scholarly journals Impact of Eighteen-Year Varied Compliance to Onchocerciasis Treatment with Ivermectin in Sentinel Savannah Agrarian Communities in Kaduna State of Nigeria

2013 ◽  
Vol 2013 ◽  
pp. 1-10 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hudu O. Osue ◽  
Helen I. Inabo ◽  
Sabo E. Yakubu ◽  
Patrick A. Audu ◽  
Musa Galadima ◽  
...  

Baseline and impact assessment data were generated in 1994 (n=532) and 2011 (n=593) from 6 sentinel villages with generalized onchocerciasis. Only volunteers and a cohort (n=445,75%) were screened at both visits. Each village had received 11 (64.7%) annual treatments and 92.6%, range 88.7–100%, treatment compliance. Overall mean number of treatment was 2.9 ± 1.6 with a range 2.0 ± 1.2–3.3 ± 0.6. Significant decreases in skin microfilaria prevalence from 201 (38%) to 0 (0%), palpable nodule from 77 (15%) to 4 (0.7%), dermal changes from 51 (9.6%) to 2 (0.04%), optic nerve disease from 24 (4.5%) to 4 (2.0%), and onchocercal inducible ocular lesions from 31 (5.8%) to 12 (2.0%) were recorded, P<0.05, (t-test of unpaired data). Cases of glaucoma, 8 (1.4%), and blindness, 6 (1.05%), remained unchanged. Visual acuity ≥6/24 in one or both eyes, 198 (33.45%); cataract, 169 (28.5%); pterygium 157 (26.5%); and acute senilis, 165 (27.9%), were significantly increased and positively correlated with increase in age (R2=0.898−0.949). Dissected parous Simulium damnosum caught (n=222) were without infective third stage larva. Active onchocerciasis transmission seems halted despite varied compliance to long-term ivermectin treatment. We recommend continued surveillance and targeted treatment of controlled and hypoendemic areas.

2021 ◽  
pp. 026988112098642
Author(s):  
Rafael Guimarães dos Santos ◽  
Jaime EC Hallak ◽  
Glen Baker ◽  
Serdar Dursun

Major depressive disorder (MDD) is among the most prevalent mental health disorders worldwide, and it is associated with a reduced quality of life and enormous costs to health care systems. Available drug treatments show low-to-moderate response in most patients, with almost a third of patients being non-responders (treatment-resistant). Furthermore, most currently available medications need several weeks to achieve therapeutic effects, and the long-term use of these drugs is often associated with significant unwanted side effects and resultant reductions in treatment compliance. Therefore, more effective, safer, and faster-acting antidepressants with enduring effects are needed. Together with ketamine, psychedelics (or classic or serotoninergic hallucinogens) such as lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD), psilocybin, and ayahuasca are among the few compounds with recent human evidence of fast-acting antidepressant effects. Several studies in the 1950s to 1970s reported antidepressive and anxiolytic effects of these drugs, which are being confirmed by modern trials (LSD, one trial; psilocybin, five trials; ayahuasca, two trials). The effects of these drugs appear to be produced primarily by their agonism at serotonin (5-hydroxytryptamine, 5-HT) receptors, especially the 5-HT2A receptor. Considering the overall burden of MDD and the necessity of new therapeutic options, the promising (but currently limited) evidence of safety and efficacy of psychedelics has encouraged the scientific community to explore more fully their beneficial effects in MDD.


Eye ◽  
2004 ◽  
Vol 18 (11) ◽  
pp. 1133-1143 ◽  
Author(s):  
G E Holder

2019 ◽  
Vol 32 (1) ◽  
pp. 61-67
Author(s):  
Rositsa Ivanova

Capital turnover is constantly repeating process of capital transformation from one to another form and turning it in its initial form. This process comprises capital advance for acquisition of production means and manpower, the use of the resources in the production of finished goods, sale of finished goods, and the return of capital in its original form.We will study the capital turnover with view of the stages of its movement. During the first stage, the capital is transformed from monetary into product form, as production means (long-term tangible assets and material resources) and manpower that are required for the enterprise’s business. The second stage – the stage of the production process, capital is transformed from one commodity form (production resources) in another commodity form (finished goods). During the third stage, the capital is transformed from commodity to monetary form, i.e. it recovers its original form.The issue of capital turnover is topical at all phases and stages of enterprise’s development. The acceleration of capital turnover results in release of capital embodied in different resources that can be advanced in appropriate activities, thus to increase the enterprise’s gains, and therefore – the capital return. The deceleration of capital turnover results in shortage of means required for the normal course of the enterprise’s business, and in its turn the enterprise is thus forced to raise additional funds in order to operate. This increases the share of borrowings and the level of financial risk the enterprise is exposed to.The interest to capital turnover is due to the insufficient understanding of the importance of this issue both for the successful and efficient development of enterprises’ business, as well as for the prosperity of economy as a whole. This is one of the most important issues – driver of business and economy, which is topical, irrespective of the type of ownership of the production means, the organization of the economy and the specific public and political environment. As a result of the insufficient understanding of the importance and significance of capital turnover, some thoughts exist that these are obsolete, archaic and all but unnecessary methodologies for analysis of capital turnover in the conditions of market competition.Capital turnover may be analyzed and assessed from different points of view. For example: according to the sources of its formation (equity and borrowings); according to the duration of capital involvement in the enterprise’s turnover (fixed capital and short-term borrowings); according to the resources in which the equity is embodied (share equity and working equity), etc.The object studied in this publication is the capital turnover of enterprises with industrial principal business, and the subject matter of the study covers the methodology for analysis of equity turnover with view of the resources it is embodied in.The aim of this publication is to reach a methodology for analysis and assessment of equity turnover, which is feasible for the economic practice and useful for the industrial enterprises’ management to make proper and reasonable decisions for the business development in operational and strategic aspect.


Author(s):  
Sridharan Sudharshan ◽  
Sheikh Kaleemunnisha ◽  
Akbar Ashraf Banu ◽  
Sankaran Shrikrishna ◽  
Amala E George ◽  
...  

2018 ◽  
Vol 21 (1A) ◽  
Author(s):  
Paweł Wójtowiec ◽  
Anna Wójtowiec ◽  
Tomasz Tomkalski

Thyroid-related ocular manifestations are typically associated with Graves’ disease. The cause of Graves’ ophthalmopathy is not fully understood but it is believed to be autoimmune in origin. The most important risk factors are smoking and age. Patient’s gender also plays a significant role: ophthalmopathy is more prevalent in women but men experience a more severe disease course. There are two forms of the disease: inflammatory with congestion and pain in the eyeballs and fibrotic stage with impaired eye movements and no signs of inflammation. The degree of severity of ocular lesions is determined by NO SPECS classification and activity coefficient of orbitopathy (Clinical Activity Score – CAS). Previous clinical trials have not produced satysfying answers to questions about effective treatment of orbitopathy. In order to obtain the desired results it is to first necessary to achieve euthyroidism. Treatment is usually continual and long-term. Regimens in various centers vary, depending on their experiences. Currently the most commonly used are steroid therapy, radiation therapy and surgical decompression of the eye sockets. Surgical treatment is, however, used infrequently.


2018 ◽  
Vol 4 ◽  
Author(s):  
I. M. Lu ◽  
T. Kassis ◽  
A. M. Rogers ◽  
A. Schudel ◽  
J. Weil ◽  
...  

Abstract Lymphatic filariasis is a neglected tropical disease caused by roundworm parasites such as Brugia malayi that spread via a mosquito vector. In vitro culture of these parasites provides controlled conditions to understand parasite biology and provides a cheaper way to screen potential micro- and macrofilaricides. Published studies have used a wide array of approaches and metrics regarding in vitro cultures of B. malayi; as a result, drawing comparisons and identifying the reasons why inability to reproduce outcomes are difficult. This study sought to determine conditions that ensure reproducible outcomes and used evaluation metrics that are easily measured and can be automated to ensure objectivity. We found culturing B. malayi third-stage larvae (L3) in endothelial basal media supplemented with 20% fetal bovine serum and 75 µ m ascorbic acid in a temperature- and humidity-controlled incubator produced better survival and molting rates as well as longer and more motile parasites than previously reported. The benefit of ascorbic acid seemed to be unique to L3 parasites, as the addition of ascorbic acid to adult parasites had no significant impact on survival or motility. The methods reported in this study will help in designing experiments for both parasite behaviour studies and drug screening applications for disease eradication.


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