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Background: Early Childhood Caries (ECC) is a prevalent dental condition among children under six years, characterized by tooth decay linked to microbial interaction with sugary substances. ECC poses significant health risks, including pain, infections, and tooth loss, impacting oral health and overall well-being. Objective: This systematic review and meta-analysis aims to comprehensively evaluate the epidemiology of Early Childhood Caries (ECC) in Nigeria. The study seeks to consolidate existing literature, assess study quality, and analyze data on ECC prevalence, distribution, and severity across different regions of Nigeria. Methods: Following Meta-Analysis of Observational Studies in Epidemiology (MOOSE) guidelines, databases including PubMed/MEDLINE, Cochrane, Scopus, and African Journals Online were systematically searched. Inclusion criteria encompass cross-sectional and cohort studies reporting ECC prevalence in healthy Nigerian children under six. Data extraction will utilize standardized protocols, focusing on WHO criteria such as dmft scores and caries severity. Quality assessment will be conducted using the Joanna Briggs Institute (JBI) Critical Appraisal Checklist for Prevalence Studies. Results: Initial searches identified a scarcity of comprehensive studies, predominantly from southern Nigeria, highlighting the absence of national-level data on ECC in Nigeria. Data synthesis will explore geographic and demographic factors influencing ECC prevalence and severity, aiming to provide a holistic understanding of the disease burden. Conclusion: This review addresses the critical gap in ECC epidemiology within Nigeria, aiming to inform targeted interventions and policy decisions. By synthesizing available data, the study aims to contribute towards improving oral health outcomes among Nigerian children.

Introduction: Leptomeningeal melanocytomas are rare tumours originating from neural crest derived melanocytes. They are usually solitary and presentation with multifocal meningeal melanocytoma is very rare and indicative of potentially more aggressive behaviour. This case report and scoping review sought to evaluate the presentation, and key radiological features that can help differentiate multifocal meningeal melanocytoma from other differentials and provide a discussion of the key management and prognostic points once these tumours are diagnosed. Case presentation: A 26 year old male presented with neck pain radiating to both shoulders and subjective weakness in left shoulder movement. MRI demonstrated a large enhancing C2–C3 intradural-extramedullary lesion with further lesions at the T7/T8 level, left cerebellopontine angle and midline suprachiasmatic region. Whilst the imaging appearances were initially thought be indicative of a phacomatosis such as NF2-related schwannomatosis, surgical excision of the cervical tumour confirmed a melanocytic tumour of leptomeningeal origin, consistent with multifocal meningeal melanocytoma. Patient made a good post-operative recovery and remains under half yearly radiological surveillance, with repeat MRI 6 months after surgery demonstrating subtle growth of the untreated intracranial and spinal lesions. Literature review and conclusions: This is the first description, to our knowledge, of a multifocal meningeal melanocytoma associated with both cerebellopontine angle and suprasellar lesions. This case and included scoping review highlight the need to consider this rare diagnosis whenever multifocal craniospinal lesions are encountered, and the need to consider aggressive management through surgical resection and adjuvant craniospinal radiotherapy once these tumours are diagnosed.

Cybertechnologies have become so important to human daily engagements that society can hardly do anything outside these ubiquitous technologies. These technologies have a great impact on the economy, as well as the social well-being of citizens in developed and third world countries. The dependence on digital technologies is useful in every sector of society. The consistent call for the adoption of digital technologies in education has seen different governments in advanced and developing nations of the world introducing the use of information and communication technologies (ICT) at the different facets of education. This introduction of ICT has brought in the use of the Internet in education which in turn has exposed the learners to the various threats that come with exposure to the Internet or cybertechnology. The internet is believed to have played a prominent role in facilitating the Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR) in the different sectors of the world economy, most especially education. However, cybertechnology has brought a new dimension of threats ranging from cyber-bullying, identity theft, scamming, advanced fee fraud, and so many other dangers to humans’ daily existence. None of the citizens in the developed and developing nations of the world is immune from these crimes committed in cyberspace; therefore, there is a need to introduce school children to cybersecurity education as early as possible. It is in light of the foregoing that this systematic review proposes the Action Cybercrime Prevention Programme to equip school children with knowledge and skills that would minimise their exposure to dangers inherent in the use of information and communication technology (ICT) and the Internet for education and social purposes. This systematic review discusses the intergenerational effects of the proposed Action Cybercrime Prevention Programme on young learners to educate their parents or grandparents from falling victim to cybercrimes.

Environmental sanitation problems are a bane in cities in developing countries caused by poor sanitation behavior of individuals, particularly adolescents. Several recommendations have been made to effectively curb the menace, one of which is environmental education. The impact of education especially among adolescents who are forming lifelong behaviors is however not adequately documented. This study is a quasi-experimental research designed to fill this gap toward ameliorating sanitation problems in the city. From six schools selected in the municipality, 185 adolescents were selected from both public- and private-owned secondary schools in Ibadan, Nigeria, using multistage sampling. Information was collected through a structured questionnaire administered to the sampled adolescents before and after eight weeks of an environmental education intervention. The study revealed that the intervention significantly improved the adolescents’ environmental sanitation knowledge and behavior. The study concludes that environmental education has to be efficiently incorporated into learning process to curb the ever-present sanitation problems effectively.

Background: Personalization of complete dentures (CDs) may improve their acceptance by patients. This study sought to develop an individualized predictive model for central incisor length in CDs based on the relationship of the incisive papilla with central incisors. Methods: Seventy-three adult participants were included in the study. The vertical distance (VD) and horizontal distance (HD) from the incisive papilla to the central incisor margins and the mean crown heights (CHs) of both central incisors were determined and recorded along with potential confounders. Bivariate and multivariate analyses were performed to develop a best-fit model equation for predicting the CH from the VD and HD. Results: Thirty-seven males and 36 females (mean age: 33.4 ± 7.8 years) participated in the study. The ovoid arch form (61.6%) was the most common, whereas the square-shaped arch form (4.1%) was the least common. The mean CH, HD, and VD were 10.12 ± 1.02 mm, 10.64 ± 1.36 mm, and 8.00 ± 1.19 mm, respectively. Further, 49% of CH variability (Model 1) was explained by HD (b = 0.61, t = 7.02, P < 0.001) and VD (b = 0.29, t = 3.29, P = 0.002). Participant sex (Model 2) explained another 3% CH variability (b =0.18, t = 2.09, P = 0.04). The predictive equation from Model 2 was CH (mm) = 3.28+ (0.46 × HD) + (0.22 × VD) +0.37 × participant sex. Conclusion: The central incisor CH can be predicted with 52% accuracy using the equation CH (mm) =3.28 + (0.46 × HD) + (0.22 × VD) + 0.37 × participant sex. This finding may aid the fabrication of more individualized dentures.

Background: Dental caries as a disease entity has not been eradicated but controlled worldwide. The predictors of dental caries play a significant role in the holistic approach in the management of dental caries. The aim of this study is to evaluate the predictors of dental caries among adult population in North West Nigeria. Material and Methods: The study populations consist of adults between 20-60 years old, with diagnosis of dental caries (case) and those without dental caries (control), both were confirmed after intraoral examination. A multistage sampling technique was employed to select the study respondents. Mouth mirror and caries explorer (dental probe) were used for intraoral examination to confirm diagnosis of dental caries. An initial calibration of the research assistants was done on intraoral examination by the principal researcher, assessing the same respondents examined by the research assistants. Data was analyzed using SPSS Statistical software version 20.0. Results: The older age groups were 4% less likely to have caries (p

BackgroundCerebrospinal fluid rhinorrhoea (CSFR) is a common complication following endonasal skull base surgery, a technique that is fundamental to the treatment of pituitary adenomas and many other skull base tumours. The CRANIAL study explored CSFR incidence and related risk factors, particularly skull base repair techniques, via a multicentre prospective observational study. We sought to use machine learning to leverage this complex multicentre dataset for CSFR prediction and risk factor analysis.MethodsA dataset of 865 cases - 725 transsphenoidal approach (TSA) and 140 expanded endonasal approach (EEA) - with cerebrospinal fluid rhinorrhoea as the primary outcome, was used. Relevant variables were extracted from the data, and prediction variables were divided into two categories, preoperative risk factors; and repair techniques, with 6 and 11 variables respectively. Three types of machine learning models were developed in order to predict CSFR: logistic regression (LR); decision tree (DT); and neural network (NN). Models were validated using 5-fold cross-validation, compared via their area under the curve (AUC) evaluation metric, and key prediction variables were identified using their Shapley additive explanations (SHAP) score.ResultsCSFR rates were 3.9% (28/725) for the transsphenoidal approach and 7.1% (10/140) for the expanded endonasal approach. NNs outperformed LR and DT for CSFR prediction, with a mean AUC of 0.80 (0.70-0.90) for TSA and 0.78 (0.60-0.96) for EEA, when all risk factor and intraoperative repair data were integrated into the model. The presence of intraoperative CSF leak was the most prominent risk factor for CSFR. Elevated BMI and revision surgery were also associated with CSFR for the transsphenoidal approach. CSF diversion and gasket sealing appear to be strong predictors of the absence of CSFR for both approaches.ConclusionNeural networks are effective at predicting CSFR and uncovering key CSFR predictors in patients following endonasal skull base surgery, outperforming traditional statistical methods. These models will be improved further with larger and more granular datasets, improved NN architecture, and external validation. In the future, such predictive models could be used to assist surgical decision-making and support more individualised patient counselling.

The period of maintenance and rehabilitation of asphalt concrete pavement can be increased by using fibres as reinforcement in a bituminous mix. Shredded Sisal fibre (Agave sisalana) and Sponge gourd (Luffa cylindrical) were used as reinforcements in bituminous mix. The fibres were added to hot mix asphalt in varying proportion of 0.1%, 0.2%, 0.3%, 0.4% and 0.5% by weight. The strength of fibre reinforced asphalt concrete was determined by conducting Marshall stability test. The tensile strength on 40 strands of fibre gave 167.43 N/mm2 and 24.58 N/mm2 for Sisal fibre and sponge gourd fibre respectively. Marshall Stability test results indicated that Sisal fibre gave minimum and maximum values of 4.46 kN and 5.54 kN, respectively, which exceeded the 3.5 kN minimum stability value for wearing course in the Nigerian General Specification for Roads and Bridges. The flow values obtained showed that the flow values are more than the 4 mm minimum value except for 0.1 sisal fibre dosage which has a value of 3.99 mm. The high flow values obtained was an indication of the reinforcing effects of the fibres which made the asphalt concrete stronger and hence have great resistance to plastic deformation.

Introduction: Ethnic diversity has significantly increased within European countries since World War II for several reasons. However, there continues to be a contrasting lag in leadership positions within healthcare circles, and neurosurgery is no exception. Under-representation of minorities is a contributory factor to recurring problems of healthcare inequality. Research question: The European Association of Neurosurgical Societies (EANS) Diversity Committee (DC) set out to examine trends in underrepresented minority (URM) representation in leadership positions across Europe. Material and methods: Data on the race and ethnicity of departmental heads across the units in the European nations was collated. We defined the term ‘ethnic minority’ in line with the criteria set by the European Commission against Racism and Intolerance (ECRI). The percentage of URM among the European neurosurgical units was analysed against the demographics of the respective countries to assess whether there was a corresponding association. Results: The percentage of URM representation was low across most European countries. Countries with the highest immigration rates e.g. Great Britain and Germany had the highest rates of representation within the neurosurgical leadership in comparison to other countries. The Balkan states had zero rates of URM representation within the neurosurgical leadership. Discussion and conclusion: Our findings demonstrate that URM representation in neurosurgical leadership across European countries is significantly low. Selection policies, training curricula and recruitment processes aimed at improving health inequality are necessary. Further studies are needed to elucidate the factors contributing to the low participation of URM in neurosurgical leadership.

ObjectiveDespite progress in endonasal skull-base neurosurgery, cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) rhinorrhoea remains common and significant. The CRANIAL study sought to determine 1) the scope of skull-base repair methods used, and 2) corresponding rates of postoperative CSF rhinorrhoea in the endonasal transsphenoidal approach (TSA) and the expanded endonasal approach (EEA) for skull-base tumors.MethodsA prospective observational cohort study of 30 centres performing endonasal skull-base neurosurgery in the UK and Ireland (representing 91% of adult units). Patients were identified for 6 months and followed up for 6 months. Data collection and analysis was guided by our published protocol and pilot studies. Descriptive statistics, univariate and multivariable logistic regression models were used for analysis.ResultsA total of 866 patients were included - 726 TSA (84%) and 140 EEA (16%). There was significant heterogeneity in repair protocols across centres. In TSA cases, nasal packing (519/726, 72%), tissue glues (474/726, 65%) and hemostatic agents (439/726, 61%) were the most common skull base repair techniques. Comparatively, pedicled flaps (90/140, 64%), CSF diversion (38/140, 27%), buttresses (17/140, 12%) and gasket sealing (11/140, 9%) were more commonly used in EEA cases. CSF rhinorrhoea (biochemically confirmed or requiring re-operation) occurred in 3.9% of TSA (28/726) and 7.1% of EEA (10/140) cases. A significant number of patients with CSF rhinorrhoea (15/38, 39%) occurred when no intraoperative CSF leak was reported. On multivariate analysis, there may be marginal benefits with using tissue glues in TSA (OR: 0.2, CI: 0.1-0.7, p

As a result of globalization of digital technology, intellectual discourse on what constitutes the basic body of architectural knowledge to be imparted to future professionals has been on the increase. This digital revolution has brought to the fore the need to review the already overloaded architectural education curriculum of Nigerian schools of architecture to have substantial computing content. This paper seeks to propose a new framework of integrating teaching of CAAD into curriculum of schools of architecture in Nigeria. Covenant University, the best private university and the second best university in Nigeria according to the 2014 Webometrics ranking was selected for this study. Content analysis method was adopted for the purpose of this study. Best practice from a selected school of architecture was understudied and Covenant University architectural curriculum was used as a model for developing a new framework for integration and teaching of computer aided architectural design (CAAD) in schools of architecture in Nigeria. The study concludes that integration of the developed new framework into the curricula of schools of architecture in Nigeria will aid in effective teaching of CAAD and consequently lead to higher competency and global competitiveness rating of future professional graduates from the schools.

Movement-related oscillations in the beta range (from 13 to 30 Hz) have been observed over sensorimotor areas with power decrease (i.e., event-related desynchronization, ERD) during motor planning and execution followed by an increase (i.e., event-related synchronization, ERS) after the movement’s end. These phenomena occur during active, passive, imaged, and observed movements. Several electrophysiology studies have used beta ERD and ERS as functional indices of sensorimotor integrity, primarily in diseases affecting the motor system. Recent literature also highlights other characteristics of beta ERD and ERS, implying their role in processes not strictly related to motor function. Here we review studies about movement-related ERD and ERS in diseases characterized by motor dysfunction, including Parkinson’s disease, dystonia, stroke, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, cerebral palsy, and multiple sclerosis. We also review changes of beta ERD and ERS reported in physiological aging, Alzheimer’s disease, and schizophrenia, three conditions without overt motor symptoms. The review of these works shows that ERD and ERS abnormalities are present across the spectrum of the examined pathologies as well as development and aging. They further suggest that cognition and movement are tightly related processes that may share common mechanisms regulated by beta modulation. Future studies with a multimodal approach are warranted to understand not only the specific topographical dynamics of movement-related beta modulation but also the general meaning of beta frequency changes occurring in relation to movement and cognitive processes at large. Such an approach will provide the foundation to devise and implement novel therapeutic approaches to neuropsychiatric disorders.

Abstract Movement is accompanied by beta power changes over frontal and sensorimotor regions: a decrease during movement (event-related desynchronization, ERD), followed by an increase (event-related synchronization, ERS) after the movement end. We previously found that enhancements of beta modulation (from ERD to ERS) during a reaching test (mov) occur over frontal and left sensorimotor regions after practice in a visuo-motor adaptation task (ROT) but not after visual learning practice. Thus, these enhancements may reflect local cumulative effects of motor learning. Here we verified whether they are triggered by the learning component inherent in ROT or simply by motor practice in a reaching task without such learning (MOT). We found that beta modulation during mov increased over frontal and left areas after three-hour practice of either ROT or MOT. However, the frontal increase was greater after ROT, while the increase over the left area was similar after the two tasks. These findings confirm that motor practice leaves local traces in beta power during a subsequent motor test. As they occur after motor tasks with and without learning, these traces likely express the cost of processes necessary for both usage and engagement of long-term potentiation mechanisms necessary for the learning required by ROT.

This is a case of primary diffuse large B-cell lymphoma involving the uterine cervix which presented with irregular vaginal bleeding. The diagnosis was confirmed following multiple cervical biopsies. Treatment with a combination of immunotherapy, chemotherapy (rituximab, cyclophosphamide, doxorubicin, vincristine and prednisolone (R-CHOP)) and radiotherapy produced a good response. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Context: Private practice dentistry is predominant in Nigeria. Audits of fixed-prosthodontic practice in these settings are rare and will highlight capacity and guide training. This study aimed to assess the scope and quality of fixed-prosthodontic practice in such settings in Nigeria. Objectives: The study sought to assess: • Participants’ sociodemographic and their diagnostic and preoperative practices. • The quality of impression making and operative technique, reviews and maintenance, temporization practices and communication with the laboratory. • The range of treatments given and provision of advanced treatments. Materials and Methods: An adapted questionnaire was administered electronically on Nigerian dentists practicing fixed-prosthodontics in private practice settings. Retrieved data underwent descriptive statistics and associations were tested with the Fischer’s Exact and Chi-Square tests using IBM SPSS Statistics version 21. Statistical significance was set at p≤0.05. Results: A total of 100 valid responses with a male:female ratio of 2.1:1 from 16 states were retrieved. Fifty-nine participants had only first degrees and mean experience was 14.3±9.5 years. There were 27 adequate responses with regards to range of treatments offered. Sixty-three participants practiced direct temporization. Twenty-one and 14 participants regularly practiced implantology and CAD/CAM dentistry respectively. Direct temporization was significantly associated with increasing education (X2=6.03, p=0,05) and experience (X2=13.2, p=0.03). Conclusion: Only a few Nigerian dentists in private practice gave an adequate range of treatment. Most of them prefer direct temporization. Implantology and CAD/CAM dentistry practice are improving, but are still not very common.

Emmanuel Alalade,1 Jena Bilinovic,1 Ana Gabriela Walch,1 Candice Burrier,1,2 Christopher Mckee,1,2 Joseph Tobias1,2 1Department of Anesthesiology & Pain Medicine, Nationwide Children’s Hospital, Columbus, OH, USA; 2Department of Anesthesiology & Pain Medicine, The Ohio State University College of Medicine, Columbus, OH, USACorrespondence: Emmanuel AlaladeDepartment of Anesthesiology & Pain Medicine, Nationwide Children’s Hospital, 700 Children’s Drive, Columbus, Ohio 43205, USATel +1 614 722-4200Fax +1 614 722-4203Email Emmanuel.Alalade@Nationwidechildrens.orgAbstract: The opioid crisis in the United States has been pandemic. As such, anesthesia providers are frequently faced with patients who have a history of opioid abuse or are currently receiving chronic therapy for such disorders. The chronic administration of medications such as buprenorphine-naloxone can impact the choice of perioperative anesthesia and pain control. Furthermore, the postoperative administration of opioids may lead to relapse in patients with a history of opioid abuse. We present a 26-year-old male with a history of opioid abuse on maintenance therapy with buprenorphine-naloxone, who presented for median sternotomy, cardiopulmonary bypass, and pulmonary valve replacement. The perioperative implications of buprenorphine-naloxone and implementation of multimodal analgesia are discussed, along with options to decrease or eliminate the perioperative use of opioids.Keywords: buprenorphine/naloxone, cardiac surgery, opioid use disorder, opioid tolerant patients, addiction

For the safe and efficient operation of dams, frequent monitoring and maintenance are required. These are usually expensive, time consuming, and cumbersome. To alleviate these issues, we propose applying a wave-based scheme for the location and quantification of damages in dams. To obtain high-resolution “interpretable” images of the damaged regions, we drew inspiration from non-linear full-multigrid methods for inverse problems and applied a new cyclic multi-stage full-waveform inversion (FWI) scheme. Our approach is less susceptible to the stability issues faced by the standard FWI scheme when dealing with ill-posed problems. In this paper, we first selected an optimal acquisition setup and then applied synthetic data to demonstrate the capability of our approach in identifying a series of anomalies in dams by a mixture of reflection and transmission tomography. The results had sufficient robustness, showing the prospects of application in the field of non-destructive testing of dams.