Gigantic Stomach: A Rare Manifestation of Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy

Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) is characterized by degeneration and atrophy of skeletal, cardiac, and smooth muscles after a latent period of apparently normal development and function. The gastrointestinal manifestations start in the second decade of life and are mainly due to atrophy of smooth muscle layers. Refractory gastroparesis and chronic constipation can lead to severe gastric and small bowel dilatation, which can be life threatening. Here, we present a case of a 21-year-old male with a gigantic stomach secondary to DMD resolved with conservative management and no surgical intervention

Postharvest Loss Assessment of Commercial Horticultural Crops in South Wollo, Ethiopia “Challenges and Opportunities”

Postharvest losses assessment of horticultural crops in south wollo, at two districts were investigated using data from220 farmers and 80 traders. Data were collected using structured questionnaire and focus group discussion. The results revealed that the performance of using irrigation water is very interesting (96.4% of respondents) but there is shortage of irrigation water (21.8%). The problem of pest and disease is one of the major production-limiting factors as replied by most of respondents (44.8%) and the problem is severe during winter. The major causes of postharvest losses as replied by the respondents are preharvest infection (46.4%) and others (25%) replied both infection and injury. The general postharvest losses of commodities as replied by the producers is estimated as <5% (50% of respondents) 5-10% (34.1% of respondents) and 10-20% (13.2% of respondents). The losses of individual crops at different stages of handling (farmers level, transportation and storage) is summarized as banana (1.5%,1.2% and 4.5%), orange (3.04%,1.2% and 3.6%), mango (1.6%,1% and 3.7%), papaya (1.5%,1% and 3.3%), tomato (2.5%, 2.5% and 5.9%), onion (3.3%,1.1% and 3.7%), cabbage (4.3%, 2.8% and 4.2%) and carrot (2.8%, 1.2% and 3.8%). Awareness creation about the amount of losses, criteria to be used during selection and other postharvest principles and operations should be given due emphasis to minimize the postharvest losses of perishable horticultural commodities. Key words : Postharvest, horticulture , losses, value chai

Aspergillus species and aflatoxin contamination in pepper (Capsicum annuum l.) in West Gojjam, Ethiopia

Pepper (Capsicum annuum L.) is an important spice and source of income for smallholder producers in Ethiopia. Since the larger proportion is for the market, it takes a significant share of the national income from export commodity. However, often the product was rejected by some of the European Union markets due to the maximum aflatoxin level accumulations beyond their acceptable limits. So, the present study was carried out to highlight the importance of Aspergillus species invasion in pepper, and levels of aflatoxin contamination at maturity in the field (pod form), farmers' storage and local market (powder form) in West Gojjam, Ethiopia. A total of 135 pepper samples were collected from three districts of West Gojjam (Burie, Jabitehnan, and Fnoteselam), Ethiopia for fungal and aflatoxin analysis. The producers used a pre-validated structured questionnaire to obtain information on pepper production practices. Aspergillus species isolates were recovered using potato dextrose agar (PDA) medium and counting was through dilution method (cfu g-1). The pepper pods were ground to a fine powder for aflatoxin analysis using Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay (ELISA). The prevalence of infected samples revealed that, pre-harvest samples (51%) were less infected by Aspergillus species, compared to local markets (65 %) and storage (79 %). Aspergillus flavus species were recovered in pre-harvest samples, whilst A. niger were found in local market samples. Aflatoxin contamination at pre-harvest, storage, and local market were 10, 47, and 42 % with levels which ranged from non-detected to 10.6, 0.3 - 17.1 and 3.1 - 19.2 ppb, respectively. The mean aflatoxin concentration detected from storage samples (10.6 ppb) and local market (12.6 ppb) were found to be above the tolerable limits set by EU (5 ppb) in pepper products. From the findings in this study, proper drying, physical separation of molded pods and use of clean storage structures should be implemented along the production chain in order to reduce aflatoxin contamination in pepper in Ethiopia

Fermentative attributes of wilted vs. unwilted Digitaria eriantha silage

Silages made from directly cut or wilted Digitaria eriantha treated with or without molasses were evaluated to determine fermentative characteristics. The grass was harvested at the boot stage of growth and the material was ensiled in 1 kg mini-silos. Treatments were arranged in a factorial design of two moisture levels (directly cut or wilted) and two molasses addition (with or without molasses). Each treatment was ensiled in 12 separate bottles. The pH of molasses added silage declined faster than the pH of silage without molasses. The pH of unwilted silages continued to decline up to day 120 post ensiling compared to wilted treatments. Lactic acid concentration was higher for molasses added silage than those made without molasses at all ensiling times, and also higher for directly cut silage than those wilted prior to ensiling. In direct cut silages, acetic acid concentration was lower for molasses added silage than those made without molasses at all ensiling times. In both silages, with or without molasses, the acetic acid concentrations were significantly higher for unwilted silage than silage wilted prior to ensiling. The ammonia nitrogen (NH3-N) as percentage of total nitrogen (N) was higher in unwilted silage than prior wilted silage without molasses, while in the presence of molasses the effect of wilting on NH3-N as percentage of total N was not significant. Keywords: Silage, fermentation process, moisture level, Digitaria eriantha, Smutsfinger grassSouth African Journal of Animal Science Vol. 37 (4) 2007: pp. 261-26

High-pressure effects on isotropic superconductivity in the iron-free layered pnictide superconductor BaPd2As2

While the layered 122 iron arsenide superconductors are highly anisotropic, unconventional, and exhibit several forms of electronic orders that coexist or compete with superconductivity in different regions of their phase diagrams, we find in the absence of iron in the structure that the superconducting characteristics of the end member BaPd2As2 are surprisingly conventional. Here we report on complementary measurements of specific heat, magnetic susceptibility, resistivity measurements, Andreev spectroscopy, and synchrotron high pressure x-ray diffraction measurements supplemented with theoretical calculations for BaPd2As2. Its superconducting properties are completely isotropic as demonstrated by the critical fields, which do not depend on the direction of the applied field. Under the application of high pressure, Tc is linearly suppressed, which is the typical behavior of classical phonon-mediated superconductors with some additional effect of a pressure-induced decrease in the electronic density of states and the electron-phonon coupling parameters. Structural changes in the layered BaPd2As2 have been studied by means of angle-dispersive diffraction in a diamond-anvil cell. At 12 GPa and 24.2 GPa we observed pressure induced lattice distortions manifesting as the discontinuity and, hence discontinuity in the Birch-Murnaghan equation of state. The bulk modulus is B0=40(6) GPa below 12 GPa and B0=142(3) GPa below 27.2 GPa

The Effect of Heritability Estimates on High-Density Single Nucleotide Polymorphism Analyses with Related Animals

Analysis of high-density SNP data in outbred populations to identify SNP that are associated with a quantitative trait requires efficient ways to handle large volumes of data and analyses. When using mixed animal models to account for polygenic effects and relationships, genetic parameters are not known with certainty, but must be chosen to ensure proper evaluation of SNP across chromosomes and lines or breeds. The objectives of this study were to evaluate the influence of heritability on the estimates and significance of SNP effects, to develop efficient computational strategies for analysis of high-density SNP data with uncertain heritability estimates, and to develop strategies to combine SNP test results across lines or breeds. Data included sire SNP genotypes and mean progeny performance from 2 commercial broiler breeding lines. Association analyses were done by fitting each SNP separately as a fixed effect in an animal model, using a range of heritabilities. The heritability used had a limited impact on SNP effect estimates, but affected the SE of estimates and levels of significance. The shape of the frequency distribution of P-values for the test of SNP effects changed from a highly skewed L-shaped curve at low heritability to a right-skewed distribution at high heritability. The P-values for alternative heritabilities could, however, be derived without reanalysis based on a strong linear relationship (R2 = 0.99) between differences in log-likelihood values of models with and without the SNP at different levels of heritabilities. With uncertain estimates of heritability, line-specific heritabilities that ensure proper evaluation of SNP effects across lines were determined by analysis of simulated sire genotypes and by permutation tests. Resulting heritability estimates were between those obtained from the entire breeding populations and those obtained from the data included in the sample data set. In conclusion, the uncertainty of heritability estimates has a limited impact on SNP effect estimates in association analyses, but a large impact on significance tests. The impact of heritability on tests can, however, be dealt with in a computationally efficient manner by using the strong linear relationship between model statistics under alternate levels of heritability. These approaches allow efficient analysis of large numbers of SNP for multiple traits and populations and pooling of results across populations

Development and Utilization of 3D Printed Material for Thoracotomy Simulation

Medical simulation is a widely used training modality that is particularly useful for procedures that are technically difficult or rare. The use of simulations for educational purposes has increased dramatically over the years, with most emergency medicine (EM) programs primarily using mannequin-based simulations to teach medical students and residents. As an alternative to using mannequin, we built a 3D printed models for practicing invasive procedures. Repeated simulations may help further increase comfort levels in performing an emergency department (ED) thoracotomy in particular, and perhaps this can be extrapolated to all invasive procedures. Using this model, a simulation training conducted with EM residents at an inner city teaching hospital showed improved confidence. A total of 21 residents participated in each of the three surveys [(1) initially, (2) after watching the educational video, and (3) after participating in the simulation]. Their comfort levels increased from baseline after watching the educational video (9.5%). The comfort level further improved from baseline after performing the hands on simulation (71.4%)

Prospective Assessment of Patients with Stroke in Tikur Anbessa Specialised Hospital, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

Introduction: The burden of stroke is increasing in many low- and middle-income countries. In Ethiopia, stroke has become a major cause of morbidity, long-term disability, and mortality. Time from stroke onset to hospital presentation is a critical factor in acute stroke care. This study aimed to describe risk factors for stroke and clinical presentation of patients presenting to the emergency centre with stroke. Methods: We conducted a cross sectional study conducted from August 2015 to January 2016 in an urban tertiary care centre in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Descriptive statistics and multivariable logistic regression models were used to evaluate associations between stroke types and stroke risk factors, and delayed presentation and clinical indicators. P-values less than .05 were considered statistically significant. Results: A total of 104 patients were included. The mean age was 53years, and 56% were male. Only 30% of patients arrived using an ambulance service. The most common presenting symptoms were altered mental status (48%), hemiparesis (47%), facial palsy (45%), hemiplegia (29%), and aphasia (25%). Hypertension was the most common risk factor (49%), followed by cardiovascular disease (20.2%) and diabetes mellitus (11%). The majority of strokes were haemorrhagic in aetiology (56%). The median arrival time to the emergency centre was 24h after symptoms onset; only 15% presented within three hours. Patients with hypertension, or presented with loss of consciousness were significantly more likely to have haemorrhagic stroke (\u3c .001 and p=.01 respectively). The only risk factor robustly associated with ischaemic stroke was cardiac illness (odds ratio 3.99, p=.01). Discussion: Our study identified hypertension to be the most common risk factor for stroke. The predominant aetiology type in this cohort is haemorrhagic stroke. Lastly, the median arrival time to an emergency centre was 24h after symptom onset

Candidate Type II Quasars at 2 < z < 4.3 in the Sloan Digital Sky Survey III

At low redshifts, dust-obscured quasars often have strong yet narrow permitted lines in the rest-frame optical and ultraviolet, excited by the central active nucleus, earning the designation Type II quasars. We present a sample of 145 candidate Type II quasars at redshifts between 2 and 4.3, encompassing the epoch at which quasar activity peaked in the universe. These objects, selected from the quasar sample of the Baryon Oscillation Spectroscopic Survey of the Sloan Digital Sky Survey III, are characterized by weak continuum in the rest-frame ultraviolet (typical continuum magnitude of i \approx 22) and strong lines of CIV and Ly \alpha, with Full Width at Half Maximum less than 2000 kms-1. The continuum magnitudes correspond to an absolute magnitude of -23 or brighter at redshift 3, too bright to be due exclusively to the host galaxies of these objects. Roughly one third of the objects are detected in the shorter-wavelength bands of the WISE survey; the spectral energy distributions (SEDs) of these objects appear to be intermediate between classic Type I and Type II quasars seen at lower redshift. Five objects are detected at rest frame 6\mu m by Spitzer, implying bolometric luminosities of several times 10^46 erg s-1. We have obtained polarization measurements for two objects; they are roughly 3% polarized. We suggest that these objects are luminous quasars, with modest dust extinction (A_V ~ 0.5 mag), whose ultraviolet continuum also includes a substantial scattering contribution. Alternatively, the line of sight to the central engines of these objects may be partially obscured by optically thick material.Comment: 26 pages, 13 figures, 10 tables, 4 machine readable tables. Accepted for publication in MNRA

Duration of Supplemental Oxygen Requirement and Predictors in Severe COVID-19 Patients in Ethiopia: A Survival Analysis

BACKGROUND፡ With the rising number of new cases of COVID-19, understanding the oxygen requirement of severe patients assists in identifying at risk groups and in making an informed decision on building hospitals capacity in terms of oxygen facility arrangement. Therefore, the study aimed to estimate time to getting off supplemental oxygen therapy and identify predictors among COVID-19 patients admitted to Millennium COVID-19 Care Center in Ethiopia.METHODS: A prospective observational study was conducted among 244 consecutively admitted COVID-19 patients from July to September, 2020. Kaplan Meier plots, median survival times and Log-rank test were used to describe the data and compare survival distribution between groups. Cox proportional hazard survival model was used to identify determinants of time to getting off supplemental oxygen therapy, where hazard ratio (HR), Pvalue and 95%CI for HR were used for testing significance and interpretation of results.RESULTS: Median time to getting off supplemental oxygen therapy among the studied population was 6 days (IQR,4.3-20.0). Factors that affect time to getting off supplemental oxygen therapy were age group (AHR=0.52,95%CI=0.32,0.84, pvalue=0.008 for ≥70 years) and shortness of breath (AHR=0.71,95%CI=0.52,0.96, p-value=0.026).CONCLUSION: Average duration of supplemental oxygen therapy requirement among COVID-19 patients was 6 days and being 70 years and older and having shortness of breath were found to be associated with prolonged duration of supplemental oxygen therapy requirement. This result can be used as a guide in planning institutional resource allocation and patient management to provide a well-equipped care to prevent complications and death from the disease