African Journal of Laboratory Medicine最新文献

{"title":"Effect of delayed sample draw after blood collection for haemoglobin test in South Korea.","authors":"Hyerim Kim,&nbsp;Jongmin Kim","doi":"10.4102/ajlm.v12i1.2008","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.4102/ajlm.v12i1.2008","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Between April and May 2022, 10 healthy adult non-patients were recruited from Pusan National University Hospital. Venous blood drawn into a syringe was transferred into test tubes with a zero-to-45-minute delay. The transfer was done sequentially in two positions with the syringe and the needle adaptor end (1) heading downwards and (2) heading upwards. Haemoglobin levels gradually increased over time in position 1 transfer while they gradually decreased in position 2. Therefore, blood must be transferred quickly from a syringe to a tube for reliable test results.</p><p><strong>What this study adds: </strong>Our findings confirm that delays between blood collection and transfer can affect haemoglobin levels.</p>","PeriodicalId":45412,"journal":{"name":"African Journal of Laboratory Medicine","volume":"12 1","pages":"2008"},"PeriodicalIF":1.1,"publicationDate":"2023-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10091068/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"9371288","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Table of Contents Vol 11, No 1","authors":"Editorial Office","doi":"10.4102/ajlm.v11i1.2143","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.4102/ajlm.v11i1.2143","url":null,"abstract":"No abstract available.","PeriodicalId":45412,"journal":{"name":"African Journal of Laboratory Medicine","volume":"1 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.1,"publicationDate":"2022-12-31","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"46452353","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Oral human papilloma virus infection among dental clinic attendees in Ibadan, Nigeria.","authors":"Adedayo O Faneye, Oyeteju S Babalola, Georgina N Odaibo, Juwon Arotiba, Olufemi D Olaleye","doi":"10.4102/ajlm.v11i1.1555","DOIUrl":"10.4102/ajlm.v11i1.1555","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Human papilloma virus (HPV) is associated with a subset of oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma and mouth or throat warts. However, there is currently limited information about oral HPV infections in Nigeria.</p><p><strong>Objective: </strong>This study aimed to provide information on the occurrence and circulating genotypes of HPV among patients attending three (one government and two private) dental clinics in Ibadan, Nigeria.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>An oral swab was collected from 231 dental clinic attendees in Ibadan between January 2016 and March 2017 and tested for HPV DNA by polymerase chain reaction targeting the E6/7 genes of the virus.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Twenty-three of the 231 swab samples were HPV DNA positive comprising 16 mono-infections and seven co-infections in 13 males and ten females. Genotype 16 was present in ten patients, genotype 6/11 in five, Genotype 18 and genotype 33 in four each, genotype 31 in three and genotype 39 in one. Twenty-one cases were high-risk HPV genotypes, while two were low-risk. Samples had co-infection and five had low risk type 6/11 either as single or as co-infection. Persons who had engaged in oral sex as well as those aged 21-30 years has significantly higher prevalence.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>This study showed that although HPV genotype 16 is the most common type among dental clinic attendees in Ibadan, other genotypes are also circulating and that oral sex is a risk factor for the infection. Therefore, introducing a multivalent HPV vaccine will reduce the risk of HPV-associated oropharyngeal carcinoma and other cancers in Nigeria.</p>","PeriodicalId":45412,"journal":{"name":"African Journal of Laboratory Medicine","volume":"11 1","pages":"1555"},"PeriodicalIF":1.0,"publicationDate":"2022-11-25","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9724044/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"10371667","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Malaria an opportunistic infection in HIV/AIDS patients? - A Nigerian experience.","authors":"Joseph N Enuma, Felix O Sanni, Malau B Matur, Njab E Jean, Tosan Erhabor, Iheukwumere I Egbulefu","doi":"10.4102/ajlm.v11i1.1842","DOIUrl":"10.4102/ajlm.v11i1.1842","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>HIV and malaria interact at the level of the host's susceptibility to infection, but little is known about the effect of HIV on malaria infection in Nigeria.</p><p><strong>Objective: </strong>This study estimated the prevalence of malaria parasitaemia and its relationship with HIV immunodeficiency.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>This cross-sectional study was conducted in two hospitals in Abuja, Nigeria between October 2012 and March 2013 among 600 respondents, comprising 200 HIV-negative controls, 200 HIV-positive patients on antiretroviral therapy (ART), and 200 HIV-positive patients not on ART. Malaria parasites, malaria density and absolute CD4 counts were carried out on all three groups. Participants with CD4 counts below 350 cells/mm³ were considered immunocompromised and likely to develop opportunistic infections.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Most study participants were aged 21-40 years (65.2%). The mean CD4 counts of HIV-positive patients not on ART (300 ± 211 cells/mm³) and those on ART (354 cells/mm³) were significantly lower than among controls (834 cells/mm³) (<i>p</i> < 0.001). Malaria prevalence was not statistically different between the controls (44.5%), patients on ART (40.5%), and those not on ART (39.5%) (<i>p</i> = 0.562). Compared to 7% immunodeficiency among controls, 56% of patients on ART and 65.5% of those not on ART had a CD4 count < 350 cells/mm³ (<i>p</i> < 0.001). The prevalence of malaria parasitaemia among immunodeficient individuals (42.4%) was similar to prevalence among those with CD4 counts > 350 cells/mm³ (40.8%; <i>p</i> = 0.695).</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>These findings suggest that malaria parasitaemia is not an opportunistic infection among HIV-positive individuals in Nigeria.</p>","PeriodicalId":45412,"journal":{"name":"African Journal of Laboratory Medicine","volume":"11 1","pages":"1842"},"PeriodicalIF":1.0,"publicationDate":"2022-11-24","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9724119/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"10371668","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"COP27 Climate Change Conference: Urgent action needed for Africa and the world.","authors":"Lukoye Atwoli, Gregory E Erhabor, Aiah A Gbakima, Abraham Haileamlak, Jean-Marie Kayembe Ntumba, James Kigera, Laurie Laybourn-Langton, Robert Mash, Joy Muhia, Fhumulani M Mulaudzi, David Ofori-Adjei, Friday Okonofua, Arash Rashidian, Maha El-Adawy, Siaka Sidibé, Abdelmadjid Snouber, James Tumwine, Sahar Yassien Mohammad, Paul Yonga, Lilia Zakhama, Chris Zielinski","doi":"10.4102/ajlm.v11i1.2080","DOIUrl":"10.4102/ajlm.v11i1.2080","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":45412,"journal":{"name":"African Journal of Laboratory Medicine","volume":"11 1","pages":"2080"},"PeriodicalIF":1.0,"publicationDate":"2022-11-04","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9724035/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"10833699","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Practices and barriers to screening for hyperglycaemia in pregnancy among providers of antenatal care in Jos, Nigeria.","authors":"Lucius C Imoh,&nbsp;Abdulazis S Longwap,&nbsp;Favour E Haruna,&nbsp;Oghale J Asieba,&nbsp;Joy P Istifanus,&nbsp;Joy A Imoh,&nbsp;Mathilda E Banwat","doi":"10.4102/ajlm.v11i1.1845","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.4102/ajlm.v11i1.1845","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Screening for hyperglycaemia in pregnancy (HIP) is an important component of comprehensive antenatal care. Screening practices for HIP in Nigeria and factors that influence these practices are not well understood.</p><p><strong>Objective: </strong>We examined the screening practices for HIP and their correlates among antenatal healthcare providers (AHPs).</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>This descriptive cross-sectional study of AHPs providing all levels of antenatal care was conducted between August 2019 and September 2019 in Jos, Nigeria. Eligible AHPs completed a semi-structured, self-administered questionnaire, and data were analysed for adherence to recommended screening practices such as World Health Organization, International Association of Diabetes and Pregnancy Study Groups and National Institute for Health and Care Excellence guidelines.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Of the 128 respondents included in the analysis, 59 (46.1%) were male and 69 (53.9%) were female. The mean participant age was 35.7 years (standard deviation: ± 8.5 years). Most (68.0%) screened all pregnant women (universal screening) for gestational diabetes mellitus. Fasting blood glucose (77.0%) and random blood glucose (55.7%) were the most common tests used. Only 27 respondents (22.1%) screened using the 75 g oral glucose tolerance test, and most were doctors, AHPs in faith-based or government institutions, tertiary institutions and facilities with availability of automated glucose analysers (<i>p</i> < 0.05 for all).</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>Screening practices for HIP among the AHPs do not generally conform to best practices. Hence, there is an urgent need for implementation of universal guidelines and provision of regular updates and basic glucose measuring devices for AHPs at all healthcare levels.</p>","PeriodicalId":45412,"journal":{"name":"African Journal of Laboratory Medicine","volume":" ","pages":"1845"},"PeriodicalIF":1.1,"publicationDate":"2022-10-31","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9634787/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"40666980","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Optimising courier specimen collection time improves patient access to HIV viral load testing in South Africa.","authors":"Sarah J Girdwood,&nbsp;Thomas Crompton,&nbsp;Naseem Cassim,&nbsp;Floyd Olsen,&nbsp;Portia Sejake,&nbsp;Karidia Diallo,&nbsp;Leigh Berrie,&nbsp;Dorman Chimhamhiwa,&nbsp;Wendy Stevens,&nbsp;Brooke Nichols","doi":"10.4102/ajlm.v11i1.1725","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.4102/ajlm.v11i1.1725","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>South Africa uses a courier network for transporting specimens to public laboratories. After the daily collection of specimens from the facility by the courier, patients not yet attended to are unlikely to receive same-day blood draws, potentially inhibiting access to viral load (VL) testing for HIV patients.</p><p><strong>Objective: </strong>We aimed to design an optimised courier network and assess whether this improves VL testing access.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>We optimised the specimen transport network in South Africa for 4046 facilities (November 2019). For facilities with current specimen transport times (<i>n</i> = 356), we assessed the relationship between specimen transport time and VL testing access (number of annual VL tests per antiretroviral treatment patient) using regression analysis. We compared our optimised transport times with courier collection times to determine the change in access to same-day blood draws.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>The number of annual VL tests per antiretroviral treatment patient (1.14, standard deviation: 0.02) was higher at facilities that had courier collection after 13:36 (the average latest collection time) than those that had their last collection before 13:36 (1.06, standard deviation: 0.03), even when adjusted for facility size. Through network optimisation, the average time for specimen transport was delayed to 14:35, resulting in a 6% - 13% increase in patient access to blood draws.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>Viral load testing access depends on the time of courier collection at healthcare facilities. Simple solutions are frequently overlooked in the quest to improve healthcare. We demonstrate how simply changing specimen transportation timing could markedly improve access to VL testing.</p>","PeriodicalId":45412,"journal":{"name":"African Journal of Laboratory Medicine","volume":" ","pages":"1725"},"PeriodicalIF":1.1,"publicationDate":"2022-10-25","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9634786/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"40666979","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Molecular detection of hepatitis B virus genotype E with immune escape mutations in chronic hepatitis B patients on long-term antiviral therapy in Jos, Nigeria.","authors":"Joseph Anejo-Okopi, Edith Okeke, Pantong M Davwar, Chika Onwuamah, Harris Onywera, Patience Omaiye, Mary Duguru, Ocheme J Okojokwu, Otobo I Ujah, Bulus Jonathan, Chima A George, Ramyil S Crown, Fiyaktu B Yakubu, Judith O Sokei, Leona C Okoli, Onyemocho Audu, Seth C Inzaule, Isaac O Abah, Patricia Agaba, Oche O Agbaji, Atiene S Sagay, Claudia Hawkins","doi":"10.4102/ajlm.v11i1.1677","DOIUrl":"10.4102/ajlm.v11i1.1677","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Previous studies in Nigeria have reported the presence of hepatitis B virus (HBV) genotype E and the availability of immune escape mutants. There is a paucity of data on chronic patients on long-term antiviral therapy for HBV infection.</p><p><strong>Objective: </strong>This study assessed HBV genotypes and drug resistance variants among patients with chronic HBV infection receiving tenofovir in Jos, Nigeria.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>This cross-sectional study consecutively enrolled 101 patients (51 with HIV/HBV co-infection and 50 with HBV infection only) on antiviral therapy from February 2018 to May 2019 at four hospitals in Jos, Nigeria. DNA quantification of HBV was performed on all samples; 30 samples with detectable viral load were selected for genotyping using Sanger sequencing by targeting the full-length sequences of reverse transcriptase gene of the HBV genome. Phylogenetic analysis was performed with reference sequences from GenBank. Escape mutant and drug resistance analysis were performed using HBV drug resistance interpretation and Geno2pheno.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Only 30 (29.7%) of the 101 study participants had detectable HBV DNA. Of these, six (20.0%) isolates were successfully amplified and sequenced. The identified genotype was E, including escape mutations L127R (16.7%) and G145A (16.7%).</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>This study revealed exclusive dominance of genotype E in Nigeria. The S gene mutations G145A and L271R are known to be associated with modified antigenicity and impaired serologic assays, which may cause false negatives in the detection of anti-HBV surface antigen. The presence of mutants that are associated with vaccine immune escape may also have diagnostic and vaccine immune response implications.</p>","PeriodicalId":45412,"journal":{"name":"African Journal of Laboratory Medicine","volume":"11 1","pages":"1677"},"PeriodicalIF":1.0,"publicationDate":"2022-10-18","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9634812/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"9489332","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Comparison of commercial assays and two-step approach to detect <i>Clostridioides difficile</i> in South Africa.","authors":"Sarishna Singh,&nbsp;Mae Newton-Foot,&nbsp;Pieter Nel,&nbsp;Colette Pienaar","doi":"10.4102/ajlm.v11i1.1809","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.4102/ajlm.v11i1.1809","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong><i>Clostridioides difficile</i> is the number one cause of hospital-acquired diarrhoea. Accurate diagnosis of <i>C. difficile</i> is of utmost importance as it guides patient management and infection control practices. Studies evaluating the performance of commercially available nucleic acid amplification tests (NAATs) versus algorithms are lacking in resource-limited settings.</p><p><strong>Objective: </strong>This study assessed the performance of three commercially available tests and a two-step approach for the diagnosis of <i>C. difficile</i> infection using toxigenic culture (TC) as the gold standard.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>Two hundred and twenty-three non-duplicate loose stool samples were submitted to the National Health Laboratory Service Microbiology Laboratory at Tygerberg Hospital, Cape Town, South Africa, from October 2017 to October 2018. The samples were tested in parallel using the <i>C. DIFF QUIK CHEK COMPLETE</i> enzyme immunoassay (EIA) and two NAATs (Xpert <i>C. difficile</i> and BD MAX Cdiff), and the results were compared to TC. The performance of a two-step approach consisting of the <i>C. DIFF QUIK CHEK COMPLETE</i> followed by the Xpert <i>C. difficile</i> was also determined.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Of 223 faecal specimens tested, 37 (16.6%) were TC-positive. The sensitivity and specificity of the <i>C. DIFF QUIK CHEK COMPLETE</i> were 54.1% and 98.9%; Xpert <i>C. difficile</i>, 86.4% and 96.8%; BD MAX Cdiff, 89.2% and 96.8%; and two-step approach, 89.2% and 96.2%.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>The <i>C. DIFF QUIK CHEK COMPLETE</i>, in a two-step approach with the Xpert <i>C. difficile</i>, performed similarly to the NAATs on their own and offer advantages in terms of cost and workflow in low-resource settings.</p>","PeriodicalId":45412,"journal":{"name":"African Journal of Laboratory Medicine","volume":" ","pages":"1809"},"PeriodicalIF":1.1,"publicationDate":"2022-09-29","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9575369/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"40574373","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Audit of amylase and lipase requests in suspected acute pancreatitis and cost implications, South Africa.","authors":"Annie E Cook,&nbsp;Thumeka P Jalavu,&nbsp;Annalise E Zemlin","doi":"10.4102/ajlm.v11i1.1834","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.4102/ajlm.v11i1.1834","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>The internationally accepted criteria for the diagnosis of acute pancreatitis (AP) requires two of the three following features to be present: characteristic abdominal pain, elevated serum amylase and/or lipase enzymes, or consistent imaging results. However, sensitivity and specificity can vary depending on the population and cut-off values used.</p><p><strong>Objective: </strong>This study evaluated the suitability of amylase and lipase as first-line diagnostic biomarkers of suspected AP for the local population served by Tygerberg Hospital, South Africa.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>This retrospective analysis was conducted in June 2019 using all amylase and/or lipase request data from December 2018. Patient clinical data were included in sensitivity and specificity analyses of amylase, lipase or dual requests for diagnosis of AP. Cost per test data were obtained from the National Health Laboratory Service and used to calculate the total cost of the tests and potential savings.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Sensitivity for lipase was 90.0% compared to 50.0% for amylase. Specificity was similar for singular measurements of lipase and amylase. Dual measurement of amylase and lipase showed no improvement in sensitivity (83.3%) and only a minor increase in specificity (97.4%) compared with measurement of lipase alone. The estimated savings was R2522.85 ($174.98 USD), with a potential annual cost saving of R84 423.74 ($5855.69 USD).</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>Lipase was shown to be a more sensitive biomarker compared to amylase for the screening of AP, providing evidence for laboratories to educate local staff and promote improved requesting practices by clinicians. Additionally, preventing unnecessary dual requests may reduce costs.</p>","PeriodicalId":45412,"journal":{"name":"African Journal of Laboratory Medicine","volume":" ","pages":"1834"},"PeriodicalIF":1.1,"publicationDate":"2022-09-26","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9575380/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"40559152","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}