The prevalence of dysphagia in this cohort of stroke patients was 34.4%, and the major independent determinant of 30-day mortality was development of aspiration pneumonia.

Background: Hepatitis B virus (HBV) is hyperendemic in Nigeria. Available literature reveal genotype E as being predominant in West Africa. This study aimed at identifying the current pattern and prevalent genotypes of HBV in Zaria, Nigeria. Materials and Methods: Four millilitre of blood was collected in ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid-container from each of 165 HBV surface antigen-positive participants recruited purposively from the gastroenterology clinic from May to August, 2017. Plasma was separated and frozen at −20°C till analysis. Multiplex-nested polymerase chain reaction using type-specific primers was used to identify the various HBV genotypes. Results: Median (and interquartile range ) age of the participants was 31.0 (25.5–39.0) years, with males constituting 107 (64.8%). Majority (83.6%) of the samples analysed were HBV-DNA-positive with 82.6% of the HBV-DNA-positive samples being mixed genotype infections. Irrespective of mode of occurrence, five HBV genotypes were identified with HBV/E (97.1%) being the most predominant, followed by HBV/B (82.6%), HBV/A (24.6%), then HBV/C (17.4%), while HBV/D (0.7%) was the least prevalent. Conclusion: In most (99.1%) of the mixed-infection were a combination of genotype E, the predominant genotype, with other genotypes predominantly genotype B. HBV genotypes E, B, A, C and D are the prevalent genotypes in Zaria, Nigeria, as they occur in single genotype and in mixed-genotypes pattern.

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The magnitude of chronic renal disease is enormous, as the prevalence of kidney failure is rising. Anaemia is a common complication of chronic kidney disease (CKD) that develops early in its course and becomes increasingly severe as the disease progresses. The aim is to evaluate the serum level of iron, Total Iron Binding Capacity (TIBC), transferrin saturation and ferritin in chronic kidney disease population in Zaria and control subjects. This study was conducted at ABUTH Zaria were 125 patients in various stages of CKD who presented at the nephrology clinic and equal number of apparently healthy age and sex matched controls were recruited. The mean (SD) age of patient and controls were 48 (14) years. These were made up of 53.6% males, and 46.4% females. Mean values of serum creatinine significantly higher in the patients (<0.0001). There was no significant difference in the mean values of iron (p=0.32) and TIBC (p=1.29) in both study groups. The patients had a significantly (p˂0.0001) higher mean value for ferritin and TSAT than the control group. There were higher serum creatinine and ferritin values in males than in females while higher serum TIBC, estimated creatinine clearance and iron were observed in females than males. Serum creatinine, ferritin and estimated creatinine clearance of male patients were found to be significantly higher with p-value of 0.002, 0.000 and 0.028 respectively than that of female patients. No significant differences were noted in serum levels of iron, TIBC and TSAT. Serum creatinine, ferritin and TSAT were found to be significantly elevated in CKD patients while serum Iron and TIBC were not.

We searched for viral protein sequences that could be important for tissue tropism. To achieve this goal, human pathogenic viruses were classified according to the tissue they infect (e.g., pulmonary), irrespective of whether they were enveloped or non-enveloped RNA or DNA viruses. Next, we developed an amino acid sequence alignment program and identified the conserved amino acid motif, VAIVLGG, in alphaviruses. The VAIVLGG sequence is located on the structural capsid protein of the chikungunya virus, a mosquito-borne arthrogenic member of the alphaviruses. Capsid protein translocation onto the host cell membrane is a required step for virion budding. Our identified VAIVLGG consensus sequence might potentially be used for developing a pan-vaccine effective against alphaviruses.

Objective: An estimated 75% of Nigerians are at risk of hepatitis B virus (HBV) exposure. In an attempt to reduce the menace, the assessment of risk factors associated with HBV infection and general perception of infected individuals is a step in that direction. This study, therefore, identified exposure to risk factors and general perceptions associated with HBV infection in infected individuals in Zaria, Nigeria. Materials and Methods: Four milliliters of blood were collected in ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid container from each of 165 HBV surface antigen (HBsAg)-positive participants recruited purposively from the gastroenterology clinic of ABUTH Zaria from May to August 2017. Plasma was separated and used to screen for HBsAg with Fastep® rapid strip. Epi Info® questionnaire database was used to collate data on sociodemographics, risk factors, and perception indices. GraphPad Prism 6 was used for statistical analysis. Results: The median interquartile range age of the participants was 31.0 (25.5–39.0) years with 107 (64.8%) male participants. Sharing hair clippers, commercial pedicure, and body piercing among others were some of the risks that the study participants reported to be exposed to. One-quarter of health workers involved in the study had needlestick injury. Less than half of the study participants (47.7%) knew of hepatitis B before testing HBsAg seropositive. Knowledge of the HBV vaccine before testing and adherence was generally poor (38.6% and 44.6%, respectively). There was a significant linear relationship between the level of education and knowledge of hepatitis B. Conclusion: Considering the myriads of already established risks of HBV seen in Zaria, massive enlightenment campaigns need to be embarked on continuously through all available media, including social media.

Hepatitis B virus is hyperendemic in Nigeria with a national seroprevalence of 12.2%. Worldwide, 10 genotypes have been identified on the basis of ≤8% difference in genome sequences, each with a distinctive geographical distribution. Available literature reveal genotype E as being predominant in West Africa. This study aimed at identifying the current pattern and prevalent genotypes of HBV in Zaria, a prominent and ancient region of northern Nigeria. Four milliliter of blood was collected in EDTA-container from each of 165 HBsAg-positive participants recruited consecutively. Plasma was separated and frozen at -20oC till analysis. Multiplex- nested PCR using type-specific primers was used to identify the various HBV genotypes.