Effect of Traffic and Geometric Characteristics of Rural Two Lane Roads on Traffic Safety: a case study of Ilesha-Akure-Owo road, South-West, Nigeria

Road safety engineering involves identifying influencing factors causing traffic crashes through accident data, carrying out detailed accident studies at different locations and implementing relevant remedial measures. This study was carried out to establish relationship between traffic accident characteristics (frequency and severity) and traffic and road design characteristics on a two-lane highway. Statistical models applied in traffic accident modeling are Poisson regression, Negative Binomial regression (NB), and Zero-Inflated Negative Binomial regression (ZINB).; Traffic flow and road geometry related variables were the independent variables of the models. Using Ilesha-Akure-Owo highway, South-West, Nigeria accident prediction models were developed on the basis of accident data obtained from Federal Road Safety Commission (FRSC) during a 4-year monitoring period extending between 2012 and 2015. Curve radius (CR), lane width (LW), shoulder factor (SF), access road (CHAR), average annual daily traffic (AADT), parentage heavy good vehicle (HGV) and traffic sign posted (TSP) were the identified effective factors on crash occurrence probability. Finally, a comparison of the three models developed proved the efficiency of ZINB models against traditional Poisson and NB models. Keywords— Traffic accidents. Single carriageway, accident prediction model, road geometric characteristics

Evaluation of Cement and Bitumen Emulsion on Strength Characteristics of Native South African Granular Soil as Base Course Material

Pavement rehabilitation where the material in the existing pavement is recycled in-situ with bitumen will sustain the environment with conservation of natural aggregates, reduction in noise, dust emission and traffic disruption. This study investigate the effects of a native South African granular material stabilized with cement and bitumen emulsion as a base layer in pavement construction. The material stabilized with cement-bitumen emulsion (2-3%) was subjected to Unconfined Compressive Strength (UCS) and Indirect Tensile Strength (ITS) tests for 1, 4, 7 and 28 days curing. The UCS and ITS requirement was evaluated with respect to a base layer for design traffic application of less than six million equivalent single axles. The results of UCS and ITS tests for the stabilized material showed improved strength and have the potential for use as a base course material for the design traffic. The result revealed that 2.5% cement and bitumen emulsion meets the minimum strength characteristics for the base layer. Relative to 2% cement and 2% bitumen emulsion, ITS obtained for 4 and 7 days of curing increased approximately by 24%, 41% and 24%, 53% respectively. Models for UCS in terms of ITS was developed for cement and bitumen emulsion which will make one test among the two sufficient to indicate the strength of cement and bitumen emulsion stabilized materials at the mix design level. Bitumen stabilization is a quick construction method, with lower cost than reconstruction and good for rehabilitation. Keywords— bitumen emulsion, cement, granular, indirect tensile strength unconfined compressive strength.

Effects of an eight-week lumbar stabilization exercise programme on selected variables of patients with chronic low back pain:

Lumbar stabilisation exercise has been shown to reduce pain and disability in patients with low back pain but information on its potential benefits in term of back muscle endurance is scarce. This study was aimed at investigating the effects of augmenting conventional physiotherapy with lumbar stabilization exercises on selected variables of patients with non-specific chronic low back pain (NSCLBP)

Inhibitor clinical burden of disease: a comparative analysis of the CHESS data.

From Europe PMC via Jisc Publications Router.Publication status: PublishedBACKGROUND:Patients with hemophilia and inhibitors generally face greater disease burden compared to patients without inhibitors. While raising awareness of relative burden may improve the standard of care for patients with inhibitors, comparative data are sparse. Analyzing data drawn from the Cost of Haemophilia across Europe - a Socioeconomic Survey (CHESS) study, the aim of this study was to compare the clinical burden of disease in patients with severe hemophilia with and without inhibitors. Hemophilia specialists (N = 139) across five European countries completed an online survey between January-April 2015, providing demographic, clinical and 12-month ambulatory/secondary care activity data for 1285 patients. Patients with hemophilia who currently presented with inhibitors and those who never had inhibitors were matched on baseline characteristics via propensity score matching. Outcomes were compared between the two cohorts using a paired t-test or Wilcoxon signed-rank or McNemar's test. RESULTS:The proportion of patients who currently presented with inhibitors was 4.5% (58/1285). Compared to PS-matched patients without inhibitors, patients with inhibitors experienced more than twice the mean annual number of bleeds (mean ± standard deviation, 8.29 ± 9.18 vs 3.72 ± 3.95; p < .0001) and joint bleeds (2.17 ± 1.90 vs 0.98 ± 1.15; p < .0001), and required more hemophilia-related (mean ± standard deviation, 1.79 ± 1.83 vs 0.64 ± 1.13) and bleed-related hospitalizations (1.86 ± 1.88 vs 0.81 ± 1.26), hemophilia-related consultations (9.30 ± 4.99 vs 6.77 ± 4.47), and outpatient visits (22.09 ± 17.77 vs 11.48 ± 16.00) (all, p < .001). More than one-half (53.5%) experienced moderate/severe pain necessitating medication compared to one-third (32.8%) of patients without inhibitors (p = .01). CONCLUSIONS:Patients with hemophilia and inhibitors exhibited greater clinical burden and higher resource utilization compared to their peers without inhibitors. Strategies for improving the standard of care may alleviate burden in this population

The State of Health Economic Evaluation Research in Nigeria: A Systematic Review

This study assessed the state of health economic evaluation (including pharmacoeconomic) research in Nigeria. A literature search was conducted to identify health economic articles pertaining to Nigeria. Two reviewers independently scored each article in the final sample using a data collection form designed for the study. A total of 44 studies investigating a wide variety of diseases were included in the review. These articles were published in 34 different journals, mostly based outside of Nigeria, between 1988 and 2009. On average, each article was written by four authors. Most first authors had medical/clinical affiliations and resided in Nigeria at the time of publication of the study. Based on a 1 to 10 scale, with 10 indicating the highest quality, the mean quality score for all studies was 7.29 (SD 1.21) and 59% of the articles were of fair quality (score 5-7); 5% were of even lower quality. The quality of articles was statistically significantly (p ≤ 0.05) related to the country of residence of the primary author (non-Nigeria - higher), country of the journal (non-Nigeria - higher), primary objective of the study (economic analysis - higher) and type of economic analysis conducted (economic evaluations higher than cost studies). The conduct of health economic (including pharmacoeconomic) research in Nigeria was limited and about two-thirds of published articles were of sub-optimal quality. More and better quality health economic research in Nigeria is warranted.health-economics, pharmacoeconomics

Ureteric Injuries Arising from Obstetric and Gynaecological Operations at the University College Hospital Ibadan: a 20-year Review

Context: Iatrogenic ureteric injuries occur as a result of inadvertent ligation, transection or crushing of the ureters. A clinical condition with potential significant morbidity and mortality such as this should be a subject of regular reviews. Objective: The objective of the study is to determine the aetiology, the types and the various mode of management of ureteric associated with obstetric and gynaecological surgeries within the study period. Methods: This is a descriptive study of 20 years duration from January 1981 to December 2000, carried out at the University College Hospital, Ibadan Nigeria. The clinical and operative records of all patients who had ureteric injuries during the period under review were retrospectively analysed. Results: The incidence of ureteric injuries during the period of review was 0.4%. The mean age of the patients was 39.4 years and the injury occurs mostly in grand-multiparous women. The commonest surgical procedure leading to ureteric injuries in this study was total abdominal hysterectomy, whereby ligation of the ureter was the commonest mode of injury. Conclusion: The incidence of ureteric injury during the study period is fewer than in that of previous review. This is probably so because less radical pelvic surgeries are performed now than during the period covered by the previous review which was about three decades ago. Also improved surgical skill among gynaecologists coupled with better obstetric care might have contributed to the fever number of ureters that were injured. Key Words: Ureter, Iatrogenic, Injury, Fistula, Urinary Bladder. [Trop J Obstet Gynaecol, 2003, 20: 32-36

The use of ultrasound guided transvaginal probe on the anterior abdominal wall for follicular aspiration in a patient with inaccessible ovaries by transvaginal ultrasound

Objective: To evaluate the effectiveness of ultrasound guided tranvaginal probe placed on the anterior abdominal wall for oocyte retrieval in a patient whose ovaries were not visible trans-vaginally.Design: A case reportSetting: Medical ART Center, Nigeria- Private IVF clinic with an academic settingPatient(s): A 35 yr old woman undergoing IVF treatment with ovaries difficult to visualize trans-vaginally having ovarian stimulation pressure effect.Intervention(s): Ultrasound guided oocyte aspiration through the abdominal wall using the trans-vaginal probe.Main Outcome Measure: Number of oocytes retrieved.Results: 9 oocytes were successfully aspirated using the ultrasound scan guided probe placed over the anterior abdominal wall.Conclusion: Successful oocyte retrieval can be achieved via the abdominal puncture with the aid of a trans-vaginal ultrasound probe placed on the abdominal wall