Madness Then, Insanity Now: The Evolution of Madness and Medicine in India from Ancient to Modern Times

My thesis will examine how madness and the medical systems that understood it have changed from ancient times to modern times in India. It begins with an examination of medicine in the Vedic era and considers the implications of a magico-religious epistemology that informed the treatment of madness in that time. From there, it moves on to the classical Ayurvedic systems of medicine and discusses the linkages and points of difference from the earlier system. In short, medicine generally becomes more empirically grounded, and madness is seen as having both somatic causes as well as external, “possession” causes. I then fast forward to the colonial era to focus on the development of the insane asylum under the British over the nineteenth century and the new authority relationships, power structures, and race relations that were implicated in the process. This is an especially crucial point in my thesis, and I spend many pages examining the topic because it is the first time that madness becomes institutionalized in the subcontinent. The next section moves on to the early twentieth century to understand how Ayurveda, dominant mostly in rural areas and long unrecognized by the colonial government, becomes resurrected for a modernized world and plays an important role in the debates around Indian nationalism. Finally, my last section uses anthropological sources to understand the nature of madness and its ties to kinship relations in contemporary India.Asian Studie

Insecurity and the Challenges of Development in Nigeria

Is it possible to attain any meaningful development without durable peace? Can the goals of vision 20:2020 be achieve in an atmosphere of ethnic, economic, social and religious disharmony and sectarian crises? With these questions in mine, the paper shall seek to find out how insecurity has hampered development in Nigeria. The research observed that, insecurity has the potential of  social dislocation and population displacement, social tensions and new pattern of settlements which encourages Muslims/Christians or members of an ethnic group moving to Muslim/Christian or ethnic dominated enclaves, dehumanization of women, children, and men especially in areas where rape, child abuse and neglect are used as instruments of war deepening of hunger and poverty in the polity and setting an atmosphere of political insecurity and instability including declining confidence in the political leadership and apprehension about the system. In this paper, religious, ethnic and political tolerance among Nigerians, creation of job opportunities to reduced youth restiveness thereby reducing poverty and tracing and tackling the remote, the redevelopment of Nigeria’s educational curriculum include entrepreneurship to reduced over dependence of Nigerian graduates on government jobs to make them self employed after graduation,  and immediate causes of the crises are suggested as ways through which the security challenges in Nigeria can be overcome. Keywords: Insecurity, development, Consequences, Nigeri

Public-Private Partnership: The Answer to Nigeria’s Development Challenges

In recognition of the relevant role played by Public Private Partnership (PPP) in the development of infrastructure the world over, the paper seek to find out how PPP initiative can bring about infrastructural development in Nigeria through proper policy formation and implementation. With the political will, regulatory and legal framework. PPP can bring about; Private sector growth and stability, prompt completion of projects, increase in infrastructure development as governments are able to implement more projects and so on. To overcome the challenges face by PPP globally, and in developing countries in particular.  The paper recommends: The formation of the proper regulatory and legal framework, strengthening of the banking sector to be able to loan out long term finances to investors, also strengthening of the capital market which is the main source of long term finance so that funds can be raise for such projects, proper dealing with security challenges and also political office holders having the political will to tackle corruption head on then infrastructure development will be achieved in Nigeria. Keywords: Public-Private Partnership, Infrastructure, Challenges, Contract

State-of-the-art in Power Line Communications: from the Applications to the Medium

In recent decades, power line communication has attracted considerable attention from the research community and industry, as well as from regulatory and standardization bodies. In this article we provide an overview of both narrowband and broadband systems, covering potential applications, regulatory and standardization efforts and recent research advancements in channel characterization, physical layer performance, medium access and higher layer specifications and evaluations. We also identify areas of current and further study that will enable the continued success of power line communication technology.Comment: 19 pages, 12 figures. Accepted for publication, IEEE Journal on Selected Areas in Communications. Special Issue on Power Line Communications and its Integration with the Networking Ecosystem. 201

A Rare Presentation of Concomitant Lung Disease and Hepatitis After Rituximab Treatment: A Case Report

Rituximab (RTX) is a chimeric monoclonal antibody that is a standard component of treatment for all B-cell malignancies. The most common adverse events related to RTX are infusion-related reactions, such as fever, chills, urticaria, flushing, and headaches. However, RTX-induced lung disease (RTX-ILD) is a rare but potentially fatal adverse reaction, and diagnosing RTX-ILD is challenging, especially when accompanied by other rare adverse reactions, such as hepatitis. Here, we report a case of RTX-ILD with concomitant RTX-induced hepatitis in a 55-year-old man with follicular B-cell non-Hodgkin lymphoma who was on maintenance RTX therapy. The patient presented with a subacute, persistent dry cough, shortness of breath, fevers, and chills shortly after having traveled. Outpatient antibiotic therapy did not relieve symptoms, and laboratory studies revealed evidence of liver injury. A computed tomography (CT) of the chest showed predominately basilar airspace disease and ground glass opacities suggestive of multifocal pneumonia. Extensive infectious and autoimmune workups were negative. RTX-ILD with concomitant RTX-induced hepatitis was considered because antibiotic therapy did not resolve symptoms or improve signs of liver damage. Prednisone (1 mg/kg) led to symptom resolution and liver enzyme improvement. The patient underwent a 30-day steroid taper and the withholding of RTX infusions. A CT of the chest three months after discharge showed nearly resolved multifocal ground glass opacities. RTX-ILD should be considered after infectious and autoimmune etiologies have been ruled out for all patients on RTX therapy who experience symptoms of lung pathology or infection

Hepatotoxicity After CDK 4/6 Inhibitor Initiation in the Treatment of Hormone-Positive Metastatic Breast Cancer

Cancer cells proliferate using various mechanisms. One mechanism of preventing tumor cell growth is blockade of the cyclin-dependent kinase (CDK) 4/6 axis. Multiple CDK 4/6 inhibitors - ribociclib, palbociclib, and abemaciclib - have significantly improved progression-free survival rates. However, they can cause hepatotoxicity. We present a case of a 67-year-old female who was diagnosed with stage 1C invasive ductal carcinoma. She was treated with letrozole and ribociclib due to recurrence as metastatic disease, but within 10 days, she developed transaminitis. She then started palbociclib but experienced elevated transaminases within two weeks, needing discontinuation of palbociclib. Subsequent positron-emission tomography/computed tomography imaging showed disease progression, and she was started on fulvestrant. We considered adding abemaciclib, but the patient declined and has had stable disease for more than a year on fulvestrant. CDK 4/6 inhibitors are used to treat metastatic breast cancer and are generally well tolerated. The most common side effect is neutropenia; however, our patient developed transaminitis. The novelty of our case is the development of hepatotoxicity even after the introduction of another CDK 4/6 inhibitor, indicating at least some degree of class effect. In summary, CDK 4/6 inhibitors have significantly improved outcomes in hormone-positive metastatic breast cancers. However, a small percentage suffer from hepatic injury enough to warrant discontinuation of the drug, and we must continue to assess the risk versus benefit profile when offering them to our patients

Acute Myeloid Leukemia: The Race to Diagnosis and Treatment!

Introduction: Acute myeloid leukemia (AML) is one of the hematologic emergencies that require prompt treatment. Advanced changes in the molecular pathogenesis has been emerging with major impact on prognosis and treatment. FLT3 mutation is associated poor prognosis and early relapse in AML. Midostaurin is a multi-kinase inhibitor, when combined with induction 7+3 chemotherapy, improves the response rate and disease-free survival. Purpose: To evaluate our institution efficiency obtaining the appropriate molecular studies in AML cases at the time of diagnosis. Time is very sensitive in the management of acute myeloid leukemia. Induction chemotherapy should be administered once morphologic diagnosis is made. It requires high collaboration between the hematologist, pathologist and laboratory staff. Once molecular studies are available, the need for targeted therapy will be determined. next generation sequencing (NGS) is fast and comprehensive method in molecular analysis Methods: The electronic medical records were reviewed for all AML cases diagnosed between January 2016 and December 2018. Quality measures were defined by: Average duration between bone marrow biopsy and the morphology results, average duration between bone marrow biopsy and date of molecular order, the type of molecular study ordered, average duration between molecular order and available results. We investigated the delay in administering midostaurin in cases with FLT3 mutation. Results: Between January 2016 and December 2018, there was 86 AML cases diagnosed and treated in our hospital. All patients were admitted to the hospital. The average duration between bone marrow biopsy and morphology results is 3 days. Molecular studies were obtained in 65 cases (75.5%). In 2018, molecular studies were ordered in 91% of new AML cases. Molecular studies were ordered as: (NGS)-54 gene in 18 cases; the rest were ordered as custom panel. The average duration between the molecular order and result dates is 9.3 days. The Average duration between induction date and molecular results is 8.8 days. FLT 3 mutation analysis was included in 51 cases (59%) and was detected in 18 cases (21%). Midostaurin is administered in 13 cases. The average delay in administering midostaurin is 2.75 days. Discussion: Our institution experience has improved in the past 3 years increasing the rate of ordering molecular studies. However, there is an average 2.7-day delay in administering targeted therapy due to the delay ordering and getting the results in appropriate time manner. We suggested the following changes: 1. Standardize the order by obtaining NGS-54 gene panel on all Leukemia cases. 2. Discuss all new leukemia cases in multidisciplinary conference to ensure better communication. 3. Address the efficacy of these measures in new AML cases diagnosed in 2019.https://scholarlycommons.henryford.com/merf2019qi/1007/thumbnail.jp

Avaliação da qualidade da água do poço da Vila Bar-Bula, área do governo local de Tafawa Balewa, Estado de Bauchi, Nigéria

There was a report of health challenges in our study area due to the consumption of water from wells sited in the community. The research was aimed at assessing the water quality parameters of the wells consumed by the villagers towards providing information on the possible health implication(s) of its consumption. Two sampling sites were selected, well 1 and well 2, which were hitherto the sole sources of water in the village. Physicochemical and microbiological quality parameters of samples were done in order to assess their conformance with the specification of Nigerian Standard for drinking water quality (NIS 554-2015). The results indicated that all physical water quality parameters have their mean concentration values below the maximum permissible limits, except colour which had total mean concentrations of 16.5 ± 0.65 TCU and 15.3 ± 0.65 TCU for well 1 and well 2 respectively, are relatively above the allowable unit range of 15 TCU (NIS-554-2015). The water quality assessment of wells also revealed high concentration of Cadmium (0.11 mg L-1 and 0.16 mg L-1, for well 1 and 2 respectively as against 0.003 mg L-1 specified by standard) and Magnesium (185 mg L-1 and 105 mg L-1 for well 1 and 2 respectively as against the maximum permissible limit of 20 mg L-1 specified by the standard). The microbial values of samples fall below the maximum permissible limit prescribed by the NIS standard. From the study, it was concluded that the presence of Cadmium in the well waters indicated that the water is unfit for consumption.La investigación tuvo como objetivo evaluar los parámetros de calidad del agua de los pozos consumidos por los pobladores para brindar información sobre las posibles implicaciones para la salud de su consumo. Se seleccionaron dos sitios de muestreo, el pozo 1 y el pozo 2, que hasta ese momento eran las únicas fuentes de agua en el pueblo. Se realizaron parámetros de calidad fisicoquímicos y microbiológicos de las muestras para evaluar su cumplimiento con la especificación del Estándar Nigeriano para la Calidad del Agua Potable (NIS 554-2015). Los resultados indicaron que todos los parámetros físicos de la calidad del agua tienen sus valores de concentración promedio por debajo de los límites máximos permitidos, a excepción del color que tuvo concentraciones promedio totales de 16.5 ± 0.65 TCU y 15.3 ± 0.65 TCU para el pozo 1 y el pozo 2 respectivamente, están relativamente por encima del rango permitido de 15 unidades TCU (NIS-554-2015). La evaluación de la calidad del agua de los pozos también reveló una alta concentración de Cadmio (0.11 mg L-1 y 0.16 mg L-1, para el pozo 1 y 2, respectivamente, contra 0.003 mg L-1 especificado por la norma) y Magnesio (185 mg L-1 y 105 mg L-1 para pozo 1 y 2 respectivamente, con relación al límite máximo permitido de 20 mg L-1 especificado por la norma). Los valores microbianos de las muestras están por debajo del límite máximo permisible prescrito por la norma NIS. Del estudio se concluyó que la presencia de Cadmio en el agua de los pozos indica que el agua no es apta para el consumo.A pesquisa teve como objetivo avaliar os parâmetros de qualidade da água dos poços consumidos pelos moradores para fornecer informações sobre as possíveis implicações para a saúde de seu consumo. Dois locais de amostragem foram selecionados, poço 1 e poço 2, que até então eram as únicas fontes de água na aldeia. Parâmetros de qualidade físico-química e microbiológica das amostras, foram realizados para avaliar a sua conformidade com a especificação da Norma Nigeriana para a qualidade da água potável (NIS 554-2015). Os resultados indicaram que todos os parâmetros físicos de qualidade da água estão com seus valores médios de concentração abaixo dos limites máximos permitidos, exceto a cor que teve concentrações médias totais de 16,5 ± 0,65 TCU e 15,3 ± 0,65 TCU para o poço 1 e poço 2 respectivamente, estão relativamente acima do permitido faixa de unidade de 15 TCU (NIS-554-2015). A avaliação da qualidade da água dos poços também revelou alta concentração de Cádmio (0,11 mg L-1 e 0,16 mg L-1, para poço 1 e 2, respectivamente, contra 0,003 mg L-1 especificado pela norma) e Magnésio (185 mg L-1 e 105 mg L-1 para poço 1 e 2 respectivamente, em relação ao limite máximo permitido de 20 mg L-1 especificado pela norma). Os valores microbianos das amostras ficam abaixo do limite máximo permitido prescrito pelo padrão NIS. Do estudo concluiu-se que a presença de Cádmio nas águas dos poços indica que a água está imprópria para consumo

Comparison of nutritional values of brown and white beans in Jos North Local Government markets

Cowpea is an important bean which play significant role in the diets of Africans. It serves as a major source of protein in the absence of sufficient animal protein for the population. Two varieties (white and brown) of  cowpeas (Vigna unguiculata) were analyzed for their proximate and elemental contents. These varieties belong to the same species in the family leguminosae. The brown and white seeds were found to be nutritious. Both contained carbohydrate, protein, fibers and minerals such as calcium, magnesium, potassium, sodium, iron, zinc, manganese and copper. The crude protein was found to be 15.62 and 17.91% with the brown seeds having the higher amount. The carbohydrate content analyzed was found to be 56.80 and 60.57% with the  white seeds having the higher value. The crude lipid gave the least range which is 2.13 to 2.42%. The other parameters, moisture content, crude fiber and total ash contents were 3.56 to 5.08, 13.54 to 14.15 and 4.07 to 4.27%, respectively. Potassium and copper had the highest and lowest concentration in cowpea varieties ranging from 741 to 768 and 0.58 to 0.60 mg/100 g, respectively. There were significant (p<0.05) differences between the potassium, calcium, sodium, magnesium, manganese and zinc concentration of the cowpea varieties, except between iron and copper concentration.Key words: Vigna unguiculata, cowpeas, nutrition, minerals, vitamins