Development of a Laboratory Airbag Model to Cushion the effect of Vehicle Tyre Burst While in Motion

The incessant rate of traffic accident as a result of tyre burst on our roads from the motor vehicle necessitated the development of this airbag to cushion the effect of tyre burst. The development of this laboratory airbag model is such that the airbag is incorporated into the rim (i.e. on the rim, inside the tyre).  This allows the vehicle balance for some time until the driver is able to maneuver and park the vehicle safely.  The frame of the airbag model was made of 0.5 mm ply wood cut into six (6) pieces and to form the box. A hole was drilled at the front to give space for motor to be used as a prime mover. The shaft produced from a 30 mm diameter mild steel rod was machined on a lathe machine to 25 mm diameter and cut to length of 10 mm. The calculated resultant stress upon impact was 83.96 MPa. The contact area and airbag thickness was 0.258 m2 and 2.8 mm, respectively. A mini inflator was selected and actuated with the aid of an infrared sensor; it took less than six (6) seconds to actuate the shape airbag. The laboratory model was powered by a DC source and tyre burst signals were transmitted wirelessly through a control system

Using machine learning to detect the differential usage of novel gene isoforms

BACKGROUND: Differential isoform usage is an important driver of inter-individual phenotypic diversity and is linked to various diseases and traits. However, accurately detecting the differential usage of different gene transcripts between groups can be difficult, in particular in less well annotated genomes where the spectrum of transcript isoforms is largely unknown. RESULTS: We investigated whether machine learning approaches can detect differential isoform usage based purely on the distribution of reads across a gene region. We illustrate that gradient boosting and elastic net approaches can successfully identify large numbers of genes showing potential differential isoform usage between Europeans and Africans, that are enriched among relevant biological pathways and significantly overlap those identified by previous approaches. We demonstrate that diversity at the 3′ and 5′ ends of genes are primary drivers of these differences between populations. CONCLUSION: Machine learning methods can effectively detect differential isoform usage from read fraction data, and can provide novel insights into the biological differences between groups. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12859-022-04576-3

Audit of Radiology Request Cards in a Tertiary Hospital in NorthWest Nigeria

  Background: Radiology request cards are essential communication tools between physicians and  radiation personnel. Clinical audit is part of quality assurance that guarantees patient care. Objective:  To assess the adequacy of patient data and clinical information filled in request cards sent to Radiology Department of our facility by referring clinicians. Material and methods: Four hundred (400) radiology request cards were randomly selected from the records of the department and scrutinized for bio-data/clinical information. Result: Completely filled request cards were 2/267 (ultrasound), 1/40 (computed tomography) and  2/93 (conventional x-ray).  Conclusion: Consistency in complete filliing of radiology request cards in our facility was lacking. The audit revealed actual practice, and the need for improvement.    &nbsp

ANTI-INFLAMMATORY ACTIVITY OF CRUDE SAPONIN EXTRACTS FROM FIVE NIGERIAN MEDICINAL PLANTS

Crude saponin extracts of five medicinal plants used in the treatment of inflammatory diseases like rheumatoid arthritis, gout and haemorrhoids were screened for anti-inflammatory activity using carrageenan-induced rat paw oedema test. These plants were the whole plant of Schwenkia americana Linn (WSA), the rhizomes of Asparagus africanus Lam (RAA), the leaves of Dichrostachys cinerea Linn (LDC), the stem bark of Ficus iteophylla Miq (BFI) and the leaves of Indigofera pulchra Willd (LIP). A modify traditional method of crude saponins extraction was used to give the following percentage yields: WSA-2.74%, RAA-3.59%, LDC-1.62%, BFI-0.81% and LIP-1.57% respectively. Thin-layer chromatography was used to identify the type of saponins present in the extracts. The acute toxicity study of the crude saponin extracts in mice gave the following intraperitoneal LD50: WSA-471.2mg/kg, RAA- 1264.9mg/kg, LDC-1264.9mg/kg, BFI-118.3mg/kg and LIP-1264.9mg/kg respectively. The anti-inflammatory study of the extracts showed statistically significant (

Breast Cancer in Thi-Qar 2018, it's determinants, histopathological presentation and six years' time trends, A comparative study

Objectives : to assess  the soscio-demographic characteristics,  clinico-pathological presentations, and important determinant of breast cancer patients  counseling breast disease center in Thi-Qar 2018, to study and compare  the yearly time trend of breast cancer in Thi-Qar from 2013-2017. Methods: A cross sectional analytical design was used. all women presented with breast mass at defined age, at the time of study, were included. Results: About  (59.5%)of malignant masses were moderately differentiated and (32%) of them were poorly differentiated (8.5%) were well differentiated at the time of study, Also about half of patients presents at late stages, while only 10% at early stages , in other word. The age was strongly correlated factor and about 57.5% of the malignancies were above 45. Recommendations :  1.Further studies with different design permit longer duration, are required  and preferred to be follow-up type to determine the effect of confound risk factors as age, stress and radiation rather than defined ones, also studies required about response to therapy and follow the complication.  2.Regular programmed screening required to detect the cancer in the earlier stage, and facilitate the availability of screening tools at the health care centers and in  peripheries hospitals of Thi-Qar

Breast Cancer in Thi-Qar 2018, it's determinants, histopathological presentation and six years' time trends, A comparative study

Objectives : to assess  the soscio-demographic characteristics,  clinico-pathological presentations, and important determinant of breast cancer patients  counseling breast disease center in Thi-Qar 2018, to study and compare  the yearly time trend of breast cancer in Thi-Qar from 2013-2017. Methods: A cross sectional analytical design was used. all women presented with breast mass at defined age, at the time of study, were included. Results: About  (59.5%)of malignant masses were moderately differentiated and (32%) of them were poorly differentiated (8.5%) were well differentiated at the time of study, Also about half of patients presents at late stages, while only 10% at early stages , in other word. The age was strongly correlated factor and about 57.5% of the malignancies were above 45. Recommendations :  1.Further studies with different design permit longer duration, are required  and preferred to be follow-up type to determine the effect of confound risk factors as age, stress and radiation rather than defined ones, also studies required about response to therapy and follow the complication.  2.Regular programmed screening required to detect the cancer in the earlier stage, and facilitate the availability of screening tools at the health care centers and in  peripheries hospitals of Thi-Qar

Epidemiology of Autoimmune Diseases among Attendants of General Hospitals in Aseer region

It has long been recognized that environmental influences play an important role in the risk of developing Autoimmune disease. Defining specific pathogenic environmental mediators that may trigger the development or progression of autoimmune disease remains a focus of increasing investigative effort. Factors promoting disease may not be identical to factors that influence the severity or progression of the disorder. The cause(s) of autoimmune disorders remain largely unknown. Considerable evidence supports a role for environmental agents in inducing autoimmune disorders. OBJECTIVES: The study aims to explore the risk factors of autoimmune diseases among attendants of general hospitals in Aseer Region. Methods: case control study design was carried out  included 70  patients with multiple types of auto immune diseases attending general hospitals and primary health care centers in Abha city. They were clinically diagnosed as having autoimmune diseases. and 140 clinically free subjects , age and sex matched were included as controls. RESULTS: The present study included 70 autoimmune disease patients predominantly females (88.4%). Their mean age was 42.7 ± 12.1 years and disease duration was 11.2 ± 7.2 years. The mean age of the control group was 47.1 ± 13.6 years with no significant differences in the demographic data between the patients and control (p > 0.05). This study found no significant differences between cases with autoimmune diseases and sociodemographic characteristics. Conclusion :There is multiple determinants and risk factors affecting the occurrence of autoimmune diseases. Familial history, psychological stresses, hormonal supplementation, using hair dyes, smoking and recent vaccination were significant factors associated with autoimmune diseases. Keywords: Epidemiology, autoimmune, diseases, Aseer regio

The application of support vector machine in classifying potential archers using bio-mechanical indicators

This study classifies potential archers from a set of bio-mechanical indicators trained via different Support Vector Machine (SVM) models. 50 youth archers drawn from a number of archery programmes completed a one end archery shooting score test. Bio-mechanical evaluation of postural sway, bow movement, muscles activation of flexor and extensor as well as static balance were recorded. k-means clustering technique was used to cluster the archers based on the indicators tested. Fine, medium and coarse radial basis function kernel-based SVM models were trained based on the measured indicators. The five-fold cross-validation technique was utilised in the present investigation. It was shown from the present study, that the employment of SVM is able to assist coaches in identifying potential athletes in the sport of archery

Association of lipoprotein lipase gene with coronary heart disease in Sudanese population

AbstractCardiovascular disease is stabilizing in high-income countries and has continued to rise in low-to-middle-income countries. Association of lipid profile with lipoprotein lipase gene was studied in case and control subject. The family history, hypertension, diabetes mellitus, smoking and alcohol consumption were the most risk factors for early-onset of coronary heart disease (CHD). Sudanese patients had significantly (P<0.05) lower TC and LDL-C levels compared to controls. Allele frequency of LPL D9N, N291S and S447X carrier genotype was 4.2%, 30.7% and 7.1%, respectively. We conclude that lipoprotein lipase polymorphism was not associated with the incidence of CHD in Sudan