Prevalence and associated characteristics of cytomegalovirus (CMV) immunoglobulin antibodies among blood donors at a university teaching hospital in Nigeria

Background: The screening for cytomegalovirus (CMV) specific antibodies is not routine in our setting, thus the transfusion of blood portends high risk for susceptible individuals.Objective: To determine the prevalence of IgG and IgM specific antibodies and associated characteristics in blood donors seen at a referral teaching hospital in Nigeria.Design: Prospective, cross-sectional and descriptive study.Setting: Blood Bank and Serology Unit of the Department of Haematology and Blood Transfusion, Obafemi Awolowo University Teaching Hospitals’ Complex, Ile-Ife, Nigeria.Subjects: One hundred and eighty four blood donors negative for human immunodeficiency virus, hepatitis B and C viruses and syphilis were assessed for their levels of CMV specific IgG and IgM antibodies (AccuDiagTM ELISA, DIAGNOSTIC AUTOMATION INC, USA) using the enzyme linked immunosorbent assay technique (ELISA).Results: Ninety six percent of the donors were males while those with secondary education and below (61.3%), unmarried (70%), artisans and unemployed including students (82.5%) were in the majority. The prevalence of CMV IgG and IgM antibodies were 97.4% and 52.6%, while CMV IgG antibody range from 94.7% to 100% in all types of donation. All female donors (3.8%) were positive for IgG and IgM antibodies. The level of education of the donors predicts IgM antibody positivity, those with secondary education or less are more likely than others to be positive (p < 0.05; X2 = 15.98). Linear logistic regression showed that male donors and those in the artisan group are more likely to be positive for IgM antibody (p < 0.05).Conclusion: The prevalence of CMV antibodies is very high (IgG = 97.4%; IgM = 52.6%) in our setting. Donors with low educational status and artisans are more likely to beIgM positive. Therefore, a more stringent donor selection, adoption of leukodepleted blood and blood products for uninfected patients especially the immuno-compromised and adoption of a national policy on CMV infected blood is advocated.

Molecular identification and prevalence of Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex amongst people living with HIV in Osun state, Nigeria.

Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection has created a special niche for Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex in humans as a result of the defect/reduction in cell mediated immunity. M. tuberculosis still responsible for most cases of death due to infectious diseases after HIV. In this study, prevalence of M. tuberculosis was determined in people living with HIV in Osun state of Nigeria with identification of culture positive isolates by polymerase chain reaction. A total of 160 samples were collected from people living with HIV with mean age of 36.8 years old of age (Median -34; age range 16 – 68; 95% confidence interval – 2.49) after seeking ethical approval from the Ministry of Health, Osun State. The result of the microscopy by ZN stain showed that 40 (25%) of the 160 samples were positive for acid fast bacilli while culture on Lowenstein-Jensen (LJ) medium revealed that 30 (18.75%) of the samples processed, grew organism that conformed to the characteristics of M. tuberculosis complex. Polymerase chain reaction for IS6110 was used to confirm the identity of the colonies on LJ slope as M. tuberculosis complex while the PCR for 260 bp of Rv1255c was used in identifying M. tuberculosis. M. tuberculosis represented 92% of the M. tuberculosis complex. The prevalence of M. tuberculosis among people living with HIV was found to be 15% after PCR identification. The effects of socio-demographic factors on the prevalence of TB were analysed. Occupation was found to be associated with the proportional distribution of TB in people living with HIV (X2 = 14.85; p < 0.05). The study concluded that PCR should be integrated into the schema for identification of tuberculosis in reference laboratories in developing countries.Key words: Molecular identification, Polymerase chain reaction, Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex; Mycobacterium tuberculosis, Prevalence, HIV, Nigeri

Impact of pharmacodynamic biomarkers in immuno-oncology phase 1 clinical trials

Background: Phase 1 immuno-oncology (IO) trials frequently involve pharmacodynamic (PD) biomarker assessments involving tumour biopsies and/or blood collection, with increasing use of molecular imaging. PD biomarkers are set to play a fundamental role in early drug development of immuno-oncology (IO) agents. In the IO era, the impact of PD biomarkers for confirmation of biologic activity and their role in subsequent drug development have not been investigated. Methods: Phase 1 studies published between January 2014 and December 2020 were reviewed. Studies that reported on-treatment PD biomarkers [tissue-derived (tissue-PD), blood-based (blood-PD) and imaging-based (imaging-PD)] were analysed. PD biomarker results and their correlation with clinical activity endpoints were evaluated. Authors' statements on the influence of PD biomarkers on further drug development decisions, and subsequent citations of PD biomarker study results were recorded. Results: Among 386 trials, the most frequent IO agent classes evaluated were vaccines (32%) and PD-(L)1 inhibitors (25%). No PD biomarker assessments were reported in 100 trials (26%). Of the remaining 286, blood-PD, tissue-PD, and imaging-PD data were reported in 270 (94%), 94 (33%), and 12 (4%) trials, respectively. Assessments of more than one PD biomarker type were reported in 82 studies (29%). Similar proportions of blood-PD (9%), tissue-PD (7%), and imaging-PD studies (8%) had positive results that correlated with clinical activity. Results of 22 PD biomarker studies (8%) were referenced in subsequent clinical trials. Conclusions: Most phase 1 IO studies performed PD biomarker assessments. Overall, positive PD biomarker results were infrequently correlated with clinical activity or cited in subsequent trials, suggesting a limited impact on subsequent drug development. With emerging health regulatory emphasis on optimal dose selection based on PD activity, more informative and integrative multiplexed assays that capture the complexity of tumour-host immunity interactions are warranted to improve phase 1 IO trial methodology. (C) 2022 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Ltd. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/)

Long-term clinical outcomes in survivors of severe acute respiratory syndrome and Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus outbreaks after hospitalisation or ICU admission: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Objective: To determine long-term clinical outcomes in survivors of severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) and Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS) coronavirus infections after hospitalization or intensive care unit admission. Data sources: Ovid MEDLINE, EMBASE, CINAHL Plus, and PsycINFO were searched. Study selection: Original studies reporting clinical outcomes of adult SARS and MERS survivors 3 months after admission or 2 months after discharge were included. Data extraction: Studies were graded using the Oxford Centre for Evidence-Based Medicine 2009 Level of Evidence Tool. Meta-analysis was used to derive pooled estimates for prevalence/severity of outcomes up to 6 months after hospital discharge, and beyond 6 months after discharge. Data synthesis: Of 1,169 identified studies, 28 were included in the analysis. Pooled analysis revealed that common complications up to 6 months after discharge were: impaired diffusing capacity for carbon monoxide (prevalence 27%, 95% confidence interval (CI) 15–45%); and reduced exercise capacity (mean 6-min walking distance 461 m, CI 450–473 m). The prevalences of post-traumatic stress disorder (39%, 95% CI 31–47%), depression (33%, 95% CI 20–50%) and anxiety (30%, 95% CI 10–61) beyond 6 months after discharge were considerable. Low scores on Short-Form 36 were identified beyond 6 months after discharge. Conclusion: Lung function abnormalities, psychological impairment and reduced exercise capacity were common in SARS and MERS survivors. Clinicians should anticipate and investigate similar long-term outcomes in COVID-19 survivors

Radiative Microwave Heating of Hyperthermia Therapy on Breast Cancer in a Porous Medium

Cancer is a leading cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide, yet much is still unknown about its mechanism of establishment and destruction. Recently, studies had shown that tumor cells cannot survive under the high temperature conditions. This treatment technique is called Hyperthermia. This report presents the case of radiative microwave heating of hyperthermia therapy on breast cancer in a porous medium. In this study, the steady state is solved analytically while unsteady state is solved using semi-implicit finite difference to get a more accurate prediction of blood temperature distributions within the breast tissues. A moderate temperature hyperthermia treatment is apply which results into cell death due to an increase in the level of cell sensitivity to radiation therapy and blood flow in tumor and oxygen. The results show that by applying metabolic heat generation rate of 3.97X105Wm−3, it takes upto 2 minutes for the tumor cells to get the require therapeutic temperature poin

Leveraging Modelling and Simulation to address Manufacturing Challenges

The diverse range of simulation and modelling (s&m) encompasses all aspects of the society, military, and economy particularly the major fields of endeavour that are germane to national development and national security, for example, health care, aviation, information technology, manufacturing, transportation, education, and agriculture. nonlinearity, uncertainty, and high complexity of the research objectivity are collective feature fields. as digital technologies are transforming manufacturing, ranging from product design, planning, and scheduling, to life cycle assessment of the products. emerging technologies have remarkably increased the impact of modelling and simulation. the manufacturing industry has started to incorporate enhanced methodologies toward the interdependent systems that aid accurate decision making and actual depiction of the digital world entities. modelling and simulation have demonstrated unique and cutting‐edge advantages in the field of manufacturing. in this paper, we critically examined works of literature on the simulation and modelling of manufacturing systems, areas of application in the manufacturing industry, and challenges associated with modelling and simulation

Green Supply Chain Management: Impacts, Challenges, Opportunities, and Future Perspectives

in the last decades, tackling human‐induced environmental challenges has been a foremost global concern for firms to earn competitiveness. green integration emphasizes firm allegiance to the sustainability of the environment since a large percentage of the manufacturers mostly source and procure materials from other firms. Businesses need to have a sustainable business model due to the demands of sustainability in the supply of natural resources, price increase, political and environmental restraints within the supply chain system. in this study, we have critically examined numerous pieces of kinds of literature on green supply chain management practices. we investigated its definition, evolution, and components, key performance index, various challenges militating against its successful implementation and opportunities, and the future perspectives of green supply chain management practices

Importance of hybrid organic carburizers on the Mechanical properties of mild steel: A Review

the use of hybrid organic carburizers has gained significant attention in recent years due to their potential to enhance the mechanical properties of mild steel. this paper reviewed the effect of hybrid organic carburizers on the mechanical properties of mild steel. the study of carburization and the various techniques that can be applied to the spur gear are also evaluated in this paper. the spur gear properties, such as ductility, strength, and hardness, are critically discussed with respect to the effect of the carburization process. upon review of previous work, it was highlighted that the carburization process leads to the formation of a hardened layer on the surface of the steel, which enhances its mechanical properties. the optimal conditions for carburization were discussed in those papers, and it was found that the carburization time and temperature significantly affect the mechanical properties of the mild steel. these findings suggest that using hybrid organic carburizers can be an effective method for improving the mechanical properties of mild steel and may have potential applications in a wide range of industries, including construction, automotive, and manufacturing. the study provides insights into the mechanisms underlying the effect of hybrid organic carburizers on mild steel and lays the foundation for further research in this field