Apolipoprotein E—associated risk for Alzheimer's disease in the African-American population is genotype dependent

As a part of our ongoing study on Alzheimer's disease (AD) in elderly African Americans, we obtained clinical assessment and apolipoprotein E (ApoE) genotype data on 288 individuals (including 60 with AD). The ApoE σ4 allele frequency was significantly increased in AD patients compared with controls. The age-adjusted odds ratio (OR) for AD in σ4 homozygotes was 4.83 (95% confidence interval [CI], 1.71–13.64) compared with the σ3/σ3 genotype, but the OR for AD with the σ3/σ4 genotype did not reach significance (1.20; 95% CI, 0.58–2.45). These findings suggest that the association between ApoE σ4 and AD is weaker in African Americans than in whites.     

13C NMR relaxation studies of poly(vinyl alcohol) and its derivatives

Spin-lattice relaxation times (T₁) have been measured by ¹³C NMR for poly(vinyl alcohol), poly(vinyl benzoate), poly(vinyl cinnamate) and poly(vinyl acetate) in dimethyl sulfoxide as a function of temperature and concentration. As expected, T₁ increases with increasing temperature and decreases with increasing polymer concentration. The influence of the microstructure (tacticity) of the polymers on the relaxation times is negligible. T₁ for the methine carbon of the polymer main chain is observed to serve as a measure of the rigidity and/or mobility of the chain. Assuming isotropic motion of the polymer chains, the activation energies for the protonated carbons were determined using the calculated correlation times.     

Low cardiac output complicating pericardiectomy for pericardial tamponade

Neoplastic involvement of the pericardium resulting in an effusion and subsequent tamponade is an emergency requiring prompt decompression, generally safely accomplished by subxiphoid pericardiectomy. However, the current case report describes a patient with florid pericardial tamponade who underwent surgical decompression with transient hemodynamic improvement, who then rapidly developed progressive, heart failure and death. This paradoxical response to pericardial decompression, similar to that seen occasionally with pericardiectomy in constrictive pericarditis, may be more frequent than currently appreciated. Its cause may relate to the sudden removal of the chronic external ventricular support from the effusion resulting in ventricular dilatation and failure.     

Overview of Electricity Transmission Conductors: Challenges and Remedies

Electricity transmission is an essential intermediary linking power generation and distribution. Voltage drops or total blackouts have always characterized the transmission and distribution of electricity in the sub-Saharan Africa and some Asian dwellers. This has been attributed partly to faulty, defective or dilapidated transmission conductors/networks. The aim of this study is to identify the causes of those defects in the transmission conductors and proffer possible remedies to them. Studies have shown that the current production techniques of transmission conductors (TCs) generate defective products, and that the materials used have their own challenges too. This work, therefore, reviewed all the production techniques and materials used in the development of TCs. It was observed that pultrusion, extrusion, hot-rolling, and stir-casting were the techniques used in the production of transmission conductors. Defects such as shrinkage, pores, impurities, and warps were identified in those techniques and some recommendations to ameliorate the defects of those techniques were presented. Spark plasma sintering is recommended as the most promising solid- state production techniques that should be adopted in fabricating transmission conductors, though it is yet to be developed for producing long-span products. In addition, advanced TCs materials such as Al-CNTs, Al-Nb, Al-Ti, and Al-B2 were presented as better alternatives to the existing TCs materials. By producing TCs with the recommended techniques and materials, the electricity availability will be enhanced; and this will lead to sustainable industrial growth and economic stability in the third world countries and the entire world.     

Wealth and antenatal care utilization in Nigeria: Policy implications

Antenatal care (ANC) utilization is lower in Nigeria than the African average. We investigated the relationship between wealth and utilization of ANC and also assessed other determinants associated with ANC utilization in Nigeria. Using data of the most recent births within 5 years prior to a 2012 nationally representative survey, we modeled predictors of ANC utilization. Respondents in the wealthiest quintile were over five times (aOR = 5.5 (95% CI: 4.2–7.2) more likely to adequately use ANC. The odds of ANC use were generally lower among the poor and the least educated women living in rural areas who need ANC the most.