Short term results of pterygium surgery with adjunctive amniotic membrane graft

Objective: The objective of this study is to present the 3 months results of pterygium excision with adjunctive amniotic membrane graft.Materials and Methods: In a non‑comparative case series study, the medical records of all patients who had pterygium excision with adjunctive amniotic membrane transplant on bare sclera from December 2009 to August 2010 were reviewed. All the patients were followed up for 3 months. The data collected were sex, age, occupation, type of pterygium (primary or recurrent), extent of pterygium, post‑operative complications and recurrent pterygium growth.Results: Thirty eyes of 30 consecutive patients were operated on. There were 14 males and 16 females (M:F =1:1); age range 25 to 70 years (mean: 48.3 SD + 12.01). Twenty‑six eyes had primary and 4 recurrent pterygia. Stage 3 pterygium accounted for most of the cases (53.3%) followed by stage 2 (36.7%) and stage 4 (10%). Nineteen patients (63.3%) had occupations with considerable exposure to actinic damage. Of these, manual laborers accounted for the highest number contributing 13 (43.3%) out of the 19 cases. Of the 30 patients 2 had a reoccurrence giving a recurrence rate of 6%. One patient developed dellen 1 week post‑operatively with complete resolution following conservative large soft contact lens application.Conclusion: Short term results suggests that adjunctive amniotic membrane transplant with pterygium excision is effective and safe. A larger randomized clinical trial with a longer follow‑up period is however recommended.Key words: Amniotic membrane graft, pterygium, recurrenc

PRELIMINARY STUDY ON THE USE OF SOUND AND ACOUSTICS IN IGBO CULTURAL COMMUNICATION

Language had been a veritable tool for communication among homo sapiens and had been described as human specific. However, there are several extra linguistic forms of communication that have been made possible also by sound and acoustic effects as in language production. Based on the foregoing, the paper investigates non verbal forms of communication among the Igbo people of the south eastern Nigeria. The production of sounds and acoustic effects from various traditional instruments are studied. Also, also various parts of the body other than the normal vocal sounds are investigated. Furthermore, the paper studied the use of these sounds in communication, especially in cultural communication among the Igbo people. We adopt the descriptive survey method and use the theoretical framework of oramedia an aspect ethno-cultural communication in exploring the dynamics of extra-linguistic sounds in Igbo cultural communication. The paper discovers that sound patterns and acoustic effects (extra linguistic) other than the sounds from the vocal tract system of man play a significant role in human communication, especially in cultural communication. Key words: sound, acoustic effects, extra-linguistic communication, non verbal communication, cultural communicatio

Antimicrobial activities of secondary metabolites of endophytic fungi isolated from Catharanthus roseus

Introduction: Recently, several endophytes have been shown to possess the potentials to synthesize novel bioactive compounds that have found use for drug discovery. We isolated endophytic fungi associated with Catharanthus roseus collected from the river banks of Amassoma in Southern Nigeria, and identified some of their bioactive secondary metabolites. Methods: The fungi were subjected to solid-state fermentation on rice medium and the metabolites were extracted using ethyl acetate. The fungal crude extracts were screened for antimicrobial activity and were also subjected to high-performance liquid chromatography-diode-array detection (HPLC-DAD) analysis for the identification of the bioactive compounds. Results: The fungal extracts showed both antibacterial and antifungal activities with minimum inhibitory concentrations ranging from 0.0625 to 1 mg/mL. The HPLC-DAD analysis of the extracts suggested the presence of citreoisocoumarin, citreoisocoumarinol, questinol, hydroxyemodin, acropyrone, methyl 2-(4-hydroxyphenyl) acetate, nigricinol, and cladosporin. Conclusion: The results of this study suggest that endophytic fungi associated with C. roseus could be a promising source of novel bioactive compounds with pharmaceutical and industrial importance

Pattern of primary caesarean deliveries in a Nigerian tertiary hospital

Background: Primary caesarean section (CS) has become a major driver of the steadily rising total caesarean rate. This study determined the primary CS rate, pattern and associated factors.Methods: It was a retrospective, hospital-based cross-sectional study of 645 pregnant women who had primary caesarean section over a 3-year period in Lagos state university teaching hospital, Lagos, Nigeria. Data obtained were expressed in frequency and percentages.Results: Primary CS accounted for more than 50% of all the CS done during the study period with a primary CS rate of 16.7% and total CS rate was 30.6%. Primary CS was commonest among women of age group 30-39years (50.1%) and women with no prior parous experience (58.6%). The commonest indication for primary CS was poor progress in labour due to cephalopelvic disproportion, which occurred in 170 women (26.4%), followed by suspected foetal distress in 94 women (14.6%) and hypertensive disease in pregnancy in 91 women (14.1%). Post-operative wound infection and/or dehiscence was the most prevalent post-operative complication occurring in 12.1% of women who had primary CS.Conclusions: Primary CS rate is increasing and relatively more common among primiparous women. Cephalopelvic disproportion, suspected foetal distress and hypertensive disorders of pregnancy are the leading indications for primary CS.

Antimicrobial activities of secondary metabolites of endophytic fungi isolated from Catharanthus roseus

Introduction: Recently, several endophytes have been shown to possess the potentials to synthesize novel bioactive compounds that have found use for drug discovery. We isolated endophytic fungi associated with Catharanthus roseus collected from the river banks of Amassoma in Southern Nigeria, and identified some of their bioactive secondary metabolites. Methods: The fungi were subjected to solid-state fermentation on rice medium and the metabolites were extracted using ethyl acetate. The fungal crude extracts were screened for antimicrobial activity and were also subjected to high-performance liquid chromatography-diode-array detection (HPLC-DAD) analysis for the identification of the bioactive compounds. Results: The fungal extracts showed both antibacterial and antifungal activities with minimum inhibitory concentrations ranging from 0.0625 to 1 mg/mL. The HPLC-DAD analysis of the extracts suggested the presence of citreoisocoumarin, citreoisocoumarinol, questinol, hydroxyemodin, acropyrone, methyl 2-(4-hydroxyphenyl) acetate, nigricinol, and cladosporin. Conclusion: The results of this study suggest that endophytic fungi associated with C. roseus could be a promising source of novel bioactive compounds with pharmaceutical and industrial importance

Učinci vodenih ekstrakata sušenog praška ili svježeg oblika Talinum triangulare na hematološke i biokemijske pokazatelje u seruma nesilica

The study investigated the effect of graded doses of aqueous extract of Talinum triangulare on the haematology and serum biochemistry of laying hens. Two hundred and ten pullets, procured at 18 weeks of age, were used for the study. They were randomly assigned to seven study groups (LAT1, LAT2, LAT3, LBT1, LBT2, LBT3, and LC). Each study group was replicated thrice and each replicate housed ten pullets. Extracts obtained from a dried pulverized form of T. triangulare were given at 62.5, 250, and 1000 mg/L doses in their drinking water for treatment groups LAT1, LAT2 and LAT3, respectively, while extracts obtained from freshly harvested Talinum triangulare were administered at 62.5, 250, and 1000 mg/L doses to groups LBT1, LBT2, and LBT3, also in their drinking water. Pullets in the LC group served as the untreated control and received no extract. Haematology and serum biochemistry were determined at two-month intervals within the 8 month period of administration of the extracts, following standard procedures. The results showed that there were no significant (P>0.05) variations amongst all the study groups in their packed cell volume, red blood cell counts, haemoglobin concentration, total leukocyte counts, serum alanine aminotransferase and aspartate aminotransterase activities, and total proteins. The serum high density lipoprotein concentration was higher and serum low density lipoprotein concentration was lower significantly (P0,05) u hematokritu, broju eritrocita, koncentraciji hemoglobina, ukupnim broju leukocita, aktivnostima serumske alanin-aminotransferaze i aspartat-aminotransteraze te u ukupnim proteinima. Tijekom eksperimenta, posebice u 4. i 8. mjesecu, u skupini LAT3 u odnosu na ostale skupine koncentracija lipoproteina visoke gustoće u serumu bila je viša, a koncentracija lipoproteina niske gustoće u serumu niža (P<0,05). Zaključeno je da davanje T. triangulare nije imalo štetan utjecaj na zdravlje i proizvodni status nesilica, dok je pozitivan učinak utvrđen za njihov profil masnoća u serumu. Zbog svojih antilipemijskih svojstava osušeni prašak Talinum triangulare preporučuje se kao fitobiotički dodatak za zdrav proizvodni život kokoši nesilica, u dozi od 1000 mg/L

Biologically active phenolic acids produced by Aspergillus sp., an endophyte of Moringa oleifera

This study investigates the secondary metabolites of an endophytic Aspergillus sp. isolated from leaves of M. oleifera growing in Anambra State, South-Eastern Nigeria. Antimicrobial and antioxidant screening of the fungal extract and isolated compounds, as well as cytotoxicity assay of the extract against cisplatin-sensitive A2780 (sens) and cisplatin-resistant A2780 (cisR) ovarian cancer cell lines were carried out using standard methods. Chemical investigations of the fungal extract involving a combination of different chromato-graphic methods and spectroscopic techniques were carried out to isolate and characterize the constituents of the extract. At a concentration range of 1-4 mg/ml, the crude extract of Aspergillus sp. showed mild antimicrobial activity against Bacillus subtilis, Klebsiella pneumoniae, and Candida albicans. The fungal extract showed good antioxidant activity at 500 µg/ml, with an inhibition of 72.1%. Also, at 100 µg/ml, the extract showed excellent cytotoxic activity against A2780 (sens) and A2780 (cisR), with growth inhibitions of 105.1% and 105.5% respectively. Two known pharmacologically active phenolic compounds (p-hydroxyphenyl acetic acid and ferulic acid) were isolated from the fermentation extract of the endophytic fungus. At 250 µg/ml, ferulic acid exhibited an excellent antioxidant activity with an inhibition of 90.4%, while an inhibition of 35.4% was recorded for p-hydroxyphenyl acetic acid. Ferulic acid also showed a mild antifungal activity at 500 µg/ml against A. niger with an IZD of 2 mm. p-Hydroxyphenyl acetic acid showed no antimicrobial activity. These results further confirm the potentials of endophytic fungi associated with Nigerian plants as source of bioactive compounds with pharmaceutical or industrial applications. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.140498

Adaptive control of four-quadrant DC-DC converters in both discontinuous and continuous conduction modes

The inherently different dynamics of a DC-DC converter while operating in both continuous conduction mode (CCM) and discontinuous conduction mode (DCM) necessitate an advanced controller to control the inductor current. A conventional PI controller cannot be used across both modes since it does not guarantee a smooth transition between both modes. Furthermore, in time-varying input-output voltage applications of the four-quadrant converter such as in battery charging applications, the location of the boundary between the CCM and the DCM changes dynamically, creating an uncertainty. Therefore, a robust controller is required to accurately track the inductor current in the presence of uncertainties. Thus, an adaptive controller is proposed in this work, which is based on the general inverse model of the four-quadrant converter in both modes. Moreover, gain scheduling is used to switch the parameters of the controller as the converter transits between the DCM and the CCM. The adaptability and effectiveness of the controller in ensuring a smooth transition is validated by numerical simulations conducted on various converter topologies. Experimental results are also presented for a buck converter