Epidermolysis bullosa simplex: A case report

Epidermolysis bullosa (EB) is a rare hereditary cutaneous disorder inherited mainly in an autosomal dominant fashion. It consists of a group of conditions that cause the skin to be fragile and blister easily. EB has been classified into three types namely; simplex, junctional and dystrophic. Although all three types of EB have different causes, their symptoms are similar, manifesting as painful blisters and sores. Epidermolysis bullosa is a very rare condition but may probably be more common in clinical practice than reported in literature, especially in places like Nigeria where there is under reporting of clinical cases. To the knowledge of the authors, there are few reported cases in Nigeria and none from Bayelsa State in the delta region of the country. We herein present a case of epidermolysis bullosa simplex (Dowling Meara type) in a 35 day old infant. This case is reported with the aim of increasing awareness of its existence in Nigeria and Bayelsa State in particular.Key words: epidermolysis bullosa simplex, case, skin ulcer

Congenital tuberculosis: A case report and review of the literature

Congenital tuberculosis (TB) is a rare infection transmitted from a mother to her foetus, either through an infected placenta or amniotic fluid. Congenital tuberculosis was previously thought to be rare but recent changes in the epidemiology of TB, have resulted in an increased risk.1 Affected infants usually present with non specific signs and symptoms, hence a high index of suspicion is required to make a diagnosis. Fewer than 300 cases have been reported worldwide till date1 and to the knowledge of the authors, there have been only three reported cases in Nigeria.2-4 We herein report a case of congenital tuberculosis with a review of other published cases in this high TBprevalent region of Southern Nigeria with the aim of creating awarenessof its existence in this region

Utilization of Poly (ethylene terephthalate) Waste and Seashell (Senilia senilis) in the Production of Roof Tiles

Pollution has been a vital issue, especially in developing countries like Nigeria. Polyethylene terephthalate (pet) bottles from its introduction into the economy, has been a major pollutant of the environment, culminating a nuisance to the environment and unsafe habitat to human health. Water channels such as rivers and oceans are not exempted, as marine animals are also at risk of this due to the dumping of waste into our waterways. The utilization of waste pet bottles and seashell in the production of roof tiles will go a long way in the encouragement of proper disposal and management of waste. From this study, a mixture of pet bottles, river sand, and seashells in varying proportions were used to make roofing tiles. The composition with the highest strength is seen to be the P50b, which has 50% pet waste, 25% Senilia senilis, and 25% River sand. It has a smoother surface in comparison with the othe

MindKind: A mixed-methods protocol for the feasibility of global digital mental health studies in young people

While an estimated 14-20% of young adults experience mental health conditions worldwide, the best strategies for prevention and management are not fully understood. The ubiquity of smartphone use among young people makes them excellent candidates for collecting data about lived experiences and their relationships to mental health. However, not much is known about the factors affecting young peoples’ willingness to share information about their mental health. OBJECTIVE: We aim to understand the data governance and engagement strategies influencing young peoples’ (aged 16-24) participation in app-based studies of mental health. We hypothesize that willingness to participate in research is influenced by involvement  in how their data is collected, shared, and used. METHODS: Here, we describe the MindKind Study, which employs mixed methods to understand the feasibility of global, smartphone-based studies of youth mental health. A pilot 12-week app-based substudy will query participants’ willingness to engage with remote mental health studies. Participants will be randomized into one of four different data governance models designed to understand their preferences, as well as the acceptability of models that allow them more or less control over how their data are accessed and used. Enrolees will receive one of two different engagement strategies. A companion qualitative study will employ a deliberative democracy approach to examine the preferences, concerns and expectations of young people, with respect to remote mental health research. We also detail our engagement with young people as co-researchers in this study. This pilot study is being conducted in India, South Africa and the United Kingdom. CONCLUSION: This study is expected to generate new insights into the feasibility of, and best practices for, remote smartphone-based studies of mental health in youth and represents an important step toward understanding which approaches could help people better manage their mental health

Analysis of Precipitable Water Vapor (PWV) Data Derived from Multiple Techniques: GPS, WVR, Radiosonde and NHM in Hong Kong

China Satellite Navigation Conference (CSNC) 2014, Nanjing, China, 21-23 May, 2014Water vapor is a highly variable component in the atmosphere and plays a key role in many atmospheric processes. Accurate measurement of water vapor is vital for improving the predictability of regional precipitation, weather and visibility, especially for highly moist metropolis like Hong Kong. In this paper, we analyze precipitable water vapor (PWV) data in Hong Kong derived from four techniques, i.e. radiosonde, water vapor radiometer (WVR), Global Positioning System (GPS) and numerical weather prediction (NWP)’s non-hydrostatic model (NHM) during a period of approximately 6-month. Radiosonde observations have a low temporal resolution and the observation interval is usually 12 h. The quality of WVR PWV measurements is affected by rainy weather. GPS can provide PWVs at a relatively high temporal resolution, but the vertical resolution is poor. NWP’s NHM is developed based on sophisticated physical and numerical models. The Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU) and Hong Kong Observatory (HKO) collaborate to perform three-dimensional (3D) water vapor modeling using PWV data derived from multiple techniques including GPS, WVR and radiosonde, with an aim to assimilate 3D water vapor data into NWP being run at HKO. This will allow the improvement of weather forecasting capability in Hong Kong. However, it is important to understand the quality and characteristics of the water vapor data obtained from various techniques prior to data assimilation. We analyze the correlation and comparison results of the four water vapor observation techniques. It is found that the correlation coefficients between PWVs from GPS, WVR, NHM and radiosonde data are 0.979, 0.983 and 0.975, respectively. Moreover, the correlation coefficients between NHM and GPS, NHM and WVR, WVR and GPS are 0.975, 0.962 and 0.968, respectively. Intercomparison results indicate that water vapor data derived from these four techniques have very good agreements with each other, with root mean squares error (RMS) ranging from 2.474 to 4.259 mm. Among the four techniques, we find that WVR and radiosonde water vapor observations have the best agreement, with a bias and RMS error of 0.176 and 2.474 mm, respectively.Department of Land Surveying and Geo-Informatic