Partial Replacement of Ordinary Portland Cement (OPC) with

Considering the need for low-cost construction materials in the rural areas in Sudan, especially in Darfur, this paper examines ordinary Portland cement (OPC). The use of as a replacement of Jebel Marrah volcanic ash in concrete. The ash is obtained from Jebel Marrah (mountains), west of Sudan. These materials have been chemically and physically characterized. Concrete cubes measuring 150mm*150mm*150mm were made from four different concrete mixes prepared by using pozzolana to replace 0%, 10%, 20% and 30% of OPC by weight. The workability of the fresh concrete mixes were evaluated using the slump test and compacting factor test while compressive strengths of concrete cubes were evaluated at 7, 28, and 90 days. The maximum compressive strength at all ages of testing was obtained at 20% replacement. Workability increased with an increase in replacement percentage and the strength of cement/ash concrete increased with curing period but decreased with increasing ash percentage. The results obtained showed that Pozzolana can be used to partially replace up to 20% of OPC in the production of concrete without compromising strength

Comparative analysis of polyphenolic and antioxidant constituents in dried seedlings and seedless Acacia nilotica fruits

The phenolic and antioxidant constituents in Acacia nilotica fruits have become an important source of medicinal and therapeutic benefit with powerful biological properties. This study investigated the phenolic content and antioxidant capacity of powdered Acacia fruits with seeds and without seeds. The phenolic content and antioxidant capacities in them were determined using Folin–Ciocalteu and DPPH free radical-scavenging assays. The total phenolic and antioxidants of A. nilotica with seeds were spectrophotometrically determined to be 47.61 and 6.18% greater than when the seeds were removed from the dried fruits, respectively. The LC–MS/QTOF analysis shows the presence of 282 and 214 phenolic compounds in the methanol extracts of A. nilotica with seeds and without seeds, respectively. The present study, therefore, revealed that dried A. nilotica fruits with seeds have higher total phenolic content, antioxidant capacity, and bioactive constituents, which indicated that they have more medicinal value than fruits without seeds

Are Professional Drivers more Aggressive than General Drivers? A Case Study from Doha, Qatar

Previous studies have revealed that aggressive and reckless driving can largely affect the occurrence and severity of road crashes. There could be intentional aggressive and unsafe acts, which could significantly affect the safety of all road users. The size of the vehicle and the type of the driver might affect such intentional aggressive and unsafe acts. This study evaluates the aggressive driving behaviors committed by drivers based on the vehicle size and driver type using the data collected from video recordings collected at two intersections in Doha, Qatar. This observational study acquired 743 vehicle observations during the green, yellow and red phases. Results revealed that professional, e.g., heavy vehicle, taxi, bus, and truck, drivers, tend to behave more aggressively compared to general, i.e., sedan and SUV, drivers. Further, the tendency of committing a violation increases with the vehicle size. These findings suggest that aggressive driving behaviors, which can pose a significant safety risk, require interventions such as increased police enforcement, traffic safety campaigns, and improved pavement markings. Moreover, the outcome of this research will be useful for the authorities to understand the relationship between the behavior of professional and heavy vehicle drivers and traffic safety. In addition, policymakers may use such information to establish new fines or update existing schemes.UREP award [UREP 26-011-5-004] from the Qatar National Research Fund (a member of Qatar Foundation). NPRP 8-365-2-150 project for providing the videos for this study

Active fractions of methanol crude obtained from acacia seyal gum and their anti-proliferative effects against human breast cancer cell lines

Background: This study is on Acacia seyal gum, which is an exudate from Talha (Acacia seyal) tree. It provides a rich source of prebiotic that is used traditionally in folk medicine. Aims: The anti-proliferative effect (APE) of Acacia seyal gum (ASG) and Prebio-T-commercial (PTC) samples on human breast cancer (MCF-7) cell lines and their antioxidant activities (AA) were investigated. Methods: The methanol crude extracts of both Acacia seyal gum and Prebio-T-commercial were fractioned into acetone and methanol, respectively. The antiproliferative effect on human breast cancer cell lines for each fraction was examined using sulphorhodamine assay (SRB assay). Methanol crude extracts and their active compositions were analysed carefully using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry technique. Results: The most anti-proliferative effect was detected in the sample collected from Prebio-T-commercial (IC50=8.97µg/mL) as compared to Acacia seyal gum (IC50=9.56µg/mL). Regarding total phenolic content (TPC), the methanol crude extracts values are 694±2.58mg, GAE/100g for Prebio-T-commercial as compared to 155.78±2.58, GAE/100g for Acacia seyal gum. However, both acetone and methanol fractions of Acacia seyal gum and Prebio-T-commercial were found to be highly anti-proliferative to human breast cancer. For bioactive compounds determinations, the methanol crude extract from Acacia seyal gum is mainly dominated by Isovitamin C (42.37%), Crypton (5.86%), and Hydroquinone (4.86%) as major components. Conclusion: Finally, the antioxidant and anti-proliferative properties of the active fraction have shown some evidence regarding its use in traditional medicine as well as the prevention of cancer cell growth. This suggests the potential use of their bioactive compounds as natural anticancer agents

Setting up child health and mortality prevention surveillance in Ethiopia

Background: Mortality rates for children under five years of age, and stillbirth risks, remain high in parts of sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia. The Child Health and Mortality Prevention Surveillance (CHAMPS) network aims to ascertain causes of child death in high child mortality settings (>50 deaths/1000 live-births). We aimed to develop a “greenfield” site for CHAMPS, based in Harar and Kersa, in Eastern Ethiopia. This very high mortality setting (>100 deaths/1000 live-births in Kersa) had limited previous surveillance capacity, weak infrastructure and political instability. Here we describe site development, from conception in 2015 to the end of the first year of recruitment. Methods: We formed a collaboration between Haramaya University and the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine and engaged community, national and international partners to support a new CHAMPS programme. We developed laboratory infrastructure and recruited and trained staff. We established project specific procedures to implement CHAMPS network protocols including; death notifications, clinical and demographic data collection, post-mortem minimally invasive tissue sampling, microbiology and pathology testing, and verbal autopsy. We convened an expert local panel to determine cause-of-death. In partnership with the Ethiopian Public Health Institute we developed strategies to improve child and maternal health. Results: Despite considerable challenge, with financial support, personal commitment and effective partnership, we successfully initiated CHAMPS. One year into recruitment (February 2020), we had received 1173 unique death notifications, investigated 59/99 MITS-eligible cases within the demographic surveillance site, and assigned an underlying and immediate cause of death to 53 children. Conclusions: The most valuable data for global health policy are from high mortality settings, but initiating CHAMPS has required considerable resource. To further leverage this investment, we need strong local research capacity and to broaden the scientific remit. To support this, we have set up a new collaboration, the “Hararghe Health Research Partnership”

Global, regional, and national age-sex-specific mortality and life expectancy, 1950–2017: a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2017

Background Assessments of age-specific mortality and life expectancy have been done by the UN Population Division, Department of Economics and Social Affairs (UNPOP), the United States Census Bureau, WHO, and as part of previous iterations of the Global Burden of Diseases, Injuries, and Risk Factors Study (GBD). Previous iterations of the GBD used population estimates from UNPOP, which were not derived in a way that was internally consistent with the estimates of the numbers of deaths in the GBD. The present iteration of the GBD, GBD 2017, improves on previous assessments and provides timely estimates of the mortality experience of populations globally. Methods The GBD uses all available data to produce estimates of mortality rates between 1950 and 2017 for 23 age groups, both sexes, and 918 locations, including 195 countries and territories and subnational locations for 16 countries. Data used include vital registration systems, sample registration systems, household surveys (complete birth histories, summary birth histories, sibling histories), censuses (summary birth histories, household deaths), and Demographic Surveillance Sites. In total, this analysis used 8259 data sources. Estimates of the probability of death between birth and the age of 5 years and between ages 15 and 60 years are generated and then input into a model life table system to produce complete life tables for all locations and years. Fatal discontinuities and mortality due to HIV/AIDS are analysed separately and then incorporated into the estimation. We analyse the relationship between age-specific mortality and development status using the Socio-demographic Index, a composite measure based on fertility under the age of 25 years, education, and income. There are four main methodological improvements in GBD 2017 compared with GBD 2016: 622 additional data sources have been incorporated; new estimates of population, generated by the GBD study, are used; statistical methods used in different components of the analysis have been further standardised and improved; and the analysis has been extended backwards in time by two decades to start in 1950.Background Assessments of age-specific mortality and life expectancy have been done by the UN Population Division, Department of Economics and Social Affairs (UNPOP), the United States Census Bureau, WHO, and as part of previous iterations of the Global Burden of Diseases, Injuries, and Risk Factors Study (GBD). Previous iterations of the GBD used population estimates from UNPOP, which were not derived in a way that was internally consistent with the estimates of the numbers of deaths in the GBD. The present iteration of the GBD, GBD 2017, improves on previous assessments and provides timely estimates of the mortality experience of populations globally. Methods The GBD uses all available data to produce estimates of mortality rates between 1950 and 2017 for 23 age groups, both sexes, and 918 locations, including 195 countries and territories and subnational locations for 16 countries. Data used include vital registration systems, sample registration systems, household surveys (complete birth histories, summary birth histories, sibling histories), censuses (summary birth histories, household deaths), and Demographic Surveillance Sites. In total, this analysis used 8259 data sources. Estimates of the probability of death between birth and the age of 5 years and between ages 15 and 60 years are generated and then input into a model life table system to produce complete life tables for all locations and years. Fatal discontinuities and mortality due to HIV/AIDS are analysed separately and then incorporated into the estimation. We analyse the relationship between age-specific mortality and development status using the Socio-demographic Index, a composite measure based on fertility under the age of 25 years, education, and income. There are four main methodological improvements in GBD 2017 compared with GBD 2016: 622 additional data sources have been incorporated; new estimates of population, generated by the GBD study, are used; statistical methods used in different components of the analysis have been further standardised and improved; and the analysis has been extended backwards in time by two decades to start in 1950

Global, regional, and national incidence, prevalence, and years lived with disability for 354 diseases and injuries for 195 countries and territories, 1990–2017: A systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2017

Background: The Global Burden of Diseases, Injuries, and Risk Factors Study 2017 (GBD 2017) includes a comprehensive assessment of incidence, prevalence, and years lived with disability (YLDs) for 354 causes in 195 countries and territories from 1990 to 2017. Previous GBD studies have shown how the decline of mortality rates from 1990 to 2016 has led to an increase in life expectancy, an ageing global population, and an expansion of the non-fatal burden of disease and injury. These studies have also shown how a substantial portion of the world's population experiences non-fatal health loss with considerable heterogeneity among different causes, locations, ages, and sexes. Ongoing objectives of the GBD study include increasing the level of estimation detail, improving analytical strategies, and increasing the amount of high-quality data. Methods: We estimated incidence and prevalence for 354 diseases and injuries and 3484 sequelae. We used an updated and extensive body of literature studies, survey data, surveillance data, inpatient admission records, outpatient visit records, and health insurance claims, and additionally used results from cause of death models to inform estimates using a total of 68 781 data sources. Newly available clinical data from India, Iran, Japan, Jordan, Nepal, China, Brazil, Norway, and Italy were incorporated, as well as updated claims data from the USA and new claims data from Taiwan (province of China) and Singapore. We used DisMod-MR 2.1, a Bayesian meta-regression tool, as the main method of estimation, ensuring consistency between rates of incidence, prevalence, remission, and cause of death for each condition. YLDs were estimated as the product of a prevalence estimate and a disability weight for health states of each mutually exclusive sequela, adjusted for comorbidity. We updated the Socio-demographic Index (SDI), a summary development indicator of income per capita, years of schooling, and total fertility rate. Additionally, we calculated differences between male and female YLDs to identify divergent trends across sexes. GBD 2017 complies with the Guidelines for Accurate and Transparent Health Estimates Reporting. Findings: Globally, for females, the causes with the greatest age-standardised prevalence were oral disorders, headache disorders, and haemoglobinopathies and haemolytic anaemias in both 1990 and 2017. For males, the causes with the greatest age-standardised prevalence were oral disorders, headache disorders, and tuberculosis including latent tuberculosis infection in both 1990 and 2017. In terms of YLDs, low back pain, headache disorders, and dietary iron deficiency were the leading Level 3 causes of YLD counts in 1990, whereas low back pain, headache disorders, and depressive disorders were the leading causes in 2017 for both sexes combined. All-cause age-standardised YLD rates decreased by 3·9% (95% uncertainty interval [UI] 3·1-4·6) from 1990 to 2017; however, the all-age YLD rate increased by 7·2% (6·0-8·4) while the total sum of global YLDs increased from 562 million (421-723) to 853 million (642-1100). The increases for males and females were similar, with increases in all-age YLD rates of 7·9% (6·6-9·2) for males and 6·5% (5·4-7·7) for females. We found significant differences between males and females in terms of age-standardised prevalence estimates for multiple causes. The causes with the greatest relative differences between sexes in 2017 included substance use disorders (3018 cases [95% UI 2782-3252] per 100 000 in males vs 1400 [1279-1524] per 100 000 in females), transport injuries (3322 [3082-3583] vs 2336 [2154-2535]), and self-harm and interpersonal violence (3265 [2943-3630] vs 5643 [5057-6302]). Interpretation: Global all-cause age-standardised YLD rates have improved only slightly over a period spanning nearly three decades. However, the magnitude of the non-fatal disease burden has expanded globally, with increasing numbers of people who have a wide spectrum of conditions. A subset of conditions has remained globally pervasive since 1990, whereas other conditions have displayed more dynamic trends, with different ages, sexes, and geographies across the globe experiencing varying burdens and trends of health loss. This study emphasises how global improvements in premature mortality for select conditions have led to older populations with complex and potentially expensive diseases, yet also highlights global achievements in certain domains of disease and injury