Serum homocysteine level in hormonal contraceptive users in Kano Metropolis

Background: Homocysteine is a sulfur containing amino acid that is normally present in all cells of the body. The homocysteine level is linked to folate and Vitamin B-12 levels. Aim: The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of hormonal contraceptives (HCPs) on homocysteine levels among healthy women using the HCPs. Method: A total of 90 participants were recruited in this study; 60 women on hormonal contraceptives served as the case group and 30 non-HCP users were considered as control. Blood samples were collected, and serum was analyzed for homocysteine levels in both groups. The mean ± standard deviation of the homocysteine levels were then determined and compared using student t-test. Results: The mean ± standard deviation of Serum Homocysteine in the case group, (14.14 ± 7.56μmol/L, was found to be significantly higher than the mean ± standard deviation of the control group which was 9.59 ± 5.87μmol/L (p-value of 0.005). The study also found statistically significant positive correlation (r<1) between duration of hormonal contraceptives use and serum homocysteine levels of HCPs users with r-value of 0.058. Conclusion: This study observed significant relationship between HCPs and increased serum homocysteine. Significantly increased homocysteine levels were observed in HCPs users compared to non-users. There was also positive correlation between the duration of HCP usage and increased homocysteine levels. Keywords: Contraception; Folate; Homocystinuria; Oral contraceptive

Evaluation of serum Vitamin B12 levels in hormonal contraceptive users in some hospitals in Kano Metropolis

Aim: The aim of the study was to compare the levels of Vitamin B12in hormonal contraceptive users and women not on hormonal contraceptives in Kano. Methods: A total of 90 participants were recruited for the study; 60 were on hormonal contraceptive (HCP) users and served as the study subjects while 30 were apparently healthy non hormonal contraceptive users recruited as control subjects. Serum VitaminB12levels were evaluated for both groups and the mean levels were compared. Results: Among the 60 HCP users that were enrolled in this study, 29 use implants (48.3%), 14 (23.3%) used injectables;11 (18.3%) use oral pills and 6 (10.0%) participants used intrauterine contraceptive devices. Serum vitamin B12 levels of the two groups were determined using human B12 specific ELISA kit. The mean ± standard deviation of vitamin B12 levels in hormonal contraceptive users was 163.33±53.128 pg/ml while that of non-HCP users was 381.33±198.542 pg/ml. Statistical analysis for B12 levels indicated a statistically significant decrease in oral contraceptive users with a p-value of <0.001. The study also found statistically significant negative correlation (r<1) between duration of hormonal contraceptive use and serum vitamin B12 levels of HCPs users with r-value of -0.031 and p-value of 0.020. Conclusion: The present study observed a significant association between hormonal contraceptive use and serum vitamin B12 level. Significantly lower serum vitamin B12 concentrations were observed in HCP users. Therefore, Vitamin B12 supplementation or different contraceptive methods should be considered in women with pre-existing B12deficiency or restrictive dietary habits as the deficiency may be worsened by hormonal contraceptive use. Keywords: Contraception; Combined oral contraceptives; Vitamin B12; Vitamin B12 deficienc

Lessons learnt during the national introduction of human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination programmes in 6 African countries: Stakeholders’ perspectives

Background. Infection with human papillomavirus (HPV) significantly increases the risk of developing cervical cancer later in life. Therefore, globally, HPV vaccines targeted to pre-adolescent and adolescent girls have been on the rise since the licensure in 2006. However, the introduction of HPV vaccines has been relatively slow in Africa. At the end of 2016, only 8 of the 54 countries in Africa were reported to have introduced HPV vaccination at a national level. By 2019, the number of countries had grown marginally to 11.Objectives. To investigate stakeholders’ perspectives on the experiences, challenges and lessons learnt during national HPV vaccine introduction in Africa.Methods. A questionnaire was administered to selected participants from 8 African countries. These countries had successfully introduced HPV vaccination at a national level by the end of 2016. We used in-depth interviews and self-administered online questionnaires for data collection and analysis. Data are presented without naming the country or participants; therefore, readers will not be able to identify the results that are specific to individual countries. Narrative and thematic reporting were used to describe the results.Results. We obtained results from 6 of the 8 targeted countries. The challenges reported during HPV vaccination programmes were: identifying the target population, using a school-based vaccine-delivery strategy, obtaining political support, the need to integrate HPV vaccination with existing school health programmes and engaging multiple stakeholders. These challenges were similar in all 6 countries. The lessons learnt were that a school-based delivery strategy is a successful approach for national HPV vaccination, and that identifying girls for vaccination at schools was less challenging if implemented through a class-based instead of an age-based approach.Conclusions. Most African countries do not have established platforms to deliver vaccines to pre-adolescent and adolescent populations. The successful introduction of the HPV vaccine through school-based vaccination strategies in African countries may have created a platform to deliver other adolescent vaccines. The similarity of the study findings across the 6 participating countries further strengthens the need to document and disseminate the challenges and lessons learnt during HPV vaccine introduction in Africa. Documentation and dissemination of the challenges and lessons learnt are useful to other countries in Africa that plan to introduce an HPV vaccination programme, and possibly other adolescent vaccines.

Robust Input Shaping for Sway Control of an Overhead 3D Crane

This paper presents a robust input shaping control of an overhead 3D crane. Control of a crane in the presence of wind disturbance during payload hoisting is extremely challenging, as hoisting with wind disturbance causes high unwanted payload sway, which makes payload positioning difficult to achieve. Two robust input shaping techniques are presented, the zero vibration derivative-derivative (ZVDD) and extra insensitive (EI) shapers. Simulations using a nonlinear 3D overhead crane model were performed and the performances of the two robust input shapers are compared. In these investigations a wind disturbance force of magnitude 0.3 N is considered for the robustness test, in addition different payload mass were tested. It is predicted that the method can be very useful in reducing the complexity of closed-loop controllers for both tracking and sway control

A Framework for Enhancing Contractor-Subcontractor Relationships in Construction Projects in Nigeria

The delivery capability of main contractors depends largely on the quality of their subcontractors and the harmonious relationships that exist between them. Research work was therefore conducted to identify the mechanisms to facilitate the understanding between these pairs and also develop a model that puts emphasis on the factors. To achieve this aim, one hundred questionnaires each were administered randomly to main contractors and labor-only subcontractors in the study area. Seventy-five and eighty-eight questionnaires were respectively filled and returned in this regard. The application of total weight value and rating index techniques shows that type of contract, scope of contract, payment terms, cooperative attitudes, third-party involvement are the main factors that influence this relationship and this was further validated by a model. The paper concludes that this methodology could culminate into a useful decision making tool for both main contractors and subcontractors during the development and execution stages of construction projects in the study area

Pneumococcal carriage in sub-Saharan Africa--a systematic review.

BACKGROUND: Pneumococcal epidemiology varies geographically and few data are available from the African continent. We assess pneumococcal carriage from studies conducted in sub-Saharan Africa (sSA) before and after the pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV) era. METHODS: A search for pneumococcal carriage studies published before 2012 was conducted to describe carriage in sSA. The review also describes pneumococcal serotypes and assesses the impact of vaccination on carriage in this region. RESULTS: Fifty-seven studies were included in this review with the majority (40.3%) from South Africa. There was considerable variability in the prevalence of carriage between studies (I-squared statistic = 99%). Carriage was higher in children and decreased with increasing age, 63.2% (95% CI: 55.6-70.8) in children less than 5 years, 42.6% (95% CI: 29.9-55.4) in children 5-15 years and 28.0% (95% CI: 19.0-37.0) in adults older than 15 years. There was no difference in the prevalence of carriage between males and females in 9/11 studies. Serotypes 19F, 6B, 6A, 14 and 23F were the five most common isolates. A meta-analysis of four randomized trials of PCV vaccination in children aged 9-24 months showed that carriage of vaccine type (VT) serotypes decreased with PCV vaccination; however, overall carriage remained the same because of a concomitant increase in non-vaccine type (NVT) serotypes. CONCLUSION: Pneumococcal carriage is generally high in the African continent, particularly in young children. The five most common serotypes in sSA are among the top seven serotypes that cause invasive pneumococcal disease in children globally. These serotypes are covered by the two PCVs recommended for routine childhood immunization by the WHO. The distribution of serotypes found in the nasopharynx is altered by PCV vaccination

Influence of the Alternative Sigma Factor RpoN on Global Gene Expression and Carbon Catabolism in Enterococcus faecalis V583

The alternative sigma factor σ54 has been shown to regulate the expression of a wide array of virulence-associated genes, as well as central metabolism, in bacterial pathogens. In Gram-positive organisms, the σ54 is commonly associated with carbon metabolism. In this study, we show that the Enterococcus faecalis alternative sigma factor σ54 (RpoN) and its cognate enhancer binding protein MptR are essential for mannose utilization and are primary contributors to glucose uptake through the Mpt phosphotransferase system. To gain further insight into how RpoN contributes to global transcriptional changes, we performed microarray transcriptional analysis of strain V583 and an isogenic rpoN mutant grown in a chemically defined medium with glucose as the sole carbon source. Transcripts of 340 genes were differentially affected in the rpoN mutant; the predicted functions of these genes mainly related to nutrient acquisition. These differentially expressed genes included those with predicted catabolite-responsive element (cre) sites, consistent with loss of repression by the major carbon catabolite repressor CcpA. To determine if the inability to efficiently metabolize glucose/mannose affected infection outcome, we utilized two distinct infection models. We found that the rpoN mutant is significantly attenuated in both rabbit endocarditis and murine catheter-associated urinary tract infection (CAUTI). Here, we examined a ccpA mutant in the CAUTI model and showed that the absence of carbon catabolite control also significantly attenuates bacterial tissue burden in this model. Our data highlight the contribution of central carbon metabolism to growth of E. faecalis at various sites of infection

Fingerprint White Line Counts: An Upcoming Forensic Tool for Sex Determination

Abstract Fingerprints are one of the common forensic tools used in personal identification. However, the associated secondary epidermal creases of fingerprints, fingerprint white line count (FWLC), has received less attention within the forensic community. This study was conducted with an aim to determine the potential of FWLC in sex inference among adult Nigerians. A cross sectional study was carried out with 150 males and 150 females with age range of 18-30 and 18-33 years, respectively. Live scanner (Digita persona, China) was used to capture the plain fingerprint for FWLC. Mann Whitney, Kruskal Wallis and logistic regression analyses were employed for determination of digit variation (based on side and type), sexual dimorphism and prediction models, respectively. Likelihood ratio and posterior probability were used to determine the favour odd for sex inference from FWLC. A significant higher mean value of FWLC was observed in females (2.24 ± 2.03) compared to males (0.85 ± 1.29). Absence of white line was indicative of male origin in all the digits except for left index digit (favor odd of 0.72 for females and 0.29 for males). However, FWLC from 5 to 11 were more likely to be of female origin. The best discriminator of sex was the left FWLC with a percentage accuracy of discrimination of 72%. The percentage contribution of the left FWLC in the discrimination of the sexes was observed to range from 23.0 to 30.20%. The FWLC was found to be a potential predictor of sex among adult Nigerians of Hausa ethnic origin

Upper airways colonisation of Streptococcus pneumoniae in adults aged 60 years and older: A systematic review of prevalence and individual participant data meta-analysis of risk factors

Background: Colonisation with Streptococcus pneumoniae can lead to invasive pneumococcal disease and pneumonia. Pneumococcal acquisition and prevalence of colonisation are high in children. In older adults, a population susceptible to pneumococcal disease, colonisation prevalence is reported to be lower, but studies are heterogeneous. Methods: This is a systematic review and meta-analysis of prevalence of, and risk factors for, pneumococcal colonisation in adults ≥ 60 years of age (PROSPERO #42016036891). We identified peer-reviewed studies reporting the prevalence of S. pneumoniae colonisation using MEDLINE and EMBASE (until April 2016), excluding studies of acute disease. Participant-level data on risk factors were sought from each study. Findings: Of 2202 studies screened, 29 were analysable: 18 provided participant-level data (representing 6290 participants). Prevalence of detected pneumococcal colonisation was 0–39% by conventional culture methods and 3–23% by molecular methods. In a multivariate analysis, colonisation was higher in persons from nursing facilities compared with the community (odds ratio (OR) 2•30, 95% CI 1•26–4•21 and OR 7•72, 95% CI 1•15–51•85, respectively), in those who were currently smoking (OR 1•69, 95% CI 1•12–2•53) or those who had regular contact with children (OR 1•93, 95%CI 1•27–2•93). Persons living in urban areas had significantly lower carriage prevalence (OR 0•43, 95%CI 0•27–0•70). Interpretation: Overall prevalence of pneumococcal colonisation in older adults was higher than expected but varied by risk factors. Future studies should further explore risk factors for colonisation, to highlight targets for focussed intervention such as pneumococcal vaccination of high-risk groups. Funding: No funding was required