Assessment Of Renal Function In Malaria Patients In Minna, North Central Nigeria

Establishment of prevalence of malaria-associated renal impairment in Nigeria is important for proper prognosis and management of malaria and its associated complications. Using biuret method for protein estimation, alkaline picrate-slot method for creatinine and urea estimation, and flame photometry and titrimetric method for electrolytes estimation, selected kidney function parameters which included proteinuria, serum levels of urea, creatinine and electrolytes were determined in 169 malaria patients and in 58 individuals without malaria. Data obtained were analyzed using one-way analysis of variance to compare variation among malaria patients and individuals without malaria, Duncan multiple range test to compare variation among means, and correlation matrix to evaluate correlation between the parameters measured. Proteinuria in malaria cases differed significantly (p< 0.05) from individuals without malaria, and a positive correlation existed between proteinuria and parasitaemia. There was no significant difference (p>0.05) in the creatinine levels of malaria patients and those without malaria. It is concluded that there is a form of renal impairment associated with malaria infection in Minna irrespective of age and sex. Keywords: Malaria, Renal function, Assessment, ARF African Journal of Infectious Diseases Vol. 1 (1) 2007: pp. 57-6

Prediction of Aerodynamic Coefficients of Road Vehicles on Bridge Deck with and without Wind Protection by Means of CFD for Crosswind Stability Investigations

While planning a new bridge construction the risk of traffic accidents due to critical wind conditions should be carefully considered. The determination of aerodynamic forces and moments on vehicles is indispensable for stability investigations. However, the aerodynamic coefficients of vehicle-bridge systems depend on many factors which make it difficult to generalise the procedure. This paper is focusing on analysing a particular bridge geometry whereby aerodynamic coefficients were predicted by means of CFD. The accuracy of the numerical model was validated with the aid of experimental data from wind tunnel tests. Specifically, this work was conducted to investigate the effect of the wind barrier considering various wind flow angles and vehicle speeds. Mean forces and moments on the vehicle were analysed depending on both absolute and relative wind flows. The impact of performing relative motion between vehicle and bridge deck was investigated. Simulation results without wind barrier are qualitatively in good agreement with results found in literature. Nevertheless, the flow situation with wind barrier and relative motion is significantly more complex. Thus, CFD modelling has dominating advantages over wind tunnel tests in terms of both parameter variation and model accuracy. In this particular case CFD modelling is indeed essential in order to represent all possible wind flow angles and the relative motion between the vehicle and the bridge deck which remains difficult or rather hardly possible to perform in the wind tunnel

Toxicity study and effect of the leaf extract of Acacia nilotica on some biochemical parameters of Wistar albino rats

Plants are the primary source of human medications and knowledge on its toxicity is vital; this work evaluates the acute toxicity and effect of Acacia nilotica leaf crude extract on the liver and kidney functions. The mean lethal dose (LD50) was determined by Lorke’s method, while the crude extract effect was evaluated by biochemical and histo-pathological assessments. The LD50 value was 3807.89 mg/kg for both oral and intra-peritoneal route of administrations. An elevated serum urea above the normal reference value in both control and treated group upon administration of 1000 mg/kg of the extract with mean values of 7.92 ± 1.19 and 7.86 ± 1.14 mmol/l respectively was observed. The results of ALAT, ASAT, ALP, T.protein, Albumin, and bilirubin in all cases were within the normal values. The kidney and liver function parameters at higher extract concentrations of 500 and 1000 mg/kg/day and relative organ weight were statistically significant (p&lt; 0.05) and correlates with mild effect indicted on the histopathology of the organs. This study showed that administration of A. nilotica extract at 500 and 1000 mg/kg/day for an extended period could prompt hepatic and nephron toxicity

Satellite-cell pool size does matter: Defining the myogenic potency of aging skeletal muscle

AbstractThe deteriorating in vivo environment is thought to play a major role in reduced stem cell function with age. The capacity of stem cells to support tissue maintenance depends not only on their response to cues from the surrounding niche, but also on their abundance. Here, we investigate satellite cell (myogenic stem cell) pool size and its potential to participate in muscle maintenance through old age. The numbers and performance of mouse satellite cells have been analyzed using molecular markers that exclusively characterize quiescent satellite cells and their progeny as they transit through proliferation, differentiation and generation of reserve cells. The study establishes that abundance of resident satellite cells declines with age in myofibers from both fast- and slow-twitch muscles. Nevertheless, the inherent myogenic potential of satellite cells does not diminish with age. Furthermore, the aging satellite cell niche retains the capacity to support effective myogenesis upon enrichment of the mitogenic milieu with FGF. Altogether, satellite cell abundance, but not myogenic potential, deteriorates with age. This study suggests that the population of satellite cells that participate in myofiber maintenance during routine muscle utilization is not fully replenished throughout life

Interleukin-3Rα+ Myeloid Dendritic Cells and Mast Cells Develop Simultaneously from Different Bone Marrow Precursors in Cultures with Interleukin-3

The distinct developmental routes of dendritic cells and mast cells from murine bone marrow cultures with interleukin-3 are unclear. We found that short-term bone marrow cultures with interleukin-3 after 8–10 d consist of about 10%–30% dendritic cells and 70%–90% mast cell precursors, and only after 4–6 wk do homogeneous populations of mast cells emerge. Phenotypical and functional analysis of interleukin-3/dendritic cells revealed a high similarity with myeloid dendritic cells generated with granulocyte-macrophage colony stimulating factor in the expression of myeloid dendritic cell markers (CD11c+ B220– CD8α– CD11b+), major histocompatibility complex II and costimulatory molecules, endocytosis, maturation potential, interleukin-12 production, and T cell priming. Interleukin-3/dendritic cells expressed higher levels of interleukin-3 receptor, however. To dissect the interleukin-3/dendritic cell and mast cell development, we sorted fresh bone marrow cells into six subsets by the antibodies ER-MP12 (CD31) and ER-MP20 (Ly-6C). Both interelukin-3/dendritic cells and granulocyte-macrophage colony stimulating factor/dendritic cells develop from the same bone marrow populations, including the ER-MP12neg, ER-MP20high bone marrow monocytes. In contrast, mast cells only developed from ER-MP12int+high, ER-MP20neg bone marrow cell subsets, indicating that different precursors exist for interleukin-3/dendritic cells and mast cells. Established mast cell cultures could not be converted to dendritic cells or stimulated to express major histocompatibility complex II molecules in vitro or home to lymph node T cell areas in vivo. In summary, we show that dendritic cells generated from bone marrow precursors with interleukin-3 are clearly myeloid and develop via a different pathway compared to bone marrow mast cells

K Corrections For Type Ia Supernovae and a Test for Spatial Variation of the Hubble Constant

Cross-filter K corrections for a sample of "normal" Type Ia supernovae (SNe) have been calculated for a range of epochs. With appropriate filter choices, the combined statistical and systematic K correction dispersion of the full sample lies within 0.05 mag for redshifts z<0.7. This narrow dispersion of the calculated K correction allows the Type Ia to be used as a cosmological probe. We use the K corrections with observations of seven SNe at redshifts 0.3 < z <0.5 to bound the possible difference between the locally measured Hubble constant (H_L) and the true cosmological Hubble constant (H_0).Comment: 6 pages, 3 Postscript figures, uuencoded uses crckapb.sty and psfig.sty. To appear in Thermonuclear Supernovae (NATO ASI), eds. R. Canal, P. Ruiz-LaPuente, and J. Isern. Postscript version is also available at http://www-supernova.lbl.gov

Implications For The Hubble Constant from the First Seven Supernovae at z >= 0.35

The Supernova Cosmology Project has discovered over twenty-eight supernovae (SNe) at 0.35 <z < 0.65 in an ongoing program that uses Type Ia SNe as high-redshift distance indicators. Here we present measurements of the ratio between the locally observed and global Hubble constants, H_0^L/H_0^G, based on the first 7 SNe of this high-redshift data set compared with 18 SNe at z <= 0.1 from the Calan/Tololo survey. If Omega_M <= 1, then light-curve-width corrected SN magnitudes yield H_0^L/H_0^G < 1.10 (95% confidence level) in both a Lambda=0 and a flat universe. The analysis using the SNe Ia as standard candles without a light-curve-width correction yields similar results. These results rule out the hypothesis that the discrepant ages of the Universe derived from globular clusters and recent measurements of the Hubble constant are attributable to a locally underdense bubble. Using the Cepheid-distance-calibrated absolute magnitudes for SNe Ia of Sandage (1996}, we can also measure the global Hubble constant, H_0^G. If Omega_M >= 0.2, we find that H_0^G < 70 km/s/Mpc in a Lambda=0 universe and H_0^G < 78 km/s/Mpc in a flat universe, correcting the distant and local SN apparent magnitudes for light curve width. Lower results for H_0^G are obtained if the magnitudes are not width corrected.Comment: 13 pages, 2 Postscript figures. Preprint also available at http://www-supernova.lbl.gov . To appear in ApJ Letter

Valorificarea reziduului vegetal de seminţe de struguri rezultat din procesele extractive ale compuşilor fenolici

The stepwise extraction process of phenolic compounds from grape seeds ultimately leads to the production of a residue rich in protein, cellulose and substances without nitrogen which can be biodegraded in nature by microorganisms from the soil. The purpose of this research was to verify whether the vegetable residue of grape seeds, resulting from the extraction of polymerized proanthocyanidins can be used as an organic fertilizer in the soil. The soil biodegradation process was assessed by microbiological analysis and analysis of current and potential dehydrogenase activity. The results obtained showed that the vegetal residue led to the increaseof the number of soil microorganisms involved in the nitrogen circuit and carbon, as a result of the triggering of the biodegradation process as well as its non-polluting effect supported by current and potential dehydrogenase activity determined in dynamicsover a year in experimental plots