Comparison of the sensitivity and specificity of urine cytology, urinary nuclear matrix protein-22 and multitarget fluorescence in situ hybridization assay in the detection of bladder cancer

This study aimed to compare the sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value (PPV) and negative predictive value (NPV) of urine cytology, BladderChek nuclear matrix protein-22 (NMP22) and UroVysion fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) tests in patients with newly diagnosed bladder cancer, those with recurrent bladder cancer, and those with bladder cancer but in remission during surveillance. Material and methods. Voided urine samples obtained from 178 patients with suspected or known bladder cancer about to undergo diagnostic or surveillance cystoscopy and 25 control subjects without the disease were divided into four and used for urine culture and cytology, NMP22 BladderChek and UroVysion FISH tests

Knowledge and awareness of medical doctors, medical students and nurses about dentistry in Nigeria

Introduction: Various studies have reported poor awareness and knowledge of dentistry in the Nigerian population. There is, however, paucity of information assessing the knowledge and awareness of medical doctors/students and nurses about dentistry. The present study is aimed at determining the knowledge and awareness of medical doctors/students and nurses about dentistry. Methods: Self-administered questionnaires were randomly distributed among medical doctors/students, and nurses of Obafemi Awolowo Teaching Hospitals' Complex, Ile-Ife, Nigeria. Information collected using the questionnaire included participants' biodata, questions evaluating dental awareness, knowledge of systemic and oral health connections as well as referral practices. The data analysis was done with STATA version 11 software. Results: A total of 300 questionnaires were randomly distributed among doctors/students and nurses, 206 were returned (response rate of 69%). Of the returned questionnaires, 129(63%) were males and 77(37%) were females. There were 42 medical doctors, 49 nurses and 115 medical students. The mean age of the participants was 26.7 years (SD 5.2). Majority (99.5%) was aware of dental profession, but 92% had never referred patients for dental consultation. One third (31%) of medical doctors believed that Ludwig angina was a cardiac disease. A large proportion of the respondents (61%) see no need for routine dental visit while 27% would want to visit the dentist only when they had a dental complaint. Conclusion: Although a large percentage of the participants claimed to be aware of dentistry, our findings revealed low level of knowledge and attitude to Dentistry. Efforts should be made towards closing this knowledge gap to achieve efficient oral health.Pan African Medical Journal 2016; 2

A novel PKD1 variant demonstrates a disease-modifying role in trans with a truncating PKD1 mutation in patients with Autosomal Dominant Polycystic Kidney Disease

Autosomal Dominant Polycystic Kidney Disease (ADPKD) is the most common form of Polycystic Kidney Disease (PKD) and occurs at a frequency of 1/800 to 1/1000 affecting all ethnic groups worldwide. ADPKD shows significant intrafamilial phenotypic variability in the rate of disease progression and extra-renal manifestations, which suggests the involvement of heritable modifier genes. Here we show that the PKD1 gene can act as a disease causing and a disease modifier gene in ADPKD patients

A novel PKD1 variant demonstrates a disease-modifying role in trans with a truncating PKD1 mutation in patients with Autosomal Dominant Polycystic Kidney Disease

Autosomal Dominant Polycystic Kidney Disease (ADPKD) is the most common form of Polycystic Kidney Disease (PKD) and occurs at a frequency of 1/800 to 1/1000 affecting all ethnic groups worldwide. ADPKD shows significant intrafamilial phenotypic variability in the rate of disease progression and extra-renal manifestations, which suggests the involvement of heritable modifier genes. Here we show that the PKD1 gene can act as a disease causing and a disease modifier gene in ADPKD patients

ANURIA SECONDARY TO HOT WEATHER-INDUCED HYPERURICAEMIA: DIAGNOSIS AND MANAGEMENT

There is little information on the management of anuria secondary to severe volume depletion or as a rare manifestation of heat stroke in areas of the world with very hot summers. We present our experience with hot weather-induced hyperuricaemia in Kuwait

ANURIA SECONDARY TO HOT WEATHER-INDUCED HYPERURICAEMIA: DIAGNOSIS AND MANAGEMENT

There is little information on the management of anuria secondary to severe volume depletion or as a rare manifestation of heat stroke in areas of the world with very hot summers. We present our experience with hot weather-induced hyperuricaemia in Kuwait

Mutations in 12 known dominant disease-causing genes clarify many congenital anomalies of the kidney and urinary tract

Congenital anomalies of the kidney and urinary tract (CAKUT) account for approximately half of children with chronic kidney disease. CAKUT can be caused by monogenic mutations, however, data are lacking on their frequency. Genetic diagnosis has been hampered by genetic heterogeneity and lack of genotype-phenotype correlation. To determine the percentage of cases with CAKUT that can be explained by mutations in known CAKUT genes, we analyzed the coding exons of the 17 known dominant CAKUT-causing genes in a cohort of 749 individuals from 650 families with CAKUT. The most common phenotypes in this CAKUT cohort were 288 with vesicoureteral reflux, 120 with renal hypodysplasia and 90 with unilateral renal agenesis. We identified 37 different heterozygous mutations (33 novel) in 12 of the 17 known genes in 47 patients from 41 of the 650 families (6.3%). These mutations include (number of families): BMP7 (1), CDC5L (1), CHD1L (5), EYA1 (3), GATA3 (2), HNF1B (6), PAX2 (5), RET (3), ROBO2 (4), SALL1 (9), SIX2 (1), and SIX5 (1). Furthermore, several mutations previously reported to be disease-causing are most likely benign variants. Thus, in a large cohort over 6% of families with isolated CAKUT are caused by a mutation in 12 of 17 dominant CAKUT genes. Our report represents one of the most in-depth diagnostic studies of monogenic causes of isolated CAKUT in children

Preparation and Characterization of Biochar and Activated Carbon Derived from Cashew Bagasse Waste

Biochar and Activated carbon derived from cashew bagasse waste are veritable materials produced from agro-waste. They are currently under-utilized owing to paucity of information in their recycling methods which reduces agricultural waste from the environment. This study investigates the use of under-utilized cashew bagasse waste in the production of biochar and activated carbon using pyrolysis and chemical activation methods, respectively. Cashew bagasse waste was pyrolysed at 4000C for 20mins at a heating rate of 100C per mins. The biochar produced was allowed to cool at room temperature for 30 mins. It was further reduced to smaller size particles using euro premium grinder and later sieved with 10 mesh sieve size prior to its application. The biochar was chemically activated using 0.3M Orthophosphoric acid (H3PO4) as activating agent at an impregnation ratio of 1:2.36(w/w). It was heated at 1000C to form a paste and later placed in muffle furnace at 5000C for 30 mins. This was allowed to cool and washed with distilled water until a neutral pH was obtained and later oven dried at 1050C for 24 hours to a constant weight to produce activated carbon. The produced activated carbon was kept in air tight containers prior to analysis. Characterization of pH, bulk density, moisture content, dry matter, volatile matter, and fixed carbon were determined for biochar and activated carbon. Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR) and Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) analysis was performed to determine the functional groups and surface morphology of biochar and activated carbon, respectively. The Data obtained were analyzed using descriptive statistics and ANOVA at P value < 0.05. The results showed that significant differences (p<0.05) were observed in the characterized parameters determined. The biochar and activated carbon has pH: (7.68±0.06 and 6.13±0.03); Bulk density :( 0.18±0.01 and 0.20±0.01) %; Moisture content: (6.67±0.33 and 16.00±0.58)%; Dry matter (93.33±0.33 and 84.00±0.58) %; Volatile matter (68.67±3.18 and 29.67±5.21) %; Fixed carbon (30.24±3.20 and 69.32±5.16) %, respectively. FTIR Analysis showed that biochar and activated carbon were more polar and also contained specific bonds. SEM analysis also indicated that biochar and activated carbon have porous structures. This study, therefore, revealed that chemically activated carbon had better characteristics than biochar produced through pyrolysis method

Bioinformatics, Computational Informatics, and Modeling Approaches to the Design of mRNA COVID-19 Vaccine Candidates.

This article is devoted to applying bioinformatics and immunoinformatics approaches for the development of a multi-epitope mRNA vaccine against the spike glycoproteins of circulating SARS-CoV-2 variants in selected African countries. The study’s relevance is dictated by the fact that severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) began its global threat at the end of 2019 and since then has had a devastating impact on the whole world. Measures to reduce threats from the pandemic include social restrictions, restrictions on international travel, and vaccine development. In most cases, vaccine development depends on the spike glycoprotein, which serves as a medium for its entry into host cells. Although several variants of SARS-CoV-2 have emerged from mutations crossing continental boundaries, about 6000 delta variants have been reported along the coast of more than 20 countries in Africa, with South Africa accounting for the highest percentage. This also applies to the omicron variant of the SARS-CoV-2 virus in South Africa. The authors suggest that bioinformatics and immunoinformatics approaches be used to develop a multi-epitope mRNA vaccine against the spike glycoproteins of circulating SARS-CoV-2 variants in selected African countries. Various immunoinformatics tools have been used to predict T- and B-lymphocyte epitopes. The epitopes were further subjected to multiple evaluations to select epitopes that could elicit a sustained immunological response. The candidate vaccine consisted of seven epitopes, a highly immunogenic adjuvant, an MHC I-targeting domain (MITD), a signal peptide, and linkers. The molecular weight (MW) was predicted to be 223.1 kDa, well above the acceptable threshold of 110 kDa on an excellent vaccine candidate. In addition, the results showed that the candidate vaccine was antigenic, non-allergenic, non-toxic, thermostable, and hydrophilic. The vaccine candidate has good population coverage, with the highest range in East Africa (80.44%) followed by South Africa (77.23%). West Africa and North Africa have 76.65% and 76.13%, respectively, while Central Africa (75.64%) has minimal coverage. Among seven epitopes, no mutations were observed in 100 randomly selected SARS-CoV-2 spike glycoproteins in the study area. Evaluation of the secondary structure of the vaccine constructs revealed a stabilized structure showing 36.44% alpha-helices, 20.45% drawn filaments, and 33.38% random helices. Molecular docking of the TLR4 vaccine showed that the simulated vaccine has a high binding affinity for TLR-4, reflecting its ability to stimulate the innate and adaptive immune response

Strengthening retinopathy of prematurity screening and treatment services in Nigeria: a case study of activities, challenges and outcomes 2017-2020.

OBJECTIVES: Retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) will become a major cause of blindness in Nigerian children unless screening and treatment services expand. This article aims to describe the collaborative activities undertaken to improve services for ROP between 2017 and 2020 as well as the outcome of these activities in Nigeria. DESIGN: Descriptive case study. SETTING: Neonatal intensive care units in Nigeria. PARTICIPANTS: Staff providing services for ROP, and 723 preterm infants screened for ROP who fulfilled screening criteria (gestational age <34 weeks or birth weight ≤2000 g, or sickness criteria). METHODS AND ANALYSIS: A WhatsApp group was initiated for Nigerian ophthalmologists and neonatologists in 2018. Members participated in a range of capacity-building, national and international collaborative activities between 2017 and 2018. A national protocol for ROP was developed for Nigeria and adopted in 2018; 1 year screening outcome data were collected and analysed. In 2019, an esurvey was used to collect service data from WhatsApp group members for 2017-2018 and to assess challenges in service provision. RESULTS: In 2017 only six of the 84 public neonatal units in Nigeria provided ROP services; this number had increased to 20 by 2018. Of the 723 babies screened in 10 units over a year, 127 (17.6%) developed any ROP; and 29 (22.8%) developed type 1 ROP. Only 13 (44.8%) babies were treated, most by intravitreal bevacizumab. The screening criteria were revised in 2020. Challenges included lack of equipment to regulate oxygen and to document and treat ROP, and lack of data systems. CONCLUSION: ROP screening coverage and quality improved after national and international collaborative efforts. To scale up and improve services, equipment for neonatal care and ROP treatment is urgently needed, as well as systems to monitor data. Ongoing advocacy is also essential