Laboratory-confirmed hospital-acquired infections:An analysis of a hospital's surveillance data in Nigeria

Objective: Hospital-acquired infections (HAI) are a global problem and a major public health concern in hospitals throughout the world. Quantification of HAI is needed in developing countries; hence we describe the results of a 2-year surveillance data in a tertiary hospital in Nigeria. Methodology: This study is a 2-year review using secondary data collected at a tertiary referral center in northwestern Nigeria. The data was collected using surveillance forms modeled based on the Centre for Disease Control (CDC) protocol. Descriptive statistics were used to present results as frequencies and percentages. Result: 518 patients developed HAI out of 8216 patients giving an overall prevalence of 6.3%. The mean age of the patients was 35.98 years (±15.92). Males constituted 281 (54.2%). UTI 223 (43.1%) was the most prevalent HAI. Overall, E. coli 207 (40.0%) was the most frequent isolates followed by P. aerugenosa 80 (15.4%). There was a high prevalence of cloxacillin resistant S. aureus (67.9%) and gram-negative rods resistant to third-generation cephalosporins. Trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole resistance across the board was more than 90%. Conclusion: There is a high burden of HAI especially UTI in our hospital with resistance to commonly used antibiotics documented. Keywords: Public health, Infectious diseas

Investigation of the heat exchange of a batch reactor using dynamic simulation

By comparing the experimental with simulation results and physically inspecting the reactor, improvements can be made on the temperature measuring device (thermometer) and the heat exchange device: The temperature of the reactor is measured with a thermometer with tubing in an oil bath. A temperature with the latency of the thermometer is obtained (which is off by at least five minutes for both cooling and heating). This would result in a wrong reactor temperature is reading. However a contact thermometer that would be in contact with the reactor can be used to eliminate this latency.BSc/BAChemical engineerg

Hand washing practices and techniques amont health professionals in a tertiary hospital in Kano

No Abstract

Quartz dissolution in a single phase-high pH Berea sandstone via alkaline injection

A common assertion is that alkaline solution aids oil mobilization by generating in situ soap, or by lowering interfacial tension (IFT) to ultra-low values in synergy with surfactants. This study takes a different approach that involves the alkaline dissolution of detrital quartz grains of sandstone reservoirs to create pathways for oil migration and accumulation. Quartz dissolution via alkaline injection will result in changes in permeability and porosity. This study performed high-pH core flooding on Berea sandstones using core displacement equipment. Silica molybdate spectrophotometry was applied to measure the amount of dissolved silica. Inlet and confining pressure variations were also observed. The molar concentration of NaOH varied at 0.5 M and 1.0 M. The results show higher initial silica dissolution for 0.5 M NaOH (˃200mg/L) compared to 1.0 M NaOH (20 mg/L), which can be attributed to the presence of pre-existing dissolved silica and precipitates in the system prior to the first injection phase. Nonetheless, a steady quartz dissolution rate of 0.4 mg/L/hr for 20 h was only achieved at 1.0 M. Conversely, an abrupt drop in quartz dissolution to below 0 mg/L was recorded for 0.5 M NaOH after 3 h of dissolution. At higher molar concentration of injected alkaline solution, both confining and inlet pressures increased from 8 and 5 bars to 12 and 11 bars as a result of the increased secondary phase of (hydr)oxides or precipitates in the pores. Thus, it can be inferred that the effect of alkaline solution on quartz dissolution is strongly dependent on molar concentration

Perceptions about Sickle Cell Disease and its Prevention among Undergraduates of Tertiary Institutions in Kano State, Nigeria

Background Nigeria is known to have the greatest number of sickle cell disease (SCD) patients per country in the world. Most of the studies that were carried out in Nigeria on awareness of sickle cell disease come from the southern part of the country. There is variation in the incidence of the disease within Nigeria with a higher incidence of the disease in the Northern Nigeria. Since tertiary institutions in the country have good representation of Nigerian youths, and the fact that the youths are good entry point for interventions aimed at preventing and/or controlling the disease there is the need to determine their knowledge, attitude and perceptions about sickle cell disease and its prevention. Methods Three hundred undergraduate students from Bayero University Kano and Federal College of Education, Kano were selected using a multi-stage sampling technique. Structured selfadministered questionnaires were administered to respondents that agreed to participate in the study to assess their perceptions regarding sickle cell disease and its prevention. Data entry and analysis was done using EPI-Info software. Results Majority (81%) of the respondents fell within the age group 15-24. School teachers and lecturers constituted the major source of information (49%), and only 17% of the respondents got their information about SCD from health workers. Most of the respondents, 219 (73%), chose inheritance from parents as the correct way of SCD transmission. Up to 27.3% of respondents had poor knowledge of SCD prevention, and there was a statistically significant association between gender, religion and marital status with good level of knowledge of SCD and its prevention. Conclusions There is a deficiency in the perceptions about sickle cell disease and its prevention among undergraduates of tertiary institutions in Kano. There is a need to provide health education about SCD prevention to youths in schools and through other media; as well as strengthen prenatal screening and premarital counseling and testing services. This should include the counseling of affected individuals and their education on their condition. Keywords: Perceptions, Sickle cell disease, Nigerian youths, Pre-marital counseling and testin

Spatio-temporal analysis of vegetation and oil spill intensity in Ogoniland

Ogoniland, Niger Delta Nigeria is an area that has been subjected to terrestrial oil spills from the beginning of oil exploration in the 1950s till date. Despite many studies and practical efforts by different organizations and multinational companies, oil spills continue to occur and their impacts persist. These oil spills are regarded as the major cause of environmental degradation in the study area. The objective of this study was to ascertain the fact that oil spill is the major cause of environmental changes in Ogoniland using Normalized Difference vegetation Index (NDVI) and statistical methods. Remote sensing satellite data (Landsat 5TM (1984), Landsat 7ETM+ (2013, 2014 and 2015), and geographical coordinates of spill locations were used to observe vegetation dynamics with respect to the intensity of oil spills. For vegetation dynamics, the geographical coordinates were used to observe temporal variations of NDVI values at each spill point while statistical analyses were used to identify the relationships between the intensity of the spills and the changes in vegetation. It was observed that changes in vegetation quality and quantity can be attributed to oil spill occurrences, however, the level of change in vegetation cannot be ascribed to the frequency or intensity of the oil spills. Finally, this study asserts that oil spill is the major cause of environmental changes in the study area. (C) 2017 The Authors. Published by IASE

Molecular dynamics and energy distribution of methane gas adsorption in shales

This study uses simulations to explore the energy distributions involved in the adsorption of methane gas in shales. Molecular mechanics calculations were carried out using the Forcite module in BIOVIA material studio software. The critical challenge in molecular-scale simulations remains the need to improve the description of the gas adsorption prior to up-scaling to a realistic scenario. Resolving this challenge requires the implementation of multi-scale techniques that employ atomistic/molecular-level results as input. Thus, it is pertinent that the appropriate molecular data on CH4 gas interaction with shale is obtained. This study provides empirical data on CH4 sorption/adsorption in shale at the molecular level to confirm the CH4 storage potential of shales. The effect of pressure on the CH4 sorption/adsorption was also investigated. A vital aspect of this study is elucidating the energy distribution and dominant energy that controls CH4 sorption/adsorption to serve as a basis for the exploitation of CH4 in productive shales. Following the intensive simulation exercise, the average total energy of CH4 sorption varied from approximately −30 to −120 kcal/mol with increase in pressure from 500 to 2500 psi, suggesting increasing thermodynamic stability. The results indicated that van der Waals energy is the major sorption energy with values ranging from 60 to −250 kcal/mol as the sorption pressure increased, while electrostatic energy recorded the least contribution. The total adsorption energy increased from −5 to −16 kcal/mol for reservoir pressure range of 1–15 MPa. This energy distribution data confirmed the possibility of CH4 adsorption on shale under reservoir pressure conditions

2D Basin Modelling and Petroleum System Analysis of the Triassic Play in the Hammerfest Basin of the Norwegian Barents Sea

This study seeks to demonstrate the methodology used in 2D basin modelling, enhance the understanding of the Triassic play in the Hammerfest Basin and to show how basin modelling can be used to reduce exploration risk and improve exploration success using the Triassic play in the Hammerfest Basin in the Norwegian Barents Sea as a case study. 2D basin modelling has been done for the Triassic play in the Hammerfest Basin using Petromod software. The play consists of a source rock (Fruholmen formation) of Triassic age, a reservoir (Sto formation) of Middle to Lower Jurassic age and seals of Cretaceous and Upper Jurassic age. Three episodes of erosion (uplifts) in the Late Cretaceous, Paleogene and Paleogene-Neogene have occurred in the basin breaching the integrity of the seal and allowing the escape of hydrocarbons from the trap in some places. These episodes of erosion have increased exploration risks in the Hammerfest Basin and Barents Sea in general. Migration from the source rock into the trap is mainly upwards vertical migration. However, in areas where the hydrocarbons have escaped through the faults at the boundaries of the basin, migration in the layers above the trap is mainly lateral. The hydrocarbons generated are both gas and oil but are predominantly gas. The Upper Jurassic Hekkingen formation in the Barents Sea is a good source rock rich in organic matter with high values of hydrogen index and total organic matter but it doesn't seem to be matured in the Hammerfest Basin