Impact of Granite Quarrying on the Health of Workers and Nearby Residents in Abeokuta Ogun State, Nigeria

The present paper monitored levels of suspended particulate matters in the ambient air in and around selected quarries and analyzed the prevalent health problems suffered by nearby residents and quarry workers. It also assessed the residents’ awareness of the negative implications of living in close proximity to quarry sites. Suspended Particulate Matter (SPM) meter was employed to monitor the level of particulate matter (PM10) within and around five quarry sites selected for this study. The data collected from hospital records of quarry workers portrayed their health profile while the prevalent health problems of the nearby residents were elicited from a questionnaire survey conducted in two selected neighbouring communities of quarries. Results of the study showed that the highest mean SPM levels among the selected quarries vary between 26.03±1.36mg/m3 and 11.03±1.52mg/m3. SPM levels declined significantly (p>0.05) with distance from the drilling and crushing locations at each of the quarry sites. At 25metres away from the quarry sites, mean SPM levels reduced drastically to 4.85±0.20mg/m3 and 3.67±0.40mg/m3. Both psychological and health problems suffered by nearby residents include shock (46.0%), nasal infection (29.2%), and asthma (4.6%). The quarry workers suffered predominantly from cough (26.0%), catarrh (20.0%) and sinusitis (15.0%). Although, the residents of neighbouring communities are aware of risks associated with living near quarry sites, their general low socio-economic status made them incapable of taking any decisive measure towards relocating elsewhere.Approval for quarry operation should mandate environmental impact assessment and ensure strict implementation of outlined mitigation measures so as to guarantee environmental sustainability.Key words: Quarrying impact, air pollution, particulate matter, occupational health, Nigeri

Odontogenic tumours: a review of 266 cases

Objectives: The aim of this study was to examine the relative frequency of odontogenic tumours at a tertiary hospital in Ibadan, as well as to study the various histologic types based on WHO 2005 classification and to compare results from this study with those of previous studies. Study design: The records of the Oral Pathology Department of University College Hospital were reviewed. Lesions diagnosed as odontogenic tumours were categorized into four groups based on WHO 2005 classification and were analyzed for age, sex and site using SPSS for Window (version 18.0; SPSS Inc. Chicago, IL) and frequency tables were generated. Results: Two hundred and sixty six (41.7%) cases of odontogenic tumours were seen. The mean age of occurrence was 32.6 (±15.815) years (range3-82 years) and peak age was in the third decade of life. Eleven (4.1%) malignant odontogenic tumours were seen. Ameloblastoma with 65.4% of cases was the most common odontogenic tumour followed by fibromyxoma (14.7%), no case of odontoma was seen in this series. Conclusion: The findings were mostly similar to those of African and Asian series and showed variations from reports from the Americas. The reason for the disparity in African and American series needs further investigations

Estimation of Global Solar Radiation in Ibadan, Nigeria using Angstrom - Prescott and Glover - Mcculloch’s Model

In this study, the data of mean daily bright sunshine hour for Ibadan was obtained from the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA) at Ibadan. It was used to estimate the monthly mean global solar radiation for Ibadan (latitude and longitude ). The data considered were for a period of 2008 to 2012. Angstrom-Prescott, and Glover & McCulloch’s Models were then used to estimate the mean monthly global solar radiation at Ibadan based on the monthly mean bright sunshine hour data of Ibadan. A new sunshine based model is also proposed to estimate global solar radiation at Ibadan for a period of five years (2008 – 2012). The performance of the models are evaluated by some statistical analysis like mean bias errors, root mean square error, mean percentage error, Nash- Sutcliffe error and coefficient of correlation in order to know the most suitable model. It was discovered that the month of August is the least amount of measured global solar radiation averaged for five years (2008 – 2012) at Ibadan is 9.77kW/m2. The most suitable model for Ibadan is Model 2 (Glover & McCulloch’s Model). The results obtained were validated with data of monthly mean global solar radiation data for Ibadan, obtained from the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture, Ibada

HAZARD ANALYSIS CRITICAL CONTROL POINTS OF FARMYARD PRODUCTION OF WARA «¤?? A POPULAR NIGERIAN CATTLE MILK FOOD

Hazard Analysis Critical Control Points of the production methods of farmyard-processed Nigerian wara were determined using survey studies and oral interviews. Low to moderate sources of microbial hazards included boiling of fresh cowmilk containing Calotropis procera extracts, transfering of moulded wara into boiled cowmilk whey, included addition of crushed Calotropis procera leaves and stem to fresh cowmilk and transporting wara to market for sale and packaging of wara for sale. High sources of microbial hazards were manual milking of several cows to obtain fresh milk samples, and collection of milk samples from different cows in same containers. Significant preventive control of the identified microbial hazards for wara were- keeping of cows in hygienic farmyards, non-milking of mas- titic / ill cows, proper hygiene by food handlers, usage of clean processing materials, wholesome wa- ter samples and hygienic processing conditions. There is need for effective HACCP for quality control and assurance of farmyard-produced Nigerian wara

Assessment of Selected Dams in Kwara State, Nigeria

In Nigeria, more than 50% of the geographical area lies in the Savannah. Over time, this area has been vulnerable to the vagaries of periodic and severe droughts, affecting the survival of man and animals. Safe and economic design and construction of dams to store surplus river waters thus assumed greater urgency. However, dam failures and flood issues has caused catastrophic damages and losses of lives and properties. The uncertainties associated with deteriorating dams have necessitated proper and timely assessment and rehabilitation of these structures. This study identifies and investigates relapse in four (4) selected dams in Kwara State namely: Unilorin-, Malete-, Okuta- Oja- and Asa-dam. A series of field inspection was carried out and results obtained were analyzed. Amongst the four dams, Okuta-Oja dam displayed the worst case of relapse with seepages through the foundation and body of the dam. About 20 baffle blocks out of 30 have been damaged in Unilorin dam, while Malete dam was undergoing re-construction owing to seepage failure. Asa dam however remains intact with no physical and structural defect. Unless appropriately handled, ageing and relapsing infrastructural systems can pose a significant problem, threatening economic prosperity and public safety. Thus, monitoring the state of dam structures to ensure timely maintenance is critically important to preventing catastrophic disasters

Application of Carbon-based Nanofluids in Heat Exchangers: Current Trends

Abstract : The thermal performance of a heat exchanger can be enhanced by adding carbon nanostructured materials such as carbon nanotubes and graphene to the conventional working fluid. When nanomaterials are suspended in the working fluid, the fluid is known as Nanofluid. The enhancement in the thermal and rheological properties of the fluid is responsible for the augmentation in heat transfer performance. The influence of carbon nanomaterial on the thermophysical properties, heat transfer characteristics and flow properties are reviewed. The current trends on the utilization of carbon-based nanofluids in heat exchangers were reported. The study shows that carbon-based nanofluids have the potential to improve the performance of heat exchanger and reduce the cost of fabrication by reducing heat exchange area. The study identifies the scope for future study

An Assessment of Global Research Activities on Children and Adolescent Online Security

The use of the Internet among children and adolescents is now a norm in many parts of the world. As the Internet offers a wide range of benefits to these ones, so does it expose them to possible various risks and harm. Researchers in different countries across the world have engaged in the production of relevant research-based knowledge in order to make the virtual world a safe place for the younger ones. However, while studies have been carried out on the subject of Internet risk among children and adolescents, there is a dearth of information on the assessment of research activities across different parts of the world. The present study employed Bibliometric techniques to determine research productivity patterns across the different regions and countries of the world. All relevant publications indexed in Google Scholar were collected between November and December, 2018. The findings of the study reveal that while countries in the American and European regions of the world have been very productive in researching on the subject, the same is not the case with their African counterparts

BIBLIOMETIRC ANALYSIS OF SICKLE CELL ANAEMIA LITERATURE ON NIGERIA LISTED IN PUBMED BETWEEN 2006 AND 2016

This paper analysed Sickle cell anaemia literature on Nigeria listed in PubMed to understand the research performance of medical researchers on sickle cell anaemia literature on Nigeria. Data covering the period of 2006-2016 were collected from the PubMed, a citation database developed by the National Centre for Biotechnology Information (NCBI).The search strategy used was ((sickle cell anaemia) OR (sickle cell anemia)) AND Nigeria AND (( 2006/01/01 [PDat] : 2016/12/31 [PDat])), bearing in mind variance in spelling (anaemia and anemia), which retrieved 326 sickle cell literature on Nigeria between 2006 and 2016. Article productivity increased between 2006 and 2010. However, there was a drastic drop in article publication between 2010 and 2011 as well as between 2013 and 2015. The degree of collaboration ranged between 0.85 and 1. University of Nigeria Teaching Hospital, Enugu, Nigeria, had the highest number of contributing authors. Authors published more in journals located in Nigeria, with Nigeria Journal of Clinical Practice being the most prolific publication outlet for authors publishing sickle cell anaemia literature on Nigeria

Appraisal of jaw swellings in a Nigerian tertiary healthcare facility

Introduction: The mandible and maxilla can be the site of myriads of lesions that may be categorized as neoplastic, cystic, reactive and infective or inflammatory. Literature reviewing jaw swellings in an amalgamated fashion are uncommon, probably because aetiologies for these swellings are varied. However, to appreciate their relative relationship, it is essential to evaluate the clinico-pathologic profile of jaw swellings. The aim of this appraisal is to describe the array of jaw swellings seen at our hospital from 1990 to 2011, to serve as a reference database. Methodology: Biopsy records of all histologically diagnosed cases of jaw swellings seen at the department of Oral Pathology, University College Hospital between January 1990 and December 2011 were retrieved, coded and inputted into SPSS version 20. Data on prevalence, age, sex, site and histological diagnosis were analysed descriptively for each category of jaw swellings. All patients below 16 years were regarded as children. Results: A total of 638 jaw swellings were recorded in the 22-year study period. The Non Odontogenic Tumours (NOT) were the commonest, accounting for 46.2% of all jaw swellings. Odontogenic Tumours (OT) formed 45% of all adult jaw swelling while it formed 25.2% in children and adolescents. Ameloblastoma was the commonest while the most common NOT was ossifying fibroma (OF). Chronic osteomyelitis of the jaws was about 6 times commoner in adult females than males and mostly involved the mandible. The most common malignant jaw swelling was Burkitts' lymphoma (BL) that was about 7 times more in children than adults. Osteogenic sarcoma was the most common malignancy in adults. Conclusion: Jaw swellings are extensively varied in types and pattern of occurrence. This study has categorized jaw swellings in a simple but comprehensive fashion to allow for easy referencing in local and international data acquisition and epidemiological comparison