Helium Neon laser therapy for post mastectomy lymphedema and shoulder mobility

The aim of this work was to evaluate the efficacy of Helium Neon (He–Ne) laser therapy on post mastectomy lymphedema and shoulder mobility. Thirty female patients with axillary lymph node dissection (ALND), with or without radiotherapy had been participated in this study. The patients were randomly divided into two groups of equal numbers. Group A received He–Ne laser therapy and decongestive lymphatic therapy. Group B received placebo laser therapy in addition to decongestive lymphatic therapy. Measurements of limb volume and shoulder mobility (by tape measurement and standard goniometer) were collected before treatment and after six months of treatment. The mean values of limb volume and Shoulder mobility after 6 months of treatment showed a significant improvement (p< 0.05) for the two groups of the study with a greater improvement for patients in group A. Conclusion: Helium Neon laser therapy has a positive effect in reducing post mastectomy lymphedema and increasing range of motion of shoulder joint.Keywords: Helium Neon laser; Lymphedema; Mastectomy; Shoulder mobilityThe Egyptian Journal of Medical Human Genetics (2013) 14, 195–19

Evaluation of Legislation Adequacy in Managing Time and Quality Performance in Iraqi Construction Projects- a Bayesian Decision Tree Approach

Delay and quality defects are significant problems in Iraqi construction projects. During the period from 2003-2014, legislation has been changed to enhance the performance of construction project. This change is done by modifying some clauses of legislation and adding or deleting the others. The aim of this study is to evaluate the adequacy of these changes by using questionnaire and Bayesian decision tree model. 30 projects were taken for the period from 2003-2014. Performance of construction project was assessed on one hand by conducting a questionnaire which depend on the impact of legislation clauses on the time and quality performance, while on the other hand Bayesian decision tree model was developed in which qualitative estimate of time and quality performance by using KNIME program. The results of questionnaire estimate the delay from very low to very high and quality from very low to high in Iraqi construction industry. The results of Bayesian decision tree model reveal that the high percentage of construction projects were implemented with very high delay and high level of quality. The model gives good accuracy in prediction time and quality performance about 86.7%. These results show the enhancement in the quality performance is greater than the time performance under the legislative change. The model can assist the Iraqi legislator in evaluation the impact of legislation on time and quality performance of construction project

Prevalence of anaemia in paediatric patients with HIV infection in Kano

Background: HIV infection affects virtually all systems of the body including the haematological system.Objective: To determine the prevalence of anaemia in HIV infected children and compare with apparently healthy HIV negative age-sex matched controls.Design: Case control hospitalbased study.Methods: A total of 60 confirmed HIV infected antiretroviral naïve children and 60 HIV negative children were enrolled in a case control study of baseline haematological indices. In all cases, haemoglobin, total white blood cell count, neutrophils, lymphocytes and platelet counts were determined using SYSMEX XT- 2000i Haematologic auto-analyser. Children with HIV/AIDS were classified according to clinical disease stages using the 2006 World Health Organization (WHO) staging criteria. Data was analysed using MINITAB 12.21 Atlanta USA statistical software.Result: Anaemia (˂110 g/L) was present in 88.0% of the HIVinfected children, compared to 15.0% of controls (p = 0.001). Mild anaemia (70 – 109 g/L) was observed in 85.0% of HIVinfected children, compared to 15.0% of controls. Moderate anaemia (50 – 69 g/L) was present in 3.3% of HIV-infected children, but in none of the control. Leucopenia (˂4 × 109/L) was seen in 11.6% of HIV-infected children and in 5.0% of controls. Neutropenia (˂1.5 × 109/L) affected13% of infected children and 5% of controls. Lymphocytopenia (˂1.2 × 109/L) was observed in 3.3% of infected children but in none ofcontrols. Corresponding figures for thrombocytopenia (˂100 × 109/L) were6.7% of HIV infected children and 1.7% of controls.Conclusion: All cells lines arereduced in HIV/AIDS and anaemia is the most frequent haematological manifestation seen in HIV/AIDS infection.Key words: Prevalence, Anaemia; HIV, Paediatrics, Patient

Pediatric HIV in Kano, Nigeria

Background: Pediatric human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection is still an important public health issue despite a decrease in global, national, and local seroprevalence rates. Design: A prospective, hospital‑based study was conducted.Materials and Methods: One‑hundred and sixty children presenting for the first time to the hospital were studied. Each child had a detailed physical examination and initial double rapid HIV antibody tests. A virological confirmatory test was done for those aged less than 18 months of age with positive results. Mothers of HIV‑infected children also had HIV testing. HIV‑infected children were enrolled into HIV care and followed up for 6 months. Data were analyzed using the SPSS 16.0 for Windows.Results: Twenty‑two (13.8%) children were confirmed HIV‑infected. The mean age was 26.9 ± 30.8 months. Male to female ratio was 1.1:1. Probable modes of transmission were mother‑to‑child in 63.6%, group circumcision in 22.7%, sexual transmission in 9.1% and unscreened blood transfusion in 4.5%. The most frequent symptoms on presentation were fever in 95.4% of patients, cough and weight loss in 77.3% and diarrhoea in 59.1%. The most common signs were hepatomegaly in 77.3%, pyrexia and crepitations in 72.7%, and pallor in 40.9%. Commonly diagnosed conditions were undernutrition, diarrheal disease, oral thrush, and pneumonia. Tuberculosis co‑infection was diagnosed in 18.2% of children. Fourteen (63.6%) children had advanced and severe immunodeficiency. Mortality rate over 6 months was 18.2%.Conclusion: Early diagnosis of pediatric HIV and prompt institution of treatment in children would go a long way in reducing the scourge of the disease.Keywords: Clinical features, human immunodefi ciency virus/acquired immunodeficiency syndrome, mortality, pediatrics, prevalenceNigerian Journal of Clinical Practice • Oct-Dec 2013 • Vol 16 • Issue

(E)-Methyl 2-(3-cinnamoyl­thio­ureido)acetate

In the title compound, C13H14N2O3S, the methyl 2-(3-formyl­thio­ureido)acetate fragment and the phenyl ring adopt an E configuration. The mol­ecule exhibits an intra­molecular N—H⋯O hydrogen bond, which completes a six-membered ring. The crystal packing is stabilized by inter­molecular N—H⋯S contacts, generating a two-dimensional hydrogen-bonding network

Empirical Assessment of Performance of Dangote Cement Plc: An End-Users’ Perspective

End-users, who are the focus of this assessment of performance in respect of Dangote Cement Plc, have been regarded as the most important stakeholder of any business activity. Previous works have not showcased an assessment of performance based on an end-user’s perspective which is why this study sets out to resolve the problem concerning how end-users react to market changes when patronizing the Nigeria cement manufacturing industry. Simple regression model was used to test the hypotheses – to show the relationships between the dependent variable - Cement Production Level (CPL) and the independent variables - Annual Average Price per bag of Cement (AAPC) and Turnover (TO). The study found that the explanatory variables portrayed significant positive relationships with CPL. In both cases, this relationships were very strong because the correlation coefficients (R) were above 97% and the adjusted coefficients of determination (adjusted R2) which are the explanatory variables showed that there was more than 62% significance in their relationships with CPL. This means, that over 97% of Dangote Cement Plc’s production (supply of cement) succeeded in keeping prices up 62% of the time. The paper found that end-users increasingly continue to patronize products of necessity even when they are produced by a firm quite monopolistic in nature because they have no near substitutes. As a result, there is a policy implication that even though end-users expect quality products, great value, or a compelling brand and would equally avoid products of companies that fail to deliver on customer service, they (end users) may have no succor other than a regulatory regime set by the Government especially where monopolistic goods of necessity (such as cement) are concerned. Accordingly, the study recommends that government (or its agency) should set up minimum production volume benchmarks, regulate margins and establish price ceilings to protect the end-user. Key terms: Assessment of performance, Cement, End-user, Cement Production Level, Annual Average Price per bag of Cement, Turnover. DOI: 10.7176/EJBM/13-10-15 Publication date:May 31st 202

Hydrogen production using Al-Sn alloys prepared by rapid solidification

Air pollution produced by the direct burning of fossil fuels is a serious problem. Therefore, there is a vital demand for renewable and clean fuel replacements for future energy source. Hydrogen, which exhibits high calorific value and is a clean burning product, could be the first choice in the future, as it is a good-looking fuel for fuel cells where the electric energy is directly gotten by the electrochemical reactions of hydrogen and oxygen. Rapidly solidified Al100-x-Snx alloy X= (0, 25, 55, 75 all in wt.%) was prepared using melt spinning technique at 800 ºC. The structural and microstructural evolutions of the phases have been studied using X-ray powder diffraction (XRD) and the Rietveld method. Al45Sn55 alloy shows the best volume of hydrogen generation which is (531 ml), this alloy has the highest number of grains (1096) than other prepared alloys in its surface which examined through a Scanning electron microscope (SEM) and analyzed using an SPM data visualization and analysis tool (Gwyddion 2.32). Differential thermal analysis (DTA) was used for calculating melting temperature for all prepared alloys. Melting temperature reduced from 933.47 K for Al pure to 500.95 K in Al45Sn55 alloy. Temperature dependence of resistivity had been performed for all prepared alloys. Electrical properties of prepared alloys show the decrease in volume of the unit cell V with increasing VEC, which means that the volume of the first Brillouin zone increases by increasing VEC since they are inversely proportional to each other

Analysis of Foodstuff Price Volatility in Ghana: Implications for Food Security

In recent years, price volatility is becoming increasingly relevant to producers and consumers in the saturated food markets amidst stiff completion and globalisation. The analysis of price volatility is necessary to develop bidding strategies or negotiation skills in order to maximize profit. The generalised autoregressive conditional heteroscedasticity (GARCH) regression model is used to forecast foodstuff prices in Ghana over the period 1970 to 2006. The data used are monthly wholesale prices for maize, millet, and rice obtained from the Ghana Ministry of Food and Agriculture. The empirical results reveal that foodstuff prices exhibit high volatility with continual increasing prices over the study period. The results of the out-sample forecast reveal that maize, millet and rice prices would increase by 23%, 11% and 10% respectively in the next month. The study recommends the provision of adequate storage facilities, and farmers’ market centres in the districts to stabilize food prices. The increases in food prices have implications for food and nutrition situation of the poor in Ghana