Maternal overweight/obesity characteristics and child anthropometric status in Jos,Nigeria

Objective:

This study is to determine the pattern of overweight and obesity and its relationship with childhood anthropometric status in Nigeria.

Materials and Methods:

This cross-sectional study was conducted in Jos, Nigeria. Interviewer administered questionnaire was used in data collection. Maternal and child anthropometric measurements were obtained using standard WHO methods. Child anthropometric Z scores were obtained from WHO Anthroplus while BMI of mothers were also determined. Totally, 262 mother-child pairs were recruited.

Results:

Mean maternal age and mean child age were 30.8 ± 6.3 yrs (15-47 yrs) and 22.3 ± 18.7 months (3-72 months). Prevalence of maternal underweight, overweight and obesity was 4.2% (11/262), 29.4% (77/262) and 25.9% (68/262), respectively. Child overweight/obesity was 5.4% (14/262), severe under-nutrition 5.7% (15/262). Mean maternal BMI was higher in the older, more educated and higher socioeconomic status (SES). Child mean birth-weight, weight-for-age Z-score and BMI-for-age Z-score (BAZ) were higher among mothers with BMI ≥ 25 kg/m². All large-for-age babies were in mothers with maternal BMI ≥ 25 kg/m². Childhood over-nutrition was more common in maternal BMI of ≥25 kg/m². Overall, BAZ was directly related with maternal BMI, maternal age and birth-weight, although it was inversely related with maternal BM I ≥ 25 kg/m².

Conclusion:

Higher BMI is seen in educated and higher SES mothers and this impact on childhood anthropometry.     

Association of a single-nucleotide polymorphism in the promoter region of leukemia inhibitory factor receptor gene with low bone mineral density in adult women

Background:   Osteoporosis is believed to result from the interaction among multiple environmental and genetic determinants that regulate bone-mineral density (BMD).
Methods:   To investigate a potentially predisposing genetic factor in the onset of osteoporosis, we looked for a possible association between BMD in adult Japanese women and known polymorphisms in the leukemia inhibitory factor receptor gene (LIFR).
Results:   An association analysis of chromosomes from 384 volunteer subjects revealed significant correlation between the −603T > C variant of LIFR and radial BMD ( r  = 0.11, P  = 0.032) in this test population. Comparisons of mean values of adjusted radial BMD among separate genotypic groups implied an allelic dosage effect, because homozygous carriers of T alleles of that SNP had the highest adjusted BMDs (0.403 ± 0.054 g/cm²); women homozygous for the C-allele had the lowest (0.373 ± 0.042 g/cm²), and heterozygous individuals had intermediate scores (0.394 ± 0.056 g/cm²).
Conclusion:   This polymorphism in LIFR may be an important determinant of predisposition to postmenopausal osteoporosis.     

An XXX female with essential thrombocythemia

We describe an XXX female patient accompanied with essential thrombocythemia. To our knowledge this is the first case ever to have been reported. The patient was asymptomatic, but her platelet count had increased to 111.2 x 10(4)/microliter, and she was diagnosed as having essential thrombocythemia based on the diagnostic criteria of the Polycythemia Vera Study Group. At the same time, chromosome analysis of bone marrow cells revealed that she was an XXX female. The patient remained asymptomatic throughout the course of treatment.     

Infective endocarditis caused by lactobacillus

Lactobacillus (LB) is a gram-positive rod-shaped bacterium that inhabits the oral cavity, gastrointestinal tract, vagina and nasal cavity. Although LB plays a role in the prevention of infections caused by pathogenic bacteria, it causes some critical infectious diseases such as infective endocarditis (IE). IE due to LB is rare; however, early diagnosis and early treatment are important because of its high mortality rate. We report the onset of IE after otologic treatment in a heavy drinker of alcohol, the second case of IE due to LB in Japan.