Data mining of the essential causes of different types of fatal construction accidents.

Accident analysis is used to discover the causes of workplace injuries and devise methods for preventing them in the future. There has been little discussion in the previous studies of the specific elements contributing to deadly construction accidents. In contrast to previous studies, this study focuses on the causes of fatal construction accidents based on management factors, unsafe site conditions, and workers' unsafe actions. The association rule mining technique identifies the hidden patterns or knowledge between the root causes of fatal construction accidents, and one hundred meaningful association rules were extracted from the two hundred and fifty-three rules generated. It was discovered that many fatal construction accidents were caused by management factors, unsafe site circumstances, and risky worker behaviors. These analyses can be used to demonstrate plausible cause-and-effect correlations, assisting in building a safer working environment in the construction sector. The study findings can be used more efficiently to design effective inspection procedures and occupational safety initiatives. Finally, the proposed method should be tested in a broader range of construction situations and scenarios to ensure that it is as accurate as possible.

Effects of melarsamine hydrochloride (Cymelarsan) and diminazene aceturate (Berenil) on the pathology of experimental Trypanosoma brucei infection in red fronted gazelles (Gazella rufifrons).

An experimental infection of red fronted gazelles (Gazella rufifrons) with Trypanosoma brucei strain MKAR/84/NITR/6 was carried out. Two waves of parasitaemia which corresponded with a significant decline (p<0.05) in packed cell volume (PCV) was encountered in the infected untreated controls and those treated at day 8 post-infection with a sub-optimal dosage of diminazene aceturate (Berenil) at 3.5 mg/kg body weight. At postmortem, hepatomegally, splenomegally, lymphadenopathy, nephritis, myocardial degeneration with pulmonary oedema was observed in the two groups. Similarly, histopathological studies of some organs revealed interstitial haemorrhages, severe degenerative changes with cellular infiltrations. On the other hand, those treated by day 8 post-infection with melarsamine hydrochloride (Cymelarsan) at 0.3 mg/kg, 0.6 mg/kg or diminazene aceturate (Berenil) at 7.0 mg/kg body weight had apparently normal organs at the end of the experiment. These results suggest that, T. brucei can cause severe pathological changes in untreated red fronted gazelles (Gazella rufifrons). However, treatments at the onset of parasitaemia, by day 8 post-infection with melarsamine hydrochloride (Cymelarsan) at 0.3 and 0.6 mg/kg or diminazene aceturate (Berenil) at 7.0 mg/kg body weight ameliorated the deleterious effects of the infection in the gazelles.

The clinico-pathology and mechanisms of trypanosomosis in captive and free-living wild animals: a review.

Reports on the clinico-pathology and mechanisms of trypanosomosis in free-living and captive wild animals showed that clinical disease and outbreaks occur more commonly among captive than free-living wild animals. This is because the free-living wild animals co-exist with the disease until subjected to captivity. In exceptional cases however, draught, starvation and intercurrent diseases often compromised trypanotolerance leading to overt trypanosomosis in free-living wild animals. Meanwhile, in captivity, space restriction, reduced social interactions, change in social herd structure, reduced specie-to-specie specific behaviors, altered habitat and translocation were the major stressors that precipitated the disease. The cumulative effect of these factors produced severe physiological and somatic stress leading to diminished immune response due to increased blood cortisol output from adrenal cortex. The major symptoms manifested were pyrexia, innapetence, increased respiration, anaemia, cachexia and death. At necropsy, pulmonary oedema, splenomegally, hepatomegally, lympadenopathy and atrophy of body fats were the gross changes encountered. At the ultra-structural level, the tissues manifested degenerative changes, haemorghages, necrosis and mononuclear cellular infiltrations. The mechanisms of cellular and tissue injuries were primarily associated with physical and metabolic activities of the organisms. From the foregoing, it is evident that stress is the underlying mechanism that compromises trypanotolerance in wild animals leading to severe clinico-pathological effects.

Caprine mycoplasmal mastitis in Nigeria.

In a study to investigate the current status of intramammary mycoplasmosis in caprine udders in Nigeria, a total of 57 and 24 milk samples were collected from udders of goats affected by mastitis and from apparently normal goats' udders, respectively. Acute and chronic mastitis were more commonly observed in goats between 1 and 3 years old. Mycoplasma agalactiae and Mycoplasma capricolum occurred at a significantly higher rate (p<0.05) in udders affected by mastitis than in normal healthy udders. Other mycoplasma occurring in low prevalence include Mycoplasma bovis and Mycoplasma mycoides subsp. mycoides LC. It is concluded that cultural (microbiological) surveillance is necessary for effective treatment and control of the disease in Nigeria.

Prevalence of contagious bovine pleuropneumonia (CBPP) in northern Nigeria.

An abattoir study on the prevalence of contagious bovine pleuropneumonia (CBPP) in five cattle-producing states of Nigeria from 1988 to 1997 was carried out. A total of 1,936,015 slaughtered cattle was examined for characteristic CBPP lung lesions. The overall lesion-based prevalence of CBPP was 0.29% (95% CI 0.24, 0. 35). The prevalence varied significantly (P<0.05) by state but not across the years. A total of 279 CBPP outbreaks occurred and overall vaccination coverage was only 9.7%, both varied over the years and across the states. The reasons for inadequate vaccination coverage for CBPP as well as the need for re-establishment of a national CBPP control programme are suggested.

Preliminary comparative studies on complement fixation, dot enzyme immunoassay, and western blotting for the detection of antibodies to Mycoplasma mycoides subspecies mycoides SC in Nigerian camel (Camelus dromedarius).

The serological prevalence of antibodies to Mycoplasma mycoides subsp. mycoides SC, the aetiological agent of contagious bovine pleuropneumonia (CBPP), was investigated in Nigerian camels. Fifty-eight serum samples were collected from slaughtered camels and examined by complement fixation (CFT), dot enzyme immunoassay and Western blots. Fourteen of the slaughtered camels examined had pneumonic lesions. All sera examined were negative by CFT but 7 (12.1%) and 4 (6.8%) were positive by dot enzyme immunoassay and Western blots, respectively. The serological evidence of M. mycoides subsp. mycoides SC in camels and its likely implication in the epidemiology of CBPP are discussed.