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Techno-Economic Analysis of Electricity Generation from Polyethylene Plastics Using Fast Pyrolysis: A Case Study of Some Selected Cities of Nigeria
Get PDFThis project seeks to determine the most viable states for Energy production using plastic MSW (Municipal Solid Waste) using fast pyrolysis process. This is determined by performing a techno-economic analysis on these states. Two states were chosen in each of Nigeria’s six Geopolitical zones. This would provide valuable insight into the energy realizable from this technique, the environmental impact and also the cost implications
Surging Role of Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation in Refractory ARDS Due COVID-19 and In-depth Review of Existing Applications
Get PDFIntroduction: Extra Corporeal Membrane Oxygenation (ECMO) is a device applied to maintain cardiopulmonary support in patients in whom there is a failure of the cardiopulmonary function to maintain perfusion to vital organs. Previously, ECMO was used in pulmonary embolism, cardiogenic shock, myocarditis, and heart failure cases. Its use in refractory acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) in coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has increased, but the data regarding its safety, efficacy, and mortality benefit remains unclear. The focus of our review is to further expand on these areas and outline the indication, techniques, and complications associated with its use.
Methods: We did an extensive search of various databases such as PubMed, Cochrane, ScienceDirect, and Jama Network and studied 41 papers, including free full articles such as systematic reviews, meta-analyses, and clinical trials published within the past five years.
Results: Implementation of ECMO is advantageous when the PaO2/FiO2 is in the range of 100 to 150 mmHg. For COVID-19 patients, the most appropriate approach is to drain from a femoral venous cannula and thread it to the inferior vena cava just 1-2cm below the cavoatrial junction. It was seen that the most common complication of ECMO use is coagulopathy. Limb ischemia had a variable incidence from 10 to 70% and is more common in venous-arterial ECMO.
Conclusion: ECMO is lifesaving in a highly selected group of patients to prolong survival, reduce complications and provide a good prognosis in terms of mortality. To prevent circuit thrombosis, anticoagulation is key, and understanding feasible intra-atrial communication sites, such as a patent foramen ovale or atrial septal defects, is beneficial to mitigate the risk of stroke and cutting down consequences of thromboembolism
Role of N-Acetylcisteine as Antioxidant in COVID-19
Get PDFAt the end of December 2019, there was an outbreak of pneumonia of unknown etiology with symptoms of fever, dry cough, fatigue and gastrointestinal symptoms at seafood market, Huanan Market, Wuhan, Hubei, China. Initial outbreak was reported on the market in December 2019 and involved about 66% population of the workers there. Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). SARS-CoV-2 is a new type of coronavirus that has never been previously identified in humans.N-acetylcysteine (NAC) is a metabolite of sulfur-containing amino acid cysteine. This drug has molecular formula HSCH2CH(NHCOCH3)CO2H and a molecular weight of 163.19. In human, it can be given orally or by intravenous infusion and can also be inhaled using a nebulizer. Significant increases in blood serum glutathione reductase (GR) levels, due to an imbalance of oxidative stress, have occurred in COVID-19 patients, especially when admitted to intensive care unit (ICU). From data set of several literature, endogenous deficiency in GSH can underlie severe manifestations and deaths due to COVID-19. N-acetylcisteine (NAC) is used in a variety of conditions for recovery or protection from decreased GSH levels and has a wide margin of safety. This is useful in treating ARDS from other causes and can reduce or prevent lung damage in COVID-19 patients. NAC has been shown to have protective mechanisms against various conditions associated with COVID-19 and its comorbidities, including cardiovascular disease. NAC given intravenously has been shown to potentiate vasodilator, anti-inflammatory and anti-aggregating effects of nitroglycerin, and these beneficial interactions have translated into improved outcomes, such as in acute myocardial infarction, unstable angina, and acute pulmonary edema. NAC administration has been incorporated into a strategy aimed at maintaining endothelial function and limiting microthrombosis in severe cases of COVID-19
Hierarchical Identity-based Broadcast Cryptography and its Application in Blockchain
Get PDFBlockchain as an emerging cryptographic database technology has gained wide attention in many directions. Among them, data security is one of the hot spots of research in blockchain. In this paper, we first analyze the security problems of blockchain and then propose to solve them with hierarchical identity-based broadcast encryption (HIBBE). HIBBE, as a variant of hierarchical identity-based cryptography, can effectively improve the data security. HIBBE has all the characteristics of hierarchical identity-based cryptography, so it has potential in decentralized application scenarios. Then we made an overview of the several existing HIBBE scheme. This paper also gives a formal definition of HIBBE and concludes with the research direction of HIBBE-based blockchain
Administering Shingles Vaccine Prior to Initiation of Biologics Therapy: A Systematic Review
Get PDFBackgroundShingles, also known as herpes zoster, is a viral infection caused by the varicella zoster virus. The classic feature is a painful dermatomal rash. Although the disease is often self-limiting, complications such as postherpetic neuralgia can cause long-lasting morbidity. Patients who are immunosuppressed are more susceptible to developing shingles, and disease may be more severe. The purpose of this paper is to systematically review the evidence for prophylactic use of the shingles vaccine prior to initiating biological therapy.
Objectives To evaluate the evidence for shingles vaccine prophylaxis prior to initiating biologics therapy.
Methods We performed a comprehensive Boolean search of PubMed and EMBASE for the following terms: prophylaxis, prior, shingles vaccine, varicella zoster, infliximab, biological therapy, guidelines. Eligible studies met the following criteria: published in English, published since 2000, any shingles vaccine type and dose, vaccine monotherapy, autoimmune disease biological therapy. There was no specific target for gender, age or population. Randomised controlled trials, meta analyses and systematic reviews were included. Studies were excluded based on the following criteria: duplicate studies, non-English language papers, papers not addressing autoimmune disease therapy, clinical trials and cohort studies.
Results 32 studies met the search criteria, of which 8 were selected for the literature review. All studies had generally differing conclusions as to whether shingles vaccination in autoimmune patients undertaking biologic therapy was safe and effective.
Conclusions Patients with autoimmune disease should be considered for the herpes zoster vaccine prior to initiating biological therapy, though the specifics of vaccination administration is unclear. Our findings support the use of the live attenuated vaccine, Zostavax or the non-live vaccine, Shingrix. However, further research is required to evaluate specific autoimmune conditions and specific biological agents with a view to the formulation of national clinical guidelines on the use of the herpes zoster vaccine in the immunocompromised
The Use of Candida auris Therapies based on Nanotechnology as Potential Novel Strategy against COVID-19 Infection: A Mini Review
Get PDFCandida auris, which is one of the causative agents of candidiasis, has been detected in several individuals with immune deficiency worldwide, mainly in different American countries, since 2012. C. auris infections are at risk of becoming epidemic because this species shows multi-drug resistance to several antifungal drugs available in the market; thus, since the current public health condition at global scale is threatened by the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic, C. auris infections could lead to high mortality rates. Different strategies, such as drug repurposing and the combination of antifungal drugs to other biocide molecules, were developed. However, they are time-limited strategies since drug resistance has increased due to C. auris pathologies. As an alternative, the recent development of nanotechnological devices has opened room for the efficient treatment of C. auris infections. Most specifically, the biocide effect of nanoparticles combined to/capped with antifungal drugs in different platforms seems to be an affordable technology to stop invasive C. auris infections
Consumer Awareness and Perception on Mineral and Vitamin Supplements to Boost Immunity Against COVID-19
Get PDFCOVID-19 have been widespread all over the world. Mineral supplementation and Vitamin intake may help to reduce the severity of the common cold. This study determines the Knowledge, Attitude, And Practices of Consumers About Mineral and Vitamin Supplementation to boost immune system for COVID-19. 178 Participants who lived in the NCR Bubble particularly Metro Manila, Laguna, Cavite, Rizal, and Bulacan., 18-years old and above were chosen by convenience sampling. To get the appropriate data needed, the researchers divided the questionnaire into 4 parts such as Demographics, Knowledge, Attitude, and Practices using likert scale. Descriptive analysis of frequencies and percentages for demographic characteristics, KAP assessment and likewert interpretation was applied. The respondents' knowledge, attitude, and practices toward micronutrient supplementation were evaluated. Results showed that the respondents have a very good understanding, belief, and practice of mineral supplementation and vitamin intake to boost the immune system. Before the pandemic, 178 respondents did not take mineral supplements; nevertheless, 58 respondents (32.58 percent) took vitamins, and 117 respondents (65.73%) took both mineral and multivitamin supplements. On the other hand, 61 (34.27%) respondents took vitamins, while 120 (67.42%) respondents took both mineral and vitamin supplements during the pandemic. In addition, the intake of these supplements increased during pandemic. Self-willingness (28.65%) was the most common response to factors linked with mineral and vitamin consumption prior to the pandemic, whereas doctor's prescription was the most common response during the pandemic (44.94%). The level of micronutrient supplementation practiced by the respondents was also applied because they knew and believed that it could reduce the risk of COVID-19 infection
Favipiravir as RNA Polymerase Dependent (Rdrp) in COVID-19
Get PDFCoronavirus disease 2019 or Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by a new virus, Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). This disease became a pandemic and is being discussed around world because it has significant consequences on public health and global economy. Favipiravir is an anti-viral agent that selectively and potently inhibits RNA-dependent RNA polymerase (RdRp) from RNA viruses. Favipiravir was discovered through a screening list of chemicals with anti-viral activity against influenza virus by Toyama Chemical Coorperation. Use of Favipiravir in clinical trials has shown radiological improvement in lung CT scans and a faster viral clearance time than or antivirals
Impact of the COVID-19 among University Students in Bangladesh: An Analysis
Get PDFCOVID-19 pandemic has influenced all levels of the instruction framework, especially in University education. Since March 26, 2020, public holidays was pronounced by the Government of Bangladesh in all educational institutions which hamper the students’ everyday schedules and affect their both physical and mental wellbeing. This study aims to explore the impact of COVID-19 among the university students in Bangladesh by identifying their socio-demographic condition, changes in livelihood, and distinctly measuring the social, economic, educational, technological, and psychological impact. Quantitative research design is followed in this study where participants were selected using convenience sampling (135 respondents) through an online survey (Google Forms). The time period of data collection was from August to October 2020. From this study, university students have experienced both social stigmatization and economic crisis due to the pandemic. Furthermore, the maximum has experienced anxiety, loneliness, emotional breakdown, sleeping disorder, keep checking the news in the little time interval, difficulty to connect with daily normal life, tensed about re-infected by COVID-19. Besides, due to the inadequate availability of internet in remote and rural areas, the speed and cost of internet, the availability of electronic devices to access the internet, and the lack of interaction between students and teachers. Indeed, it is high time that the government and associated educational institutions should make a proper plan about how to overcome the challenges of ongoing university students’ condition to improve the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic as early as possible
Role of Increasing Levels of Non-Performing Assets in Bank’s Deteriorating Financial Position After COVID: A Review of Literature
Get PDFAfter the 2009 planet-wide crisis, Non-Performing Assets (NPA) have seen an unprecedented rise. Along with the Indian Government, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) introduced rules and provided guidelines to control the increasing amount of NPA, but failed to do so. The ever - NPA level has contributed to a decline in the bank's revenue and profitability level, adding further to its failures. The report contains an analysis of literature published by renowned scholars on rising NPA and bank failures. The report provides an overview of the diverse perspectives of experts and regulators. It reviews a total of 105 academic papers published in leading journals. The key aim of the report is to address the multiple factors instigating the NPA's growing degree. It also discusses the role of these factors in the failure of the numerous banks following Covid 19. It is undisputed that the journey to recovery is incredibly long, but the study proposes steps to control and decrease increasing NPA levels that can be taken