Comparing the effectiveness of two different dosage regimes of oral nifedipine in the treatment of preterm labour

Objective: To compare the effectiveness and side effect of two different dosage regimes of oral Nifedipine in the treatment of preterm labourMethods: A double blinded randomized controlled trial in which 86 pregnant women with preterm labour were randomized to receive either the low or high dose regimen of Nifedipine for tocolysis. Low dose of 10 mg of oral Nifedipine then 5mg every 15min for 1hr 10mg 6hly for 48hrs, while the high dose was 20 mg of oral Nifedipine followed by 10 mg every 15 minutes for 1hr then 20mg 6hourly for 48 hours. The primary outcome was defined by mean uterine quiescence time and fetomaternal side effect were compared between the groups.Results: The mean uterine quiescence time for the low dose and high dose regime were comparable 13.60±11.69 hours versus 12.16±8.90 hours (P = 0.747) respectively, there was no statistical significance difference. None of the patients in both groups needed rescue treatment. Forty patients (93%) versus 41 patients (95%) (P = 0.506) of low and high dose respectively where able to achieve uterine quiescence within 48hours, there was no statistical significant difference. Maternal headache was higher in the high dose compared to the low dose but not statistically significant {19% vs 5% (p = 0.08)} None of the women in both groups had fetal heart rate abnormality.Discussion: The high dose regimen of oral Nifedipine for tocolysis does not have any advantage over the low dose regime in terms of effectiveness for tocolysis and infact low dose had a lower maternal side effect. Key words: Nifedipine; preterm labour; treatment

Intrapartum prediction of birth weight using maternal anthropometric measurements and ultrasound scan

This prospective study was conducted at Federal Medical Centre, Owo, Nigeria, between April 1st and 31st of July, 2013 to predict birth weight in labour using four clinical methods and ultrasound scan independently and comparatively to determine which is closest to the actual birth weight. The four clinical methods are Ojwang's formula, Johnson's formula, 5% of maternal weight and 10% of maternal body mass index. A total of 100 women who fulfilled the inclusion criteria had their foetal weight estimated using the methods. Accuracy of the prediction was determined by mean weight difference, percentage error and proportion of estimates within 10% of actual birth weight.Tests of significant difference were done and the level of significance was set at 0.05.Correlation and regression analyses were carried out.Of the five methods used, ultrasound scan estimation had the highest correlation coefficient of 0.681(P<0.001) followed by Ojwang's rule with correlation coefficient of 0.675(P<0.001). The prediction using Johnson's method performed next to Ojwang's rule with correlation coefficient of 0.629(P<0.001).The methods using 5% maternal weight and 10% maternal BMI had correlation coefficients of 0.312(P<0.001) and 0.220(P<0.001) respectively. It was then concluded that there is positive significant correlation between the methods used and actual birth weight. The method using 10% maternal BMI is the least reliable while the ultrasound scan estimate was the most reliable. Ojwang's rule estimation performed next to ultrasound and should be considered first in settings where ultrasound machine or the expertise to use the machine is lacking.Keywords: Birth weight, Foetal weight, Ultrasonography, Pregnancy, Delivery, Prospective studie

Slum Settlements Regeneration in Lagos Mega-city: an Overview of a Waterfront Makoko Community

Urban degradation is caused principally by urbanization process, however, most of the environmental problems in Lagos suburbs result largely from its unplanned landuses, swampy nature of built areas and weak development control. Other critical problems that bother minds also include lack of open space, poor management of flood channels and substandard housing. This paper discuses the possible intervention strategies in the regeneration effort of Makoko - a submerged residential enclave located in Yaba local government area of Lagos. The research method which is both narrative and statistically descriptive in nature enables the author engage in a detailed literature study of the chronological development of Lagos with view to determining how the mega city came about the current level of degenerating infrastructural facilities. The study found that the principle of cooperative leadership by government at all levels is fundamental to making important difference in qualitative development controls of the study area. It however concluded that the duo role of the public and traditional power structure of the community leaders must be involved in the conception and implementation of Makoko’s environmental planning programmes

Development of a Thiol-capped Core/Shell Quantum Dot Sensor for Acetaminophen

Acetaminophen (AC) is a frequently used pharmaceutical which has been detected in water systems and is of concern due to its potential environmental impacts. In this study, three quantum dot (QD)-ligand systems, namely L-cysteine (L-cys)-, N-acetyl- L-cysteine (NAC)- and glutathione (GSH)-capped CdSe/ZnS quantum dots, were synthesized and tested for the fluorescence detection of acetaminophen. Among the synthesized aqueous core/shell quantum dots, L-cys-CdSe/ZnS QDs were found to be optimal with high sensitivity for the fluorescence detection of acetaminophen. The L-cys-CdSe/ZnS QDs were of a zinc blende crystal structure and displayed excellent fluorescence intensity and photostability and provided a photoluminescence quantum yield of 77 % . The fluorescence of L-cys-CdSe/ZnS QDs was enhanced by the introduction of AC enabling the development of a fast and simple method for the detection of AC. Under optimal conditions, F-F0 was linearly proportional to the concentration of AC from 3.0–100 nmol L–1 with limits of detection and quantification of 1.6 and 5.3 nmol L–1, respectively. Some related pharmaceutical compounds including epinephrine hydrochloride (EP), L-ascorbic acid (AA), uric acid (UA), dopamine hydrochloride (DA) and 4-aminophenol (4-AP) did not interfere with the sensing ofAC. The probe was also successfully applied in the determination of AC in tap and river water matrices.The University of Pretoria, the Water Research Commission (Grant K5/2438/1 and K5/2752) as well as the Photonics Initiative of South Africa (Grant PISA-15-DIR-06).http://www.journals.co.za/sajchemam2019Chemistr

Pathologic changes in patients infected with SARS-CoV-2: a review

Severe acute respiratory syndrome–coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) enters cells using the angiotensin converting enzyme 2 (ACE2), which are expressed by the respiratory tract endothelium, epithelial cells of the stomach, duodenum, ileum, rectum, cholangiocytes, and hepatocytes. Pathological examinations of these organs are not feasible method of diagnosis but can explain pathological changes, pathogenesis of the disease, and the cause of death in COVID-19 cases. In this review, we performed a literature search for COVID-19-related pathological changes seen during post-mortem examinations in different organs of the body including the lungs, gastrointestinal tract, liver, kidney, skin, heart and blood. Our findings showed that SARS-CoV-2 has damaging effects on many organs, probably due to the host immune responses to the presence of the virus. It is recommended that both antiviral and immunomodulatory agents should be considered in the management of COVID-19 patients for better prognosis, and clinical outcome.   French title: Changements pathologiques chez les patients infectés par le SRAS-CoV-2: une revue Le syndrome respiratoire aigu sévère-coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) pénètre dans les cellules à l'aide de l'enzyme de conversion de l'angiotensine 2 (ACE2), qui est exprimée par l'endothélium des voies respiratoires, les cellules épithéliales de l'estomac, du duodénum, de l'iléon, du rectum, des cholangiocytes, et les hépatocytes. Les examens pathologiques de ces organes ne sont pas une méthode de diagnostic réalisable, mais peuvent expliquer les changements pathologiques, la pathogenèse de la maladie et la cause du décès dans les cas de COVID-19. Dans cette revue, nous avons effectué une recherche bibliographique sur les changements pathologiques liés au COVID-19 observés lors d'examens post-mortem dans différents organes du corps, notamment les poumons, le tractus gastro-intestinal, le foie, les reins, la peau, le coeur et le sang. Nos résultats ont montré que le SRAS-CoV-2 a des effets néfastes sur de nombreux organes, probablement en raison des réponses immunitaires de l'hôte à la présence du virus. Il est recommandé que les agents antiviraux et immunomodulateurs soient pris en compte dans la prise en charge des patients COVID-19 pour un meilleur pronostic et des résultats cliniques. &nbsp

FACTORS INFLUENCING CHOICE OF CONSTRUCTION PROCUREMENT METHODS AND ASSOCIATED RISK

This research paper examines the procurement methods and associated risks with a view to enhancing the delivery of construction projects in Nigeria. The target population of the study were contractors, architects, quantity surveyors and construction clients as they are the stakeholders frequently involved in the construction procurement. The study explored purposive sampling to administer 40 questionnaires each to construction clients, architects, quantity surveyors and 60 to contractors respectively. 131 copies of questionnaire which was 77.06 % response were returned and found useful. Both descriptive and inferential techniques were used toanalyze the data. The results revealed that: speed in completion of projects and flexibility of the projects were the factors influencing the choice of traditional method of procurement while cost overrun and opportunity of sharing of risk between client and contractor were the risks associated with the method. Complexity of the project and the possibility of delivery to time were most important factors influencing the selection of design and build procurement method while high cost of construction, lack of competition, expensive bidding process were the risk associated with the method.&nbsp

Mitigating Turbulence-Induced Fading in Coherent FSO Links: An Adaptive Space-Time Code Approach

Free space optical communication systems have witnessed a significant rise in attention over the last half a decade owing largely to their enormous bandwidth and relative ease of deployment. Generally, free space optical communication systems differ in their detection mechanism as various detection mechanisms are being reported, including intensity modulation/direct detection FSO, differential FSO and coherent FSO. In this chapter, we explore the prospect of obtaining an optimally performing FSO system by harnessing the cutting-edge features of coherent FSO systems and the coding gain and diversity advantage offered by a four-state space-time trellis code (STTC) in order to combat turbulence-induced fading which has thus far beleaguered the performance of FSO systems. The initial outcomes of this technique are promising as a model for various visible light communication applications