Comparative Study of Local Mining Methods and Assay of Cassiterite with other Alluvial Mineral Deposits in Kuru-Jantar, Plateau State, Nigeria

This research attempt to investigate and compare the local mining methods of cassiterite in Kuru-Jantar with the view to determine the mean recovery per day using statistical approach, separating the valuable minerals through the gravity and magnetic techniques, determine the grade of cassiterite (tin oxide) with the aid of volumetric and energy dispersive x-ray florescence (XRF) analyses; and determine the percentage composition of metals in cassiterite as well as its associate ores with the aid of (XRF). Sub-surface (lotto) and surface (Hand paddock) mining methods were carried out and the respective recovery from each of the method was subjected to processing, sampling and assaying to determine the quantity, quality (grade) and expected smelter-yield. The mean recoveries per day are 14.48 and 11.28 kg/day for lotto and paddock mining methods respectively. The burretting differential obtained for the lotto and paddock methods are 18.80 – 19.80 and 18.80 – 19.30 respectively while their respective percentage tin metal burretted are 90.40 – 97.83 and 92.51 – 97.80 %. The recoveries from the magnetic and gravity separations are 10.91 kg and 9.06 kg for lotto and paddock methods respectively. The XRF analysis gave 68.69 and 66.462 % Sn respectively for the lotto and paddock while the assaying of other associate minerals are 40.4 % Nb; 26.5 % Fe; 22.3 % Ti; 2.5 % Ta; 2.3 % Sn; and 5.1 % W for the paddock and 37.6 % Nb; 24.8 % Fe; 21.5 % Ti; 2.3% Ta; 5.8 % Sn; and 4.9 % W for lotto. It can be observed that the lotto mining method has the highest recovery per day and hence, gives better recovery than paddock mining method. Lotto mining was found to yield higher grade tin-ore concentrate than the hand paddock mining method in both volumetric and XRF analyses but hand paddock gives higher quantity and more associate minerals. It was also found out that the lotto method is more risky and life threatening than paddock mining while the paddock mining practices render more danger to environment than the lotto mining

Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on patients with paediatric cancer in low-income, middle-income and high-income countries: a multicentre, international, observational cohort study

OBJECTIVES: Paediatric cancer is a leading cause of death for children. Children in low-income and middle-income countries (LMICs) were four times more likely to die than children in high-income countries (HICs). This study aimed to test the hypothesis that the COVID-19 pandemic had affected the delivery of healthcare services worldwide, and exacerbated the disparity in paediatric cancer outcomes between LMICs and HICs. DESIGN: A multicentre, international, collaborative cohort study. SETTING: 91 hospitals and cancer centres in 39 countries providing cancer treatment to paediatric patients between March and December 2020. PARTICIPANTS: Patients were included if they were under the age of 18 years, and newly diagnosed with or undergoing active cancer treatment for Acute lymphoblastic leukaemia, non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, Hodgkin lymphoma, Wilms' tumour, sarcoma, retinoblastoma, gliomas, medulloblastomas or neuroblastomas, in keeping with the WHO Global Initiative for Childhood Cancer. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE: All-cause mortality at 30 days and 90 days. RESULTS: 1660 patients were recruited. 219 children had changes to their treatment due to the pandemic. Patients in LMICs were primarily affected (n=182/219, 83.1%). Relative to patients with paediatric cancer in HICs, patients with paediatric cancer in LMICs had 12.1 (95% CI 2.93 to 50.3) and 7.9 (95% CI 3.2 to 19.7) times the odds of death at 30 days and 90 days, respectively, after presentation during the COVID-19 pandemic (p<0.001). After adjusting for confounders, patients with paediatric cancer in LMICs had 15.6 (95% CI 3.7 to 65.8) times the odds of death at 30 days (p<0.001). CONCLUSIONS: The COVID-19 pandemic has affected paediatric oncology service provision. It has disproportionately affected patients in LMICs, highlighting and compounding existing disparities in healthcare systems globally that need addressing urgently. However, many patients with paediatric cancer continued to receive their normal standard of care. This speaks to the adaptability and resilience of healthcare systems and healthcare workers globally