a continentwide incidence rate of PCa based on available data in the regio

SIMPLE HPLC-UV METHOD FOR DETERMINATION OF METFORMIN IN HUMAN PLASMA AND ERYTHROCYTES APPLICATION TO THERAPEUTIC DRUG MONITORING

Objective:&nbsp;The aim of this study was to develop a simple, rapid, efficient, cost effective and reproducible, stability indicating reverse phase high performance liquid chromatography method (RP-HPLC) for dosage of metformin in human plasma and erythrocytes. Methods:&nbsp;In this method, the plasma or erythrocyte proteins were precipitated using Perchloric acid: acetonitrile (50 % v/v) mixture and the supernatant liquid were injected into the HPLC system. The separation was achieved with a symmetry C8 column with the mobile phase containing 10 % water and 90 % sodium dihydrogen phosphate buffer (5.8 mM), the pH was adjusted to 3.8 with Phosphoric acid. The temperature was elevated to 25 °C. The detection was done by a UV detector at 232 nm. Results:&nbsp;The retention time was observed at around 4.412 min for metformin and 6.022 for lansoprazole an internal standard (IS). The response was linear over a range of 2-32µg ml-1, the coefficient of determination (r²) was found to be (r² =0. 9988). The lowest limit of quantification and detection was 0.1 µg/ml and 0.3 µg/ml respectively. No endogenous substances were found to interfere with the peaks of the drug. The intra-day and inter-day coefficient of variations was 2.1 % or less for all the selected concentrations. The relative errors at all the studied concentrations were 3.5 % or less. Conclusion:&nbsp;The HPLC method described in this article was simple, selective, reproducible, linear, and precise, it can be applied for therapeutic drug monitoring of metformin in human plasma and erythrocytes