Assessment of the analgesic potency of constant rate infusion of tramadol hydrochloride and as an adjunct to ketoprofen in laparotomized bitches

In this study, the analgesic potency of constant rate infusion of tramadol hydrochloride and as adjunct to ketoprofen on laparotomy-induced pain was evaluated. Dogs were randomly assigned to 4 groups (n=5). Groups 1, 2 and 3 received 0.5mg/kg/hr, 1.0mg/kg/hr and 2.0mg/kg/hr IV; CRI of tramadol hydrochloride respectively while group 4 which served as control received normal saline. Infusions were administered from 30 minutes before surgery and lasted for 105 minutes. All dogs underwent ventral midline laparotomy. Ketoprofen 50 mg/ml at the dose of 5mg/kg, SC was given at 1 hour post-surgery (hps) after pain assessment and on days 2 and 3 post-surgery (dps) to dogs in all the groups. Parameters determined were heart and respiratory rates, blood glucose level, pain score and body weight. Results showed that mean heart rate, respiratory rate and body weight were not differed significantly (p > 0.05) within and among the groups. Mean blood glucose level of group 4 was significantly higher (p < 0.05) than the other groups intra- and post-surgery. Mean blood glucose level of group 3 was significantly lower (p < 0.05) than that of group 1 at 1 hps. Group 4 dogs also had significantly higher mean blood glucose intra-surgery and at 1 hps than their baseline value. Group 4 dogs had significantly higher (p < 0.05) mean rank pain score than other dog groups on 0-3 dps while mean rank pain scores of groups 1 and 2 were significantly (p < 0.05) higher than that of group 3 on 0 dps. It was concluded that tramadol HCL at constant rate infusion doses of 0.5mg/kg, 1.0mg/kg/hr and 2.0mg/kg/hr were effective at managing laparotomy-induced pain up to one hour post-surgery. As an adjunct to ketoprofen, 2.0mg/kg/hr of tramadol hydrochloride offered better analgesia than the other doses studied during the post-surgical days.Keywords: Analgesia, Constant rate infusion, Ketoprofen, Laparotomy, Pain, Tramado

The trend of collapse of buildings in concrete materials in Lagos State, Nigeria (2013-2019)

t. In recent times, efforts are channeled towards limiting the impact of waste plastic pollution on the environment. This study examines the beneficial utilization of polyethylene terephthalate (PET) wastes, which is a non-biodegradable waste materials as a partial substitute for sand in the production of non-load bearing hollow sandcrete blocks. The physical and mechanical properties such as density and compressive strength of the hollow sandcrete blocks using PET waste as a replacement for fine aggregate at 5%, 10%, 30% and 50% were determined. Tests results show that the density of the produced sandcrete blocks decreases as the waste PET content increases. Results showed that the density varied from 1391.33 kg/m3 for 50%PET content to 1954.54 kg/m3 for 5%PET content, while the density of the reference sandcrete was 2002.15 kg/m3 for 7 days. The values of densities ranged between 1453.88 kg/m3 for PET 50% and 1851.09 kg/m3 for PET 5% and the density of reference sandcrete was 1991.77 kg/m3 at 28 days. The sandcrete blocks also demonstrate a similar reduction trend in compressive strength as the PET content increases. The compressive strength ranged between 1.140 N/mm2 for 50%PET and 2.564 N/mm2 for 5%PET content and 1.510 N/mm2 for 50%PET to 2.991 N/mm2 for 5%PET respectively, as the curing age increases from 7 to 28 days. The hollow sandcrete block containing an optimum 5% replacement percentage of sand with PET waste showed comparable strength to the conventional sandcrete blocks. This will help to mitigate the menace of marine plastic pollution and promote responsible consumption

The evolving SARS-CoV-2 epidemic in Africa: Insights from rapidly expanding genomic surveillance

INTRODUCTION Investment in Africa over the past year with regard to severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) sequencing has led to a massive increase in the number of sequences, which, to date, exceeds 100,000 sequences generated to track the pandemic on the continent. These sequences have profoundly affected how public health officials in Africa have navigated the COVID-19 pandemic. RATIONALE We demonstrate how the first 100,000 SARS-CoV-2 sequences from Africa have helped monitor the epidemic on the continent, how genomic surveillance expanded over the course of the pandemic, and how we adapted our sequencing methods to deal with an evolving virus. Finally, we also examine how viral lineages have spread across the continent in a phylogeographic framework to gain insights into the underlying temporal and spatial transmission dynamics for several variants of concern (VOCs). RESULTS Our results indicate that the number of countries in Africa that can sequence the virus within their own borders is growing and that this is coupled with a shorter turnaround time from the time of sampling to sequence submission. Ongoing evolution necessitated the continual updating of primer sets, and, as a result, eight primer sets were designed in tandem with viral evolution and used to ensure effective sequencing of the virus. The pandemic unfolded through multiple waves of infection that were each driven by distinct genetic lineages, with B.1-like ancestral strains associated with the first pandemic wave of infections in 2020. Successive waves on the continent were fueled by different VOCs, with Alpha and Beta cocirculating in distinct spatial patterns during the second wave and Delta and Omicron affecting the whole continent during the third and fourth waves, respectively. Phylogeographic reconstruction points toward distinct differences in viral importation and exportation patterns associated with the Alpha, Beta, Delta, and Omicron variants and subvariants, when considering both Africa versus the rest of the world and viral dissemination within the continent. Our epidemiological and phylogenetic inferences therefore underscore the heterogeneous nature of the pandemic on the continent and highlight key insights and challenges, for instance, recognizing the limitations of low testing proportions. We also highlight the early warning capacity that genomic surveillance in Africa has had for the rest of the world with the detection of new lineages and variants, the most recent being the characterization of various Omicron subvariants. CONCLUSION Sustained investment for diagnostics and genomic surveillance in Africa is needed as the virus continues to evolve. This is important not only to help combat SARS-CoV-2 on the continent but also because it can be used as a platform to help address the many emerging and reemerging infectious disease threats in Africa. In particular, capacity building for local sequencing within countries or within the continent should be prioritized because this is generally associated with shorter turnaround times, providing the most benefit to local public health authorities tasked with pandemic response and mitigation and allowing for the fastest reaction to localized outbreaks. These investments are crucial for pandemic preparedness and response and will serve the health of the continent well into the 21st century

Right posterior diaphragmatic hernia with omphalocele management challenges and benefit of multidisciplinary and multi-inst.pdf

Right posterior congenitaldiaphragmatic hernias (CDH) withliver herniations pose a hugemanagement challenge to thepaediatric surgeons world over. Itsassociation with anterior abdominalwall defects portends a poorerprognosis.We report a case of a day- old malereferred to our centre withbreathlessness, anterior abdominalwall defect and persistent pooroxygen saturation. Clinical andimaging evaluations aided thediagnosis of a right posteriorcongenital diaphragmatic hernia withomphalocele and divarication of recti.Due to dearth of resources, amultidisciplinary team of paediatricsurgeons, cardiothoracic surgeon,paediatricians and an intensivist wereassembled and care was undertakenin two centres to complement inmanpower and facility deficiencies.This in so many ways mitigatedagainst likely managementdifficulties, morbidities and evenmortality. CONCLUSION; Right congenitaldiaphragmatic hernias (CDH) in aresource constrained environmentcan be successfully managed withgood clinical and multicentrecollaborations

Effect of hurdle factors on the physicochemical and sensory properties of stored soy milk

Soy milk was processed using hurdle factors. Four samples of soy milk were prepared using different processing methods. Soy milk was processed from blanched soybean, steaming for 1 h and packaged in a glass bottle (SNP), blanched and steamed soybean with the addition of 0.5% potassium metabisulphate and packaged in a glass bottle (SCP), blanched and steamed soybean containing 0.5% potassium metabisulphate and 1% clove and packaged in glass bottle (SCC1), and blanched and steamed soybean containing 0.5% potassium metabisulphate and 1.5% clove and packaged in glass bottle (SCC2). The convectional soy milk packaged in PET bottles served as the control (CTL). All the formulated soy milk samples were stored for 8 days under ambient condition. The samples were analyzed for physicochemical, microbial and sensory qualities. There was a general decrease (p < 0.05) in the pH, viscosity, total solid and an increase in microbial load during the storage period. The pH and total solid during storage ranged from 6.03 to 6.86 and 6.58 to 11.17%, respectively. The microbial load for the samples ranged from 8 x 101 to 2.85 x 106 cfu during the storage period. Sensory scores showed that SNP was most preferred. The result of this study showed that hurdle factors were effective in extending the shelf life of soy milk for up to six (6) days; however, the sensory scores for the samples containing clove extracts were low throughout the period of the study.Keywords: Soy milk, soybean, hurdle, clove, storag

Manurial amendments and source of water for supplemental irrigation of sawah-rice system influenced soil quality and rice yield

Soil and water management research on adapting the promising sawah ecotechnology for lowland rice farming in West Africa has largely focused on the abundant inland valleys; floodplains which too represent a huge agricultural resource in the region have not been so involved. Sawah refers to a bunded, puddled and leveled basin for rice, with water inlets and outlets for irrigation and drainage, respectively. In conventional sawah, soil fertility is augmented using mineral fertilizers, with an option to harness lowland water resources for use in small-scale irrigation to create the so-called sawah typologies. In this study, we evaluated the effects of three manurial amendments (rice husk, rice-husk ash and poultry droppings, each at 10 t ha–1) and NPK 20:10:10 at 400 kg ha–1 interacting with source of water (spring or pond) used for supplemental irrigation of three sawah typologies in a floodplain in southeastern Nigeria. Plots amended with poultry droppings and supplemented with spring water recorded the overall best performance of the sawah-rice system; the control being the unamended non-supplemented (solely rainfed) plots recorded the worst. Rice-husk ash and rice husk enhanced soil pH and soil organic carbon, respectively. The three sawah typologies showed a consistent trend thus spring-supplemented ≥ pond-supplemented ≥ non-supplemented sawah. Rice grain yield was influenced by soil total nitrogen and the sum of the three plant-nutrient basic cations (K+ , Ca2+ and Mg2+), with the influence of K+ alone being the greatest. To enhance rice performance including grain yields in floodplain sawah, farmers should utilise poultry droppings as soil manure and spring water for supplemental irrigation

Cooking Eggs with Chemicals Lowers its Fat-Soluble Vitamins, Proteins, Fats and Cholesterol Contents

The effects of cooking eggs with chemicals on its nutrient contents were studied in eggs from four bird species (Gallus gallus): quail (Corturnix delegorgei), guinea fowl (Numida meleagris), local chicken (Gallus varius) and high-breed chicken (Gallus gallus domesticus). A total of 60 eggs, consisting of 15 eggs from each bird specie were studied. Eggs from each bird species were divided into groups A, B, C, D and E, of three eggs per group. Eggs in groups A, B, C and D were boiled with omo, klin, table salt and alum, respectively while group E eggs were boiled with water only and served as the control. Vitamins were determined using High Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC, AKAPTA), while protein, fat and cholesterol were determined using standard methods. Our results showed that quail egg was superior in fat-soluble vitamins content in comparison to the other eggs species. While the chemicals prevented cracking of the shell during boiling and enhanced peeling of the shell after cooking, significantly (p<0.05) lower concentrations of vitamins, proteins, fat and cholesterol were observed in eggs cooked with these chemicals in comparison to the control, with the detergents having more devastating effects than table salt and alum. Keywords: Chemical additives, nutrient composition, food processing, denaturation, biomolecule

Analysis of the influence of outdoor surface heat flux on the inlet water and the exhaust air temperature of the wetting pad of a direct evaporative cooling system

© 2023 Elsevier Ltd. This is the accepted manuscript version of an article which has been published in final form at https://doi.org/10.1016/j.applthermaleng.2023.120292The study investigates the interconnectivity between the inlet water temperature, wind flow rate, and storage water heat flux with the performance of biomass wetting pads in direct evaporative cooling under the external ambient condition of Sub-Saharan Africa. Thus, a standalone direct, evaporative cooling system with an upper water storage tank exposed to wind flow was locally developed and evaluated with jute, palm fruit mesocarp and wood charcoal as biomass cooling pad at three air velocities and constant pad thickness and three different air flow rates. The results indicated that increasing the heat flux around the water tank and decreasing the relative humidity of the inlet air through the wetting pad will lower both the inlet water and pad exhaust temperatures. The water demand was higher in palm fruit mesocarp fibre at airflow rates of 3 m/s, while at 4 and 4.5 m/s, it was higher in wood charcoal, and the value ranged from 9.64 × 10 −4 to 1.46 × 10 −3 kg/s. Except for jute fibre at 4 m/s, higher humidity difference or low cold room temperature did not translate to higher evaporative cooling effectiveness or efficiency. However, the lower inlet water temperature significantly affected the evaporative effectiveness. This shows the possibility of free moisture transfer into the cold room from the pad materials at increased air flow rates that helped boost the exhaust air's humidity. The average evaporative efficiency for the three pads ranged from 56.4 % to 80.96 %. The values for the enlargement coefficient ranged from 5 to 6.82, while the temperature thermal stress ranged from 24.37 to 28.66 °C.Peer reviewe