Prevalence and factors associated with anthropometric failure,vitamin A and iron deficiency among adolescents in a Nigerian urban community

BackgroundUnder nutrition is a problem of severe magnitude in low income countries like Nigeria. Adolescent school children might also be vulnerable. The dearth of data hinders planning of school health and nutrition programmes for school children.ObjectiveTo determine the prevalence of stunting, thinness; vitamin A and iron deficiencies among adolescent students in Nsukka urban, Nigeria and to determine factors that are associated with these nutritional problems.MethodsA total of 400 participants were randomly selected from 717 students aged 12 – 18 years in 3 randomly selected secondary schools. Questionnaires, anthropometric measurements, and blood analyses were the data collection methods employed.ResultsThe prevalence of stunting was 33.3% and thinness 31.0%. Neither overweight nor obesity was observed. While 64.0% were anaemic; 44.0% had vitamin A deficiency (VAD). A total of 48.0% had both anaemia and stunting, 42% had VAD + thinness; while 40% had anaemia + VAD. Household income was a predictor of vitamin A status. Children from medium/high income households had higher odds of having VAD than those from low income households (AOR=0.14; 95% CI=0.031, 0.607; P=0.009). Household income (AOR=0.12; 95% CI=0.021, 0.671; P=0.016), and age (AOR=0.09; 95% CI=0.014, 0.587; P=0.012) were independent determinants of height-for-age status.ConclusionAmong urban adolescent students in Nigeria, stunting, thinness, anaemia and VAD were problems of public health significance. Age and household monthly income played major roles.     

Gut microbiota,inflammatory bowel disease and colorectal cancer

The gut microbiota is a complex community of microorganisms that inhabit the digestive tracts of humans, living in symbiosis with the host. Dysbiosis, characterized by an imbalance between the beneficial and opportunistic gut microbiota, is associated with several gastrointestinal disorders, such as irritable bowel syndrome (IBS); inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), represented by ulcerative colitis and Crohn’s disease; and colorectal cancer (CRC). Dysbiosis can disrupt the mucosal barrier, resulting in perpetuation of inflammation and carcinogenesis. The increase in some specific groups of harmful bacteria, such as Escherichia coli (E. coli) and enterotoxigenic Bacteroides fragilis (ETBF), has been associated with chronic tissue inflammation and the release of pro-inflammatory and carcinogenic mediators, increasing the chance of developing CRC, following the inflammation-dysplasia-cancer sequence in IBD patients. Therefore, the aim of the present review was to analyze the correlation between changes in the gut microbiota and the development and maintenance of IBD, CRC, and IBD-associated CRC. Patients with IBD and CRC have shown reduced bacterial diversity and abundance compared to healthy individuals, with enrichment of Firmicute sand Bacteroidetes. Specific bacteria are also associated with the onset and progression of CRC, such as Fusobacterium nucleatum, E. coli, Enterococcus faecalis, Streptococcus gallolyticus, and ETBF. Future research can evaluate the advantages of modulating the gut microbiota as preventive measures in CRC high-risk patients, directly affecting the prognosis of the disease and the quality of life of patients.     

Open access for operational research publications from low- and middle-income countries: who pays?

Open-access journal publications aim to ensure that new knowledge is widely disseminated and made freely accessible in a timely manner so that it can be used to improve people''s health, particularly those in low- and middle-income countries. In this paper, we briefly explain the differences between closed- and open-access journals, including the evolving idea of the ‘open-access spectrum’. We highlight the potential benefits of supporting open access for operational research, and discuss the conundrum and ways forward as regards who pays for open access.     

Progressive decrease of hepatitis B in a cohort of drug users followed over a period of 15 years: the impact of anti-HBV vaccination

In the Western world, the population at the highest risk of HBV infection is probably that of illicit drug users (DUs). Since 1985, 1 Public Health Centre for Drug Users (PHCDU), in north-eastern Italy, has been asking all heroin DUs, whether in treatment or not, to undergo screening for HIV, HBV and, since 1989, for HCV infection. Since 1988 the Centre has proposed HBV vaccination to all patients who were negative for all HBV markers. From 1985 to 2001 895 heroin DUs were screened, 726 males and 169 females. 442 (49.4%) were negative to HBV markers at the first control and 72.4% received at least 1 dose of the vaccine. 320 DUs were vaccinated and a total of 995 doses of recombinant vaccine were administered. The anti-HBc antibody appeared in 2 vaccinated patients out of 258 DUs undergoing controls, while 13 seroconversions for anti-HBc occurred in 45 DUs who had refused to be vaccinated. On the basis of these results, HBV vaccination of DUs can be strongly recommended. Vaccination showed a good adherence in a population difficult to treat and can have a leading role in reducing HBV infection in DUs and their contacts.     

Accumulation of protease-resistant prion protein (PrP) and apoptosis of cerebellar granule cells in transgenic mice expressing a PrP insertional mutation

We have generated lines of transgenic mice that express a mutant prion protein (PrP) containing 14 octapeptide repeats whose human homologue is associated with an inherited prion dementia. These mice develop a neurological illness with prominent ataxia at 65 or 240 days of age, depending on whether the transgene array is, respectively, homozygous or hemizygous. Starting from birth, mutant PrP is converted into a protease-resistant and detergent-insoluble form that resembles the scrapie isoform of PrP, and this form accumulates dramatically in many brain regions throughout the lifetime of the mice. As PrP accumulates, there is massive apoptosis of granule cells in the cerebellum. Our analysis provides important insights into the molecular pathogenesis of inherited prion disorders in humans.