Exclusive breastfeeding and its relevance to infant teething

Objective: To determine the relevance of exclusive breast-feeding practice, in the development of healthy oral tissue among teething infants. Method: A cross sectional study design of children aged 6-36 months was carried out in 14 wards of Jos North Local Government Area. A multistage sampling technique was adopted in selecting 1081 mothers who qualified and were interviewed using structured interviewer questionnaire on their knowledge and perception on common complaints during teething in children. The index children were examined for number and type of teeth erupted using mouth mirror under natural light. Result: One thousand and eighty-one mothers and their babies were interviewed and examined; out these 16.5%, 38.7% and 44.8% babies were of age groups 6-12, 13-24 and 25-36 months respectively; 50.2% were female and 49.8% were male. Of the babies examined 62.4% were exclusively breast-fed. There was a significant association between maternal educational status and knowledge of teething complaints. Three hundred and twenty-six (30.1%) babies had cough during their teething period, 349 (32.3%) experienced drooling of saliva, and 352 (32.6%) were observed to bite objects during teething. The high percentage of babies that were exclusively breast-fed but did not experience these symptoms were found to be statistically significant (p = 0.00). Seven hundred and forty-two (68.6%) babies had diarrhoea during teething; out of these 459(42.5%) were exclusively breast-fed and it was however not found to be statistically significant (p = 0.55). Conclusion: This study draws attention to the relatively poor anecdotal evidence related to symptoms associated with the teething process. The result has also demonstrated that exclusive breast-feeding is not only able to reduce the symptoms ascribed to teething, but also promote the development of a healthy oral tissue

Family Life and HIV/AIDS Education (FLHE) in Schools in Enugu State: Baseline Study of Reproductive Health Issues among In-School Adolescents in Enugu State

We studied the sexual and reproductive health (SRH) knowledge and practices among junior secondary school grades 1 and 3 students Enugu State, preparatory to incorporating family life and HIV/AIDSeducation (FLHE) into the school curricula in the state. Results show that over 90% of the respondents were regularly involved in sexual activities. More than seventeen per cent (17.5%) indicated that they would definitely have sex in the next two years while 19.2% may have sex in the next two years. The students lacked proper knowledge of protection and knowledge scores on SRH issues was low especially among the urban dwellers (

Evaluating The Perception of Climate Change Among Secondary School Science Teachers for Knowledge-Based Sustainable Development

There appears to be lack of knowledge about the cause and effect of climate change amongst the secondary school students. This asks for evaluation of their source of knowledge in schools through the assessment of their teachers’ knowledge and/or perception about climatic change. The survey research design was adopted and the perception of the secondary school science teachers’ (SSSTs) evaluated using questionnaire. The results showed that SSSTs perception of human activities associated with climate change and the effects of human activities associated with climate is moderate. This was very clear when the grand mean responses of the teachers were found to be 2.81 and 2.61 respectively. The student t-test statistics used at P>0.05 confirmed that there is no significant difference between the perception of urban and rural SSSTs on their perception of climate change. At P>0.05, there is significant difference between experienced and less experienced SSSTs on their perception of climate change.  The research concludes that there is knowledge gap in our secondary school educational system concerning climate change. Therefore, it recommends capacity building in science-teaching education curriculum for knowledge-based sustainable development. Keywords: Curriculum, Global warming, Environmental Education, Greenhouse gases, Deforestation DOI: 10.7176/CER/13-5-03 Publication date:August 31st 2021

A Novel Method for Defining the Leeward Edge of the Planar Jet in Crossflow

To avoid the complexity of the edge definition by the half width, a new approach to defining the leeward edge of the planar jet in crossflow is introduced in this paper. Particle Image Velocimetry (PIV) experiments were performed to measure different flow regimes within the single jet and the dual jets configurations in crossflow. Based on the experimental data acquired, a series of velocity profiles were extracted from the flow field. In each profile, a velocity threshold was given to distinguish the regions sheltered and the regions not sheltered by the planar jet. The boundary of these regions was accordingly recognized as the leeward edge. Furthermore, fitting of the edge was carried out using a second order polynomial so as to enable a mathematical expression of the leeward edge. An application of the proposed approach towards the flow induced noise reduction using a planar jet is also discussed in this paper. In addition, the PIV frame assembly algorithm used in this study is reported

MED12 Alterations in Both Human Benign and Malignant Uterine Soft Tissue Tumors

The relationship between benign uterine leiomyomas and their malignant counterparts, i.e. leiomyosarcomas and smooth muscle tumors of uncertain malignant potential (STUMP), is still poorly understood. The idea that a leiomyosarcoma could derive from a leiomyoma is still controversial. Recently MED12 mutations have been reported in uterine leiomyomas. In this study we asked whether such mutations could also be involved in leiomyosarcomas and STUMP oncogenesis. For this purpose we examined 33 uterine mesenchymal tumors by sequencing the hot-spot mutation region of MED12. We determined that MED12 is altered in 66.6% of typical leiomyomas as previously reported but also in 11% of STUMP and 20% of leiomyosarcomas. The mutated allele is predominantly expressed in leiomyomas and STUMP. Interestingly all classical leiomyomas exhibit MED12 protein expression while 40% of atypical leiomyomas, 50% of STUMP and 80% of leiomyosarcomas (among them the two mutated ones) do not express MED12. All these tumors without protein expression exhibit complex genomic profiles. No mutations and no expression loss were identified in an additional series of 38 non-uterine leiomyosarcomas. MED12 mutations are not exclusive to leiomyomas but seem to be specific to uterine malignancies. A previous study has suggested that MED12 mutations in leiomyomas could lead to Wnt/β-catenin pathway activation however our immunohistochemistry results show that there is no association between MED12 status and β-catenin nuclear/cytoplasmic localization. Collectively, our results show that subgroups of benign and malignant tumors share a common genetics. We propose here that MED12 alterations could be implicated in the development of smooth muscle tumor and that its expression could be inhibited in malignant tumors

Pentanol isomer synthesis in engineered microorganisms

Pentanol isomers such as 2-methyl-1-butanol and 3-methyl-1-butanol are a useful class of chemicals with a potential application as biofuels. They are found as natural by-products of microbial fermentations from amino acid substrates. However, the production titer and yield of the natural processes are too low to be considered for practical applications. Through metabolic engineering, microbial strains for the production of these isomers have been developed, as well as that for 1-pentanol and pentenol. Although the current production levels are still too low for immediate industrial applications, the approach holds significant promise for major breakthroughs in production efficiency

Alternative low-cost adsorbent for water and wastewater decontamination derived from eggshellwaste: an overview

As the current global trend towards more stringent environmental standards, technical applicability and cost-effectiveness became key factors in the selection of adsorbents for water and wastewater treatment. Recently, various low-cost adsorbents derived from agricultural waste, industrial by-products or natural materials, have been intensively investigated. In this respect, the eggshells from egg-breaking operations constitute significant waste disposal problems for the food industry, so the development of value-added by-products from this waste is to be welcomed. The egg processing industry is very competitive, with low profit margins due to global competition and cheap imports. Additionally, the costs associated with the egg shell disposal (mainly on landfill sites) are significant, and expected to continue increasing as landfill taxes increase. The aim of the present review is to provide an overview on the development of low-cost adsorbents derived from eggshell by-products

Louise Müller e o Jogo da Filosofia Africana: Lopes, Marcos Carvalho. Louise Müller e.o. Jogo Da Filosofia Africana." In Tcholonadur: Entrevistas Sobre Filosofia Africana, edited by Marcos Carvalho Lopes, 183-95. São Carlos: Pedro & João Editores, 2023.

Louise Müller e o jogo da filosofia africana*“O conhecimento é como um baobá, nenhuma pessoa sozinha pode abraçá-lo”. Esse é um provérbio Akan que pode ser combinado com outro que diz “Que nenhuma cidade (polis) possui sozinha a verdade”. Nenhuma cidade poderia almejar a posse integral da verdade. É nesse sentido que a filósofa holandesaLouise Müller, especialista na cultura akan, tem se dedicado à filosofia africana, desenvolvendo diálogos interculturais, assim como, buscando se aprofundar nos conhecimentos de línguas e culturas africanas.Modern and Contemporary Studie

Postoperative outcomes in oesophagectomy with trainee involvement

BACKGROUND: The complexity of oesophageal surgery and the significant risk of morbidity necessitates that oesophagectomy is predominantly performed by a consultant surgeon, or a senior trainee under their supervision. The aim of this study was to determine the impact of trainee involvement in oesophagectomy on postoperative outcomes in an international multicentre setting. METHODS: Data from the multicentre Oesophago-Gastric Anastomosis Study Group (OGAA) cohort study were analysed, which comprised prospectively collected data from patients undergoing oesophagectomy for oesophageal cancer between April 2018 and December 2018. Procedures were grouped by the level of trainee involvement, and univariable and multivariable analyses were performed to compare patient outcomes across groups. RESULTS: Of 2232 oesophagectomies from 137 centres in 41 countries, trainees were involved in 29.1 per cent of them (n = 650), performing only the abdominal phase in 230, only the chest and/or neck phases in 130, and all phases in 315 procedures. For procedures with a chest anastomosis, those with trainee involvement had similar 90-day mortality, complication and reoperation rates to consultant-performed oesophagectomies (P = 0.451, P = 0.318, and P = 0.382, respectively), while anastomotic leak rates were significantly lower in the trainee groups (P = 0.030). Procedures with a neck anastomosis had equivalent complication, anastomotic leak, and reoperation rates (P = 0.150, P = 0.430, and P = 0.632, respectively) in trainee-involved versus consultant-performed oesophagectomies, with significantly lower 90-day mortality in the trainee groups (P = 0.005). CONCLUSION: Trainee involvement was not found to be associated with significantly inferior postoperative outcomes for selected patients undergoing oesophagectomy. The results support continued supervised trainee involvement in oesophageal cancer surgery