Therapeutic management of Urinary Tract Infections (UTI): A retrospective study in two Teaching Hospitals in Nigeria

Urinary Tract Infection (UTI) is one of the most common diseases and a significant cause of morbidity in all age groups. There are large differences in the management of UTI with respect to definition, diagnosis and treatment. This retrospective study reviewed the diagnosis and drug treatment of UTI at the Teaching Hospitals of Ahmadu Bello University (ABUTH), Zaria and University of Maiduguri (UMTH). The results showed that majority of the infectionswere due to Escherichia coli, followed by Klebsiella species and Staphylococcus aureus. The symptoms were dysuria, suprapubic pain, fever and/or chills, and lower abdominal discomfort, which differed in order of occurrence at the two institutions. The infecting organisms were sensitive to pefloxacin, ceftriazone and gentamicin while the most frequently used antibiotics were gentamicin, ciprofloxacin and ampicillin/cloxacillin in decreasing order at ABUTH. At UMTH,ceftazidine, ofloxacin and gentamicin were frequently active against the infective organisms; and the most prescribed antibiotics were nitrofurantoin, ofloxacin, amoxicillin/clavulanic acid and co-trimoxazole in decreasing order. These results showed that institutional antibiotic policy in the treatment of urinary tract infections might have been based on the experience of the physician, cost of the drug and route of administration instead of prevalence and sensitivity patterns. It also showed that the guiding principle of the rational use of drugs is not strictly adhered to

Serological Survey of Antibodies against Brucella Organisms in One Humped Camel (Camelus dromedarius) Herds in the Lake Chad Area of Borno State, North Eastern Nigeria

Sero-prevalence of brucellosis in the one-humped camel (Camelus dromedarius) was carried out in the Lake Chad area of Borno state. A total of two hundred and fifty four (254) sera samples collected from adult camels in herds located in the Lake Chad Area of Borno state, North easternNigeria, were tested using Rose Bengal Plate test (RBPT) and Microtitre Serum Agglutination Test (MSAT). Twenty four samples (9.4%) were positive by both RBPT and MSAT, out of which 10 (3.9%) and 14 (5.5%) were males andfemale respectively. There was no statistically significant association between sex and positive serological reaction (P>0.05

Pelvi-ureteric junction obstruction secondary to bilateral aberrant vessels and renal stones – case report.

Obstructive uropathy is one of the causes of morbidity and mortality in children because it may lead to renal dysfunction. Pelvi-ureteric junction (PUJ) obstruction secondary to concomitant aberrant vessels and renal stones is uncommon. Method: We describe an adolescent patient with a bilateral obstructive uropathy secondary to renal stones and bilateral aberrant blood vessels crossing the lower poles of the kidneys. Conclusion: Co-existence of aberrant crossing blood vessels and renal stones as a cause of obstructive uropathy in children is rare and when left untreated for a prolonged period of time can lead to chronic kidney disease

A GENERAL REAL-TIME DECODER BASED ON AMD2900 DEVICES

Abstract A bit-slice microprocessor-based real-time decoder has been proposed in this paper. A microprocessor-based architecture is preferable because of its programmability, availability, low cost and simplicity of design. Two strategies are adapted to increase throughput of the decoder for real-time decoding. First, bit-slice microprocessors are used and ALU word length is chosen to be equal to that of a code word. Second, decoding operation is accomplished in two steps, namely (1) Error detection and (2) Error correction. It takes relatively much longer time to correct errors. Therefore, a buffer memory is used to store incoming blocks as more than one block may be received during a decoding cycle. The design is versatile since different decoding algorithms can be executed by changing the microprogram. Minor, apparent and simple changes have to be made in the design to decode codes of longer block length. Keywords: Bit-slice devices; Coding; Decoding; Microprogramming; Universal AHPL

BIT-SLICE MICROPROCESSOR-BASED COMMUNICATIONS DECODER

Abstract The hardware design of a bit-slice microprocessor-based realtime cyclic error-correcting communications decoder is presented. A microprocessor-based architecture is preferred because of its programmability, low cost and simplicity of design. To augment the throughput of the decoder for realtime decoding, the ALU word length is chosen to be equal to that of a code word and the decoding operation is accomplished in two steps, i.e. error detection and error correction. A buffer memory stores incoming blocks as more than one block may be received during a decoding cycle. The design is versatile: different decoding algorithms can be executed by changing the microprogram. Only simple changes in the design are necessary to decode words of longer block length. Keywords: microprocessors; digital communications; decodin

Best proximity point theorems for α-nonexpansive mappings in Banach spaces

In this paper, we discuss sufficient and necessary conditions for the existence of best proximity points for non-self-a-nonexpansive mappings in Banach spaces. We obtain convergence results under some assumptions, and we prove the existence of common best proximity points for a family of non-self-a-nonexpansive mappings

Time required for nanopore whole genome sequencing of Neisseria gonorrhoeae for identification of phylogenetic relationships.

BACKGROUND: Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) in Neisseria gonorrhoeae is a global health challenge. Limitations to AMR surveillance reporting, alongside reduction in culture-based susceptibility testing, has resulted in a need for rapid diagnostics and strain detection. We investigated Nanopore sequencing time, and depth, to accurately identify closely related N. gonorrhoeae isolates, compared to Illumina sequencing. METHODS: N. gonorrhoeae strains collected from a London Sexual Health clinic were cultured and sequenced with MiSeq and MinION sequencing platforms. Accuracy was determined by comparing variant calls at 68 nucleotide positions (37 resistance-associated markers). Accuracy at varying MinION sequencing depths was determined through retrospective time-stamped read analysis. RESULTS: Of 22 MinION-MiSeq pairs reaching sufficient sequencing depth, agreement of variant call positions passing quality control criteria was 185/185 (100%, 95%CI: 98.0-100.0), 502/503 (99.8%, CI:98.9-99.9) and 564/565 (99.8%, CI:99.0-100.0) at 10x, 30x and 40x MinION depth, respectively. Isolates identified as closely related by MiSeq, within one yearly evolutionary distance of ≤5 single nucleotide polymorphisms, were accurately identified via MinION. CONCLUSION: Nanopore sequencing shows utility as a rapid surveillance tool, identifying closely related N. gonorrhoeae strains, with just 10x sequencing depth, taking a median time of 29 minutes. This highlights its potential for tracking local transmission and AMR markers

Vaginal microbiota in ethnically diverse young women who did or did not develop pelvic inflammatory disease: community-based prospective study

Objectives A lactobacilli-dominated vaginal microbiome may protect against pelvic inflammatory disease (PID), but one dominated by Gardnerella species might increase susceptibility. Not all lactobacilli are equally protective. Recent research suggests that D(−) isomer lactic acid producing lactobacilli (Lactobacillus crispatus, Lactobacillus jensenii and Lactobacillus gasseri) may protect against infection with Chlamydia trachomatis, an important cause of PID. Lactobacillus iners, which produces L(+) isomer lactic acid, may be less protective. We investigated the microbiome in stored vaginal samples from participants who did or did not develop PID during the prevention of pelvic infection (POPI) chlamydia screening trial. Methods Long-read 16S rRNA gene nanopore sequencing was used on baseline vaginal samples (one per participant) from all 37 women who subsequently developed clinically diagnosed PID during 12-month follow-up, and 111 frequency matched controls who did not, matched on four possible risk factors for PID: age <20 versus ≥20, black ethnicity versus other ethnicity, chlamydia positive versus negative at baseline and ≥2 sexual partners in the previous year versus 0–1 partners. Results Samples from 106 women (median age 19 years, 40% black ethnicity, 22% chlamydia positive, 54% reporting multiple partners) were suitable for analysis. Three main taxonomic clusters were identified dominated by L. iners, L. crispatus and Gardnerella vaginalis. There was no association between a more diverse, G. vaginalis dominated microbiome and subsequent PID, although increased Shannon diversity was associated with black ethnicity (p=0.002) and bacterial vaginosis (diagnosed by Gram stain p<0.0001). Women who developed PID had similar relative abundance of protective D(−) isomer lactic acid producing lactobacilli to women without PID, but numbers of PID cases were small. Conclusions In the first-ever community-based prospective study of PID, there was no clear association between the vaginal microbiome and subsequent development of PID. Future studies using serial samples may identify vaginal microbial communities that may predispose to PID