Dicephalus dipus tetrabrachius conjoined twins of Zaria: Case report and literature review

One of the most interesting congenital malformations to manage is a conjoined twin. Conjoined twins are rare occurrences in obstetric/pediatric practice. More commonly known as Siamese twins, this phenomenon is shrouded in mystery and considered a curiosity by general public. Current technology is lending a helping hand in the early diagnosis of these conditions. Frequently, the twins are born dead, but there are few cases in which the twins survive. We presented a case of dicephalus dipud conjoined twins; a rare type of conjoined twins.Key words: Conjoined twins, dicephalus, dipus, tetrabrachiu

Predictors of Loss to Follow‑up Among HIV‑infected Patients in a Rural South‑Eastern Nigeria Hospital: A 5‑year Retrospective Cohort Study

Background: Patient attrition has been a challenge in managing HIV programs in resource‑limited settings. Aim: This study reviews the predictors of loss to follow‑up (LTFU) in our hospital and suggests the best practices for dealing with the issue. Subjects and Methods: A 5‑year retrospective cohort study of 1256 HIV‑infected patients. Baseline CD4 counts, age, gender, year of enrolment, and antiretroviral therapy combination regimen were considered in this study. Kaplan–Meier models were used to estimate the univariate time‑to‑LTFU and Cox proportional hazards models to identify the multivariate predictors of LTFU. Results: Twenty‑four percent (23.9% [301/1256]) of patients were lost to follow‑up. Baseline CD4 count, year of enrolment, and drug combination were significant predictors of LTFU. Patients enrolled earlier (2008/2009) were twice as likely to be LTFU compared with those enrolled later (2010–2013). Gender and age did not significantly predict LTFU nor confound other predictors. Conclusion: The program showed higher LTFU rates than most studies in Nigeria and Africa, maybe due to difficulties with the access to the hospital and possible treatment fatigue. This study recommends the provision of transportation subsidies and proactive patient follow‑up with “peer‑tracking” to reduce LTFU among HIV infected patients, especially in resource‑limited settings.Keywords: Cohort studies, HIV infections, Loss to‑follow‑up, Nigeria, Transportatio

L-Glutamic acid production by Bacillus spp. isolated from vegetable proteins

22 isolates of Bacillus species were obtained from “Dawadawa”, “Ugba” and “Ogiri” (fermented vegetable proteins) in Nigeria. The isolates were identified as Bacillus subtilis (6), (27.3%), Bacillus pumilus (5), (22.7%), Bacillus licheniformis (5), (27.3%) and Bacillus polymyxa (6), (22.7%). Four species of the Bacillus isolates were selected based on their ability to grow and produce L- glutamic acid in a synthetic medium and their comparison with the reference strain Corynebacterium glutamicum ATCC 13032. The four Bacillus species were B. subtilis (UGI). B. pumilus (DD4), B. licheniformis (0G4) and B. polymyxa (OG7) isolated from “Ugba”. “Dawadawa” and “Ogiri”, respectively. All the 22 Bacillus species isolated produced L- glutamic acid with B. subtilis (UGI) from “Ugba” recording the highest (8.5 mg/ml), while B. licheniformis (OG4) from “Ogiri” had the lowest value (5.0 mg/ml). L-Glutamic acid produced by B. subtilis (UGI) from “Ugba” (8.5 mg/ml) compared favourably with that produced by the reference strain C. glutamicum ATCC 13032, (10.2 mg/ml). All the isolates were able to utilize a range of carbon sources with glucose been the best, giving a yield of 8.4 mg/ml, while galactitol was least utilized. Ammonium nitrate was the best nitrogen source (6.5 mg/ml), while asparagine was least utilized (3.40 mg/ml) by the test isolates.Key words: L-Glutamic acid, bacteria strains, fermented vegetable proteins, fermentation

Current status and future development of solvent-based carbon capture

Solvent-based carbon capture is the most commercially-ready technology for economically and sustainably reaching carbon emission reduction targets in the power sector. Globally, the technology has been deployed to deal with flue gases from large scale power plants and different carbon-intensive industries. The success of the technology is due to significant R&D activities on the process development and decades of industrial experience on acid gas removal processes from gaseous mixtures. In this paper, current status of PCC based on chemical absorption—commercial deployment and demonstration projects, analysis of different solvents and process configurations—is reviewed. Although some successes have been recorded in developing this technology, its commercialization has been generally slow as evidenced in the cancellation of high profile projects across the world. This is partly due to the huge cost burden of the technology and unpredictable government policies. Different research directions, namely new process development involving process intensification, new solvent development and a combination of both, are discussed in this paper as possible pathways for reducing the huge cost of the technology

Subliminal versus supraliminal stimuli activate neural responses in anterior cingulate cortex, fusiform gyrus and insula:a meta-analysis of fMRI studies

Background: Non-conscious neural activation may underlie various psychological functions in health and disorder. However, the neural substrates of non-conscious processing have not been entirely elucidated. Examining the differential effects of arousing stimuli that are consciously, versus unconsciously perceived will improve our knowledge of neural circuitry involved in non-conscious perception. Here we conduct preliminary analyses of neural activation in studies that have used both subliminal and supraliminal presentation of the same stimulus. Methods: We use Activation Likelihood Estimation (ALE) to examine functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI) studies that uniquely present the same stimuli subliminally and supraliminally to healthy participants during functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). We included a total of 193 foci from 9 studies representing subliminal stimulation and 315 foci from 10 studies representing supraliminal stimulation. Results: The anterior cingulate cortex is significantly activated during both subliminal and supraliminal stimulus presentation. Subliminal stimuli are linked to significantly increased activation in the right fusiform gyrus and right insula. Supraliminal stimuli show significantly increased activation in the left rostral anterior cingulate. Conclusions: Non-conscious processing of arousing stimuli may involve primary visual areas and may also recruit the insula, a brain area involved in eventual interoceptive awareness. The anterior cingulate is perhaps a key brain region for the integration of conscious and non-conscious processing. These preliminary data provide candidate brain regions for further study in to the neural correlates of conscious experience

The future of African nowcasting

Nowcasting (weather forecasting predictions from zero to several hours) has enormous value and potential in Africa, where populations and economic activity are highly vulnerable to rapidly changing weather conditions. Timely issuing of warnings, a few hours before an event, can enable the public and decision-makers to take action. Rainfall radar estimates are not widely available in Africa, nor likely to be in the coming years, and numerical weather prediction (NWP) currently has low skill over the African continent. Therefore, for the delivery of nowcasting in Africa, satellite products are the best practical option and needed urgently (Roberts et al., 2021). Fifteen minute (or faster) updates of MSG (Meteosat Second Generation) images and NWC-SAF (Nowcasting Satellite Applications Facility) products are crucial for nowcasting to warn users (e.g. fisherfolk on Lake Victoria, flooding in urban areas, etc.) on pending severe storms. The possibility to have such products every 10 minutes, as well as data from the forthcoming MTG (Meteosat Third Generation) lightning imager, would be highly beneficial to all African countries, saving lives and livelihoods where high population growth and the most extreme impacts of climate change combine