Association between serum CA125 levels in preeclampsia and its severity among women in Lagos,South-West Nigeria

Background: Preeclampsia is a syndrome of unknown etiology characterized by hypertension, proteinuria, and/or organ dysfunction. CA125 is an antigenic determinant recognized by the murine monoclonal antibody OC125 quantified by radioimmunoassay. Its role in obstetrics is yet to be fully understood as most clinical trials advocating its uses are widely experimental in nature and unacknowledged. Aim: This study was done to assess the relationship between serum concentration of CA125 in normal pregnancies and those complicated with preeclampsia. Methods: A case–control study involving 70 women diagnosed with preeclampsia and 70 healthy controls matched for age, parity, and gestational age at enrollment. Venous samples were collected from each participant after informed consent was obtained. The preeclampsia group was further subdivided into mild and severe preeclampsia and all participants were followed up till delivery with records of delivery, maternal, and neonatal outcomes obtained thereafter. Serum CA125 levels were determined by standard enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) method. Hypothesis testing was done using chi-square test for categorical variables, and the independent-samples t-test and ANOVA for numerical variables. All significances were reported at P < 0.05. Results: The mean serum level of CA125 in women with preeclampsia was significantly greater than those with normal pregnancy (54.17 IU/mL vs. 12.49 IU/mL, P < 0.05). CA125 level also correlated positively with systolic blood pressure (r = 0.406, P < 0.05), diastolic blood pressure (r = 0.433, P < 0.05), serum uric acid levels (r = 0.407, P = 0.001), platelet levels (r = 0.341, P = 0.001), and urinary protein levels (r = 0.325, P = 0.002). The CA125 levels between the three categories of participants in the study were: normotensive control (12.49 ± 6.62 mIU/L), mild preeclampsia (29.43 ± 3.7 mIU/L), and severe preeclampsia (64.25 ± 9.21 mIU/L), respectively (P = 0.023). Conclusion: We can infer from this study that increased maternal serum CA 125 levels are associated with the preeclampsia and its severity. However, further validation of these findings with more robust multicenter prospective and longitudinal characterization of maternal serum CA125 profiles in pregnancy should be carried out in subsequent investigations to determine its suitability as a predictive biomarker for preeclampsia in women of African descent.     

Awareness, possession and use of insecticide-treated nets for prevention of malaria in children under five in Abeokuta, Nigeria

Aim: A survey was carried out to assess awareness, possession and use of insecticide‐treated nets (ITN) by mothers in preventing malaria among children under 5 years old. Methods: Pretested questionnaires were administered by trained research assistants to women that have had a child in the last 59 months, irrespective of place of child delivery. Results: Malaria was considered dangerous by almost all respondents (98.5%); the level of awareness of ITN as a malaria preventive tool was 75.1% while possession was 45%. Awareness and possession of ITN were positively and significantly influenced by high educational qualification of mothers and attendance of a public hospital for antenatal care. Hospitals were identified as the major source of awareness among respondents; women that delivered their babies in traditional birth home displayed least awareness (38.6%) and recorded low possession (10%). There was no significant relationship between ITN usage, birth order and age of child. Heat experienced while sleeping under ITN and problem of how to hang the net were major limitations identified in the use of ITN. Conclusion: The need to involve women receiving antenatal care outside the hospital in malaria control intervention is hereby recommended. Methods of bridging ITN possession and use needs to de developed.     

A matched case–control study of bean intake and breast cancer risk in urbanized Nigerian women

Cancer Causes & Control - Bean intake has been associated with reduced risk of breast cancer, however; only a few studies considered molecular subtypes status and none in African women living...     

Temporal trends and outcomes of patients waiting on left ventricular assist devices and inotropes for heart transplantation

We sought to evaluate the trends and outcomes of patients with left ventricular assist devices (LVADs) and inotropes at the time of listing for heart transplantation. Adults with an LVAD implanted and listed with 1A status were identified in the United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS) registry between 2010 and 2017. Patients were grouped according to the presence or absence of inotropes at the time of listing and transplantation. A total of 2714 patients were included in the study including 664 patients on inotropes at the time of listing, 235 at the time of transplantation, and 118 on inotropes both at listing and at the time of transplantation. Patients on LVAD and inotropes at the time of listing were more frequently supported with a right ventricular assist device (RVAD) (P < .001), had higher risk of death in the waiting list (sub-hazard ratio [SHR] = 1.48, 95% CI 1.14-1.90, P = .002), and were less likely to be transplanted (SHR = 0.70, 95% CI 0.63-0.78, P < .001) compared with those not on inotropes, after adjusting for described confounders. Approximately 1 in 10 LVAD recipients listed as status 1A are on inotropic therapy at the time of heart transplantation. Patients on LVAD and inotropes have worse outcomes in terms of survival and lower rates of transplantation.     

Rohypnol-induced sexual dysfunction is via suppression of hypothalamic-pituitary-testicular axis: An experimental study in rats

Sexual activity is an essential part of reproductive functions and needed for the maintenance of fertility. Drugs, particularly substances of abuse, impair male reproductive function either by interrupting hormonal functions or through the nonhormonal pathways. This study evaluated the impact of Rohypnol use in sexual behaviour. Materials and methods: Thirty adult male Wistar rats of comparable weights (180–200 g) were randomly allocated into three groups, the control and low-dose and high-dose Rohypnol-treated groups. The control group received 0.5 ml of distilled water, while the low- and high-dose Rohypnol-treated groups received 2 mg/kg b.w and 4 mg/kg b.w of Rohypnol via oral lavage once daily for 28 days. Rohypnol significantly increased mount latency, intromission latency, ejaculation latency and post-ejaculatory interval, as well as lowered mount frequency, intromission frequency and ejaculation frequency. Rohypnol-induced sexual dysfunction was found to be associated with significant suppression of circulatory follicle-stimulating hormone, luteinising hormone, testosterone and oestrogen. The present study reveals that Rohypnol induces sexual dysfunction through suppression of hypothalamic – pituitary – testicular axis. It also implicates Rohypnol as a potential candidate for drug-induced infertility.     

Enuresis in Sickle Cell Disease. I. Prevalence Studies

The prevalence of enuresis was determined by parental interview in Nigerian children with sickle cell anaemia and in age-matched controls without sickle haemoglobinopathy. There were a total of 209 subjects with sickle cell anaemia (SCA) in steady state and 200 controls of both sexes aged from 2 to 20 years. The prevalence of enuresis was 41.6 per cent in those with SCA and 18.5 per cent in the controls. In subjects who were 4 years or more the prevalences were 36.8 and 21 per cent, respectively. These differences were highly significant (P less than 0.001). There was a significant preponderance of males among enuretic control subjects (2.6 to 1) who were aged 4 years or more (P less than 0.05) which was not apparent in the sickle cell subjects at any age or in the controls below the age of 4 years.     

Peripheral lymphadenopathy in Nigeria

An analysis of 294 enlarged peripheral lymph node biopsies in Ife, Nigeria, revealed that the underlying disease in 51.7% was chronic inflammation while malignant diseases accounted for 48.3%. The order of frequency of the lesions was reactive hyperplasia (29.3%), metastatic cancer (24.5%), malignant lymphoma (23.8%), tuberculosis (15.6%) and toxoplasmosis (3.7%). One-third of the metastases were of undetermined origin. The neck which accounted for 53% of the biopsies, was the most frequent site for tuberculous adenitis, toxoplasmic lymphadenitis, and malignancies. The axilla was involved in 15% of the cases and was the most common site for metastatic breast carcinoma. The inguinal lymph nodes were also involved in 24% of the cases and had the highest occurrence of melanoma, reactive hyperplasia and parasitic granuloma. The habit of bare-foot walking leading to repeated trauma and infection is implicated in the high incidence of inguinal node reactive hyperplasia. This study demonstrates that lymph node malignancies and chronic granulomatous infections present a problem of increasing diagnostic and therapeutic importance and furthermore, it emphasizes that physicians in Nigeria should consider toxoplasmosis in the differential diagnosis of peripheral lymphadenopathy.