Plasma concentration of fucosyltransferase 7 is not associated with the number of clinically overt vaso-occlusive events in sickle cell disease.

Objective: To determine if the number of vaso-occlusive events in SCD relates to plasma concentration of fucosyltransferase 7 (FUT7), which catalyses the synthesis of selectin ligands.

Design: A prospective, analytical study.

Setting: Haematology and Chemical Pathology Departments of tertiary healthcare centres.

Impact of Binet Staging versus Tumour Bulk on Treatment Outcome in Chronic Lymphocytic Leukaemia.

Background: Most of the predictive tools put up to prognosticate treatment outcomes in patients with chronic lymphocytic leukaemia (CLL) are not easily available and affordable in our resource-constrained environment.

Aim: The aim of this study was to evaluate the impact of staging and some tumour bulk on treatment outcomes of persons with CLL, Enugu, Nigeria.

Patients And Methods: This is a 10-year review of the CLL data from the haemato-oncology unit of a Nigerian tertiary hospital to evaluate the impact of staging and tumour bulk indicators.

Cerebral artery conditional blood velocity in sickle cell disease: a multicentre study and evidence for active treatment.

Objective: To obtain multicentre data on the prevalence of normal, high or conditional (intermediate) blood velocity in the cerebral arteries among children with sickle cell disease (SCD) in Nigeria.

Design: A prospective observational study in five tertiary healthcare institutions. By transcranial Doppler (TCD) ultrasonography, cerebral artery peak systolic blood velocity (PSV) was determined in 193 children with SCD and time averaged mean of the maximum blood velocity (TAMMV) in a different cohort of 115 children.

Prevalence of venous thromboembolism and its associations in a large racially homogenous population of sickle cell disease patients.

Unlabelled: To determine the prevalence of venous thromboembolism (VTE) among adult sickle cell disease (SCD) patients in Nigeria.

Methods: This was a multicentre retrospective study in which the medical records of adult SCD patients were reviewed. Information on demographics, steady-state haemogram, clinical phenotypes, duration of follow-up, history of VTE including risk factors and management was collected.

Variations and characteristics of the various clinical phenotypes in a cohort of Nigerian sickle cell patients.

Background: Sickle cell anaemia affects about 4 million people across the globe, making it an inherited disorder of public health importance. Red cell lysis consequent upon haemoglobin crystallization and repeated sickling leads to anaemia and a baseline strain on haemopoiesis. Vaso-occlusion and haemolysis underlies majority of the chronic complications of sickle cell.

Is renal medullary carcinoma the seventh nephropathy in sickle cell disease? A multi-center Nigerian survey.

Introduction: Previous studies had enlisted renal medullary carcinoma (RMC) as the seventh nephropathy in sickle cell disease (SCD). Clinical experience has contradicted this claim and this study is targeted at refuting or supporting this assumption.

Objective: To estimate the prevalence of RMC and describe other renal complications in SCD.

Seroprevalence of human T-cell lymphoma/leukemia virus type-1 (HTLV-1) antibodies among blood donors at Enugu, Nigeria.

Background: Human T-cell lymphotrophic/leukemia virus (HTLV-1) is a retrovirus implicated in transfusion-transmitted infection.

Objective: The objective of this study was to determine the seroprevalence of HTLV-1 antibodies among blood donors at the University of Nigeria Teaching Hospital, Enugu, Eastern Nigeria.

Methods: A cross-sectional study was carried out on consented participants over 4 months.

Stroke prevalence amongst sickle cell disease patients in Nigeria: a multi-centre study.

Background: Stroke is a life-changing, debilitating complication of sickle cell disease (SCD). Previous studies had recorded high stroke prevalence amongst this group of patients. Nigeria has a large population of people affected by this condition and this study aims to assess the stroke prevalence in this large population.

Seroprevalence and correlates of human T-cell lymphoma/leukemia virus type 1 antibodies among pregnant women at the University of Nigeria Teaching Hospital, Enugu, Nigeria.

Background: Human T-cell lymphoma/leukemia virus (HTLV)-1 is a retrovirus transmitted vertically from mother to child parenterally and sexually by infected lymphocytes.

Objective: The objective of this study was to determine the seroprevalence of HTLV-1 antibodies and associated risk factors for HTLV-1 infection among pregnant women in University of Nigeria Teaching Hospital, Enugu, southeast Nigeria.

Materials And Methods: A cross-sectional study was carried out from July to October 2010.

Priapism in homozygous sickle cell patients: important clinical and laboratory associations.

Objective: To evaluate the relationship between the occurrence of priapism and important steady-state clinical and laboratory parameters in homozygous sickle cell disease (SCD).

Subjects And Methods: Steady-state clinical and laboratory data were obtained from the medical records of 126 male patients seen in the clinic over a 7-year period. Estimated prevalence rates, correlation coefficients and independent t tests were calculated to assess the relationship between priapism and several important clinical and laboratory indices.

Addition of multimodal therapy to standard management of steady state sickle cell disease.

Most people on folic acid to boost erythropoiesis and prophylactic antimicrobials, the standard management of steady state sickle cell disease (SCD), have unacceptable numbers of crises. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of adding multimodal therapy with potassium thiocyanate and omega-3 fatty acids to the standard management of steady state SCD. Pre- and post-treatment numbers of crises and other disease indices were compared in 16 HbSS individuals on folic acid and paludrine after 12 months of adding eicosapentaenoic acid 15 mg/kg/day, docosahexaenoic acid 10 mg/kg/day, and potassium thiocyanate 1-2 mL/day, each milliliter of which contained 250 mg of thiocyanate and 100 micrograms of iodine to prevent hypothyroidism: a possible side-effect due to competitive inhibition of the transport of iodide into the thyroid gland by thiocyanate.

Pilot study of omega-3 fatty acid supplements in sickle cell disease.

In a previous retrospective study, it was observed that the greater the amounts of the omega-3 fatty acids eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) in the blood, the lesser the number of complications of sickle cell disease (SCD) and the higher the steady state haemoglobin level. SCD causes ischaemia-reperfusion injury and inflammation; which can be ameliorated by a metabolite of DHA that down-regulates expression of pro-inflammatory genes. The objectives of this prospective pilot study were to evaluate the effects of DHA and EPA supplements in SCD, and test the hypothesis that these effects are mediated partly by reducing inflammation.