T he effects of aqueous boiled and evaporated extract of Enantia chlorantha ( 0 .8 and 1 .5g kg' 1) were studied on certain functions of the gastrointestinal tract (G IT ) vis-a-vis, gastrointestinal fluid accumulation an d motility a s well as castor oil induced diarrhoea, using adult rat s and mice that have been starved 14-20h prior to experiment. The extract was found to exert inhibitory action on the G IT , w hich result ed in red uced percentage tran sit in the herbal-drug-treated animals , when compared with cont rols ( p < 0.05 ). While atropine (0 .25mgkg·1 produced a great er reduction in t he rat e of intestinal transit , 0.1 mgkg· 1 carbachol nced intestinal motility. Furthermore, E . chlorantha extract reduced the intensity of castor oil induced diarrhoea (p < 0 .05 ) . A similar trend of E . chlorantha' s effeect was observed in GIT fluid a ccumulated in the animals (p > 0 .05 ) . astly, graded doses ( 12 .3- 1 96 .8 mg) of the herbal preparation t hat were se pa ra t el y tested on t he rat duodenum and il eum also produced relaxation of the isolat ed tissues similar t o 0.55xl o·4 M adren aline. although not as efficacious . Propranolol , ( 0 .34xl0·5 M); a {3-receptor blocker , \.ant ag onized t he effect s of adrenaline and E . chlorantha in-vitro.

Objective: To ascertain the symptoms ascribed to, and . remedies given for teething In infants by mothers in Nnewi South eastern Nigeria . M ethodology: A pre-tested, open-ended questionnaire was administered to 161 consecutive mothers tending the paediatric outpatient and the infant welfare clinics of Nnamdi Aziklwe University Teaching Hospital, Nnewi , Nigeria . Data collect e d included mothers' educational attainment; attendance to ant e natal clinics , infant welfare clinics ; talks on teething during those clinic sessions; the stage of development and the type of feeding at the time of teething; the symptoms attributed to teething ; the remedies applied and the source of their prescription. Analysis was done using SSPS statistical pa c kage . Results: All the mothers recruit ed for the study had basic education . Seventy-seven mothers (47.8% ) had secondary school education , while 18 (11.2% ) and 66 (41.0% ) had attained primary and tertiary l evel s of education . re spectively . The commo.nest symptom was fever , while symptom-free teething was noted b y 5 .0% of mothers . ' T eething powder' was the most frequently utilized remedy (44 .1 % ) . O ther mothe rs ( respondents' peers) and their mothers (infants' grandmothers) constituted the main sources of prescription of the re medies ; 41 .1 % and 31.3΀, respectively. The majority (64 .0") of the babies were on t:;omplementa ry feeds and at the sitting -up and crawling stages . There was no significant d ifference in the beliefs or remedies give n by mot hers of differing educational levels. Conclusion: There is need for well pa ckaged health education on teet hing as a natural process at every available health delivery outlet in order to correct the misconceptions about teething , eradicate the myth s associated with it , treat infants appropriately when they are sick and avoid u nnecessary expenditure on drugs .

Background: Prior to the identification of Hepatitis C virus (HCV) in 1989 , raised serum alanine aminotransferase (ALT) was used as a .surrogate marker for non-A, non-B (NANB) hepatitis agent s to reduce tile risk of post-transfusion hepatitis. Most of this NANB hepatitis was later found to be due to HCV infection. Tile absence of a national screening policy for HCV infection and the non­ availability of screening facilities in most of our health institution may place many blood recipients at risk of HCV infection. Aim: This study was set to evaluate the usefulness of serum ALT as a surrogate marke r of HCV infection in blood donors. Methodology: The study was conducted at the University of Maiduguri Teaching Hospital between August 2002 to November 2002. Ninety-six healthy , volunteer, blood donors were screened for anti­ HCV using a third-generation ELISA test kits , and all had serum ALT levels measured. Result: Antibodies against HCV was detected in 10.4% of don ors and the overall mean serum ALT level was 8.84 (.:t5.6) iu / L. The mean serum ALT level for anti-H CV positive and negative was 7.7 (I2.45) and 8 .9 (.:t5.86) iu / L, respectively, of which, there was no statistically significant difference between the two groups. Conclusion: While the prevalence of antibodies against HCV in blood donors appears to be high in north-eastern Nigeria , serum ALT levels may not be a good surrogate marker for HCV infection in blood donors in this environment.

Thi s was a retrospective histopathological study aimed at deter mining t he prevalence and histological pa ttern of skin cancer in Maiduguri North-Eastern Nigeria over a thirteen-year period. Sk in cancer formed 14of all cancers seen during the study period ( 1990-2002). There were more males than females at a ratio of 1 .5 :1 . The peak age incidence occurred in the fourth , fifth and sixth decades of life . The commonest site affected was the lower limbs (56 .2% ) followed by the trunk (13 .4%). The commonest histological type was squamous cell carcinoma ( 48.9% ) followed by melanoma ( 20.6"1,). K aposi's sarcoma aff ected patients more frequently in their 3'd decade of life. Other cancers also occurred but less .frequently.

Unsafe , induced abortion is one of the t h ree ma jor causes of maternal mortality in Nigeria. Important surgical complications of unsafe induced abortions include post -surgical sepsis and haemorrhage due to trauma to the uterus , cervix and int estines. This study examined the case records of patients with induced abortion requiring major surgical intervention to manage the complications during a five-year period at the University of Benin Teaching Hospital , Benin City, Nigeria . The result s show that the most f requent surgical intervention was drainage of pelvic abscess in 38% of the pat ients . About 30% of' the patie nts ended up with severe structural damage to the pel vic organs, especially the uterus , with severe implication for the future fertility of these patient s . This high risk of infection and significant structural damage is ascribed to the illegal status of abortion in Nigeria . The challenges that these surgical complications pose to the gynaecologist are discussed . .The l)e d to adequatel y e quip and train clinicians to recognise and aggressively manage these complications is also .disc ussed.

The case of a 14 - year old girl who was abused right from infancy t hrough chil dhood , pregnancy labour and immediate post- partum period, and management of both t he child mother and her baby presented . \· Information was obtained both retrospectively and prospectivel y . Tender loving care t o t he child mother and her pre mature baby coupled with gainful empl oyment greatly improved her socio­ 1 economic status and facilitated graduation of the premature baby from the precarious under- five group. The d anger and occasional inevitability of child labour in our environment are highlighted , and solutions are proffered .

This is a case report to study the association between episodes of thrombocytopenia and bacterial infections in a patient with chronic idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura ( IT P ).The case was a 31 year old female patient , with a history of chronic ecchymosis , melaena stool and menorrhagia, who presented at the female Medical Ward and Pathology Laboratory of the University of Benin Teaching Hospital . Her sputum culture yielded gram positive cocci and gram negative bacilli , on three occasions, simultaneously with low platelet count and thrombocytopenia in the blood film . The platelet counts improved when the infectious agent was eliminated with antibiotics. We conclude that the presence of bacterial infection and a low platelet count , with subsequent improvement of the platelet count following antibiotic therapy suggest an association between bacterial infection and thror;1bocytopenia in chronic ITP. This is the first reported case in this environment. There is a need to identify and vigorously treat bacterial infection with antibiotics in \..ITP patient s prior to steroid usage.