Anatomic imaging study of luminal diameter of the circle of Willis in patients with ischemic stroke

Objectives: Stroke or cerebrovascular accident is associated with defects in the circle of Willis; the vascular network that supplies the brain. There is currently lack of literature on the involvement of the circle of Willis in patients with stroke or its association with impending stroke. The objective of the study was to evaluate luminal diameter of arteries that constitute the circle of Willis in patients with stroke using computed tomography angiography (CTA) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans. Material and Methods: Angiograms of 340 male and female patients aged 15–>75 (40.18 ± 1.1 and 43.68 ± 1.18) years with suspected stroke, referred for either brain CTA or MRI in selected hospitals/diagnostic centers in Nigeria were evaluated using RadiAnt and the MicroDicom viewer software applications. A retrospective descriptive research design was adopted with approval from the federal health research ethics committee. Direct measurement of luminal diameter of major arteries of the circle of Willis was done using SPSS version 25 at P < 0.05. Results: From the 340 images assessed, 256 (75.29%) patients had ischemic stroke with luminal diameter of arteries of the circle of Willis ranged from 1 mm to >3 mm while 84 (24.71%) patients were without stroke with luminal diameter ranged from 1 mm to 2.11 mm (P < 0.05). Conclusion: Patients with stroke have larger luminal diameter of arteries that form the circle of Willis when compared to patients without stroke. The study has established for the 1st time, luminal diameter of circle of Willis that may be an index in the sampled Nigerian population.

Youth Political Participation, Good Governance and Social Inclusion in Nigeria

As the Nigerian population continues to increase, so does the number of youth. The population of youth (18–35 years) in Nigeria is 52.2 million (i.e., about 28% of the total population), which is more than the entire population of Ghana, London and Benin Republic put together. In spite of the prospects that this number holds, young people in Nigeria are largely marginalised from governance, leaving them helpless about their continued exclusion. This is evidenced in the low percentage of youth who hold political and leadership positions in the country. The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between youth political participation, good governance and social inclusion in Nigeria. Using a quantitative approach, 1,208 youth aged 18–35 selected from Nairaland participated in the study. Data gathered was analysed using the Spearman correlation coefficient and the result indicates that there is a significant positive relationship between youth political participation and good governance in Nigeria (r s, (1206) = .615, p < .001), and that there is a significant positive association between youth political participation and social inclusion in Nigeria (r s, (1206) = .875, p < .001). It was recommended that government should create Leadership and Democratic Institutes [LDI] across the states of the federation and establish an Online Leadership Orientation Agency [OLOA] to utilise various social networking sites to provide free leadership courses, webinars, and orientation on the art of governance and the promotion of social inclusion among the youth.

Validation of Commercial SARS-CoV-2 Immunoassays in a Nigerian Population

This study used positive and negative sample panels from Nigeria to test the performance of several commercially available SARS-CoV-2 serological assays. Using these prepandemic and SARS-CoV-2-positive samples, we found much lower levels of sensitivity in four commercially available assays than most assay manufacturer reports and independent evaluations.

Correlation of HbF, HbA2, and HbS in sickle cell disease and its prevalence in Nigerian patients: A case series of 2 patients

Sickle cell disease (SCD) is the most common inherited disorder of hemoglobin worldwide. In Nigeria, the prevalence of SCD is 20–30/1000 live births. The burden of the disease has reached a level where it contributes 9–16% of the under-five mortality in many West African countries. This case series evaluated the chromatographic patterns and red blood cell indices of sickle cell homozygous patients. Red cell indices, blood film, sickle solubility test, and chromatographic patterns using Bio-Rad HPLC D10 were evaluated for both patients. Both the patients were Nigerian and HPLC showed HbS window 81.7 and 81.6% and increased HbF, that is, 7.5 and 8.8%. HbA2 was normal in both the cases, that is, 2.2 and 2.6%. Our data suggest that homozygous sickle cell disease is very common among the Nigerian population with an increase in HbF along with HbS and HbA2 is normal.

Waiting Times for Prostate Cancer Diagnosis in a Nigerian Population

Background. Prostate biopsy remains an important surgical procedure in the diagnostic pathway for prostate cancer, but access to prostate biopsy service is poorly studied in the Nigerian population. While there has been a well-documented delay in patient presentation with prostate cancer in Nigeria, little is however known about how long patients wait to have a histological diagnosis of prostate cancer and start treatment after presenting at Nigerian hospitals. Method. This was a descriptive retrospective study to document the specific duration of the various timelines in getting a diagnosis of prostate cancer at the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital, Ikeja, Nigeria. Results. There were 270 patients. The mean age was 69.50 ± 8.03 years (range 45-90). The mean PSA at presentation was 563.2 ± 1879.2 ng / ml (range 2.05-15400), and the median PSA was 49.3 ng/ml. The median waiting times were (i) 10 days from referral to presentation; (ii) 30 days from presentation to biopsy; (iii) 24 days from biopsy to review of histology; (iv) 1 day from histology review to discussion/planning of treatment. The median overall waiting time from referral to treatment was 103 days. The mean time from presentation to biopsy was significantly shorter for patients with PSA of ≥50 ng/ml compared to those with PSA < 50 ng / ml . p = 0.048 . Overall, the median time from biopsy to histology was significantly shorter for patients whose specimens were processed in private laboratories (17 days) compared to those whose specimens were processed at the teaching hospital laboratory (30 days), p ≤ 0.001 . Conclusion. There is a significant delay within the health care system in getting a prostate cancer diagnosis in the Nigerian population studied. The major points of the identified delay were the waiting time from patient presentation to having a biopsy done and the histology report waiting time.

Whistleblowing on photovoltaic operations in Nigeria: panacea for sustainable development

Background There is no gainsaying about the importance of energy to the growth, development and socioeconomic well-being of any society. Photovoltaics (PV) have been identified not only as a means of meeting the energy needs of the Nigerian population but also as a tool in its national development. In this study, we reviewed the policy efforts of Nigeria in improving the renewable energy spread and the PV operations and utilization across the country. Results The technical audit of PV operations in Nigeria is evaluated using questionnaires administered in the 27 Local Government Areas in Imo State, as a case study. The component items in the latent variable scales of the audit have been tested for internal consistency using the Cronbach’s alpha. The good variable scale “Appropriateness for energy need” indicated a dissenting perception, whereas the acceptable variable scales “Adequacy in energy efficiency” and “Sustainability of PV project” indicated significant confidence in their perceptions. The perception in the energy need, which is associated with the limitations in PV utilization, is perceived as wrongdoings. Conclusions The whistleblowing policy is advocated as a germane measure to reduce or stop these wrongdoings and improve PV utilization and spread in Nigeria.

CAROTID DOPPLER INDICES WITH AGE AND BODY MASS INDEX IN A SAMPLED NIGERIAN POPULATION

Background: Carotid Doppler studies are frequently carried out to assess for possible stenosis resulting from the presence of carotid plaques. The carotid peak systolic velocity (PSV) and end-diastolic velocity (EDV) are key indices for determining the severity of the stenosis. However, normative values of these parameters may be dependent on anthropological variables like age and body mass index (BMI) Objective: The study was aimed at assessing the variations of PSV and EDV with age and BMI in a sampled Nigerian population. Materials and Methods: A total of 204 participants (72 males and 132 non-gravid females) aged between 20 and 70 years who were normotensive with no cardiovascular diseases were selected. Their ages, BMI, PSV and the EDV were measured using standard protocols for the four segments of the carotid artery: common carotid (CC), carotid bulb (CB), internal carotid (IC) and the external carotid (EC). Data obtained were presented using tables and line graphs while the analysis of variance (ANOVA) was used to determine the significant differences in measurement across the groups. Results: The mean PSV recorded were 88.25 ± 7.43 cm/s for the CC, 73.93 ± 6.23 cm/s for the IC, 51.01 ± 4.30 cm/s for the CB and 50.41 ± 4.25 cm/s for the EC. There was a steady increase of the PSV between 20 and 46 years from 74.91 cm/s to 98.78 cm/s for the CC, from 62.76 cm/s to 82.75 cm/s for the IC, from 42.80 cm/s to 56.43 cm/s for the EC and from 43.30 cm/s to 57.10 cm/s for the CB. The maximum EDV measured for the IC was (24.75 ± 2.11 cm/s). Others were 21.12 ± 1.8 cm/s for the CC, 19.38 ± 1.65 cm/s for CB and 16.92 ± 1.44 cm/s for the EC. The EDV also increased steadily between 20 to 46 years from 17.76 cm/s to 23.68 cm/s for the CC, from 21.04 cm/s to 27.75 cm/s for the IC, from 14.38 cm/s to 18.97 cm/s for the EC and from 16.48 cm/s to 21.73 cm/s for the CB. The PSV and EDV varied significantly with age (p > 0.05). Also, the PSV and EDV increased slightly with increasing BMI from 30 – 31.9 kg/m2. For a BMI of 20 kg/m2 to 32 kg/m2, the increase in PSV were from 79.48 cm/s to 90.75 cm/s for the CC, from 66.58 cm/s to 76.03 cm/s for the IC, from 45.40 cm/s to 51.85 cm/s for the EC and from 45.94 cm/s to 52.46 cm/s for the CV. Similarly, the PSV and EDV values decreased at a BMI of 30 – 31.99 kg/m2. Thus, the BMI was significantly associated with PSV and EDV across all segments of the carotid artery (p > 0.05). Conclusion: There are significant variations in carotid PSV and EDV with age and BMI. These variations should be taken into consideration when diagnoses on alterations in carotid artery flow are to be made using PSV and EDV values.

Investigating the efficacy of meaning-centred therapy among a sample of individuals with substance use disorders

Objective: This study investigated the efficacy of meaning-centred therapy (MCT) in the management of substance use disorders (SUD) in Nigeria. Methods: A pre-test post-test control group experimental study was conducted among young individuals with substance use disorders. Participants were purposively selected and randomly assigned to treatment (MCT) and control groups. Participants' mean age was 22.05±2.14 years. Assessments of both groups were done at intake, immediately after completion of the therapy (which is 10-weeks), and at 1-month follow-up. Independent-sample t-test and one-way repeated measure of analysis of variance were used for analyses at 0.05 significant level. Result: Individuals in the MCT group reported significantly lower substance use disorder symptoms compared to those in the control group. There was an overall significant difference between the SUD means of participants that received MCT at pre-test, post-test, and 1-month follow-up. Conclusion: It was concluded that MCT provided effective treatment of substance use disorder among the Nigerian population; its utilization is therefore recommended.