Surgical Techniques: Defibulation of Type III Female Genital Cutting

Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/72777/1/j.1743-6109.2007.00616.x.pd

Health Consequences of Child Marriage in Africa

Comprehensive, multifaceted policies are needed to end child marriage and protect girls and their offspring

Cognitive and Neural Map Representations in Schizophrenia

An ability to build structured cognitive maps of the world may lie at the heart of understanding cognitive features of schizophrenia. In rodents, cognitive map representations are supported by sequential hippocampal place cell reactivations during rest (offline), known as replay. These events occur in the context of local high frequency ripple oscillations, and whole-brain default mode network (DMN) activation. Genetic mouse models of schizophrenia also report replay and ripple abnormalities. Here, I investigate the behavioural and neural signatures of structured internal representations in people with a diagnosis of schizophrenia (PScz, n = 29) and matched control participants (n = 28) using magnetoencephalography (MEG). Participants were asked to infer correct sequential relationships between task pictures by applying a pre-learned task template to visual experiences containing these pictures. In Chapter 3 I show that, during a post-task rest session, controls exhibited fast spontaneous neural reactivation of task state representations that replayed inferred relationships. Replay was coincident with increased ripple power in hippocampus, which may be related to NMDAR availability (Chapter 4). PScz showed both reduced replay and augmented ripple power, convergent with genetic mouse models. These abnormalities were linked to impairments in behavioural acquisition of task structure, and to its subsequent representation in visually evoked neural responses. In Chapter 5 I explore the temporal coupling between replay onsets and DMN activation. I show an impairment in this association in PScz, which related to subsequent mnemonic maintenance of learned task structure, complementing previous reports of DMN abnormalities in the condition. Finally, in Chapter 6, using a separate verbal fluency task, I show that PScz exhibit evidence of reduced use of (semantic) associative information when sampling concepts from memory. Together, my results provide support for a hypothesis that schizophrenia is associated with abnormalities in neural and behavioural correlates of cognitive map representation

Membrane Anaerobic System (MAS) for Palm Oil Mill Effluent (POME) Treatment

The direct discharge of palm oil mill effluent (POME) wastewater causes serious environmental pollution due to its high chemical oxygen demand (COD) and biochemical oxygen demand (BOD). Traditional ways for POME treatment have both economic and environmental disadvantages. In this study, membrane anaerobic system (MAS) was used as an alternative, cost effective method for treating POME. Six steady states were attained as a part of a kinetic study that considered concentration ranges of 8,220 to 15,400 mg/l for mixed liquor suspended solids (MLSS) and 6, 329 to 13,244 mg/l for mixed liquor volatile suspended solids (MLVSS). Kinetic equations from Monod, Contois and Chen & Hashimoto were employed to describe the kinetics of POME treatment at organic loading rates ranging from 2 to 13 kg COD/m3/d. throughout the experiment, the removal efficiency of COD was from 94.8 to 96.5% with hydraulic retention time, HRT from 400.6 to 5.7 days. The growth yield coefficient, Y was found to be 0.62gVSS/g COD the specific microorganism decay rate was 0.21 d-1 and the methane gas yield production rate was between 0.25 l/g COD/d and 0.58 l/g COD/d. Steady state influent COD concentrations increased from 18,302 mg/l in the first steady state to 43,500 mg/l in the sixth steady state. The minimum solids retention time, which was obtained from the three kinetic models ranged from 5 to 12.3 days. The k values were in the range of and values were between 0.26 and 0.379 d-1. The solids retention time (SRT) decreased from 800 days to 11.6 days. The complete treatment reduced the COD content to 2279 mg/l equivalent to a reduction of 94.8% reduction from the original

Parvovirus B19 infection in pediatric transplant patients

Evidence of recent parvovirus virus infection (as determined by the presence of a positive IgM antibody titer) without other identified causes of anemia was found in 5 of 26 pediatric solid-organ transplant recipients evaluated for moderate-to-severe anemia between June 1990 and July 1991. Anemia tended to be chronic (median duration of anemia at the time of diagnosis was 12 weeks) and was associated with normal red blood cell indices in the absence of reticulocytes. The median age of the children at the time of presentation with anemia due to parvovirus was 1.8 years at a median time of 8 months after transplantation. Four of the 5 children were treated with i.v. immunoglobulin because of persistance of anemia requiring blood transfusions. A response characterized by an increase in reticulocyte count and normalization of hemoglobin was seen in each of these patients 2-4 weeks after treatment. The remaining patient experienced a spontaneous recovery from her anemia. Parvovirus infection should be included in the differential diagnosis of solid-organ transplant recipients presenting with severe anemia associated with low or absent reticulocytes

Efficacy of Randia nilotica methanol extract against Schistosoma mansomi infection in mice

Introduction: Schistosomiasis is an important parasitic disease in the tropics. Emergence of praziquantel-resistence strains urged the need for new drugs. Objective: To scientifically evaluate the effectiveness of a plant (Randia nilotica) used traditionally to treat schistosomiasis. Methods: Albino mice were experimentally infected with single dose of 150 cercariae of the Sudan strain of Schistosom mansoni. All the cercariae penetrated the shaved tail of the mouse. The mice were treated with single i.p (intraperitoneal) dose of 1 ml of R. nilotica methanol extract (prepared from fruit part of the plant) in concentration of 5000 ppm and double doses through the same route of administration with 1 ml of R. nilotica methanol extract in concentrations of 1000 and 500 ppm. Results: This resulted in total worm burden reductions at 87% 76% 68% respectively. The reductions in female worm burden were 99%, 97%, and 95% respectively. Oral administration with the same concentrations (single dose of 5000 ppm and double doses of 1000 and 500 ppm) resulted in total and female worm burden reductions. There was obvious reduction in the number of eggs in liver and intestinal tissues of the treated mice and improvement of their health when compared with the control group Conclusion: We conclude that the methanol extract of R. nilotica is effective against S. mansoni. Sudan Journal of Medical Science Vol. 1 (2) December 2006: 103-10

Judicial enforceability of economic, social and cultural rights in Bangladesh : a critical evaluation

The implementation of economic, social and cultural rights (esc rights) continues to pose uncertainties in the modern world. Given that many states constitutionally treat such rights as aspirational and not justiciable, it is difficult to enforce them judicially at the domestic level. Bangladesh has embodied these rights in Part ii of its Constitution as a social welfare goal of the State. This article takes Bangladesh as a case study and examines the international legal framework for the implementation of esc rights at the domestic level. Making a comparison with other jurisdictions, such as India and South Africa, the article examines the approach of the judiciary of Bangladesh (the Supreme Court) in giving effect to these rights. Lastly, the article argues that the court should devise appropriate and effective enforcement mechanisms for these rights