Methylene Blue Dye Adsorption in Aqueous System using Microcrystalline Cellulose obtained from Sugarcane Bagasse

Microcrystalline cellulose (MCC) was prepared from sugarcane bagasse (SCB) after alkali extraction with sodium hydroxide (NaOH). The prepared MCC was treated with methylene blue solution. Batch experiments were performed to investigate the effect of contact time, initial dye concentration, pH and adsorbent dosage on methylene blue adsorption. The result shows that the adsorption of methylene blue dye onto the adsorbent was influenced by adsorbent dose, dye concentration, contact time and pH values. For higher removal of dye from simulated wastewater, adsorbent dose of 0.4g and dye concentration of 200 mg/l gave optimum adsorption with percentage removal (% R) of 87.19. The adsorption capacity of methylene dye increased with increase in contact time. Also, the duration and pH for optimum adsorption were at 120 mins and pH 9 respectively. The experiment data fitted well into Freundlich isotherm. The results of this work revealed that microcrystalline cellulose from sugarcane bagasse is a potential alternative non-conventional adsorbent for treating dye effluent

A review of quality of life studies in Nigerian patients with psychiatric disorders

The concept of Quality of Life is becoming an increasingly important measure of the impact of psychiatric disorders and is now recognized as useful in the healthcare evaluation of patients with psychiatric disorders. The aim of this review was to document and analyze the research data on quality of life in Nigerian patients with psychiatric disorders. The electronic databases, Medline and Pubmed were searched for published articles on quality of life in Nigerian patients with psychiatric disorders. A total of 6studies met the inclusion criteria. All the studies employed the generic World Health Organization Quality of Life Scale – Brief version, which is the only quality of life instrument whose psychometric properties have been evaluated among Nigerian patients with psychiatric disorders. Some of the studies revealed that quality of life was significantly associated with socio demographic factors such marital and employment status and social support. Poor quality of life was reported to be associated with illnessrelated factors such as co morbid medical problems, presence of anxiety and depressive symptoms and non adherence to medications. All the studies with the exception of two were conducted in centers located in South-western Nigeria. Quality of life in Nigerian patients suffering from psychiatric disorders is under-researched. There is need for more studies to prospectively investigate quality of life and associated factors among Nigerian patients with psychiatric disorders.Keywords: Quality of life; Review; Nigeria; Psychiatric disorder

Effect of metal poisoning and the implications of gender and age on the elemental composition in patients with mental behavioural disorders

The objective of this work was to investigate the possible correlation between the exposure to selected toxic metals and the behavioural disorder of mentally ill patients. The study also sought to establish if gender and age of the patient had an effect on the pattern of the elemental distribution in their head hair and blood samples. To achieve this, the concentrations of a number of selected toxic metal elements were determined in 60 mentally ill patients and 43 healthy individuals (control) in Ile-Ife area, in Nigeria, using inductively coupled plasma spectrophotometer-optical emission spectrometer (ICP-OES). The behavioural disorder cases investigated were 8 bipolar, 2 post partum psychosis, 43 schizophrenia and 7 non-specific cases. The concentration ranges of Cu, Zn, Ca, Li, V, Be (for both males and females), Cd and Sr (for females only) as analyzed from the patients’ head hair with behavioural disorders, were found to be similar with those of the controls. However, the concentration ranges of Al, Ba, Mg, Cr and Cd, Sr (for males only) were higher in patients than in the controls, while those for K and Fe were found to be higher in the controls than in the patients for both males and females. Blood samples analysis showed that, nearly all the elements were higher in the female (patients and control) than in the males; a possible indication that women may be at greater risk than men. It was also shown that, age may have an influence on the accumulation of some specific elements. The accuracy of the analytical results was experimentally demonstrated by NCS DC 73347 certified reference material that was analyzed along the standards while the significance of the data obtained was tested statistically at both p = 0.01 and 0.05.Key words: Toxic metals, behavioural disorder, gender, age, inductively coupled plasma-optical emission spectrometer

Prevalence, pattern and risk factors for work-related musculoskeletal disorders among Nigerian plumbers

Plumbing work is more manually driven in low-and-middle income countries (LMICs), and the prevalence of work-related musculoskeletal disorders (WMSDs) among workers who engage in plumbing in LMICs may be worse than earlier reports from developed countries. This study aimed to assess the prevalence, pattern and risk factors for work-related musculoskeletal disorders (WMSDs) among Nigerian plumbers. A total of 130 consenting plumber participated in this cross-sectional study. The Nordic Musculoskeletal questionnaire and the Job Factor Questionnaire were used to assess information on prevalence and pattern of WMSDs; and perceptions regarding work-related risks factors for WMSDs. Descriptive (mean, frequency, range, percentage and standard deviation) and inferential (Chi-square) statistics were used to analyze data. Alpha level was set at p<0.05. The mean age of the respondents is 36.56 ± 10.418 years. The mean years of experience and working hours per day are 14.15 ± 9.161 years and 8.28 ± 2.512 hours. Job characteristics were mostly installation of pipes and fixtures (99.2%), equipment and fixtures prior to installation (96.9%), and testing of plumbing system for leaks (88.5%). 12-month and 7-day prevalence of WMSDS were 84.6% and 50.8%. Low-back (63.8%), neck (55.4%) and knee (50%) were the most affected body sites. Having WMSDs limits normal activities involving the low-back (32.3%), knee (25.4%) and neck (23.8%). There was significant association between 12-month prevalence of WMSDs and use of saws and pipe cutters (χ2 = 4.483; p = 0.034), while sites of affectation had significant association with 12-month and 7-day prevalence of WMSDs (p<0.05) respectively. Nigerian plumbers have a high prevalence of WMSDs affecting most commonly the low back, neck and knee. Plumbing job factors pose mild to moderate risk to developing WMSDs, and use of saws and pipe cutters significantly influence WMSDs

Development and feasibility testing of a remote support application for adherence to home exercise programs: a randomized pilot study

Objectives: Poor adherence to home exercise programs (HEPs) is a significant barrier to continuity of care and eventual outcomes, thus requiring innovative mitigating approaches. This study aimed to develop and test the feasibility of a remote support application (RSA) designed to encourage adherence to HEPs. Methods: Using standard computer programing, an RSA with administrator and user interfaces was developed for mobile phone or tablet. Consenting patients receiving physiotherapy for musculoskeletal conditions (n=19) were randomly assigned into the experimental group (n=10) or the control group (n=9). The experimental group received their customized HEP reminders via the RSA, whereas the control group used conventional paper handouts for HEPs. Adherence to HEPs was assessed over 4 weeks. The feasibility of the RSA was assessed using the Mobile Application Rating Scale and System Usability Scale (SUS) questionnaires. Data were summarized using descriptive and inferential statistics. Results: The adherence rate of patients in experimental group was significantly higher than that of patients in the control group after 2 weeks [median diff.=−6.0, 95% confidence interval (CI): −8.0 to −5.0; U=5.00; Z=−3.304; P=0.001; r=0.75] and 4 weeks (median diff.=−7.0, 95% CI: −8.0 to −5.0; U=0; Z=−3.695; P<0.001; r=0.84) of intervention. The RSA had a mean SUS score of 82.53±9.04 (out of 100) and a mean app quality rating score of 75.95±4.98 (out of 95). Conclusions: The use of an RSA to improve adherence to HEPs is feasible for patients with musculoskeletal conditions

The Clinical and Cost-Effectiveness of Telerehabilitation for People With Nonspecific Chronic Low Back Pain: Randomized Controlled Trial

Background: Telerehabilitation can facilitate multidisciplinary management for people with nonspecific chronic low back pain (NCLBP). It provides health care access to individuals who are physically and economically disadvantaged. Objective: This study aimed to evaluate the clinical and cost-effectiveness of telerehabilitation compared with a clinic-based intervention for people with NCLBP in Nigeria. Methods: A cost-utility analysis alongside a randomized controlled trial from a health care perspective was conducted. Patients with NCLBP were assigned to either telerehabilitation-based McKenzie therapy (TBMT) or clinic-based McKenzie therapy (CBMT). Interventions were carried out 3 times weekly for a period of 8 weeks. Patients’ level of disability was measured using the Oswestry Disability Index (ODI) at baseline, week 4, and week 8. To estimate the health-related quality of life of the patients, the ODI was mapped to the short-form six dimensions instrument to generate quality-adjusted life years (QALYs). Health care resource use and costs were assessed based on the McKenzie extension protocol in Nigeria in 2019. Descriptive and inferential data analyses were also performed to assess the clinical effectiveness of the interventions. Bootstrapping was conducted to generate the point estimate of the incremental cost-effectiveness ratio (ICER). Results: A total of 47 patients (TBMT, n=21 and CBMT, n=26), with a mean age of 47 (SD 11.6) years for telerehabilitation and 50 (SD 10.7) years for the clinic-based intervention, participated in this study. The mean cost estimates of TBMT and CBMT interventions per person were 22,200 naira (US $61.7) and 38,200 naira (US$106), respectively. QALY gained was 0.085 for TBMT and 0.084 for CBMT. The TBMT arm was associated with an additional 0.001 QALY (95% CI 0.001 to 0.002) per participant compared with the CBMT arm. Thus, the ICER showed that the TBMT arm was less costly and more effective than the CBMT arm. Conclusions: The findings of the study suggested that telerehabilitation for people with NCLBP was cost saving. Given the small number of participants in this study, further examination of effects and costs of the interventions is needed within a larger sample size. In addition, future studies are required to assess the cost-effectiveness of this intervention in the long term from the patient and societal perspective

Effect of metal poisoning and the implications of gender and age on the elemental composition in patients with mental behavioural disorders

The objective of this work was to investigate the possible correlation between the exposure to selected toxic metals and the behavioural disorder of mentally ill patients. The study also sought to establish if gender and age of the patient had an effect on the pattern of the elemental distribution in their head hair and blood samples. To achieve this, the concentrations of a number of selected toxic metal elements were determined in 60 mentally ill patients and 43 healthy individuals (control) in Ile-Ife area, in Nigeria, using inductively coupled plasma spectrophotometer-optical emission spectrometer (ICP-OES). The behavioural disorder cases investigated were 8 bipolar, 2 post partum psychosis, 43 schizophrenia and 7 non-specific cases. The concentration ranges of Cu, Zn, Ca, Li, V, Be (for both males and females), Cd and Sr (for females only) as analyzed from the patients’ head hair with behavioural disorders, were found to be similar with those of the controls. However, the concentration ranges of Al, Ba, Mg, Cr and Cd, Sr (for males only) were higher in patients than in the controls, while those for K and Fe were found to be higher in the controls than in the patients for both males and females. Blood samples analysis showed that, nearly all the elements were higher in the female (patients and control) than in the males; a possible indication that women may be at greater risk than men. It was also shown that, age may have an influence on the accumulation of some specific elements. The accuracy of the analytical results was experimentally demonstrated by NCS DC 73347 certified reference material that was analyzed along the standards while the significance of the data obtained was tested statistically at both p = 0.01 and 0.05

The use of mono- and combination drug therapy in men and women with lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS) in the UK: a retrospective observational study

Background: Combination drug therapy for lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS) is beneficial to selected patients and recommended by guidelines. Patterns of real-world LUTS drug use, especially combination drug therapy, have not been studied extensively. Moreover, further understanding of the recent landscape is required following the introduction of the beta-3-adrenoceptor agonist mirabegron in the UK in 2013 for overactive bladder (OAB). The objective was to describe mono- and combination drug therapy use for LUTS in patients in UK clinical practice. Methods: This was a retrospective, descriptive, observational database study using UK Clinical Practice Research Datalink GOLD and linked databases. Men and women ≥ 18 years with a first prescription for any LUTS drug from 2014 to 2016 with ≥ 12 months continuous enrollment pre- and post-index date were included. Primary endpoints were mono- or combination drug therapy use for LUTS in male and female cohorts. Secondary endpoints were description of treatment prescribed, treatment persistence and patient demographics. Data were analyzed descriptively. Sub-cohorts were defined by drugs prescribed at index date. Results: 79,472 patients (61.3% male) were included, based on index treatments. Of all men, 82.5% received any benign prostatic obstruction (BPO) drug, 25.4% any OAB drug, and 7.9% any BPO drug plus any OAB drug. As either mono- or combination drug therapy, 77.1% received an alpha-blocker, 18.9% a 5-alpha reductase inhibitor, 23.9% an antimuscarinic agent, and 2.1% mirabegron. Of all women, 94.5% received any OAB drug, 6.0% duloxetine, and 0.5% any OAB drug plus duloxetine. As either mono- or combination drug therapy, 87.7% received an antimuscarinic, and 9.7% mirabegron. In men or women receiving OAB treatment, approximately 2.5% received combination drug therapy with an antimuscarinic agent and mirabegron. For OAB drug monotherapies, mirabegron had the highest persistence in both male and female cohorts. Conclusions: This study provides a better understanding of the recent landscape of LUTS drug use in UK clinical practice. It highlights potential undertreatment of storage symptoms in men with LUTS and the low use of combination OAB treatments