Investigating Changes in Coastal Environment Using Internet-Based Geospatial Data

The concerns of researchers and policy makers for the deteriorating condition of the coastal environments have increased in recent times. As the threats to the world today, such as, climate change, population pressure, urbanization and disasters are getting worse, it has become needful to give more attention to means of sustaining the human environment, especially the coastal areas. On the basis of this background, access to geospatial data through internet technology has become attractive, for investigating the impacts of dynamic processes on the coastal environment. This paper presents the result of investigation carried out in Okrika coastal areas of Rivers State, Nigeria. In particular, it discusses how internet-based geospatial data (for example; LandSat TM, ETM+ and Google Earth maps) of three epochs, were incorporated into open-source Geographic Information System (GIS), such as, Integrated Land and Water Information System (ILWIS), and applied to the investigation of land use/land cover (LU/LC) changes. The results obtained tend to show that between 1986 – 2007, 10.94% of the coastal areas was modified from water body to residential areas, 1.10% from residential areas to swamps, 0.42% from vegetation to water body and 0.93% from residential areas to water body. With these modifications, the economic mainstay of the people (marine, tourism and fishing activities) has been adversely affected. The research recommends that effective shoreline protection facility be put in place through government regulations in order to minimize further encroachment, particularly with regards to the water bodies. Also, high-resolution geospatial data as well as simple GIS applications should be made available on the internet, to enable more researchers contribute knowledge and solution to coastal crises, as well as improve collaboration within an interactive platform among policy and strategy formulators.Key Words: Coastal environment, Geospatial data, Remote Sensing, LandSat TM, ETM+, Internet, Open-source GIS

Epidemiology and clinical profile of vitiligo in Ibadan, Nigeria

Background: Vitiligo patients are seen routinely in the Dermatology Outpatient Clinic of the University College Hospital Ibadan, Nigeria. However, the epidemiologic and clinical profile of these patients is not documented. The aim of this study was to document the clinical (age of onset, location, severity, class of vitiligo) and sociodemographic characteristics of these patients.Methods: This is a retrospective descriptive study of patients treated for vitiligo from January 2005 to December 2009 at the University College Hospital (UCH) Ibadan dermatology outpatient clinic. Patient records were retrieved and a study proforma was used to assess patient’s information. Data was analyzed using SPSS version 16.Results: Over the study period, 130 vitiligo patients seen but only 111 case notes were retrieved. The mean age at onset in children was 7.8±4.0 and 34.6±17.1 in adults, M:F was 1:1. The commonest type of vitiligo was acrofacial, area of onset was the face/scalp in 59.2%, re-pigmentation was reported in 66%, active lesions in 59.7%, severity of vitiligo was <9% in 90%, Vitiligo was in visible (exposed) parts of the body 84.7% and asymptomatic in 92.7%.Conclusions: The clinical profile of vitiligo in Ibadan, Nigeria is similar to that observed in other places with only females having a genital onset and acrofacial vitiligo being the dominant type seen. Also, treatment modality varies between children and adults

Community Based Study of the Influence of Social class on the Prevalence and Clinical Profile of Adolescent Facial Acne Vulgaris

Background: Facial acne vulgaris is the most common disease of the skin in adolescents. In Nigeria, studies of the prevalence of&nbsp; dolescent facial acne vulgaris, lesion type and distribution, and influence of social class on prevalence are few. The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of adolescent facial acne vulgaris, clinical characteristics, and the influence of social class on this prevalence. Methods: This was a community‑based cross‑sectional study. One thousand and seventy‑nine students from four secondary schools (two private and two public) were assessed. Students were clinically examined for facial acne vulgaris, and acne severity was graded. A structured questionnaire for sociodemographic variables was administered to the students. Data were analyzed using SPSS 16. Results: One thousand and seventy‑nine students were studied; 52% were male, and 47.9% were female. The students were aged 9–20 years with a mean age of 14 ± 2.1 years. The prevalence of facial acne vulgaris was found to be 53.2%. More females (56.7%) had acne than males (50%), the prevalence was found to increase from 28% in the 9–11 years age group to 71.1% in the 18–20 years age group and more prevalent in adolescents from the high social class (60.7%). The severity of acne was mild in 67.2%, moderate in 28.9%, and severe in 4.9%. Conclusion: Prevalence of adolescent facial acne vulgaris increases with age, more prevalent in adolescents from a high social class. Male gender, age, a family history of acne, and previous treatment of acne contribute to the severity of acne. Keywords: Acne vulgaris, adolescent, clinical profile, prevalence, severity, social class&nbsp

Antioxidant and Antibacterial Activities of Secondary Metabolites from Microporus xanthopus (Fr.) Kuntze (Polypore) Collected from the Wild in Lagos, Nigeria

The secondary metabolites in medicinal mushrooms are responsible for their activity against infectious diseases, cancer, diabetes, and diseases caused by presence of free radicals in the body. Microporus xanthopus a polypore medicinal mushroom was collected from the wild in Lagos Nigeria and identified using standard manuals and oligosaccharides, polysaccharide and polyphenols extracted from its tissues were investigated for antibacterial and antioxidant activities. M. xanthopus oligosaccharides were extracted with neutral and acid detergents and hydrolysis with concentrated H2SO4. Polysaccharides and polyphenols extracted with hot water and acidified methanol, respectively. Concentrations of oligosaccharides, polysaccharides and polyphenols were determined with the total carbohydrate and total phenolic quantification assay kits, respectively. The antioxidant activities of the extractsnvestigated using the DPPH Radical Scavenging Assay and Trolox Antioxidant Equivalent Capacity (TEAC) Assay in In-Vitro experiments in 96-well microtiter plates. The antibacterial effect of the extracts was determined with broth microdilution assay using human pathogenic bacteria (Escherichia coli (0157:H7) and Staphylococcus aureus ATCC®700698 (MRSA). Oligosaccharides showed the highest DPPH radical scavenging activity (86%) with half maximal effective (EC50) of 16.46µg/mL. The highest TEAC value (1.18µM TE/g) was recorded in the oligosaccharide extract and the least TEAC value (0.39µM TE/g) was in the polyphenol extract. The most potent antimicrobial agent was the oligosaccharide extract with IC50 of 44.64 µg/mL and 40.08 µg/mL for E. coli and S. aureus, respectively. Oligosaccharide extracts were more active than the polyphenol and polysaccharide extracts. M. xanthopus oligosaccharides can be developed as potential new dietary supplements with antioxidant and antibacterial activities

An assessment of the Health and Social Economic implications of satchet water in Ibadan Nigeria: A Public Health challenge

The inadequacy of pipe borne water in Ibadan Metropolis is almost endemic. This inadequacy is both in quantity and quality of the public water supply. As an alternative to the water supply, small scale industrial concerns came up with ‘PURE WATER’: 0.5Litre water in nylon sachets, which are electrically heated, sealed at both ends and widely patronized by both low and middle class Nigerians. The objective of the study was to find out the quality of such pure water. Stratified, simple random sampling procedures were used to select 78 samples from 20 brands of sachet water from important hawkers/vendors. The samples were subjected to physical, chemical and bacteriological analysis. For chemical analysis, Hanna’s 100 spectrophotometer plus chemical reagents were used. The water samples were assessed for coliform and other intestinal bacteria using MKC cowkery broth (MM) and Brilliant Green Bile Broth (BGBB). Multiple tube method was employed. The result showed that the physical parameters were within W.H.O limits for drinking water quality guidelines except for pH which ranged from 6.6 - 9.7. Some chemical parameters were also within the W.H.O guideline values. However; aluminum which concentration ranged from 0.00 — 0.34 mg/l, fluoride concentration ranged from 0.01 — 1.87 mg/I and cyanide concentration ranged from 0.000 — 0175 were not. Bacteriological analysis, showed that five (5) or 6.4% of the samples tested fielded bacterial growth. Bacteria produced included: Klebsiella sp., Streptococcus faecalis and Pseudomonas aeruginosa. The enforcement of the regulation guiding water quality before the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration Control (NAFDAC) to comply with the drinking water qualities guideline values as recommended by W.H.O, becomes urgent

Comparison of Dental Caries and Oral Hygiene Status of Children in Suburban with those in Rural Population of Southwestern Nigeria

Objective: To compare prevalence of dental caries, oral hygiene status and associated risk factors of children in suburban and rural communities in the Southwest region of Nigeria. Material and Methods: Secondary data was extracted from cross-sectional researches conducted in two study locations involving 8 to 12 year olds.&nbsp; Data retrieved included age, gender, family structure, socioeconomic status, oral hygiene and dental caries. Caries assessment was done using WHO Oral Health Survey methods. Oral hygiene data was collected using Simplified Oral Hygiene Index (OHI-S) by Greene and Vermillion. Statistical significance was established at p&lt;0.05. Results: The prevalence of dental caries in Group A and Group B study participants were 13.4% and 22.2% respectively. Children from rural community had significant higher caries prevalence (p=0.00) and poorer oral hygiene (P=0.00) compare with their counterparts in the suburban community. There was a significant association between oral hygiene, age and dental caries in suburban participants (p=0.02) while among the rural participants there was significant association between gender and dental caries (p=0.04). Children with poor oral hygiene have increased odds of having dental caries compared to children with good oral hygiene in the two study communities. Conclusion: Dental caries was more prevalent among the rural dwellers than the sub-urban dwellers. There is a need to make oral health care services/products available, accessible and affordable for the rural community

STOCHASTIC MODEL ANALYSIS OF THE IMPACT OF MEDIA CAMPAIGN ON TRANSMISSION OF COVID – 19 EPIDEMIC.

The COVID - 19 pandemic is currently causing authorities and public health officials more concern. The goal of the project is to convert a deterministic model for COVID-19 transmissions to a stochastic model, and then analyze the results to see how media-driven awareness campaigns have an impact on the disease's spread. The dynamic COVID-19 model was converted to a stochastic model, which was then examined. The model includes the following categories: Susceptible (S), Exposed (E), Infected class (I),  Isolated class ( ), Aware class  and Recovered class (R), as well as the Cumulative density of awareness programs by media denoted by   . With the help of MATLAB, the converted model is then numerically solved using the Eula Maruyama approach, allowing the existence and uniqueness of the model to be examined. The implementation of awareness programs has been found to have a significant positive impact on the spread of COVID-19. As the rate of implementation of these programs rises, the population that is exposed to the virus and those who are infected with it declines, and it has been hypothesized that this will eventually cause COVID-19 to become extinct. According to the report, putting awareness campaigns into place can help stop the COVID-19 epidemic from spreading

On the Effects of Saturation Terms on A SEIR Epidemic Model with Infected and Susceptible Compartments

The importance of the saturation term in an SEIR (Susceptible, Exposed, Infected, and Recovered) epidemic model was examined in this article. To estimate the basic reproduction number (R0), examine the stabilities and run numerical simulations on the model, the next generation matrix, the Lyapunov function and Runge-Kutta techniques were used. The numerical simulation results reveal that, the saturation term has a significant influence in the model’s susceptible and infected compartments. However, as demonstrated by the simulation results, saturation term has a greater influence on vulnerable people than on infected people. As a result, greater sensitization programs through seminars, media, and awareness will be more beneficial to the vulnerable class than the afflicted class during disease eradication

Reported Barriers to Hepatitis C Treatment among Pregnant and Early-Parenting Mothers Undergoing Substance Use Disorder Treatment in One U.S. State

Nationwide, the prevalence of the hepatitis C virus (HCV) has risen in recent years. At least 90% of infected persons must be treated to achieve global elimination targets. The current study aimed to explore barriers to, and facilitators of, direct-acting antiviral (DAA) HCV treatment uptake amongst pregnant and early-parenting women undergoing comprehensive substance use treatment. Twenty participants with documented HCV antibody positivity were recruited from two substance use treatment centers in central Kentucky. Semi-structured interviews were conducted to explore knowledge about HCV, previous experiences, and intentions to seek care. Themes were extracted using an inductive analytical approach. Most participants were aware of the dangers posed by HCV infection. However, there was a high degree of misinformation about transmission mechanisms and treatment eligibility requirements. Low priority for HCV treatment also surfaced as a barrier to treatment uptake. Participants reported being unable to seek care due to time and resource limitations in the presence of a highly demanding treatment process. Findings from the current study suggest that more work is needed to eliminate residual barriers that limit access to HCV treatment among pregnant and early-parenting women in treatment for substance use disorder