Psychiatric morbidity in a gynaecology clinic in Nigeria.

Psychological disorders among 233 women attending a gynaecology out-patient clinic was assessed by a two-stage screening procedure, using the GHQ-30 and the PSE. The prevalence of psychiatric disorders was found to be 35.2%. Psychiatric morbidity was significantly associated with a history of induced abortion, previous marriages, having no children, complaints of menstrual abnormalities, chronic pelvic pain and having unsupportive husbands. It is suggested that more attention needs to be paid to the psychological health of patients with gynaecological disorders (in line with the biopsychosocial model of health care). This will ensure an overall improvement in the quality of care.     

Perception of Nigerian Consumers on the Culinary,Social, and Health Attributes of Pepper Soup

This study evaluated the perception of consumers on the culinary, social, and health attributes of pepper soup. A structured questionnaire was used to identified reasons for taking pepper soup, the preferred type of pepper soup, social environment for the consumption of pepper soup, beverage accompaniment preferred with pepper soup, and types of food preferred as accompaniment with pepper soup. It also evaluated the perception about the claimed health benefits of the constituents of pepper soup. The survey indicated that pepper soup was mostly a weekly and occasional diet taken by respondents for enjoyment (68.3%) and relaxation (55.8%). About 90.2, 85.9, 90.2, and 92% of the respondents preferred catfish, goat meat, chicken, and cow tail, respectively, as the flesh components in their pepper soup. The preferred color, texture, and flavor was either light or dark brown, viscous or light, and peppery and spicy. Hot and warm pepper soup was preferred by 97% and 65.8% of the respondents, respectively. The respondents (66.3 and 79%) preferred to take their pepper soup with beer and wine, while 75.9 and 90.7% of respondents that have preference for non-alcoholic beverage as accompaniment preferred carbonated beverages and juices or mineral water, respectively. The majority of respondents (60.5 ± 8.52%) disagreed significantly (p > 0.05) that pepper soup possessed most of the health benefits associated with herbs, spices, and other constituents of pepper soup, implying that pepper soup may not be consumed for its perceived medicinal value.     

Anti-CD52 blocks EAE independent of PD-1 signals and promotes repopulation dominated by double-negative T cells and newly generated T and B cells

Lymphocyte depletion using anti-CD52 antibody effectively reduces relapses of multiple sclerosis (MS). To begin to understand what mechanisms might control this outcome, we examined the effect of a murine-CD52-specific mAb on the depletion and repopulation of immune cells in mice with experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE), a model of MS. We tested whether the tolerance-promoting receptor programmed cell death protein-1 (PD-1) is required for disease remission post anti-CD52, and found that PD-1-deficient mice with a more severe EAE were nevertheless effectively treated with anti-CD52. Anti-CD52 increased the proportions of newly generated T cells and double-negative (DN) T cells while reducing newly generated B cells; the latter effect being associated with a higher expression of CD52 by these cells. In the longer term, anti-CD52 caused substantial increases in the proportion of newly generated lymphocytes and DN T cells in mice with EAE. Thus, the rapid repopulation of lymphocytes from central lymphoid organs post anti-CD52 may limit further disease. Furthermore, these data identify DN T cells, a subset with immunoregulatory potential, as a significant hyperrepopulating subset following CD52-mediated depletion.     

A Comparative Study of the Adsorption of Methylene Blue onto Synthesized Nanoscale Zero-Valent Iron-Bamboo and Manganese-Bamboo Composites

In this study, bamboo impregnated with nanoscale zero-valent iron (nZVI) and nanoscale manganese (nMn) were prepared by the aqueous phase borohydride reduction method and characterized using scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and PIXE analysis. The synthesized nMn-bamboo and nZVI-bamboo composites were subsequently applied to the sorption of methylene blue (MB) dye from aqueous solution. The adsorption of MB dye was investigated under various experimental conditions such as pH, contact time, initial concentration of MB dye and adsorbent dosage. The results showed that the synthesized nZVI-bamboo composite was more effective than nMn-bamboo composite in terms of higher MB dye adsorption capacity of 322.5 mg/g compared to 263.5 mg/g of nMn-bamboo composite. At a concentration of 140 mg/L MB dye, 0.02 g of nZVI-bamboo and nMn-bamboo composites resulted in 79.6% and 78.3% removal, respectively, at 165 rpm, contact time of 120 min and at a solution pH of 7.6. The equilibrium data was best represented by Freundlich isotherm model and the pseudo-second order kinetic model better explained the kinetic data for both nZVI-bamboo and nMn-bamboo composites.     

Albuminuria in Afro‐Caribbeans with Type 2 diabetes mellitus: is the sickle cell trait a risk factor?

AIMS: To determine the prevalence of albuminuria [raised albumin-creatinine ratio (ACR)] in an out-patient population of Afro-Caribbeans with Type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM) and to determine if the possession of the sickle cell trait (SCT) is a risk factor. PATIENTS AND METHODS: The ACR in a morning urine sample was determined in each of 181 Afro-Caribbeans with Type 2 DM attending the out-patient clinic at King's Diabetes Centre of King's College Hospital, London. The subjects were genotyped for the SCT, Haemoglobin AS (HbAS). RESULTS: Although a raised ACR was demonstrated more frequently in those with the SCT than in those without, with an odds ratio of 1.19, this was not statistically significant (P = 0.68). CONCLUSIONS: In this study the possession of the SCT does not appear to play a significant role in the development of albuminuria. However, a larger study is needed to clarify its role as a risk factor for development of albuminuria in Afro-Caribbeans with Type 2 DM.     

Hydrolethalus syndrome in consecutive African siblings

Hydrolethalus syndrome may comprise mainly hydrocephalus, polydactyly, micrognathia, congenital cardiac and respiratory anomalies and uniform lethality. It was recently described in Finland, with a suggestion that it might be one of the “Finnish” diseases [4]. We report two cases of this syndrome in consecutive siblings of a Nigerian couple. In addition, we describe associated healing fractures of the long bones, a feature not mentioned in the original report, apparently because those cases were not subjected to post-partum radiography.