Damage index: Assessment of mould growth on building materials using digital image processing technique

There is a growing concern over the adverse health effects of exposure to high concentration of mould spores in the indoor environments. Copious epidemiological studies have shown a direct relationship between the exposure to indoor mould and several adverse health effects. The phenomenon of Sick building syndrome (SBS) and Building Related Illness (BRI) have also been attributed to moulds exposure in the indoor environment. In spite of this growing concern, little have been reported on the development of an objective mould assessment particularly criteria for visual inspection of mould growth on building materials. The main premise of this study is that visual inspection related with mould damaged material can lead to objective ranking of the severity of damaged material, and reduce the subjective nature of mould dam-aged estimation by the use digital image processing (DIP) techniques. A four stage technique procedure, involving image preprocessing, Image segmentation and mould analysis and classification stage for the detection of mould growth is examined in this paper. Results obtained when this proposed algorithm was applied to acquired digital images collected from different infested building materials indicates the appropriateness of this method in enhancing the visual assessment and grading associated with mould growth on building material

Comparing the clinical efficacy and safety of high doses of beclomethasone inhaler with medium doses of beclomethasone inhaler combined with oral aminophylline or montelukast tablets in persistent asthmatic Iraqi patients.

Asthma is a chronic inflammatory disorder of the airways in which many cells and cellular elements play a role. The treatment guidelines recommend the use of a second controller drug in addition to medium doses of inhaled corticosteroids (ICSs) rather than the use of high doses ICS alone in the treatment of moderate-severe persistent asthma. This study was conducted to compare the clinical efficacy and safety of three treatment regimens in Iraqi patients with moderate-severe persistent asthma. The study included three groups; each group included 15 patients. Patients were administered beclomethasone inhaler alone 1500-2000 μg/day, beclomethasone inhaler 750-1000 μg/day plus oral controlled release aminophylline tablets 450 mg/day or beclomethasone inhaler 750-1000 μg/day plus oral montelukast tablets 10 mg/day for 4-5 weeks. Patients were followed 2 weeks and 4-5 weeks after the baseline visit. In all of the three groups, significant improvements were noticed in pulmonary function test parameters (FEV1, FVC, FEF50%) and the asthma symptom records (day-time symptoms, night-time symptoms, number of salbutamol puffs per 24 hours), while there were no significant differences among the groups. Regarding side effects, only the group of inhaled steroid plus aminophylline tablets showed discontinuation of drug therapy in some patients which could be attributed to the development of serious side effects. It was concluded that the administration of a second controller agent was important to use lower doses of inhaled beclomethasone. It was concluded also that montelukast was associated with a lower incidence of serious side effects than aminophylline which could make aminophylline an alternative to montelukast as combination therapy with medium doses ICS in the treatment of moderate-severe persistent asthm

Microbiological Assay Of Ingredients, Contact Surfaces And Stages In Akara Processing At Three Locations In Maiduguri, Nigeria

Sample at various stages and contact surfaces were obtained during akara processing from three locations in Maiduguri metropolis. The locations were Hausari, Mairi and Wulari. Samples of the ingredients and swabs of contact surfaces were taken. Total aerobic plate count, coliform count, taphylococcal count and yeast/mould count, were determined. Microorganism were solated, identified and their percentage frequency of occurrence on plated samples of the ingredients and contact surfaces were also determined. The total aerobic mesophilic count of ingredients from the three locations range from 3.10 to 8.40 cfu/g, while coliform count ranged from 1.10 to 9.00 cfu/g, staphylococcal count ranged from 1.20 to 3.29 cfu/g and yeast/mould count ranged from 1.60 to 4.80 cfu/g. The total aerobic plate count of contact surfaces ranged from 4.20 to 7.90 cfu/cm2, coliform from 1.00 to 7.80 cfu/cm2, staphylococcal count from 2.10 to 5.90 cfu/cm2 and yeast/mould count from 1.20 to 4.80 cfu/cm2. The predominant microorganisms isolated from this study were Klebsiella pneumoniae, Bacillus subtilis, candida tropicalis and Aspergillus niger. They occurred at all the various stages and on contact surfaces during akara processing at percentage frequency of occurrence ranging from 5 to 50%. The presence of Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli, Streptococcus feacalis and klebsiella pneumoniae is not a healthy development. These microorganisms are pathogenic and therefore their presence during akara processing could cause a serious health problem. The need for advising akara producers and vendors of the necessity to adopt strict hygienic practice, at various stages of processing is essential. Agro-Science Vol.2(1) 2001: 42-4