Investigation of low-resistivity from hydrogenated lightly B-doped diamond by ion implantation.

We have implanted boron (B) ions (dosage: 5×10 cm) into diamond and then hydrogenated the sample by implantating hydrogen ions at room temperature. A p-type diamond material with a low resistivity of 7.37 mΩ cm has been obtained in our experiment, which suggests that the hydrogenation of B-doped diamond results in a low-resistivity p-type material.

The pattern of malaria infection in under-fives in Ile-Ife, Nigeria.

Over 90% of the burden of malaria occurs in sub-Saharan Africa. Children, especially under-fives, are the most vulnerable. In Nigeria, Africa's most populous nation, it accounts for 25 and 30% of infant and childhood deaths, respectively.

Expression of claudins 1, 4, 5, and 7 and occludin, and relationship with prognosis in squamous cell carcinoma of the tongue.

Claudins and occludin are tight junctional proteins known to play a role in normal tissues and epithelial tumors. We analyzed the distribution patterns of claudins 1, 4, 5, and 7 and occludin in the superficial and invasive front of squamous cell carcinoma of the tongue of 97 patients and their relationship to cause-specific (squamous cell carcinoma of the tongue) patient survival (median follow-up period of 33.5 months; range, 1-234 months).

An exploratory analysis of neurocognition in methamphetamine-induced psychotic disorder and paranoid schizophrenia.

Objective: This exploratory study compared the neurocognitive performances of individuals with methamphetamine-induced psychotic disorder (MA psychosis) and paranoid schizophrenia.

Background: MA psychosis presents very similarly to paranoid schizophrenia and the relationship between the 2 disorders is not well-understood. Neurocognitive functioning is one potential factor for comparison, as deficits are documented in both schizophrenia and methamphetamine dependence.

Fanhdi, efficacy and safety in von Willebrand's disease: prospective international study results.

Unlabelled: Recently, three multicentre prospective international studies have been carried out to evaluate the clinical efficacy and safety of Fanhdi [high-purity, double-inactivated plasma-derived factor VIII/von Willebrand factor (VWF) concentrate] in patients with von Willebrand's disease (VWD). Pharmacokinetic parameters, clinical efficacy and safety of Fanhdi in acute bleedings episodes or invasive procedures were determined in this population.

Results: Pharmacokinetic parameters observed were similar to previous reported for other highly purified plasma-derived FVIII/VWF concentrate.

AIDS care in Nigeria: are nurses comfortable performing procedures?

Nurses' feeling of comfort during care is important to stay on the job and for their choice of specialty of care. This study aimed to assess nurses' level of comfort in providing care to patients living with AIDS and to determine the sociodemographic variables that influence nurses' comfort. Nurses in four hospitals in Nigeria (n = 277) were surveyed using a questionnaire that elicited information on their demographic characteristics, previous AIDS encounter, and their comfort taking vital signs, casually handling, administering enema and mouth-to-mouth resuscitation, and in recommending exercise and physical therapy to patients living with AIDS.

An alternative approach to carbon nanotube sample preparation for TEM investigation.

A two-stage replication technique (positive replica) is shown to be suitable for transmission electron microscopy (TEM) examination of carbon nanotubes (CNTs) and other one-dimensional nanostructures in their longitudinal direction. This method enables handling the fragile nanostructures, is fast and simple and allows to study the growth mechanism of nanofeatures, including the early stages of their growth. CNTs may also be examined when the growth layers are very thin, and even when only a few nanotubes are on a substrate.

Claudins 1, 4, 5, 7 and occludin in ameloblastomas and developing human teeth.

Background: To analyze the distribution pattern of claudins 1, 4, 5, 7 and occludin in benign and malignant ameloblastomas and developing human teeth.

Methods: Paraffin-embedded tissue specimens of 25 benign and four malignant ameloblastomas and two developing human teeth were examined immunohistochemically using antibodies against claudins 1, 4, 5, 7 and occludin.

Results: In ameloblastomas strongest expression was seen for claudins 1 and 7 while claudin 4 was expressed less frequently.

Administering medical procedures to patients living with AIDS: how comfortable are physicians?

Background: Feeling of comfort is important for efficient and compassionate care. This study aimed to determine physicians' level of comfort in administering common medical procedures to patients living with AIDS and to identify the demographic variables that may influence level of comfort.

Methods: Residents and house officers (n = 211) in 2 Nigerian teaching hospitals were surveyed by a questionnaire that elicited demographic information and information on physicians' level of comfort in administering medical procedures.

Cubic phase content and structure of BN films from an X-ray absorption study.

X-ray absorption near-edge structure (XANES) was used to study the cubic boron nitride (c-BN) content in the BN films deposited on various substrates by different physical vapor deposition or plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition methods. By fitting the XANES curves of thin-film samples using standard spectra of pure c-BN and sp(2)-bonded BN in the films with suitable weight factors, the c-BN contents at the film's surface region and across the film's thickness have been determined quantitatively. The results agree well with the previous transmission electron microscopic observations.

Studying the growth of cubic boron nitride on amorphous tetrahedral carbon interlayers.

The growth of cubic boron nitride (cBN) films on bare silicon and amorphous tetrahedral carbon (ta-C) layers prepared on silicon substrates was studied. The cBN films were prepared by radio frequency magnetron sputter deposition at approximately 870 degrees C. The original ta-C interlayers were graphitized and restructured under high temperature and possibly under ion bombardment during BN deposition.

Interfacial study of cubic boron nitride films deposited on diamond.

We have studied the nucleation and growth of cubic boron nitride (cBN) films deposited on silicon and diamond-coated silicon substrates using fluorine-assisted chemical vapor deposition (CVD). These comparative studies substantiate that the incubation amorphous/turbostratic BN layers, essential for the cBN nucleation on silicon, are not vital precursors for cBN nucleation on diamond, and they are inherently eliminated. At vastly reduced critical bias voltage, down to -10 V, cBN growth is still maintained on diamond surfaces, and cBN and underlying diamond crystallites exhibit an epitaxial relationship.

Caring for patients living with AIDS: knowledge, attitude and global level of comfort.

Aims: This paper reports a study that aimed to determine Nigerian nurses' knowledge, attitudes and overall level of comfort in giving nursing care to acquired immune deficiency syndrome patients; determine the relationship between these variables; and identify the sociodemographic variables that influence nurses' attitudes and how comfortable they are giving nursing care to patients with acquired immune deficiency syndrome.

Background: There is little information on sub-Saharan African nurses' knowledge, attitude and feeling of comfort in providing care to patients living with acquired immune deficiency syndrome.

Methods: Two hundred and seventy-seven nurses in two teaching hospitals and two general hospitals in Nigeria were surveyed in 2003.

Ab initio and variational transition state approach to beta-C3N4 formation: kinetics for the reaction of CH3NH2 with H.

The CH3NH2 molecule has been considered as either an important intermediate in methane and ammonia mixtures or a precursor in methylamine and hydrogen mixtures in the synthesis of carbon nitride thin films. The fast Hydrogen (H) abstraction from CH3NH2 is an important process involved in the formation of HCN or CNH in the chemical vapor deposition (CVD) of carbon nitride thin films. The energetic and kinetic characteristics of the H abstraction reaction from CH3NH2 by atomic H used in CVD of beta-C3N4 were studied using ab initio direct dynamics methods for the first time.

Factors influencing the progression of renal damage in patients with unilateral renal agenesis and remnant kidney.

Background: Although some studies have shown that the risk to develop proteinuria and renal insufficiency is increased in patients with a remnant kidney (RK) or unilateral renal agenesis (URA), other patients maintain normal renal function and negative proteinuria, and the reasons to explain these different outcomes are not known.

Methods: We performed a retrospective study of 54 patients with a severe reduction in renal mass (33 patients with URA and 21 with RK). Follow-up was 100 +/- 72 months.

Knowledge and utilization of Information Technology among health care professionals and students in Ile-Ife, Nigeria: a case study of a university teaching hospital.

Background: The computer revolution and Information Technology (IT) have transformed modern health care systems in the areas of communication, teaching, storage and retrieval of medical information. These developments have positively impacted patient management and the training and retraining of healthcare providers. Little information is available on the level of training and utilization of IT among health care professionals in developing countries.

Gastro-oesophageal reflux disease: a review of clinical features, investigations and recent trends in management.

Background: Gastro-oesophageal reflux disease, though a common digestive disorder worldwide, is scarcely reported with very sparse literature in oursetting.

Aim: To review the clinical features, investigations and recent developments in the management of gastro-oesophageal reflux disease.

Methods: We retrieved publications from local and international journals.

Patterns of presentation and mortality in tetanus: a 10-year retrospective review.

Background: Tetanus, an ubiquitous disease still ravages our population despite the fact that it is totally preventable. The mortality had remained high with its attendant socio-economic implications as it affects mainly farmers in their prime of life. We conducted this retrospective review to be able to determine pattern of presentation, case fatality rate and factors influencing mortality with a view to mapping out control strategies.

Patterns of presentation and mortality in tetanus: a 10-year retrospective review.

Aims And Objectives: To highlight the indications, problems and prospects of bedside non-surgically inserted jugular and subclavian dual luman catheters.

Patients And Methods: Renal failure patients being managed in our centre with indications for central catheterisation were consecutively recruited at presentation. They had bedside non-surgical jugular and subclavian insertion using modified seldinger wire technique and the performance of the Gatheters monitored.

The response of NG2-expressing oligodendrocyte progenitors to demyelination in MOG-EAE and MS.

Remyelination of primary demyelinated lesions is a common feature of experimental models of multiple sclerosis (MS) and is also suggested to be the normal response to demyelination during the early stages of MS itself. Many lines of evidence have shown that remyelination is preceded by the division of endogenous oligodendrocyte precursor cells (OPCs) in the lesion and its borders. It is suggested that this rapid response of OPCs to repopulate the lesion site and their subsequent differentiation into new oligodendrocytes is the key to the rapid remyelination.

In vitro interferon gamma regulation of CCR-3 mRNA expression in peripheral blood leukocytes from atopic asthmatics.

Interferon gamma (IFN-gamma) exerts major pro-inflammatory, regulatory, and anti-inflammatory actions in immune defense responses. In asthma the infiltration of eosinophils, neutrophils, and lymphocytes is a critical event. Chemokines stimulate the migration of the susceptible subset of inflammatory cells.

Nanostructure. Epitaxial diamond polytypes on silicon.

Carbon is unique in the variety of configurations it can adopt with itself and other elements. Here we show how ion beams can be used to nanostructure various diamond polytypes, epitaxially aligning them to a silicon substrate. The ready controllability of ion beams, which are already used to manufacture submicrometre-scale devices, means that our findings should enable new carbon and non-carbon materials to be nanostructured for a host of applications.