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Background: Transcranial Doppler ultrasound (TCD) scan, which measures blood flow velocity through the time-averaged mean of maximum velocities (TAMMVs) in the internal carotid arteries and middle cerebral arteries, is a useful screening tool for predicting stroke risk in children with sickle cell anaemia (SCA). Aim: To investigate which clinical and laboratory indices predict abnormal TCD velocity in children with SCA. Methods: Fifty-four SCA patients with normal TCD (TAMMV < 170 cm/s), classified as negative TCD (NTCD), and 93 patients with conditional and abnormal TCD velocities (TAMMV ≥ 170 cm/s) classified as positive TCD were recruited. The haemoglobin oxygen saturation, haematological variables, nitric oxide metabolites and lactate dehydrogenase activity of the patients were analysed. Results: The mean (SD) age was 7.16 (3.84) years (range 2–16). The median SpO2of the patients in the positive TCD group was significantly lower than that of the negative TCD group (p = 0.002). Multivariate logistic regression analysis indicated that the MCV [odds ratio (OR) 1.12, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.04–1.22,p = 0.01)], MCH (OR 1.34, 95% CI 1.02–1.77,p = 0.04), leucocyte count (OR 1.26, 95% CI 1.07–1.49,p = 0.01) and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) level (OR 1.00, 95% CI 1.00–1.01,p = 0.01) were independent predictors of high cerebral blood flow velocities. Conclusions: These clinical and laboratory indices are characteristic of chronic hypoxia and severe anaemia and are predictors of abnormal cerebral blood flow velocity. They can be used to predict stroke risk in children with SCA when access to TCD screening is limited. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Type 2 diabetes remains a global concern with its numerical increase occurring in developing countries which include Nigeria. Adipose tissue-secreted factors called "adipokines" are involved in energy homeostasis and regulation of glucose and lipid metabolism., Objective: This study was undertaken with the aim of investigating adipokine levels in the Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus., Methods: This is a cross sectional study conducted in Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH), a-700 bed tertiary hospital centre in Lagos, Nigeria. 53 diabetic subjects and 27 non-diabetic controls with mean age (56.72 +/- 10.44) and (38.67 +/- 9.63) years respectively, were recruited into the study. Fasting blood glucose, HbA1 C, leptin and resistin levels and body mass index (BMI) were assayed., Results: Mean BMI was higher but not statistically significant in diabetics than in non diabetics (diabetics 28.77 +/- 5.35; non diabetics 27.38 +/- 6.04; p > 0.05). Resistin level was significantly higher in diabetics (31.26 +/- 2.5) as compared with non diabetics (16.61 +/- 2.16) compared to non-diabetics. Leptin correlated very strongly with BMI (r = 0.620, p < 0.0001) and was significantly higher in females than males (female 9.72 +/- 1.70; male 1.79 +/- 0.54; p < 0.0001)., Conclusion: The circulating adipokines have variable effect on the glucose and fat metabolism. BMI and resistin level were higher in diabetics. Leptin was found in this study to correlate very strongly with BMI (adiposity). There was also a strong gender dependence observed as leptin level was signficantly higher in females than males.