Prune belly syndrome: Early management outcome of nine consecutive cases

Background: Prune belly syndrome (PBS) is a rare congenital malformation of unclear etiology. The disease progress and outcome in developing countries are not clear as most reports are isolated case reports.Materials and Methods: A review of 9 patients managed for PBS in 5 years.Results: There were 7 males and 2 females, aged 30 min.11 days (median = 5 days) at the time of presentation (a child presented as neonate, defaulted from follow.up and represented at 10 years of life). Their weights on admission were 2.5.4.2 kg (median = 3 kg). Maternal age range was 26.37 years (median = 32 years), with five mothers being above 30 years. Seven mothers had febrile illness in the first trimester and took antimalarial drugs or antibiotics. Intestinal malrotation was the most  common associated anomaly. The degree of the anterior abdominal wall and the urinary tract morphology varies from patient to patient. Urinary tract anomalies were initially managed conservatively. Two infants however later had cutaneous ureterostomy due to worsening renal function and recalcitrant urinary tract infection (UTI). Four infants had abdominoplasty at the 2nd week, 6th week, 3rd year and 10th year of life. Seven orchiopexies were done. Four were done by Fowler.Stephenfs method while the rest were via the inguinal route. Of the former, 3 testicles have normal volume 6 months after, whereas one atrophied. Post abdominoplasty, there was a significant reduction in the frequency of respiratory tract infection (RTI), UTI and post void urine volume in three infants. In addition, there was improved peer interaction and academic performance in the 10.year.old child. One infant died of pulmonary hypoplasia and two others from worsening urosepsis and progressive renal failure.Conclusion: PBS presents with a spectrum of features. Initial conservative management of the urinary tract was beneficial. Abdominoplasty and orchiopexy have both physiological and improved quality of life benefits. Early Parental education helped in reducing defaults from follow.up.Key words: Abdominoplasty, congenital, Nigeria, prune belly syndrome, undescended testi

Assessment of Heavy Metals in Waterleaf from Various Sources in Ota, Nigeria

This study assessed the levels of heavy metals present in waterleaf (Talinum triangulare) from various sources in Ota, Ogun State. Eighty (80) samples of waterleaf were obtained from 5 domestic (non-hazardous) dumpsites, 5 non-dumpsites, 5 markets and 5 streets in Ota. The non-dumpsites were locations in industrial areas. Also, over 500 questionnaires were randomly administered to residents in Ota to assess the extent of consumption of waterleaf. Standard method was followed for sample treatment, digestion, and analysis of selected heavy metals: lead (Pb), cadmium (Cd), chromium (Cr), nickel (Ni) and cobalt (Co) using Atomic Absorption Spectrometer. The results showed that in waterleaf from domestic dumpsites the concentration (mg/kg) of heavy metals were: Pb (14.50-20.10), Cd (0.05-0.60), Cr (0.19-2.48), Ni (2.75-7.30) and Co (3.40-6.05); from non-dumpsites: Pb (12.20-24.45), Cd (ND- 0.60), Cr (ND-2.79), Ni (ND-24.00), Co (3.75-5.75); from markets: Pb (0.35-3.85), Cd (ND), Cr (ND-7.11), Ni (ND- 5.10), Co (1.05-2.45); and from streets: Pb (ND-5.00), Cd (ND), Cr (ND), Ni (3.50-7.25), Co (1.50-2.50). Generally, all the heavy metals were highest in waterleaf from domestic dumpsites and non-dumpsites. There were 502 respondents to the questionnaire; of which 82% consumed waterleaf. Out of those who consumed waterleaf, 41% consumed it daily, 32% at least once in a week, and 19% at least once in two weeks. It may be concluded that there is the high tendency of exposure to heavy metals by those who consume waterleaf in the studied locations since the levels in waterleaf from all sources studied generally exceeded the FAO/WHO limits.Keywords: Waterleaf, Talinum triangulare, vegetable, heavy metals, pollution, Ot

Molecular cloning and Biochemical properties of GH-16 β-agarase from Gilvimarinus agarolyticus JEA5

Agar is complex polysaccharide founds in the cell walls of some red algae and up to 70 % of the algal cell wall can be agar polymers. Agar was formed by a mixture of two polysaccharides named agarose and agaropectin. Agarose can be hydrolyzed by α-agarase (E.C. 3.2.1.158) and by β-agarase (E.C. 3.2.1.81); the former cleaves the α-1, 3 linkage of agarose to generate agaro-oligosaccharides, and the latter cleaves the β-1,4 linkage to generate neoagaro-oligosaccharides. Agarases have been isolated from many sources, including seawater, marine sediments, marine algae, marine mollusks, fresh water and soil. Recently, Givimarinus chinensis, G. polysacchalyticus, G. agarilyticus were identified and their agarolytic activity also reported. However, there are no report published that molecular and functional characterization of agarase from Givimarinus genus. In this study, we first report molecular characterization and biochemical properties of agarase from Gilvimarinus genus. Please click Additional Files below to see the full abstract

Experimental Validation of Fly-Wheel Passive Launch and On-Orbit Vibration Isolation System by Using a Superelastic SMA Mesh Washer Isolator

On-board appendages with mechanical moving parts for satellites produce undesirable micro-jitters during their on-orbit operation. These micro-jitters may seriously affect the image quality from high-resolution observation satellites. A new application form of a passive vibration isolation system was proposed and investigated using a pseudoelastic SMA mesh washer. This system guarantees vibration isolation performance in a launch environment while effectively isolating the micro-disturbances from the on-orbit operation of jitter source. The main feature of the isolator proposed in this study is the use of a ring-type mesh washer as the main axis to support the micro-jitter source. This feature contrasts with conventional applications of the mesh washers where vibration damping is effective only in the thickness direction of the mesh washer. In this study, the basic characteristics of the SMA mesh washer isolator in each axis were measured in static tests. The effectiveness of the design for the new application form of the SMA mesh washer proposed in this study was demonstrated through both launch environment vibration test at qualification level and micro-jitter measurement test which corresponds to on-orbit condition

Deep Learning-Assisted Parallel Interference Cancellation for Grant-Free NOMA in Machine-Type Communication

In this paper, we present a novel approach for joint activity detection (AD), channel estimation (CE), and data detection (DD) in uplink grant-free non-orthogonal multiple access (NOMA) systems. Our approach employs an iterative and parallel interference removal strategy inspired by parallel interference cancellation (PIC), enhanced with deep learning to jointly tackle the AD, CE, and DD problems. Based on this approach, we develop three PIC frameworks, each of which is designed for either coherent or non-coherence schemes. The first framework performs joint AD and CE using received pilot signals in the coherent scheme. Building upon this framework, the second framework utilizes both the received pilot and data signals for CE, further enhancing the performances of AD, CE, and DD in the coherent scheme. The third framework is designed to accommodate the non-coherent scheme involving a small number of data bits, which simultaneously performs AD and DD. Through joint loss functions and interference cancellation modules, our approach supports end-to-end training, contributing to enhanced performances of AD, CE, and DD for both coherent and non-coherent schemes. Simulation results demonstrate the superiority of our approach over traditional techniques, exhibiting enhanced performances of AD, CE, and DD while maintaining lower computational complexity

Antimicrobial activity of the ethanol extract and fractions of the seeds of Garcinia kola Heckel (Guttiferae)

The crude ethanol extract, aqueous and chloroform fractions of the seeds of Garcinia kola Heckel (Guttiferae) was investigated for antimicrobial activity. Agar well diffusion and minimum inhibitoryconcentration determinations were the methods employed for the study. Clinical bacterial and fungal isolates were used as indicator organisms while standard antimicrobial agents were included in thestudy. The crude ethanol extract showed significant inhibitory activity against clinical isolates of both Gram positive and Gram negative organisms. It was active against Staphylococcus aureus, Bacillussubtilis, Streptococcus viridans, Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeroginosa and Klebsiella pneumonia. It also showed significant inhibitory activity against fungi like Penicillium notatum, Aspergillus niger and Candida albicans. Both the aqueous and chloroform fractions showed activity against the clinical isolates of S. aureus, E. coli and P. aeruginosa. The MIC values obtained ranged between 2.5 and 7.5mg/ml for bacteria and fungi isolates. The results showed that the crude ethanol extract has broad spectrum of activity, while the fractions exhibited narrow spectrum of activity, since they were activeagainst S. aureus, E. coli, and P. aeruginosa only. These observations could be the basis for the usefulness of the seeds of G. kola in the treatment remedies for microbial infections

Molecular Weight Dependent Glucose Lowering Effect of Low Molecular Weight Chitosan Oligosaccharide (GO2KA1) on Postprandial Blood Glucose Level in SD Rats Model

Abstract This research investigated the effect of enzymatically digested low molecular weight (MW) chitosan oligosaccharide on type 2 diabetes prevention. Three different chitosan oligosaccharide samples with varying MW were evaluated in vitro for inhibition of rat small intestinal α-glucosidase and porcine pancreatic α-amylase (GO2KA1; \u3c1000 Da, GO2KA2; 1000–10,000 Da, GO2KA3; MW \u3e 10,000 Da). The in vitro results showed that all tested samples had similar rat α-glucosidase inhibitory and porcine α-amylase inhibitory activity. Based on these observations, we decided to further investigate the effect of all three samples at a dose of 0.1 g/kg, on reducing postprandial blood glucose levels in Sprague-Dawley (SD) rat model after sucrose loading test. In the animal trial, all tested samples had postprandial blood glucose reduction effect, when compared to control, however GO2KA1 supplementation had the strongest effect. The glucose peak (Cmax) for GO2KA1 and control was 152 mg/dL and 193 mg/dL, respectively. The area under the blood glucose-time curve (AUC) for GO2KA1 and control was 262 h mg/dL and 305 h mg/dL, respectively. Furthermore, the time of peak plasma concentration of blood glucose (Tmax) for GO2KA1 was significantly delayed (0.9 h) compared to control (0.5 h). These results suggest that GO2KA1 could have a beneficial effect for blood glucose management relevant to diabetes prevention in normal and pre-diabetic individuals. The suggested mechanism of action is via inhibition of the carbohydrate hydrolysis enzyme α-glucosidase and since GO2KA1 (MW \u3c 1000 Da) had higher in vivo effect, we hypothesize that it is more readily absorbed and might exert further biological effect once it is absorbed in the blood stream, relevant to blood glucose management

Observation of Competing Order in a High-TcT_{c} Superconductor with Femtosecond Optical Pulses

We present studies of the photoexcited quasiparticle dynamics in Tl$_{2}$Ba$_{2}$Ca$_{2}$Cu$_{3}$O$_{y}$ (Tl-2223) using femtosecond optical techniques. Deep into the superconducting state (below 40 K), a dramatic change occurs in the temporal dynamics associated with photoexcited quasiparticles rejoining the condensate. This is suggestive of entry into a coexistence phase which, as our analysis reveals, opens a gap in the density of states (in addition to the superconducting gap), and furthermore, competes with superconductivity resulting in a depression of the superconducting gap.Comment: 5 pages, 3 figure

Multiple gravity laws for human mobility within cities

The gravity model of human mobility has successfully described the deterrence of travels with distance in urban mobility patterns. While a broad spectrum of deterrence was found across different cities, yet it is not empirically clear if movement patterns in a single city could also have a spectrum of distance exponents denoting a varying deterrence depending on the origin and destination regions in the city. By analyzing the travel data in the twelve most populated cities of the United States of America, we empirically find that the distance exponent governing the deterrence of travels significantly varies within a city depending on the traffic volumes of the origin and destination regions. Despite the diverse traffic landscape of the cities analyzed, a common pattern is observed for the distance exponents; the exponent value tends to be higher between regions with larger traffic volumes, while it tends to be lower between regions with smaller traffic volumes. This indicates that our method indeed reveals the hidden diversity of gravity laws that would be overlooked otherwise.Comment: 17 pages, 6 figure