Notes

Contribution in the multi-echo strategy inside more rapid useful permanent magnet resonance imaging multiband order.
Enucleation was the treatment of choice in most (n=18, (60%)) of the patients.

Ameloblastoma is relatively uncommon in children, especially those less than ten years of age. The solid-multicystic variety was the predominant type in the children studied. Most patients presented long after the onset of the tumour and enucleation with mechanical curettage produced satisfactory results in these patients.

None declared.
None declared.
Non-adherence to highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) favours drug resistance and wastes resources. These have negative implications for personal and public health.

To assess adherence levels, the associated factors and its association with increase in CD4 cell count in people living with HIV (PLHIVs).

In a cross-sectional survey, systematically selected adult PLHIVs attending a tertiary hospital in Nigeria self-reported their 28-day adherence to HAART and reasons for missing doses using an interviewer-administered questionnaire. Their 6-month difference in CD4 cell count was also assessed.

The participants totalled 425. Their mean age was 38.6 (SD, 10.1) years and 309 (72.7%) had secondary or tertiary education. The 28-day mean adherence level was 96.8% (SD, 7.9%) and 354 (83.3%) participants had optimal adherence (≥ 95%). Socio-demographic characteristics, side effects and having human reminders were not associated with adherence level, but 100% adherence level since placement on HAART was positively associated with a 6-month increase in CD4 cell count (
< 0.01; OR = 1.87, 95%CI = 1.21 - 2.89). Reasons given by 156 respondents for missing doses included being too busy, 100 (64.1%), forgetting, 85 (54.5%) and sleeping off, 42 (26.9%).

Mean adherence was high and the majority of participants had optimal adherence. "Never missing a dose" was associated with improved CD4 cell counts, indicating better prognosis. Socio-demographic factors, side effects and human reminders were not associated with an increase in adherence. However, as there is no evidence that adherence improvement measures are detrimental, their use is still recommended.

None declared.
None declared.
This study aimed at evaluating the prevalence of hyperhomocysteinaemia in Northern-Nigerian hypertensives and its association with hypertension severity and some major determinants as data regarding these are lacking in sub-Saharan Africa.

A Community-based cross-sectional study done on 120 randomly-selected hypertensive patients who responded to an ABU radio frequency modulated invitation for free health-screening at the Ahmadu Bello University (ABU) Medical Centre from January 2016 to June 2016. The percentage of participants with high homocysteine levels, their anthropometric parameters and blood pressures were determined. Plasma homocysteine (hcy) was classified as normal (5-15), moderate (>15-30), intermediate (31-100) and severe (>100) µmol/L. Kruskal-Wallis test was applied and log-transformed homocysteine (Ln
Homocysteine) was correlated with systolic and diastolic blood pressures as well as age, body mass index, fasting blood glucose, glomerular filtration rate, hypertension duration and L Industries, Lagos, Nigeria supported with drugs.
No specific grants but Micro Nova Pharmaceuticals Limited, Nigeria and Emzor Pharmaceutical Industries, Lagos, Nigeria supported with drugs.
To compare the pattern of vaginal microflora during pregnancy with pattern in early labour using Nugent scoring and determine the effect of these changes on fetal outcome.

A prospective longitudinal study.

Pregnant women attending antenatal clinics of Olabisi Onabanjo University Teaching Hospital, Sagamu, Nigeria between June 2017 and May 2018.

Consenting pregnant women who attended antenatal clinics were recruited. Vaginal secretions were obtained for Nugent scoring during pregnancy and at presentation in labour.

Prevalence of abnormal vaginal flora in pregnancy and early labour, birth outcome, birth weight, gestational age at delivery, APGAR scores, need for neonatal ward admission.

Sixty-seven (33.3%) of pregnant women had abnormal flora which was consistent with bacterial vaginosis. At the presentation of these women in labour, 14.4% of them had bacterial vaginosis thus indicating a significant reduction in abnormal vaginal flora in labour compared to the proportion of abnormal flora in antenatal period (P<0.001). There were no significant differences in the fetal outcomes of mothers with bacterial vaginosis when compared with those with normal vaginal flora (P-value >0.05).

Persistence of abnormal vaginal microflora from pregnancy till early labour did not seem to be associated with poorer foetal outcomes when compared with women with normal vaginal microflora in labour. The possibility of persistent infection or re-infection before labour may justify the need for re-evaluation of vaginal smears in the late third trimester to allow for prompt treatment before the onset of labour.

This research work was sponsored by the Tertiary Education Trust Fund, Nigeria (TETFund) with reference number OOU/IBR/010.
This research work was sponsored by the Tertiary Education Trust Fund, Nigeria (TETFund) with reference number OOU/IBR/010.
The use of Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) is new in Ghana compared with some Western countries. A number of studies have observed increased MRI utilization due to increased sensitivity to diagnosis, and the paradigm shift to modalities that do not use radiation. Challenges with MRI use include high cost of the examination and inappropriate requests by referring clinicians.

To determine the MRI utilisation trend in Korle Bu Teaching Hospital (KBTH), Ghana and its policy implications.

A retrospective study undertaken in the Radiology Department, KBTH, from February to March, 2017. Eight hundred and forty request forms for MRI studies between January, 2013 and December 2016 were reviewed. Information on patient's age and sex, number of MRI studies done, body parts and clinical conditions evaluated, appropriateness of clinical requests and existing policies on MRI in Ghana was gathered. Measures of central tendency and spread were obtained. Chi square, Pearson's correlation and linear regression analysis were also used in the analysis.

The top three body parts requested were Spine (55 %), Brain (19%) and Joints (6 %); degenerative disease was the most common clinical condition evaluated.Significant association and correlation were obtained between of the number of body parts evaluated and examination year as well as the variety of clinical conditions requested and examination year.

A progressive increase was noted in MRI utilisation both in number and diversity but no policy guiding MRI use in Ghana exists.

None declared.
None declared.Waste cooking oil (WCO) is a valuable feedstock for the synthesis of biodiesel but the product exhibits poor oxidative stability. Techniques available for assessing this parameter are generally expensive and time-consuming, hence the purpose of this study was to develop and validate a rapid and reliable predictive system based on signals from the sensors of a commercial hand-held e-nose instrument. Biodiesels were synthesized from soybean oil and six samples of WCO, and their physicochemical characteristics and oxidative stabilities determined before and after storage in different types of containers for 30 or 60 days at room temperature or 43 °C. Linear regression models were constructed based on principal component analysis of the signals generated by all 32 e-nose sensors and stochastic modeling of signal profiles from individual sensors. The regression model with principal components as predictors was unable to explain the oxidative stability of biodiesels, while the regression model with stochastic parameters (combining signals from 11 sensors) as predictors showed an excellent goodness of fit (R2 = 0.91) with a 45-sample training set and a good quality of prediction (R2 = 0.84) with a 18-sample validation set. The proposed e-nose system was shown to be accurate and efficient and could be used to advantage by producers/distributors of biodiesel in the assessment fuel quality.We develop an overlapping generations general equilibrium model of the U.S. economy with heterogeneous consumers who face idiosyncratic earnings and health risk to study the implications of increasing college attainment, decreasing fertility, and increasing longevity (2005-2100). While all three trends contribute to a higher old age dependency ratio, increasing college attainment has different implications because it increases labor productivity. Decreasing fertility and increasing longevity require the government to increase the average labor tax rate from 33.5 to 47.1 percent. Increasing college attainment lowers the required tax increase by 12.0 percentage points. The labor tax rate required to balance the government budget is higher under general equilibrium than in a small open economy with a constant interest rate, because the reduction in the interest rate lowers capital income tax revenues.SARS-CoV-2 infection is associated with a high risk of malnutrition, mainly due to increased nutritional requirements and the presence of a severe and universal inflammatory state. Associated symptoms contribute to hyporexia, which perpetuates the negative nutritional balance. Furthermore, dysphagia, especially post-intubation, worsens and makes intake unsafe. This risk is greater in elderly and multimorbid patients. Inflammation to varying degrees is the common link between COVID-19 and the onset of malnutrition, and it is more correct to refer to disease-related malnutrition (DRM). DRM worsens the poor prognosis of SARS-CoV-2 infection, especially in the most severe cases. Therefore, it is necessary to identify and treat people at risk early, avoiding overexposure and direct contact with the patient. We cannot forget the role that a healthy diet plays in both prevention and recovery after discharge.The combination of computer assisted design and 3D printing has recently enabled fast and inexpensive manufacture of customized 'reactionware' for broad range of electrochemical applications. In this work bi-material fused deposition modeling 3D printing is utilized to construct an integrated platform based on a polyamide electrochemical cell and electrodes manufactured from a polylactic acid-carbon nanotube conductive composite. The cell contains separated compartments for the reference and counter electrode and enables reactants to be introduced and inspected under oxygen-free conditions. Smad inhibitor The developed platform was employed in a study investigating the electrochemical oxidation of aqueous hydrazine coupled to its bulk reaction with carbon dioxide. The analysis of cyclic voltammograms obtained in reaction mixtures with systematically varied composition confirmed that the reaction between hydrazine and carbon dioxide follows 1/1 stoichiometry and the corresponding equilibrium constant amounts to (2.8 ± 0.6) × 103. Experimental characteristics were verified by results of numerical simulations based on the finite-element-method.This paper examines the cost competitiveness of an extra-large-scale (275,000 m3/d) solar-powered desalination, taking as a case study the Chtouka Ait Baha plant in Morocco. It assesses the conditions at which solar Photovoltaics (PV) and Concentrated Solar Power (CSP) would be competitive with a grid (mainly fossil) driven desalination plant for the reference year and by 2030. The paper considers also a scenario where battery storage complements PV power generation. To conduct the analysis, a simple model of water cost calculation is built. Second, the cost related to energy consumption is calculated for different power supply options to evaluate the impact of energy provision cost on the final cost of water. The first main result of this paper is that desalinated water can be obtained at an acceptable cost of around 1 $/m3. The second one is that PV without storage remains the cheapest power supply option today and by 2030. Storage based solution appears less competitive today but can be more attractive in a framework of increasing electricity grid prices and higher flexibility requirements in the future.
Homepage: https://www.selleckchem.com/products/Staurosporine.html