Pattern of skin diseases amongst children attending a dermatology clinic in Lagos, Nigeria

Introduction: Skin diseases constitute a major health problem affecting a large proportion of the population including children causing distress and disability. This study aimed to document the spectrum and frequency of skin diseases of children who attended the dermatology outpatient clinic of the Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH) Lagos, Nigeria. Methods: A cross-sectional study of children (18 years old and below) who attended the dermatology clinic between January 2004 and December 2016. Data obtained from the medical records of the patients included age, gender, clinical features, laboratory features and diagnosis. Skin diseases were classified into various groups. Results: There were 6373 children included in the study with a male to female ratio of 1:1.13. The most common disease categories were infections 1795 (26.1%), Eczematous conditions 1711 (24.9%), Infestations 936 (13.6%), papulosquamous disorders 547 (8.0%) and Bullous disorders 254 (3.7%). With respect to individual skin diseases, atopic dermatitis (AD) 1042 (15.1%) was the most common skin condition followed by papular urticaria 705 (10.2%) and tinea capitis 554 (8.1%). Infections were most common among infants and adolescents. Acneiform eruptions were common among adolescents while eczematous disorders were most common among children less than 5 years. Conclusion: The study highlights the common dermatoses seen in children in a specialized dermatology clinic in a developing country such as Nigeria. Most of the skin diseases observed can be controlled by proper environmental sanitation, adequate nutrition, reducing overcrowding, and promoting good health-seeking behavior among parents and caregivers. Information obtained from the study may guide training in dermatology especially among pediatricians

Consultants` Perspectives of Survival Strategies for Small and Medium Construction Firms at Infancy Stage

This study examines survival strategies for Small and Medium Construction Firms (SMCFs) at infancy stage as well as the factors affecting the adoption of these strategies. The study area is Uyo Metropolis in Akwa Ibom State, Nigeria. The study employed stratified random sampling technique to select a sample for the study. Primary data obtained from 103 validated questionnaires, administered to professionals in the built environment are analysed using percentage, mean score and Kruskal Wallis test. Results reveal that all the strategies examined in this study are significant for the survival of SMCFs at infancy stage; dominant among the factors are: innovativeness, required skills, willingness to take risk, entrepreneurial attitudes and behaviours, entrepreneurial organization structure and strategies, and financial resource management. The results further reveal that the dominant factors affecting the adoption of survival strategies for SMCFs at infancy stage are: availability and access to finance, the poor state of the country's infrastructure, poor managerial/executive capacity of the implementing agencies, characteristics of entrepreneurs and failure to adapt to the changing business environment. The study recommends that in addition to regular training to acquire required skills for effective management of the firms, SMCFs should also adopt any or a combination of the strategies highlighted, to survive in the current dynamic and competitive construction environment

Church Amalgamation: A Theological Rationale and Proposed Model

It is a sad reality but there are more churches every year that find it increasingly difficult to maintain the ministry effectiveness that they employed in years gone by. These struggling congregations face the option of closing their doors, partnering with another church or agency, or merging with another church with the hopes of continuing a ministry presence in their community. The merging or amalgamation of churches has been an increasingly popular option that many congregations are exploring but amalgamations are hard work and can be doomed to failure if the congregations involved do not discover the underlying theological reason why their churches failed in the first place. Churches fail when they stop being engaged in the missio Dei. The missio Dei is God's mission in the world to establish his Kingdom "on earth as it is in heaven." The church is a community of people in mission for God. Churches that are interested in amalgamation should consider following a model, like the one presented in this thesis, which focuses on understanding and fulfilling the mission of God within their context.ThesisMaster of Arts (MA

Rhinovirus infection induces cytotoxicity and delays wound healing in bronchial epithelial cells

BACKGROUND: Human rhinoviruses (RV), the most common triggers of acute asthma exacerbations, are considered not cytotoxic to the bronchial epithelium. Recent observations, however, have questioned this knowledge. The aim of this study was to evaluate the ability of RV to induce epithelial cytotoxicity and affect epithelial repair in-vitro. METHODS: Monolayers of BEAS-2B bronchial epithelial cells, seeded at different densities were exposed to RV serotypes 1b, 5, 7, 9, 14, 16. Cytotoxicity was assessed chromatometrically. Epithelial monolayers were mechanically wounded, exposed or not to RV and the repopulation of the damaged area was assessed by image analysis. Finally epithelial cell proliferation was assessed by quantitation of proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA) by flow cytometry. RESULTS: RV1b, RV5, RV7, RV14 and RV16 were able to induce considerable epithelial cytotoxicity, more pronounced in less dense cultures, in a cell-density and dose-dependent manner. RV9 was not cytotoxic. Furthermore, RV infection diminished the self-repair capacity of bronchial epithelial cells and reduced cell proliferation. CONCLUSION: RV-induced epithelial cytotoxicity may become considerable in already compromised epithelium, such as in the case of asthma. The RV-induced impairment on epithelial proliferation and self-repair capacity may contribute to the development of airway remodeling

Mechanical compression attenuates normal human bronchial epithelial wound healing

Background: Airway narrowing associated with chronic asthma results in the transmission of injurious compressive forces to the bronchial epithelium and promotes the release of pro-inflammatory mediators and the denudation of the bronchial epithelium. While the individual effects of compression or denudation are well characterized, there is no data to elucidate how these cells respond to the application of mechanical compression in the presence of a compromised epithelial layer. Methods: Accordingly, differentiated normal human bronchial epithelial cells were exposed to one of four conditions: 1) unperturbed control cells, 2) single scrape wound only, 3) static compression (6 hours of 30 cmH(2)O), and 4) 6 hours of static compression after a scrape wound. Following treatment, wound closure rate was recorded, media was assayed for mediator content and the cytoskeletal network was fluorescently labeled. Results: We found that mechanical compression and scrape injury increase TGF-beta 2 and endothelin-1 secretion, while EGF content in the media is attenuated with both injury modes. The application of compression after a pre-existing scrape wound augmented these observations, and also decreased PGE(2) media content. Compression stimulated depolymerization of the actin cytoskeleton and significantly attenuated wound healing. Closure rate was partially restored with the addition of exogenous PGE(2), but not EGF. Conclusion: Our results suggest that mechanical compression reduces the capacity of the bronchial epithelium to close wounds, and is, in part, mediated by PGE(2) and a compromised cytoskeleton