Background: Malaria infection still remains a notable health problem in resource-limited countries due to difficulties in the implementation of control measures. This was a prospective study designed to assess the prevalence of asymptomatic P. falciparum malaria infection in premedical undergraduate students at Nnamdi Azikiwe University Nnewi, Nigeria. Methods: A total of 180 consenting apparently healthy subjects (male=90), female=90) aged 18-30 years were randomly recruited for this study. One millimeters of blood sample was collected from each of these participants and dispensed into EDTA bottle for P.falciparum malaria parasite screening using thick and thin film Giemsa staining technique and HRP2Pf rapid antigen diagnostic test kit (Access Bio Inc., USA). Results: Ninety nine (99) of these participants tested positive for asymptomatic P. falciparum malaria giving a prevalent rate of 55% while 81 subjects were uninfected and served as control The prevalence was higher in males (54.5%), underweight (46.5%) (P<0.0001) and among students aged 18-21 years (48.5%) followed by overweight (30.3%) students (P=0.039). Only (33.9%) of all the students used insecticide treated net (ITNs) (P=0.008). Conclusions: The present study showed high prevalence rate of asymptomatic P. falciparum malaria infection among university students who continuously served as reservoir for transmission to the uninfected ones which might progress to disease severity if left untreated.

Objective: Obesity is a major public health issue and a significant risk factor for metabolic disorders. This prospective study was aimed at evaluating the prevalence of obesity, lipid profiles, and fasting blood glucose (FBG) among female premedical students of NAU, Nnewi Campus, Nigeria.Methods: A total of 320 female premedical students aged 18–35 years were recruited. The participants were classified using Body mass index(BMI) as underweight (35), overweight (104), obese (26), and control (155). FBG and lipids were estimated using enzymatic methods. Obesity was assessed using BMI and waist circumference. Blood pressure (BP) was measured using accoson sphygmomanometer.Results: The study observed 10.9% underweight, 32.5% overweight, and 8.1% obesity. Underweight was higher among participants aged 18–23 years (48.6%), while overweight and obesity were more among participants aged 24–29 years (57.7% and 53.8%). Central obesity was observed in 28.8% of participants. BPs were higher in obese and overweight participants than in other groups. FBG was higher in obese and overweight participants than in other groups. The mean total cholesterol (TC) and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDLC) were significantly higher in obese and overweight participants, while high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDLC) was significantly lower when compared to their corresponding values in underweight and control participants (p<0.05).Conclusions: The study showed high prevalence of underweight, overweight, and obesity among the study population. The significantly higher levels of TC, LDLC, FBG, and elevated BP with significantly lower HDLC in overweight and obese participants compared to control suggests a possible risk of dyslipidemia, diabetes mellitus, and hypertension. The significant correlation between the lipid parameters, FBG, and anthropometric indices suggests high-risk cardiovascular disorders.

Objective: Antiretroviral therapy (ART) is anticipated to result in an increase in long-term survival in human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infected individuals, but may present with the development of associated complications including kidney damage. The present study aimed at assessing the kidney function estimated glomerular filtration (eGFR) rate and body mass index (BMI) of HIV seropositive subjects with or without HAART at Nnewi, Nigeria. Methods:A total of 90 subjects were recruited comprising of 30 HIV-seropositive on highly antiretroviral therapy (HAART), 30 HIV-seropositive drug naive, and 30 HIV-seronegative (control subjects). Anthropometric parameters of the subjects were assessed using a well-structured questionnaire. Five millilitres of blood sample was collected from the patients and used for the estimation of urea, creatinine, uric acid, serum total protein and cluster of differentiation (CD4) T-cell counts using diacetyl monoxime method, Jaffe-slot method, Caraway phosphotungstic acid method, refractometry and flow cytometric method respectively.

The present study assessed the maternal cortisol, Adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH), Pregnancy associated plasma protein-A (PAPP-A) and alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) concentrations in malaria infected pregnant women. A total of 76 (40 apparently healthy pregnant and 36 malaria-infected pregnant) women aged 18-40 years were prospectively recruited. Early morning blood samples (5 ml) were collected from each subject at 1 st and 2 nd trimesters. 1 ml of whole blood was used for the diagnosis of P. falciparum malaria using malaria Plasmodium falciparum Rapid Test Device (RTD) and Giemsa stained thick blood smears for microscopic detection of P. falciparum parasites while the remaining 4 ml was centrifuged, separated and serum used for estimation of cortisol, ACTH, AFP and PAPP-A using ELISA-based method. The mean cortisol (125.80 ±30.80 ng/ml) and AFP (1.9 ±0.7 MoM) concentrations in malaria-infected pregnant women were significantly (p<0.05) higher than those of normal pregnant women (86.70 ±3.30 and 1.5 ±0.7 respectively). Malaria-infected pregnant women had higher percentage of low birth weight babies (27.8%), preeclampsia (11.1%), premature rupture of membrane (11.1%), preterm delivery (30.6%), miscarriages (27.8%) and low APGAR score at one minute (2.8%). This shows the possible impact of malaria infection on pregnancy and birth outcomes. The increased cortisol concentration in malaria infected pregnant women shows that malaria infection in pregnancy increases the stress pregnant women are exposed to but the placental defect associated with increased placental permeability to AFP is not related to the effect of the stress (cortisol) and thus does not influence birth outcomes.

Objectives: Elevated uric acid level is related to a variety of adverse metabolic conditions including gout, obesity, and risk factor for cardiovascular diseases. This prospective study designed to assess the serum and urine uric acid level in relation with anthropometric indices in overweight and obese undergraduate students at NAU, Nnewi, Nigeria.Methods: A total of 302 undergraduate students aged between 18 and 40 years were randomly recruited for the present study. They were grouped based on their body mass index (BMI) as overweight, obese, and control participants. 132 participants were males, of which 21 were obese, 34 were overweight while 77 were normal (control) males. 170 participants were females, of which 56 were obese, 62 were overweight while the remaining 52 were normal (control) females. Fasting blood and 24 h urine sample were aseptically collected from all the participants for determination of serum and urine uric acid.Results: The study observed significantly higher serum uric acid level in obese and overweight males than female and control counterparts (p=0.000, respectively). Urine uric acid level was significantly higher in obese males and females than in their overweight and control counterparts (p=0.000). This shows increase production and accumulation of monosodium urate with decreased uric acid excretion which may result in hyperuricemia and hyperuricosuria which may result in gout. Serum and urine uric acid levels were significantly higher among age range (26–32) and (33–40) years compared with those among age range (18–25) (p<0.05) signifying that uric acid level increases with age. Serum and urine uric acid were significantly positively correlated with BMI, waist circumference, and waist hip ratio (p<0.05).Conclusions: High serum uric acid is a prerequisite for gout and also associated with the metabolic syndrome and risk factors for cardiovascular disease. Proper awareness of the implication of hyperuricemia among undergraduate students is necessary.