Determinants of Treatment Outcomes among Drug-Susceptible Tuberculosis Patients on Directly Observed Treatment Short-Course at Federal Medical Centre, Abeokuta, South-West, Nigeria

Background: Surveillance of tuberculosis treatment outcomes is very crucial in evaluating successes of tuberculosis (TB) intervention programmes  as well as assessing progress towards achieving the Sustainable Development Goals target of ending TB infection by 2030. The study assessed  treatment outcomes of tuberculosis and the determinants among tuberculosis patients on Directly Observed Treatment Short-course (DOTs) at  Federal Medical Centre, Abeokuta South-West, Nigeria. Methods: This was a retrospective review of treatment outcomes of patients managed for Tuberculosis at the facility between January 2015 and  December 2019. Data were retrieved from the treatment register and analysed using IBM® SPSS software version 23. Results were presented using  frequencies and percentages, while the Chi-square test was used to test for association between the treatment outcomes and the independent variables. Binary logistics regression was used to assess for determinants of treatment outcomes at a level of significance of p<0.05. Results: A total of 726 records were reviewed. The median age of the patients was 35.0 years (IQR 25). The treatment success rate (TSR) and cure  rate were 83.2% and 43.7% respectively. TB patients with negative HIV status were about two times more likely to have successful treatment  outcomes (OR=1.86, 95%CI=1.20-2.88). Conclusion: The TSR and cure rate obtained in this study were below the national targets set by the World Health Organization, and HIV co-infection  was a threat to successful treatment outcomes among TB patients. Ensuring optimized antiretroviral therapy, prompt diagnosis and  treatment of TB in HIV patients will go a long way in improving treatment outcomes

Characteristics of fresh and frozen-thawed Uda ram semen extended with Oviplus®, egg yolk and coconut milk

Semen characteristics of Uda sheep and the effects of the egg yolk and coconut milkbased extenders on the quality of semen preserved at 4 oC and -196 oC were evaluated. Semen was collected from six Uda rams using an electro-ejaculator twice a week for ten weeks. Fresh semen samples were pooled and analyzed macroscopically and microscopically. The pooled semen was divided into 2 aliquots. One aliquot was extended in OviPlus® and egg yolk. The second aliquot was extended with OviPlus® and coconut milk. Each of the aliquots was further subdivided into 2 parts and evaluated microscopically. One part was chilled at 4 oC and evaluated for the same parameters after extension at 24, 48 and 72 hours. Second part was loaded into 0.25 ml plastic straws for cryopreservation at -196 ℃ and analyzed after 24 hours. The post thaw spermatozoa motility, livability and morphological abnormalities were determined at 24, 48 and 72 hours. The motility and concentration of freshly collected Uda semen were 81.7 ± 1.7 % and 3.2 ± 0.3 ×109/ml respectively. After extension, the motility decreased significantly (P < 0.05) from 82 % at 3 hours to 17 % at 72. The percentage live spermatozoa of the chilled semen did not differ significantly (P > 0.05) between the two extenders. Post thaw spermatozoa motility and livability were significantly (P < 0.05) reduced. There were significant differences (P < 0.05) between the post-thaw proportions of morphological abnormalities, between semen preserved at 4 oC and the frozen-thawed semen. In conclusion, semen motility, livability, and morphological abnormalities of Uda ram are equally preserved in coconut milk and egg yolk-based extenders at 4 oC up to 24 hours post extension. However, semen motility and livability were significantly reduced in the Uda semen earlier cryopreserved at -196 oC after thawing

A programmable SCR-based AC voltage regulator

This paper describes the design, simulation and implementation of a self adjustment programmable AC voltage regulator. The regulator hardware consists of thyristors, a signal conditioner and, an 8-bit microcontroller. The regulator monitors the voltage across a load. The firing angles of the thyristors are automatically adjusted to keep the voltage within the prescribed level independent of the load fluctuations. The regulator was tested for resistive and inductive loads. The results indicate acceptable accuracy levels depending on the control range specified by the user. The regulation range can be from 0-220 V A

A programmable SCR-based AC voltage regulator

This paper describes the design, simulation and implementation of a self adjustment programmable AC voltage regulator. The regulator hardware consists of thyristors, a signal conditioner and, an 8-bit microcontroller. The regulator monitors the voltage across a load. The firing angles of the thyristors are automatically adjusted to keep the voltage within the prescribed level independent of the load fluctuations. The regulator was tested for resistive and inductive loads. The results indicate acceptable accuracy levels depending on the control range specified by the user. The regulation range can be from 0-220 V A

Geochemistry of Three Kashmir Himalayan Lakes and its Impact on Vegetation Dynamics

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