Assessment of occupational hazards, health problems and safety practices of petrol station attendants in Uyo, Nigeria

Background: Petrol station attendants encounter several hazards and health problems while working. This study was conducted to determine the occupational hazards, health problems and safety practices of petrol station attendants in Uyo, Nigeria.Methods: This was a descriptive cross-sectional study carried out among all consenting attendants working in filling stations owned by independent petroleum marketers in Uyo. Data was collected using structured interviewer-administered questionnaire and analyzed using STATA 12.1 software. Analysis employed descriptive and inferential statistics. Level of significance was set at 5%.Results: A total of 215 respondents participated in the study. The mean age of respondents was 24.3 ± 4.6 years with 117 (54.4%) being females. Hazards reported included inhalation of petrol fumes 145 (67.4%), confrontation from customers 112 (52.1%) and noise 98 (45.6%). Health problems reported included headache (53.6%), low back pain (33.3%), eye irritation (29.5%), dizziness (24.6%), cough (18.6%) and nausea (18.6%). There was a statistically significant association between having headache, nausea, cough and inhalation of petrol vapour (p<0.01) or car exhaust fumes (p<0.05). Awareness about personal protective equipment was 30.7%, while use was 7.0%. Hand washing after contact with fuel was practiced by 73.5% of the respondents. Only 4.2% reported ever undergoing pre- or post-employment medical examination.Conclusion: Petrol station attendants in this study were exposed to various hazards and health problems. Awareness and use of PPE was very low. Efforts should be made by stakeholders to ensure that owners of filling stations take responsibility for the health and safety of their workers. Keywords: Petrol station attendants; Occupational hazards; Health problems; Safety practices; Uyo, Nigeria

Forms and determinants of sexual abuse among female child hawkers in Uyo, Nigeria

Background: Female hawkers are exposed to numerous hazards including sexual abuse. This study aimed at assessing the prevalence, forms and determinants of sexual abuse among female child hawkers in Uyo, Nigeria.Methods: This was a cross-sectional descriptive study carried out among female child hawkers in Uyo, Nigeria. Data was collected using an interviewer-administered structured questionnaire and was analyzed with IBM SPSS Statistics 20.0 software. Level of significance was set at 0.05.Result: A total of 172 respondents participated in the study. The mean age was 12.9±2.3 years. School dropout rate was 11.6% among respondents. Commonest reasons for hawking included family support (66.8%), feeding (22.1%) and generating school fees (11.1%). Prevalence of any form of sexual abuse was 76.2%. Forms of sexual abuse reported included verbal abuse (54.1%), inappropriate touching (56.4%), kissing (14.5%), intercourse due to enticement (18.0%) and rape (12.2%). The commonest reason for sexual act among those enticed was monetary gains, (64.5%). Consequences of sexual abuse included STI (13.5%), pregnancy (5.8%) and abortion (5.8%) respectively. Predictors of any form of sexual abuse included being aged 14-17 years (OR =14.70, 95%CI=2.05-105.14, p=0.007), being a dropout (OR=7.37, 95%CI=2.21-24.59, p=0.001) and being from social class V (OR=23.44, 95%CI=1.13-401.67, p=0.031).Conclusion: There was high prevalence of sexual abuse ranging from inappropriate touching to rape. Predictors of sexual abuse included age, being a dropout and of low socio economic class. Enlightenment campaigns on risks of female child hawking, establishment of skill acquisition centres and free education to secondary level are advocated.Keywords: Female hawkers; Sexual abuse; Rape; Determinants; Uyo; Nigeri

The prevalence and factors affecting psychoactive substance use among undergraduate students in University of Uyo, Nigeria

Background: Psychoactive substance use is a proliferating public health and social problem leading to negative multi-dimensional impact especially among young people. This study was done to determine the prevalence and factors predisposing to psychoactive substance use among undergraduates in University of Uyo, Nigeria.Methodology: This was a cross-sectional descriptive study carried out among 350 undergraduates in the University of Uyo, Nigeria between March and July 2016. Data collection was done using a self-administered structured questionnaire and was analyzed using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences, version 23.Results: The mean age of the respondents was 21.57±1.96 years. The prevalence of psychoactive substance use was 27.5% and was more in females (37.7%) than males (18.2%). Peer group influence (94.3%), Stress (70.5%), Curiosity (58.7%), were the most common factors perceived to predispose to psychoactive substance use among undergraduate students. Among the 89 substance users in the study, alcohol 89 (100.0%), codeine 71 (79.8%), tramadol 66(74.2%) and cigarette 37(41.6%) were the most commonly used substances. The commonest source of substances was from friends 76 (85.4%), while the commonest reasons for substance use were to boost confidence, 82 (92.1%) and to read for exams, 76 (85.4%). A statistically significant association existed between substance use and age, sex, intra family relationship, family member substance use, peer group use of psychoactive substance and academic performance (p<0.05).Conclusion: Psychoactive substance use was high among the study group. A multi-dimensional approach is needed in curbing substance use among undergraduate students both at the educational institution and family levels.Keywords: Psychoactive substance, Undergraduate students, Peer group, Uyo, Nigeria

Social Network Analysis: Recent Achievements and Current Controversies

Network analysis has grown rapidly over the past two decades, but criticisms of the approach have increased as well This article focuses on several accomplishments and unresolved problems of the network approach In the first section. I illustrate the value of the network model in several substantive areas. focusing on studies of centrahty and power, network subgroups, and interorganizational relations I then discuss three issues over which the approach has provoked controversy the relation between network analysis and rational choice theory; the role of norms and culture, and the question of human agency I conclude with some examples of how network theorists are addressing these problemsPeer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/68023/2/10.1177_000169939403700403.pd

Completion Dissection or Observation for Sentinel-Node Metastasis in Melanoma.

Sentinel-lymph-node biopsy is associated with increased melanoma-specific survival (i.e., survival until death from melanoma) among patients with node-positive intermediate-thickness melanomas (1.2 to 3.5 mm). The value of completion lymph-node dissection for patients with sentinel-node metastases is not clear. In an international trial, we randomly assigned patients with sentinel-node metastases detected by means of standard pathological assessment or a multimarker molecular assay to immediate completion lymph-node dissection (dissection group) or nodal observation with ultrasonography (observation group). The primary end point was melanoma-specific survival. Secondary end points included disease-free survival and the cumulative rate of nonsentinel-node metastasis. Immediate completion lymph-node dissection was not associated with increased melanoma-specific survival among 1934 patients with data that could be evaluated in an intention-to-treat analysis or among 1755 patients in the per-protocol analysis. In the per-protocol analysis, the mean (±SE) 3-year rate of melanoma-specific survival was similar in the dissection group and the observation group (86±1.3% and 86±1.2%, respectively; P=0.42 by the log-rank test) at a median follow-up of 43 months. The rate of disease-free survival was slightly higher in the dissection group than in the observation group (68±1.7% and 63±1.7%, respectively; P=0.05 by the log-rank test) at 3 years, based on an increased rate of disease control in the regional nodes at 3 years (92±1.0% vs. 77±1.5%; P<0.001 by the log-rank test); these results must be interpreted with caution. Nonsentinel-node metastases, identified in 11.5% of the patients in the dissection group, were a strong, independent prognostic factor for recurrence (hazard ratio, 1.78; P=0.005). Lymphedema was observed in 24.1% of the patients in the dissection group and in 6.3% of those in the observation group. Immediate completion lymph-node dissection increased the rate of regional disease control and provided prognostic information but did not increase melanoma-specific survival among patients with melanoma and sentinel-node metastases. (Funded by the National Cancer Institute and others; MSLT-II ClinicalTrials.gov number, NCT00297895 .)

The Pharmacogenetics Research Network: From SNP Discovery to Clinical Drug Response

Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/109975/1/cpt6100087.pd

Personalized peptide-based vaccination for treatment of colorectal cancer: rational and progress

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is one of the most common cancers globally and is associated with a high rate of morbidity and mortality. A large proportion of patients with early stage CRC who undergo conventional treatments develop local recurrence or distant metastasis and in this group of advanced disease, the survival rate is low. Furthermore there is often a poor response and/or toxicity associated with chemotherapy and chemo-resistance may limit continuing conventional treatment alone. Choosing novel and targeted therapeutic approaches based on clinicopathological and molecular features of tumors in combination with conventional therapeutic approach could be used to eradicate residual micrometastasis and therefore improve patient prognosis and also be used preventively. Peptide-based vaccination therapy is one class of cancer treatment that could be used to induce tumor-specific immune responses, through the recognition of specific antigen-derived peptides in tumor cells, and this has emerged as a promising anti-cancer therapeutic strategy. The aim of this review was to summarize the main findings of recent studies in exciting field of peptide-based vaccination therapy in CRC patients as a novel therapeutic approach in treatment of CRC

Multiperspective analysis of erosion tolerance

Erosion tolerance is the most multidisciplinary field of soil erosion research. Scientists have shown lack in ability to adequately analyze the huge list of variables that influence soil loss tolerance definitions. For these the perspectives of erosion made by farmers, environmentalists, society and politicians have to be considered simultaneously. Partial and biased definitions of erosion tolerance may explain not only the polemic nature of the currently suggested values but also, in part, the nonadoption of the desired levels of erosion control. To move towards a solution, considerable changes would have to occur on how this topic is investigated, especially among scientists, who would have to change methods and strategies and extend the perspective of research out of the boundaries of the physical processes and the frontiers of the academy. A more effective integration and communication with the society and farmers, to learn about their perspective of erosion and a multidisciplinary approach, integrating soil, social, economic and environmental sciences are essential for improved erosion tolerance definitions. In the opinion of the authors, soil erosion research is not moving in this direction and a better understanding of erosion tolerance is not to be expected in the near future

Mechanical stability of the CMS strip tracker measured with a laser alignment system

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Search for R-parity violating supersymmetry with displaced vertices in proton-proton collisions at root s=8 TeV

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