The Impact of Noise and Dust Level on Rental Price of Residential Tenements around Lafarge Cement Factory in Ewekoro Town, Nigeria

This study employed hedonic pricing model to investigate the impact of noise and dust spewed from a cement factory on a sample of 126 tenements from 11 residential settlements within Ewekoro local housing market in Nigeria. Market-wide hedonic model for all the 126 tenements within 5.5km of the cement factory) was estimated. In addition, two separate unrestricted hedonic models were also estimated (the first consisting of 38 tenements within 2.5km of the factory and the other comprising 88 tenements located between 2.5km to 5.5km of the factory). The hedonic models which take the doublelog functional form were estimated with house rent (a proxy for house price) as the dependent variable. Generally, the results of the market-wide model revealed that, dust level and noise, which are negative externalities from the cement factory dampen rent by 21.90% (N 13815) and 1.49% (N 24.80) respectively within the study area. Findings from the unrestricted models further signify that tenement rents tend to decrease with increasing distance to Lafarge cement factory due to severity of dust and noise. As panacea to this problem it is recommended that government should provide policy response - the introduction of effluent fees which would force the cement and other manufacturing companies to internalize their externalities by paying for noise and dust pollution. The basic objective of such policy response is for manufacturing companies to move to the use of energy efficient and eco-friendly plants that generate less noise and dust in their production operations. On the other, the cement company should also imbibe Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) as part of its efforts in providing a sustainable living environment for the residents in Ewekoro town.Key words: Cement factory, Externalities, Hedonic modelling, Tenements, Settlements

Combined mitral and tricuspid stenosis in 47-year old rheumatic valvular heart disease patient: a case report

Rheumatic valvular heart disease is a common complication of rheumatic fever; however combined mitral and tricuspid stenosis is an extremely rare form of multi-valve disease presentation. Case Presentation: We report a case of combined mitral and tricuspid stenosis from rheumatic heart disease (RHD) in a 47-year-old woman who was being managed for hypertensive heart disease (HHDx) on anti-hypertensives for 2yrs prior to presentation. However, on further review with transthoracic echocardiography (TTE), she was found to have thickened mitral valve and hockey stick appearance with dilated left atrium (dimension of 60mm) and reduced left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) of 45%. A repeat TTE done 8 years after the first one showed a severely dilated left atrium (LAD 71mm) with estimated area of 55.4cm2; moderate mitral stenosis and severe tricuspid stenosis with moderate TR. The LVEF was 29% with a severe right ventricular (RV) systolic dysfunction (TAPSE of 9mm). Patient is being managed conservatively due to economic constraints and the likelihood of very poor surgical outcome due to severe biventricular dysfunction. Conclusion: The case is reported for its rarity as well as the importance of interval evaluation of unaffected valves in a setting of single valve disease for early detection and possible prompt treatment and intervention

Melioidosis Manifesting as Chronic Femoral Osteomyelitis in Patient from Ghana.

A 33-year-old man from Ghana who had diabetes had chronic osteomyelitis of the femoral shaft develop. Tissue samples from surgical debridement grew Burkholderia pseudomallei. He received meropenem, followed by oral trimethoprim/sulfamethoxazole and doxycycline, and fully recovered without complications. Our case report extends the range of countries in Africa as sources of culture-confirmed melioidosis

Transplacentally Acquired Maternal Antibody against Hepatitis B Surface Antigen in Infants and its Influence on the Response to Hepatitis B Vaccine

BACKGROUND: Passively acquired maternal antibodies in infants may inhibit active immune responses to vaccines. Whether maternal antibody against hepatitis B surface antigen (anti-HBs) in infants may influence the long-term immunogenicity of hepatitis B vaccine remains unknown. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: Totally 338 pairs of mothers and children were enrolled. All infants were routinely vaccinated against hepatitis B based on 0-, 1- and 6-month schedule. We characterized the transplacental transfer of maternal anti-HBs, and compared anti-HBs response in children of mothers with or without anti-HBs. In a prospective observation, all 63 anti-HBs positive mothers transferred anti-HBs to their infants; 84.1% of the infants had higher anti-HBs concentrations than their mothers. One and half years after vaccination with three doses of hepatitis B vaccine, the positive rate and geometric mean concentration (GMC) of anti-HBs in 32 infants with maternal anti-HBs were comparable with those in 32 infants without maternal antibody (90.6% vs 87.5%, P = 0.688, and 74.5 vs 73.5 mIU/ml, P = 0.742, respectively). In a retrospective analysis, five and half years after vaccination with three doses vaccine, the positive rates of anti-HBs in 88 children of mothers with anti-HBs ≥1000 mIU/ml, 94 children of mothers with anti-HBs 10-999 mIU/ml, and 61 children of mothers with anti-HBs <10 mIU/ml were 72.7%, 69.2%, and 63.9% (P = 0.521), respectively; anti-HBs GMC in these three groups were 38.9, 43.9, and 31.7 mIU/ml (P = 0.726), respectively. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: The data demonstrate that maternal anti-HBs in infants, even at high concentrations, does not inhibit the long-term immunogenicity of hepatitis B vaccine. Thus, current hepatitis B vaccination schedule for infants will be still effective in the future when most infants are positive for maternal anti-HBs due to the massive vaccination against hepatitis B

Diagnostic Accuracy of Age and Alarm Symptoms for Upper GI Malignancy in Patients with Dyspepsia in a GI Clinic: A 7-Year Cross-Sectional Study

<div><h3>Objectives</h3><p>We investigated whether using demographic characteristics and alarm symptoms can accurately predict cancer in patients with dyspepsia in Iran, where upper GI cancers and <em>H. pylori</em> infection are common.</p> <h3>Methods</h3><p>All consecutive patients referred to a tertiary gastroenterology clinic in Tehran, Iran, from 2002 to 2009 were invited to participate in this study. Each patient completed a standard questionnaire and underwent upper gastrointestinal endoscopy. Alarm symptoms included in the questionnaire were weight loss, dysphagia, GI bleeding, and persistent vomiting. We used logistic regression models to estimate the diagnostic value of each variable in combination with other ones, and to develop a risk-prediction model.</p> <h3>Results</h3><p>A total of 2,847 patients with dyspepsia participated in this study, of whom 87 (3.1%) had upper GI malignancy. Patients reporting at least one of the alarm symptoms constituted 66.7% of cancer patients compared to 38.9% in patients without cancer (p<0.001). Esophageal or gastric cancers in patients with dyspepsia was associated with older age, being male, and symptoms of weight loss and vomiting. Each single predictor had low sensitivity and specificity. Using a combination of age, alarm symptoms, and smoking, we built a risk-prediction model that distinguished between high-risk and low-risk individuals with an area under the ROC curve of 0.85 and acceptable calibration.</p> <h3>Conclusions</h3><p>None of the predictors demonstrated high diagnostic accuracy. While our risk-prediction model had reasonable accuracy, some cancer cases would have remained undiagnosed. Therefore, where available, low cost endoscopy may be preferable for dyspeptic older patient or those with history of weight loss.</p> </div

Access to and utilization of prenatal care services in the Unified Health System of the city of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

Prenatal care consists of practices considered to be effective for the reduction of adverse perinatal outcomes. However, studies have demonstrated inequities in pregnant women's access to prenatal care, with worse outcomes among those with lower socioeconomic status. The objective of this study is to evaluate access to and utilization of prenatal services in the Sistema Único de Saúde (SUS - Unified Health System) in the city of Rio de Janeiro and to verify its association with the characteristics of pregnant women and health services. A cross-sectional study was conducted in 2007-2008, using interviews and the analysis of prenatal care cards of 2.353 pregnant women attending low risk prenatal care services of the SUS. A descriptive analysis of the reasons mentioned by women for the late start of prenatal care and hierarchical logistic regression for the identification of the factors associated with prenatal care use were performed. The absence of a diagnosis of pregnancy and poor access to services were the reasons most often reported for the late start of prenatal care. Earlier access was found among white pregnant women, who had a higher level of education, were primiparous and lived with a partner. The late start of prenatal care was the factor most associated with the inadequate number of consultations, also observed in pregnant adolescents. Black women had a lower level of adequacy of tests performed as well as a lower overall adequacy of prenatal care, considering the Programa de Humanização do Pré-Natal e Nascimento (PHPN - Prenatal and Delivery Humanization Program) recommendations. Strategies for the identification of pregnant women at a higher reproductive risk, reduction in organizational barriers to services and increase in access to family planning and early diagnosis of pregnancy should be prioritized

Trends in Timing of Pregnancy Awareness Among US Women

OBJECTIVES: Early pregnancy detection is important for improving pregnancy outcomes as the first trimester is a critical window of fetal development; however, there has been no description of trends in timing of pregnancy awareness among US women. METHODS: We examined data from the 1995, 2002, 2006–2010 and 2011–2013 National Survey of Family Growth on self-reported timing of pregnancy awareness among women aged 15–44 years who reported at least one pregnancy in the 4 or 5 years prior to interview that did not result in induced abortion or adoption (n = 17, 406). We examined the associations between maternal characteristics and late pregnancy awareness (≥7 weeks’ gestation) using adjusted prevalence ratios from logistic regression models. Gestational age at time of pregnancy awareness (continuous) was regressed over year of pregnancy conception (1990–2012) in a linear model. RESULTS: Among all pregnancies reported, gestational age at time of pregnancy awareness was 5.5 weeks (standard error = 0.04) and the prevalence of late pregnancy awareness was 23 % (standard error = 1 %). Late pregnancy awareness decreased with maternal age, was more prevalent among non-Hispanic black and Hispanic women compared to non-Hispanic white women, and for unintended pregnancies versus those that were intended (p < 0.01). Mean time of pregnancy awareness did not change linearly over a 23-year time period after adjustment for maternal age at the time of conception (p < 0.16). CONCLUSIONS FOR PRACTICE: On average, timing of pregnancy awareness did not change linearly during 1990–2012 among US women and occurs later among certain groups of women who are at higher risk of adverse birth outcomes

COMBINED MITRAL AND TRICUSPID STENOSIS IN 47-YEAR OLD RHEUMATIC VALVULAR HEART DISEASE PATIENT: A CASE REPORT

Background: Rheumatic valvular heart disease is a common complication of rheumatic fever; however combined mitral and tricuspid stenosis is an extremely rare form of multi-valve disease presentation. Case Presentation: We report a case of combined mitral and tricuspid stenosis from rheumatic heart disease (RHD) in a 47-year-old woman who was being managed for hypertensive heart disease (HHDx) on anti-hypertensives for 2yrs prior to presentation. However, on further review with transthoracic echocardiography (TTE), she was found to have thickened mitral valve and hockey stick appearance with dilated left atrium (dimension of 60mm) and reduced left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) of 45%. A repeat TTE done 8 years after the first one showed a severely dilated left atrium (LAD 71mm) with estimated area of 55.4cm2; moderate mitral stenosis and severe tricuspid stenosis with moderate TR. The LVEF was 29% with a severe right ventricular (RV) systolic dysfunction (TAPSE of 9mm). Patient is being managed conservatively due to economic constraints and the likelihood of very poor surgical outcome due to severe biventricular dysfunction. Conclusion: The case is reported for its rarity as well as the importance of interval evaluation of unaffected valves in a setting of single valve disease for early detection and possible prompt treatment and intervention.</jats:p