Safety of daycare hernia repair in Jos, Nigeria

Objective: To evaluate the safety of day surgery for inguinal hernia.Design: A randomised prospective study of patients presenting for elective inguinal hernia repair.Setting: Jos University Teaching, Jos, Nigeria.Subjects: One hundred and twenty one patients who completed a six-week follow up period.Interventions: Sixty one patients had elective hernia repair as daycares while 60 patients were treated as inpatients. Forty six herniotomies and seventy five herniorrhaphies were performed under local or general anaesthesia.Main outcome measures: Early post-operative complications, including wound complications were evaluated.Results: Early post-operative complications occurred in two of the 61 daycares and 15 of 60 inpatients (p=0.002). There were twelve and ten wound complications in daycares and inpatients respectively (p = 0.668). There was no mortality.Conclusion: Outpatient elective inguinal hernia repair in carefully selected patients is relatively safe in our environment

Delayed presentation of blunt traumatic diaphragmatic hernia: A case report

Blunt traumatic diaphragmatic rupture is an uncommon but severe problem that is usually seen in poly-traumatized patients. Diagnosis is often difficult resulting in delayed presentation and increased morbidity. We report a case of blunt traumatic diaphragmatic hernia in a 39-year-old man presenting 10 years after the initial abdomino-thoracic injury sustained in a road traffic accident. He had herniation of the spleen and stomach. Through a left thoracotomy, the herniated organs were reduced and diaphragmatic defect closed with interrupted nylon sutures. A high index of suspicion would minimize the morbidity and mortality associated with delayed diagnosis. Keywords: trauma, diaphragmatic hernia, delayed presentation Nigerian Journal of Surgical Research Vol. 7(3&4) 2005: 323-32

Intraoperative colonic irrigation in the management of left sided large bowel emergecies in Jos University Teaching Hospital, Nigeria

Objectives: To evaluate the safety and benefits of antegrade intraoperative colonic irrigation (lavage) and primary anastomosis, after colonic resection, in the treatment of left sided large bowel emergencies.Design: A prospective descriptive study.Setting: Jos University Teaching Hospital, Jos, Nigeria.Participants: Thirty seven patients with an average age of 44.86 ± 16.15 years.Intervention: Sigmoid colectomy was performed in twenty two sigmoid volvulus, five sigmoid cancer, two faecal fistulae and one sigmoid injury. Left hemicolectomy was offered in four descending colon cancer, one descending colon injury, while anterior resection was carriedout in two rectal cancers. Primary anastomosis was performed after intraoperative colonic lavage.Results: The operative mortality was 2.7%, anastomotic leakage rate 2.7% and superficial wound infection occurred in 10.81%. The average duration of hospital stay was 22.76 ± 11.26 days. Intraoperative colonic lavage added 35.79 ± 7.25 minutes to the operating time.Conclusion: The results of this study suggest that intraoperative colonic lavage is an effective method enabling the surgeon to perform a primary anastomosis with reasonable safety after emergency resection of selected distal colonic lesions

Economic and nutritional effects of feeding groundnut haulms with graded dried brewers’ grain on Red Sokoto bucks

This experiment was conducted at the Adamawa State University Livestock Teaching and Research Farm, Mubi, Nigeria, to investigate the economic and nutritional effects of digestibility and haematological parameters of Red Sokoto bucks fed groundnut haulms with graded levels of brewers’ grains. Bucks were blocked according to live weight into four treatment groups in a Randomised Block Designed (RBD) with four levels of concentrate at 0, 150, 200 and 250g which constituted the treatments designated T1, T2, T3 and T4, respectively. Treatment one had zero supplementation and served as a control. The results revealed that feed intake of 498.8, 558.1, and 607.4 for treatments 2, 3, and 4, and live weight gain of 43.9, 45.0 and 46.9 for treatments 2, 3 and 4, respectively, were significantly higher (p<0.05) in the supplemental group than those of controlled group. Based on the results of this study, concentrate supplement is necessary to improve the performance of goats during the dry season. Further, the findings showed that dried brewers’ grain at those levels had not caused any haemolysis, or its effect might have been antogonised by cholesterol present in the animal, and had no detrimental effects to animals’ health and well-being and therefore, could be used to supplement bucks feeding. Based on these findings, it is recommended that dried brewers’ grain can be included in the diet of goats as a cheap protein supplement during the dry season to the level of about 150-200grams without any side effects.

The Correlation Functions and Estimation of Global Solar Radiation Studies Using Sunshine Based Model for Kano, Nigeria

The use of empirical models for the comparative study of the correlation functions for the estimation of global solar radiation in Kano, Nigeria has been carried out. The models used are based on relative sunshine duration alongside the measured global solar radiation data, such as: the linear model..... More details can be found in the full paper

Management of the mass casualty from the 2001 Jos crisis

Background: We report our experience in the hospital management of mass casualty following the Jos civil crisis of 2001.Materials and Methods: Aretrospective analysis of the records of patients managed in the Jos civil crisis of September 2001, in Plateau State, Nigeria. Information extracted included demographic data of patients, mechanisms of injury, nature and site of injury, treatment modalities and outcome of care.Results: A total of 463 crisis victims presented over a 5 day period. Out of these, the records of 389 (84.0%) were available and analyzed. There were 348 (89.5%) males and 41 females (10.5%) aged between 3 weeks and 70 years, with a median age of 26 years. Most common mechanisms of injury were gunshot in 176 patients (45.2%) and blunt injuries from clubs and sticks in 140 patients (36.0%). Debridement with or without suturing was the most common surgical procedure, performed in 128 patients (33%) followed by exploratory laparotomy in 27 (6.9%) patients.  Complications were documented in 55 patients (14.1%) and there were 16 hospital deaths (4.1% mortality). Challenges included exhaustion of supplies, poor communication and security threats both within the hospital and outside.Conclusion: Most patients reaching the hospital alive had injuries that did not require lifesaving interventions. Institutional preparedness plan would enable the hospital to have an organized approach to care, with better  chances of success. More effective means of containing crises should be employed to reduce the attendant casualty rate.Key words: Challenges, civilian conflicts, crisis, disaster, mass casualty, trauma, violenc

Synthesis of titanium dioxide precursor by the hydrolysis of titanium oxychloride solution

[EN] This communication focuses on the development of an approach to improve the synthesis of [Ti8O12(H2O)24]Cl8.HCl.7H2O crystals which is one of the precursor for titanium dioxide TiO2 particles. This study provides a significant improvement in crystallization kinetics with a production rate increased by a factor nineteen by intensifying heat and mass transfers compared to the process in a close vessel. This enhancement was made possible by the development of a new reactor to control the heat and mass transfers involved. In parallel with the experimental set-up, a numerical model representative of the transfer phenomena was initiated. The first numerical results are encouraging and present a good agreement with the measurements.The authors acknowledge financial support from the French Agence Nationale de la Recherche (ANR) under reference ANR-12-EMMA-0023 (Nano-OxTi project).Le Bideau, P.; Richard-Plouet, M.; Glouannec, P.; Magueresse, A.; Iya-Sou, D.; Brohan, L. (2018). Synthesis of titanium dioxide precursor by the hydrolysis of titanium oxychloride solution. En IDS 2018. 21st International Drying Symposium Proceedings. Editorial Universitat Politècnica de València. 1333-1340. https://doi.org/10.4995/IDS2018.2018.75811333134

Hepatitis C Virus Antibodies Among Blood Donors in Jos, Nigeria

Background: Hepatitis C virus (HCV) is one of the hepatitis agents known to be transmitted through blood and blood products. Hepatitis C virus has been implicated as a major cause of chronic liver disease and hepatocellular carcinoma worldwide. This study was, therefore, undertaken with the objective of determining the sero-prevalence of HCV antibodies among blood donors in the central city of Jos, Nigeria. Method: A total of two hundred blood donors were recruited from three hospitals within Jos metropolis. Sera from all subjects were tested for Hepatitis C virus antibodies using a second generation enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Results: Ninety five percent (95%)of the blood donors were males and most of them were aged between 21 and 50years. Twelve (6.0%)of the blood donors were anti-HCV seropositive and all of them males. Conclusion: There is an urgent need to introduce routine screening of blood donors for Hepatitis C virus markers in centers where this is not currently been practiced. This will reduce the risk of transfusion-associated hepatitis C infection and its complications in Nigeria

"In the interests of justice?" The International Criminal Court, peace talks and the failed quest for war crimes accountability in northern Uganda

This article analyzes the first peace talks to take place against the backdrop of an International Criminal Court (ICC) investigation: the Juba Talks between the Lord’s Resistance Army and the Government of Uganda (2006–2008). Drawing on field research and original source material, it departs from well-worn peace versus justice debates and provides new empirical material to explore how the presence of the court shaped domestic political dynamics at Juba. It argues that at the level of broad rhetoric, the presence of the court created significant discord between negotiating parties. On a practical level, however, it created space for consensus, but not the type envisaged by international justice promoters. The court came to be seen by both sides as an intervention that needed to be contained and controlled. This resulted in the politically expedient Agreement on Accountability and Reconciliation, which showcased a transitional justice “tool-kit,” but was based on a shared desire to evade the jurisdiction of international criminal justice. Given its practical complexity, the transitional justice agreement was ultimately rejected by Joseph Kony, who became increasingly distrustful of his own negotiating team at Juba. In findings relevant to other contexts, the article presents in-depth analyses of how domestic political dynamics around the ICC intervention produced a national transitional justice framework designed to protect both parties from war crimes accountability