Compressed natural gas : gas distribution option for Sub-Saharan West Africa

Natural gas production in Sub-Saharan West African is projected to grow annually by 5% from 2010 to 2040. The distribution of this gas is vital to economic growth in the sub region. Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) which is natural gas that has been compressed under high pressure and held in hard containers is proposed as an alternative method of natural gas distribution option for the sub-region to pipeline and LNG options especially for short distances within marine environments. The economic prospects of marine distribution of CNG within the West African region was studied and compared to the present West African Gas Pipeline (WAGP) distribution option. A discounted cash flow model was used to compare the economic viability of both projects. The CNG project had higher net present value of $1,914 compared to$695 for the WAGP project. Payback period of 4.7 years and 11 years were respectively obtained for the CNG and WAGP projects. Based on these economic indicators, it could be concluded that the CNG project surpassed the economic performance of the WAGP project. Results from this work could be applied in the study of CNG marine distribution for similar geographical locations around the world

Isolated neutropenia as a rare but serious adverse event secondary to immune checkpoint inhibition

Background Compared to conventional chemotherapy, Immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICI) are known to have a distinct toxicity profile commonly identified as immune-related adverse events (irAEs). These irAEs that are believed to be related to immune dysregulations triggered by ICI can be serious and lead to treatment interruptions and in severe cases, precipitate permanent discontinuation. Isolated neutropenia secondary to ICI has been rarely documented in the literature and needs further description. We report a case of pembrolizumab related severe isolated neutropenia in a patient with metastatic non-small cell lung cancer. We were also able to obtain serial blood and plasma-based biomarkers for this patient during treatment and during neutropenia to understand trends that may correlate with the irAE. In addition we summarize important findings from other studies reporting on ICI related neutropenia. Case presentation A 74 years old Caucasian male treated with single-agent pembrolizumab for metastatic non-small cell lung cancer presented with fevers, chills, and an isolated neutrophil count (ANC) of 0 2 weeks after the fourth dose. In addition to antibiotics, due to the strong suspicion of this neutropenia being immune-mediated, he was started on 1 mg/kg of steroids and also received filgrastim to accelerate neutrophil recovery. Serial trends in C-reactive protein and certain other inflammatory cytokines demonstrated a corresponding rise at the time of neutropenia. Post recovery, his pembrolizumab was kept on hold. Eight weeks later he had a second episode of neutropenia which was again managed similar to the first episode. Despite permanent discontinuation of ICI after the first neutropenia, his disease showed an ongoing complete metabolic response on imaging. Our literature review reveals that hematological toxicities constitute < 1% irAEs with isolated neutropenia roughly accounting for one-fourth of the hematological irAEs. Based on the handful of ICI related neutropenia cases reported to date, we identified nivolumab to be the most common offender. The median number of ICI cycles administered before presenting with neutropenia was three, and the median time to recovery was approximately two weeks. All of these neutropenic episodes were ≥ grade 3 and led to permanent ICI discontinuation. Using immunosuppressive therapies in conjunction with granulocyte-colony stimulating factor was the most common strategy described to have favorable results. Conclusion Neutropenia as an isolated irAE secondary to ICI is rare but represents a severe toxicity that needs early recognition and can often result in treatment discontinuations. Careful monitoring of these patients with the prompt initiation of immunosuppressive and supportive measures to promote rapid recovery as well as prevent and treat infectious complications should be part of the management algorithms. Serial monitoring of blood and plasma-based biomarkers from more extensive studies may help in identifying patients at risk for irAEs and thus guide patient selection for ICI

Bacteria and Their Antibiotic Resistance Profiles in Ambient Air in Accra, Ghana, February 2020: A Cross-Sectional Study

Inappropriate use of antibiotics has led to the presence of antibiotic-resistant bacteria in ambient air. There is no published information about the presence and resistance profiles of bacteria in ambient air in Ghana. We evaluated the presence and antibiotic resistance profiles of selected bacterial, environmental and meteorological characteristics and airborne bacterial counts in 12 active air quality monitoring sites (seven roadside, two industrial and three residential) in Accra in February 2020. Roadside sites had the highest median temperature, relative humidity, wind speed and PM10 concentrations, and median airborne bacterial counts in roadside sites (115,000 CFU/m3) were higher compared with industrial (35,150 CFU/m3) and residential sites (1210 CFU/m3). Bacillus species were isolated in all samples and none were antibiotic resistant. There were, however, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas species, non-hemolytic Streptococci, Coliforms and Staphylococci species, of which six (50%) showed mono-resistance or multidrug resistance to four antibiotics (penicillin, ampicillin, ciprofloxacin and ceftriaxone). There was a positive correlation between PM10 concentrations and airborne bacterial counts (rs = 0.72), but no correlations were found between PM10 concentrations and the pathogenic bacteria nor their antibiotic resistance. We call for the expansion of surveillance of ambient air to other cities of Ghana to obtain nationally representative information

Characterization of Materials from Port-Harcourt Waste Dumpsites

The leachate quality from the two major dumpsites in Port Harcourt (Eliozu and Buscare) was assessed for its physiochemical parameters. Standard methods for analysis of physiochemical parameters were employed in this assessment. It was observed that leachate from both dumpsites had high Biological Oxygen Demand (1002.35mg/l), ammonia (693.15mg/l), chlorides (1907.50mg/l), sulphates (182.05mg/l), Total Dissolved Solids (4882.5mg/l) etc. However, leachate from Buscare dumpsite showed 11.89% higher concentrations of these pollutants. An Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) test was carried out for the various parameters obtained from the two dumpsites to establish if the variation observed between the leachate qualities was significantly different from each other. A calculated F-value of 0.070936 which was less than the critical F-value of 4.061706 indicated no difference in the data obtained from both dumpsites. The high BOD, ammonia, sulphate and chloride levels possibly suggest that both dumpsites receive wastes that are basically organic in nature

Effect of Processing on the In Vitro and In Vivo Protein Quality of Beans (Phaseolus vulgaris and Vicia Faba)

In this work, the protein quality of different bean types after undergoing the preparatory methods of baking, cooking and extrusion was assayed. Protein quality was assessed using a rodent bioassay to evaluate growth and protein digestibility while amino acid composition was determined via HPLC. In vivo protein digestibility was compared to an in vitro assessment method. The average protein digestibility corrected amino acid score (PDCAAS) for processed beans was higher than the digestible indispensable amino acid score (DIAAS) (61% vs. 45%). Extrusion/cooking of Phaseolus varieties resulted in higher PDCAAS (66% on average) and DIAAS values (61% on average) than baked (52% and 48%) while baked faba beans had higher PDCAAS (66%) and DIAAS (61%) values. A significant correlation was found between PDCAAS and in vitro PDCAAS (R2 = 0.7497). This demonstrates which bean processing method will generate the optimal protein quality, which has benefits for both industrial production and individual domestic preparation