The social correlates of drug use were examined in 987 final year (SS3) secondary school students dt .Port Harcourt, Southern Nigeria using a self-report drug use questionnaire. Ever use of alcohol and cigarette was found to be positively correlated with male sex. Religion of the respondents did not influence the rate of use of these drugs. However, cigarette and amphetamine use was significantly more in christian students who did not attend religious services frequently (p < O.05). Students with non-standard families were more significant(y involved in alcohol, cigarette, inhalants and amphetamine use. The use of the drugs was found not to correlate with parents' occupation, except cannabis use, which correlated positively with children of mothers in high professional jobs. findings indicate the need for parents and guardians to take the religious upbringing of their children more seriously and encourage them to join religious clubs such as girls ' guide, hoy' brigade, etc. Parents should maintain a standard family, and act as good role models to their children by living drug free life.

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A retrospective study of patients treated for paraplegia and prostate cancer in Port Harcourt is presented together with a review of the Literature. Six patients presented with 7 episodes of paraplegia. Of these, 3 e pisodes of paraplegia occurred in 2 patients who were on hormonal therapy for advanced prostate cancer Four patients presented with paraplegia and were found to have prostate cancer. The patients aged 58-72 years. The histological diagnosis included we / /-differentiated, poorly-differentiated and anaplastic types. The duration of spinal cord compression prior to paraplegia was 3 weeks to 5 months. The diagnosis was made from digital rectal examination (DRE), X-rays and prostate bi op. v. The treatments were bilateral subcapsular orchidectomy (BSO ) and diethylstilbestrol. One patient with quadriplegia remainsambulantfor 3 years. One patient was ambulant for 2 years until the recurrent paraplegia. In the 3 episodes already being treated, the patient died within one month of paraplegia. In 5 e pisodes in 4 patients, there was no significant response to treatment. results compare favourably with those elsewhere. Bilateral subcapsular orchidectomy su pplemented diethylstilbestrol is justified in patients with paraplegia from prostate cancer.

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Background and Objective: Electrocardiogram (ECG) is an old cardiologic tool used in the diagnosis of and screening of patients with suspected cardiac lesion. Its usefulness in the diagnosis of cardiac arrythmias.-is second to none. However, its application in the screening and management of patients with congestive cardiac failure (CCF) has been a subject of controversy. This study was therefore carried out with the aim of looking at the sensitivitv · and specificity of 12-lead electrocardiogram with the view to recommend it as a .first line screening tool in the of patients with heart failure. Subject and Method : Two hundred and seven patients referred from peripheral ho.\pitals to our unit hy the general practitioners (GP) for cardiologyevaluation were examil1ed clinically fqr features of heart failure. Every patient had ECG tracing recorded and chest radiograph done. Those with clinical and radiologic evidence of heart failure had echocardiogram done on them. Results: Eighty-seven (42.0%) has echocardiographical proven CCF with 82 (94.3%) of these having very significant ECG abnormalities and none with normal ECG Of the 120 patients without CCF, 108 (90.0%) and very significant f ECG abnormalities with 3(2.5%) minor and 9(7.5% ) normal ECG. Thus ECG showed 94.3% sensitivity but 10% specificitv. Conclusion: Even though ECG showed a poor ,specificity, a normal ECG, from this study, rules out CCF Hence there is a place for ECG as a first line screening tool in CCF

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A prospective study surveyed 2762 children aged 5-1-1 years selected randomly, in ten local government areas ofSokoto State, Nigeria with the aim of evaluating the children Health and nutritional status, and any disease conditions prevalent amongst them. Stool samples collected were inirialv preserved in dean bottles cantaining 5ml of 1 O%formalin saline. These were then processed by modified formalin-ethyl acetate sedimentation technique to determine ova counts. Intestinal parasites were isolated in 7-1.8% of the children. A remarkable 81% po y-parasitism was noted among infested children. Nine different parasites were isolated, with T saginala (!J -1%) and II. Nana (20.8%) topping the list of the most prevalent parasites. Other parasites isoLated include/ Giardia lambia , .I duodena/e. Ascaris Lumhricoides, Hookworm, T lrichuria, E histolytica and E coli. J11ajority of the children came from poor rural and socio-economically derived families. It is concluded that , a high prevalence ofintestinal parasites exists in primary school children in Sokoto State. Intervention programme with de-worming agents would most certainly benefit all school children in Sokoto.

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Compliance with antihypertensive therapy requires adequate knowledge of the basic aspects of hypertension. We assessed this knowledge using a designed hypertension awareness scale among 170 adult hypertensives with a mean duration of diagnosis of 2.98 _:!).40 years. Literacy rate was 38%. 0The mean hypertension awareness score was 45.07 _:!:_ 18.08%. It was significant y .higher among literate and those with family history of hypertension than the illiterates and those without a /mown famiy history. It was also significantly higher among the old than newly diagnosed hypertensives. and physical .stress were misconstrued as leading risk factors for hyper(ension (90%). A1ajority of hypertensives believe that hypertension is symptomatic, the leading. symptoms being headache (79.4%) and insomnia (77.1%). About 66.3% of hypertensives were aware the major complications of hypertension. 99. 7% a_[ hypertensives believe in the efficacy of orthodox drug treatment, there was also strong faith in ''alternative·· treatment including prayers (R5.9%), "sobo" drinks 53.6%) and garlics (24.1%). The commonest reason for stopping antihypertensive medication is absence of "symptoms of hypertension (35.2%):

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Objective: Published data on the evaluation of renal function in Nigerian Newborn are very few. This study aimed to establish baseline values of GFR in clinically stable Nigerian Preterm and Term Newborn of diJXerent sexes using the Schwartz formula. . Materials and Methods: The serum cretinine of eighty clinically stable, appropriate-for-gestational age (AGA) ewborn of different gestational ages were determined. Their glomerular filtration rate in ml/min/1.73m2 were derived using the Schwartz formula. The formula is GFR in ml/min/1.73m2 - Kl!Scr; where Lis length in centimetre I (em), Scr is serum creatinine in mg/dl and K is a constant. In low birth weight infant (<2.5kg) K "= 0.33, while it is .45 in full term, appropriate-for gestational age infant. Results: A mean GFR of 15.64ml/minll .73m2 was obtained in preterm babies as against 27. 24mllminll .73m2 in the term babies. Conclusion: A positive correlation existed between the GFR and the gestational ages. A significant difference was detected between the GFR values in preterm and term babies.

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This is a retrospective Histological analysis of germ cell tumors seen between January 1988 and December . The analysis showed that teratomas were the commonest germ cell tumour arising from the ovary and sacrococcygeal regions and accounted for 53.7 percent of all the germ cell tumours. Germ cell tumours though rare, are potentially curable and therefore calls for vigorous search in suspected cases. Raised embryonic antigen are only usefit! in assessing the success a,[ managing these tumours.

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One hundred and fifty patients with scabies were seen at the Obafemi Awolowo University Teaching Hospitals , Ile-Ife, Nigeria over a period of two years. They constituted 8.1 percent of all new dermatology cases with .7 percent of them in the first two decades of life. The infestation cuts across strata and has no gender predilection. was the commonest feature in all the patients while history of contact was elicited in 75 percent of them, Scabietic lesions were restricted mostly to the areas of skin with fold and the digital webs in majority of cases. We cannot explain this high infestation of certain anatomical areas by the mites. The relevance of some of these features as aids in the diagnosis of scabies is also discussed

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The frequencies of morphological phenotypes of 95 cases of acute leukaemias (AL) diagnosed during 1995- at the University of Maiduguri Teaching Hospital ([ TMTH) were analysed. Acute myeloid leukaemia (AML), predominantly seen in adults (age?_l5 years), was diagnosed in 53 cases out of which 16 cases (30.2%), 27 cases (50.9%) and 10 cases (18.9%) were of M1, M2 and Jvf3 morphological subtypes re,,pectivelv. Acute Lymphoblastic Leukaemia (ALL), predominantly seen in children (age< 15 years) was diagnosed in -12 cases out (){which 9 cases (21:4%), 27 cases (64.3%) and 6 cases (14.3%) were of L1, L2 and L3 subtypes respectivelv. The overall higher frequency of AML (55.8%) relative to ALL (44.2%) may be due to the current economic difficulties and can be to change in the future in favour of ALL if the standard of living of the general population is improved.

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Cystic anomaly of the biliary tree or choledochal cyst is a rare condition, which until recently was usually not recognised prior to operation. While the underlying cause of choledochal cyst is probably congenital, the cyst might not present until adulthood. Familiarity with the embryologic aspects of the biliary tree helps to understand two of the more popular theories of the cause of cystic anomalies of the biliary tree. Individual surgeons may not be ahle to show wealth of experience in the management of this disease entity. We present a case of choledochal cvst in a 42 year old Nigerian Ibo woman who presented with features suggestive of cholelithiasis, but at operation was found to have choledochal cyst. A review of the literature and management of this uncommon condition are highlighted.

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