An Overview of the Potential Impacts of Climate Change on Groundwater Resources

Climate change has been consistently observed over the past decades to be associated with changes and/or modifications of components of the hydrological systems. Observational records and global and regional climate projections indicate that both surface-water and groundwater resources are vulnerable to climate change and variability. Thus, understanding the impacts of climate change and variability on groundwater systems is integral to better planning and efficient management of groundwater resources. However, assessing and predicting the effects of climate change on groundwater systems is relatively difficult due to the uncertainties associated with the spatial and temporal prediction of future climates. This review provides an overview of the key components of groundwater hydrology in relation to climate change. The effects of changes in climate on groundwater in soil, deep vadose and saturated zones are assessed. The responses of groundwater recharge, discharge, quality and changes in storage to climate change are assessed on inter-annual to multi-decadal or longer geologic time scale

Reproductive activities of female albino rats treated with quassin, a bioactive triterpenoid from stem bark extract of Quassia amara

To evaluate the effect of quassin on female reproductive functions, 42 albino rats (35 females and 7 males) were used. The female albino rats were divided into seven groups of five rats each. Group I served as the control group and received distilled water while Groups II, III and IV rats were treatedorally with 0.1mg/kg, 1.0 mg/kg and 2.0 mg/kg body weight of quassin for 60 days respectively. Groups V, VI and VII rats were also treated orally with 0.1 mg/kg, 1.0mg/kg and 2.0 mg/kg body weight of quassin for 60 days but were left untreated for another 30 days, to serve as the recovery groups. At the end of each experimental period, blood samples were collected from each rat. Fertility study was done by cohabiting one untreated male with the five female rats in each group for 10 days. Quassin did not adversely affect the weight of the kidney, heart, liver and the body of the rats. However there was a significant decrease(P < 0.05) in the weight of the ovary and uterus in all the groups relative to the control. There was also a significant decrease (P <0.05) in serum estrogen levels in quassin treated rats. The quassin treated rats had a significantly decreased (P < 0.05) mean litter number and weight. Histological studies show a disorganization and degeneration in the ovary while the uterus showed signs of vacuolation and disorganization. However, these effects were ameliorated after quassin was withdrawn from the rats. The results suggest that quassin has female anti-fertility properties, possibly acting via inhibition of estrogen secretion.Keywords: Quassin, Female rat, Reproduction, EstrogenNig. J. Physiol. Sci. 25(December 2010) 95 – 10

Case Report: Unilateral post-tuberculosis lung destruction and massive haemoptysis in pregnancy with successful outcome

Post-tuberculosis destroyed lung is a fatal complication of pulmonary tuberculosis which can manifest with severe life-threatening haemoptysis. Its occurrence during pregnancy is rare and challenging because of the significant risk to both the mother and the foetus. We present an unbooked 36 year old G6P4+1 (4 alive) woman who presented with chronic cough, massive haemoptysis and multiple pregnancy (twin) at 35 week gestation. She had completed anti-tuberculosis treatment twice at and over nine years prior to presentation. On evaluation, there were clinical and radiological evidences of unilateral (right) destroyed lung but no evidence of active tuberculosis; resuscitation was with antibiotics, blood transfusion and oxygen therapy followed by an emergency caesarean delivery due to significant maternal compromise. The  symptoms resolved following antibiotic therapy and she was subsequently discharged home. Post-tuberculosis destroyed lung is a fatal uncommon condition that may present during pregnancy and requires a multi-disciplinary specialist care to ensure good maternal and foetal outcome. Keywords: Unilateral post-tuberculosis lung destruction; Massive haemoptysis; Twin pregnanc

Factors influencing business intelligence and analytics usage extent in South African organisations

Through extensive use of business intelligence and analytics, organisations are better positioned to support fact-based decision making, ultimately leading to improved organisational performance. However, while some organisations recognise and exploit the benefits of business intelligence and analytics use, others fail to capitalise on its potential. It is pertinent therefore to examine factors influencing Business Intelligence and Analytics use within organisations. The three contexts of the Technology-Organisation-Environment (TOE) framework was used as the foundational framework. It is hoped that the findings presented will contribute to a greater understanding of factors influencing business intelligence and analytics usage extent to researchers and practitioners alike. Organisations seeking to promote fact-based decision making through greater business intelligence and analytics use will apply and be better equipped to drive such endeavours

Plasma Malondialdehyde (MDA): an indication of liver damage in women with pre-eclamsia

Background: One of the features associated with pre-eclampsia is elevated liver transaminases. The reason this happens has not been fully described. However, the hepatocytes are not known to be spared by free radical injury. This study was conducted to examine the relationship between product of free radical injury (malondialdehyde) and transaminases in pre-eclamptic women.Patients and methods: A total of 98 and 115 pre-eclamptic and apparently normal pregnant women were selected from the booking clinic of Ladoke Akintola University of Technology Teaching Hospital, Osogbo. Non-pregnant women were selected from volunteered members of staff. Malondialdehyde (MDA), aspartate transaminase (AST) and alanine transaminase (ALT) analyses were determined on collected venous blood sample. Statistical analyses of variables were done using SPSS 17 taking level of significance to be p<0.05.Results: Subjects with plasma AST between 10 and 20U/L had mean plasma MDA of 0.92μmol/l whereas those with plasma levels greater than 41U/L had mean plasma MDA of 4.72μmol/l. Similarly, Subjects with plasma ALT between 10 and 20U/L had mean plasma MDA of 0.86μmol/l, and subjects with plasma ALT greater than 51 U/L had mean plasma MDA of 4.71μmol/l. Positive correlation was observed between AST and ALT(r=0.79;p=0.047), between AST and MDA(r=0.690; p=0.061) as well as between ALT and MDA(r=0.571;p=0.049).Conclusion: The elevated liver enzymes seen in women with pre-eclampsia may be due to free radical injury to the liver. Pre-eclamptic women without free radical injury did not have elevated transaminasesKeywords: Pre-eclempsia, free radical, malondialdehyde, alanine and aspartate aminotransaminase

Pre-and-post-operative aversion among men whose partners had caesarean delivery in a patriarchal setting.

Objectives: The study evaluated pre and post-operative perception and aversion to caesarean delivery (CD) among men whose partners underwent the procedure.Design: A multicentre cross-sectional study.Setting: Two tertiary and two secondary health facilities.Participants: Men whose partners underwent CD at the study sites.Methods: Participants were recruited by purposive sampling, data collection was through interaction via an interviewer-administered questionnaire first immediately the decision for CD was made and thereafter on the third postoperative day. Men whose partners had vaginal delivery were excluded from the study and data management was with SPSS version 21.0 while p<0.05 was significant.Results: Awareness about CD was 84.0% mainly through the healthcare workers (42.1%) and the female partner (34.1%); 88.0% of participants recommended CD for medically-indicated reasons. The greatest influence on consent was the male partner (48.8%). The major pre-operative concerns were limitation of family size (34.7%) and fear of repeat CD (34.0%). Pre-operative perceptions of CD included being expensive (60.7%), fear of the procedure (48.0%), fear of complications (45.3%) and longer hospital stay (44.0%). Aversion to CD was 30.0% pre and 5.3% post-operation; predictors of aversion were history of previous surgery among male or female partner and awareness about CD. However, there were reductions in negative perception and aversion post-operation.Conclusion: The high negative perception and aversion to CD among male partners were reduced post-operation. Healthcare workers should address the concerns and negative perceptions about CD and prioritize patient-friendly experiences during surgical operations

Determinants of the decision-to-delivery interval and the effect on perinatal outcome after emergency caesarean delivery: a cross-sectional study

BackgroundPreventing prolongation of the decision-to-delivery interval (DDI) for emergency caesarean delivery (CD) remains central to improving perinatal health. This study evaluated the effects of the DDI on perinatal outcome following emergency CD. MethodsA prospective cross-sectional study involving 205 consenting women who had emergency CD at a tertiary hospital in Nigeria was conducted. The time–motion documentation of events from decision to delivery was documented; the outcome measures were perinatal morbidity (neonatal resuscitation, 5-minute Apgar score, neonatal intensive admission) and mortality. Data analysis was performed with IBM SPSS Statistics version 20.0, and P<0.05 was considered significant.ResultsThe overall mean DDI was 233.99±132.61 minutes (range 44–725 minutes); the mean DDI was shortest for cord prolapse (86.25±86.25 minutes) and was shorter for booked participants compared with unbooked participants (207.19±13.88 minutes vs 249.25±12.05 minutes; P=0.030) and for general anaesthesia compared with spinal anaesthesia (219.48±128.60 minutes vs 236.19±133.42 minutes; P=0.543). All neonatal parameters were significantly worse for unbooked women compared with booked women, including perinatal mortality (10.8% vs 1.3%; P=0.012). Neonatal morbidity increased with DDI for clinical indications, UK National Institute of Health and Care Excellence (NICE) and Robson classification for CDs; perinatal mortality was 73.2 per 1000 live births, all were category 1 CDs and all except one occurred with DDI greater than 90 minutes. Severe preeclampsia/eclampsia, obstructed labour and placenta praevia tolerated DDI greater than 90 minutes compared with abruptio placentae and umbilical cord prolapse. However, logistic regression showed no statistical correlation between the DDI and neonatal outcomes. ConclusionPerinatal morbidity and mortality increased with DDI relative to the clinical urgency but perinatal deaths were increased with DDI greater than 90 minutes. For no category of emergency CD should the DDI exceed 90 minutes, while patient and institutional factors should be addressed to reduce the DDI

Integration of genetics into a systems model of electrocardiographic traits using humanCVD BeadChip

<p>Background—Electrocardiographic traits are important, substantially heritable determinants of risk of arrhythmias and sudden cardiac death.</p> <p>Methods and Results—In this study, 3 population-based cohorts (n=10 526) genotyped with the Illumina HumanCVD Beadchip and 4 quantitative electrocardiographic traits (PR interval, QRS axis, QRS duration, and QTc interval) were evaluated for single-nucleotide polymorphism associations. Six gene regions contained single nucleotide polymorphisms associated with these traits at P<10−6, including SCN5A (PR interval and QRS duration), CAV1-CAV2 locus (PR interval), CDKN1A (QRS duration), NOS1AP, KCNH2, and KCNQ1 (QTc interval). Expression quantitative trait loci analyses of top associated single-nucleotide polymorphisms were undertaken in human heart and aortic tissues. NOS1AP, SCN5A, IGFBP3, CYP2C9, and CAV1 showed evidence of differential allelic expression. We modeled the effects of ion channel activity on electrocardiographic parameters, estimating the change in gene expression that would account for our observed associations, thus relating epidemiological observations and expression quantitative trait loci data to a systems model of the ECG.</p> <p>Conclusions—These association results replicate and refine the mapping of previous genome-wide association study findings for electrocardiographic traits, while the expression analysis and modeling approaches offer supporting evidence for a functional role of some of these loci in cardiac excitation/conduction.</p&gt

Performance of growing West African dwarf (wad) goats fed rice bran replacement for cassava peel in pelleted diets

The selective picking of some non-conventional feedstuffs by goat during feeding called for pelleting technique to improve intake and performance. Sixteen growing (WAD) goats in complete randomized design were used to evaluate the replacement of cassava peel with rice bran in pelleted diets. The replacement of cassava peel by rice bran in the diets 1 to 4 are 0%, 15%, 25% and 35% respectively. The intake of rice bran increased (p0.05) but total weight gain increased (p>0.05) as indicated by the weight value range of 0.33 to 1.17kg obtained. The feed conversion ratio increased (p>0.05) alongside pelleted diets. Animals on Diet 4 showed highest; feed conversion efficiency (12.98%) and PCV value (31.67%). The blood evaluation showed red blood cell (RBC) and haemoglobin (HB) having same trend for all groups, comparability (p>0.05) values for white blood cell (WBC) values and serum biochemistry responses respectively. Therefore, pelleting of rice bran with cassava peels improved its consumption, utilization and the performance of growing goats at 35% replacemen