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The use of drugs and other related substances in the construction industry is fast becoming a serious challenge. These substances when abused could have negative impact on the psyche of workers which affects the success of construction projects. This study therefore assesses the impact of substance abuse on construction projects with view to suggest possible measures for ameliorating those impacts towards successful project management. Questionnaire was used in collecting the data; mean score and charts were the instruments used in analysing the data. The major causes of substance abuse on construction sites were the stress of working long hours and pressure to meet up with strict deadlines. Substances commonly abused were locally brewed beer (burkutu), cannabis and prescription drugs such as emzol and tutoline. The rate of substance abuse among construction was adjudged to be high. Substance abuse affects workers’ ability to achieve project specifications, compromises clients’ satisfaction, causes cost and time overruns. The study suggests developing workplace drug and alcohol policies, pre-employment and random testing of workers and harsh punitive measures for offenders as effective strategies against substance abuse on construction sites in the study area. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Cystic ovarian lesions are defined by an ovarian fluid containing space limited by a membrane. The exact prevalence of the disease is unknown. A proper diagnosis is imperative for the choice of appropriate therapy. The objective of this study is to establish the different histological variants of ovarian cysts diagnosed at the Histopathology Department of Jos University Teaching Hospital between January 1,2000 and December 31,2019. Methodology: This is a descriptive study of consecutive cases of ovarian cysts at the Jos University Teaching Hospital, Jos, Nigeria between January 1, 2000 and December 31, 2019. Demographic and histopathologic data were collated from patients' request forms and duplicate copies of histology reports of all histologically diagnosed cases of ovarian cysts at the Histopathology Department during the study period. Result: A total of 236cases of cystic ovarian lesions were seen during the period of the study. Benign and malignant cases constituted 226(95.76%) and 10(4.24%) cases respectively. Corpus luteum cyst was the commonest histological type accounting for 28.33% of cases. Lesions located on the right ovary were 145(61.44%), while those on the left were 95(40.25%). The commonest symptom was abdominal pain. The age range was 4-70years, with a mean, median and mode of 35.02+11.9 years, 33.0years, and 35.0 years respectively. Conclusion: The vast majority of ovarian cysts in our environment are benign, and commonly occurs in women during their reproductive age. Abdominal pain is the commonest presentation and cysts of the ovary occur more on the right. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

River pollution in the urban areas is a common problem in many parts of Nigeria. This study examines the physico-chemical and biological parameters of the river Delimi within the Jos urban area. The specific objectives were to identify the dominant activities that constitute factors of pollution, and assess the pollution levels at different activity positions and different times of the year. Eight water samples were collected at eight locations on the river stretching from the entry point of the river to the outlet point. The results of the water analyses were compared with the WHO and National/NAFDAC water quality standards for drinking and irrigation. The results show that the concentration of pH, electrical conductivity, total dissolve solid, hydrocarbon, lead iron and BOD exceed the WHO and NAFDAC standards. Cobalt, chromium, nickel, potassium, sodium and manganese values are below the contaminant level for all the eight sample points. E. coli Drancuculum larvae, hydra-organisms, small fishes, small snails' Paramecium and Spirogyra were significantly present in the water samples. In order to improve the quality of the water, there is need for control or prevention of pollution activities along the river course. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Previous studies in Nigeria have reported the presence of hepatitis B virus (HBV) genotype E and the availability of immune escape mutants. There is a paucity of data on chronic patients on long-term antiviral therapy for HBV infection. Objective: This study assessed HBV genotypes and drug resistance variants among patients with chronic HBV infection receiving tenofovir in Jos, Nigeria. Methods: This cross-sectional study consecutively enrolled 101 patients (51 with HIV/HBV co-infection and 50 with HBV infection only) on antiviral therapy from February 2018 to May 2019 at four hospitals in Jos, Nigeria. DNA quantification of HBV was performed on all samples; 30 samples with detectable viral load were selected for genotyping using Sanger sequencing by targeting the full-length sequences of reverse transcriptase gene of the HBV genome. Phylogenetic analysis was performed with reference sequences from GenBank. Escape mutant and drug resistance analysis were performed using HBV drug resistance interpretation and Geno2pheno. Results: Only 30 (29.7%) of the 101 study participants had detectable HBV DNA. Of these, six (20.0%) isolates were successfully amplified and sequenced. The identified genotype was E, including escape mutations L127R (16.7%) and G145A (16.7%). Conclusion: This study revealed exclusive dominance of genotype E in Nigeria. The S gene mutations G145A and L271R are known to be associated with modified antigenicity and impaired serologic assays, which may cause false negatives in the detection of anti-HBV surface antigen. The presence of mutants that are associated with vaccine immune escape may also have diagnostic and vaccine immune response implications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Cystic ovarian lesions are defined by an ovarian fluid containing space limited by a membrane. The exact prevalence of the disease is unknown. A proper diagnosis is imperative for the choice of appropriate therapy. The objective of this study is to establish the different histological variants of ovarian cysts diagnosed at the Histopathology Department of Jos University Teaching Hospital between January 1,2000 and December 31,2019. Methodology: This is a descriptive study of consecutive cases of ovarian cysts at the Jos University Teaching Hospital, Jos, Nigeria between January 1, 2000 and December 31, 2019. Demographic and histopathologic data were collated from patients' request forms and duplicate copies of histology reports of all histologically diagnosed cases of ovarian cysts at the Histopathology Department during the study period. Result: A total of 236cases of cystic ovarian lesions were seen during the period of the study. Benign and malignant cases constituted 226(95.76%) and 10(4.24%) cases respectively. Corpus luteum cyst was the commonest histological type accounting for 28.33% of cases. Lesions located on the right ovary were 145(61.44%), while those on the left were 95(40.25%). The commonest symptom was abdominal pain. The age range was 4-70years, with a mean, median and mode of 35.02+11.9 years, 33.0years, and 35.0 years respectively. Conclusion: The vast majority of ovarian cysts in our environment are benign, and commonly occurs in women during their reproductive age. Abdominal pain is the commonest presentation and cysts of the ovary occur more on the right. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of the study was to establish the vitamin-mineral status of children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) who exhibit attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Four research questions were formulated for the study. A quasi-experimental of ex post facto research design was used. The study was conducted in four special schools and clinical centers in Jos Township, Nigeria. The study population were children with autism spectrum disorders, who were diagnosed with the ADHD characteristics of poor attention (short attention span), hyperactivity (out-of-seat), and impulsivity. The results of the study revealed a missing or reduced vitamin-mineral status of the participating children in most of the vitamin-mineral elements tested. There was also a reduction in the exhibition of ADHD in the experimental group as a result of vitamin-mineral supplementation. The study concluded that vitamin-mineral elements deficiency in children with ASD resulted in their ADHD and recommended regular testing of children to ensure their vitamin-mineral levels are in balance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: To achieve early diagnosis and effective treatment of pulmonary tuberculosis, simple and sensitive methods that enhance the detection of Mycobacterium tuberculosis (M. tuberculosis) from clinical specimens are needed. This study compared the effectiveness and suitability of an insertion sequence (IS 6110) based polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assay with conventional methods for the detection of M. tuberculosis from clinical specimens in a resource-limited setting. Methods: Sputa from 101 HIV-positive patients and 40 clinical specimens (sputa, gastic wash out, ascitic fluid, pleural fluid and cerebrospinal fluid) collected from children (HIV status unknown), all suspected for pulmonary tuberculosis at the Jos University Teaching Hospital, Jos, (JUTH) Nigeria, were examined by Ziehl Neelsen (ZN) smear microscopy, Lowenstein Jensen's (LJ) egg-based culture, and PCR methods for the detection of M. tuberculosis Results: Mycobacteria was detected in 45/101 (44.6%) of the specimens from the HIV-positive patients and comprised of 6% ZN+culture+PCR+, 4% ZN-culture+ PCR-, 16% ZN-culture+ PCR+ and 19% ZN-culture-PCR+. Twenty-two of forty (55%) children were positive with 0% smear microscopy; 4/40 (10%) culture+PCR+; and 18/40 (45%) culture- PCR+. The sensitivity and specificity of the PCR for the HIV-positive patients were 85% and 74% respectively against 23% and 100% for ZN smear microscopy. Conclusion: The IS6110 PCR is a rapid and sensitive method that is specific for the M. tuberculosis complex group. It is simple in our experience and increased the detection of M. tuberculosis from the specimens examined. We suggest its use for the detection of M. tuberculosis in high TB and HIV burden areas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]