Air Quality Study in Urban Centers: Case Study of Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso

In this work, a study on air quality in the city of Ouagadougou (Burkina Faso) was carried out. The concentration levels of NO2, SO2, BTEX and PM10 in the city have been quantified. The results show that NO2 concentrations (range from 22 to 27 μg m-3 on average) in the city remain below the limit set by the WHO standard, except for downtown where values often exceed this standard. The average concentrations of SO2 (range from 0.5 to 10.5 μg m-3) remain low in general throughout the city. The concentrations of BTEX (e.g. benzene: 27.9 μg m-3) are high in the city. PM10 concentrations are very high in the city in general; they exceed the limit set by the WHO standard by a factor of 3 to 4. These PM10 are mostly composed of dust from the desert and the re-suspension of dust particles related to vehicles traffic on unpaved roads. Two daily peaks for PM10 are observed at heavy traffic hours. Finally, the study showed that the values of PM10 concentrations observed are in the same order of magnitude of those generally observed in the Sahelian region (range from 119 to 227μg m-3)

Perioperative Management of Antiplatelet Therapy: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis

Objective: To summarize the available evidence about the perioperative management of patients who are receiving long-term antiplatelet therapy and require elective surgery/procedures. Methods: This systematic review supports the development of the American College of Chest Physicians guideline on the perioperative management of antiplatelet therapy. A literature search of MEDLINE, EMBASE, Scopus and Cochrane databases was conducted from each database’s inception to July 16, 2020. Meta-analyses were conducted when possible. Results: In patients receiving long-term antiplatelet therapy and undergoing elective noncardiac surgery, the available evidence did not show a significant difference in major bleeding between a shorter vs longer antiplatelet interruption, with low certainty of evidence (COE). Compared with patients who received placebo perioperatively, aspirin continuation was associated with increased risk of major bleeding (relative risk [RR], 1.31; 95% CI, 1.15-1.50; high COE) and lower risk of major thromboembolism (RR, 0.74; 95% CI, 0.58-0.94; moderate COE). During antiplatelet interruption, bridging with low-molecular-weight heparin was associated with increased risk of major bleeding compared with no bridging (RR, 1.86; 95% CI, 1.24-2.79; very low COE). Continuation of antiplatelets during minor dental and ophthalmologic procedures was not associated with a statistically significant difference in the risk of major bleeding (very low COE). Conclusion: This systematic review summarizes the current evidence about the perioperative management of antiplatelet therapy and highlights the urgent need for further research, particularly with the increasing prevalence of patients taking 1 or more antiplatelet agents