Health Impact of Gas Flares on Igwuruta / Umuechem Communities in Rivers State

This paper examined the relationship between human exposure to toxicological factors in the environment arising from gas flares and the development of various human health related conditions. The impact of environmental factors was investigated at four stations set up concentrically around Agbada II flow station, for a period of nine months (May, 2007 – January, 2008) and sampling was performed manually across the four stations on an hourly basis. The analytical program was done in line with WMO recommendations. Parameters investigated include particulates and gases. Mean particulate concentrations in rainy season across all sites ranged from 0.4 ± 0.4ìg/m3 in June to 25 ± 5.4ìg/m3 in May. Concentration levels of particulates were excessive in the months of December and January, exceeding allowable regulatory limits for TSP, PM10 and PM7 across all stations. Mean concentration levels of gases in both wet and dry seasons were within allowable regulatory limits. Analysis of medical records showed a greaterfrequency of disease types such as Asthma, Cough, breathing difficulty, eye/skin irritation in (Igwuruta/Umuechem), the study area with a long history of gas flaring compared to Ayama with no flaring history. These subset of diseases accounted for 22.4% and 5.9% (a 4 to 1 ratio) of all cases reported at the respective health centers. The high level of particulates in the dry season constitutes a greater short-term exposure risk to residents and workers with the particular risk of respiratory irritation, itching/eye irritation and cough being endemic in the area surrounding the flare

Personalising medicine : feasibility and future implications from a payers' perspective

There are considerable differences in how patients respond to treatments due to a number of factors calling for personalised approaches to care, which is happening. However, the early promise of personalised medicine has not always translated into improved care for patients. Payers have concerns that current tests can be costly, requests for funding specific tests have subsequently been reversed as more information becomes available, and there is currently fragmentation in the funding of diagnostic tests. Payers also have concerns that pharmaceutical companies are exploiting the situation by seeking orphan status for their new targeted medicines driving up requested prices. It is also not clear who should fund biomarkers that accompany new expensive medicines. This is changing as the cost of tests come down, and payers develop new models to optimise the managed entry of new medicines as well as evaluate potential prices for new medicines for orphan diseases. There are also developments with ‘big data’ offering new understanding of disease complexity to enhance pipeline productivity and diagnosis as well as ongoing developments with drug resistance testing and research into the role of microbiomes to improve future health. Current challenges and concerns are being addressed. This will continue to improve patient care

Malaria infection and socioeconomic status of some residents of Port Harcourt metropolis, Rivers State, Nigeria

The study investigated the prevalence of malaria and socioeconomic status of subjects in part of Port Harcourt metropolis. Following ethical clearance which was obtained from the University of Port Harcourt and the parents of the subjects who gave their written consents, blood samples were collected and analysed following standard parasitological method from 200 subjects within the age bracket of 0-17years. The demographic characteristics of 200 subjects showed that more males, 105 (52.5%), were examined compared with females, 94 (47.5%). The socioeconomic status of subjects were grouped into higher class with 144 (72.0%), middle class with 22 (11.0%) and lower class with 34 (17.0%). Overall prevalence of 71 (35.5%) was recorded. Sex related prevalence showed that more males were infected with 42 (40.0%) and parasite density of 91120 μl than females with 29 (30.5%) and parasite density of 62480 μl. The differences in prevalence between males and females was not significant (P>0.05).The prevalence of malaria infections based on socioeconomic status showed that greater percentage of infection of 55 (38.2%) was recorded among the higher class with parasite density of 112880 μl followed by infection of 12 (35.3%) and parasite density of 29120 μl in the lower class with the least percentage of 4 (18.2%) and parasite density of 11600 μl recorded in the middle class. There was no significant difference (P>0.05) in infection rate on the basis of socioeconomic status. In Conclusion, malaria infection does not respect individual’s socioeconomic status. There is need to sustain the current intervention measures and awareness campaign among Port Harcourt residents for prevalence rate to be reduced to the desired zero level.Keywords: Malaria infection, prevalence, Parasite intensity, Socio-economic status

Marking and Quantifying IL-17A-Producing Cells In Vivo

Interleukin (IL)-17A plays an important role in host defense against a variety of pathogens and may also contribute to the pathogenesis of autoimmune diseases. However, precise identification and quantification of the cells that produce this cytokine in vivo have not been performed. We generated novel IL-17A reporter mice to investigate expression of IL-17A during Klebsiella pneumoniae infection and during experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis, conditions previously demonstrated to potently induce IL-17A production. In both settings, the majority of IL-17A was produced by non-CD4+ T cells, particularly γδ T cells, but also invariant NKT cells and other CD4−CD3ε+ cells. As measured in dual-reporter mice, IFN-γ-producing Th1 cells greatly outnumbered IL-17A-producing Th17 cells throughout both challenges. Production of IL-17A by cells from unchallenged mice or by non-T cells under any condition was not evident. Administration of IL-1β and/or IL-23 elicited rapid production of IL-17A by γδ T cells, invariant NKT cells and other CD4−CD3ε+ cells in vivo, demonstrating that these cells are poised for rapid cytokine production and likely comprise the major sources of this cytokine during acute immunologic challenges

Economic importance of farmed parkland products to livelihood sustenance in Lau Local Government Area Taraba State, Nigeria

This research was specifically designed to determinethe economic importance of farmed parkland products as it sustains the farmers livelihood in Lau Local  Government Area of Taraba State, Nigeria.A total of 80 respondents were randomly selected from 45.5% of the ward, and were interviewed using a well pretested questionnaire. The data obtained were analyzed using simple descriptive statistic such as percentage. The results indicate that 37.5% respondents utilized  products such as fruits, leaves and nuts, 35% utilized seeds/seedling (murichi) in Hausa language. 27.5% obtained fibres, bark and roots for medicinal purpose. 37.5% respondents retained parkland trees as source of food for their families, while 35% retained parkland products as source of income. 42.5% opined that contribution of parkland products was high to their livelihood sustenance. The other 22.5% respondents believed that parkland products contributed low to their  livelihood. Recommendation such as government should enlighten farmers through electronic and mass media on the importance of parkland products was made.Key word: Economic, importance, parkland, livelihoods

The role of color diagnosticity in object recognition and representation

Abstract The role of color diagnosticity in object recognition and representation was assessed in three Experiments. In Experiment 1a, participants named pictured objects that were strongly associated with a particular color (e.g., pumpkin and orange). Stimuli were presented in a congruent color, incongruent color, or grayscale. Results indicated that congruent color facilitated naming time, incongruent color impeded naming time, and naming times for grayscale items were situated between the congruent and incongruent conditions. Experiment 1b replicated Experiment 1a using a verification task. Experiment 2 employed a picture rebus paradigm in which participants read sentences one word at a time that included pictures of color diagnostic objects (i.e., pictures were substituted for critical nouns). Results indicated that the ''reading'' times of these pictures mirrored the pattern found in Experiment 1. In Experiment 3, an attempt was made to override color diagnosticity using linguistic context (e.g., a pumpkin was described as painted green). Linguistic context did not override color diagnosticity. Collectively, the results demonstrate that color information is regularly utilized in object recognition and representation for highly color diagnostic items

Ovarian cancer symptom awareness and anticipated delayed presentation in a population sample

Background: While ovarian cancer is recognised as having identifiable early symptoms, understanding of the key determinants of symptom awareness and early presentation is limited. A population-based survey of ovarian cancer awareness and anticipated delayed presentation with symptoms was conducted as part of the International Cancer Benchmarking Partnership (ICBP). Methods: Women aged over 50 years were recruited using random probability sampling (n = 1043). Computer-assisted telephone interviews were used to administer measures including ovarian cancer symptom recognition, anticipated time to presentation with ovarian symptoms, health beliefs (perceived risk, perceived benefits/barriers to early presentation, confidence in symptom detection, ovarian cancer worry), and demographic variables. Logistic regression analysis was used to identify the contribution of independent variables to anticipated presentation (categorised as < 3 weeks or ≥ 3 weeks). Results: The most well-recognised symptoms of ovarian cancer were post-menopausal bleeding (87.4%), and persistent pelvic (79.0%) and abdominal (85.0%) pain. Symptoms associated with eating difficulties and changes in bladder/bowel habits were recognised by less than half the sample. Lower symptom awareness was significantly associated with older age (p ≤ 0.001), being single (p ≤ 0.001), lower education (p ≤ 0.01), and lack of personal experience of ovarian cancer (p ≤ 0.01). The odds of anticipating a delay in time to presentation of ≥ 3 weeks were significantly increased in women educated to degree level (OR = 2.64, 95% CI 1.61 – 4.33, p ≤ 0.001), women who reported more practical barriers (OR = 1.60, 95% CI 1.34 – 1.91, p ≤ 0.001) and more emotional barriers (OR = 1.21, 95% CI 1.06 – 1.40, p ≤ 0.01), and those less confident in symptom detection (OR = 0.56, 95% CI 0.42 – 0.73, p ≤ 0.001), but not in those who reported lower symptom awareness (OR = 0.99, 95% CI 0.91 – 1.07, p = 0.74). Conclusions: Many symptoms of ovarian cancer are not well-recognised by women in the general population. Evidence-based interventions are needed not only to improve public awareness but also to overcome the barriers to recognising and acting on ovarian symptoms, if delays in presentation are to be minimised

Investigation of anterior cingulate cortex gamma-aminobutyric acid and glutamate-glutamine levels in obsessive-compulsive disorder using magnetic resonance spectroscopy.

BACKGROUND: Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is a relatively common and disabling psychiatric disorder whose pathophysiology is incompletely understood. In this study, we utilized magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS) in an effort to provide a better understanding of the role of brain gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) and glutamate in the pathophysiology of OCD. We hypothesized that beyond the separate effects of these neurotransmitter systems, a disruption in the balance between GABA and glutamate could be particularly relevant to OCD. METHODS: We obtained MRS measures of GABA and glutamate concentrations in the anterior cingulate cortex from 23 adult patients with OCD and 20 sex- and age-matched healthy community volunteers. Established clinical rating scales were used to assess the severities of OCD, anxiety, and depression symptoms. Statistical analysis involved the assessment of patient-control group differences in the individual measures of GABA and glutamate, as well as in the ratio of the GABA to glutamate measures. Additionally, we explored whether differences in the MRS measures existed between two subgroups of patients formed according to the severity of their OCD symptoms. Finally, we assessed the relations of demographic and clinical variables to the MRS measures. RESULTS: Patients with OCD displayed a higher estimated GABA level and a higher GABA to glutamate ratio than healthy participants, but no significant group differences were observed in the measure of glutamate. The MRS measures did not vary by subgroup and showed no correlations with demographic and clinical variables. CONCLUSIONS: These results indicate that GABA abnormalities within the anterior cingulate cortex contribute to the pathophysiology of OCD. The results fail to provide evidence that glutamate abnormalities alone are involved in adult OCD. Yet, it seems that a disruption in the balance between glutamate and GABA neurotransmission may have a particularly important role to play in OCD pathophysiology