The 12-month prevalence of DSM-IV anxiety disorders among Nigerian secondary school adolescents aged 13-18 years

AIMS: To estimate the 12-month prevalence of DSM-IV-specific anxiety disorders among Nigerian secondary school adolescents aged 13-18 years. METHOD: A representative sample of adolescents (n=1090) from senior secondary schools in a semi-urban town in Nigeria was assessed for the 12-month prevalence of DSM-IV-specific anxiety. RESULTS: The 12-month prevalence for all anxiety disorders was 15.0% (females=19.6%; males=11.4%). There were significant gender differences in the prevalence for all anxiety disorders (P<0.001; OR 1.96, 95% CI 1.35-2.65) and social anxiety disorder (P=0.035; OR 1.82, 95% CI 1.03-3.19) and significant age difference in the prevalence of separation anxiety disorder (P=0.045; OR 2.43, 95% CI 0.99-5.96). CONCLUSION: The prevalence of anxiety disorders in Nigerian secondary school adolescents was comparable to the rates found in the western world. Health policies must integrate adolescents' anxiety as a disorder of public health significance. Further studies are needed to evaluate the factors associated with anxiety disorders amongst adolescents in this region.     

Validity of the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) among Nigerian university students

OBJECTIVES: Sleep-related problems and detection of them remain largely an unidentified public health issue, especially among university students. This study aims to assess the validity of the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) among Nigerian university students. METHODS: Five hundred and twenty students completed the PSQI, the 12-item General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-12) and questionnaires pertaining to socio-demographic details. The students were then interviewed for the diagnosis of insomnia according to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth edition (DSM-IV) and the International Classification of Sleep Disorders, revised criteria (ICSD-R). RESULTS: The PSQI was of moderate value in screening for insomnia, with the best cut-off score at 5 (sensitivity 0.720, specificity 0.545, overall correct classification rate 0.554). The correlation between the PSQI and the GHQ-12 was 0.252 (p<0.001). A 3-factor model was generated by principal component analysis. CONCLUSION: The psychometric value of PSQI in screening for insomnia among Nigerian students was moderate compared to what has been obtained in Western cultures. Nonetheless, it is still a useful instrument in the detection of sleep problems in this population.     

Methyl jasmonate induced apoptosis in human prostate carcinoma cells via 5-lipoxygenase dependent pathway

Methyl jasmonate--a plant stress hormone with striking resemblance to lipoxygenase products have been reported to induce apoptosis in several cancers. However, 5-HETE--a product of the lipoxygenase pathway has been implicated in human prostate cancer progression and yet possible interaction between methyl jasmonate and the lipoxygenase pathway has not been reported, thus, leaving some unanswered questions on the mechanism(s) of action by methyl jasmonate. Using cytotoxicity and flow cytometry assays (BrdU assay) as well as fluorescence microscopy, we investigated the effects of the methyl jasmonate on the proliferation of human prostate adenocarcinoma cell lines (DU-145, PC-3) in vitro and the potential interaction between methyl jasmonate and the lipoxygenase pathway. Methyl jasmonate (MJ) significantly (p = 0.01) inhibited the proliferation of human prostate carcinoma cells in dose- and kinetic-dependent manners and showed specific interaction with 5-lipoxygenase (5-LOX) enzyme pathway. Flow cytometric analyses and fluorescence microscopy confirmed that the inhibition of proliferation was via the induction of apoptosis. Based on our findings, it can be proposed that the interaction of methyl jasmonate with 5-lipoxygenase pathway may participate in the observed anticarcinogenic property.     

Urinary proteomics combined with home blood pressure telemonitoring for health care reform trial—First progress report

High blood pressure (BP) and type-2 diabetes (T2DM) are forerunners of chronic kidney disease and left ventricular dysfunction. Home BP telemonitoring (HTM) and urinary peptidomic profiling (UPP) are technologies enabling risk stratification and personalized prevention. UPRIGHT-HTM (NCT04299529) is an investigator-initiated, multicenter, open-label, randomized trial with blinded endpoint evaluation designed to assess the efficacy of HTM plus UPP (experimental group) over HTM alone (control group) in guiding treatment in asymptomatic patients, aged 55–75 years, with ≥5 cardiovascular risk factors. From screening onwards, HTM data can be freely accessed by all patients and their caregivers; UPP results are communicated early during follow-up to patients and caregivers in the intervention group, but at trial closure in the control group. From May 2021 until January 2023, 235 patients were screened, of whom 53 were still progressing through the run-in period and 144 were randomized. Both groups had similar characteristics, including average age (62.0 years) and the proportions of African Blacks (81.9%), White Europeans (16.7%), women 56.2%, home (31.2%), and office (50.0%) hypertension, T2DM (36.4%), micro-albuminuria (29.4%), and ECG (9.7%) and echocardiographic (11.5%) left ventricular hypertrophy. Home and office BP were 128.8/79.2 mm Hg and 137.1/82.7 mm Hg, respectively, resulting in a prevalence of white-coat, masked and sustained hypertension of 40.3%, 11.1%, and 25.7%. HTM persisted after randomization (48 681 readings up to 15 January 2023). In conclusion, results predominantly from low-resource sub-Saharan centers proved the feasibility of this multi-ethnic trial. The COVID-19 pandemic caused delays and differential recruitment rates across centers.     

Antimicrobial evaluation of methanolic extract of Colliandra surinamensis on some pathogenic organisms

The crude extract of Colliandra surinamensis is used in traditional medicine for the treatment of some diseases/infections. The crude extract obtained from the flower of Colliandra surinamensis was found to have antimicrobial activity against some Gram positive organisms such as Staphylococcus aureus, Bacillus subtilis and Steptococcus species. The performance of the extract against the bacteria isolates was favorably comparable with established commercial antibacterial agents.     

Serum alpha 2-HS-glycoprotein levels in neonatal infections

The serum concentration of alpha 2-HS-glycoprotein was determined in 15-infected neonates and 21 age-matched controls using the radial immunodiffusion method. The infected neonates had significantly lower serum alpha 2-HS-glycoprotein concentration than the controls (56.9 +/- 15.1 and 105.6 +/- 25.7, respectively; p less than 0.001) confirming that it also behaves as a negative acute phase reactant in neonates. No correlation was found between alpha 2-HS-glycoprotein and albumin concentrations. The serum glycoprotein concentration in the control neonates was significantly higher than that of healthy older children and reported values in adult controls. The often reported decrease in the opsonic function of the neonatal serum is therefore unlikely to be explained by decreased alpha 2-HS-glycoprotein levels. However, the relatively higher levels of the glycoprotein observed in this study in neonates may be related to the active bone mineralization taking place in the newborn period.     

Drug abuse and its clinical implications with special reference to Nigeria

A review of the literature shows that drug abuse has become a major public health problem in Nigeria. Alcohol, cannabis, psychostimulants and hypnosedatives are the most commonly abused drugs, although the abuse of hard drugs such as cocaine and heroin appears to be on the increase in the big cities. Drug abuse in the country now starts at an early age and cuts across all social groups. The need to incorporate drug and alcohol treatment and prevention programmes into the primary health care programmes (as part of the mental health component), was emphasised as a necessary strategy to ensure early detection and management, and a better coverage of the population of patients in need of care. It was also suggested that there is an urgent need to encourage extensive epidemiological and longitudinal studies of drug and alcohol abuse in Nigeria in order to accurately determine the populations at risk, the changing patterns of abuse over time (including cross-cultural comparison), and to allow for adequate social monitoring, planning and evaluation of services.