Routine Testing of Liver Function Before and After Elective Laparoscopic Cholecystectomy: Is It Necessary?

This study suggests that mild to moderate elevation in preoperative liver function tests may not be associated with deleterious effects, and in the absence of clinical indications, routine preoperative or postoperative liver function testing may not be necessary

Effects of Cooperative Learning Models on Prospective Teachers’ Achievement and Equity

The cooperative learning (CL) intervention was conducted to find out the effects of two conditions of cooperative learning on prospective teachers (PTs) achievement and equity. Cooperative learning was embedded in methods of teaching English course. Thirty five students enrolled in Masters programme (MA ELTL) were the subjects of the study. The study employed counter balanced design. The main research questions addressed were; (1) What is the difference in PTs achievement after exposure to CL as compared to their previous CGPA? (2) Which model of CL is better for producing higher achievement? (3) Which CL model provides/ establishes equity (equal chances to succeed) to maximum number of students? Achievement tests and class quizzes were administered to obtain data. Paired samples t-test, Mann-Whitney U test and Kruskal-Wallis test were carried out to answer the research questions. The findings suggest that CL significantly enhances PTs achievement as compared to TI. Both CL models are compatible to increase achievement and equity in TE. Learning together is more efficient and effective as compared to STAD. The study open doors for doing innovations and intervention in teacher education through different CL models

Indoor particulate matter in developing countries: a case study in Pakistan and potential intervention strategies

Around three billion people, largely in low and middle income countries, rely on biomass fuels for their household energy needs. The combustion of these fuels generates a range of hazardous indoor air pollutants and is an important cause of morbidity and mortality in developing countries. Worldwide, it is responsible for four million deaths. A reduction in indoor smoke can have a significant impact on lives and can help achieve many of the Millennium Developments Goals. This letter presents details of a seasonal variation in particulate matter (PM) concentrations in kitchens using biomass fuels as a result of relocating the cooking space. During the summer, kitchens were moved outdoors and as a result the 24 h average PM10, PM2.5 and PM1 fell by 35%, 22% and 24% respectively. However, background concentrations of PM10 within the village increased by 62%. In locations where natural gas was the dominant fuel, the PM concentrations within the kitchen as well as outdoors were considerably lower than those in locations using biomass. These results highlights the importance of ventilation and fuel type for PM levels and suggest that an improved design of cooking spaces would result in enhanced indoor air quality. © 2013 IOP Publishing Ltd

Particulate pollution in different housing types in a UK suburban location

To investigate the levels of particulate pollution in residential built environments measurements of PM10, PM2.5, and PM1 and concentrations were made between 2004 and 2008 in various residencies in a UK suburban location. Measurements were carried out in three different residential settings (Types I, II and III). In type I non-smoking living rooms, the highest 24-hour mean concentrations were found in summer. When smoking took place in type I residences, the concentrations of PM10, PM2.5 and PM1, during the winter were almost double those in summer. In type II houses the concentrations were higher in the houses with open plan kitchens than in those with separate kitchens. In type III houses, mean concentrations were significantly higher in wood heated living rooms than those using central heating. In kitchens, cooking resulted in substantially higher concentrations of particulate matter with levels above those in smoking living rooms in winter. The hourly maximum values of number concentration were considerably higher in smoking rooms than non-smoking ones. Cooking resulted in increased number concentrations, with the average hourly maximum concentration of 179,110 #/cm3. Particle mass and number emission rates were determined for a number of activities. In kitchens grilling had the highest average number emission rate, followed by boiling and frying. The results clearly highlight the impact of different forms of dwelling and their use and management by occupants on the levels of particulate matter in naturally ventilated residential built environments. © 2012 Elsevier B.V

Bioaerosols in residential micro-environments in low income countries: A case study from Pakistan

Our knowledge of the concentrations of bioaerosols in residential micro-environments in low income countries is scanty. The present investigation was conducted to assess the culturable concentration and size distribution of bacteria, gram negative bacteria and fungi in two rural and an urban site in Pakistan. The highest indoor culturable bacteria concentration was found at Rural Site II (14,650 CFU/m 3) while the outdoor maximum occurred at the urban site (16,416 CFU/m 3). With reference to fungi, both indoor and outdoor concentrations were considerably higher at Rural Site I than the other sites. The size distribution of culturable bacteria at all sites showed greater variability than that of culturable fungi. At all sites more than the half (55-93%) of the culturable bacterial and fungal counts were observed in the respirable fraction (<4.7 μm) and so had the potential to penetrate into lower respiratory system. © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved

Airborne biological hazards and urban transport infrastructure: current challenges and future directions

Exposure to airborne biological hazards in an ever expanding urban transport infrastructure and highly diverse mobile population is of growing concern, in terms of both public health and biosecurity. The existing policies and practices on design, construction and operation of these infrastructures may have severe implications for airborne disease transmission, particularly, in the event of a pandemic or intentional release of biological of agents. This paper reviews existing knowledge on airborne disease transmission in different modes of transport, highlights the factors enhancing the vulnerability of transport infrastructures to airborne disease transmission, discusses the potential protection measures and identifies the research gaps in order to build a bioresilient transport infrastructure. The unification of security and public health research, inclusion of public health security concepts at the design and planning phase, and a holistic system approach involving all the stakeholders over the life cycle of transport infrastructure hold the key to mitigate the challenges posed by biological hazards in the twenty-first century transport infrastructure

Exposure to benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, and xylene (BTEX) at Nigeria's petrol stations: a review of current status, challenges and future directions

Introduction: In Nigeria, because of increasing population, urbanization, industrialization, and auto-mobilization, petrol is the most everyday non-edible commodity, and it is the leading petroleum product traded at the proliferating Nigeria's petrol stations (NPSs). However, because of inadequate occupational health and safety (OHS) regulatory measures, working at NPSs exposes petrol station workers (PSWs) to a large amount of hazardous benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, and xylene (BTEX) compounds. Methods: Studies on BTEX exposures among Nigerian PSWs are scarce. Thus, constraints in quantifying the health risks of BTEX limit stakeholders' ability to design practical risk assessment and risk control strategies. This paper reviews studies on the OHS of Nigerian PSWs at the NPSs. Results: Although knowledge, attitude, and practices on OHS in NPSs vary from one Nigeria's study setting to another, generally, safety practices, awareness about hazards and personal protective equipment (PPE), and the use of PPE among PSWs fell below expectations. Additionally, air quality at NPSs was poor, with a high content of BTEX and levels of carbon monoxide, hydrogen sulfide, particulate matter, and formaldehyde higher than the World Health Organization guideline limits. Discussion: Currently, regulatory bodies' effectiveness and accountability in safeguarding OHS at NPSs leave much to be desired. Understanding the OHS of NPSs would inform future initiatives, policies, and regulations that would promote the health and safety of workers at NPSs. However, further studies need to be conducted to describe the vulnerability of PSWs and other Nigerians who are occupationally exposed to BTEX pollution. More importantly, controlling air pollution from hazardous air pollutants like BTEX is an essential component of OHS and integral to attaining the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) 3, 7, and 11

Assessment of Airborne Microflora in the Indoor Micro-Environments of Residential Houses of Lahore, Pakistan

The presence of micro-organisms in air is taken for granted, but understanding the identities, distribution and abundance of airborne micro-organisms remains in its infancy. Indoor exposure to micro-organisms has been related to range of adverse health outcomes. The indoor levels of particulate matter and bioaerosols were monitored in thirty houses across Lahore, Pakistan. Two DustTrak aerosol monitors (model 8520, TSI Inc.) were run simultaneously in the kitchens and living rooms of the selected sites to measure fine particulate matter. At the same time, agar coated petri plates were exposed face upwards for twenty minutes to sample the micro-organisms present in surrounding air of both micro-environments. A total of 7 bacterial species and 11 fungal species were identified including Staphylococcus spp., Bacillus spp., Micrococcus spp. and Serratia spp. while the predominant fungal species were Alternaria alternata and Aspergillus spp. The concentrations (cfu m–3) for bacteria ranged from 472 to 9829 in the kitchens and from 275 to 14469 in the living rooms. Likewise, the fungal cfu m–3 ranged between 236 and 1887 in the kitchen and from 315 to 1887 in the living room. A seasonal variation in bioaerosols was evident in the kitchens while being not so pronounced in the living rooms. A linear regression model showed a direct association of temperature with bacteria and fine particulate matter but not with fungi. Ventilation was also observed to have a significant impact upon PM levels. Out of 30 households sixteen had the presence of at least one individual with allergenic reactions. These findings highlight the enhanced risk of exposure to fine particulate matter as well as bioaerosols in the urban residential built environment in Pakistan

Assessment of respiratory problems in workers associated with intensive poultry facilities in Pakistan

Background The poultry industry in Pakistan has flourished since the 1960s; however, there are scarce data regarding the impact of occupational exposure on the pulmonary health of farm workers in terms of years working in the industry. The objective of the present study was to assess the effect of poultry environment on the health of occupationally exposed poultry farmers in countries of warm climatic regions, such as Pakistan. This study will also show the effect of exposure to poultry facilities on the health of poultry farmers in the context of low-income countries with a relatively inadequate occupational exposure risk management. Materials and methods The lung function capacity of 79 poultry workers was measured using a spirometer. Along with spirometry, a structured questionnaire was also administrated to obtain information about age, height, weight, smokers/nonsmokers, years of working experience, and pulmonary health of farm workers. The workers who were directly involved in the care and handling of birds in these intensive facilities were considered and divided into four groups based on their years of working experience: Group I (3-10 months), Group II (1-5 years), Group III (6-10 years), and Group IV (more than 11 years). The forced vital capacity (FVC), forced expiratory volume in one second (FEV1) and the FEV1/FVC ratio were considered to identify lung function abnormalities. Statistical analysis was carried out using independent sample t test, Chi-square test, Pearson's correlation, and linear regression. Results Based on the performed spirometry, 68 (86 %) of workers were found normal and healthy, whereas 11 (14 %) had a mild obstruction. Of the 11 workers with mild obstruction, the highest number with respect to the total was in Group IV (more than 11 years of working experience) followed by Group III and Group II. Most of the workers were found healthy, which seems to be because of the healthy survivor effect. For the independent sample t test, a significant difference was noticed between healthy and nonhealthy farmers, whereas Chi-square test showed a significant association with height, drugs, and working experience. Linear regression that was stratified by respiratory symptoms showed for workers with symptoms, regression models for all spirometric parameters (FVC, FEV1, and FEV1/FVC) have better predictive power or R square value than those of workers without symptoms. Conclusion These findings suggest that lung function capacity was directly related to years of working experience. With increasing number of working years, symptoms of various respiratory problems enhanced in the poultry workers. It should be noted that most of the poultry workers were healthy and young, the rationale being that there is a high turnover rate in this profession. The mobility in this job and our finding of 86% of the healthy workers in the present study also proposed healthy worker survivor effec

Real time detection and characterisation of bioaerosol emissions from wastewater treatment plants

Bioaerosol emissions from wastewater treatment plants may pose adverse health impact on workers and nearby communities. To detect and characterise bioaerosol emissions from wastewater treatment plant (WWTP), a novel real-time bioaerosol sensor, Spectral Intensity Bioaerosol Sensor (SIBS) was employed at a WWTP and a background site. The SIBS records a range of data (size, shape, and fluorescence emission across 16 wavelength bands from 298 to 735 nm for two excitation wavelengths (285 nm and 370 nm)) on single particles in real time. Additionally, excitation-emission matrix (EEM) of wastewater samples obtained by a spectrofluorometer was compared with SIBS spectra from WWTP. The results showed that the average number concentrations of total particles (NT) and fluorescence particles (NF) were both higher at the WWTP (NT = 2.01 cm−3, NF = 1.13 cm−3) than the background site (NT = 1.79 cm−3, NF = 1.01 cm−3). The temporal variation of NF and NT was highly variable at the WWTP and the concentration peaks were consistent with on-site activities. Moreover, the time-resolved number-size distribution of fluorescent particles revealed the predominance of fine scale particles (<1 μm) and the time-series channel by channel number concentrations demonstrated the temporal variability of dominant bio-fluorophores. Furthermore, the overall and size-segregated fluorescence spectra at two sites were multimodal. In particular, the fluorescence intensity increases with increasing particle size in WWTP spectra, which is not present in the background spectra. In addition, the highly resolved SIBS fluorescence spectra were broadly similar to EEM of wastewater. These findings confirmed that the spectrally resolved fluorescence detected by SIBS is capable of providing reliable bio-fluorophores information of bioaerosol emissions generated from wastewater, thus holding the potential for better characterisation of bioaerosols in real time