Incidence of Diabetes mellitus at the Federal Medical Centre Katsina, Katsina State, Nigeria: A Retrospective Study

A six-year (2002 – 2007) retrospective study of hospital records (in-patients) was carried out to investigate the incidence of Diabetes Mellitus in Katsina. The records showed that a total of 754 cases were attended within the study period. The study showed yearly increase in the incidence of the disease with the highest incidence of 288 (38.20%) in the year 2007 and the least 65 (8.62%) in the year 2002. More males suffered from the disease 456 (60.48%) than females 298 (39.52%). The incidence was also found to be high 289 (38.33%) in the age range 65 and above, while age range 25 – 34 was least affected 28 (3.71%). Ways on how to live free of Diabetes Mellitus were also recommended.Keywords: Age Range, Diabetes Mellitus, Incidence, Hospita

Seasonal variations in the proximate compositions of five economically- important fish species from Lake Victoria and Lake Tanganyika, Tanzania

Proximate compositions of five economically-important fish species from Lake Victoria and Lake Tanganyika, Tanzania were determined using standard methods and procedures of the Association of the Analytical Chemists. Samples of Lates niloticus, Oreochromis niloticus, Rastrineobola argentea, Limnothrissa miodon and Stolothrissa tanganicae were collected during the dry and rainy seasons (December 2012 to March 2013) and (June to September, 2013). Protein contents (17.35- 21.44 g/100 g) were significantly (p<0.05) higher in wet seasons and lower (16.13 -19.77 g/100 g) during the dry season in all the species. Similarly, lipids contents were significantly (p<0.05) higher during the wet seasons (1.01 – 3.19 g/100 g) and lower (0.79 -1.79 g/100 g) during the dry season in all the species, while carbohydrate (1.89 - 4.46 g/100 g) was significantly (p<0.05) higher during the dry season in all the species. The present study showed that these species are good sources of protein in desirable quantities for normal growth, development and as a remedy to nutritional and health related problems. High contents of protein and lipid during wet season make the fish species desirable for consumption during this period. These fish species are therefore recommended to diabetic consumers due to their low carbohydrate contents.Key words: Fish species, Lake Victoria, Lake Tanganyika, Proximate, Seasonal variations

Effectiveness of firefly algorithm based neural network in time series forecasting

Global optimization techniques such as Particle Swarm Optimizers (PSO) and Genetic Algorithm (GA) are now widely used for training Artificial Neural Networks (NN), particularly in time series forecasting problems. Firefly algorithm (FA) is a relatively new addition to the family of population based optimization technique that has shown promising result in a number of problems. In this work, we evaluate the effectiveness of FA trained NN in time series forecasting. In the experiments, three well known time series were used to evaluate the performance. Results obtained were compared with results from both PSO and Resilient Propagation (RPROP) trained NNs. FA based NN performed very well in forecasting all the time series considered, outperforming the bench-marks in two out of the three problems.Keywords: Time series, Artificial Neural Network, Firefly Algorithm, Particle Swarm Optimization, Overfittin

Description of soft sediment deformational structure of the Campano-Maastrichtian Gombe formation of the Northern Benue Trough, N.E. Nigeria

Several soft sediment deformational structures were identified during fieldwork survey carried out on exposures of Gombe Formation in the Gongola sub–basin of the Northern Benue Trough at Gombe and environs. These soft sediment deformational structures includes: simple internal cusps, which occur wide spread across a single bed or  intermittently across several beds, and slump structures that are represented by complex recumbent folds and concave upwards structures. These structures are proxy to syn-depositional energy operating within the depositional environment and this current research aims to evaluate their trigger mechanism. These deformational structures are commonly hosted in the mouth-bar deltaic sequences of the Gombe Formation. The deltaic setting is usually a locus for high sediment influx and accumulation. This may have generated high quantum of depositional energy which was probably responsible for the development of the syn-depositional soft sediment depositional structures in the Gombe Formation during Campano-Maastrichtian times. KEYWORDS: Gombe, Sandstone, Gongola Basin, soft sediment Benue trough

Analysis of sildenafil citrate in herbal aphrodisiac preparations marketed in Sokoto metropolis and its public health implications

Aphrodisiacs are among the most widely marketed and consumed herbal products in North-Western Nigeria. There are speculations that these products are being adulterated with orthodox medicines in order to boost their effects and sales. The objective of current research was to analyse the presence of adulterated sildenafil citrate in some herbal aphrodisiacs commonly sold and consumed in Sokoto metropolis. Ten different liquid herbal aphrodisiac preparations marketed in Sokoto metropolis were collected from different areas of the city. Each of the preparation was analysed for adulteration with sildenafil citrate using thin layer chromatography and UV spectroscopy. Five of the preparations were found to contain sildenafil citrate in the range of 34 – 291 mg per daily dose. The findings from this study indicate that some of the herbal aphrodisiac preparations marketed in Sokoto metropolis are being adulterated with substantial amount of undeclared sildenafil citrate, a practice that poses serious public health hazard to its consumers. Consequences of which ranges from nausea, dyspepsia, pain, dizziness, abnormal vision, and headache and potentially heart attack especially among adults with underlying chronic diseases such as hypertension among others

Cuffless Blood Pressure in clinical practice: challenges, opportunities and current limits.

Background: Cuffless blood pressure measurement technologies have attracted significant attention for their potential to transform cardiovascular monitoring.Methods: This updated narrative review thoroughly examines the challenges, opportunities, and limitations associated with the implementation of cuffless blood pressure monitoring systems.Results: Diverse technologies, including photoplethysmography, tonometry, and ECG analysis, enable cuffless blood pressure measurement and are integrated into devices like smartphones and smartwatches. Signal processing emerges as a critical aspect, dictating the accuracy and reliability of readings. Despite its potential, the integration of cuffless technologies into clinical practice faces obstacles, including the need to address concerns related to accuracy, calibration, and standardization across diverse devices and patient populations. The development of robust algorithms to mitigate artifacts and environmental disturbances is essential for extracting clear physiological signals. Based on extensive research, this review emphasizes the necessity for standardized protocols, validation studies, and regulatory frameworks to ensure the reliability and safety of cuffless blood pressure monitoring devices and their implementation in mainstream medical practice. Interdisciplinary collaborations between engineers, clinicians, and regulatory bodies are crucial to address technical, clinical, and regulatory complexities during implementation. In conclusion, while cuffless blood pressure monitoring holds immense potential to transform cardiovascular care. The resolution of existing challenges and the establishment of rigorous standards are imperative for its seamless incorporation into routine clinical practice.Conclusion: The emergence of these new technologies shifts the paradigm of cardiovascular health management, presenting a new possibility for non-invasive continuous and dynamic monitoring. The concept of cuffless blood pressure measurement is viable and more finely tuned devices are expected to enter the market, which could redefine our understanding of blood pressure and hypertension

The Effect of Varying Soot Concentration and Relative Humidity on Visibility and Particle Size Distribution in Urban Atmosphere

This research used extracted extinction coefficients and common mode radii of urban aerosols to carry out visibility simulations at corresponding spectral wavelengths from 0.4-0.8µm from the improved version of the Optical Properties of Aerosols and Clouds (OPAC 4.0) data at eight relative humidities(RH) (0%, 50%, 70%, 80%, 90%, 95%, 98% and 99% RH). Five models of the urban aerosols used comprised of insoluble (INSO), Water-soluble (WASO) and Soot (Black Carbon). From the average concentration set up by OPAC 4.0, the concentrations of the Soot (Black Carbon) were varied by external mixing. The Angstrom exponent (α), the curvature (α2) and the urban atmospheric turbidity (β) were obtained from the regression analysis of the first and second order polynomial of Kaufman’s representation of the Koschmieder equation for atmospheric visibility. The mean exponents of the aerosol size growth curve (µ) were determined from the aerosol effective hygroscopic growth (geff) while the humidification factors (γ) were determined from the visibility enhancement factors f(RH,λ). With µ and γ, the mean exponents of aerosol size distributions (υ) were determined for all the models. It was observed that at varying Soot (Black Carbon) concentrations and RH there were non-linear relationships between them and visibilities. The values of α > 1 showed the presence of fine mode particles from the WASO part of the aerosol mixture and α2 being positive indicated bimodal aerosol particle distributions. Additionally, visibility deterioration is predicted because of the increase in turbidity (β) with the variation of Soot and RH

Tyrphostin AG 1024 modulates radiosensitivity in human breast cancer cells

Insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1) plays an important growth-promoting effect by activating the PI3K/Akt signalling pathway, inhibiting apoptotic pathways and mediating mitogenic actions. Tyrphostin AG 1024, one selective inhibitor of IGF-1R, was used to evaluate effects on proliferation, radiosensitivity, and radiation-induced cell apoptosis in a human breast cancer cell line MCF-7. Exposure to Tyrphostin AG 1024 inhibited proliferation and induced apoptosis in a time-dependent manner, and the degree of growth inhibition for IC20 plus irradiation (4 Gy) was up to 50% compared to the control. Examination of Tyrphostin AG 1024 effects on radiation response demonstrated a marked enhancement in radiosensitivity and amplification of radiation-induced apoptosis. Western blot analysis indicated that Tyrphostin AG 1024-induced apoptosis was associated with a downregulation of expression of phospho-Akt1, increased expression of Bax, p53 and p21, and a decreased expression of bcl-2 expression, especially when combined with irradiation. To our knowledge, this is the first report showing that an IGF-1 inhibitor was able to markedly increase the response of tumour cells to ionizing radiation. These results suggest that Tyrphostin AG 1024 could be used as a potential therapeutic agent in combination with irradiation.   http://www.bjcancer.com © 2001 Cancer Research Campaig

A novel model for solar radiation prediction

Energy for fulfilling basic community/individual needs has come to constitute the first article of expectation in all contemporary societies. The exploitation of renewables notably solar in electricity generation has brought relief to the fulfilment of energy demand especially among susceptible communities. In this paper yearly minimum solar radiation of Kano (12.05°N; 08.2°E; altitude 472.5 m; 3 air density 1.1705 kg/m3) for 46 years is used to generate a prediction model that fits the data using autoregressive moving average (ARMA) and a new model termed autoregressive moving average process (ARMAP). Comparison between the ARMA and ARMAP models showed a tremendous improve in the sum of square error reduction between the actual data and the forecasted data by 47%