BackgroundProvision of constant and safe blood has been a public health challenge in Sub-Saharan Africa with high prevalence of transfusion-transmissible infections (TTIs). This study was aimed at determining the trend and seroprevalence of HBV, HCV, syphilis and HIV across the years within study among prospective blood donors at blood bank in University of Calabar Teaching Hospital (UCTH), Calabar, Nigeria.MethodsA retrospective analysis of blood donor data from January 2005 to December 2016 was conducted in Blood Bank/Donor Clinic of University of Calabar Teaching Hospital, Calabar, Nigeria. Sera samples were screened for hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg), antibodies to hepatitis C virus (HCV), human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) 1 and 2 and Treponema pallidum using commercially available immunochromatic based kits.ResultsOut of the 24,979 screened prospective donors in the 2005–2016 study period, 3739 (14.96%) were infected with at least one infective agent. The overall prevalence of HBV, HCV, syphilis and HIV were 4.1, 3.6, 3.1 and 4.2%, respectively. During the period of study, the percentage of all transfusion-transmissible infections declined significantly with remarkable decline in HIV. The study showed male dominated donor pool (98.7%) with higher prevalence (4.2%) of transfusion-transmissible infections than in female donors (0.0%). Commercial donors constituted majority (62.0%) of the donors and as well had the highest prevalence of transfusion-transmissible infections. Majority (62.9%) of the donors were repeat donors.ConclusionHBV, HCV, syphilis and HIV have remained a big threat to safe blood transfusion in Nigeria and Sub-Saharan Africa at large. Strict adherence to selection criteria and algorithm of donor screening are recommended.

BackgroundThe use of plants and plant products for medicinal purposes is an age-long practice in traditional communities and is becoming prominent globally. This study was performed to evaluate the effect of ethanolic extract of Chromolaena odorata on the kidney and intestine of albino rats.MethodsTwenty growing albino rats with an average weight of 54 g were used in this study. They were grouped into four groups. Groups 1, 2, and 3, known as the test groups, were given 50 mg/kg, 100 mg/kg, and 250 mg/kg ethanolic extract of C. odorata, respectively, while the control group was given distilled water orally. The experiment was performed for 6 weeks. The animals were killed using chloroform suffocation. The kidneys and the intestine were harvested and fixed in 10% neutral buffered formalin for histological analysis. Blood samples were collected from the animals by heart puncture for estimation of creatinine and urea levels.ResultsThe creatinine, urea, aspartate aminotransferase, alanine transaminase, and alkaline phosphatase levels of blood sample from the test group were significantly different when compared with the control (p < 0.05). The histological sections of the kidneys in this study showed no signs of degeneration. Infiltration of inflammatory cells and epithelial erosion were observed in the histology sections of the intestine of all the test groups.ConclusionThe results from this study revealed that uncontrolled use of this plant extract has an adverse effect on the kidney function and on the histology of the intestine of the rats used in this study.

Background: Malaria and hookworm infections independently have been known to cause anaemia. Coinfection of these two parasites can aggravated the morbidity of these infections with a resulting impact on anaemia especially in pregnancy. Aims and Objective: This work was aimed at assessing the prevalence of malaria and hookworm co-infection and their effects on anaemia among pregnant women in Calabar Metroplis. Materials and Methods: Giemsa stained film of venous blood was examined microscopically for malaria parasites while cyanmethaemoglobin method was used for haemoglobin level estimation. Stool samples were examined microscopically while Stoll's technique was used in counting the ova of hookworm. Results: 19(6.3%) of the subjects were infected with hookworm, 45(15.0%) with malaria, while 9(3.0%) were infected with both parasites. Severe anaemia of 4(44.4%) was observed amongst the test (infected) subjects while the control (uninfected) subjects had a severe anaemia of 3(1.0%). The highest prevalence of co-infections of malaria and hookworm 4(38.6%) occurred among the age group of 26-30years (p=0.371). Subjects in their 3 rd trimester had the highest prevalence of co-infection of 4(4.4%) (p=0.412). The highest prevalence of severe anaemia 1(100.0%) occurred among the age group of 16-20years (p=0.002). Conclusion: This work has shown a low prevalence of malaria and hookworm co-infection. The level of severe anaemia among infected pregnant women was more than that observed among subjects without any of the two infections.

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