This study was aimed at evaluating the effect of HIV infection on hemostatic parameters, determination of the influence and duration of antiretroviral therapy (ART) on these parameters. It was carried out at the Nnamdi Azikiwe University Teaching Hospital, Nnewi. One hundred and eighty two subjects were recruited consisting; Sixty one (31 males and 30 females) HIV positive subjects on antiretroviral therapy (ART) with an ART duration of 6 months -2 years ≤5 years, ≤10 years; Sixty one (28 males and 33 females) HIV positive subjects ART naïve and Sixty (30 males and 30 females) seronegative (HIV negative control) subjects. The prothrombin time (PT) was determined using Quick One Stage method, activated partial thromboplastin time (APTT) was determined by Modified Kaolin method, thrombin time (TT) was done by Two stage method, HIV status was determined using Immunochromatographic method and Platelet count was determined using Direct current detection method. Student t-Test and ANOVA were used to analyze significance of differences in mean values between groups and among groups, respectively. PT and APTT for ART and Non-ART subjects were significantly increased compared with control (P<0.05 in each case). However, the PT and APTT compared between gender and also among duration of ART showed no significant difference (P>0.05 in each case). The TT was significantly higher in HIV-positive on ART compared to control (P<0.05). The gender and duration of ART did not show significant difference in the TT of the subjects (P>0.05 in each case). Platelet count was significantly lower in HIV-positive subjects (ART and Non-ART) compared to the values obtained in HIV negative subjects (P<0.05 in each case). However, the platelet count when compared between gender and also among duration of ART showed no significant difference (P>0.05 in each case). The reason for the increase in PT and APTT in HIV disease may be as a result of endothelial activation and liver derangement and decreased platelet count is due to cytopenias seen in HIV disease.

Malaria is the most uncontrollable public health problem worldwide. The study was aimed at determining the association between Iron and Malaria parasitaemia among pregnant and post-partum women. A total of 206 pregnant and 50 post-partum women who tested negative to HIV were recruited in the study. They were stratified into four groups; 144 malaria parasitaemia and 62 aparasitaemic pregnant women, 30 placental infected malaria and 20 malaria placental uninfected post-partum women. They constituted group 1, 2, 3 and 4 of the study subjects respectively. Also 20 malaria infected and 20 malaria uninfected non-pregnant women, classified as groups 5 and 6 respectively, represented the control subjects. The test groups were asymptomatic subjects and control groups were apparently healthy subjects. All were between 17 and 44years. Malaria and malaria parasite density were determined by the thick film technique, serum transferrin (STFR) and SF were measured by ELLSA. Full blood count and red cell indices were evaluated using sysmex Automated Hematology Analyzer model KX2IN Series. Serum transferrin (STFR-F) index was derived from values of SF and STFR. Student's t-test and ANOVA were used for comparison of groups. The mean parasite Density in the peripheral and placental blood was 685.56 ± 484.55 parasite /µ1 and 762.47 ± 459.62 parasite/µl of blood respectively but no significant difference was observed on comparison (P>0.05). Haemoglobin was lower in the infected but not significant on comparison with the uninfected pregnant subjects (P>0.05) while serum ferritin was higher in the infected, however, showed no significant difference in comparison with the uninfected (P>0.05). Serum transferin (STFR) was significantly higher in the infected than uninfected pregnant women (P>0.05). The infected pregnant subjects showed 40% anaemia of infected and 13% IDA. This study has shown that anaemia is the major cause of poor maternal and infant outcome in pregnant women in the area. Increase Parasitaemia leads to decrease iron level culminating to iron deficiency anaemia.

Tuberculosis (TB) remains a major public health problem in the developing world, partly due to a steady increase in the frequency of Mycobacteria tuberculosis strains becoming resistant to one or more of the first line anti-TB drugs. Microscopy is the most available diagnostic technique but the method cannot test for drug resistance. Culture method is the gold standard important in diagnosis and drug resistance testing, but it has the problem of prolonged turnaround time, high costs and unavailability. The Gene Xpert method for XpertMTB/Rif assay, allows rapid diagnosis of tuberculosis/multiple drug resistance Mycobacterium tuberculosis (MTB/MDRTB). The aim of this study is to evaluate the performance of the XpertMTB/Rif assay method in the diagnosis of MTB and drug resistancetuberculosis (DR-MTB) within one year of its installation in Nnamdi Azikiwe University Teaching Hospital, Nnewi, Nigeria. Sputum samples from 586 patients who presented at the DOTS laboratory of the hospital between 17 th June 2014 and 17 th June 2015 were processed using the XpertMTB/Rif assay machine. One hundred and sixteen (116) (19.8%) of the 586 screened patients had MTB positive results, 8 (6.9%) of the 116 MTB positive patients had rifampicin resistant TB. Also total of 336 out of whole total of 586 patients had HIV positive and 42(12.5%) of 336 HIV positive patients had MTB positive results. These depict the usefulness of Xpert assay method in MTB/MDRTB diagnosis.

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