Applying Mobile Technology to Address Gender-Based Violence in Rural Nigeria: Experiences and Perceptions of Users and Stakeholders.

This paper documents the results of an intervention conducted in Nigeria to test the effectiveness of a mobile phone technology, , in enabling women to self-report gender-based violence (GBV). Women experiencing GBV and other challenges related to sexual and reproductive health and rights were requested to use their mobile phones to text a code to a central server. In turn, the server relayed the messages to trained nearby health providers and civil society organization (CSO) officials who reached out to provide health care and social management services to the callers.

Seasonal changes in hydraulic functions of eight temperate tree species: divergent responses to freeze-thaw cycles in spring and autumn.

Freeze-thaw cycles (FTCs) are the major seasonal environment stress in the temperate and boreal forests, inducing hydraulic dysfunction and limiting tree growth and distribution. There are two types of FTCs in the field: FTCs with increasing temperature from winter to spring (spring FTCs); and FTCs with decreasing temperature from autumn to winter (autumn FTCs). While previous studies have evaluated the hydraulic function during the growing season, its seasonal changes and how it adapts to different types of FTCs remain unverified.

Adverse childhood experiences, individual-level risk and protective factors, and recent drug use in a community sample of Nigerian women.

Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) are associated with a wide range of health problems and health-compromising behaviors, including drug use, but are understudied in sub-Saharan Africa. Further, some data suggest that some types of ACEs are more strongly associated with outcomes than others. We investigated associations between different types of ACEs and recent drug use among 2,011 women living in Katsina State, Nigeria.

Adaptive strategies to freeze-thaw cycles in branch hydraulics of tree species coexisting in a temperate forest.

Freeze-thaw cycles (FTCs) limit the distribution and survival of temperate tree species. Tree species with different wood types coexist in temperate forests and are subjected to the same FTCs. It is essential to understand how these trees differentially cope with xylem hydraulic failure induced by FTCs in the field.

Effect of aqueous extract of () aging-induced inflammation and its associated left ventricular hypertrophy and fibrosis in the rat.

The aim of the present study is to investigate the ameliorative potential of the aqueous extract of (IT) in aging-induced inflammation and its associated cardiac hypertrophy and fibrosis. Young (3-month-old) and aged (24-26-month-old) male Wistar albino rats were grouped into young control, aged control, aged + IT, and young + IT. The animals in the supplementary groups received 200 mg/kg BWT of aqueous extract of IT orally once a day for 21 days.

Serum miRNA-21, miRNA-146a and plasma cell free DNA as novel biomarkers for assessing systemic lupus erythematosus activity.

Background: MicroRNA and cell-free DNA have shown significant correlations with several autoimmune disorders including systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). SLE has been associated with challenges in determining its activity, so that the need for biomarkers contributing to assessing its activity is emerging. The current study investigated miRNA-21, miRNA-146a and plasma cf-DNA in determination of SLE activity, in addition their association with clinical data including complement factor 3 (C3), complement factor(C4), anti-dsDNA, and other disease activity indices.

Predictors of substance use disorder symptoms among women in Katsina State, Nigeria.

Background: Problems associated with substance use are on the rise among women in northern Nigeria, creating a need to understand factors contributing to this trend.

Method: Data on substance use, symptoms of substance use disorder (SUD) using DSM-5 criteria, and risk and protective factors associated with SUD symptoms, including adverse childhood experiences (ACE), were collected in a community-based study of young adult women (M age = 25.76, SD = 4.

Leaf-branch vulnerability segmentation occurs all year round for three temperate evergreen tree species.

Vulnerability segmentation (VS) and Hydraulic segmentation (HS) hypotheses propose higher hydraulic resistance and vulnerability to embolism in leaves than in branches, respectively. The VS and HS are suggested as an acclimation strategy of trees to drought stress, but whether they occur during freezing stress has rarely been explored. We measured the leaf and branch hydraulic traits of three temperate evergreen tree species [Picea koraiensis (Korean spruce), Pinus koraiensis (Korean pine), and Pinus sylvestris var.

A spatial regression approach to modeling urban land surface temperature.

Land surface temperature (LST) is the instantaneous radiative skin temperature of land obtained from satellite sensors. Measured by visible, infrared or microwave sensors, the LST is useful in determining thermal comfort for urban planning. It also serves as a precursor to many underlying impacts such as health, climate change and the likelihood of rainfall.

Nitrogen retention potentials of magnesium oxide- and sepiolite-modified biochars and their impacts on bacterial distribution under nitrogen fertilization.

Mitigating the loss and negative impacts of reactive N from fertilized soils remains a global environmental challenge. To optimize N retention by biochar, bamboo and pig manure biochars were modified as MgO- and sepiolite-biochar composites and characterized. Novel soil application of the modified biochars and their raw forms were comparatively evaluated for N-retention in a fertilized soil leached for 90 days in a column experiment.

Effect of hyperglycemia on tbx5a and nppa gene expression and its correlation to structural and functional changes in developing zebrafish heart.

The objective of the current study is to analyze the effects of gestational diabetes on structural and functional changes in correlation with these two essential regulators of developing hearts in vivo using zebrafish embryos. We employed fertilized zebrafish embryos exposed to a hyperglycemic condition of 25 mM glucose for 96 h postfertilization. The embryos were subjected to various structural and functional analyses in a time-course manner.

Impact of High Glucose Exposure on Induction of Apoptosis and Its Implication on Developing Retina of Zebrafish Embryos.

The objective was to study the effects of high glucose on the morphological changes and to observe the expression of apoptosis regulatory proteins in the developing retina in vivo using zebrafish embryos. Wild-type male and female zebrafish were allowed for normal mating and the fertilized eggs were collected and exposed to hyperglycemic conditions (25 mM D-glucose) for 96 h. The embryos were subjected to various morphological and histological analyses in a time-dependent manner.

Filtered mud improves sugarcane growth and modifies the functional abundance and structure of soil microbial populations.

Background: Exploring high-quality organic amendments has been a focus of sustainable agriculture. Filtered mud (FM), a sugar factory waste derived from sugarcane stems, could be an alternative organic amendment for sugarcane production. However, the effects of its application proportions on soil fertility, nutrient cycling, structure of soil bacterial and fungal communities, and the growth of sugarcane in clay-loam soils remain unexplored.

Field-applied biochar-based MgO and sepiolite composites possess CO capture potential and alter organic C mineralization and C-cycling bacterial structure in fertilized soils.

Agricultural soils contribute a significant amount of anthropogenic CO emission, a greenhouse gas of global environmental concern. Hence, discovering sustainable materials that can capture CO in cultivated soils is paramount. Since the effect of biochar on C mineralization/retention in fertilized soils is unclear, we produced biochar-based MgO and sepiolite-nanocomposites with CO capture potential.

Effect of COVID-19 pandemic on provision of sexual and reproductive health services in primary health facilities in Nigeria: a cross-sectional study.

Background: Nigeria, like many other countries, has been severely affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. While efforts have been devoted to curtailing the disease, a major concern has been its potential effects on the delivery and utilization of reproductive health care services in the country. The objective of the study was to investigate the extent to which the COVID-19 pandemic and related lockdowns had affected the provision of essential reproductive, maternal, child, and adolescent health (RMCAH) services in primary health care facilities across the Nigerian States.

Pattern and Predictors of Tobacco Use Among Undergraduates in Three Tertiary Institutions in North-Western Nigeria.

Background: Tobacco use is associated with medical, social and economic problems. There is paucity of data on tobacco use among undergraduates in northern Nigeria. This study assessed pattern and predictors of tobacco use among undergraduates in Zaria, North-western Nigeria.

Cellular alterations and damage to the renal tissue of marine catfish Arius arius following Cd exposure and the possible sequestrant role of Metallothionein.

Cd is a non-degradable heavy metal pollutant with no known biological role. When taken up by living organisms from the environment, it causes extensive tissue damage. Here, we studied the effects of exposure to 20 mg/LCdClfor 0, 24, 48, and 72 h on the renal tissue of marine catfish Arius arius.

Biochar-fertilizer interaction modifies N-sorption, enzyme activities and microbial functional abundance regulating nitrogen retention in rhizosphere soil.

The impact of the excessive use of N fertilizer remains an environmental problem of global concern. The effect of biochar on soil N retention is still unclear, and knowledge on how a mixture of biochar and fertilizer (B-F) influence N-sorption, N-cycling enzymes activities, diversity and functional abundance of organisms regulating N-retention in rhizosphere soil is poorly understood. Therefore, biochars derived from bamboo, rice straw, cow and pig manure were characterized, and their interactions with NPK fertilizer were evaluated.

Prevalence and Factors Associated with Neonatal Sepsis in a Tertiary Hospital, North West Nigeria.

Context: Neonatal sepsis is an important cause of morbidity and mortality of newborns, especially in developing countries.

Aims: Our study determined the prevalence of neonatal sepsis and its predisposing factors among neonates admitted in Ahmadu Bello University Teaching Hospital (ABUTH).

Settings And Design: This was a cross-sectional descriptive study conducted in ABUTH.

Non-random distribution of deleterious mutations in the DNA and protein-binding domains of IRF6 are associated with Van Der Woude syndrome.

Background: The development of the face occurs during the early days of intrauterine life by the formation of facial processes from the first Pharyngeal arch. Derangement in these well-organized fusion events results in Orofacial clefts (OFC). Van der Woude syndrome (VWS) is one of the most common causes of syndromic cleft lip and/or palate accounting for 2% of all cases.

Withaferin-A Protects the Nigral Dopamine Neuron and Recovers Motor Activity in Aged Rats.

Withaferin-A (WA) was evaluated for its neuroprotective efficacy on the dopamine (DA) neurons of the substantia nigra (SN) and striatum (ST) in aged rats. Wistar albino rats were divided into group I, young (3 months old); group II, aged (24 months old); group III, aged rats supplemented with WA (50 mg/kg bodyweight once per day for 30 days), and group IV, young rats supplemented with WA (50 mg/kg bodyweight). At the end of the experiment period, the animals were subjected to various motor behavior analyses, and were sacrificed by transcardial perfusion.

Prevalence and pattern of dyslipidemia in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus in Zaria, Northwestern Nigeria.

Introduction: Dyslipidemia confers excess atherosclerotic cardiovascular risk in type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM) patients, and this requires prompt identification and management to reduce morbidity and mortality. This study assessed the prevalence and pattern of dyslipidemia in type 2 DM patients in Zaria, Northwestern Nigeria.

Methods: This was a cross-sectional study of newly diagnosed type 2 DM patients at Ahmadu Bello University Teaching Hospital (ABUTH), Zaria.

Coverage of indoor residual spraying for malaria control and factors associated with its acceptability in Nasarawa State, North-Central Nigeria.

Introduction: Indoor residual spraying (IRS) is among the major vector control strategies recommended for endemic populations by the World Health Organization (WHO). The success of IRS requires high coverage which is dependent on its acceptability. In Nigeria, IRS pilots have been ongoing and rejection has been a major setback to its coverage.

Pathobiology of ischiocavernosus and bulbospongiosus muscles in long-term diabetic male rats and its implication on erectile dysfunction.

Objective: To analyze pathobiology of ischiocavernosus (IC) and bulbospongiosus (BS) muscles in long-term diabetic male rats and its implication on erectile dysfunction (ED).

Methods: Male rats were grouped into control and diabetic rats (received single injection of 60 mg/kg bw. of streptozotocin [STZ]).