Risk Factors for Hypertension among Adult Patients Attending the General Outpatient Clinics of a Tertiary Hospital in Uyo, South-South Nigeria.

Background: Hypertension is a modifiable risk factor for cardiovascular, cerebrovascular and renal diseases.

Objective: The objective of the study was to determine the risk factors for Hypertension among adults attending the general outpatient clinic of University of Uyo Teaching Hospital.

Methods: A cross-sectional study of three hundred and eightyfive (385) adults (18 years and above) attending the General Outpatient Clinic of the University of Uyo Teaching Hospital, Uyo, Nigeria, was carried out between March and June, 2013.

Sociodemographic Factors Affecting the Quality of Life of Elderly Persons Attending the General Outpatient Clinics of a Tertiary Hospital, South-South Nigeria.

Background: In the last few decades, the evaluation of the quality of life (QoL) among older adults has become increasingly important in health as well as in social sciences. There has been growing emphasis on the need to understand what influences older people's QoL as it is argued to be of greater value than the traditional outcome measures, such as health status.

Aim And Objective: The aim of this study was to determine the sociodemographic factors affecting the QoL of elderly patients attending the General Outpatient Clinics of the University of Uyo Teaching Hospital (UUTH), Uyo.

PCR detection of cryptosporidium: the way forward?

In this article, Una Morgan and Andrew Thompson briefly review the latest information on polymerase chain reaction (PCR)detection of Cryptosporidium parvum in both clinical and environmental samples. Current detection methods for Cryptosporidium are cumbersome, time-consuming and lack sensitivity. A variety of PCR tests have been described recently in the literature and this article discusses the advantages and disadvantages of each new technique and their potential for future diagnosis of Cryptosporidium.