Beneficial effects of omega-3 fatty acid on dyslipidemia in organs of alloxan-induced diabetic rats

Diabetes Mellitus is one of the heterogeneous metabolic disorders associated with dyslipidemia, a major risk factor contributing to cardiovascular disease. This metabolic abnormality affects virtually all organs. Over the years, antidiabetic drugs which majorly aim at the hyperglycemic aspect of the disease have been used. Therefore, to address this dyslipidemia, omega-3 fatty acid (O3FA) supplement was employed. Its effects on lipid metabolism in the organs (heart, liver, kidney, pancreas, spleen and brain) of alloxan-induced (150mg/kg body weight, intraperitoneally) diabetic male rats were investigated. O3FA (0.4g/kg b.wt/day) was administered as pre- and posttreatment for 2 weeks. The lipid levels were significantly increased (p<0.05) in diabetic rats. O3FA administration significantly reduced (p<0.05) the levels of cholesterol, phospholipids, triacylglycerol by varying extents, in the examined organs without affecting hyperglycemia in the diabetic rats. The ratio of HMG CoA/mevalonate decreased in the liver of the diabetic rats by 28% indicating increased activity of HMG-CoA reductase. This diabetes-induced dyslipidemia was accompanied by a 28% increase in the activity of hepatic HMG-CoA reductase. Administration of O3FA to the diabetic rats however resulted in 10% and 17% decrease in the activity of this enzyme in the pre- and post-treated groups respectively. Also, lipid peroxidation was significantly reduced (p<0.05) by O3FA suggesting that it has protective effect against oxidative damage. This study reveals that O3FAsupplement has beneficial effects in attenuating dyslipidemia observed in diabetes mellitus and could be beneficial as an adjunct in the management of diabetes mellitus

Streamlining Digital Modeling and Building Information Modelling (BIM) Uses for the Oil and Gas Projects

The oil and gas industry is a technology-driven industry. Over the last two decades, it has heavily made use of digital modeling and associated technologies (DMAT) to enhance its commercial capability. Meanwhile, the Building Information Modelling (BIM) has grown at an exponential rate in the built environment sector. It is not only a digital representation of physical and functional characteristics of a facility, but it has also made an impact on the management processes of building project lifecycle. It is apparent that there are many similarities between BIM and DMAT usability in the aspect of physical modeling and functionality. The aim of this study is to streamline the usage of both DMAT and BIM whilst discovering valuable practices for performance improvement in the oil and gas projects. To achieve this, 28 BIM guidelines, 83 DMAT academic publications and 101 DMAT vendor case studies were selected for review. The findings uncover (a) 38 BIM uses; (b) 32 DMAT uses and; (c) 36 both DMAT and BIM uses. The synergy between DMAT and BIM uses would render insightful references into managing efficient oil and gas’s projects. It also helps project stakeholders to recognise future investment or potential development areas of BIM and DMAT uses in their projects

Emergence and spread of two SARS-CoV-2 variants of interest in Nigeria.

Identifying the dissemination patterns and impacts of a virus of economic or health importance during a pandemic is crucial, as it informs the public on policies for containment in order to reduce the spread of the virus. In this study, we integrated genomic and travel data to investigate the emergence and spread of the SARS-CoV-2 B.1.1.318 and B.1.525 (Eta) variants of interest in Nigeria and the wider Africa region. By integrating travel data and phylogeographic reconstructions, we find that these two variants that arose during the second wave in Nigeria emerged from within Africa, with the B.1.525 from Nigeria, and then spread to other parts of the world. Data from this study show how regional connectivity of Nigeria drove the spread of these variants of interest to surrounding countries and those connected by air-traffic. Our findings demonstrate the power of genomic analysis when combined with mobility and epidemiological data to identify the drivers of transmission, as bidirectional transmission within and between African nations are grossly underestimated as seen in our import risk index estimates

Quantitation of Proteinuria in Women With Pregnancy Induced Hypertension: Is it Time to Abandon Use of Dipstick Strips for the Spot Urine Protein to Creatinine Ratio?

Context: The presence of significant proteinuria in Pregnancy Induced Hypertension is associated with worse maternal and fetal outcome. Unfortunately, Dipstick strips, currently used widely for detection and quantitation of proteinuria, have been shown to be unreliable. This creates the need for a more accurate method for early detection and quantitation of proteinuria. Objective:To compare the accuracy of the Spot urine Protein to Creatinine ratio with that of Dipstick Tests in the quantitation of proteinuria in Nigerian women with Pregnancy Induced Hypertension. Methods: A cross-sectional survey over a 6-month period involving 86 Nigerian women with Pregnancy Induced Hypertension. Outcome measures: False Positive rates, False Negative rates, Sensitivity, Specificity, Positive Predictive value, Negative Predictive value, and Accuracy. Result: The Spot urine Protein to Creatinine ratio showed better correlation with 24-hour urine protein measurement than Dipstick Tests. Comparatively, the False positive rates were 16.2% versus 53.7%, False Negative rates 6.1% versus 28.1%, Sensitivity 91.2% versus 73.5%, Specificity 88.5% versus 44.4%, Negative predictive values 93.9% versus 71.9%, and Accuracy 89.5% versus 55.8% respectively for the Spot urine Protein to Creatinine ratio and Dipstick Tests. Conclusion: The Spot Urine Protein to Creatinine ratio is much more accurate in the quantitation of proteinuria in Nigerian women with Pregnancy Induced Hypertension than the widely used Dipstick Tests. Key Words: Quantitation, Proteinuria, Pregnancy, Hypertension. [Trop J Obstet Gynaecol, 2004;21:136, 137, 140, 141

Maternal and neonatal characteristics affecting immediate outcomes of extremely low birth weight infants at Ido-Ekiti, Nigeria

Objective: This study aimed to evaluate the maternal and neonatal characteristics affecting the survival of Extremely Low Birth Weight (ELBW) infants at Federal Teaching Hospital, Ido-Ekiti (FETHI).Study design: A retrospective study in which the clinical records of ELBW infants admitted between January 2013 and December 2017 were reviewed. The main outcome was survival of the participants. The maternal and neonatal variables of discharged babies were compared with those that died using with Chi square analysis and Student’s t-tests. p-value was set at 0.05.Study Participants: All ELBW infants managed in FETHI during the study period.Results: 1236 babies were admitted into the neonatal unit during the study period out of which 33 (2.7%) were ELBW babies. The mean gestational age (GA) and mean birthweight (BW) of the ELBW babies were 27.2 ± 2.7 weeks and 780 ± 130g respectively. The overall survival rate was 30.3%. The mean GA of survivors versus non-survivors was 28.1 ± 1.7 weeks versus 26.8 ± 2.9 weeks (p = 0.210). The mean BW of the survivors was 870 ± 50g versus 740 ± 130g (p = 0.005) for the non-survivors. Significantly associated with survival were maternal age above 20 years (p &lt; 0.026), neonatal age at presentation less than 24 hours (p &lt;0.005) and BW ≥ 800g (p &lt;0.005).Conclusion: Though the survival of ELBW infants in this study is still low (30.3%); birthweight ≥ 800g, early hospital presentation and a maternal age greater than 20 years old greatly improve the chances of survival

Survey of the problems of girl child in Ekiti state, Nigeria

Objectives: To determine the prevalence of teenage pregnancy and knowledge of reproductive health problems among adolescent girls in Ekiti State, Southwest Nigeria.Methods: A cross-sectional community based study was conducted. Using convenient random sampling technique, four local government areas were selected. Eligible participants were both in and out of school children between the ages of 13 -18 years. A hundred respondents were sampled from each selected local government, making a total sample size of 400. Consenting participants were administered questionnaire in their homes by trained LGA enumerators. It elicited information on socio-demographic and reproductive health issues. Data collected were subsequently collated and analyzed.Results: Majority of the girls (78%) were still in-school. All were already menstruating, mostly attaining menarche between the age 15-16years. Only 212 (53%) could remember their last menstrual period. Sexual derby mainly occurred around age 15-16years; 53.3% were already sexually exposed. A quarter of respondents had been pregnant before. Only 187 (46.8%) were aware of modern contraception. The girls had a fair knowledge of implication of early sexual derby and unprotected intercourse, though it did not translate to behavioural change.Conclusion: There is a high prevalence of teenage pregnancy and poor reproductive health knowledge among teenagers in Ekiti State. More collective efforts involving parents, community heads, opinion leaders, civil societies and the state are needed to help our girls attain and sustain healthy reproductive behaviours