Production and characterization of biodiesel and glycerine pellet from macroalgae strain: Cladophora glomerata

Biodiesel was prepared by extracting oil from Cladophora glomerata green algae followed by transesterification of the oil using NaOH as a catalyst. The algae Oil extraction was carried out using two different techniques (Soxhlet and refluxing) and similar oil yield was obtained (23-24%). The resulting biodiesel showed desirable physical and chemical properties. Specific gravity, acid value, iodine value, ash content and calorific value of the algae biodiesel were within the specification of American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) and European Standards (EN). The analysis of fatty acid methyl ester composition revealed, 63, 27 and 10% for 9-octadecodenoic, hexadeconic and octadeconoic acid methyl ester, respectively. From the production line, two waste streams (glycerol and residual biomass) were combined to form a glycerine pellet. The measured energy content of the glycerine pellet was found to be comparable with firewood. Therefore, C. glomerata could potentially be utilized for the production of both biodiesel and glycerine pellet with no net waste in the transesterification process.                     KEY WORDS: Algae oil, Biodiesel, Transesterification, Glycerine pellet, Macroalgae, Cladophora glomerata   Bull. Chem. Soc. Ethiop. 2020, 34(2), 249-258 DOI: https://dx.doi.org/10.4314/bcse.v34i2.4

Ligation anopexy versus hemorrhoidectomy in the treatment of second- and third-degree hemorrhoids

BACKGROUND

The aim of the study was to compare ligation anopexy (LA) and conventional hemorrhoidectomy (CH) in treatment of second- and third-degree hemorrhoids.

METHODS

A prospective controlled randomized clinical trial included 100 patients who underwent CH (CH group) and 100 patients who underwent LA (LA group). A detailed history was taken from all the patients. The effectiveness, safety, postoperative complications, operative time, length of hospital stay, time until first bowel movement, time until return to work, and postoperative pain score were assessed.

RESULTS

There was no significant difference between groups regarding age, sex, and preoperative symptoms. The LA group had significantly shorter operative times, earlier first bowel movement, and an earlier return to work/activities. The postoperative pain score in the LA group was significantly lower than that in the CH group on days 1, 3, 7, and 14 after surgery. There was no significant difference between groups as regards postoperative complications.

CONCLUSIONS

LA is safe, and as effective as CH in the treatment of grade II and grade III hemorrhoids, with shorter operative times, earlier mobilization, and lower postoperative pain scores.

Treatment delay among pulmonary tuberculosis patients in pastoralist communities in Bale Zone, Southeast Ethiopia

Background

Tuberculosis (TB) is a major public health problem in Africa with Ethiopia being the most affected. Treatment delay is an important indicator of access to TB diagnosis and treatment. However, little is known about factors associated with treatment delay of pulmonary TB among pastoralists. Health facility based cross sectional study was conducted on 129 pulmonary TB patients in pastoralist community. The study was conducted in three health centers and a hospital. Time between onset of TB symptoms and first visit to a professional health care provider (patient delay), and the time between first visits to the professional health care provider to the date of diagnosis (provider's delay) were analyzed using SPSS 16.0 statistical software.

Findings

A total of 129 new smear positive pulmonary TB patients participated in the study. The median total delay was 97 days. The median patient and health provider delays were 63 and 34 days, respectively. Ninety six percent of the patients were delayed for more than the twenty one days cutoff point. Patient delay was positively associated with first visit to traditional healer/private clinic/drug shop, rural residence, being illiterate, living in more than 10 kilometers from health facility; severity of illness at first presentation to health facility. Provider delay was positively associated with rural residence, being illiterate, patient with good functional status, patients in contact with more than two health providers, and place of first visit being traditional healer/private clinic/drug shop.

Conclusions

This study showed that majority of smear positive patients delayed either for diagnosis or treatment, thus continue to serve as reservoirs of infection. This indicates that there is a need for intervention to decrease patient and provider delays. Effort to reduce delays in pastoralist communities should focus on improving access to services in rural communities, engaging traditional and private health providers and should target illiterate individuals.

Identification of Mycobacterium leprae antigens in tissues of leprosy patients using monoclonal antibodies

Five monoclonal antibodies (MAbs) directed against antigens of Mycobacterium leprae were tested for their ability to bind to components of tissue sections prepared from biopsies taken from patients with various forms of leprosy. Immunoperoxidase was the most successful marker system used, although immunofluorescence and alkaline phosphatase were also successful in certain cases. Positivity was high with all five antibodies successfully staining those sections containing a bacterial index of 3+ or more; sections with 0 bacterial counts also had areas staining positively with two of the MAbs. The positive staining in the tissues was confined to areas infiltrated by inflammatory cells; however it was not identifiable as being associated with individual bacteria. These findings suggest that immunostaining with specific monoclonal antibodies can help to identify leprosy in diagnostic samples in which acid-fast bacilli are not identifiable by standard histochemical means. Immunohistochemical techniques are likely to be valuable in studies of the distribution of M. leprae antigens and their association with individual tissue elements.