Adsorption of Dyes Using Different Types of Sand: A Review

The threat posed by increasing amount of dyes on daily basis, especially on our ecosystem, has brought a serious search for more efficient low-cost adsorbents. Sand is mixed with cement and water to make concrete, used in the manufacture of brick, glass and other materials, and it can also be used as a medium for the filtration of water. Sand, which is ubiquitous, has been used as an adsorbent because of its enormous availability in the local environment. This review reveals that further research must be conducted to bring to the fore the expansive laboratory, industrial and environmental usage of sand materials as dye adsorbents. Consequently, the usage of different types of sand in the field of adsorption science represents a viable and powerful tool, resulting into the superior improvement in pollution control and environmental preservation.KEYWORDS Adsorption, dyes, low-cost adsorbents, sand

Patients with sickle cell disease are frequently excluded from the benefits of transcranial doppler screening for the risk of stroke despite extensive and compelling evidence

ABSTRACT Transcranial doppler (TCD) is a strategic component of primary stroke prevention in children with sickle cell disease (SCD). This study was conducted to examine the TCD characteristics of children with SCD in nine different medical centers in Brazil. Methods: Transcranial doppler was performed in accordance with the Stroke Prevention Trial in Sickle Cell Anemia Protocol. Results: Of the 396 patients, 69.5% had homozygous SS hemoglobin. The TCD result was abnormal in 4.8%, conditional in 12.6%, inadequate in 4.3% and abnormally low in 1% of patients. The highest mean flow velocities were 121±23.83cm/s and 124±27.21cm/s in the left and right middle cerebral artery respectively. A total of 28.8% patients (mean age 9.19±5.92 years) were evaluated with TCD for the first time. Conclusions: The SCD patients were evaluated with TCD at an older age, representing an important missed opportunity for stroke prevention. Since TCD screening in patients with SCD is important to detect those at high risk for stroke, it is recommended that this screening should be made more readily available

Oxidative stress markers and disease severity among children with Sickle Cell Anaemia

Background: Sickle cell anaemia has been associated with oxidative stress. Total Antioxidant Capacity (TAC), Total Oxidant Status (TOS) and Oxidative Stress Index (OSI) are cumulative markers of oxidative stress. Objective: To evaluate the serum levels of oxidative stress markers in children with sickle cell anaemia (SCA) and determine the relationship between these markers and disease severity. Method: One hundred and fifty-six children, comprising 78 with SCA, aged 1 - 15 years and 78 age- and sex-matched Haemoglobin AA controls were studied. Serum TOS, OSI, and TAC were determined using ELISA kits. The severity of the SCA was determined using clinical and laboratory parameters. Result: Children with SCA had lower mean serum TAC (0.83±0.31UAE) than controls (1.19±0.24UAE) with p&lt;0.001. However, the mean serum TOS and OSI of children with SCA was higher than among the controls (13.33±4.64U/ml vs. 9.70±2.72U/ml and 20.95±16.75 vs. 8.68±3.76 respectively) with p&lt;0.001. SCA subjects with mild disease had higher mean serum TAC (0.91 ± 0.27UAE) than those with moderate disease (0.54±0.27UAE) (p&lt;0.001). On the other hand, the mean TOS and OSI were lower in children with mild disease compared to those with moderate disease (12.64±4.32U/ml vs. 15.63±5.07U/ml, p = 0.016 and 16.26±10.25 vs. 36.61±23.89 p&lt;0.001 respectively). Sickle cell disease severity score had negative correlation with TAC (r = -0.60, p &lt; 0.001) but positive correlation with TOS (r = 0.3, p = 0.008) and OSI (r = 0.6, p &lt; 0.001). Conclusion: Children with SCA had lower TAC but higher TOS and OSI than matched controls. Oxidative stress markers had a significant relationship with SCD severity.</jats:p

Declining Maternally-Derived Measles Antibodies in Infants and Nursing Mothers in Nigeria: A Review

Measles, also reffered to as rubeolais an endemic respiratory disease caused by a virus. It is a highly contagious infection which typically begins with a mild to moderate fever, often accompanied by a persistent cough, runny nose, conjunctivitis and sore throat. Today, despite the availability of a safe, effective and relatively inexpensive vaccine for more than 40 years, measles still kills more than any other vaccines preventable disease among children. In Pregnant women, IgG immunoglobulin antibody is produced and crosses the placenta to developing fetus’ blood circulation; thereby conferring primary protection against infections in the early life of newborns. The presence or absence of Maternal Measles Antibody (MMA) in infants is therefore a factor to be considered in immunization of infants against measles. In Nigeria, the recommended age for routine measles vaccination for infants is at 9 month of age. However, it has been severely reported that the present-day civilized mothers are more measles vaccine-immuned contrary to been natural measles virus-immuned and as such, produce low titer anti-measles virus antibody which consequently decays or clears from their respective infants earlier than 9 months of age when measles vaccine is routinely administered. Early immunization against measles may potentially minimize the duration of the period between the loss of maternal antibodies transferred via the placenta and the administration of the recommended measles vaccination for infants, hence the need for the re-evaluation of the measles immunization schedule. Keywords: Vaccination; Maternal Measles Antibody; Infant, Virus;</jats:p

New perspectives on the ecology and evolution of siboglinid tubeworms

Siboglinids are tube-dweling annelids that are important members of deep-sea chemosynthetic communities, which include hydrothermal vents, cold seeps, whale falls and reduced sediments. As adults, they lack a functional digestive system and rely on microbial endosymbionts for their energetic needs. Recent years have seen a revolution in our understanding of these fascinating worms. Molecular systematic methods now place these animals, formerly known as the phyla Pogonophora and Vestimentifera, within the polychaete clade Siboglinidae. Furthermore, an entirely new radiation of siboglinids, Osedax, has just recently been discovered living on whale bones. The unique and intricate evolutionary association of siboglinids with both geology, in the formation of spreading centres and seeps, and biology with the evolution of large whales, offers opportunities for studies of vicariant evolution and the calibration of molecular clocks. Moreover, new advances in our knowledge of siboglinid anatomy coupled with molecular characterization of microbial symbiont communities are revolutionizing our knowledge of host-symbiont relationships in the Metazoa. Despite these advances, considerable debate persists concerning the evolutionary history of siboglinids. Here we review the morphological, molecular, ecological and fossil data in order to address when and how siboglinids evolved. We discuss the role of ecological conditions in the evolution of siboglinids and present possible scenarios of the evolutionary origin of the symbiotic relationships between siboglinids and their endosymbiotic bacteria

The Effect of Metformin on Serum Levels of FSH, LH, Oestrogen and Progesterone in Diabetic Rats

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