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The study was carried out in Sokoto, the capital city of Sokoto state, in the North-Western geopolitical zone of Nigeria. Nigeria has more than 250 ethnic groups, but the three major ethnic groups Background. There is wide variation in normal pubertal timing among various populations. Objectives. To determine the mean age of pubertal stages of breast development and menarche, and the influence of nutrition and ethnicity on pubertal onset in primary school girls in Sokoto, North-Western Nigeria. Methods. A cross-sectional study using a multistage random sampling design was conducted on 994 primary school girls in grades 3 -6. Weight and height measurements and Tanner breast staging were done. Body mass index (BMI) was calculated, and a BMI-for-age percentile was used to categorise nutritional status. There were four major ethnic groups. P≤0.05 was taken as showing statistical significance. Results. The participants' mean age was 10.23 years (standard deviation (SD) 1.70, range 6 -15 years). Of the 994 girls, 628 (63.2%) were pre-pubertal, and 366 (36.8%) were pubertal. Of the latter, 158 (15.9%) were in breast stage 2, while 112 (11.3%), 70 (7.0%) and 26 (2.6%) were in breast stages 3, 4 and 5, respectively. The mean ages (SD; range) of pubertal onset and menarche were 10.50 (1.33; 8 -13), and 12.67 (1.65; 11 -15), years, respectively. The overnourished (overweight/obese) and Igbo ethnic group girls had early-normal pubertal onset (p=0.006 and p=0.001, respectively). Conclusion. The mean ages of Tanner breast stages 1 -5 and menarcheal age of girls in Sokoto, North-Western Nigeria, were within the age ranges reported worldwide. Pubertal onset was influenced by nutrition. S Afr J Child Health

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Objective: Zinc plays a critical role in many body functions and its deficiency is associated with impaired cognitive function, behavioral problems, memory impairment, growth retardation, increased incidence of diarrhoea and recurrent infections. Although severe zinc deficiency is not common, mild to moderate deficiency is quite common globally. It is estimated that some form of zinc deficiency affects about one third of the world population, with estimates ranging from 4% to 73% across sub Saharan Africa. To determine the prevalence of zinc deficiency among malnourished children at Usmanu Danfodiyo University Teaching Hospital (UDUTH), Sokoto.Methods: Study was descriptive cross-sectional, carried out at the Paediatric department of UDUTH, Sokoto from April 2013 to June 2014. It was conducted among children aged between 6 and 60 months who presented to the OPD and those that were admitted into paediatric wards of UDUTH with malnutrition. Children with similar characteristics that were well nourished served as controls. Cohorts were recruited consecutively until the required sample size was obtained. 5mls of venous blood was taken for serum zinc analysis from each child.Results: A total of 550 children were studied with 275 apiece for cohorts. The mean age of the malnourished children was 26.2±14.6 months compared to 28.2±17.0 months recorded for the controls (p=0.157).The mean serum zinc levels for the study subjects 13.5±3.3µmol/L was significantly lower than that of the controls (15.8±1.9µmol/L) (t=9.42, df=548, p=0.0001). Conclusion:The prevalence of zinc deficiency among both malnourished children and the controls was 0% using WHO reference value for children below the age of 5 years. Prophylactic doses of zinc should be given in all malnourish children in situation where mineral mix is not added to feed or f75 and f100 are not available. There is need to adhere to and use recommended cut off values recommended by WHO for defining zinc deficiency by researchers. Resume Objectif: Le zinc joue un rôle critique dans de nombreuses fonctions corporelles et sa carence est associée à une déficience de la fonction cognitive, des problèmes de comportement, des troubles de la mémoire, un retard de croissance, une incidence accrue de diarrhée et des infections récurrentes. Bien que la carence en zinc sévère n'est pas commune, une carence légère à modérée est assez commune dans le monde. On estime qu'une certaine forme de carence en zinc affecte environ un tiers de la population mondiale, avec des estimations allant de 4% à 73% dans l'Afrique subsaharienne. Déterminer la prévalence de la carence en zinc chez les enfants souffrant de malnutrition à l'hôpital universitaire Umanu Danfodiyo (UDUTH), à Sokoto.Méthodes: L'étude a été descriptive transversale, réalisée au département pédiatrique de l'UDUTH, à Sokoto d'avril 2013 à juin 2014. Elle a été menée chez des enfants âgés de 6 à 60 mois qui ont présenté à l'OPD et ceux qui ont été admis dans les services de pédiatrie De UDUTH avec malnutrition. Les enfants aya...