Radiological Risks from Natural Radionuclides in Surface Soil of Agbara Industrial Area, Ogun State, Nigeria

Measurement of natural radioactivity in soil samples from the Agbara Industrial area, Nigeria, was measured using gamma-ray spectrometry with NaI (Tl) detector. The concentration of 238U ranged from 10.21±3.50 to 67.41±18.2 Bqkg-1 , from 26.43±10.8 to 96.24±18.81 for 232Th and from 298.65±60.70 to 840.52±150.25 Bqkg-1 for 40K. Their means were, respectively, 28.69±11.00, 45.86±10.25, and 481.22±106.17 Bqkg-1 . Annual effective varies from 0.08 to 0.16 mSv y-1 with a mean of 0.11 mSv y-1 . The mean contamination factor was 0.87 for 228Ra, 1.02 for 232Th and, 1.15 for 40K.The soil is moderately polluted with 232Th and 40K. The Pollution Level Index indicates a drop in soil quality in  about 50% of the areas covered. The mean cancer risk (0.4 x 10-3 ) obtained in this study is above the World Health  Organization limit, indicating a high probability for inhabitants to develop lung cancer in the long term when a lifetime is  spent in this area under study

Parasites of African Mourning Dove (Streptopelia decipiens) and the associated haematological and biochemical changes in Nigeria

The African Mourning Dove (Streptopelia decipiens), also called the Mourning Collared Dove is a pigeon that is predominantly distributed in Sub-Sahara Africa. Their interaction with man and other domestic and wild birds portends it as a potential carrier of zoonotic parasites but there is paucity of information on the parasites and haemato-biochemical profile of African mourning dove. This study therefore investigated the incidence, prevalence and identification of parasites of African mourning dove, and also evaluated the associated haematology and biochemical profiles. A total of 30 individuals of Streptopelia decipiens were purchased at Bode market in Ibadan from the stock of birds that were sourced from the Northern part of the country. Brush was used to scour the body of each bird to collect ectoparasites over a plain white-coloured paper while the contents of some sections of the gastro- intestinal tracts like crop, trachea, caecum and ileum were examined for endoparasites using the sedimentation method. Blood samples of the birds were also analysed for haemoparasites, haematological and serum biochemistry parameters. About 76.67% of the birds were positive for different parasites: endoparasites [Capillaria species (33.33%), Ascaridia species (26.67%), Raillietina species (6.67%), Eimeria species (3.33%), Davainea species (3.33%) and Amoebataeneaspesies (3.33%)] were found in 15(50%) of the samples while 16(64%) were positive for various haemoparasites (Plasmodium, 40%; Leucocytozoon, 24% and haemoproteus, 20%). No ectoparasites were found in the sampled birds. There were no significant differences in the haematological and serum biochemical parameters of the parasite groups except for cholesterol. This study documented different parasites associated with African mourning dove and the effect of these parasites on haematological and serum biochemistry parameters. There is need for more research work on the pathogens and diseases of African mourning dove.Keywords: Cattle, Osun State, Parasitic Diseases, Occurrenc

Residential Indoor Radon Assessment in the Vicinity of some Dumpsites in Lagos, Nigeria

Dumpsites in Nigeria are generally open and significantly elevate the pollution and contamination level of the total environment.  Indoor radon was measured with CR-39 detectors in some buildings in the vicinity of dumpsites in Lagos, Nigeria. Eight (8) dumpsites (4 dormant and 4 active dumpsites) were chosen for this study. Detectors were exposed in 50 houses randomly selected within 0 and 100m away from the dumpsites. The detectors were exposed for 3 months. They were then retrieved and etched in a 6M NaOH solution in a water-bath at a temperature of 90o C for 3 hours. Tracks were counted using a semi-automatic system with a DCE camera mounted on a microscope and connected to a PC. Radon concentration ranged from 24.00±4.86 to 656.00±131.20 Bqm-3 in the active dumpsites.Mean concentrations were 120.3±24.0, 257±51.4, 179.8±33.6, and 131.5±19.4, respectively in Oke-Odo, MRF, Olusosun, and Solus-3. In the dormant sites, concentration ranged from 16±3.2 to 931±186.3 Bqm-3 having means of 194.17±38.80, 206.75±41.33, 223.25±44.69, and 334±66.85Bqm-3 , respectively in Oke-Afa, Solus-1, Solus-2, and Solus-4. The annual effective dose and cancer risk in the active and dormant dumpsites were (3.60 mSv, 8.97 per million person-yearly) and (4.53 mSv, 12.47 per million person-yearly), respectively. This study revealed some high value of radon concentrations in some houses close to the dormant dumpsites than in the active dumpsites. This is unsafe and can cause severe health issues in the long term. Keywords: Radon, dumpsites, Olusosun, CR-39, buildings, Lagos state, SOLU

Insights into malaria susceptibility using genome-wide data on 17,000 individuals from Africa, Asia and Oceania

The human genetic factors that affect resistance to infectious disease are poorly understood. Here we report a genome-wide association study in 17,000 severe malaria cases and population controls from 11 countries, informed by sequencing of family trios and by direct typing of candidate loci in an additional 15,000 samples. We identify five replicable associations with genome-wide levels of evidence including a newly implicated variant on chromosome 6. Jointly, these variants account for around one-tenth of the heritability of severe malaria, which we estimate as -23% using genome-wide genotypes. We interrogate available functional data and discover an erythroid-specific transcription start site underlying the known association in ATP2B4, but are unable to identify a likely causal mechanism at the chromosome 6 locus. Previously reported HLA associations do not replicate in these samples. This large dataset will provide a foundation for further research on thegenetic determinants of malaria resistance in diverse populations.Peer reviewe

Global Retinoblastoma Presentation and Analysis by National Income Level

Importance: Early diagnosis of retinoblastoma, the most common intraocular cancer, can save both a child's life and vision. However, anecdotal evidence suggests that many children across the world are diagnosed late. To our knowledge, the clinical presentation of retinoblastoma has never been assessed on a global scale. Objectives: To report the retinoblastoma stage at diagnosis in patients across the world during a single year, to investigate associations between clinical variables and national income level, and to investigate risk factors for advanced disease at diagnosis. Design, Setting, and Participants: A total of 278 retinoblastoma treatment centers were recruited from June 2017 through December 2018 to participate in a cross-sectional analysis of treatment-naive patients with retinoblastoma who were diagnosed in 2017. Main Outcomes and Measures: Age at presentation, proportion of familial history of retinoblastoma, and tumor stage and metastasis. Results: The cohort included 4351 new patients from 153 countries; the median age at diagnosis was 30.5 (interquartile range, 18.3-45.9) months, and 1976 patients (45.4) were female. Most patients (n = 3685 84.7%) were from low-and middle-income countries (LMICs). Globally, the most common indication for referral was leukocoria (n = 2638 62.8%), followed by strabismus (n = 429 10.2%) and proptosis (n = 309 7.4%). Patients from high-income countries (HICs) were diagnosed at a median age of 14.1 months, with 656 of 666 (98.5%) patients having intraocular retinoblastoma and 2 (0.3%) having metastasis. Patients from low-income countries were diagnosed at a median age of 30.5 months, with 256 of 521 (49.1%) having extraocular retinoblastoma and 94 of 498 (18.9%) having metastasis. Lower national income level was associated with older presentation age, higher proportion of locally advanced disease and distant metastasis, and smaller proportion of familial history of retinoblastoma. Advanced disease at diagnosis was more common in LMICs even after adjusting for age (odds ratio for low-income countries vs upper-middle-income countries and HICs, 17.92 95% CI, 12.94-24.80, and for lower-middle-income countries vs upper-middle-income countries and HICs, 5.74 95% CI, 4.30-7.68). Conclusions and Relevance: This study is estimated to have included more than half of all new retinoblastoma cases worldwide in 2017. Children from LMICs, where the main global retinoblastoma burden lies, presented at an older age with more advanced disease and demonstrated a smaller proportion of familial history of retinoblastoma, likely because many do not reach a childbearing age. Given that retinoblastoma is curable, these data are concerning and mandate intervention at national and international levels. Further studies are needed to investigate factors, other than age at presentation, that may be associated with advanced disease in LMICs. © 2020 American Medical Association. All rights reserved

A study of tube potential and current-time product on entrance skin dose of patients undergoing chest x-ray examination in hospitals in Ogun State, Nigeria

The Entrance Skin Dose (ESD) delivered to patients at 80, 100 and 120 kVp was determined using mathematical algorithms in six hospitals in Ogun, State, South-Western, Nigeria. The effects of Tube Potential (kVp) and Current-Time Product (mAs) were investigated in Chest Post-Anterior (PA) radiography, which is the most widely performed radiographic examination in Nigeria. This study revealed that dose reduction can be achieved at highkVp (90 - 140kVp) by careful selection of appropriate current-time product. The results obtained showed that increasing tube potential from 80-92 kVp revealed a decrease of about 33.3% in mean ESD of patients, increase from 100 to 115 kVp resulted in a decrease of 67.1% while increase from 120-138 kVp led to about 48.7% decrease in ESD estimated for patient. Reducing mAs from 5 mAs to 2 mAs showed approximately 61% decrease in ESD with the image quality still preserved. The study confirmed dose reduction by appropriate combination of both kVp and mAs

Gamma radioactivity levels and their corresponding external exposure of soil samples from tantalite mining areas in Oke-Ogun, South-Western Nigeria

The radioactivity concentrations of 226Ra, 232Th and 40K were measured using gamma-ray spectroscopy with NaI (Tl) detectors in four tantalite mining sites in the Oke-Ogun area, South-Western Nigeria. The measured values of the activities of 40K, 226Ra and 232Th in the soil samples were found to lie in the ranges 123.7 ± 3.8 – 1372.3 ± 8.6, 16.8 ± 1.6 – 71.1 ± 2.53 and 3.0 ± 0.7 – 31.9 ± 1.0 Bq kg–1, respectively. These samples were also found to have radium equivalent activity in the range 74.2–121.0 Bq kg-1. Values of 0.2–0.3 for the external and 0.3–0.4 for the internal hazard indices were estimated for the samples and the annual effective dose varied from 70.3 ± 13.5 to 100.8 ± 42.8 µSv with a mean of 87.5 ± 18.6 µSv y–1. The annual effective dose is higher than the world average

Radon measurements by nuclear track detectors in secondary schools in Oke-Ogun region, Nigeria

4Radon measurements were performed in secondary schools in the Oke-Ogun area, South-west, Nigeria, by solid state nuclear track detectors (SSNTDs). About seventy CR-39 detectors were distributed in 35 high schools of the Oke-Ogun area. The CR-39 detectors were exposed in the schools for 3 months and then etched in NaOH 6 N solution at 90 °C for 3 h. The tracks were counted manually at the microscope and the radon concentration was determined at the Radioactivity Laboratory, Department of Physics, University of Trieste, Trieste, Italy. The overall average radon concentration in the surveyed area was 45 ± 27 Bq m -3. The results indicate no radiological health hazard. The research also focused on parameters affecting radon concentrations such as the age of the building in relation to building materials and floor number of the classrooms. The results show that radon concentrations in ground floors are higher than in upper floors. © 2011 Elsevier Ltd.nonenoneR.I. Obed;A.K. Ademola;M. Vascotto;G. GianniniR. I., Obed; A. K., Ademola; M., Vascotto; Giannini, Gianrossan