Sleep Disorders among Professional Oil Tanker Drivers in Ouagadougou Burkina Faso

Introduction: Sleep disorders among professional drivers are a major road safety problem. They cause fatigue and drowsiness at the wheel, which can lead to road traffic accidents and even accidents at work. The aim of this study was to assess sleep disorders among professional drivers of oil tankers in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso. Methods: This was a descriptive and analytical cross-sectional study carried out from 11 April 2020 to 11 September 2020 in the national hydrocarbon company’s fuel depot. All the drivers present at the time were included and accomplished a questionnaire incorporating the commonly scales using to assess sleep disorders, sleep quality and sleep apnoea. Data analysis using R 3.6.1 software enabled to perform univariate and multivariate analyses to identify associated factors. Adjusted odd ratios were used to measure the strength of association. The significance level chosen was p ≤ 0.05. Results: All the 339 respondents were male. A proportion of 33.6% suffered from insomnia, including 12.7% with moderate to severe insomnia, and 18.58% were at risk of sleep apnoea. On the Epworth scale, 26.6% of drivers showed sleep debt and 4.1% excessive daytime sleepiness. The risk factors associated with insomnia were the use of psychostimulants. A history of diabetes and insomnia were risk factors associated with sleep apnoea syndrome. Conclusion: The prevalence of sleep disturbance and insomnia among the respondents were 52.2% and 33.6% respectively. Use of psychostimulants was the identified risk factor. The prevalence of SAS was 4.72%, with diabetes and insomnia as associated factors.

Alteration of chemical behavior of L-ascorbic acid in combination with nickel sulfate at different pH solutions in vitro

Objective:To evaluate the alteration of chemical behavior of L-ascorbic acid(vitamin C) with metal ion(nickel) at different pH solutions in vitro.Methods:Spectra of pure aqueous solution of L-ascorbic acid(E mark) compound and NiSO_4(H_2O)(sigma USA) were evaluated by UV visible spectrophotometer.Spectral analysis of L-ascorbic acid and nickel at various pH(2.0, 7.0,7.4 and 8.6) at room temperature of 29℃ was recorded.In this special analysis,combined solution of L-ascorbic acid and nickel sulfate at different pH was also recorded.Results:The result revealed that λ_(max)(peak wavelength of spectra) of L-ascorbic acid at pH 2.0 was 289.0 run whereas at neutral pH 7.0,λ_(max) was 29S.4 run.In alkaline pH 8.6,λ_(max) was 295.4 nm and at pH 7.4 the λ_(max) of L-ascorbic acid remained the same as 295.4 nm.Nickel solution at acidic pH 2.0 was 394.5 nm,whereas at neutral pH 7.0 and pH 7.4 were the same as 394.5 nm.But at alkaline pH 8.6,λ_(max) value of nickel sulfate became 392.0 nm.The combined solution of L-ascorbic acid and nickel sulfate(6 mg/mL each) at pH 2.0 showed 292.5 nm and 392.5 nm,respectively whereas at pH 7.0,L-ascorbic acid showed 296.5 nm and nickel sulfate showed 391.5 nm.At pH 7.4,L-ascorbic acid showed 297.0 nm and nickel sulfate showed 394.0 nm in the combined solution whereas at pH 8.6(alkaline) L-ascorbic acid and nickel sulfate were showing 297.0 and 393.5 nm,respectively. Conclusions:Results clearly indicate an altered chemical behavior of L-ascorbic acid either alone or in combination with nickel sulfate in vitro at different pH.Perhaps oxidation of L-ascorbic acid to L-dehydro ascorbic acid via the free radical(HSc*) generation from the reaction of H,ASc + Ni(Ⅱ) is the cause of such alteration of λ_(max),value of L-ascorbic acid in the presence of metal nickel.

Intranasal delivery of nanostructured lipid carriers,solid lipid nanoparticles and nanoemulsions:A current overview of in vivo studies

The management of the central nervous system(CNS)disorders is challenging,due to the need of drugs to cross the blood-brain barrier(BBB)and reach the brain.Among the various strategies that have been studied to circumvent this challenge,the use of the intranasal route to transport drugs from the nose directly to the brain has been showing promising results.In addition,the encapsulation of the drugs in lipid-based nanocarriers,such as solid lipid nanoparticles(SLNs),nanostructured lipid carriers(NLCs)or nanoemulsions(NEs),can improve nose-to-brain transport by increasing the bioavailability and site-specifc delivery.This review provides the state-of-the-art of in vivo studies with lipid-based nanocarriers(SLNs,NLCs and NEs)for nose-to-brain delivery.Based on the literature available from the past two years,we present an insight into the different mechanisms that drugs can follow to reach the brain after intranasal administration.The results of pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamics studies are reported and a critical analysis of the differences between the anatomy of the nasal cavity of the different animal species used in in vivo studies is carried out.Although the exact mechanism of drug transport from the nose to the brain is not fully understood and its effectiveness in humans is unclear,it appears that the intranasal route together with the use of NLCs,SLNs or NEs is advantageous for targeting drugs to the brain.These systems have been shown to be more effective for nose-to-brain delivery than other routes or formulations with non-encapsulated drugs,so they are expected to be approved by regulatory authorities in the coming years.

改进和评估复合干预措施：医学研究委员会的新指南

评估复合的干预措施很复杂。医学研究委员会的评估框架（2000）因能使我们清晰了解如何完成这项复杂的任务，而受到欢迎。现在该研究会更新了他们的指南。

Evaluation of Analgesic Properties of Piper Nigrum Essential Oil: a Randomized, Double-blind,Placebo-controlled Study

Objective: Essential oils are complex mixtures of chemical compounds, extracted from a wide range of plants. The volatile fraction of essential oils is responsible for their characteristic aroma and presents diverse biological properties that have been studied over the years. In Traditional Chinese Medicine, Piper nigrum is considered to be pungent and hot. Although its chemical constituents and respective pharmacological properties have been described by several authors, the volatile fraction is still underestimated as a therapeutic agent. The aim of this study was to evaluate the analgesic properties of the volatile fraction of Piper nigrum essential oil, in patients presenting different types of pain.Methods: Fifty-four patients presenting pain, were included in a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study, over a 9-week period.The patients were randomly divided into two groups, and asked to inhale a vial containing Piper nigrum essential oil, or a vial containing a placebo(sesame oil), for 15 minutes. A numerical pain scale was applied before and after the inhalation.Results: Results showed a statistically significant decrease in pain intensity in the patients that inhaled the black pepper essential oil, while the placebo group patients showed no significant change in pain intensity.Conclusion: Although the results are preliminary due to the limited sample size and short inhalation time, the volatile fraction of the Piper nigrum essential showed promising results in reducing pain. In the Chinese medicine perspective, these results support the use of black pepper in different types of pain, since it warms the center and disperses cold.

Clinical characteristics of COVID-19 hospitalized patients associated with mortality:A cohort study in Spain

Background:The heterogeneity of patients with COVID-19 may explain the wide variation of mortality rate due to the population characteristics,presence of comorbidities and clinical manifestations.Methods:In this study,we analyzed 5342 patients’recordings and selected a cohort of 177 hospitalized patients with a poor prognosis at an early stage.We assessed during 6 months their symptomatology,coexisting health conditions,clinical measures and health assistance related to mortality.Multiple Cox proportional hazards models were built to identify the associated factors with mortality risk.Results:We observed that cough and kidney failure triplicate the mortality risk and both bilirubin levels and oncologic condition are shown as the most associated with the demise,increasing in four and ten times the risk,respectively.Other clinical characteristics such as fever,diabetes mellitus,breathing frequency,neutrophil-lymphocyte ratio,oxygen saturation,and troponin levels,were also related to mortality risk of in-hospital death.Conclusions:The present study shows that some symptomatology,comorbidities and clinical measures could be the target of prevention tools to improve survival rates.