Synthesis, structural and vibrational studies of lacunar apatite type NaPb2CaSr(PO4)3 and application to phosphoric acid demetallization

NaPb2CaSr(PO4)3 lacunar apatite was synthesized by the solid‐state reaction method. The compound was characterized by X‐ray diffraction, Raman and infrared spectroscopies. The crystal structure of this new compound has been determined by Rietveld method, adopting the space group P63/m (No. 176), with a = b = 9.6684(3) Å and c = 7.1104(3) Å. The analysis shows that the M(2) sites are shared by four cations Ca, Sr, Pb and Na. While the M(1) sites are occupied by the Ca, Sr and Pb cations. The structure was described as built up from [PO4]3‐ tetrahedra and Pb2+/Ca2+/Sr2+ of six fold coordination cavities (6h positions), which delimit void hexagonal tunnels running along [0 0 1]. The tunnels are connected by cations of mixed sites (4f) half occupied by Pb2+/Ca2+/Sr2+ and half by Na+ mixed alkali cation. The results of vibrational spectroscopy are in good agreements with the XRD measurements, the assignments of internal modes of (PO4)3‐ tetrahedra have been made and corroborate well with factor group analysis for the symmetry P63/m. An attempt to purify phosphoric acid is done using our apatite and the results are promising

Short Communication - Hospital-Based Mortality in Federal Capital Territory Hospitals-Nigeria, 2005 - 2008

Background: Cause-specific mortality data are important to monitor trends in mortality over time. Medical records provide reliable documentation of the causes of deaths occurring in hospitals. This study describes all causes of mortality reported at hospitals in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) of Nigeria. Methods: Deaths reported in 15 secondary and tertiary FCT hospitals occurring from January 1, 2005 and December 31, 2008 were identified by a retrospective review of hospital records conducted by the Nigeria Field Epidemiology and Laboratory Program (NFELTP). Data extracted from the records included sociodemographics, geographic area of residence and underlying cause-of-death information. Results: A total of 4,623 deaths occurred in the hospitals. Overall, the top five causes of death reported were: HIV 951 (21%), road traffic accidents 422 (9%), malaria 264 (6%), septicemia 206 (5%), and hypertension 194 (4%). The median age at death was 30 years (range: 0-100); 888 (20%) of deaths were among those less than one year of age. Among children < 1 year, low birth weight and infections were responsible for the highest proportion 131 (15%) of reported mortality. Conclusion: Many of the leading causes of mortality identified in this study are preventable. Infant mortality is a large public health problem in FCT hospitals. Although these findings are not representative of all FCT deaths, they may be used to quantify mortality in that occurs in FCT hospitals. These data combined with other mortality surveillance data can provide evidence to inform policy on public health strategies and interventions for the FCT