Investigating the Effect of Varying Tubing Air Concentration during the Descaling of Petroleum Production Tubing using Multiple High-Pressure Nozzles

Despite the continued research effort on erosion behaviour of multiple flat fan nozzles in removing different types of scale deposits from petroleum production tubing, effect of chamber air concentration and nozzles configuration is yet to be given detail consideration. This study, therefore, considers the utilization of multiple high-pressure sprays at different chamber air concentration to enhance the rate of scale removal from petroleum production tubing. Additionally, options of altering chamber air/water ratio and header configurations for more effective scale removal were explored. So also, the relationship of nozzle header arrangement towards the removal of paraffin of different stages of deposition in petroleum production tubing have been studied. Consequently, theselection of chamber air concentration and header configuration (nozzles arrangement) for effective scale removal was found to be governed by the shape and type of the scale deposit. More so, the descaling capacity increases with decrease in number of nozzlesdue to pressure drop effect irrespective of the type or shape of the scale deposit. This novel descaling experiment of utilising 10 MPa injection pressure from 25 mm jetting position averagely removes hollow paraffin deposits that ranges from 44 to 280 g and 34 to 89g of solid shaped paraffin as a result of altering nozzles configuration. Correspondingly, an average removal difference ranging from 48 to 270 g of hollow shaped and 35 to 218 g of solid shaped paraffin depositwas recorded as a result of compressing the chamber pressure by 0.2 MPa and subsequently suctioning it by -0.008 MPa respectively

Investigating the Impact of Non-Hydrodynamically Connected Descaling Parameters in the Removal of Different Stages of Paraffin Deposits Using Multiple Nozzles in Petroleum Production Tubing

Despite the continued research efforts in understanding the erosional behaviors of multiple flat fan nozzles in the removal of different types of scale deposits from petroleum production tubing. The non-hydrodynamically connected descaling parameters such as stand-off distance, nozzle arrangement and chamber pressure have not been duly considered up to date. This research utilizes 3-flat fan high-pressure nozzles at a high injection pressure of 10 MPa to remove paraffin deposits at different growth stages from petroleum production tubing to evaluate the effects of the descaling parameters on scale removal. A stand-off distance of 25 mm, 50 mm and 75 mm; nozzle arrangement in novel orientations (triangle, diagonal & right-angle) involving 7-nozzles header and chamber pressures (in compression – 0.2 MPa and vacuum -8.0 x10-3 MPa) were utilized as the varying non-hydrodynamically connected parameters. Generally, the selection of both nozzle arrangement and chamber air concentration was found to be governed by the type and shape of the deposit in question while the scale removal capability was found to be reduced with an increase in stand-off distance due to poor jet contact. An average hollow shaped paraffin removal of 276 g, 259 g and 226 g were recorded at ambient condition across the respective stand-off distance of the three respective nozzles arrangements. While the introduction of 0.2 MPa compressed air significantly increased the respective removal of the early stage paraffin deposition to 342 g, 299 g and 277 g respectively. Also, more hollow shaped removal improvement of 366 g, 320 g and 288 g were achieved after suctioning the chamber by -0.008 MPa, while simultaneously pumping water at 10 MPa. The case of solid shaped paraffin signifying complete tubing blockage was not effective at ambient condition, with average paraffin removal of 99 g, 126 g and 112 g respectively. However, the introduction of compressed chamber air registered the best solid paraffin removal results of 235 g, 286 g and 256 g respectively. Whereas the suction operation recorded an average removal of 229 g, 270 g and 250 g of paraffin across the respective jet positions and nozzle configurations. This result provides a practical approach to the removal of organic scales deposits at varying descaling conditions of injection pressure, standoff distance and nozzle arrangement

Characteristics of COVID-19 cases and factors associated with their mortality in Katsina State, Nigeria, April-July 2020

Introduction: COVID-19 was first detected in Daura, Katsina State, Nigeria on 4 April 2020. We characterized the cases and outlined factors associated with mortality. Methods: We analysed the COVID-19 data downloaded from Surveillance Outbreak Response, Management and Analysis System between 4 April and 31 July 2020. We defined a case as any person with a positive SARS-CoV-2 test within that period. We described the cases in time, person, and place; calculated the crude and adjusted odds ratios and 95% confidence intervals for factors associated with mortality. Results: We analysed 744 confirmed cases (median age 35, range 1-90), 73% males and 24 deaths (Case fatality rate 3.2%, Attack rate 8.5/100,000). The outbreak affected 31 districts, started in week 14, peaked in week 26, and is ongoing. Highest proportion of cases in the age groups were 26.7% (184) in 30-39, 21.7% (153) in 20-29 years, and 18.3% (129) in 40-49 years. While the highest case fatality rates in the age groups were 35.7% in 70-79, 33.3% in 80-89 years, and 19.4% in 60-69 years. Factors associated with death were cough (AOR: 9.88, 95% CI: 1.29-75.79), age ≥60 years (AOR: 18.42, 95% CI: 7.48-45.38), and male sex (AOR: 4.4, 95% CI: 0.98-20.12). Conclusion: Male contacts below 40 years carried the burden of COVID-19. Also, persons 60 years and above, with cough have an increased risk of dying from COVID-19. Risk communication should advocate for use of preventive measures, protection of persons 60 years and above, and consideration of cough as a red-flag sign

Pathogen-specific burdens of community diarrhoea in developing countries: A multisite birth cohort study (MAL-ED)

Background: Most studies of the causes of diarrhoea in low-income and middle-income countries have looked at severe disease in people presenting for care, and there are few estimates of pathogen-specific diarrhoea burdens in the community.Methods: We undertook a birth cohort study with not only intensive community surveillance for diarrhoea but also routine collection of non-diarrhoeal stools from eight sites in South America, Africa, and Asia. We enrolled children within 17 days of birth, and diarrhoeal episodes (defined as maternal report of three or more loose stools in 24 h, or one loose stool with visible blood) were identified through twice-weekly home visits by fieldworkers over a follow-up period of 24 months. Non-diarrhoeal stool specimens were also collected for surveillance for months 1-12, 15, 18, 21, and 24. Stools were analysed for a broad range of enteropathogens using culture, enzyme immunoassay, and PCR. We used the adjusted attributable fraction (AF) to estimate pathogen-specific burdens of diarrhoea.|Findings: Between November 26, 2009, and February 25, 2014, we tested 7318 diarrhoeal and 24 310 non-diarrhoeal stools collected from 2145 children aged 0-24 months. Pathogen detection was common in non-diarrhoeal stools but was higher with diarrhoea. Norovirus GII (AF 5·2%, 95% CI 3·0-7·1), rotavirus (4·8%, 4·5-5·0), Campylobacter spp (3·5%, 0·4-6·3), astrovirus (2·7%, 2·2-3·1), and Cryptosporidium spp (2·0%, 1·3-2·6) exhibited the highest attributable burdens of diarrhoea in the first year of life. The major pathogens associated with diarrhoea in the second year of life were Campylobacter spp (7·9%, 3·1-12·1), norovirus GII (5·4%, 2·1-7·8), rotavirus (4·9%, 4·4-5·2), astrovirus (4·2%, 3·5-4·7), and Shigella spp (4·0%, 3·6-4·3). Rotavirus had the highest AF for sites without rotavirus vaccination and the fifth highest AF for sites with the vaccination. There was substantial variation in pathogens according to geography, diarrhoea severity, and season. Bloody diarrhoea was primarily associated with Campylobacter spp and Shigella spp, fever and vomiting with rotavirus, and vomiting with norovirus GII.Interpretation: There was substantial heterogeneity in pathogen-specific burdens of diarrhoea, with important determinants including age, geography, season, rotavirus vaccine usage, and symptoms. These findings suggest that although single-pathogen strategies have an important role in the reduction of the burden of severe diarrhoeal disease, the effect of such interventions on total diarrhoeal incidence at the community level might be limited

Predicting radiotherapy response, Toxicities and quality-of-life related functional outcomes in soft tissue sarcoma of the extremities (PredicT) using dose–volume constraints development:a study protocol

Introduction: Radiotherapy improves local tumour control in patients with soft tissue sarcoma of the extremities (STSE) but it also increases the probability of long-term toxicities such as tissue fibrosis, joint stiffness and lymphoedema. The use of radiation dose and volume thresholds, called dose constraints, may potentially reduce the development of toxicities in STSE. The aim of this study is to determine predictors of radiotherapy-related side effects for STSE. Methods and analysis: Predicting radiotherapy response, Toxicities and quality-of-life related functional outcomes in soft tissue sarcoma of the extremities (PredicT) is a multicentre observational study comprising two cohorts (PredicT A and B). PredicT A, a retrospective analysis of the UK VorteX (NCT00423618) and IMRiS clinical trials (NCT02520128), is aimed at deriving a statistical model for development of dose–volume constraints. This model will use receiving operator characteristics and multivariate analysis to predict radiotherapy side effects and patient-reported outcomes. PredicT B, a prospective cohort study of 150 patients with STSE, is aimed at testing the validity of those dose–volume constraints. PredicT B is open and planned to complete recruitment by September 2024. Ethics and dissemination: PredicT B has received ethical approval from North West - Liverpool Central Research Ethics Committee (20/NW/0267). Participants gave informed consent to participate in the study before taking part. We will disseminate our findings via publications, presentations, national and international conference meetings and engage with local charities. Trial registration number: NCT05978024

CHRONIC KIDNEY DISEASE AMONGST SICKLE CELL ANAEMIA PATIENT AT THE UNIVERSITY OF MAIDUGURI TEACHING HOSPITAL, NORTH EASTERN NIGERIA: A STUDY OF PREVALENCE AND RISK FACTORS

ABSTRACT Introduction: Involvement of the kidneys in patient with sickle cell anaemia is a well recognized chronic complication of this disorder. The index study seeks to determine the prevalence of chronic kidney disease in patients with homozygous sickle cell disease (HbSS) and to identify risk factors associated with its development. Methodology: The subjects consisted of adolescents and adults with HbSS recruited sequentially from the adult haematology outpatient clinic and Day care ward of the unit. Clinical variables including age of diagnosis of SCA, frequency of vaso-occlusive crisis and transfusion therapy, as well as laboratory data including haematological profile, renal function test were obtained from routine blood result. The glomerular filtration rate was estimated (eGFR) using the ‘modification of diet in renal disease’ (MDRD) formula.. Results: Two hundred and eighty-four HbSS patients were recruited. The prevalence of CKD amongst them was 38.9%.  Further stratification of the patients based on eGFR showed that sixty-nine (26.8%) had hyperfiltration; 35 (13.6%) stage 1 CKD; 53 (20.6%) stage 2 CKD; 61 (23.7%) stage 3 CKD; 30 (11.7%) stage 4 CKD and 9 (3.5%) had end stage renal disease. There was significant association between eGFR and clinical parameters such as age (r -0.353, p=0.000), SBP (r -0.148, p= 0.021), DBP (r -0.213, p=0.001) and total number of blood received (r -0.276, p=0.000); and laboratory parameters such as  PCV (r 0.371, p=0.000); urea ( r 0.527, p=000 ); creatinine (r 0.625, p=0.000) and uric acid  ( r -0.419, p=0.000). Conclusion The present study has revealed a high prevalence of CKD amongst patients with SCA in this region. Various clinical and laboratory predictors of eGFR were also identified. Monitoring and detection of early stages of these groups of patients may allow for interventions which may delay progression into advance stages and ESRD

Anemia during Pregnancy and Its Prevalence

Anemia is a serious health issue throughout the world affecting both sexes of any age group. This nutritional disease is more common among the pregnant women of developing countries, where it is a major cause of maternal death and negative outcome of pregnancy. Among all anemic types, IDA is most prevalent one and is comprises of about 95% of all anemic cases around the world. In many developing countries it is more common in women of low socio-economic background and with no record of antenatal checkup. There is need for further health educational programs to overcome anemia especially for pregnant females

SPARC 2019 Fake news & home truths : Salford postgraduate annual research conference book of abstracts

Welcome to the Book of Abstracts for the 2019 SPARC conference. This year we not only celebrate the work of our PGRs but also our first ever Doctoral School Best Supervisor awards, which makes this year’s conference extra special. Once again we have received a tremendous contribution from our postgraduate research community; with over 90 presenters, the conference truly showcases a vibrant, innovative and collaborative PGR community at Salford. These abstracts provide a taster of the inspiring, relevant and impactful research in progress, and provide delegates with a reference point for networking and initiating critical debate. Find an abstract that interests you, and say “Hello” to the author. Who knows what might result from your conversation? With such wide-ranging topics being showcased, we encourage you to take up this great opportunity to engage with researchers working in different subject areas from your own. To meet global challenges, high impact research needs interdisciplinary collaboration. This is recognised and rewarded by all major research funders. Engaging with the work of others and forging collaborations across subject areas is an essential skill for the next generation of researchers. Even better, our free ice cream van means that you can have those conversations while enjoying a refreshing ice lolly

The global, regional, and national burden of cirrhosis by cause in 195 countries and territories, 1990-2017 : a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2017

Background Cirrhosis and other chronic liver diseases (collectively referred to as cirrhosis in this paper) are a major cause of morbidity and mortality globally, although the burden and underlying causes differ across locations and demographic groups. We report on results from the Global Burden of Diseases, Injuries, and Risk Factors Study (GBD) 2017 on the burden of cirrhosis and its trends since 1990, by cause, sex, and age, for 195 countries and territories. Methods We used data from vital registrations, vital registration samples, and verbal autopsies to estimate mortality. We modelled prevalence of total, compensated, and decompensated cirrhosis on the basis of hospital and claims data. Disability-adjusted life-years (DALYs) were calculated as the sum of years of life lost due to premature death and years lived with disability. Estimates are presented as numbers and age-standardised or age-specific rates per 100 000 population, with 95% uncertainty intervals (UIs). All estimates are presented for five causes of cirrhosis: hepatitis B, hepatitis C, alcohol-related liver disease, non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH), and other causes. We compared mortality, prevalence, and DALY estimates with those expected according to the Socio-demographic Index (SDI) as a proxy for the development status of regions and countries. Findings In 2017, cirrhosis caused more than 1.32 million (95% UI 1.27-1.45) deaths (440000 [416 000-518 000; 33.3%] in females and 883 000 [838 000-967 000; 66.7%] in males) globally, compared with less than 899 000 (829 000-948 000) deaths in 1990. Deaths due to cirrhosis constituted 2.4% (2.3-2.6) of total deaths globally in 2017 compared with 1.9% (1.8-2.0) in 1990. Despite an increase in the number of deaths, the age-standardised death rate decreased from 21.0 (19.2-22.3) per 100 000 population in 1990 to 16.5 (15.8-18-1) per 100 000 population in 2017. Sub-Saharan Africa had the highest age-standardised death rate among GBD super-regions for all years of the study period (32.2 [25.8-38.6] deaths per 100 000 population in 2017), and the high-income super-region had the lowest (10.1 [9.8-10-5] deaths per 100 000 population in 2017). The age-standardised death rate decreased or remained constant from 1990 to 2017 in all GBD regions except eastern Europe and central Asia, where the age-standardised death rate increased, primarily due to increases in alcohol-related liver disease prevalence. At the national level, the age-standardised death rate of cirrhosis was lowest in Singapore in 2017 (3.7 [3.3-4.0] per 100 000 in 2017) and highest in Egypt in all years since 1990 (103.3 [64.4-133.4] per 100 000 in 2017). There were 10.6 million (10.3-10.9) prevalent cases of decompensated cirrhosis and 112 million (107-119) prevalent cases of compensated cirrhosis globally in 2017. There was a significant increase in age-standardised prevalence rate of decompensated cirrhosis between 1990 and 2017. Cirrhosis caused by NASH had a steady age-standardised death rate throughout the study period, whereas the other four causes showed declines in age-standardised death rate. The age-standardised prevalence of compensated and decompensated cirrhosis due to NASH increased more than for any other cause of cirrhosis (by 33.2% for compensated cirrhosis and 54.8% for decompensated cirrhosis) over the study period. From 1990 to 2017, the number of prevalent cases snore than doubled for compensated cirrhosis due to NASH and more than tripled for decompensated cirrhosis due to NASH. In 2017, age-standardised death and DALY rates were lower among countries and territories with higher SDI. Interpretation Cirrhosis imposes a substantial health burden on many countries and this burden has increased at the global level since 1990, partly due to population growth and ageing. Although the age-standardised death and DALY rates of cirrhosis decreased from 1990 to 2017, numbers of deaths and DALYs and the proportion of all global deaths due to cirrhosis increased. Despite the availability of effective interventions for the prevention and treatment of hepatitis B and C, they were still the main causes of cirrhosis burden worldwide, particularly in low-income countries. The impact of hepatitis B and C is expected to be attenuated and overtaken by that of NASH in the near future. Cost-effective interventions are required to continue the prevention and treatment of viral hepatitis, and to achieve early diagnosis and prevention of cirrhosis due to alcohol-related liver disease and NASH. Copyright (C) 2020 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Ltd.Peer reviewe

Global, regional, and national sex-specific burden and control of the HIV epidemic, 1990-2019, for 204 countries and territories: the Global Burden of Diseases Study 2019

Background: The sustainable development goals (SDGs) aim to end HIV/AIDS as a public health threat by 2030. Understanding the current state of the HIV epidemic and its change over time is essential to this effort. This study assesses the current sex-specific HIV burden in 204 countries and territories and measures progress in the control of the epidemic. Methods: To estimate age-specific and sex-specific trends in 48 of 204 countries, we extended the Estimation and Projection Package Age-Sex Model to also implement the spectrum paediatric model. We used this model in cases where age and sex specific HIV-seroprevalence surveys and antenatal care-clinic sentinel surveillance data were available. For the remaining 156 of 204 locations, we developed a cohort-incidence bias adjustment to derive incidence as a function of cause-of-death data from vital registration systems. The incidence was input to a custom Spectrum model. To assess progress, we measured the percentage change in incident cases and deaths between 2010 and 2019 (threshold >75% decline), the ratio of incident cases to number of people living with HIV (incidence-to-prevalence ratio threshold <0·03), and the ratio of incident cases to deaths (incidence-to-mortality ratio threshold <1·0). Findings: In 2019, there were 36·8 million (95% uncertainty interval [UI] 35·1–38·9) people living with HIV worldwide. There were 0·84 males (95% UI 0·78–0·91) per female living with HIV in 2019, 0·99 male infections (0·91–1·10) for every female infection, and 1·02 male deaths (0·95–1·10) per female death. Global progress in incident cases and deaths between 2010 and 2019 was driven by sub-Saharan Africa (with a 28·52% decrease in incident cases, 95% UI 19·58–35·43, and a 39·66% decrease in deaths, 36·49–42·36). Elsewhere, the incidence remained stable or increased, whereas deaths generally decreased. In 2019, the global incidence-to-prevalence ratio was 0·05 (95% UI 0·05–0·06) and the global incidence-to-mortality ratio was 1·94 (1·76–2·12). No regions met suggested thresholds for progress. Interpretation: Sub-Saharan Africa had both the highest HIV burden and the greatest progress between 1990 and 2019. The number of incident cases and deaths in males and females approached parity in 2019, although there remained more females with HIV than males with HIV. Globally, the HIV epidemic is far from the UNAIDS benchmarks on progress metrics. Funding: The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the National Institute of Mental Health of the US National Institutes of Health (NIH), and the National Institute on Aging of the NIH