Feasibility of Hyperfunctioning Parathyroid Gland Localization Using [18F]fluciclovine PET/CT

Molecular Imaging and Biology - To evaluate the ability of anti-1-amino-3-anti-1-amino-3-[18F]fluorocyclobutane-1-carboxylic acid ([18F]fluciclovine) positron emission tomography/X-ray computed...     

African League Against Rheumatism (AFLAR) preliminary recommendations on the management of rheumatic diseases during the COVID-19 pandemic

Objectives

To develop recommendations for the management of rheumatic and musculoskeletal diseases (RMDs) during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Method

A task force comprising of 25 rheumatologists from the 5 regions of the continent was formed and operated through a hub-and-spoke model with a central working committee (CWC) and 4 subgroups. The subgroups championed separate scopes of the clinical questions and formulated preliminary statements of recommendations which were processed centrally in the CWC. The CWC and each subgroup met by several virtual meetings, and two rounds of voting were conducted on the drafted statements of recommendations. Votes were online-delivered and recommendations were pruned down according to predefined criteria. Each statement was rated between 1 and 9 with 1–3, 4–6 and 7–9 representing disagreement, uncertainty and agreement, respectively. The levels of agreement on the statements were stratified as low, moderate or high according to the spread of votes. A statement was retired if it had a mean vote below 7 or a ‘low’ level of agreement.

Results

A total of 126 initial statements of recommendations were drafted, and these were reduced to 22 after the two rounds of voting.

Conclusions

The preliminary statements of recommendations will serve to guide the clinical practice of rheumatology across Africa amidst the changing practices and uncertainties in the current era of COVID-19. It is recognized that further updates to the recommendations will be needed as more evidence emerges.

Emergency Peripartum Hysterectomy: A Multicenter Study of Incidence,Indications and Outcomes in Southwestern Nigeria

Objective To determine the incidence, indications and outcomes of emergency peripartum hysterectomy (EPH) in three tertiary institutions in south-west Nigeria between January, 2010 and December , 2013. Methods A retrospective review of all cases of EPH over a 4 year period was done. EPH was defined as hysterectomy performed at the time of delivery or within 24 h of delivery for uncontrollable postpartum bleeding not responsive to conservative measures. Relevant information was extracted from the hospital records and operation notes. Statistical analysis was done using SPSS software version 17.0. Statistical significance was set at p < 0.05. Results There were 102 EPHs performed among 39,738 deliveries within the study period, giving a rate of 2.6 per thousand deliveries. Indications were uterine rupture (44.1 %), uterine atony (37.3 %), morbidly adherent placenta (17.6 %) and extension of caesarean section incision involving the uterine arteries (1 %). Subtotal hysterectomy was performed in most cases (67.6 %).Maternal case fatality rate was 11.8 % and perinatal mortality rate was 55.9 %. Blood transfusion, severe postoperative anaemia, wound sepsis, febrile morbidity and acute kidney injury were common morbidities associated with the procedure. Following multivariate logistic regression, the unbooked status [odds-ratio 95 % CI = 12.80 (1.22–133.97) p = 0.03] was the only variable that significantly predicted maternal death. Conclusion The incidence of EPH from our study is high. Much more needs to be done in maternal health services, particularly provision of quality obstetric care to reduce the rates of EPH and the associated high maternal and perinatal morbidity and mortality.     

Frequency,pattern, and associations of generalized osteoarthritis among Nigerians with knee osteoarthritis

Clinical Rheumatology - Osteoarthritis (OA) is a common degenerative condition leading to significant pain, functional limitation, and economic loss. Generalized OA (GOA) is associated with greater...     

Connective tissue disease-–associated interstitial lung disease: an underreported cause of interstitial lung disease in Sub-Saharan Africa

Clinical Rheumatology - Interstitial lung disease (ILD) occurs in 15% of connective tissue disease (CTD) patients causing considerable morbidity and mortality. Data is scarce regarding its clinical...     

Sexual and Contraceptive Practices among Female Undergraduates in a Nigerian Tertiary Institution

Background

The reproductive health of adolescents and young women is integral to the wellbeing of a society. This study was carried out to determine current sexual practices and contraceptive usage among female undergraduate students in a Southwest Nigerian tertiary institution.

Methods

It was a cross-sectional questionnaire based survey of female university undergraduates. Pre-tested questionnaire was used to elicit information on socio-demographic variables and sexual and contraceptive practices. Frequency tables were generated and univariate and multivariate logistic regressions were used to determine factors that influenced sexual and contraceptive practices. SPSS software version 16.0 was used for analysis.

Results

Of 350 students sampled, 306 completed the questionnaire. One hundred and eighty six (60.8%) students were currently sexually active. The mean age of sexual debut was 19.11 years. Sixty-six (35.5%) had more than one sexual partners. Contraceptive knowledge was 100%, but consistent use was 34.4%. A third of the respondents had sex for material rewards and/or under the influence of alcohol and recreational drugs. Students who were less than 20 years old (Adjusted OR: 3.52; 95%CI=2.10–6.82) were more likely to be sexually active while those from polygamous/separated families (Adjusted OR: 0.32; 95% CI=0.18–0.58) were less likely to be sexually active.

Conclusion

There is a high level of sexual activity and low contraceptive use among female undergraduate students in Southwest Nigeria. More reproductive health education and promotion is necessary to safeguard their sexual health.     

Performance Evaluation of Ultra-Violet Light and Iron Oxide Nanoparticles for the Treatment of Synthetic Petroleum Wastewater: Kinetics of COD Removal

In this study, the use of ultra-violet (UV) light with or without iron oxide nanoparticles (IONPs) for the degradation of synthetic petroleum wastewater was investigated. The IONPs was synthesised by sodium borohydride reduction of ferric chloride solution and was characterised by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), Fourier transform infrared spectrometry (FTIR), x-ray fluorescence spectrophotometry (XRF), and energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS). The amount of degradation was evaluated by chemical oxygen demand (COD) determination. Experimental results show that the COD removal from synthetic petroleum wastewater by IONPs/UV system was more effective than they were independently. The combination of UV light at a wavelength of 254 nm, pH of 8, and 1.0 g of IONPs resulted in COD removal from 10.5% up to 95.5%. The photocatalytic degradation of synthetic petroleum wastewater is about 1.3–2.0 times faster in comparison to UV light only. The removal of COD from synthetic petroleum wastewater by UV light and IONPs follows the pseudo-first-order kinetic model with rate constant k ranging from 0.0133 min⁻¹ to 0.0269 min⁻¹. Consequently, this study has shown that the use of UV light in the presence of IONPs is favourable and effective for the removal of organic pollutants from petroleum refinery wastewater.     

HyperDSC studies of amorphous polyvinylpyrrolidone in a model wet granulation system

Measurements of the properties of amorphous materials are very important to help in the understanding of how materials behave during manufacture, storage and use of medicines. However, there are few methods that are suited to the study of amorphous materials, especially if in multi-component systems or model formulations. The goal here was to explore the potential for the use of HyperDSC to study a model granulation system. It was found that the sensitivity of HyperDSC was such that the glass transition (Tg) of polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) could be detected in granules made with realistic levels of this binder. The measured Tg in the granules, even after drying, was very different to that of PVP alone and to PVP in physical mixtures with lactose. It is argued that the granulation process has resulted in the dissolution of some lactose and that the amorphous binder holding the granules together is in fact a solid dispersion of PVP and lactose. Based on the standard Gordon-Taylor equation it was estimated that the solid dispersion contained 50% of PVP and lactose. Given that solid dispersions have a tendency to crystallise on storage, it could be expected that changes in the binder properties will occur with time after granulation. We believe that this is the first measurement of in situ properties of a binder in this way and opens the possibility of studies on formulated systems.