Articles

Association between Utilization of Personal Protective Equipment and Prevalence of Road Traffic Injuries amongst Motorcycle Users in Kibera Constituency, Nairobi County Kenya

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Throughout the world, road traffic injuries (RTIs) are a vastly silent encroaching public health problem. Motorcyclists and pillion passengers are two of the most vulnerable road users worldwide. In Kenya, the annual incidence reports on RTIs amongst these groups had been on the rise in recent years. In 2017, 1,270 injuries were recorded while 2018 had 1,587 RTIs amongst these two groups. In 2019, 2,911 injuries were reported and 4,575 injuries in 2020. The purpose of the study was to assess the association between the utilization of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) and the prevalence of Road Traffic Injuries (minor and major) amongst motorcycle riders in Kibera constituency, Nairobi County, Kenya. Specific objectives were to determine the prevalence of RTIs amongst motorcycle riders, to determine the level of PPE utilization amongst the motorcycle riders, to evaluate the association between the utilization of PPE and the severity of injury sustained by the riders, and to evaluate the effect size of the association between the utilization of PPE and the type of injury sustained by motorcycle riders. A cross-sectional analytical study design was used to gather both qualitative and quantitative data from the motorcycle riders in Kibera constituency. Questionnaires were used to gather information on injuries sustained from the local hospitals and clinics visited by the motorcycle riders in Kibera constituency. A checklist was used to gather data on the utilization of personal protective equipment by motorcycle users in Kibera constituency. The total number of registered motorcycles (2956) was subjected to Slovin’s formula (n)=N/(1+Ne^2) to obtain a representative sample of 353 motorcycle riders who participated in the study. Data was analyzed using SPSS V22 and MS-excel software. Data was subjected to bivariate analysis with crosstabs for case classification, Chi square to evaluate the association, and Cramer’s V to measure the effect size of the association. A 95 percent confidence level was used for the whole analysis of this study. The 0.05 level of significance was used throughout the study to test the significance of the association between PPE utilisation and severity of injury when an accident occurred. Utilisation of PPE was negatively associated with severity of injury. Further, while Helmet, Jacket, Heavy trousers and Gloves reduced severity of injury, Reflective vest and Boots were not significantly associated with severity of injury sustained by the Motorcycle riders.

Protective Effect of Selenium against Methotrexate Induced Hepatotoxicity

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Introduction: The liver is the largest internal organ by percent weight in the human body and has crucial functions, including cholesterol production, intermediary metabolism, hormone synthesis, bile and urea production and drug detoxification.
Objectives: The main objective of the study is to analyse the Protective effect of selenium against methotrexate induced hepatotoxicity in mice.
Material and methods: This descriptive study was conducted in Jinnah Hospital Lahore during 2020. Selenium and all chemical reagents of analytical grades were purchased from Sigma Chemical Co. (St. Louis, Mo, USA). The dose of MTX diluted in water (50% 1ml/kg of body weight of Mice were applied twice a week for six weeks to induced hepatocellular injury determined by liver function tests. The mice were maintained under pathogen-free conditions with air conditioning, a 12-hr light/12-hr dark cycle, and %55 humidity.
Results: Results shows that a significant increase in serum enzymes (ALT, AST, ALP) and significant decrease in total protein was observed in all groups receiving MTX for the induction of hepatic injury. Mice receiving combination therapy of selenium along with MTX shows a time course recovery towards normalcy. The highest value of ALT (94.83 IU/L), AST (73.21 IU/L) and ALP (157 IU/L) were recorded in Mice receiving MTX for hepatic injury. The lowest values (63.67, 51.49 and 139.95 IU/L) was recorded in group treated with MTX+ Se (200mg/kg b.w) but both the groups differed non significantly and shows the same trend but a decreasing trend in serum enzymes (ALT 32.85%), (AST 29.67%) and (ALP 11.40%).
Conclusion: It is concluded that selenium supplementation in MTX treated rats elicited a reduction in the toxic effects of the pesticide by improving the studied parameters, which was confirmed by the biochemical analysis of serum.