Engineering Behaviour of Cement-Treated Expansive Subgrade Soils from Awgu, Southeastern Nigeria

Engineering behaviour of cement-treated expansive soils refers to changes in the engineering properties of the soil in terms of reduction in values of swelling indicators and increase in values of strength characteristics of the soil when it is treated with various percentages of cement. In this study, engineering properties including liquid limit, plasticity index, linear shrinkage, maximum dry density/optimum moisture content, and California Bearing Ration (CBR) of expansive subgrade soils from Awgu, Southeastern Nigeria, were determined in the laboratory and their behaviour in terms of changes in the engineering properties on treatment with various percentages of cement (2,4,6,8 and 10) investigated. Results of the study show that liquid limit, plasticity index and linear shrinkage values of the treated soil were reduced while the maximum dry density and CBR values were increased. The maximum reduction percentages of 34.61% (56.60 to 37.01%), 72.89% (33.60 to 9.11%) and 46.51% (12.90 to 6.90%) in liquid limit, plasticity index and linear shrinkage, respectively; and maximum percent increase of 7.59% (1.58 to 1.70mg/m3, on maximum dry density), 236.36% (11 to 37%, on unsoaked CBR) and 800.00% (3 to 27%, on soaked CBR), were obtained on treatment of the soil with 8% cement by weight. The swelling indicators/parameters of the studied soil are liquid limit; plasticity index and linear shrinkage while the strength characteristics/parameters of the studied soil are maximum dry density and California Bearing Ratio (CBR). Treatment of the soil with cement has thus reduced its swelling potential from high to low and increased the strength significantly Keywords: Subgrade, expansive soils, cement treatment, plasticity characteristics, reduction percentage, strength characteristics, percent increase

Efficacy of tank mixture glufosinate ammonium and indaziflam for weed control in oil palm

The apprehension among oil palm farmers on the toxicity of glyphosate necessitated the need for an alternative herbicide for weed control in oil palm. Thus, a study was conducted at the Ni­gerian Institute for Oil Palm Research (NIFOR) to determine the efficacy of tank mixture of glu­fosinate ammonium (Basta) + indaziflam (Alion) for weed control in oil palm. The treatments consisted of glyphosate at 1.5 kg a.i ha-1, glyphosate + diuron at 1.5+2.0 kg a.i. ha-1, glufosinate ammonium at 0.4 kg a.i. ha-1, glufosinate ammonium at 0.5 kg a.i. ha-1, tank mixture of glufos­inate ammonium + indaziflam at 0.4 + 0.04 kg a.i. ha-1, tank mixture of glufosinate ammonium + indaziflam at 0.5 + 0.04 kg a.i. ha-1and weedy control. The results showed that tank mixture of glyphosate + diuron at 1.5 + 2 kg a.i ha-1, glufosinate ammonium + indaziflam at 0.4 + 0.04 kg a.i. ha-1 and glufosinate ammonium + indaziflam at 0.5 + 0.04 had the best weed control efficiency of 78.5%, 78.6% and 78.3% respectively up to 20 weeks. The study concluded that tank mixtures of glufosinate ammonium + indaziflam were as good as glyphosate + diuron for weed control in oil palm

COMPARATIVE ASSESSMENT OF LIPID PROFILE IN PRE-MENOPAUSAL AND MENOPAUSAL WOMEN IN NNEWI NIGERIA

The study was aimed at determining the effect of menopause on lipid profile. A total of 100 apparently healthy subjects who comprised 50 menopausal women aged 45 – 77 years and 50 pre-menopausal women between the aged between 20-52 years were recruited. Ethical approval was obtained from the Faculty of Health Science and Technology, Nnamdi Azikiwe University ethics committee and informed consent of each participant was obtained prior to recruitment. We estimated serum levels of total cholesterol using the enzymatic end point method as described by Roeschlau et al., (1974), HDL was performed using the combination of phosphotungstate precipitation and enzymatic method as described by Burstein et al., (1980), LDL by the combination of polyvinyl sulphate precipitation and enzymatic method of Assman et al., (1984), VLDL was estimated using the method as described by Friedwald et al., (1972) and triglycerides by the enzymatic method as described by Tietz (1990). The results shows that the mean levels of serum triglycerides (TG) and low density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL cholesterol) showed a statistically significant increase in menopausal women compared with the premenopausal subjects (P<0.05) while there was no significant difference in the mean values of serum high density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL cholesterol), very low density lipoprotein cholesterol (VLDL cholesterol) and total cholesterol (P>0.05). There was a progressive increase in the mean levels of total cholesterol, triglycerides, LDL-cholesterol and VLDLcholesterol with duration of menopause while the levels of HDL-cholesterol decreased with duration of menopause. There were no significant variations among the various age categories of the menopausal subjects and the levels of the lipid parameters studied (p>0.05). The findings suggest that premenopausal women have less proatherogenic lipid profile than their menopausal counterparts

COMPARATIVE ASSESSMENT OF LIPID PROFILE IN PRE-MENOPAUSAL AND MENOPAUSAL WOMEN IN NNEWI NIGERIA

The study was aimed at determining the effect of menopause on lipid profile. A total of 100 apparently healthy subjects who comprised 50 menopausal women aged 45 – 77 years and 50 pre-menopausal women between the aged between 20-52 years were recruited. Ethical approval was obtained from the Faculty of Health Science and Technology, Nnamdi Azikiwe University ethics committee and informed consent of each participant was obtained prior to recruitment. We estimated serum levels of total cholesterol using the enzymatic end point method as described by Roeschlau et al., (1974), HDL was performed using the combination of phosphotungstate precipitation and enzymatic method as described by Burstein et al., (1980), LDL by the combination of polyvinyl sulphate precipitation and enzymatic method of Assman et al., (1984), VLDL was estimated using the method as described by Friedwald et al., (1972) and triglycerides by the enzymatic method as described by Tietz (1990). The results shows that the mean levels of serum triglycerides (TG) and low density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL cholesterol) showed a statistically significant increase in menopausal women compared with the premenopausal subjects (P<0.05) while there was no significant difference in the mean values of serum high density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL cholesterol), very low density lipoprotein cholesterol (VLDL cholesterol) and total cholesterol (P>0.05). There was a progressive increase in the mean levels of total cholesterol, triglycerides, LDL-cholesterol and VLDLcholesterol with duration of menopause while the levels of HDL-cholesterol decreased with duration of menopause. There were no significant variations among the various age categories of the menopausal subjects and the levels of the lipid parameters studied (p>0.05). The findings suggest that premenopausal women have less proatherogenic lipid profile than their menopausal counterparts

Effects of nutrition education of mothers on anthropometric indices of preschoolers and mothers’ nutrition knowledge in Umuguma, Imo State, Nigeria

Background: Many rural women have little or no knowledge of nutritive value of foods, and what constitute an adequate diet, as a result, most Nigerian families often depend on processed complementary foods low in nutrient density which contributes to growth faltering among infants. Objective: The study determined the anthropometric indices of the children and the nutritional knowledge of their mothers as well as evaluated the effect of nutrition education on the anthropometric indices of preschoolers. Methods: A community-based longitudinal study using stratified sampling technique was conducted among 284 mothers and children within the age of six months to five years in Umuguma Owerri-West Local Government Area, Imo State. Data on nutritional knowledge of the mothers and anthropometric measurements were collected before nutrition education and evaluation was carried out on the same group after six months of applied nutrition education programme. Mothers were taught on formulation and preparation of complementary and family food both for their families and their preschoolers using demonstration method. The anthropometric measurements were processed using the WHO Anthro-plus software. Descriptive statistics was used in analyzing the data. Chi- square was used to determine the significance of difference. The decision criterion was placed at P<0.05. Results: The study observed improvement in the women’s nutritional knowledge after nutrition education. The mean Z-Score of the children on anthropometric parameters was improved in both sexes but higher in female than male children after nutrition education. Prevalence of malnutrition present among the preschoolers (under nutrition and wasting) disappeared after nutrition education. Significant (P<0.05) associations was observed between mothers’ nutrition knowledge and preschoolers’ prevalence of wasting, stunting and underweight before nutrition education. But after nutrition education, there was no statistically significant (P>0.05) association between wasting, underweight and nutrition knowledge, though stunting had a significant (P<0.05) association with nutrition knowledge of the mothers. Conclusion: Nutrition education improved the nutritional knowledge of the mothers which improved the nutritional status of their children

Assessment Of Tumour Necrosis Factor-Alpha (Tnf- Α) And Creatinine Levels In Echis Ocellatus Bite Victims In Jos Metropolis, Nigeria

This study was designed to assess tumour necrosis factor-alpha and creatinine levels in Echis ocellatus bite victims. A total of 50 subjects were recruited. Out of this number, 40 were victims of E. ocellatus bite and the remaining 10 were non-victims of snake bite who served as the control group. Blood samples were collected from the victims within 24 hours of the snake bite and EchiTAb-G antivenom administered within the same period. Another batch of blood sample was collected 48 hours post-administration of the anti-venom. Tumour necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) levels were estimated by the Enzyme Linked Immunosorbent Assay technique while creatinine levels were determined using kinetic-spectrophotometric procedure. The mean serum levels of tumour necrosis factor-alpha and creatinine were significantly increased in E. ocellatus bite victims compared with the control group (P<0.05). Furthermore, the mean serum level of TNFalpha was significantly lower in E. ocellatus bite victims, post-administration of anti-venom, compared with the pre-administration of anti-venom (P<0.05). In contrast, no significant difference was observed in the mean serum level of creatinine in E. ocellatus bite victims, post-administration of anti-venom, compared with the pre-administration of anti-venom (P>0.05). Moreover, the mean serum level of creatinine was found to be significantly increased in E. ocellatus bite victims, post-administration of anti-venom, compared with the control group (P<0.05), while no significant difference was observed in the mean serum level of tumour necrosis factor-alpha in E. ocellatus bite victims, post-administration of anti-venom, compared with the control group(P>0.05). A positive correlation existed between tumour necrosis factor-alpha and creatinine levels in E. ocellatus bite subjects (r= 0.782). Echis ocellatus bite is a risk factor for renal damage indicated by an elevated serum creatinine, thus health authorities should make EchiTAb-G anti-venom freely available in health facilities and administered as quickly as possible to reduce the risk of renal damage in Echis ocellatus bite-prone areas

Global, regional, and national burden of disorders affecting the nervous system, 1990–2021: a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2021

Background: Disorders affecting the nervous system are diverse and include neurodevelopmental disorders, late-life neurodegeneration, and newly emergent conditions, such as cognitive impairment following COVID-19. Previous publications from the Global Burden of Disease, Injuries, and Risk Factor Study estimated the burden of 15 neurological conditions in 2015 and 2016, but these analyses did not include neurodevelopmental disorders, as defined by the International Classification of Diseases (ICD)-11, or a subset of cases of congenital, neonatal, and infectious conditions that cause neurological damage. Here, we estimate nervous system health loss caused by 37 unique conditions and their associated risk factors globally, regionally, and nationally from 1990 to 2021. Methods: We estimated mortality, prevalence, years lived with disability (YLDs), years of life lost (YLLs), and disability-adjusted life-years (DALYs), with corresponding 95% uncertainty intervals (UIs), by age and sex in 204 countries and territories, from 1990 to 2021. We included morbidity and deaths due to neurological conditions, for which health loss is directly due to damage to the CNS or peripheral nervous system. We also isolated neurological health loss from conditions for which nervous system morbidity is a consequence, but not the primary feature, including a subset of congenital conditions (ie, chromosomal anomalies and congenital birth defects), neonatal conditions (ie, jaundice, preterm birth, and sepsis), infectious diseases (ie, COVID-19, cystic echinococcosis, malaria, syphilis, and Zika virus disease), and diabetic neuropathy. By conducting a sequela-level analysis of the health outcomes for these conditions, only cases where nervous system damage occurred were included, and YLDs were recalculated to isolate the non-fatal burden directly attributable to nervous system health loss. A comorbidity correction was used to calculate total prevalence of all conditions that affect the nervous system combined. Findings: Globally, the 37 conditions affecting the nervous system were collectively ranked as the leading group cause of DALYs in 2021 (443 million, 95% UI 378–521), affecting 3·40 billion (3·20–3·62) individuals (43·1%, 40·5–45·9 of the global population); global DALY counts attributed to these conditions increased by 18·2% (8·7–26·7) between 1990 and 2021. Age-standardised rates of deaths per 100 000 people attributed to these conditions decreased from 1990 to 2021 by 33·6% (27·6–38·8), and age-standardised rates of DALYs attributed to these conditions decreased by 27·0% (21·5–32·4). Age-standardised prevalence was almost stable, with a change of 1·5% (0·7–2·4). The ten conditions with the highest age-standardised DALYs in 2021 were stroke, neonatal encephalopathy, migraine, Alzheimer's disease and other dementias, diabetic neuropathy, meningitis, epilepsy, neurological complications due to preterm birth, autism spectrum disorder, and nervous system cancer. Interpretation: As the leading cause of overall disease burden in the world, with increasing global DALY counts, effective prevention, treatment, and rehabilitation strategies for disorders affecting the nervous system are needed. Funding: Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation

Global age-sex-specific mortality, life expectancy, and population estimates in 204 countries and territories and 811 subnational locations, 1950–2021, and the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic: a comprehensive demographic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2021

Background: Estimates of demographic metrics are crucial to assess levels and trends of population health outcomes. The profound impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on populations worldwide has underscored the need for timely estimates to understand this unprecedented event within the context of long-term population health trends. The Global Burden of Diseases, Injuries, and Risk Factors Study (GBD) 2021 provides new demographic estimates for 204 countries and territories and 811 additional subnational locations from 1950 to 2021, with a particular emphasis on changes in mortality and life expectancy that occurred during the 2020–21 COVID-19 pandemic period. Methods: 22 223 data sources from vital registration, sample registration, surveys, censuses, and other sources were used to estimate mortality, with a subset of these sources used exclusively to estimate excess mortality due to the COVID-19 pandemic. 2026 data sources were used for population estimation. Additional sources were used to estimate migration; the effects of the HIV epidemic; and demographic discontinuities due to conflicts, famines, natural disasters, and pandemics, which are used as inputs for estimating mortality and population. Spatiotemporal Gaussian process regression (ST-GPR) was used to generate under-5 mortality rates, which synthesised 30 763 location-years of vital registration and sample registration data, 1365 surveys and censuses, and 80 other sources. ST-GPR was also used to estimate adult mortality (between ages 15 and 59 years) based on information from 31 642 location-years of vital registration and sample registration data, 355 surveys and censuses, and 24 other sources. Estimates of child and adult mortality rates were then used to generate life tables with a relational model life table system. For countries with large HIV epidemics, life tables were adjusted using independent estimates of HIV-specific mortality generated via an epidemiological analysis of HIV prevalence surveys, antenatal clinic serosurveillance, and other data sources. Excess mortality due to the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 and 2021 was determined by subtracting observed all-cause mortality (adjusted for late registration and mortality anomalies) from the mortality expected in the absence of the pandemic. Expected mortality was calculated based on historical trends using an ensemble of models. In location-years where all-cause mortality data were unavailable, we estimated excess mortality rates using a regression model with covariates pertaining to the pandemic. Population size was computed using a Bayesian hierarchical cohort component model. Life expectancy was calculated using age-specific mortality rates and standard demographic methods. Uncertainty intervals (UIs) were calculated for every metric using the 25th and 975th ordered values from a 1000-draw posterior distribution. Findings: Global all-cause mortality followed two distinct patterns over the study period: age-standardised mortality rates declined between 1950 and 2019 (a 62·8% [95% UI 60·5–65·1] decline), and increased during the COVID-19 pandemic period (2020–21; 5·1% [0·9–9·6] increase). In contrast with the overall reverse in mortality trends during the pandemic period, child mortality continued to decline, with 4·66 million (3·98–5·50) global deaths in children younger than 5 years in 2021 compared with 5·21 million (4·50–6·01) in 2019. An estimated 131 million (126–137) people died globally from all causes in 2020 and 2021 combined, of which 15·9 million (14·7–17·2) were due to the COVID-19 pandemic (measured by excess mortality, which includes deaths directly due to SARS-CoV-2 infection and those indirectly due to other social, economic, or behavioural changes associated with the pandemic). Excess mortality rates exceeded 150 deaths per 100 000 population during at least one year of the pandemic in 80 countries and territories, whereas 20 nations had a negative excess mortality rate in 2020 or 2021, indicating that all-cause mortality in these countries was lower during the pandemic than expected based on historical trends. Between 1950 and 2021, global life expectancy at birth increased by 22·7 years (20·8–24·8), from 49·0 years (46·7–51·3) to 71·7 years (70·9–72·5). Global life expectancy at birth declined by 1·6 years (1·0–2·2) between 2019 and 2021, reversing historical trends. An increase in life expectancy was only observed in 32 (15·7%) of 204 countries and territories between 2019 and 2021. The global population reached 7·89 billion (7·67–8·13) people in 2021, by which time 56 of 204 countries and territories had peaked and subsequently populations have declined. The largest proportion of population growth between 2020 and 2021 was in sub-Saharan Africa (39·5% [28·4–52·7]) and south Asia (26·3% [9·0–44·7]). From 2000 to 2021, the ratio of the population aged 65 years and older to the population aged younger than 15 years increased in 188 (92·2%) of 204 nations. Interpretation: Global adult mortality rates markedly increased during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 and 2021, reversing past decreasing trends, while child mortality rates continued to decline, albeit more slowly than in earlier years. Although COVID-19 had a substantial impact on many demographic indicators during the first 2 years of the pandemic, overall global health progress over the 72 years evaluated has been profound, with considerable improvements in mortality and life expectancy. Additionally, we observed a deceleration of global population growth since 2017, despite steady or increasing growth in lower-income countries, combined with a continued global shift of population age structures towards older ages. These demographic changes will likely present future challenges to health systems, economies, and societies. The comprehensive demographic estimates reported here will enable researchers, policy makers, health practitioners, and other key stakeholders to better understand and address the profound changes that have occurred in the global health landscape following the first 2 years of the COVID-19 pandemic, and longer-term trends beyond the pandemic. Funding: Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation

Global burden and strength of evidence for 88 risk factors in 204 countries and 811 subnational locations, 1990–2021: a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2021

Background: Understanding the health consequences associated with exposure to risk factors is necessary to inform public health policy and practice. To systematically quantify the contributions of risk factor exposures to specific health outcomes, the Global Burden of Diseases, Injuries, and Risk Factors Study (GBD) 2021 aims to provide comprehensive estimates of exposure levels, relative health risks, and attributable burden of disease for 88 risk factors in 204 countries and territories and 811 subnational locations, from 1990 to 2021. Methods: The GBD 2021 risk factor analysis used data from 54 561 total distinct sources to produce epidemiological estimates for 88 risk factors and their associated health outcomes for a total of 631 risk–outcome pairs. Pairs were included on the basis of data-driven determination of a risk–outcome association. Age-sex-location-year-specific estimates were generated at global, regional, and national levels. Our approach followed the comparative risk assessment framework predicated on a causal web of hierarchically organised, potentially combinative, modifiable risks. Relative risks (RRs) of a given outcome occurring as a function of risk factor exposure were estimated separately for each risk–outcome pair, and summary exposure values (SEVs), representing risk-weighted exposure prevalence, and theoretical minimum risk exposure levels (TMRELs) were estimated for each risk factor. These estimates were used to calculate the population attributable fraction (PAF; ie, the proportional change in health risk that would occur if exposure to a risk factor were reduced to the TMREL). The product of PAFs and disease burden associated with a given outcome, measured in disability-adjusted life-years (DALYs), yielded measures of attributable burden (ie, the proportion of total disease burden attributable to a particular risk factor or combination of risk factors). Adjustments for mediation were applied to account for relationships involving risk factors that act indirectly on outcomes via intermediate risks. Attributable burden estimates were stratified by Socio-demographic Index (SDI) quintile and presented as counts, age-standardised rates, and rankings. To complement estimates of RR and attributable burden, newly developed burden of proof risk function (BPRF) methods were applied to yield supplementary, conservative interpretations of risk–outcome associations based on the consistency of underlying evidence, accounting for unexplained heterogeneity between input data from different studies. Estimates reported represent the mean value across 500 draws from the estimate's distribution, with 95% uncertainty intervals (UIs) calculated as the 2·5th and 97·5th percentile values across the draws. Findings: Among the specific risk factors analysed for this study, particulate matter air pollution was the leading contributor to the global disease burden in 2021, contributing 8·0% (95% UI 6·7–9·4) of total DALYs, followed by high systolic blood pressure (SBP; 7·8% [6·4–9·2]), smoking (5·7% [4·7–6·8]), low birthweight and short gestation (5·6% [4·8–6·3]), and high fasting plasma glucose (FPG; 5·4% [4·8–6·0]). For younger demographics (ie, those aged 0–4 years and 5–14 years), risks such as low birthweight and short gestation and unsafe water, sanitation, and handwashing (WaSH) were among the leading risk factors, while for older age groups, metabolic risks such as high SBP, high body-mass index (BMI), high FPG, and high LDL cholesterol had a greater impact. From 2000 to 2021, there was an observable shift in global health challenges, marked by a decline in the number of all-age DALYs broadly attributable to behavioural risks (decrease of 20·7% [13·9–27·7]) and environmental and occupational risks (decrease of 22·0% [15·5–28·8]), coupled with a 49·4% (42·3–56·9) increase in DALYs attributable to metabolic risks, all reflecting ageing populations and changing lifestyles on a global scale. Age-standardised global DALY rates attributable to high BMI and high FPG rose considerably (15·7% [9·9–21·7] for high BMI and 7·9% [3·3–12·9] for high FPG) over this period, with exposure to these risks increasing annually at rates of 1·8% (1·6–1·9) for high BMI and 1·3% (1·1–1·5) for high FPG. By contrast, the global risk-attributable burden and exposure to many other risk factors declined, notably for risks such as child growth failure and unsafe water source, with age-standardised attributable DALYs decreasing by 71·5% (64·4–78·8) for child growth failure and 66·3% (60·2–72·0) for unsafe water source. We separated risk factors into three groups according to trajectory over time: those with a decreasing attributable burden, due largely to declining risk exposure (eg, diet high in trans-fat and household air pollution) but also to proportionally smaller child and youth populations (eg, child and maternal malnutrition); those for which the burden increased moderately in spite of declining risk exposure, due largely to population ageing (eg, smoking); and those for which the burden increased considerably due to both increasing risk exposure and population ageing (eg, ambient particulate matter air pollution, high BMI, high FPG, and high SBP). Interpretation: Substantial progress has been made in reducing the global disease burden attributable to a range of risk factors, particularly those related to maternal and child health, WaSH, and household air pollution. Maintaining efforts to minimise the impact of these risk factors, especially in low SDI locations, is necessary to sustain progress. Successes in moderating the smoking-related burden by reducing risk exposure highlight the need to advance policies that reduce exposure to other leading risk factors such as ambient particulate matter air pollution and high SBP. Troubling increases in high FPG, high BMI, and other risk factors related to obesity and metabolic syndrome indicate an urgent need to identify and implement interventions. Funding: Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation