Publications by authors named "Balogun M"

Developing efficient, multifunctional electrodes for energy storage and conversion devices is crucial. Herein, lattice strains are reported in the β-phase polymorph of CoMoO within CoMoO@CoO heterostructure via phosphorus doping (P-CoMoO@CoO) and used as a high-performance trifunctional electrode for supercapacitors (SCs), hydrogen evolution reaction (HER), and oxygen evolution reaction (OER) in alkaline electrolytes. A tensile strain of +2.

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Objectives: COVID-19 vaccine was rolled out for the public in August 2021 in Zamfara state, Northen Nigeria. We determined the factors influencing COVID-19 vaccine acceptance.

Settings: We executed a community-based analytical cross-sectional study during the first 4 months of the second phase of the COVID-19 (Oxford/AstraZeneca) mass vaccination campaign in Zamfara state.

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Nanoparticle-based therapies represent a transformative approach to managing gynecological cancers, offering targeted treatment strategies that minimize harm to healthy tissues while maximizing therapeutic efficacy. Despite their potential, implementing these advanced treatments in Africa is needed by a complex interplay of technological, economic, regulatory, and ethical challenges. This paper examines the current landscape of nanoparticle-based therapies, identifying critical barriers to their adoption, including inadequate infrastructure, high costs, and insufficient regulatory frameworks.

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  • Viral suppression is crucial for ending the HIV epidemic, yet youth living with HIV in Nigeria experience lower rates of viral suppression compared to adults; a study aimed to identify risk factors contributing to this issue.
  • Out of 541 participants, 40% were found to be non-suppressed; significant risk factors included substance use, missed medication doses, and self-reported barriers to taking medication, while being on a first-line regimen and having supportive social networks reduced these risks.
  • The findings highlight the importance of addressing psychosocial behaviors and medication adherence in youth with HIV to improve viral suppression rates and ultimately achieve ART goals.
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Introduction: Human Papillomavirus is responsible for about 5% of the global cancer burden. In Nigeria, cervical cancer is the second most common cancer among women. The Federal Government of Nigeria and partners recently introduced Human Papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination into routine immunization beginning with 15 States and the Federal Capital Territory.

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  • A new iron-based electrocatalyst, nitrogen-doped FeMoO/MoN on nickel foam (NF@FMO/MN), has been developed for efficient hydrogen production in alkaline freshwater and seawater electrolysis.
  • This catalyst achieves impressive low overpotentials of 23/29 mV at 10 mA/cm² and 112/159 mV at 100 mA/cm², outperforming the standard FeMoO catalyst.
  • The enhanced performance is due to the catalyst's ability to lower water activation energy and improve water dissociation and hydrogen adsorption rates, making it a promising advancement in the field of electrocatalysis.
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  • The study aimed to determine the effectiveness and safety of starting direct oral anticoagulants (DOACs) early versus delayed in patients with acute ischaemic stroke and atrial fibrillation.
  • Conducted as a multicenter, randomized controlled trial across 100 UK hospitals, 3,648 patients were initially assigned to either early initiation (within 4 days) or delayed initiation (7-14 days) of anticoagulation.
  • The primary outcome measured was the incidence of complications like recurrent stroke or bleeding within 90 days, with results being analyzed by an independent committee to ensure objectivity.
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The development of high-performance sodium-ion batteries (SIBs) relies on enhancing the electrochemical properties of the electrodes, particularly the transition metal compounds (TMCs) through effective carbon coatings. Herein, a straightforward approach using polymerized natural pitch-derived carbon (PNPC) via step-growth polymerization regulates the lattice strain in NiS-NiO heterostructures (NSNO) on nickel foam (NF). This method replaces the complex multistep carbon coatings with a cost-effective liquid-phase application of PNPC, followed by pyrolysis to create PNPC@NSNO/NF.

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  • The study explores the use of polymer-drug conjugates to enhance the efficacy of zidovudine, an anti-HIV drug, both alone and with other drugs.
  • Researchers prepared these conjugates using a specific polymerization method and analyzed their characteristics and potential.
  • Results indicated that some conjugates showed strong effectiveness against pseudo-HIV-1, highlighting their promise as future anti-HIV treatments that warrant further investigation.
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  • Quinoline-urea-benzothiazole hybrid compounds showed promising anti-parasitic activities against the 3D7 chloroquine-sensitive strain with effective concentrations ranging from 0.33 to 0.97 μM.
  • Many hybrids performed comparably to chloroquine in inhibiting β-haematin formation, with two compounds showing slightly better efficacy than chloroquine.
  • Molecular docking studies indicated that some compounds had higher binding energies than known drugs like chloroquine and pentamidine, and stability was confirmed through 100 ns simulations, indicating potential for effective enzyme targeting.
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  • The study investigates the effectiveness and safety of intravenous iron (ferric carboxymaltose) compared to oral iron (ferrous sulfate) in treating anemia and iron deficiency in pregnant women in Nigeria.
  • Conducted as a randomized controlled trial, the research focused on pregnant women with low hemoglobin levels from various health facilities in Nigeria, while adhering to specific exclusion criteria.
  • The trial aimed to evaluate primary outcomes including maternal anemia at 36 weeks of gestation and the incidence of preterm births, noting that a significant number of screened participants were found ineligible for the study.
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Background: The International Labour Organization (ILO) and the United Nations (UN) have promoted the concept of decent work as a Sustainable Development Goal for 2030 to address critical global problems. Occupational safety and health (OSH) are components of decent work, primarily through the ILO social protection objective of the goal, and are linked to various other objectives.

Objective: This Commentary applies a previously published staging framework to stimulate thinking about how the OSH field can contribute further to the achievement of decent work.

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Background: Adequate eHealth literacy and health promotion behavior (HPB) are important to achieve good health-related quality of life. There is limited information on the influence of eHealth literacy and HPB on body mass index (BMI) in our setting and among public service workers.

Objectives: This study assessed the eHealth literacy, HPB, and BMI of public service workers and determined the influence of eHealth literacy and HPB on BMI.

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Introduction: Postpartum anaemia is often caused by iron deficiency with onset during the antepartum period and can be exacerbated by excessive blood loss at birth. Its prevalence is estimated as 50-80% in low-income and middle-income countries. It poses adverse consequences on the mother and negatively impacts her ability to care for her newborn.

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  • Tamoxifen (TAM) is effective against breast cancer and gynecomastia but can harm male testicular function, prompting research on the protective effects of omega-3 fatty acids (O3FA).
  • In a study with Wistar rats, TAM treatment led to negative impacts on sperm quality and hormonal imbalances, increasing testicular injury and oxidative stress.
  • O3FA treatment showed potential in reversing TAM-induced testicular damage by influencing key cellular signaling pathways and reducing apoptosis in the testes.
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Critical periods are windows of heightened plasticity occurring during neurodevelopment. Alterations in neural activity during these periods can cause long-lasting changes in the structure, connectivity, and intrinsic excitability of neurons, which may contribute to the pathology of neurodevelopmental disorders. However, endogenous regulators of critical periods remain poorly defined.

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Background: Iron deficiency anaemia is common among pregnant women in Nigeria. The standard treatment is oral iron therapy, which can be sub-optimal due to side effects. Intravenous ferric carboxymaltose (FCM) is an evidenced-based alternative treatment with a more favourable side effect profile requiring administration according to a standardized protocol.

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Lagos state remains the epicenter of COVID-19 infection in Nigeria. To facilitate the emergency preparedness and response to COVID-19, the State Governor and Incident Commander constituted a Think Tank comprising 13 experts from various disciplines committed to the health of the public. The Think Tank assisted the government with decision-making strategies and supported the emergency operation centre (EOC) for the COVID-19 response.

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  • * Various eye exams revealed additional problems: 20.3% showed lid pigmentation, 32.2% had cataracts, and 4.2% experienced peripheral retina degeneration, while Schirmer's test indicated varying levels of dry eyes among participants.
  • * The research highlighted that long-term use and higher doses of psychotropic drugs could lead to serious eye-related side effects, affecting patients' overall quality of life and necessitating preventive measures against visual impairment.
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Background: Women living with HIV/AIDS possess fertility desires similar to their uninfected counterparts, and with advances in health therapies, these women can realistically have and raise uninfected children. Preconception care (PC) is a specialized form of intervention aimed at the prevention, identification, treatment, and management of biomedical, behavioural, and social conditions that militate against safe motherhood and the delivery of healthy offspring.

Objective: The study aimed to assess preconception and contraceptive care among women living with HIV and attending Antiretroviral Therapy Clinics in Alimosho, Lagos State, Nigeria.

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Malaria remains an endemic public health concern in Africa, significantly contributing to morbidity and mortality rates. The inadequacies of traditional prevention measures, like integrated vector management and antimalarial drugs, have spurred efforts to strengthen the development and deployment of malaria vaccines. In addition to existing interventions like insecticide-treated bed nets and artemisinin-based combination therapies, malaria vaccine introduction and implementation in Africa could drastically reduce the disease burden and hasten steps toward malaria elimination.

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This study utilizes the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) 2017-2018 data to explore the relationship between exposure to perfluoroalkyl substances (specifically perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) and perfluorooctanesulfonic acid (PFOS), metals lead (Pb), mercury (Hg), and cadmium (Cd), allostatic load, and hepatic disease markers, including the fatty liver index a measure of the likelihood of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, aspartate aminotransferase (AST), alanine aminotransferase (ALT), alkaline phosphatase (ALP), and total bilirubin. The paper identified significant associations and interaction effects by employing descriptive statistics, Spearman's correlation analysis, linear regression, and Bayesian kernel machine regression (BKMR). Descriptive statistics highlight sex-specific differences in contaminant levels.

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