Review of urological cancers in Damaturu, Nigeria

 Background: Urological cancers (UC) remain a major global burden and a significant cause of high morbidity and mortality. In other to plan and tackle this burden, there is need to audit the pattern of these malignancies in our locality which is currently lacking.  Hence, the objectives of our study were to describe the histological pattern, frequency and demographic characteristics of urological cancers seen in Damaturu.Methods: The reports of all the urological specimens that were histologically diagnosed as malignant between November 2017 to October 2019 in the histopathology department of Yobe state university teaching hospital, were analyzed. The department keeps newly established cancer registry for the state.Results:  Fifty-five UC were diagnosed, with male to female ratio of 13.8:1. These UC constitute 34.1% of the 161 urological specimens assessed and 26.4% of all types of medical cancers diagnosed in the period of study. Prostate cancer dominates the UC (41; 73.8%), followed by bladder cancers (11; 19.8%) and the remaining kidney, penis and testicular cancers (1; 1.8%) each.Conclusions: Urological cancers are very common in our region, particularly prostate cancers in which majority were poorly differentiated. This report though analyzed few cancers, the proportion of UC is high. Urothelial cancer of the bladder is now more frequent than squamous cell carcinoma. This study can serve as basis for future epidemiologic studies targeting at the risk factors, awareness and prevention of UC

Audit of Referral Pattern of Cancer Cases to the Radiotherapy and Oncology Unit of a Tertiary Hospital in Nigeria

Objectives: This study assessed the types of cancer cases referred to Radiotherapy and oncology unit of Ahmadu Bello University Teaching Hospital (ABUTH) Zaria, and determine the age, sex, and geopolitical zones distributions of cancer cases in ABUTH, Zaria.Methods: A retrospective study was conducted reviewing all cancer cases referred to the centre, for a period of 10 years (2004 – 2013). Ethical approval was obtained from the ethical committee of the hospital. Data capture sheet was used to collect information from the patient’s folder and this was analysed using statistical package for social sciences version 20.0Results: Three thousand nine hundred and thirty four (3934) patient’s records were reviewed. Patient’s age ranged from 0 -110 years, with a mean age of 42.4 years. Patients within the age range of 31 to 60 years had the highest cancer incidence. A total of 37 types of cancer were diagnosed with cervical cancer having the highest incidence of 1083 (27.5%). This was followed by head and neck 821 (20.9%). Intestinal cancer had the least incidence of 1 (0.02%). Female cancer cases predominated with a female to male ratio of 1.8:1. North-western Nigeria had the highest cancer incidence of 1656 (42.1%). Conclusion: This study found high incidence of cancer cases among adults age ranged 31 to 60 years with female to male ratio of 1.8:1. Cervical cancer had the highest incidence among the 37 cancer spectrum treated at the centre. The North-western Nigeria had the highest incidence of cancer cases

The Effect of Kelvin Effect on the Equilibrium Effective Radii and Hygroscopic Growth of Atmospheric Aerosols

In this paper we extracted microphysical properties of six types of atmospheric aerosols from Optical Properties of Aerosols and Clouds (OPAC) and numerically analyzed the analytical expressions for the changes in the equilibrium relative humidity (RH), effective radius, effective hygroscopic growth, the magnitudes and fractional changes in the effective radii  and the effective hygroscopic growth on the effects of surface tension (the Kelvin effect) on ambient atmospheric aerosols. The expressions were applied to two - one parameter models. We discovered from the analysis of the data extracted that, to the lowest order error, the change in the equilibrium RH, effective radii and effective hygroscopic growth depend on the compositions of the aerosols. From the two models used, we also discovered that the fractional changes in the ambient RH, effective radii and effective hygrosocopic growth, also depend on the aerosols compositions. Finally, we discovered that the magnitude of the Kelvin effect and its consequences on the atmospheric aerosols depend on the hygroscopicity of the aerosols. Keywords: Kelvin effect, effective radius, effective hygroscopic growth, atmospheric aerosols, ambient Relative Humidity

Synthesis and characterization of zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnO-NPs) for biodiesel production using waste frying oil (WFO)

In this research, zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnO-NPs) were synthesized by simple solution-based approach using zinc nitrate  [Zn(NO3)2.6H2O] and sodium hydroxide (NaOH) as precursor. The Synthesized ZnO-NPs were characterized by XRF, XRD and TGA methods. XRD method confirmed the formation of nanosized zinc oxide particles in the size range of 13–47 nm. XRF and TGA were used to determine the elemental composition and thermal stability of ZnO-NPs, respectively. The ZnO-NPs were used as catalyst in the production of biodiesel from waste frying oil (WFO) via transesterification method. The transesterification process yielded 97.8 % (w/w) WFO biodiesel. The results of the fuel properties revealed that, all the parameters tested are within the ASTM limits, indicating that the biodiesel produced could be used as an alternative diesel fuel

Multi-wavelength high energy gas-filled fiber Raman laser spanning from 1.53 um to 2.4 um

In this work, we present a high pulse energy multi-wavelength Raman laser spanning from 1.53 um up to 2.4 um by employing the cascaded rotational stimulated Raman scattering (SRS) effect in a 5-m hydrogen (H2) -filled nested anti-resonant fiber (NARF), pumped by a linearly polarized Er/Yb fiber laser with a peak power of ~13 kW and pulse duration of ~7 ns in the C-band. The developed Raman laser has distinct lines at 1683 nm, 1868 nm, 2100 nm, and 2400 nm, with pulse energies as high as 18.25 uJ, 14.4 uJ, 14.1 uJ, and 8.2 uJ, respectively. We demonstrate how the energy in the Raman lines can be controlled by tuning the H2 pressure from 1 bar to 20 ba

Noise and spectral stability of deep-UV gas-filled fiber-based supercontinuum sources driven by ultrafast mid-IR pulses

Deep-UV (DUV) supercontinuum (SC) sources based on gas-filled hollow-core fibers constitute perhaps the most viable solution towards ultrafast, compact, and tunable lasers in the UV spectral region. Noise and spectral stability of such broadband sources are key parameters that define their true potential and suitability towards real-world applications. In order to investigate the spectral stability and noise levels in these fiber-based DUV sources, we generate an SC spectrum that extends from 180 nm (through phase-matched dispersive waves - DWs) to 4 {\mu}m by pumping an argon-filled hollow-core anti-resonant fiber at a wavelength of 2.45 {\mu}m. We characterize the long-term stability of the source over several days and the pulse-to-pulse relative intensity (RIN) noise of the strongest DW at 275 nm. The results indicate no sign of spectral degradation over 110 hours, but the RIN of the DW pulses at 275 nm is found to be as high as 33.3%. Numerical simulations were carried out to investigate the spectral distribution of the RIN and the results confirm the experimental measurements and that the poor noise performance is due to the RIN of the pump laser, which was hitherto not considered in numerical modelling of these sources. The results presented herein provide an important step towards an understanding of the noise mechanism underlying such complex light-gas nonlinear interactions and demonstrate the need for pump laser stabilization

Tuberculosis infection and disease in people living with HIV in countries with low tuberculosis incidence

In countries with low tuberculosis (TB) incidence, TB is concentrated in vulnerable populations, including people living with the human immunodeficiency virus (PLHIV), who have a substantially greater risk of TB than people without HIV. We searched PubMed, EMBASE and Web of Science for studies evaluating the risk factors for latent tuberculous infection (LTBI) or active TB in PLHIV in countries with TB incidence 10 per 100 000 population. Due to the number of risk factors evaluated and heterogeneity in study designs, we present summary data and a narrative synthesis. We included 45 studies: 17 reported data on the risk factors for LTBI and 32 on active TB. Black, Asian or Hispanic ethnicity, birth or long-term residence in a country with high TB incidence, and HIV acquisition via injecting drug use (IDU) or heterosexual sex were strong predictors of both LTBI and active TB. History of contact, a greater degree of immunosuppression at diagnosis or higher viral load increased the TB risk. Early HIV diagnosis to allow timely initiation of antiretroviral therapy is essential for the prevention of TB in PLHIV. Screening and treating PLHIV for LTBI to reduce the risk of progression to active TB disease should also be considered to further reduce the burden of active TB in low TB incidence settings. Research to support the expansion of TB and HIV prevention and treatment globally is essential to eliminate TB in low-incidence settings

Synthesizing gas-filled fiber Raman lines enables access to the molecular fingerprint region

The synthesis of multiple narrow optical spectral lines, precisely and independently tuned across the near- to mid-infrared (IR) region, is a pivotal research area that enables selective and real-time detection of trace gas species within complex gas mixtures. However, existing methods for developing such light sources suffer from limited flexibility and very low pulse energy, particularly in the mid-IR domain. Here, we introduce a new concept based on the gas-filled anti-resonant hollow-core fiber (ARHCF) technology that enables the synthesis of multiple independently tunable spectral lines with high pulse energy of >1 {\mu}J and a few nanoseconds pulse width in the near- and mid-IR region. The number and wavelengths of the generated spectral lines can be dynamically reconfigured. A proof-of-concept laser beam synthesized of two narrow spectral lines at 3.99 {\mu}m and 4.25 {\mu}m wavelengths is demonstrated and combined with photoacoustic (PA) modality for real-time SO2 and CO2 detection. The proposed concept also constitutes a promising way for IR multispectral microscopic imaging.Comment: 39 page

Intelligent Decision Support Systems for Oil Price Forecasting

This research studies the application of hybrid algorithms for predicting the prices of crude oil. Brent crude oil price data and hybrid intelligent algorithm (time delay neural network, probabilistic neural network, and fuzzy logic) were used to build intelligent decision support systems for predicting crude oil prices. The proposed model was able to predict future crude oil prices from August 2013 to July 2014. Future prices can guide decision makers in economic planning and taking effective measures to tackle the negative impact of crude oil price volatility. Energy demand and supply projection can effectively be tackled with accurate forecasts of crude oil prices, which in turn can create stability in the oil market. The future crude oil prices predict by the intelligent decision support systems can be used by both government and international organizations related to crude oil such as organization of petroleum exporting countries (OPEC) for policy formulation in the next one year.  DOR: 98.1000/1726-8125.2015.0.47.0.0.73.10