Platelet function, anthropometric and metabolic variables in Nigerian Type 2 Diabetic patients

This study examined the effects of anthropometric variables and metabolic imbalance on platelet aggregation in diabetic patients. A total of 109 volunteer were used; 58 diabetes mellitus (DM) patients (28 males and 30 females) who were receiving treatment at the University College Hospital Ibadan and 51 non diabetic control recruited from residents of Agbowo and Teachers of some secondary schools within the University of Ibadan. Body mass index (BMI)  and body surface area (BSA) were assessed as indices of anthropometry, fasting blood sugar (FBS), plasma cholesterol and triglycerides (TAG)  were determined using standard method and platelet aggregation test was done on the whole blood. Platelet aggregation ratio was higher in non diabetic compared to the diabetic subjects (P<0.001). The mean platelet aggregation ratio was also significantly higher in the male diabetic when compared to the female diabetic group (P<0.001). There was a significant linear relationship between platelet aggregation ratio and BMI (P<0.01), age (P0.05), FBS (P< 0.01), plasma cholesterol (P<0.01) and plasma TAG (P<0.05). However, the correlation coefficient between platelet aggregation ratio and BSA is not significant. In the non diabetic control subjects the correlation coefficient is not significant. Findings from this study suggest that, the increased platelet aggregation found in diabetic patients increased significantly with increased BMI but decrease with age. The mean platelet aggregation is also increased significantly with increase metabolic imbalance.Keyword: Platelet aggregation, anthropometry, diabetes mellitus, Body mass index (BMI), fasting blood sugar (FBS).African Journal of Biotechnology Vol 13(29) 2985-299

Sediment Transport in Proglacial Rivers

Suspended and bedload transport in mountain rivers are notoriously difficult to monitor and thus to quantify. Even more challenging are proglacial streams that are generally characterized by high flow velocities, high sediment concentrations and transport rates, large and abrupt temporal variability of water discharge and transport rates, as well as by frequent morphological changes. However, the quantification of suspended and bedload transport rates is crucial to understand and predict shortand long-term morphodynamics in such sensitive systems. In this chapter, we present an updated summary on the current knowledge on the monitoring methods and on the observed dynamics of sediment transport in proglacial rivers, including both suspended and bedload fractions