Analysis of some meteorological parameters using artificial neural network method for Makurdi, Nigeria

The mean daily data for sunshine hours, maximum temperature, cloud cover and relative humidity data, were used to estimate monthly average global solar irradiation on a horizontal surface for Makurdi, Nigeria. The study used artificial neural networks (ANN) for the estimation. Results showed good agreement between the predicted and measured values of global solar irradiation. A correlation coefficient of 0.9982 was obtained with a maximum percentage error (MPE) of 0.8512 and root mean square error (RMSE) of 0.0032. The comparison between the ANN and some existing empirical models showed the advantage of the ANN prediction model.Key words: Sunshine hours, relative humidity, maximum temperature, cloudiness index, global solar radiation

Influence of Nerve Flossing Technique on acute sciatica and hip range of motion

Background: Sciatica is one of the most common painful and disabling conditions affecting about 40% of low back pain cases and 1.6% - 43% of adult population annually. Many conventional physiotherapeutic modalities have been used to manage sciatica but the effect of Nerve Flossing Technique (NFT), which is a cost effective treatment option in the management of acute sciatica is yet to be investigated. Aim: This study was therefore conducted to investigate the influence of NFT on acute sciatica symptoms and hip range of motion. Methods: A pretest-posttest control experimental design, involving 32 participants from two hospitals in Lagos state Nigeria, with acute sciatica were randomly assigned into two groups; Group A (Study Group) received NFT in addition to Conventional Physiotherapy and group B (Control Group) received only Conventional Physiotherapy. The outcome of the study was assessed using Numeric Pain Rating Scale (NPRS) and Passive Straight Leg Raise (PSLR). Results: The result of this study revealed that, both groups were found to have significant improvement in NPRS score (P<0.01) and PSLR value (P<0.01). However, the study group had significant (P<0.01) improvement in both outcome measures when compared to the control group. Conclusion: Nerve Flossing Technique reduced acute sciatica and improved hip range of motion hence, can be utilised in the treatment of patient with acute sciatica.Key words: Nerve Flossing Technique, acute sciatica, conventional physiotherapy, hip range of motion, Numeric Pain Rating Scale, intraneural edem

Global burden of peripheral artery disease and its risk factors, 1990–2019: a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2019

Background: Peripheral artery disease is a growing public health problem. We aimed to estimate the global disease burden of peripheral artery disease, its risk factors, and temporospatial trends to inform policy and public measures. Methods: Data on peripheral artery disease were modelled using the Global Burden of Disease, Injuries, and Risk Factors Study (GBD) 2019 database. Prevalence, disability-adjusted life years (DALYs), and mortality estimates of peripheral artery disease were extracted from GBD 2019. Total DALYs and age-standardised DALY rate of peripheral artery disease attributed to modifiable risk factors were also assessed. Findings: In 2019, the number of people aged 40 years and older with peripheral artery disease was 113 million (95% uncertainty interval [UI] 99·2–128·4), with a global prevalence of 1·52% (95% UI 1·33–1·72), of which 42·6% was in countries with low to middle Socio-demographic Index (SDI). The global prevalence of peripheral artery disease was higher in older people, (14·91% [12·41–17·87] in those aged 80–84 years), and was generally higher in females than in males. Globally, the total number of DALYs attributable to modifiable risk factors in 2019 accounted for 69·4% (64·2–74·3) of total peripheral artery disease DALYs. The prevalence of peripheral artery disease was highest in countries with high SDI and lowest in countries with low SDI, whereas DALY and mortality rates showed U-shaped curves, with the highest burden in the high and low SDI quintiles. Interpretation: The total number of people with peripheral artery disease has increased globally from 1990 to 2019. Despite the lower prevalence of peripheral artery disease in males and low-income countries, these groups showed similar DALY rates to females and higher-income countries, highlighting disproportionate burden in these groups. Modifiable risk factors were responsible for around 70% of the global peripheral artery disease burden. Public measures could mitigate the burden of peripheral artery disease by modifying risk factors. Funding: Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation

Mortality from gastrointestinal congenital anomalies at 264 hospitals in 74 low-income, middle-income, and high-income countries: a multicentre, international, prospective cohort study

Background: Congenital anomalies are the fifth leading cause of mortality in children younger than 5 years globally. Many gastrointestinal congenital anomalies are fatal without timely access to neonatal surgical care, but few studies have been done on these conditions in low-income and middle-income countries (LMICs). We compared outcomes of the seven most common gastrointestinal congenital anomalies in low-income, middle-income, and high-income countries globally, and identified factors associated with mortality. // Methods: We did a multicentre, international prospective cohort study of patients younger than 16 years, presenting to hospital for the first time with oesophageal atresia, congenital diaphragmatic hernia, intestinal atresia, gastroschisis, exomphalos, anorectal malformation, and Hirschsprung's disease. Recruitment was of consecutive patients for a minimum of 1 month between October, 2018, and April, 2019. We collected data on patient demographics, clinical status, interventions, and outcomes using the REDCap platform. Patients were followed up for 30 days after primary intervention, or 30 days after admission if they did not receive an intervention. The primary outcome was all-cause, in-hospital mortality for all conditions combined and each condition individually, stratified by country income status. We did a complete case analysis. // Findings: We included 3849 patients with 3975 study conditions (560 with oesophageal atresia, 448 with congenital diaphragmatic hernia, 681 with intestinal atresia, 453 with gastroschisis, 325 with exomphalos, 991 with anorectal malformation, and 517 with Hirschsprung's disease) from 264 hospitals (89 in high-income countries, 166 in middle-income countries, and nine in low-income countries) in 74 countries. Of the 3849 patients, 2231 (58·0%) were male. Median gestational age at birth was 38 weeks (IQR 36–39) and median bodyweight at presentation was 2·8 kg (2·3–3·3). Mortality among all patients was 37 (39·8%) of 93 in low-income countries, 583 (20·4%) of 2860 in middle-income countries, and 50 (5·6%) of 896 in high-income countries (p<0·0001 between all country income groups). Gastroschisis had the greatest difference in mortality between country income strata (nine [90·0%] of ten in low-income countries, 97 [31·9%] of 304 in middle-income countries, and two [1·4%] of 139 in high-income countries; p≤0·0001 between all country income groups). Factors significantly associated with higher mortality for all patients combined included country income status (low-income vs high-income countries, risk ratio 2·78 [95% CI 1·88–4·11], p<0·0001; middle-income vs high-income countries, 2·11 [1·59–2·79], p<0·0001), sepsis at presentation (1·20 [1·04–1·40], p=0·016), higher American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) score at primary intervention (ASA 4–5 vs ASA 1–2, 1·82 [1·40–2·35], p<0·0001; ASA 3 vs ASA 1–2, 1·58, [1·30–1·92], p<0·0001]), surgical safety checklist not used (1·39 [1·02–1·90], p=0·035), and ventilation or parenteral nutrition unavailable when needed (ventilation 1·96, [1·41–2·71], p=0·0001; parenteral nutrition 1·35, [1·05–1·74], p=0·018). Administration of parenteral nutrition (0·61, [0·47–0·79], p=0·0002) and use of a peripherally inserted central catheter (0·65 [0·50–0·86], p=0·0024) or percutaneous central line (0·69 [0·48–1·00], p=0·049) were associated with lower mortality. // Interpretation: Unacceptable differences in mortality exist for gastrointestinal congenital anomalies between low-income, middle-income, and high-income countries. Improving access to quality neonatal surgical care in LMICs will be vital to achieve Sustainable Development Goal 3.2 of ending preventable deaths in neonates and children younger than 5 years by 2030

Mortality from gastrointestinal congenital anomalies at 264 hospitals in 74 low-income, middle-income, and high-income countries: a multicentre, international, prospective cohort study

Summary Background Congenital anomalies are the fifth leading cause of mortality in children younger than 5 years globally. Many gastrointestinal congenital anomalies are fatal without timely access to neonatal surgical care, but few studies have been done on these conditions in low-income and middle-income countries (LMICs). We compared outcomes of the seven most common gastrointestinal congenital anomalies in low-income, middle-income, and high-income countries globally, and identified factors associated with mortality. Methods We did a multicentre, international prospective cohort study of patients younger than 16 years, presenting to hospital for the first time with oesophageal atresia, congenital diaphragmatic hernia, intestinal atresia, gastroschisis, exomphalos, anorectal malformation, and Hirschsprung’s disease. Recruitment was of consecutive patients for a minimum of 1 month between October, 2018, and April, 2019. We collected data on patient demographics, clinical status, interventions, and outcomes using the REDCap platform. Patients were followed up for 30 days after primary intervention, or 30 days after admission if they did not receive an intervention. The primary outcome was all-cause, in-hospital mortality for all conditions combined and each condition individually, stratified by country income status. We did a complete case analysis. Findings We included 3849 patients with 3975 study conditions (560 with oesophageal atresia, 448 with congenital diaphragmatic hernia, 681 with intestinal atresia, 453 with gastroschisis, 325 with exomphalos, 991 with anorectal malformation, and 517 with Hirschsprung’s disease) from 264 hospitals (89 in high-income countries, 166 in middleincome countries, and nine in low-income countries) in 74 countries. Of the 3849 patients, 2231 (58·0%) were male. Median gestational age at birth was 38 weeks (IQR 36–39) and median bodyweight at presentation was 2·8 kg (2·3–3·3). Mortality among all patients was 37 (39·8%) of 93 in low-income countries, 583 (20·4%) of 2860 in middle-income countries, and 50 (5·6%) of 896 in high-income countries (p<0·0001 between all country income groups). Gastroschisis had the greatest difference in mortality between country income strata (nine [90·0%] of ten in lowincome countries, 97 [31·9%] of 304 in middle-income countries, and two [1·4%] of 139 in high-income countries; p≤0·0001 between all country income groups). Factors significantly associated with higher mortality for all patients combined included country income status (low-income vs high-income countries, risk ratio 2·78 [95% CI 1·88–4·11], p<0·0001; middle-income vs high-income countries, 2·11 [1·59–2·79], p<0·0001), sepsis at presentation (1·20 [1·04–1·40], p=0·016), higher American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) score at primary intervention (ASA 4–5 vs ASA 1–2, 1·82 [1·40–2·35], p<0·0001; ASA 3 vs ASA 1–2, 1·58, [1·30–1·92], p<0·0001]), surgical safety checklist not used (1·39 [1·02–1·90], p=0·035), and ventilation or parenteral nutrition unavailable when needed (ventilation 1·96, [1·41–2·71], p=0·0001; parenteral nutrition 1·35, [1·05–1·74], p=0·018). Administration of parenteral nutrition (0·61, [0·47–0·79], p=0·0002) and use of a peripherally inserted central catheter (0·65 [0·50–0·86], p=0·0024) or percutaneous central line (0·69 [0·48–1·00], p=0·049) were associated with lower mortality. Interpretation Unacceptable differences in mortality exist for gastrointestinal congenital anomalies between lowincome, middle-income, and high-income countries. Improving access to quality neonatal surgical care in LMICs will be vital to achieve Sustainable Development Goal 3.2 of ending preventable deaths in neonates and children younger than 5 years by 2030

Comparative Study Of Piscine And Non−Piscine Pituitary Extract And Ovulin For Inducing Spawning In Catfish ( Clarias Gariepinus )

The study examined the effect of synthetic hormone (Ovulin), piscine hormone ( Clarias gariepinus ), pituitary extract and non−piscine; frog ( Haplobutrachus occipitalis ) pituitary extracts. The study was carried out in the Department of Marine Sciences, University of Lagos, Lagos state Nigeria. The broodstocks (Clarias gariepinus) were purchased from a private fish farm at Bariga in Lagos state and were transported in plastic can containing water. The temperature of the water was reducing by addition of ice block which helped to minimize stress on the fish. Hatchery raised 12 months gravid broodstocks were selected. All broodstocks were selected by external morphological characteristics. Female fish were selected on the basis of ovarian biopsy. The study lasted 65 days. Twelve gravid female and twelve mature male of C. gariepinus with body weight range of 500g to 1100g were used. The spawn weight was determined by estimating the mean weight of eggs used to achieve percent (%) fertilization. The ovulation rate was estimated from the weight of eggs released as a percentage of the total weight of the ovary. The percent fertilization was estimated from the surviving embryos 10 hours after fertilization. The percent (%) hatching was the number of hatched fry relative to the fertilized eggs, while the percent (%) survival was the number of surviving fry after 14 days of feeding with mixed artemia and artificial diets. The result showed that ovulin performed significantly better (p< 0.05) in all the parameters investigated. The randomized analysis of Variance (ANOVA) for the parameters investigated in the three hormonal materials shows percentage fertilization of 67.00±3.61%, 60.70±4.49% and 56.25±5.44%, percentage hatchability of 90.61±6.43%, 60.70±4.50%, and 56.26±5.46% and 69.33±5.13%, 61.67±10.41% and 47.67±2.52% of survival rate were recorded for ovulin, fish pituitary and frog pituitary, respectively. Comparative cost benefit analysis shows that ovulin, which recorded better results was higher in terms of cost effectiveness compare to fish pituitary and especially that of frog which is both cheaper and available in our environment. Although for ease of handling and better result in terms of hatchability, fertilization and survival rate ovulin is highly recommended to hatchery users

Seasonal impact of quarry mining effluent discharge impacted soils on growth parameters and phytochemical constituents of edible vegetables

This study was designed to assess the impact quarry mining effluent discharge impacted soil on growth parameters and phytochemical constituents of edible vegetables. Three quarry mining sites were used for the study that covered wet and dry seasons. Plant growth such as plant height, leaf area, internodes and plant collar diameter were measured while plant phytochemical composition was analysed using Gas chromatography flame ionization detector (GC-FID).  Results indicated decrease in plant growth and plant chlorophyll content in dry season compared to wet season (P&lt;0.05). This values were however significantly lower than the control. Phytochemical constituents of vegetables as observed from this study increased in dry season in response to trace metal stress. The results imply that mining activities impacted negatively on the growth of these edible vegetables. This is indicative of potential health risk that may be associated with prolonged consumption of edible vegetables grown in these soils. Hence farmers should be discouraged from planting edible plants around these quarry sites as this may have detrimental effect on health of consumers. Key Words: Quarry mining, Phytochemicals, Edible vegetables, Plant growth, Effluent discharg

In-vitro anti-malarial activity of Chikadoma plant from the rainforest of Southern Nigeria

Background: Malaria remains a life-threatening tropical disease. Due to the development of resistance to the commonly available orthodox antimalarials which of course, poses a great challenge in malaria-controlling-program, alternative and complementary approach becomes imperative thereby making phytotherapy a research focus. Objectives: To investigate the effect of chikadoma plant using its methanol leaf extract against a plasmodium-mediated tropical disease, malaria. Materials and Methods: The culture samples of Plasmodium (P.) falciparum from 20 symptomatic adult outpatients were used in the antimalarial in-vitro test. For cultivation of P. falciparum, the culture medium employed was Roswell Park Memorial Institute (RPMI) 1640. Optical microscopy was used for parasite quantification in the performance of antiplasmodial in-vitro assays. The leaf extract of chikadoma dissolved in dimethylsulphoxide (DMSO) was the treatment, prepared into 7 different levels of concentration (3.125, 6.25, 12.5, 25, 50, 100, and 200 mg/mL) while culture medium with the malarial parasite alone served as negative control. Micromalarial culture preceded by culture synchronized with sorbitol 5%, were divided into “control” and “treated groups”, followed by incubation in CO2 candle jar at 370C for 72 h. The percentage of parasitemia was measured 8 h, showing the activity of the extract on P. falciparum stages of proliferation. Thin blood smear from the erythrocytes layer was made and stained with 10% Giemsa for 30 mins to estimate the parasitemia. The antimalarial activity of the extract was calculated using Probit analysis by counting the 50% growth inhibition (IC50). Results: The growth of P. falciparum was inhibited by the extract on mature schizont stage; and the IC50 of the extract after 40 h incubation was 3.0 mg/mL. Conclusion: The leaf extract of chikadoma significantly has antimalarial effect in-vitro against P. falciparum. Keywords: Chikadoma; Lupinus arboreus; antimalarial activity; tropical disease; Nigeria.&nbsp