Prevalence of, and attitude towards, needle-stick injuries by Nigerian gynaecological surgeons

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A Scheduling Scheme to Improve QoS Provisioning for IP traffic

Output Queuing (OQ) and Input Queuing (IQ) are the two basic queuing strategies implemented in routers. IQ has been identified as the simplest and the most scalable. However, IQ achieves only 58.6% throughput due to the Head Of Line (HOL) blocking effect. The Virtual Output Queuing (VOQ) strategy is a proffered solution to the HOL blocking. It has been shown that VOQ can achieve a 100% throughput with an effective scheduling algorithm. This paper proposes a Multi stage Queuing and Scheduling strategy which implements VOQ at the input and OQ at the output of the router. The scheduling algorithm for the VOQ proposed in this paper is an Iterative Probabilistic Scheduling

Therapeutic effects of hydro-ethanolic extract of nigella sativa (black seed) on some haematological parameters of Albino rats after lead exposure

Lead poisoning is a great public health concern in Africa and Nigeria, especially regions where illegal mining activities occurs such as widespread gold ore mining in Zamfara by artisan miners using rudimentary and unsafe processing techniques. Lead (Pb) which often have no biological function remain in the system causes havoc and distortion of normal physiologic functions. Currently, the toxic effects of lead poisoning are clinically treated using chelation therapy which have been associated with many side effects and setbacks. Since ancient times, medicinal plants have been used as a major source of treatment for numerous human diseases. Plants that possess hematinic and antioxidant properties in the plant kingdom are often used in such scenarios. One of such plants is Nigella sativa commonly known as black cumin. Objectives: In this study, therapeutic effects of hydroethanolic extracts of Nigella sativa was assessed on hematological parameters of lead- poisoned albino rats as a curative therapy for management of lead poisoning. Method: Thirty- five (35) adult albino wistar rats of both sexes were used for this study. Group I (Normal control) received 2ml/kg of distilled water, Group II (Negative control), Group III treated with 10 mg/kg of Meso-2,3 Dimercaptosuccinic acid (DMSA), IV treated with 200 mg/kg of Nigella sativa seed extract, V treated with 400 mg/kg of Nigella sativa seed extract, and VI treated with 800mg/kg of Nigella sativa seed extract for Group VII (Recovery) were allowed to recover without treatment. The study lasted for a duration of 21days. Blood samples were collected from the rats through cardiac puncture after anesthetizing the animals and analysed for haematological parameters which included RBC count, PCV, Hb concentration, platelet count, WBC profile and haematological indices using an automated digital blood analyser. Results: Nigella sativa seed extract significantly (P<0.05) reversed the adverse effect of Lead exposure on RBC count, PCV, Hb concentration, platelet count, WBC profile and haematological indices. Conclusion: Nigella sativa showed therapeutic effects on hematological parameters and indices of lead poisoned albino rats

The association between alcohol use, alcohol use disorders and tuberculosis (TB). A systematic review

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>In 2004, tuberculosis (TB) was responsible for 2.5% of global mortality (among men 3.1%; among women 1.8%) and 2.2% of global burden of disease (men 2.7%; women 1.7%). The present work portrays accumulated evidence on the association between alcohol consumption and TB with the aim to clarify the nature of the relationship.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>A systematic review of existing scientific data on the association between alcohol consumption and TB, and on studies relevant for clarification of causality was undertaken.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>There is a strong association between heavy alcohol use/alcohol use disorders (AUD) and TB. A meta-analysis on the risk of TB for these factors yielded a pooled relative risk of 2.94 (95% CI: 1.89-4.59). Numerous studies show pathogenic impact of alcohol on the immune system causing susceptibility to TB among heavy drinkers. In addition, there are potential social pathways linking AUD and TB. Heavy alcohol use strongly influences both the incidence and the outcome of the disease and was found to be linked to altered pharmacokinetics of medicines used in treatment of TB, social marginalization and drift, higher rate of re-infection, higher rate of treatment defaults and development of drug-resistant forms of TB. Based on the available data, about 10% of the TB cases globally were estimated to be attributable to alcohol.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>The epidemiological and other evidence presented indicates that heavy alcohol use/AUD constitute a risk factor for incidence and re-infection of TB. Consequences for prevention and clinical interventions are discussed.</p

Prevalence and Predictors of Tuberculosis Coinfection among HIV-Seropositive Patients Attending the Aminu Kano Teaching Hospital, Northern Nigeria

Background: The HIV/AIDS epidemic has been accompanied by a severe epidemic of tuberculosis (TB), although the prevalence of coinfection is largely unknown, especially in developing countries, including Nigeria. The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence and predictors of TB coinfection among HIV-seropositive Nigerians. Methods: The case files of HIV/AIDS patients attending Aminu Kano Teaching Hospital, Nigeria from January to December 2006 were reviewed. Results: A total of 1320 HIV/AIDS patients had complete records and were reviewed, among which 138 (10.5%) were coinfected with TB (95% CI, 8.9% to 12.2%). Pulmonary TB was diagnosed in 103 (74.6%) patients, among whom only 18 (17.5%) were sputum-positive. Fifty (36.2%) coinfected patients had some type of extrapulmonary TB (EPTB); 15 had both pulmonary TB and EPTB. Among the 35 patients with EPTB only, 20 (57.1%) had abdominal TB, 5 (14.3%) had TB adenitis, 5 (14.3%) had spinal TB, 3 (8.6%) were being monitored for tuberculous meningitis, and 1 (2.9%) each had renal TB and tuberculous adrenalitis. The highest prevalence of TB, 13.7% (n = 28), was seen among patients aged 41–50 years. TB coinfection was significantly associated with marital status, WHO clinical stage, and CD4 count. Marital status (OR, 2.1; 95% CI, 1.28–3.59; P = 0.04), WHO clinical stage at presentation (4.81; 1.42–8.34; P = 0.001), and baseline CD4 count (2.71; 1.51–6.21; P = 0.02) remained significant predictors after adjustment for confounding. Conclusions: The moderately high prevalence of TB among HIV-seropositive patients underscores the urgent need for strategies that lead to rapid identification and treatment of coinfection with active or latent TB

Global burden of 288 causes of death and life expectancy decomposition in 204 countries and territories and 811 subnational locations, 1990–2021: a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2021

BACKGROUND Regular, detailed reporting on population health by underlying cause of death is fundamental for public health decision making. Cause-specific estimates of mortality and the subsequent effects on life expectancy worldwide are valuable metrics to gauge progress in reducing mortality rates. These estimates are particularly important following large-scale mortality spikes, such as the COVID-19 pandemic. When systematically analysed, mortality rates and life expectancy allow comparisons of the consequences of causes of death globally and over time, providing a nuanced understanding of the effect of these causes on global populations. METHODS The Global Burden of Diseases, Injuries, and Risk Factors Study (GBD) 2021 cause-of-death analysis estimated mortality and years of life lost (YLLs) from 288 causes of death by age-sex-location-year in 204 countries and territories and 811 subnational locations for each year from 1990 until 2021. The analysis used 56 604 data sources, including data from vital registration and verbal autopsy as well as surveys, censuses, surveillance systems, and cancer registries, among others. As with previous GBD rounds, cause-specific death rates for most causes were estimated using the Cause of Death Ensemble model-a modelling tool developed for GBD to assess the out-of-sample predictive validity of different statistical models and covariate permutations and combine those results to produce cause-specific mortality estimates-with alternative strategies adapted to model causes with insufficient data, substantial changes in reporting over the study period, or unusual epidemiology. YLLs were computed as the product of the number of deaths for each cause-age-sex-location-year and the standard life expectancy at each age. As part of the modelling process, uncertainty intervals (UIs) were generated using the 2·5th and 97·5th percentiles from a 1000-draw distribution for each metric. We decomposed life expectancy by cause of death, location, and year to show cause-specific effects on life expectancy from 1990 to 2021. We also used the coefficient of variation and the fraction of population affected by 90% of deaths to highlight concentrations of mortality. Findings are reported in counts and age-standardised rates. Methodological improvements for cause-of-death estimates in GBD 2021 include the expansion of under-5-years age group to include four new age groups, enhanced methods to account for stochastic variation of sparse data, and the inclusion of COVID-19 and other pandemic-related mortality-which includes excess mortality associated with the pandemic, excluding COVID-19, lower respiratory infections, measles, malaria, and pertussis. For this analysis, 199 new country-years of vital registration cause-of-death data, 5 country-years of surveillance data, 21 country-years of verbal autopsy data, and 94 country-years of other data types were added to those used in previous GBD rounds. FINDINGS The leading causes of age-standardised deaths globally were the same in 2019 as they were in 1990; in descending order, these were, ischaemic heart disease, stroke, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and lower respiratory infections. In 2021, however, COVID-19 replaced stroke as the second-leading age-standardised cause of death, with 94·0 deaths (95% UI 89·2-100·0) per 100 000 population. The COVID-19 pandemic shifted the rankings of the leading five causes, lowering stroke to the third-leading and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease to the fourth-leading position. In 2021, the highest age-standardised death rates from COVID-19 occurred in sub-Saharan Africa (271·0 deaths [250·1-290·7] per 100 000 population) and Latin America and the Caribbean (195·4 deaths [182·1-211·4] per 100 000 population). The lowest age-standardised death rates from COVID-19 were in the high-income super-region (48·1 deaths [47·4-48·8] per 100 000 population) and southeast Asia, east Asia, and Oceania (23·2 deaths [16·3-37·2] per 100 000 population). Globally, life expectancy steadily improved between 1990 and 2019 for 18 of the 22 investigated causes. Decomposition of global and regional life expectancy showed the positive effect that reductions in deaths from enteric infections, lower respiratory infections, stroke, and neonatal deaths, among others have contributed to improved survival over the study period. However, a net reduction of 1·6 years occurred in global life expectancy between 2019 and 2021, primarily due to increased death rates from COVID-19 and other pandemic-related mortality. Life expectancy was highly variable between super-regions over the study period, with southeast Asia, east Asia, and Oceania gaining 8·3 years (6·7-9·9) overall, while having the smallest reduction in life expectancy due to COVID-19 (0·4 years). The largest reduction in life expectancy due to COVID-19 occurred in Latin America and the Caribbean (3·6 years). Additionally, 53 of the 288 causes of death were highly concentrated in locations with less than 50% of the global population as of 2021, and these causes of death became progressively more concentrated since 1990, when only 44 causes showed this pattern. The concentration phenomenon is discussed heuristically with respect to enteric and lower respiratory infections, malaria, HIV/AIDS, neonatal disorders, tuberculosis, and measles. INTERPRETATION Long-standing gains in life expectancy and reductions in many of the leading causes of death have been disrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic, the adverse effects of which were spread unevenly among populations. Despite the pandemic, there has been continued progress in combatting several notable causes of death, leading to improved global life expectancy over the study period. Each of the seven GBD super-regions showed an overall improvement from 1990 and 2021, obscuring the negative effect in the years of the pandemic. Additionally, our findings regarding regional variation in causes of death driving increases in life expectancy hold clear policy utility. Analyses of shifting mortality trends reveal that several causes, once widespread globally, are now increasingly concentrated geographically. These changes in mortality concentration, alongside further investigation of changing risks, interventions, and relevant policy, present an important opportunity to deepen our understanding of mortality-reduction strategies. Examining patterns in mortality concentration might reveal areas where successful public health interventions have been implemented. Translating these successes to locations where certain causes of death remain entrenched can inform policies that work to improve life expectancy for people everywhere. FUNDING Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation

Metabolic and biofungicidal properties of maize rhizobacteria for growth promotion and plant disease resistance

Plant growth promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR) are known to influence plant growing both by direct and/or indirect mechanisms. This study aimed to establish PGPR profile of 15 bacteria isolated from maize (Zea mays L.) rhizosphere in Benin. These rhizobacteria were screened in vitro for the  plant growth promoting traits like production of indole acetic acid (IAA), ammonia (NH3), hydrogen cyanide (HCN), catalase, exopolysaccharides and antifungal activity against phytopathogenic fungi for example Fusarium verticillioides, that is an important maize pathogenic. Most rhizobacteria strains were found to produce catalase (100%), exopolysaccharides (100%), ammonia (86.66%), hydrogen cyanide (80%) and indole acetic acid (60%). Pseudomonas putida, Pseudomonas fluorescens and Azospirillum lipoferum have highly produced many of the investigated metabolites. Streptomyces  hygroscopicus, Streptomyces  fasciculatus, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, P. putida, P. fluorescens and A. lipoferum inhibited mycelial growth of F. verticillioides and Aspergillus ochraceus. P. fluorescens and P. aeruginosa were highly antagonistic against F. verticillioides (52.24% of mycelial growth inhibition) and A. ochraceus (58.33% of mycelial growth inhibition). These results suggest the possibility to use these rhizobacteria as biological fertilization to increase maize yield and the biological control of F. verticillioides and A. ochraceus. Key words: Rhizobacteria, Plant growth promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR), antifungal activities, biological control, Benin