AN ARCHITECTURE-BASED TECHNIQUE TO MOBILE CONTACT RECOMMENDATION FOR EMERGENCY SITUATION IN NIGERIA

Smart technologies such as smart phones, iPad and Tablets are ubiquitous in today’s society. They possess increasing computing and storage potentials. Thus, emerging as a dominant computing platform for different kinds of end-users. However, these technological possibilities have not been fully explored for emergency situations where close relatives must be contacted. This paper therefore presents an Emergency Contact Recommendation Model (ECRM) that was implemented into an emergency contact recommendation system. An architectural based approach was employed to highlight the contribution this paper made to extant knowledge. The leveraged of the Dust miner algorithmic technique, the direct discriminative pattern mining, and the Bayesian Inference Network technique were used to formulate the ECRM. The ECRM was implemented using the Java development and android tool kit. The model demonstrated commendable capabilities - considering the foregoing techniques when compared with what obtains in literature- to make useful recommendation in emergency situation(s) after implementation.   http://dx.doi.org/10.4314/njt.v36i12

Acute osteomyelitis as cause of late sepsis in a Nigerian neonate

Neonatal osteomyelitis (NO) is said to be rare and uncommonly reported in the sub‑region. Although this may be true, either because the cases are under‑diagnosed, unreported or under‑reported. The diagnosis is clinical and supported with blood culture or the aspiration of pus with radiological findings. We report a case of a neonate with acute osteomyelitis of the right femur, diagnosed at 10th day of life, which was confirmed with blood culture and radiogram findings of the right upper thigh of the baby. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first documented reported case of NO from the south‑eastern Nigeria. It is imperative to recognize the clinical presentation necessary to raise the suspicion of NO and other focal infection in the newborn. With thorough examination and selected investigation the focus of infection in the neonate can be detected.Keywords: Neonatal, Nigeria, Osteomyelitis, Septicemi

Between life and death: exploring the sociocultural context of antenatal mental distress in rural Ethiopia

The high prevalence of antenatal common mental disorders in sub-Saharan Africa compared to high-income countries is poorly understood. This qualitative study explored the sociocultural context of antenatal mental distress in a rural Ethiopian community. Five focus group discussions and 25 in-depth interviews were conducted with purposively sampled community stakeholders. Inductive analysis was used to develop final themes. Worry about forthcoming delivery and fears for the woman’s survival were prominent concerns of all participants, but only rarely perceived to be pathological in intensity. Sociocultural practices such as continuing physical labour, dietary restriction, prayer and rituals to protect against supernatural attack were geared towards safe delivery and managing vulnerability. Despite strong cultural norms to celebrate pregnancy, participants emphasised that many pregnancies were unwanted and an additional burden on top of pre-existing economic and marital difficulties. Short birth interval and pregnancy out of wedlock were both seen as shameful and potent sources of mental distress. The notion that pregnancy in traditional societies is uniformly a time of joy and happiness is misplaced. Although antenatal mental distress may be self-limiting for many women, in those with enduring life difficulties, including poverty and abusive relationships, poor maternal mental health may persist

Pediatric Bacterial Meningitis Surveillance in Nigeria From 2010 to 2016, Prior to and During the Phased Introduction of the 10-Valent Pneumococcal Conjugate Vaccine

Background: Historically, Nigeria has experienced large bacterial meningitis outbreaks with high mortality in children. Streptococcus pneumoniae (pneumococcus), Neisseria meningitidis (meningococcus), and Haemophilus influenzae are major causes of this invasive disease. In collaboration with the World Health Organization, we conducted longitudinal surveillance in sentinel hospitals within Nigeria to establish the burden of pediatric bacterial meningitis (PBM). Methods: From 2010 to 2016, cerebrospinal fluid was collected from children <5 years of age, admitted to 5 sentinel hospitals in 5 Nigerian states. Microbiological and latex agglutination techniques were performed to detect the presence of pneumococcus, meningococcus, and H. influenzae. Species-specific polymerase chain reaction and serotyping/grouping were conducted to determine specific causative agents of PBM. Results: A total of 5134 children with suspected meningitis were enrolled at the participating hospitals; of these 153 (2.9%) were confirmed PBM cases. The mortality rate for those infected was 15.0% (23/153). The dominant pathogen was pneumococcus (46.4%: 71/153) followed by meningococcus (34.6%: 53/153) and H. influenzae (19.0%: 29/153). Nearly half the pneumococcal meningitis cases successfully serotyped (46.4%: 13/28) were caused by serotypes that are included in the 10-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine. The most prevalent meningococcal and H. influenzae strains were serogroup W and serotype b, respectively. Conclusions: Vaccine-type bacterial meningitis continues to be common among children <5 years in Nigeria. Challenges with vaccine introduction and coverage may explain some of these finding. Continued surveillance is needed to determine the distribution of serotypes/groups of meningeal pathogens across Nigeria and help inform and sustain vaccination policies in the countr

Selective AKR1C3 inhibitors do not recapitulate the anti-leukaemic activities of the pan-AKR1C inhibitor medroxyprogesterone acetate

Background: We and others have identified the aldo-keto reductase AKR1C3 as a potential drug target in prostate cancer, breast cancer and leukaemia. As a consequence, significant effort is being invested in the development of AKR1C3-selective inhibitors. Methods: We report the screening of an in-house drug library to identify known drugs that selectively inhibit AKR1C3 over the closely related isoforms AKR1C1, 1C2 and 1C4. This screen initially identified tetracycline as a potential AKR1C3-selective inhibitor. However, mass spectrometry and nuclear magnetic resonance studies identified that the active agent was a novel breakdown product (4-methyl(de-dimethylamine)-tetracycline (4-MDDT)). Results: We demonstrate that, although 4-MDDT enters AML cells and inhibits their AKR1C3 activity, it does not recapitulate the anti-leukaemic actions of the pan-AKR1C inhibitor medroxyprogesterone acetate (MPA). Screens of the NCI diversity set and an independently curated small-molecule library identified several additional AKR1C3-selective inhibitors, none of which had the expected anti-leukaemic activity. However, a pan AKR1C, also identified in the NCI diversity set faithfully recapitulated the actions of MPA. Conclusions: In summary, we have identified a novel tetracycline-derived product that provides an excellent lead structure with proven drug-like qualities for the development of AKR1C3 inhibitors. However, our findings suggest that, at least in leukaemia, selective inhibition of AKR1C3 is insufficient to elicit an anticancer effect and that multiple AKR1C inhibition may be required

Surfactant protein-D and pulmonary host defense

Surfactant protein-D (SP-D) participates in the innate response to inhaled microorganisms and organic antigens, and contributes to immune and inflammatory regulation within the lung. SP-D is synthesized and secreted by alveolar and bronchiolar epithelial cells, but is also expressed by epithelial cells lining various exocrine ducts and the mucosa of the gastrointestinal and genitourinary tracts. SP-D, a collagenous calcium-dependent lectin (or collectin), binds to surface glycoconjugates expressed by a wide variety of microorganisms, and to oligosaccharides associated with the surface of various complex organic antigens. SP-D also specifically interacts with glycoconjugates and other molecules expressed on the surface of macrophages, neutrophils, and lymphocytes. In addition, SP-D binds to specific surfactant-associated lipids and can influence the organization of lipid mixtures containing phosphatidylinositol in vitro. Consistent with these diverse in vitro activities is the observation that SP-D-deficient transgenic mice show abnormal accumulations of surfactant lipids, and respond abnormally to challenge with respiratory viruses and bacterial lipopolysaccharides. The phenotype of macrophages isolated from the lungs of SP-D-deficient mice is altered, and there is circumstantial evidence that abnormal oxidant metabolism and/or increased metalloproteinase expression contributes to the development of emphysema. The expression of SP-D is increased in response to many forms of lung injury, and deficient accumulation of appropriately oligomerized SP-D might contribute to the pathogenesis of a variety of human lung diseases

The Hypoglycaemia Effect of Telfaria occidentalis Aqueous Leaf Extract in Rats

The effects of the aqueous extract of the leaves of Telfaria occidentalis (TO) on blood glucose was determined in normal control as well as streptozotocin-treated hypoglycaemic wistar rats. Blood glucose levels were determined using the Merck urinary glucose stick test and the Sigma o-toluidine glucose test. TO produced a gradual but significant reduction in blood glucose in streptozotocin treated hyperglycaemic rats over a period of eight days compared to the normoglycaemic or chlorpropamide treated controls. It is concluded that the leaves of the plant may have a beneficial effect in diabetes mellitus. Key words: Telfaria occidentalis, hypoglycaemic effect, rats. Résumé Les éffets des extrat acqueses des feuilles de Telfaria (TO) sur le taux sanguing de glucose des souris male Wistar de controles et des streptozotocin hyperglycemique-indiute ont été examinés. Les taux de glucose sanguing ont été dérterminé utilisant. Merck urinary glucose stick et le Sigma o-toluidine glucose test. TO a produit une reduction graduelle mais significante du taux sanging de glucose comparé aux souris de controles ou sous Chlopropamide pendans une periode de huit jours. Il est conclue que TO qui est un légume commun au Nigeria peut avoir un éffet benefique chez les diabétique. Mot clés : Telfaria occidentalis, hypoglycemie, souris West African Jnl of Pharmacology and Drug Research Vol.18 2002: 14-1