Frequency of Sustained Virologic Response in Hepatitis C Positive, Treatment Naïve Patients on Sofosbuvir and Daclatasvir

OBJECTIVES To measure the frequency of sustained virologic response in Hepatitis C positive, treatment naïve patients on Sofosbuvir and Daclatasvir.METHODOLOGY This descriptive study was conducted in the Department of Medicine, Khyber Teaching Hospital Peshawar from 15th May 2020 to 14th November, 2020.  A sample size of 93 was calculated by using sustained virologic response in 96% patients using Sofosbuvir and Daclatasvir with the confidence level as 95% and 4% margin of error under WHO formula for sample size determination in health studies. Consecutive non probability sampling technique was used in the study.RESULTSNinety Three treatment naïve hepatitis C patients were included in the study containing 53 males (57%) and 40 females (43%) with mean age of 43 + 0.23. 84 (90%) patients were in Child A class according to Child Pugh score. Overall 89 (95.7%) patients showed sustained virologic response following 12 weeks treatment of naïve HCV patients with combination of sofosbuvir and daclastavir. 5 patients developed side effects to the drugs; 2 patients developed anemia with one patient having anemia severe enough to require blood transfusion. 4 patients did not respond to the treatment regime in terms of sustained virologic response for 12 week treatment and were continued for 24 weeks on the same regime. CONCLUSION This study concludes that combined sofosbuvir and daclatasvir for 12 weeks appear to have sustained virologic response in treatment naïve HCV patients. Child score has statistically significant correlation to sustained virologic response with Child A class showing SVR in all patients. Patients in Child class C did not show SVR. Thrombocytopenia has direct and negative affect on SVR

Evaluation of renewable energy resources potential for satisfying electricity needs in the Niger Delta Region

The growing effects of global warming and sustainable energy production are a significant challenge in today's world. These challenges is more pre-eminent in growing economies and have remained so for many years, and might remain so for a foreseeable future if without any action. Nigeria is a growing economy that is endowed with ample energy resources. The conventional and renewable energy resources in Nigeria if adequately harnessed has the potential to meet the energy demand of both urban and rural Nigerians. Nevertheless, Nigeria has a low energy consumption rate when compared to other African countries. Nigeria's energy circumstance could best be seen as a country that is sustainably rich, yet lack power. Previous works have presented ways in which the available methods of harnessing sustainable energy sources can be improved. There are limited works on the feasibility of meeting energy demands for communities in the Nigeria Delta Region of Nigeria. In this work, the possibility of meeting the energy needs of Buguma a small community in the Niger Delta Region in a sustainable manner has been explored and presented. The primary goal of this work will be on the potentials of vast untapped renewable energy sources in Buguma. From the discussions presented in this work, it isimperativeto select and combine the available renewable energy resources carefully. This process must be planned and executed holistically to ensure that the unmet power needs in Buguma and possibly other developing communities can be addressed through a standalone system. The design and installation of a standalone system which can match the energy needs of Buguma and any other developing communities that are far from the existing national grids have been recommended

A SUSTAINABLE APPROACH FOR URBAN INTEGRATION OF HAMM M SAM RAH IN THE HISTORIC CITY OF GAZA

Throughout historical ages, Gaza has been viewed amongst the most important cities of Palestine. The historic centre of Gaza is among the most important sites in the city as it bustles with business activities and is the place of major historic sites, and cultural and architectural legacy in the region. The city of Gaza used to have several public baths which were built to meet the hygiene and health needs of the local inhabitants. Furthermore, they played an important social role as gathering places for socio-cultural events, parties and meetings. It is most unfortunate that a large number of these baths have disappeared, apart from the Samarah bath in Al Zaitoun neighbourhood at the heart of the old city. Hence, the preservation of this unique genuine heritage building is of high importance. This paper attempts to establish key scenarios to integrate the hammām into the Old City urban fabric. The study is based on the hypothesis stating that a sustainable approach can be achieved by associating the hammām to its urban context. Thus, the hammām will constitute an important part of a touristic tour including the main urban entities composing the old City: Al-Omari Mosque, Qisaria Market, Pasha Palace and Khan Al-Zait. Three main scenarios will be proposed, analyzed and explored. The study concludes by suggesting an appropriate scenario for the adaptive re-use of the building, in order to preserve the hammam

Lipid profile of alloxan-induced diabetic wistar rats treated with methanolic extract of Adansonia digitata fruit pulp

This study was carried out to assess the antidiabetic properties ofAdansoniadigitata fruit pulp by evaluating the effect of its methanolicextract (MAD) on cholesterol, High Density Lipoprotein (HDL), Low DensityLipoprotein (LDL) and triglycerides. Forty eight male wistar/albino ratsweighing 160 to 240 g were randomly distributed into six treatment groups[Group1, Normal control, each given only 0.2 ml distilled water daily for 4weeks; Group 2, diabetes control rats, induced with 150 mg/kg b.w., i.p.administration of alloxan and thereafter given 0.2 ml distilled waterthroughout the study period; Groups 3, 4 and 5, diabetic (i.p., 150 mg/kgb.w. alloxan) rats were given single oral dose of MAD (100, 200 and 300mg/kg b.w. respectively) for 4 weeks; Group 6, diabetic rats (i.p., 150mg/kg b.w. alloxan) were treated with 84 mg/kg b.w. of Chloropropamide,once daily for 4 weeks]. The serum concentration of cholesterol, HDL, LDLand triglycerides of all the animals in each group were determined after the14th and 28th treatment. There was significant (P<0.001) reduction ofserum cholesterol, LDL and Triglycerides when compared with the diabeticcontrol rats. These reductions were dose dependent and compared wellwith values obtained in the standard drug control group. Significant(P<0.001) increase in HDL were seen in the MAD experimental groups butdiffered significantly (P<0.001) with reduction seen in chloropropamidegroup.Keywords: Antidiabetic property, Adansoniadigitata fruit pulp, Lipid profile,Wistar Rat

PERSEPSI NELAYAN TERHADAP PENGGUNAAN LPG SEBAGAI BAHAN BAKAR PADA MESIN PERAHU DI KABUPATEN SUKABUMI

Kebijakan diversifikasi energi pada bidang perikanan diharapkan nelayan dapat beralih dari bahan bakar minyak ke bahan bakar gas, namun pada kenyataannya nelayan masih menggunakan BBM sebagai bahan bakar untuk mesin perahunya Penelitian bertujuan untuk mengidentifikasi karakteristik sosial-ekonomi dan menilai  persepsi nelayan terhadap penggunaan LPG sebagai bahan bakar pada mesin perahu di Kabupaten Sukabumi. Metode survey digunakan untuk mewawancarai sebanyak 94 orang responden. Hasil penelitian menunjukan bahwa sebagian besar nelayan di Kabupaten Sukabumi tergolong kelas umur yang masih produktif, memiliki pengalaman yang relatif lama, memiliki antusiasme yang tinggi terhadap informasi. Namum,  tingkat pendidikan nelayan masih rendah  dan pendapatan nelayan yang masih berada dibawah upah minimum kabupaten. Persepsi nelayan terhadap penggunaan LPG sebagai bahan bakar pada mesin perahu secara umum memiliki nilai rata-rata sebesar 53.19% termasuk kategori sedang.Kata kunci : karakteristik sosial-ekonomi, LPG, persepsi nelaya

An Analytical Study to Explore Iron Stores in a Population of Nowshera Based on Age and Gender Perspective

OBJECTIVES:  To analyze the impact of age and gender on iron stores in a population of the Nowshera region. METHODOLOGY: This cross sectional study was conducted in the Department of Pathology Qazi Hussain Ahmed Medical Complex Nowshera from 1st January 2019 to 31st March 2020. All patients were selected by convenience sampling in the Pathology department irrespective of age and gender.   Both descriptive and inferential statistics were applied to analyze data by the latest SPSS version 25.  RESULTS: Out of the total study population males were 70 (27.1%) and females 188 (77.9%) with median age 30 years.  The median ferritin level was 12.8 ng/ml. Out of total, 142 (55%) of cases were with serum ferritin less than 15ng/ml. A significant (p=0.03) gender based median ferritin level difference was observed with 1.5 times more probability of low iron stores in females as compared to males (OR=1.5). No statistically significant difference in body iron stores exists in different age groups. CONCLUSION:  A significant difference was noted in the iron stores in gender groups and the probability of depleted/low iron stores was higher in female gender as compared to male gender in all age groups in our population.  

Kinerja Lpg Pada Motor Bakar 6,5 Hp Sebagai Bahan Bakar Alternatif Perahu Penangkap Ikan (Performance of Liquefied Petroleum Gas for 6,5 Hp Engine as an Alternative Fuel in Small Motorized Fishing Boat)

This research was to analyze the technical effect of LPG compared to the gasoline bymeasuring the engine and exhaust temperature, to calculate the fuel saving (efficiency) for a singletrip by measuring the specific fuel consumption, and to explicate the cost benefit from the use ofLPG compared to the gasoline for fishing operation. During the experimental test, the engine speedwas maintained at idling conditions of 1600, 2000, and 2500rev/min. Technically, the engine andexhaust temperature decrease when running on LPG. The use of LPG as an alternative fuel togasoline can save on fuel consumption up to 26,35% and LPG makes operational cost moreefficiently due to the lower value of FC than that of gasoline. For a single trip, the cost from LPGspecific fuel consumption (sfc) value resulted Rp 5.610 while the gasoline resulted higher valuewhich makes Rp 9.632. With the difference of Rp 4.022, LPG can save cost as much as 41,76%where cost savings in fuel expenditure can be used to reimburse the purchasing cost of converterkit for 41,5 months or 3,46 years

Risk Factors for Hypertension in Patients with Stroke Presenting to Tertiary Care Hospital

OBJECTIVES To determine the risk factors for hypertension in stroke patients presenting to the tertiary care hospital of Peshawar, Pakistan. METHODOLOGY This cross-sectional descriptive study was conducted in the Department of Medicine at Khyber Teaching Hospital, Peshawar. This study spanned months and included 225 patients of either gender who had stroke symptoms within the preceding 72 hours. Detailed information was documented in age (in years), residence, gender, educational qualification, family history of hypertension, smoking, diabetes mellitus, obesity, dyslipidemia, hypertension, and duration. SPSS version 26.0 was used.RESULTSThe age range of the participants were from 41 to 80 years, with a mean age of 61.004±6.69. The mean duration of hypertension was 3.052±0.85 years. Hypertension was seen in 42.2% of patients. Factors leading to hypertension in stroke patients were age 40.8%, urban area 42%, illiteracy 36.2%, positive family history 61.9%, diabetes mellitus 65.2%, smoking 33.3%, obesity 85.3%, and dyslipidemia 71.8%. CONCLUSION Significant risk factors for stroke include hypertension, diabetes mellitus, hypercholesterolemia, smoking, obesity, and positive family history

Ferritin Is a Marker of Inflammation rather than Iron Deficiency in Overweight and Obese People

Background. In clinical practice, serum ferritin is used as a screening tool to detect iron deficiency. However, its reliability in obesity has been questioned. Objectives. To investigate the role of ferritin in overweight and obese people, either as a marker of inflammation or iron deficiency. Methods. On the basis of body mass index (BMI), 150 participants were divided into three equal groups: A: BMI 18.5–25 kg/m2, B: BMI 25–30 kg/m2, and C: BMI>30 kg/m2. Serum iron, total iron binding capacity (TIBC), transferrin saturation, ferritin, C-reactive protein, and hemoglobin (Hb) were measured for each participant and analyzed through SPSS version 16. One-way ANOVA and Pearson’s correlation tests were applied. Results. Ferritin was the highest in group C (M=163.48±2.23, P<0.001) and the lowest in group A, (M=152.78±1.81, P<0.001). Contrarily to ferritin, transferrin was the lowest in group C, (M=30.65±1.39, P<0.001) and the highest in group A, (M=38.66±2.14, P<0.001). Ferritin had a strong positive correlation with both BMI (r=0.86, P<0.001) and CRP (r=0.87, P<0.001) and strong negative correlation with Hb, iron, TIBC, and transferrin saturation (P<0.001). Conclusion. Ferritin is a marker of inflammation rather than iron status in overweight and obese people. Complete iron profile including transferrin, rather than serum ferritin alone, can truly predict iron deficiency in such people