Background: This research work studied the durational effects of cement dust inhalation on the haematological parameters of exposed Albino rats. In this study, a glass house animal exposure chamber was fabricated using a plexi-glass and two blowing fans of adjustable revolution. Methodology: Twenty five Albino rats were divided into five groups. Group A served as the control, while group B, C, D and E served as the test, and were exposed for 15, 30, 45 and 60 days interval respectively, for one hour daily to cement dust (200g), at a revolution of 3000rpm of the fans. At the end of the exposure, the animals were sacrificed, blood collected in EDTA bottle and was analysed for some haematological variables. Results: The result showed that there were significant durational increase (p < 0.05) in the levels of Packed Cell Volume (PCV), Haemoglobin (Hb), Red Blood Cell (RBC), Lymphocyte, Monocytes and Eosinophils of the test group compared to control group but there was no significant difference in the Wbc, Basophils, Platelets and Neutrophils levels among the groups (p >0.05). Conclusion: There is a durational exposure haematotoxic effect of cement dust inhalation on rat exposed to cement dust.

Background: The purpose of this research was to compare the effect of duration of cement dust on the liver organ of albino rats. In this study, a glass house animal exposure chamber was fabricated using a plexi-glass and two blowing fans of adjustable revolution. Methodology: A total of twenty five rats averagely weighing 135g were used and categorized into five groups composed of 5 rats each: A group (without cement exposure); B group (exposed to 200g of cement dust for 1 hour daily for 15days); C group (exposed to 200g of cement dust for 1 hour daily for 30 days); D group (exposed to 200g of cement dust for 1 hour daily for 45 days) and E group (exposed to 200g of cement dust for 1 hour daily for 60 days). The means of exposure was by inhalation. After the exposure periods, the animals were sacrificed, blood collected in plain bottle and analyzed for some liver function. Results: The ANOVA result showed that there were significant changes (p < 0.05) in the levels of some liver function markers such as alkaline phosphatase (ALP), Total protein (TP), Albumin and Conjugated bilirubin (CB), and the alteration patterns were irregular. On the other hand, there were no changes (p>0.05) in the levels of Aspartate amino transferase (AST), Alanine amino transferase (ALT) and Total bilirubin (TB) among the groups. Conclusion: This study has therefore shown that exposure to cement may cause some decrease of liver injury in rats regardless of the duration of the exposure.

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The quest for a faster means of tissue processing has been on the increase to accomplish the needs of medical scientists, especially for treating patients with critical health conditions. Specimens were processed using different schedules at different temperatures to ascertain the effect of rapid tissue processing on fixation time. A domestic microwave model of MW007GA-MG823 (W)/MW- MB0823MP, rated voltage: 230V5 0HZ was used for the study. A total of four (4) organs were used, each divided into two, one part processed with the microwave and the other processed with the conventional method. The rapid technique started without prior routine fixation, except a schedule that was fixed for nine (9) hours before the rapid process started at a temperature of 42°C following dehydration, clearing of tissues was carried out with isopropanol. Fixation times for the rapid schedules are 30 and 20 minutes. An independent t-test conducted between the rapid and conventional techniques showed Mean±SD = 30±2.00 mins, Mean±SD = 20±2.00 mins, and Mean±SD = 2880±2.00 mins respectively at p = 0.00 depicting statistical significance. The rapid technique produced sections of good quality without compromising the tissue architecture. Isopropanol could be used as a clearing agent instead of xylene as it is inflammable in the microwave.

With increasing infrastructural development in developing countries, the rise in the demand of cement has also increased which has resulted in the exposure of cement in the environment and the living organisms in the environment. The aim of this study was to assess the effect of duration of cement dust exposure on kidney organs in rats. A total of 25 rats were used for this study. The rats were divided equally into 5 groups (A, B, C, D and E) with each group having 5 rats. “A” group was not exposed to cement dust (control group); “B” group was exposed to cement dust for one hour daily for 15 days; “C” group was exposed to cement dust for one hour daily for 30 days; “D” group was exposed to cement dust for one hour daily for 45 days; E group was exposed to cement dust for one hour daily for 60 days. After the durational exposure, the rats were sacrificed, blood and kidney tissue harvested for biochemical assessment of kidney function and histological studies of the kidney. The result showed that there was significant difference in the levels of kidney function parameters (sodium, potassium, chloride, bicarbonate, urea and creatinine) amongst the groups. This was confirmed in the histological reports. This study has shown that durational exposure of rats to cement dust has great impact on the kidney.