The aim was to compare the heel pad thickness (HPT) in diabetic patients with high biochemical parameters (fasting blood sugar [FBS], hemoglobin A1c [HbA1c], and lipid profile) with nondiabetic counterparts. A total of 438 subjects made up of 216 diabetics with high biochemical parameters (poorly controlled) and 222 apparently healthy subjects were recruited. The HPT, FBS level, HbA1c values and lipid profile, and duration of diabetes mellitus were assessed. Results showed that the mean HPT was 13.33 ± 1.29 mm in the control subjects and 16.79 ± 1.84 mm in diabetics. The HPT among diabetics differed significantly from the control group ( P < .05). The mean value of HbA1c in the control group was 5.4 ± 1.3 compared to diabetics with values of 8.53 ± 2.1. The values of HbA1c among diabetics were significantly higher than that of the control group ( P < .05). HPT had a significant linear relationship with HbA1c among the diabetic subjects ( r = 0.42, P < .05).
Objective: Physicians who often request for computed tomography (CT) scan examinations are expected to have sound knowledge of radiation exposure (risks) to patients in line with the basic radiation protection principles according to the International Commission on Radiological Protection (ICRP), the Protection of Persons Undergoing Medical Exposure or Treatment (POPUMET), and the Ionizing Radiation (Medical Exposure) Regulations (IR(ME)R). The aim is to assess the level of requesting physicians’ knowledge of ionizing radiation from CT scan examinations in two Nigerian tertiary hospitals. Materials and Methods: An 18-item-based questionnaire was distributed to 141 practicing medical doctors, excluding radiologists with work experience from 0 to >16 years in two major teaching hospitals in Nigeria with a return rate of 69%, using a voluntary sampling technique. Results: The results showed that 25% of the respondents identified CT thorax, abdomen, and pelvis examination as having the highest radiation risk, while 22% said that it was a conventional chest X-ray. Furthermore, 14% concluded that CT head had the highest risk while 9% gave their answer to be conventional abdominal X-ray. In addition, 17% inferred that magnetic resonance imaging had the highest radiation risk while 11% had no idea. Furthermore, 25.5% of the respondents have had training on ionizing radiation from CT scan examinations while 74.5% had no training. Majority (90%) of the respondents were not aware of the ICRP guidelines for requesting investigations with very little (<3%) or no knowledge (0%) on the POPUMET and the IR(ME)R respectively. Conclusion: There is low level of knowledge of ionizing radiation from CT scan examinations among requesting physicians in the study locations.
Objective: This study assessed the use of Aloe vera lotion as an alternative coupling medium for ultrasound imaging. Materials and Methods: A prospective analytical research design was adopted. A total of 50 subjects who consented were randomly recruited into the study from the University of Calabar Teaching Hospital (UCTH), Calabar and the Gijuwie Medical Diagnostics, Calabar. A total of 50 image pairs were obtained on scanning with Aloe vera lotion (Image A) and commercial ultrasound gel (Image B) for comparison. Image quality was assessed using anatomical details (AD) and visualization of hyperechoic structures (VHS) as criteria. Results: A substantial agreement was seen among raters (A: k = 0.658, B = 0.691; P < .05) with acceptable level of consistency (Cronbach’s alpha scores of 0.701 and 0.825 for Aloe vera lotion and commercial gel, respectively) based on AD. Images recommended as acceptable by raters was 91.7% for Aloe vera lotion and 81.7% for commercial gel. Both methods demonstrated almost perfect agreement (kappa > 80; P < .05) with each other based on AD and VHS (Table 3). Conclusion: Aloe vera lotion, which is locally available and relatively affordable, has the potential to be used as acoustic coupling medium in diagnostic sonography.
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