How Valid are the Psychometric Properties of the Oral Health Impact Profile-14 Measure in Adult Dental Patients in Ibadan,Nigeria?

Background

The Oral Health Impact Profile (OHIP) is the most widely used quality of life (QoL) measure to evaluate the influence of oral diseases on individuals. QoL measures have been noted to be context and environment specific, and there is a need to cross-culturally adapt a scale before its introduction into any community. This study aimed to evaluate the psychometric properties, validity and internal consistency of the OHIP-14 measure in an adult patient population in Ibadan, Nigeria.

Methods

A cross-sectional study was conducted over a four-month period on 204 adult patients using OHIP-14 structured questionnaire, global self-report indicator of oral conditions and perceived treatment need. Oral examinations were performed to assess periodontal status, caries experience and attachment loss. Data were analyzed using SPSS and p-value for statistical significance was set at < 0.05.

Results

A total of 204 patients participated in the study with a mean OHIP score of 11.2 (± 9.8). OHIP scores were not related to the sociodemographic characteristics. Perception of need for treatment was greater among those who reported impacts on their QoL (89.3% vs. 14.3%, p < 0.001). The OHIP scores correlated negatively with global self rating of oral health status (rho = −0.23, p < 0.01). Higher OHIP scores were associated with having carious teeth (p = 0.023). The Cronbach''s alpha for the 14 inventory items ranged from 0.857 to 0.871.

Conclusion

The OHIP-14 measure showed good psychometric properties with satisfactory validity and internal consistency in adult patients in Ibadan, Nigeria.     

Rural-urban disparities in maternal immunization knowledge and childhood health-seeking behavior in Nigeria: a mixed method study

Background

Immunization and appropriate health-seeking behavior are effective strategies to reduce child deaths.

Objectives

To compare maternal knowledge about immunization, use of growth chart and childhood health-seeking behavior in rural and urban areas.

Methods

A cross-sectional comparative study done in Lagos, Nigeria. Questionnaire survey and focus group discussions were done. 300 respondents were selected by multi-stage sampling while discussants were purposively selected.

Results

Awareness of immunization was high but knowledge of vaccine preventable diseases (VPDs) was poor in both areas. Urban women utilized preventive services more; growth monitoring (p<0.001) and immunization (p<0.001) while higher proportions of rural women utilized nutritional counseling (p=0.005) and treatment of illness (p<0.001). Growth chart utilization was better in the urban areas (p<0.001). Increasing maternal education increased use of growth chart in both areas. Both groups of women use multiple treatment sources for children (more in urban), determined by cost, time, perceived severity of illness and type of ailment (urban) and peculiarity of illness (rural). There is a preference for orthodox care in the rural area.

Conclusions

Knowledge of VPDs was poor and multiple treatment sources were common among rural and urban women. Education is vital to improve immunization knowledge and health-seeking behavior in both areas.     

Dietary stigmastane-type saponins as promising dual-target directed inhibitors of SARS-CoV-2 proteases: a structure-based screening

Despite the development of COVID-19 vaccines, at present, there is still no approved antiviral drug against the pandemic. The SARS-CoV-2 3-chymotrypsin-like proteases (S-3CLpro) and papain-like protease (S-PLpro) are essential for the viral proliferation cycle, hence attractive drug targets. Plant-based dietary components that have been extensively reported for antiviral activities may serve as cheap sources of preventive nutraceuticals and/or antiviral drugs. A custom-made library of 176 phytochemicals from five West African antiviral culinary herbs was screened for potential dual-target-directed inhibitors of S-3CLpro and S-PLpro in silico. The docking analysis revealed fifteen steroidal saponins (FSS) from Vernonia amygdalina with the highest binding tendency for the active sites of S-3CLpro and S-PLpro. In an optimized docking analysis, the FSS were further docked against four equilibrated conformers of the S-3CLpro and S-PLpro. Three stigmastane-type steroidal saponins (vernonioside A2, vernonioside A4 and vernonioside D2) were revealed as the lead compounds. These compounds interacted with the catalytic residues of both S-3CLpro and S-PLpro, thereby exhibiting dual inhibitory potential against these SARS-CoV-2 cysteine proteases. The binding free energy calculations further corroborated the static and optimized docking analysis. The complexed proteases with these promising phytochemicals were stable during a full atomistic MD simulation while the phytochemicals exhibited favourable physicochemical and ADMET properties, hence, recommended as promising inhibitors of SARS-CoV-2 cysteine proteases.

Vernonia amygdalina derived phytochemicals as potential dual-target directed inhibitors of SARS-CoV-2 proteases from computational study perspective.     

Evaluation of the anti-inflammatory property of the extract of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Combretum micranthum</Emphasis> G. Don (Combretaceae)

A methanol extract of Combretum micranthum leaves was studied for anti-inflammatory activity in rats and mice using the carrageenan-induced rat paw oedema and the acetic acid-induced vascular permeability in mice. The effect of the extract on cellular-type inflammation was also investigated in the cotton pellet granuloma in rats. The extract (50, 100 mg/kg) significantly (P < 0.05) inhibited oedema production induced by carrageenan in rats. Increased vascular permeability caused by acetic acid injection was also inhibited by the extract, within the same dose range. C. micranthum extract (100 mg/kg) inhibited granuloma formation in rats to a similar degree as indomethacin (5 mg/kg). These results provide evidence for the anti-inflammatory property of C. micranthum leaves.     

Eculizumab, a terminal complement inhibitor, improves anaemia in patients with paroxysmal nocturnal haemoglobinuria

In paroxysmal nocturnal haemoglobinuria (PNH), chronic destruction of PNH red blood cells (RBCs) by complement leads to anaemia and other serious morbidities. Eculizumab inhibits terminal complement-mediated PNH RBC destruction by targeting C5. In the phase III, double-blind, placebo-controlled, TRIUMPH study, eculizumab reduced haemolysis, stabilized haemoglobin levels, reduced transfusion requirements and improved fatigue in patients with PNH. Herein, we explored the effects of eculizumab on measures of anaemia in patients from the TRIUMPH study and the open-label SHEPHERD study, a more heterogeneous population. Eculizumab reduced haemolysis regardless of pretreatment transfusion requirements and regardless of whether or not patients became transfusion-dependent during treatment ( P  <   0·001). Reduction in haemolysis was associated with increased PNH RBC counts ( P  <   0·001) while reticulocyte counts remained elevated. Eculizumab-treated patients demonstrated significantly higher levels of haemoglobin as compared with placebo in TRIUMPH and relative to baseline levels in SHEPHERD ( P  <   0·001 for each study). Eculizumab lowered transfusion requirement across multiple pretreatment transfusion strata and eliminated transfusion support in a majority of both TRIUMPH and SHEPHERD patients ( P  <   0·001). Patients who required some transfusion support during treatment with eculizumab showed a reduction in haemolysis and transfusion requirements and an improvement in fatigue. Eculizumab reduces haemolysis and improves anaemia and fatigue, regardless of transfusion requirements.