Severe road traffic injuries in the third trimester of pregnancy

We report 9 women in the third trimester of pregnancy who were severely injured in road traffic accidents. There were 3 accelerated labours and half the babies died. Immediate obstetric interference was often impractical and did not improve fetal survival. Noteworthy injuries of the central nervous system were associated with very high fetal mortality. Fractures of the pelvis were not nearly as disastrous as the literature suggests. The first consideration in management should be the well being of the severely injured mother, since the injuries that would kill the fetus are not likely to be amenable to surgery. The only justification for intervention for the sake of the fetus that survives the moment of impact is to salvage it from its dying mother's body.     

SEM-EDX study of prepared human dentine surfaces exposed to gingival retraction fluids

OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the effects of gingival retraction fluids (GRF) on prepared dentine surfaces, and to test the null-hypothesis that prior exposure of dentine surfaces for prolonged period to any of the fluids evaluated does not influence acid-etching of the exposed surfaces. METHODS: The investigation was carried out using SEM and energy-dispersive X-ray analysis (EDX). The GRF studied were Hemodent (HMDT), Astringedent (AST) and Ultradent buffered 25% Aluminium Chloride (ULTB). Longitudinal sections of 220-grit ground dentine surfaces were exposed to GRF for 0.5-, 1-, 2- and 5-min (n=4 each). Another group of samples was produced by 20s application of 35% phosphoric acid (PA) on GRF-pretreated dentine. Control samples were not exposed to GRF. Differences in etching effect-a function of the Ca-contents detected by EDX, were analysed using Friedman's and Wilcoxon's rank test (P<0.05). RESULTS: The SEM demonstrated the presence of a relatively non-porous amorphous dentine matrix, but many of the dentine tubule orifices remained occluded. Granular precipitates, which remained even after acid-etching, were noted on surfaces exposed to Hemodent for 5 min. Characteristic crystal growth was observed on surfaces exposed to Astringedent for 1- or 2-min prior to acid-etching. The EDX data demonstrated that there were differences in resulting Ca-content; ULTB >AST>HMDT>ULTB+PA>HMDT+PA>AST+PA>PA, but AST and HMDT were not significantly different. CONCLUSIONS: The exposure of dentine prepared surfaces to these three GRF altered its morphology and reduced the dentine's susceptibility to acid-etching, thus the null-hypothesis is rejected.     

African eggplant (Solanum anguivi Lam.) fruit with bioactive polyphenolic compounds exerts in vitro antioxidant properties and inhibits Ca2+-induced mitochondrial swelling

Objective

To evaluate the antioxidant and radical scavenging activities of Solanum anguivi fruit (SAG) and its possible effect on mitochondrial permeability transition pore as well as mitochondrial membrane potential (ΔΨ_m) isolated from rat liver.

Methods

Antioxidant activity of SAG was assayed by using 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH), reducing power, iron chelation and ability to inhibit lipid peroxidation in both liver and brain homogenate of rats. Also, the effect of SAG on mitochondrial membrane potential and mitochondrial swelling were determined. Identification and quantification of bioactive polyphenolics was done by HPLC-DAD.

Results

SAG exhibited potent and concentration dependent free radical-scavenging activity (IC₅₀/DPPH=275.03±7.8 µg/mL). Reductive and iron chelation abilities also increase with increase in SAG concentration. SAG also inhibited peroxidation of cerebral and hepatic lipids subjected to iron oxidative assault. SAG protected against Ca²⁺ (110 µmol/L)-induced mitochondrial swelling and maintained the ΔΨ_m. HPLC analysis revealed the presence of gallic acid [(17.54±0.04) mg/g], chlorogenic acid (21.90±0.02 mg/g), caffeic acid (16.64±0.01 mg/g), rutin [(14.71±0.03) mg/g] and quercetin [(7.39±0.05) mg/g].

Conclusions

These effects could be attributed to the bioactive polyphenolic compounds present in the extract. Our results suggest that SAG extract is a potential source of natural antioxidants that may be used not only in pharmaceutical and food industry but also in the treatment of diseases associated with oxidative stress.     

Larval habitats of mosquito fauna in Osogbo metropolis,Southwestern Nigeria

Objective

To determine the larval habitats of mosquito fauna and possible impact of land use/ land cover changes on the epidemiology of mosquito-borne diseases in Osogbo metropolis, Southwestern, Nigeria.

Methods

All accessible larval habitats were surveyed between May and September, 2011 in Osogbo metropolis while Land Use/ Land cover of the city was analyzed using 2 Lansat Multispectral Scanner satellite imagery of SPOT 1986 and LANDSAT TM 2009.

Results

A total of six species namely, Aedes aegypti, Aedes albopictus, Aedes vittatus, Anopheles gambiae complex, Culex quinquefasciatus and Eretmapodite chrysogaster were encountered during the study. The occurrence and contribution of disused tyres was significantly higher (P<0.05) than the other habitats encountered, while there were no significant differences in the contribution of gutters/run-offs, septic tanks/ drums, ground pools/open drains and discarded containers to the breeding of mosquitoes (P>0.05). The accessible land use/ land covered of the study area between 1986 and 2009 showed that the wet land coverage and settlement area increased from 0.19 to 9.09 hectare and 1.00 to 2.01 hectare respectively while the forest area decreased from 60.18 to 50.14 hectare.

Conclusion

The contribution of the habitats coupled with the increasing rate of flooded environment which could provide ample breeding sites for mosquitoes call for sustained environmental sanitation and management in Osogbo metropolis.     

Quantitative tract-specific measures of uncinate and cingulum in major depression using diffusion tensor imaging

Previous findings suggested the role of the prefrontal cortex, hippocampus, and cingulate gyrus in major depressive disorders (MDD), but the white matter microstructural abnormalities of the fibers connecting these brain structures are not known. The purpose of this study was to test the hypothesis that white matter abnormalities are present in association fibers of the uncinate fasciculus (UF) and cingulum bundle (CB) among MDD subjects. A total of 21 MDD subjects aged between 30 and 65 years and 21 age-matched healthy controls (HC) were recruited. All subjects were right-handed and without history of diabetes or other cardiac diseases. We extracted quantitative tract-specific measures based on diffusion tensor imaging tractography to examine both diffusivity and geometric properties of the UF and CB. Significantly decreased fractional anisotropy (FA) and increased radial diffusivity of the right UF were observed in MDD patients compared with HC (p<0.05), while their geometric characteristics remained relatively unchanged. Among MDD subjects, depression severity had a significant negative correlation with normalized number of fibers (NNF) in the right UF (r=-0.53, p=0.02). We also found significant age effect (oldR) in both groups in the FA measure of the CB. Our study demonstrates novel findings of white matter microstructural abnormalities of the right UF in MDD. In the MDD group, the severity of depression is associated with reduced NNF in the right UF. These findings have implications for both clinical manifestations of depression as well as its pathophysiology.