Obese people more likely to have colon polyps -study

New York – Obese and overweight people are more likely to develop colon polyps, a possible precursor to cancer, than slimmer people, according to an international study.
Previous studies have made the connection between obesity and colon cancer, a link recognised by the U.S. National Cancer Institute.

But the current study, which appeared in the American Journal of Gastroenterology, is the first to point to a higher risk of colon polyps also known as adenomas in heavy people.
“Because there is a known association between obesity and cancer, there is a logical extension to expect a connection between obesity and the step before cancer, which is adenoma,” Hutan Ashrafian from Imperial College, London, who co-authored the study said.

Ashrafian and his colleagues analysed data from 23 studies involving more than 100,000 people across the U.S., Asia and Europe, looking at the relationship between polyps and body mass index, or BMI, a measure of weight relative to height.

All the studies followed WHO guidelines that define people with a BMI over 25 as overweight and above 30 as obese.

In most studies, polyps were identified during colonoscopy procedures while two large studies used self-reported questionnaires.

Overall, researchers found that 22 per cent of overweight and obese people had colon polyps, compared to 19 per cent in people of normal weight.
The polyp risk grew with increasing BMI.

“The findings suggest that obesity may be having an effect on cancer development much earlier than we thought,’’ Ashrafian, who with his fellow authors recommended timely colon cancer screening for overweight and obese people said.

The findings couldn’t say whether obesity causes polyps by itself, but if it does, that may be bad news for a world where obesity is on the rise.

According to the WHO, about 500 million people worldwide are obese. Colon cancer killed more than half a million people worldwide in 2008, WHO figures show. (Reuters/NAN)

source: vanguard news

DANA PLANE CRASH: How Captain battled with failed engines mid-air – Report

Preliminary report on the  Dana plane that crashed on  3rd June 2012 at Iju-Ishaga, Lagos released yesterday by the Accident Investigation Bureau, AIB, said that the Captain tried starting the failed two engines mid-air when the engines packed up and after several failed attempt  ‘’the Capt informed the  Flight Officer, FO, “we just lost everything, we lost an engine. I lost both engines”.

This is coming  as the report said the crash was not caused by contaminated fuel. The plane, a Boeing MD-83, with registration no 5N-RAM on a domestic scheduled commercial flight, operated by Dana Airlines Limited as flight 992 (DAN 992), crashed into a densely populated area during a forced landing following a total loss of power in both engines while on approach to Muhammed Murtala Airport (LOS), Lagos, Nigeria.

According to the report, ‘’the airplane was on the fourth flight segment of the day, consisting of two round-trips between Lagos and Abuja. The accident occurred during the return leg of the second trip. DAN 992 was on final approach for runway 18R at LOS when the crew reported the total loss of power.

‘’According to interviews, the flight arrived in ABV as Dana Air flight 993 about 1350. According to Dana Air ground personnel, routine turn-around activities occurred, including refueling of the airplane. DAN 992 initiated engine startup at 1436, taxied to the runway and was later airborne at 1458 after the flight had reported that it had a fuel endurance of 3.5 hours.

“Shortly after takeoff, DAN 992 reported 1545 as the estimated time of arrival at LOS as the flight climbed to a cruise altitude of 26,000 ft. DAN0992 made contact with Lagos Area Control Center at 1518 hours.  ‘’According to the report,the cockpit voice recorder (CVR) retained about 31 minutes of the flight and starts about 1515 at which time the captain and first officer were in a discussion of a non-normal condition regarding the correlation between the engine throttle setting and an engine power indication.

“However, they did not voice concerns then that the condition would affect the continuation of the flight. The flight crew continued to monitor the condition and became increasingly concerned as the flight transition through the initial descent from cruise altitude at 1522 and the subsequent approach phase.

‘’DAN 992 reported passing through 18,100 and 7,700 ft, respectively, at 1530 and 1540 hours. After receiving a series of heading and altitude assignments from the controller, DAN 992 was issued the final heading to intercept the final approach course for runway 18R.

Wreckage of Dana Airline which crashed at Iju Isaga area of Lagos, recently.

‘’During the period of 1537 and 15:41 the flight crew engaged in pre-landing tasks including deployment of the slats, and extension of the flaps and landing gear. At 15:41:16 the first officer (FO) inquired, “both engines coming up?” and the captain (Capt) replied “negative.” ‘’The flight crew subsequently discussed and agreed to declare an emergency. At 1542:10, DANA 992 radioed an emergency distress call indicating “dual engine failure . . . negative response from throttle.”

‘’At 1542:35, the flight crew lowered the flaps further and continued with the approach and discussed landing alternatively on runway 18L. At 1542:45, the Capt reported the runway in sight and instructed the FO to raise the flaps up and 4 seconds later to raise the landing gear.

“At 1543:27 hours, the Capt informed the FO “we just lost everything, we lost an engine. I lost both engines”. During the next 25 seconds until the end of the CVR recording, the flight crew was attempting to restart the engines.

‘’The airplane crashed in a residential area about 5.8 miles north of LOS. The airplane wreckage was on approximately the extended centerline of runway 18R. During the impact sequence, the airplane struck an incomplete building, two trees and three buildings. The wreckage was confined, with the separated tail section and engines located at the beginning of the debris field.

‘’The airplane was mostly consumed by post crash fire. The tail section, both engines and portions of both wings, representing only about 15% of the airplane were recovered from the accident site for further examination.

‘’The two flight recorders, the Cockpit Voice Recorder (CVR) and the flight data recorder (FDR) were analysed at the facilities of the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), Washington, D.C., USA. The solid state based memory in the CVR was in good condition and retained 31 minutes of audio information. The digital tape based memory in the FDR succumbed to the post crash fire and melted, consequently no data could be recovered.

“The captain, age 55, held an airline transport pilot license with type ratings in the A-320, DC-9, FK-28, and SF-340. He had over 18,116 hours of total time, including 16,416 hours of pilot-in-command time (PIC). The captain had 7,461 hours in the accident model airplane all of which was as PIC. He was employed with Dana Air on 14 March 2012.

“He began flying line operations for the company in late May 2012 and had since accrued over 120 hours of flight time. The captain had acquired about 3, 78, and 116 flight hours, respectively, in the preceding 24 hours, 30 and 90 days.

‘’The first officer, age 34, held a commercial pilot license he was type rated in MD-83. He had 1,143 hours of total time, including about 200 hours as pilot-in-command. The first officer had 808 hours in the accident model airplane all of which was second-in-command.

“He had been previously employed with Dana Air as the Director of Cabin Service before he was hired as a pilot about January 2011. The first officer had accrued about 3, 42, and 154 flight hours, respectively, during the preceding 24 hours, 30 and 90 days.

‘’The airplane was manufactured in 1990 and according to maintenance records it had accumulated 60,846 hours (35,219 cycles) of total time. The left and right engines respectively had 54,322 (30,933 cycles) and 26,025 (12,466 cycles) hours of total time since new.

“A review of the aircraft technical logs did not reveal of the previous 30 days did not indicate a condition. The airplane had last undergone maintenance on 1st June 2012, and after a return to service flight on 2nd June 2012, it was operated on four revenue flights (two round trips between LOS and ABV) and another four flights on 3rd June 2012.

Fueling records indicated the airplane was uplifted with 8000 lbs of fuel before departure from ABV. The flight crew reported to ATC they had 26,000 lbs of total fuel. Preliminary analysis of fuel samples from the refueling truck and the supply tank at ABV were negative for contamination.

The investigative activities have included, in part, visual examination of the aircraft wreckage, review of maintenance records and other historical information of the aircraft, documentation of the training and experience of the flight crew, determination of the chronology of the flight, review of recorded data, reconstructing the aircraft refueling, and collection of related fuel samples, and interviews of relevant personnel.

‘’Future investigative activities will include, but is not limited to, the detailed examination of the engines, further testing of fuel samples, continued factual gathering of relevant historical, operational, maintenance and performance information of the accident airplane in addition to other similar airplane models, further development of the background of the flight crew, further analysis of the CVR audio recording and review of pertinent issues associated with regulatory oversight.

‘’As the State of Occurrence, the Accident Investigation Bureau (AIB) has instituted an investigation in accordance with the standards and recommendations specified in the provisions of Annex 13 of the International Civil Aviation Organization.

“As the State of manufacture of the airplane and engine, a US Accredited Representative has been appointed and assisted by US technical advisors from the NTSB, US Federal Aviation Administration, Boeing Airplane Company, and Pratt & Whitney Engines. In accordance with Annex 13, “the sole objective of the investigation of an accident or incident shall be the prevention of accidents and incidents. It is not for the purpose of this activity to apportion blame or liability.”

source: vanguard news

Indian village bans love-marriages, mobile phones for women

New Delhi – Unmarried women under the age of 40 can no longer marry for love, visit the market unaccompanied or use mobile phones in a northern Indian village, media reported Friday.

Asara village council in the northern state of Uttar Pradesh, 70 kilometres from New Delhi introduced the bans to protect “naïve’’ young men and women from corrupting influences, according to the Times of India and other newspapers.

The Hindu daily described the ruling as a “Taliban-style diktat’’ in its online edition, adding that Asara was Muslim-dominated.

Other minorities were also present when the bans were introduced.
Keeping young women away from the market would protect them from “roadside Romeos,’’ the Hindu quoted the council, while the ban on mobile phones reportedly came after complaints of “teasing’’ and “harassment’’.

But women’s activists criticised the measures.
“Why are the restrictions on women only why the panchayat (council) stop men from visiting the weekly market instead of women Shaista Amber, president of the All India Muslim Women Personal Law Board, was quoted as saying by The Times of India.

“If men are kept away, the atmosphere will be equally secure for women at the market,’’ she said.
Police in the village said they were not yet aware of the measures, according to daily Hindustan Times. (dpa/NAN)

source: vanguard news

Jonathan’s assets: Go to CCB, SERAP told

The Presidency has advised a civil society group, Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project, SERAP, to seek information about President Goodluck Jonathan’s assets declaration from the Code of Conduct Bureau, CCB, since the bureau “has the powers and responsibility for addressing the issues such as the one you are pursuing.”

This response followed a request by the group made under the Freedom of Information Act asking President Jonathan to “provide information on your assets declaration details between May 2007 and May 2012, and to publish widely the information on a dedicated website.”

However, in a letter with reference number SH/SHC/9/Vol.6/128, dated 5 July 2012 and signed by Jalal A. Arabi, State House Counsel on behalf of the Chief of Staff to the President, the presidency said: “I am to acknowledge receipt of your letter dated 26 June 2012 in which you request Mr. President to urgently provide information on his assets declaration details between May 2007 and May 2012, hinging your request on the provisions of both the 1999 Constitution as amended, and the Freedom of Information Act, 2011.
“I take the liberty in advising that you explore the possibility of invoking Section 3(1) Part 1 of the Third Schedule of the 1999 Constitution, as amended, referred to in your write-up.”

,which has conferred powers and responsibility for addressing issues such as the one you are pursuing. Please be assured of the Chief of Staff’s kind request.”

In response, the group’s Executive Director, Mr. Adetokunbo Mumuni, said: “Firstly, we welcome the response by Mr. President as a very positive development for government’s accountability in this country because it is rare to see this kind of dialogue between the presidency and civil society.

“So, Mr. President has broken a new ground, which we now hope will be translated into good governance and improved transparency and accountability for millions of impoverished Nigerians.

“Secondly, while the advice by the presidency is sound constitutionally, we took the decision to simultaneously send our letter to both President Jonathan and the Code of Conduct Bureau because we believe the issue is not only a constitutional matter but also a moral one.
 
“We expected the President, being the father of the nation, to have shown leadership by example.”

source: vanguard

CAN urges US action on Islamic group

WASHINGTON (AFP) – The leader of Nigeria’s Christians called Tuesday on the United States to declare the Islamist group Boko Haram to be terrorists, but a US official said it was more important to address social inequalities.

In an unusually blunt appeal by a foreigner before the US Congress, the head of the main Christian body in religiously divided Nigeria said that a decision to blacklist three Boko Haram leaders as terrorists did not go far enough.

Ayo Oritsejafor, president of the Christian Association of Nigeria, said that the US move on June 21 was “the equivalent of designating (Osama) bin Laden a terrorist but failing to designate Al-Qaeda a terrorist organization.”

Oritsejafor said that the reluctance to brand Boko Haram as terrorists had emboldened the group, which is estimated to have killed more than 1,000 people since mid-2009 in attacks on Christian and government sites.

“By refusing to designate Boko Haram as a foreign terrorist organization, the United States is sending a very clear message, not just to the federal government of Nigeria, but to the world that the murder of innocent Christians and Muslims who reject Islamism — and I make a clear distinction here between Islam and Islamism — are acceptable losses,” Oritsejafor said.
“It is hypocritical for the United States and the international community to say that they believe in freedom and equality when their actions do not support those who are being persecuted,” he told the House Foreign Affairs Committee.

Oritsejafor said Boko Haram sought “an end to Western influence and a removal of the Christian presence in Nigeria,” telling the US lawmakers: “My people are dying every day.”

But Johnnie Carson, the assistant secretary of state for African affairs, told the hearing that Boko Haram was not homogeneous and that most of the group had the goal of trying to “embarrass or discredit” the government.

A designation as a foreign terrorist organization would trigger a full US government response against Boko Haram, freezing any assets it holds in the United States and making support of the group a crime.
Carson said the terrorist designation made sense for the three leaders — Abubakar Shekau, Abubakar Adam Kambar and Khalid al-Barnawi — due to links to Al-Qaeda, but that it would be counterproductive to target the entire movement.

“It would serve to enhance their status, probably give them greater international notoriety amongst radical Islamic groups, probably lead to more recruiting and probably more assistance,” Carson said.
Carson called instead for a “sophisticated and comprehensive” strategy of improving governance in Nigeria’s largely Muslim north and curtailing human rights abuses.

“Boko Haram thrives because of social and economic problems in the north that the government must find a way of addressing,” Carson said.

“A coordinated government effort to provide responsible, accountable governance to all Nigerians, while creating opportunities for economic growth, will diminish the political space in which Boko Haram operates.”
Carson also sounded a note of caution on Boko Haram’s reach, saying that some Nigerian officials have taken to blaming the group for all incidents in the region that are the work of “criminals and political thugs.”
Several lawmakers of the rival Republican Party have criticized President Barack Obama’s administration for not blacklisting Boko Haram.

Representative Chris Smith, who chaired the hearing, said that Boko Haram had a goal of imposing Islamic sharia law. He questioned the reluctance in targeting “an organization that is claiming responsibility for horrific acts of violence which appears to have at its core a radical Islamic position.”

source: vanguard

CBN says 88,622 POS supplied to enhance cashless Lagos

Abuja -The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has said that 88,622 Point of Sales Terminal (POS) have been made available for the effective operation of the cashless Lagos programme.

Mr Marcus Zakaria, the Assistant Director, Banking Supervision, made this known on Tuesday, while briefing newsmen on the outcome of the Bankers Committee meeting in Abuja.

He said that in spite of the initial hiccups, appreciable progress had been made in the programme.
Zakaria noted that about 6,000 POS were made available in January.

“Today, we have about 88,622 POS and we have registered over 151 merchants.
“All mobile payment operators are now fully integrated with the Nigeria Interbank Settlement System (NIBSS), and 21 banks are currently registered on NIBSS Interbank Payment (NIP),’’ he said.
He said the banks were collaborating to come up with alternative channel of delivery on mobile banking, Internet banking, and electronic fund transfer, among others.

Zakaria said that campaigns on ways to improve on the programme were ongoing, adding that efforts were being made to ensure that people accept the programme.

“It is our belief that by the end of the year we would have attained at least a 150,000 POS in Lagos alone,’’ he said.

The CBN kicked off the Cashless Lagos Policy in January as a pilot scheme.
The bank is expected to roll out the operations nationwide in 2013.

0n bank charges, Zakaria said that banks were being charged to refund customers when they over charge them, and penalised them when they contravene laid down rules.

He said the CBN had set up a consumer protection department to allow consumers to lodge complaints, adding that “such complaints are not taken lightly by regulators’’.

“Indeed, they refer them to the subcommittee of the bankers committee on ethics and the issues are thoroughly investigated and the banks are penalised when found culpable.

“The regulators are not taking it lightly when banks are indulging in arbitrary over charging of customers,’’ Zakaria added
He noted that an exposures draft was being reviewed on guide to bank charges, adding that when ready, it would serve as a standard document for charging customers.
Mrs Sola David, the Chief Executive Officer of Stabic IBTC Bank, said that discussions were ongoing on strengthening consumer protection framework.

This, she said, would ensure that customer dispute and complaints are promptly handled in the various banks.

“The Central Bank, together with the banks, is committed to strengthening our existing consumer protection processes so that our clients will understand that we are interested in protecting their interests.”

On the SME fund, Mr Oti Ikomi, the Chief Executive Officer, Key Stone Bank, said that women would be given more opportunity in the disbursement of funds.

“At this point, we are seeking input from a wide variety of stakeholders from micro finance banks and are looking at how to integrate some of the work with cashless Lagos. (NAN)

source: vanguard

FG issues 4-week ultimatum to resolve power projects matters

Abuja  – Vice President Namadi Sambo on Tuesday in Abuja directed that all issues hindering transmission of electricity to Nigerians be resolved within four weeks.

Sambogave the directive at a meeting of the board of Niger Delta Power Holding Company (NDPHC) at the State House.

He said that to resolve all issues inhibiting the completion of transmission lines and distribution of power, a meeting of the Director General of Bureau of Public Procurement, Managing Director of NDPHC, Minister of Power and other stakeholders would be convened next week.

He frowned at contractors who were slow in executing  projects and stressed that all issues that would ensure speedy completion of the projects would be addressed.

On getting constant gas supply for the power plants, Sambo directed that advertisements be placed for interested gas companies as “there are companies interested in supplying the product to power the plants.’’
In his remark, the Minister of Power, Prof. Bart Nnaji, noted that a lot of power projects would be inaugurated within the year.

He warned that the Federal Government would not condone contractors “who are moving slowly on the projects”.

Meanwhile, the meeting approved that all projects under the National Integrated Power Project should attain 50 per cent completion in July.

It also approved NDPHC’s requests which included supply of parts to the power projects in Calabar and Egbema in  Imo. (NAN)

source: vanguard