APOE E4 is associated with impaired self-declared cognition but not disease risk or age of onset in Nigerians with Parkinson's disease

The relationship between APOE polymorphisms and Parkinson's disease (PD) in black Africans has not been previously investigated. We evaluated the association between APOE polymorphic variability and self-declared cognition in 1100 Nigerians with PD and 1097 age-matched healthy controls. Cognition in PD was assessed using the single item cognition question (item 1.1) of the MDS-UPDRS. APOE genotype and allele frequencies did not differ between PD and controls (p > 0.05). No allelic or genotypic association was observed between APOE and age at onset of PD. In PD, APOE ε4/ε4 conferred a two-fold risk of cognitive impairment compared to one or no ε4 (HR: 2.09 (95% CI: 1.13-3.89; p = 0.02)), while APOE ε2 was associated with modest protection against cognitive impairment (HR: 0.41 (95% CI 0.19-0.99, p = 0.02)). Of 773 PD with motor phenotype and APOE characterized, tremor-dominant (TD) phenotype predominated significantly in ε2 carriers (87/135, 64.4%) compared to 22.2% in persons with postural instability/gait difficulty (PIGD) (30/135) and 13.3% in indeterminate (ID) (18/135, 13.3%) (p = 0.037). Although the frequency of the TD phenotype was highest in homozygous ε2 carriers (85.7%), the distribution of motor phenotypes across the six genotypes did not differ significantly (p = 0.18). Altogether, our findings support previous studies in other ethnicities, implying a role for APOE ε4 and ε2 as risk and protective factors, respectively, for cognitive impairment in PD

Multiorgan MRI findings after hospitalisation with COVID-19 in the UK (C-MORE): a prospective, multicentre, observational cohort study

Introduction: The multiorgan impact of moderate to severe coronavirus infections in the post-acute phase is still poorly understood. We aimed to evaluate the excess burden of multiorgan abnormalities after hospitalisation with COVID-19, evaluate their determinants, and explore associations with patient-related outcome measures. Methods: In a prospective, UK-wide, multicentre MRI follow-up study (C-MORE), adults (aged ≥18 years) discharged from hospital following COVID-19 who were included in Tier 2 of the Post-hospitalisation COVID-19 study (PHOSP-COVID) and contemporary controls with no evidence of previous COVID-19 (SARS-CoV-2 nucleocapsid antibody negative) underwent multiorgan MRI (lungs, heart, brain, liver, and kidneys) with quantitative and qualitative assessment of images and clinical adjudication when relevant. Individuals with end-stage renal failure or contraindications to MRI were excluded. Participants also underwent detailed recording of symptoms, and physiological and biochemical tests. The primary outcome was the excess burden of multiorgan abnormalities (two or more organs) relative to controls, with further adjustments for potential confounders. The C-MORE study is ongoing and is registered with ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT04510025. Findings: Of 2710 participants in Tier 2 of PHOSP-COVID, 531 were recruited across 13 UK-wide C-MORE sites. After exclusions, 259 C-MORE patients (mean age 57 years [SD 12]; 158 [61%] male and 101 [39%] female) who were discharged from hospital with PCR-confirmed or clinically diagnosed COVID-19 between March 1, 2020, and Nov 1, 2021, and 52 non-COVID-19 controls from the community (mean age 49 years [SD 14]; 30 [58%] male and 22 [42%] female) were included in the analysis. Patients were assessed at a median of 5·0 months (IQR 4·2–6·3) after hospital discharge. Compared with non-COVID-19 controls, patients were older, living with more obesity, and had more comorbidities. Multiorgan abnormalities on MRI were more frequent in patients than in controls (157 [61%] of 259 vs 14 [27%] of 52; p<0·0001) and independently associated with COVID-19 status (odds ratio [OR] 2·9 [95% CI 1·5–5·8]; padjusted=0·0023) after adjusting for relevant confounders. Compared with controls, patients were more likely to have MRI evidence of lung abnormalities (p=0·0001; parenchymal abnormalities), brain abnormalities (p<0·0001; more white matter hyperintensities and regional brain volume reduction), and kidney abnormalities (p=0·014; lower medullary T1 and loss of corticomedullary differentiation), whereas cardiac and liver MRI abnormalities were similar between patients and controls. Patients with multiorgan abnormalities were older (difference in mean age 7 years [95% CI 4–10]; mean age of 59·8 years [SD 11·7] with multiorgan abnormalities vs mean age of 52·8 years [11·9] without multiorgan abnormalities; p<0·0001), more likely to have three or more comorbidities (OR 2·47 [1·32–4·82]; padjusted=0·0059), and more likely to have a more severe acute infection (acute CRP >5mg/L, OR 3·55 [1·23–11·88]; padjusted=0·025) than those without multiorgan abnormalities. Presence of lung MRI abnormalities was associated with a two-fold higher risk of chest tightness, and multiorgan MRI abnormalities were associated with severe and very severe persistent physical and mental health impairment (PHOSP-COVID symptom clusters) after hospitalisation. Interpretation: After hospitalisation for COVID-19, people are at risk of multiorgan abnormalities in the medium term. Our findings emphasise the need for proactive multidisciplinary care pathways, with the potential for imaging to guide surveillance frequency and therapeutic stratification

Prospect Evaluation of Hydrocarbon Reserves Using 3-D Static Modeling in D-Field Onshore, Niger Delta Basin Area

Qualitative and quantitative approaches are often adopted to characterize known reservoir in any given field. A 3-D static modeling has been used to have full understanding of the field of the reservoir uniqueness of the study area, D-field. The hydrocarbon bearing sounds of the field were modelled using 3-D seismic data of the field, integrating with the well log and checkshot data of the field. The stochastic model approach was adopted to distribute the rock properties (Structural and Petrophysical) into a 3D grid using Sequential Gaussian Simulation which identified fifteen (15) major faults across the reservoirs. Reservoirs R_3000 had average thickness of 123 m, net-to-gross of 65%, porosity of 26%, water saturation of 43%, permeability of 1570.649 mD, based on Rider’s classification the reservoir R_3000 shows a very good porosity and an excellent permeability. These values are satisfactory for economic production. The environments of deposition of the reservoirs based on log motifs are interpreted as distributary channel fill and shoreface of the porosity and permeability of D-Field are within the range of values reported in the Niger Delta. Stochastic volumetric analysis estimated that the reservoir of interest to contain a reserve of averagely 14245.50 MMSTB. Furthermore, the integration of these subsurface data (well log and seismic) has led to simulation of a consistent 3-D static model of the reservoir which very well serves as input into the dynamic simulation model, so that forecasting and other sensitivity analysis can be run to provide the basis for effective reservoir management and development strategy. Keywords: Stochastic model, Qualitative, Quantitative, Gaussian simulation, Static modeling, Volumetric DOI: 10.7176/JEES/12-3-05 Publication date:March 31st 202

Hydraulic Performance and Vulnerability on Sanitary Sewer Overflow in Southern Pinellas County, FL

Rain-induced sanitary sewer overflow due to high infiltration is a significant challenge for many utilities, including Pinellas County utilities. The main aim of this study is to develop a hydraulic model to analyze the performance of the existing sanitary sewer system, especially during intense rainfall events. To calculate the flow inputs for the model, a times series analysis was performed to separate the inflow and infiltration from the actual sewer flow. Using the Stevens-Schutzbach method, daily Base Infiltration (BI) was calculated and was subtracted from the total observed flow to give the Dry Weather Flow (DWF). Adjusting the DWF by the diurnal pattern, residual flows were calculated to test the flow variability in the system and compare to rain events (\u3e 0.5 inches); the residual flow help deduced if there is a significant surface inflow into the system. Using PC SWMM as the hydraulic model, the average DWF was simulated using the average value and the diurnal daily and weekend pattern during the dry weather periods. The calculated BI was added to the model as a direct contribution from the statistical model. Both the average value of DWF and BI were distributed throughout the system for simulation. The simulated flow shows that few downstream manholes surcharges during extreme rainfall events and remained surcharge for over 48 hours. Cross-correlation analysis suggests the rainfall of the past seven days still impacts the BI, with the highest impact on days 1, 4 and 5. The correlogram results were used to develop a regression model, to predict the BI for different rainfall depths, which in turn was used for hydraulic performance analysis. Increasing the rainfall depths and routing the flow using PC SWMM, showed that the hydraulic grade line, number and hours of the surcharged manholes increases as total rainfall depths increases, but no sanitary sewer overflow. Sanitary sewer overflow occurred at the lift station with a design capacity of 200 GPM for all increased rainfall depths. Furthermore, the analysis results can help locate areas where overflow is more likely to occur, and can also help plan and implement a cost-effective rehabilitation program for the existing sewer network

Food-borne human parasitic pathogens associated with household cockroaches and houseflies in Nigeria

Cockroaches and houseflies pose significant public health threat owning to their ability to mechanically transmit human intestinal parasites and other disease-causing microorganisms. This study aims at assessing the vectoral capacity of cockroaches and houseflies in the transmission of human intestinal parasites. Intestinal parasite external surface contamination of 130 cockroaches and 150 houseflies caught within dwelling places in Ilishan-Remo town, Ogun State, Nigeria was determined. Cockroaches (six parasite species) were more contaminated than houseflies (four parasite species). The most prevalent parasites were Trichuris trichiura (74.0%) and hookworm (63.0%) in houseflies and cockroaches respectively. There were significant differences in the prevalence of hookworm, T. trichiura and Taenia spp. isolated from cockroaches and houseflies (P < 0.05). There is high contamination of human intestinal parasites in cockroaches and houseflies in human dwelling places in the study area, thus they have the ability to transmit these parasites to unkempt food materials

Plastic buckling of thin flat rectangular isotropic plates under uniaxial in-plane loads

This study presents the analysis of plastic buckling of thin flat rectangular isotropic plates. To actualize this, the deformation theory of plasticity by Stowell&rsquo;s approach is used in expressing the governing differential equation, and this equation is modified by adopting the method of work principle based on the principle of conservation of energy. Taylor-Maclaurin series functions truncated at the fifth term is used in estimating the deflection functions. The analyzed plates are subjected to uniform uniaxial in-plane compression and the direction of the loading is in the longitudinal direction (x-axis). The three plate boundary conditions considered in this study are: four simply supported edges (SSSS); four clamped edges (CCCC); and two clamped edges along the x-axis and two simply supported edges along the y-axis (CSCS). The Taylor-Maclaurin series formulation satisfied each of the plate boundary conditions and resulted to a distinct deflection function for each plate. These deflection functions are substituted into the governing equation to obtain the critical plastic buckling loads. Values of the buckling coefficient, k, which is derived from the critical plastic buckling load equation, are calculated for aspect ratios, p, ranging from 0.1 to 1.0 in steps of 0.1, using values of moduli ratio, Et/Es, equal to 0.6, 0.7, 0.8, and 0.9. The results are compared with those of a previous investigation. The percentage differences of k with plastic buckling solutions for the different values of p and Et/Es of the plates ranged from &minus;4.685% to 6.276%. It is shown that the technique proposed in this study is an alternative approximate method for analyzing the plastic buckling of thin rectangular isotropic plates under uniform uniaxial in-plane loads

Demographics of Rhesus Phenotype of Blood Donors in Calabar: A Case Study of University of Calabar Teaching Hospital, Calabar, Cross River State, Nigeria

Background. Rhesus antigens have been documented to cause haemolytic disease of the newborn as well as acute and delayed transfusion reactions. This study was performed to evaluate the frequency of rhesus antigens (C, c, D, E, and e) in the studied population. Method. This study was a cross-sectional study involving 130 prospective blood donors attending University of Calabar Teaching Hospital (UCTH) donor clinic. Donors were grouped for Rh antisera (anti-E, anti-e, anti-C, anti-c, and anti-D) using the standard serologic technique. Result. The most prevalent Rh antigen was “c” (98.5%), followed by “D” (97.7%), while the least was “C” (30.7%). The most prevalent phenotype was cDe/cDe (R0R0). Conclusion. This work therefore concludes that the most prevalent rhesus antigen and rhesus phenotype was c and cDe/cDe among blood donors in University of Calabar Teaching Hospital