Background: Prothrombin time (PT) and activated partial thromboplastin time (APTT) are the tests used in the investigation and monitoring of hemostatic disorders. Plasma is used to perform these tests immediately or stored for later use. The time and storage temperature have been shown to affect the results of these tests. Thus, all coagulation laboratories need guidelines for plasma storage to ensure reliable results. Objective: To determine the effect of varying storage times and temperatures on plasma PT and APTT. Materials and Methods: PT and APTT were run on plasma from 40 healthy adults using a semi-automated coagulometer. PT and APTT were measured at 0, 4, 6, and 24 h on samples stored at room temperature, refrigerated samples, and frozen samples. The values at 0 h were compared with the values at 4, 6, and 24 h. Results: PT and APTT values were within the reference ranges at 0 h. For refrigerated plasma, PT values at 4 h were within normal, but at 6 and 24 h, they were significantly deranged (P < 0.05). PT was significantly different at 4, 6, and 24 h for both room temperature and frozen plasma (P < 0.05). The APTT showed significant differences between 0 h value and values at 4, 6, and 24 h for all the varying temperature conditions. Conclusion: For reliable PT and APTT results, samples should be processed and run immediately after collection. However, plasma for PT can be stored at 2°-4°C for only 4 h.

Background: Reports have shown significant increase in the prevalence of obesity in developing countries. There are limited representative data available from African countries on the trends in childhood obesity, because most public health- and nutrition-related efforts have been focused on under-nutrition. Aims: To determine the prevalence of overweight and obesity using body mass index (BMI) among school adolescents. Design: A cross sectional study involving apparently healthy school students in Sokoto. Materials and Methods: Participating schools and students were selected by a multi-stage random sampling. Anthropometric measurements were done and body mass index derived from the ratio of weight per height squared. Subjects with age and sex-adjusted BMIs of 85 ^th to <95 ^th and ≥95 ^th percentiles of the International Obesity Task Force were defined as overweight and obese, respectively. Statistical Analysis: Data were analyzed using SPSS version 17.0 software. GraphPad inStat version 3.05 was also used to analyze some variables. Results were expressed as means with standard deviations. P-values <5% were considered significant. Results: The mean BMI of the male subjects was 18.3 ± 2.7kg/m ² , and 19.3 ± 3.1kg/m ² for the females. The prevalence of overweight was 3.3%, and that of obesity was 1.4%. Conclusions: The prevalence of overweight and obesity appear to be low in the study area, especially when compared to some recent studies in Africa.

Background: Ocular trauma is the commonest cause of unilateral blindness. This study aims to determine the seasonal variation in the prevalence and pattern of ocular injury in a tertiary hospital in Benin, Nigeria. Materials and Methods: A 3-year retrospective study was carried out in the eye department of University of Benin Teaching Hospital, Benin City, from January 2009 to December 2011. The information retrieved included age, gender, occupation, type of injury, cause of injury, mechanism of injury, place where injury occurred, month of occurrence, treatment, and initial and final visual acuity. Results: A total of 125 patients made up of 90 (72%) males and 35 (28%) females with a male to female ratio of 2.6:1 were seen. The age range of the patients was from 7 months to 70 years, with a mean age of 25.92 ± 18.16 years (SD). One hundred and twenty-nine eyes were affected with bilateral involvement in 4 patients. The commonest mechanism was blunt injury in 50.4% of the patients. The prevalence of ocular injury was observed to rise from April, peak in June, and there after decline. The second cluster started from October, continued through November to January, and began to decline. Majority of the eye injuries were lacerations (46.4%). Home injuries constituted 31.2%. Conclusion: There is a great need to be more safety-conscious at home and during play. Public enlightenment programs should aim at increasing awareness during the months ocular injury tends to occur.

Background: Peripheral artery disease (PAD) is usually due to artherosclerosis obliterans of the arteries of the lower limbs. Patients with PAD are at increased risk of mortality from major cardiovascular events, such as myocardial infarction and stroke. This study aims to find the prevalence of peripheral artery disease in adult hypertensive subjects in Nnewi. Materials and Methods : The study was carried out among adult hypertensive subjects in the medical outpatient clinics and the medical wards of the NnamdiAzikiwe University Teaching Hospital, Nnewi.Two-hundred and fifty subjects were recruited between August 2004 and December 2004 for this study. The Rose Intermittent Claudication Questionnaire was administered and the Ankle-Brachial Index (ABI) was assessed with a hand-held Doppler device. PAD was defined as ABI > 0.9.TheEpi info (2002 version) statistical software was used for statistical analysis. Results: The mean age of the study subjects was 58.9±8.9 years. They comprises106 (42.5%) males and 144 (57.6%) females. The overall prevalence of PAD was 24.8% in the total study group. The ratio of asymptomatic to symptomatic subjects was 3.4:1. Hypertensive subjects with diabetes mellitus had a slightly higher prevalence rate (26%), compared to those with hypertension only (24%). The prevalence of PAD was much higher in patients above 55 years (30.7%) than in those below 55 yearsof age (15.5%). Conclusion : Peripheral artery disease is common, though largely asymptomatic in Nigerian hypertensive subjects. More efforts at screening and unmasking subjects are required.

Background: Infertility is a public health problem in the developing countries. However, the role of child adoption or fostering in the management of infertile couples is underexplored, particularly in northern Nigeria. Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional study involving the use of a structured interview questionnaire was employed to collect information from clients attending the infertility clinic of Aminu Kano University Teaching Hospital (AKTH), Kano. The data were analyzed using MINITAB^® 12.21 software. Percentages and means were used to describe categorical and quantitative variables, respectively. The chi-square test was used to assess the significance of associations using a confidence interval of 95%. Results: Majority of the respondents (69.7%) were between 25 and 34 years of age, and of Hausa/Fulani ethnic group (79.6%). Knowledge of child adoption was good in 59.2% of the respondents, while the willingness to adopt versus foster was 28.2% and 44.4%, respectively. Conclusion: There is a need to advocate for infertility counseling services, so as to support infertile clients in taking informed decisions regarding child adoption or fostering as viable options for having their own families.

Background: The epidemiological transition has firmly berthed in Nigeria's oil-bearing communities, but the pace is often different in subsets of the community, depending on how readily the western lifestyle is being adopted. This study determined the prevalence of hypertension and its modifiable risk factors amongst the traditional chiefs of an oil-bearing community in Rivers State, Nigeria. Materials and Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional study design was used, with the data collected using a modified form of the WHO STEPS instrument that consists of a questionnaire component and measurement of body mass index (BMI) and blood pressure. The questionnaire was used to collect information on the socio-demographic characteristics of the respondents, the use of tobacco, and consumption of alcohol. Results: A total of 106 traditional chiefs were studied. They were all males, mostly married (95.28%), with a mean age of 56.5 ± 4.10 years. The study population had a mean systolic blood pressure of 149 ± 17 mmHg, a mean diastolic blood pressure of 98.7 ± 14.8 mmHg, and prevalence of hypertension was 68.9%. Most (63.01%) of the hypertensive chiefs were aware of their status and were on anti-hypertensive drugs (50.68%). None of the chiefs were underweight, and most were either overweight (51.89%) or obese (26.42%). Nearly all (92.45%) the chiefs regularly took alcoholic beverage, while 24.53% currently smoke cigarettes. Conclusion: The prevalence of hypertension amongst the traditional chiefs was higher than in the general population. This can be attributed to their older age and acculturation.

Objective: To determine the test-retest reliability of a new questionnaire designed to assess the attitude of students in a Nigerian dental school to tobacco cessation services. Materials and Methods: A self-administered questionnaire was administered twice at 4 weeks interval to the same set of final year dental students (N = 36) in one of the Nigerian dental schools. Ten questions were randomly selected from the 35-item questionnaire. Intra-class correlation (ICC) coefficients at 95% confidence interval were computed for each selected item and the Cronbach's alpha coefficients were calculated to assess the internal consistency of the questionnaire. Results: The results showed that the least Cronbach's alpha value was 0.49 and the highest was 0.98. Only two items had less than a substantial agreement level (<0.60) and seven items had an almost perfect agreement level (>0.80). The results also indicated that the ICC coefficient is very highly statistically significant (P < 0.001). Conclusion: The questionnaire demonstrated adequate test-retest reliability to assess the attitude of dental students to tobacco cessation services.

Herein, we report, review and discuss the literature on Klinefelter's syndrome (KS) with our findings during an out-patient medical clinic at Usmanu Danfodiyo University Teaching Hospital Sokoto, Nigeria. The aim of the report is to create awareness and highlight to clinicians, the occurrence of KS in patients with infertility.

Despite extensive global efforts, pulmonary tuberculosis is still a major health problem worldwide. Endobronchial tuberculosis (EBTB) is seen in 10-40% of patients with active pulmonary tuberculosis. It commonly mimics the common lung diseases like bronchial asthma, pneumonia and lung cancer. Endobronchial stenosis is a common complication of EBTB. It requires early detection and prompt administration of anti-tuberculosis chemotherapy to prevent this complication. We are reporting an interesting case of a young male with bronchial asthma who presented with features of acute exacerbation and was diagnosed to have EBTB.