Adverse pregnancy outcomes in sickle cell trait: a prospective cohort study evaluating clinical and haematological parameters in postpartum mothers and newborns

Background: Sickle cell trait (SCT) is a congenital condition caused by the inheritance of a single allele of the abnormal haemoglobin beta gene, HbS. Carriers of SCT are generally asymptomatic, and they do not manifest the clinical and haematological abnormalities of sickle cell anaemia (SCA). However, there is evidence that they display some symptoms in stressful situations. Pregnancy is a stressful physiological event, and it is not clear if SCT adversely affects pregnancy outcomes, particularly in those from developing countries where people regularly suffer from nutritional insufficiency. Objective: This study aims to investigate pregnancy outcomes in Sudanese women with SCT. Subjects and methods: Pregnant women with (HbAS, n=34) and without (HbAA, n=60) SCT were recruited during their first trimester at El Obeid Hospital, Kordofan, Western Sudan. Following appropriate ethical approval and informed consent from the participants, detailed anthropometric, clinical, haematological, obstetric, and birth outcome data were registered. In addition, blood samples were collected at enrolment and at delivery. Results: At enrolment in the first trimester, the SCT group did not manifest SCA symptoms, and there was no difference in the haematological parameters between the SCT and control groups. However, at delivery, the women with SCT, compared with the control group, had lower levels of hemoglobin (Hb, p=0.000), packed cell volume (PCV, p=0.000), mean corpuscular haemoglobin (MCH, p=0.002) and neutrophil counts (p=0.045) and higher mean corpuscular volume (MCV, p=0.000) and platelet counts (p=0.000). Similarly, at delivery, the babies of SCT women had lower birth weight (p=0.000), lower Hb (p=0.045), PCV (p=0.000), MCH (p=0.000), and higher neutrophil (p=0.004) and platelet counts (p=0.000) than the babies of the healthy control group. Additionally, there were more miscarriages, stillbirths, and admissions to the Special Care Baby Unit (SCBU) in the SCT group. Conclusions: The study revealed that SCT is associated with adverse pregnancy outcomes, including maternal and neonatal anaemia, low birth weight, and increased risk of stillbirth, miscarriage, and admission to SCBU. Therefore, pregnant women with SCT should be given appropriate pre-conceptual advice and multidisciplinary antenatal and postnatal care

Pf7: an open dataset of Plasmodium falciparum genome variation in 20,000 worldwide samples

We describe the MalariaGEN Pf7 data resource, the seventh release of Plasmodium falciparum genome variation data from the MalariaGEN network.  It comprises over 20,000 samples from 82 partner studies in 33 countries, including several malaria endemic regions that were previously underrepresented.  For the first time we include dried blood spot samples that were sequenced after selective whole genome amplification, necessitating new methods to genotype copy number variations.  We identify a large number of newly emerging crt mutations in parts of Southeast Asia, and show examples of heterogeneities in patterns of drug resistance within Africa and within the Indian subcontinent.  We describe the profile of variations in the C-terminal of the csp gene and relate this to the sequence used in the RTS,S and R21 malaria vaccines.  Pf7 provides high-quality data on genotype calls for 6 million SNPs and short indels, analysis of large deletions that cause failure of rapid diagnostic tests, and systematic characterisation of six major drug resistance loci, all of which can be freely downloaded from the MalariaGEN website

MULTIVARIABLE CLOSED-LOOP SYSTEM IDENTIFICATION USING ITERATIVE LEAKY LEAST MEAN SQUARES METHOD

Channel isolation usmg partial correlation analysis and estimation of model parameters in the conventional multivariable closed-loop system identification approaches use the method of Least Square (LS) with the limitations, viz. (I) large estimation bias due to the highly correlated input signals, low Signal to Noise Ratio (SNR) and correlated noise signals; and (2) inconsistent parameter estimates due to noise and unmeasured disturbances. In this thesis. iterative Leaky Least Mean Squares (LLMS) based methods are proposed to address the limitations ofLS method in MultiInput Multi-Output (MIMO) closed-loop system identification. In this research. novel algorithms have been developed to: (I) isolate the less interacting channe Is using a modified partial correlation algorithm. (2) achieve unbiased and consistent parameter estimates using an iterative LLMS algorithm and (3) develop parsimonious models for closed-loop MIMO systems. All the proposed algorithms are demonstrated with the help of extensive simulation case studies and a real pilot-scale distillation column with appropriate validation procedures

MUL TIVARJABLE CLOSED-LOOP SYSTEM IDENTIFICATION USING ITERATIVE LEAKY LEAST MEAN SQUARES METHOD

Channel isolation usmg partial correlation analysis and estimation of model parameters in the conventional multivariable closed-loop system identification approaches use the method of Least Square (LS) with the limitations, viz. (I) large estimation bias due to the highly correlated input signals, low Signal to Noise Ratio (SNR) and correlated noise signals; and (2) inconsistent parameter estimates due to noise and unmeasured disturbances. In this thesis. iterative Leaky Least Mean Squares (LLMS) based methods are proposed to address the limitations ofLS method in MultiInput Multi-Output (MIMO) closed-loop system identification. In this research. novel algorithms have been developed to: (I) isolate the less interacting channe Is using a modified partial correlation algorithm. (2) achieve unbiased and consistent parameter estimates using an iterative LLMS algorithm and (3) develop parsimonious models for closed-loop MIMO systems. All the proposed algorithms are demonstrated with the help of extensive simulation case studies and a real pilot-scale distillation column with appropriate validation procedure

Assessment of plasma BMP-2, BMP-7, BMP-10, vitamin D, and TGF β1 in simple fractures among Sudanese patients.

BackgroundBone morphogenetic proteins (BMP) are multifunctional proteins. They work as cytokines regulating osteogenesis during fracture healing process. The objectives of this study were to assess changes in BMPs during fracture and their correlations to Fracture's healing.MethodsCase-Control hospital-based study conducted from January 2018 to January 2019. Demographic data, anthropometric measurements, and blood samples were collected from patients and controls (18-65 years old). Plasma concentrations of selected BMPs and vitamin D were measured using quantitative enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). SPSS version 25 was used to calculate frequencies, Pearson correlation tests, chi-square and unpaired t-test.ResultsSixty-five patients with fractures and Sixty-five controls were studied. Means of plasma concentrations were (TGFβ1 = 21.07 ng/ml ±8.49 and 19.8 ng/ml ±7.2) (BMP-2 = 76.3 pg/ml ± 156.6 and 55.5 ng/ml ± 127.9) (BMP-7 = 13.02 pg/ml ±43.5 and 64.6pg/ml ±250) (BMP-10 = 8.14 pg/ml ±12.7 and 5.48 pg/ml ±11.3) (Vitamin D mean was 24.94 ng/ml ±13.2 and 26.2 ng/ml ±11.6) in patients and controls, respectively. Forty-five subjects were enrolled into follow up study: 30 males, 15 females. Healing time mean was 4.13± 2.6 months. No significant correlation between BMP-2/BMP-7 with healing time.ConclusionsBMP-7 was significantly lowers in the plasma of patients that controls (P = 0.042). Low Vitamin D was observed among Sudanese participants

Penile Urethral Hypospadias with Two Fistulae and Diverticulum in a Saanen Kid

Hypospadias is a rare congenital defect reported in most animal species and humans. This case study reports a hypospadiac case in a goat kid with urethral diverticulum diagnosed in Sudan for the first time. A 45-day-old male kid was presented to the Veterinary Teaching Hospital, College of Veterinary Medicine, Sudan University of Science and Technology (SUST), with a history of an increasing prescrotal swelling. At presentation in the clinic the kid was bright and alert and the vital parameters were within the normal physiological range. Ultrasonography was performed to assess the integrity of the urinary system using (3.5–5) MHz curvilinear probe and it revealed normal kidneys and a distended urinary bladder. The kid was referred to surgery and two hypospadiac urinary fistulae were found. One fistula was sutured and the other was not corrected due to catheterization failure

Cancer antigen 125 and C-reactive protein inflammatory mediators and uric acid in association with preeclampsia in North Kordofan State, Western Sudan.

Pathophysiology of pre-eclampsia depends on a defective trophoblastic invasion of uteroplacental blood vessels that leads to placental ischemia and induction of an inflammatory process within the placenta. This process may trigger the expression of Cancer antigen 125 (CA 125), C-reactive protein (CRP) and uric acid (UA). This research aimed to evaluate the association of serum CA 125, CRP and uric acid with Preeclampsia. The study recruited 200 singleton Sudanese pregnant women, who were divided into three groups: controls (n = 100), mild preeclampsia (n = 46) and severe preeclampsia (n = 54). The study subjects were matched for maternal age, gestational age and body mass index. Blood samples were taken for measurement of the different variables using immune- assay and enzymatic automated chemical analysis. The levels of CA 125 in mild and severe preeclampsia were (21.94±0.749 IU/ml) and (40.78±1.336 IU/ml) respectively, which was significantly different (P0.7; P 0.8; P < 0.001). In conclusion CA 125, CRP and UA were significantly higher in preeclampsia compared with the controls. The rise of the analytes was directly associated with the severity of the disease