An Evaluation of Some Common Laboratory Materials by Xray Attenuation, for use as Human Tissue Substitutes

To develop readily available laboratory materials for probableuse as imaging phantoms or test objects, Laboratory MagnesiumSulphate (MgSO4) and Table salt (NaCl) were used in the ratio80:20% by weight with paraffin wax to form test materials(MgSO4:PW1) and (NaCl:PW2). Rice powder, gelatineseparately, and a combination of gelatine (20g in 100ml of warmwater) and 100g rice powder were also made into test objects.The ratios used were confirmed by matching differentconstituents by weight of the test samples with the web basedphoton interaction software XCOM designed by the NationalInstitute of Science and Technology, USA, to obtain closematching with tissue data. Each test object was made into 1 cmblocks for exposure to narrow beam x-rays over the diagnosticenergy range (50 – 150kV) under automatic exposure conditions.Good agreement within 10%, was found between the measuredand calculated values for four of the five tested samples.Matching of the tested materials with mass attenuationcoefficients of simulated tissue showed acceptable match at highphoton energies of 0.04 – 0,05 MeV and above for gelatine, PW1(paraffin wax + MgSO4.6H2O) and Rigel (Rice + gelatine). Thesematerials can therefore be used as tissue substitutes in imagequality studies

Citric acid Production from Agricultural Wastes using Aspergillus niger Isolated from some Locations within Kaduna Metropolis, Nigeria

This investigation was carried out to assess citric acid production by Aspergillus species isolated in some locations within Kaduna metropolis Nigeria using standard methods. Fungal isolates identified as Aspergillus niger were obtained from samples collected from four (4) different locations.  Isolates were subjected to substrate preference test using local substrates such as wheat straw, rice straw and potato peel powder. Wheat straw supported the highest growth value of 41%. Screening of A. niger isolates for the production of citric acid showed that the isolate from Kawo (Kw) gave the highest yield of citric acid (0.38g/100ml) on basal screening media. Optimization of pH and temperature were carried out and the optimum temperature and pH for citric acid production by isolate Kw was 30OC (0.65g/100ml) and pH 6.0. The wheat straw treated with 5 N HCl produced a high yield of citric acid with a value of 25.60g/kg while the untreated wheat straw produced a yield of 13.3g/kg. Molecular characterization to confirm the identity of the fungal isolates was carried out by the amplification and sequencing of the 5.8S gene of the ribosomal RNA and the two intergenic spacers ITS1 and ITS2 of the strains. By comparison (BLAST) of Aspergillus niger isolate to reference sequence in the gene bank, a sequence similarity of 99% to 100% of other Aspergillus niger strain was obtained. Various methods of strain improvement techniques could be adopted to increase citric acid production by the A. niger isolates obtained from this study

Sonographic Correlation of Liver Dimension and Anthropometric Variables of Height, Weight and Body Mass Index (BMI)

Background: Estimation of liver size can be used as an index to monitor various aspects of liver disease and response to therapy.Purpose: To evaluate the relationship between anthropometric variables (Height, Weight and Body Mass Index) with liver size was carried out in subjects with clinically and sonographically confirmed normal liver.Materials & Methods: This prospective sonographic study was carried out in Calabar, Uyo, Zaria and Makurdicosmopolitan cities of Nigeria. Scans were performed on 388 subjects and their liver sizes measured in the Midclavicular and anterior axillary lines, respectively. Patients’ heights and weights were also measured and used to calculate their respective body mass indices.Results: Mean liver diameter in the study population was 12.9±1.7cm (Range 9.2 – 15.2cm) and 11.6±1.7cm (Range 8.0 – 14.5cm) at the midclavicular and anterior axillary lines respectively. About 98.5 % of the study population had liver sizes ≤15.0cm while 1.5% had sizes at the upper limits of 15.3 – 16cm. Height and BMI appeared to have sone influence on liver size (r=+60; P<0.05, +0.65; P<0.05) respectively at the midclavicular line but not at the anterior axillary line. An insignificant relationship was observed with weight and liver size (r= +0.1; P<0.05) both in the MCL and AAL.Conclusion: Liver size is affected more by individual’s height and body mass index and less by their weight in the region studied

An Analysis of repeated examinations in conventional film–screen radiography (FSR).

Background: X-ray is an ionising form of radiation used inconventional radiography and this can result in deleterious biologicalchanges in the body if not regulated. Radiation safety is an importantpractice in a medical facility that utilizes radiation in any form fordiagnosis, intervention or treatment. Repeat of non-diagnosticradiographs add to the radiation received by the patient and thepersonnel. The committee on quality assurance in diagnostic X-rayrecommended a repeat rate of 5 – 7% or less.Purpose: The purpose of this study was to determine image repeatrate and the causes of repeat in a University Teaching Hospital.Materials and Methods: It was a prospective study involving allroutine radiographic cases in department over a two month periodduring which 1251 examinations were carried out. Radiographs wereassessed for diagnostic quality by Radiologists following the usualclinical protocols in radiology film review. The number ofradiographs in each examination type which did not meet diagnosticcriteria and therefore required repeat, were isolated and counted.Results are presented in simple percentages.Results: The overall repeat rate was 8.6%. The highest repeat ratewas observed in radiographs of the lumbosacral region (53.06%) andthe lowest rate in the leg (2%). Under-exposure was the leadingcause of repeat (41.67%), while film fog was the least cause(0.93%). Inappropriate selection of exposure factors and poor patientpositioning by radiographers who are mainly interns (n=8) andjunior radiographers (n=4) contributed most to the repeats. Patientfaults or poor darkroom practice were the other reasons for repeats.Conclusion: The rate of repeat is above the accepted limitsrecommended by the committee on quality assurance in diagnosticX-ray (5 – 7% or less). It has increased above the 4% previouslyobtained (1992 assessment). The rate can be reduced if the juniorcadre radiographers are better supervised and a quality assuranceprogram instituted

Epidemiology of ectopic pregnancy at Laquintinie Douala hospital (Cameroon): prevalence survey, clinical profile, therapeutic and transfusion issues

Background: Pregnancy is a serious pathology of the first trimester of pregnancy and is the leading cause of death. The objective of our work was to determine the hospital prevalence of ectopic pregnancy (EP), to describe the epidemiological, clinical and therapeutic profile given the often-haemorrhagic context at Laquintinie Hospital in Douala.Methods: We carried out a retrospective study over 10 years, from January 1st, 2007 to December 31st, 2016, using the operating theatre registers and the files of patients admitted during this period for ectopic pregnancy in the gynaecology and obstetrics department of the Laquintinie Hospital in Douala.Results: A total of 905 cases of EP for 32,595 deliveries were recorded, for an overall incidence of 2.8%. EP mainly affected the age group of 25 to 35 (60.6%), single people (57.9%) and housewives (46.6%). The risk factors found were similar to those of cervical cancer, namely multiple sexual partners (80.4%), the precocity of sexual intercourse under 18 years (54.1%) and sexually transmitted infections (52.5%). The symptomatic triad (pelvic pain, amenorrhea and metrorrhagia) was found in 46.1% of cases with a respective order of frequency of 96.9%, 77.3% and 63.6% The management was essentially surgical by radical laparotomy (97% of cases). Two of the 07 deaths were due to religious considerations.Conclusions: EP remains a frequent pathology in our environment with a heavy toll of tubal amputations and death

Benefits of sexual practice during pregnancy: myth or reality? Comparative study and outcome of childbirth in Douala (Cameroon)

Background: Pregnancy is the term used to describe the period in which a foetus develops in the uterus and lasts 40 weeks measured from the last menstrual period. Anatomic and physiologic changes in pregnant women usually make couples to change their emotional and sexual activities that may impact childbirth. There are few studies in our setting that describe the roles of sexual practice during pregnancy and maternal-foetal outcomes of childbirth.Objective of this study aimed at assessing the benefits of sexual practice during pregnancy in a target population and to assess the outcome.Methods: We carried out a comparative cross-sectional study from February 2018 to May 2018, at the maternity of Laquintinie Hospital in Douala. Socio-demographic, obstetric, sexual history in pregnancy, birth and neonatal data were collected using a structured questionnaire. Univariate and multivariate analyses were conducted at a 95% confidence interval.Results: A total of 300 respondents completed study and 69.6% were favourable to sexual intercourse during pregnancy. Induction or augmentation of labour was common in the unfavourable group [OR: 2.52 (1.53-4.15); p=0.004]. Almost one in two participants gave birth by caesarean section and the indications for caesarean section were similar in both groups. Participants without sexual intercourse in pregnancy had a 9-fold increased risk of perineal tears [OR: 8.99 (4.02-10.1); p=0.001] and 5.4-fold risk of cervical tears [OR: 5.44 (2.44-8.73); p=0.0001].Conclusions: Sexual practice in pregnancy appears to be protective against excessive use of oxytocin, perineal and cervical tears

Microfluidic Microcirculation Mimetic as a Tool for the Study of Rheological Characteristics of Red Blood Cells in Patients with Sickle Cell Anemia

Sickle cell disorder (SCD) is a multisystem disease with heterogeneous phenotypes. Al- though all patients have the mutated hemoglobin (Hb) in the SS phenotype, the severity and frequency of complications are variable. When exposed to low oxygen tension, the Hb molecule becomes dense and forms tactoids, which lead to the peculiar sickled shapes of the affected red blood cells, giving the disorder its name. This sickle cell morphology is responsible for the profound and widespread pathologies associated with this disorder, such as vaso-occlusive crisis (VOC). How much of the clinical manifestation is due to sickled erythrocytes and what is due to the relative contributions of other elements in the blood, especially in the microcapillary circulation, is usually not visualized and quantified for each patient during clinical management. Here, we used a microfluidic microcirculation mimetic (MMM), which has 187 capillary-like constrictions, to impose deformations on erythrocytes of 25 SCD patients, visualizing and characterizing the morpho-rheological properties of the cells in normoxic, hypoxic (using sodium meta-bisulfite) and treatment conditions (using hydroxyurea). The MMM enabled a patient-specific quantification of shape descriptors (circularity and roundness) and transit time through the capillary constrictions, which are readouts for morpho-rheological proper- ties implicated in VOC. Transit times varied significantly (p < 0.001) between patients. Our results demonstrate the feasibility of microfluidics-based monitoring of individual patients for personalized care in the context of SCD complications such as VOC, even in resource-constrained setting

Isolation, Purification and Characterization of Hyaluronidase and Phospholipase A2 Enzymes of Echis ocellatus and Naja nigricollis Snake Venoms

Issues related to snakebite has for long been of high economic and medical importance. Management and treatment of snake envenomation has always been an issue, especially in remote areas, where anti-snake venom and facilities for its storage are not available, coupled with the high specificity and instability of anti-venom. Venom enzymes are usually responsible for so many tissue necrotic activity after bite. This research was aimed at isolation, purification and characterization of Hyaluronidase and Phospholipase A2 (PLA2) Enzymes of Echis ocellatus and Naja nigricollis snake venoms. Isolation and purification of these enzymes were done using a two-step process which included gel filtration on Sephadex G-75, active fractions were applied to ion–exchange chromatography on DEAE (Diethylaminoethyl) cellulose. Individual active fractions of each venom, was then subjected to SDS–PAGE for molecular weight extrapolation. Enzyme characterization was done on the two isolated enzymes for the two snake venoms used. N. nigricollis enzymes were revealed to have an optimum temperature of 37 oC and 55oC, while that of E. ocellatus had 37 oC and 40oC, with a pH of 3.5 and 8.0 for both the venom enzymes. Velocity kinetics carried out shows that N. nigricollis PLA2 has the highest Vmax value of 30.567mg/min, while E. ocellatus PLA2 however has the highest Km value of 4.5378mg/ml. Purification and characterization done in this research has revealed/confirmed that these venoms contain Hyaluronidase and PLA2 enzymes, giving a better understanding of the enzymes which will aid in the management and treatment of snake envenomation from these snakes

Cyclic peptide production using a macrocyclase with enhanced substrate promiscuity and relaxed recognition determinants

This project was supported by grants from the ERC (no. 339367, MJ), BBSRC IBCatalyst (no. BB/M028526/1, MJ, WEH), BBSRC FoF (no. BB/M013669/1, MJ, WEH), IBioIC Exemplar (no. 2014-2-4, MJ, WEH), an AstraZeneca studentship (MJ, WEH, LT, KR), the Academy of Finland (no. 259505, DPF) and the SULSA leaders award (WEH). The authors like to thank the Aberdeen Proteomics Facility and the Aberdeen School of Natural and Computing Sciences MS Facility for LCMS analysis. Electronic supplementary information (ESI) available: Experimental section, Fig. S1–S60 and Tables S1–S3. See DOI: 10.1039/c7cc05913bPeer reviewedPublisher PD

Prevalence of tuberculous lesion in cattle slaughtered in Mubende district, Uganda

BACKGROUND: The aim of this study was to estimate the prevalence of gross pathology suggestive of bovine tuberculosis (TB-like lesions) and evaluate animal’s characteristics associated with the risk of having bovine TB-like lesions among cattle slaughtered in Mubende district in the Uganda cattle corridor. METHOD: We conducted a cross sectional study in which 1,576 slaughtered cattle in Mubende district municipal abattoir underwent post-mortem inspection between August 2013 and January 2014. The presence of bovine TB-like lesions in addition to the animal’s sex, age, breed, and sub-county of origin prior to slaughter were recorded. Associations between the presence of bovine TB-like lesions and animal’s age, sex, breed, and sub-county of origin prior to slaughter were initially analysed using a univariable approach with the chi-square test, and subsequently with a multivariable logistic regression model to assess the combined impact of these animal characteristics with the risk of having a bovine TB-like lesion. Additionally, and as a secondary objective, tissue samples were collected from all carcases that had a bovine TB-like lesion and were processed using standard Mycobacterium culture and identification methods. The culture and acid fast positive samples were tested using Capilia TB-neo® assay to identify Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex (MTC). RESULTS: Of 1,576 carcasses inspected, 9.7% (153/1,576) had bovine TB-like lesions from which Mycobacterium spp and Mycobacterium Tuberculosis Complex (MTC) were isolated in 13 (8.4%) and 12 (7.8%) respectively. Bovine TB-like lesions were more likely to be found in females (OR = 1.49, OR 95% CI: 1.06–2.13) and in older cattle (OR = 2.5, 95% CI: 1.64–3.7). When compared to Ankole cattle, Cross breed (OR = 6.5, OR 95% CI: 3.37–12.7) and Zebu cattle (OR = 2.57, 95% CI: 1.78–3.72) had higher odds of having bovine TB-like lesions. Animals from Kasanda (OR = 2.5, 95% CI: 1.52–4.17) were more likely to have bovine TB-like lesions than cattle from Kasambya. CONCLUSIONS: The findings of study reveals that approximately one in ten slaughtered cattle presents with gross pathology suggestive of bovine TB in Mubende district in the Uganda cattle corridor district, however, we isolated MTC in only 8.4% of these bovine TB-like lesions. Therefore, there is a need to understand the cause of all the other bovine TB-like lesions in order to safe guard diagnostic integrity of meat inspection in Uganda