Nutritional and Anti-Nutritional Properties of Extruded Puffed Snack Produced From Pearl Millet and Bambara Groundnut Flour Blends.

This study investigates the nutritional and anti-nutrient profiles of extrudates produced from seven formulations of pearl millet and Bambara groundnut flour in seven different ratios: 20:80, 30:70, 40:60, 50:50, 60:40, 70:30, and 80:20, with 100% pearl millet and 100% Bambara groundnut extrudates used as controls. The extrudates were processed using a twin screw extruder and analyzed for their nutritional and anti-nutritional properties. The findings revealed a rising pattern in the content of fiber, moisture, protein, ash and fat as the substitution of Bambara groundnut increased in the extrudate.

Development of an in vitro regeneration system for Heinsia crinita (Afz.) G. Taylor via direct induction of shoot proliferation from explants.

Objective: The African bush apple (Heinsia crinita) is a highly valued orphan shrub that supports the nutritional and natural medicine needs of many sub-Saharan African communities. However, the crop remains poorly conserved and without any known genetic improvement. Accordingly, the current study sought to develop for the first time, an in vitro regeneration system based on direct shoot proliferation from its stem and hypocotyledonary explants using combinations of two cytokinins (benzyl adenine - BA, thidiazuron - TDZ) and the auxin (naphthalene acetic acid (NAA), in Murashige and Skoog (MS) medium.

Holistic application of the one health approach in the prevention and control of rabies: plausible steps towards achieving the 2030 vision in Africa.

Rabies remains a significant public health challenge in Africa, primarily burdening impoverished rural communities, with children and young adults being the most vulnerable. Achieving complete elimination in the continent by 2030 requires a coordinated effort hinged on the One Health concept, external support from international organizations like the World Health Organization (WHO) and the national governments of endemic countries. Here, we reviewed the various socio-economic and ecological factors influencing the spatial distribution and molecular epidemiology of the disease.

Exploring the West African forest island phenomenon: scientific insights gained, successes achieved and capacities strengthened.

Anthropogenic activities around local villages in mesic savanna landscapes of West Africa have resulted in soil improvement and forest establishment outside their climatic zones. Such unique 'forest islands' have been reported to provide ecosystem services including biodiversity conservation. However, the science underpinning their formations is limitedly studied.

Impacts of access to legume- or grass-based pasture on behaviour, physiological responses and bacterial load of laying hens.

Despite the plethora of studies on the impacts of access to runs on chickens, there is a paucity of information on the welfare and behavioural repertoire of hens raised in the deep litter houses with or without access to legume- or grass-based pasture. Therefore, this study aimed to evaluate the impact of access to grass or legume pastures by laying hens on behaviour, physiological responses and bacterial load. The study was conducted to evaluate the influence of exposure of egg-type chickens to runs on grass or legume pastures on their welfare and behaviours.

Protective effect of cholecalciferol against cobalt-induced neurotoxicity in rats: ZO-1/iFABP, ChAT/AchE and antioxidant pathways as potential therapeutic targets.

Cobalt (Co) toxicity has been reported to produce central nervous system and gastrointestinal abnormalities. This study assessed the therapeutic effect of cholecalciferol (Cho) supplementation against damages caused by sub-acute (14-day) cobalt chloride (CoCl) exposure in the brain and intestines. Thirty-five male Wistar rats were divided equally into five groups: Group I (control) received no treatment; Group II received oral CoCl (100 mg/kg) only; Groups III, IV, and V received 1000, 3000 and 6000 IU/kg of cholecalciferol, respectively by oral gavage, and concurrently with CoCl.

Thermally modified nanocrystalline snail shell adsorbent for methylene blue sequestration: equilibrium, kinetic, thermodynamic, artificial intelligence, and DFT studies.

In recent years, the quest for an efficient and sustainable adsorbent material that can effectively remove harmful and hazardous dyes from industrial effluent has become more intense. The goal is to explore the capability of thermally modified nanocrystalline snail shells (TMNSS) as a new biosorbent for removing methylene blue (MB) dye from contaminated wastewater. TMNSS was employed in batch adsorption experiments to remove MB dye from its solutions, taking into account various adsorption parameters such as contact time, temperature, pH, adsorbent dosage, and initial concentration.

Physicochemical compositions, nutritional and functional properties, and color qualities of sorghum-orange-fleshed sweet potato composite flour.

Sorghum and orange-fleshed sweet potato (OFSP) flours were blended to produce composite flours at eight different ratios of 90:10, 80:20, 70:30, 60:40, 50:50, 40:60, 30:70, and 20:80, respectively, whereas 100% sorghumflour was used as control. The physicochemical compositions, nutritional and functional properties, as well as color attributes of the composite flour blends were evaluated. The acquired data were analyzed using ANOVA, and the means were separated using the Duncan multiple range test.

waste solid biofuel: comparative and machine learning studies.

The diminishing supply of fossil fuels, their detrimental environmental effects, and the challenges associated with the disposal of agro-waste necessitated the development of renewable and sustainable alternative energy sources. This study aims at developing bio-briquettes from waste, with cassava starch as a binder; both are agricultural wastes. Before and following delignification, alkali-treated (TAHB) and untreated (UAHB) briquettes were evaluated in terms of combustion and physicochemical parameters.

Neuropathological profile of the African Giant Rat brain (Cricetomys gambianus) after natural exposure to heavy metal environmental pollution in the Nigerian Niger Delta.

Pollution by heavy metals is a threat to public health because of the adverse effects on multiple organ systems including the brain. Here, we used the African giant rat (AGR) as a novel sentinel host to assess the effect of heavy metal accumulation and consequential neuropathology upon the brain. For this study, AGR were collected from distinct geographical regions of Nigeria: the rain forest region of south-west Nigeria (Ibadan), the central north of Nigeria (Abuja), and in oil-polluted areas of south Nigeria (Port-Harcourt).

Evaluation of antimicrobial usage in companion animals at a Veterinary Teaching Hospital in Nigeria.

This study investigated various qualitative and quantitative indices of antimicrobial use (AMU) in companion animals (CAs) at a Veterinary Teaching Hospital (VTH-A) and its annex (VTH- B) from 2019 to 2021. For 694 documented animals, antimicrobial administrations (AADs) were 5, 278 times, of which 98.8% (5217) and 1.

Neocortex neurogenesis and maturation in the African greater cane rat.

Background: Neocortex development has been extensively studied in altricial rodents such as mouse and rat. Identification of alternative animal models along the "altricial-precocial" spectrum in order to better model and understand neocortex development is warranted. The Greater cane rat (GCR, Thyronomys swinderianus) is an indigenous precocial African rodent.

Contribution of groundwater to dietary requirements of essential metals in Lagos and Ogun States, Nigeria.

Knowledge of dietary intakes of essential elements in groundwater is important for proper assessment of the actual contribution of drinking water to daily nutrient requirements. This study assessed the daily intake of nutritional elements in drinking groundwater of Lagos and Ogun States of Nigeria. One hundred and seventy (170) water samples were collected and analyzed for thirteen (13) nutritional elements (K, Mg, Ca, Co, Fe, Cu, Zn, Mo, Se, Na, Mn, Cr, and I) by Inductively Coupled Plasma-Mass Spectrometry (ICP/MS).

Breast cancer diagnosis and management guided by data augmentation, utilizing an integrated framework of SHAP and random augmentation.

Recent research indicates that early detection of breast cancer (BC) is critical in achieving favorable treatment outcomes and reducing the mortality rate associated with it. With the difficulty in obtaining a balanced dataset that is primarily sourced for the diagnosis of the disease, many researchers have relied on data augmentation techniques, thereby having varying datasets with varying quality and results. The dataset we focused on in this study is crafted from SHapley Additive exPlanations (SHAP)-augmentation and random augmentation (RA) approaches to dealing with imbalanced data.

Molecular characterization and phylogenetic analysis of Marek's disease virus in chickens from Ogun State, Nigeria.

Marek's disease (MD) is caused by oncogenic MD virus serotype 1 (MDV1) and is characterized by lymphoproliferative lesions resulting in high morbidity and mortality in chickens. Despite being ubiquitous on poultry farms, there is a dearth of information on its molecular characteristics in Nigeria. This study aimed at characterizing three virulence genes ( and ) of MDV1 from chickens in Ogun state, Nigeria.

Pre-puberty cannabichromene exposure modulates reproductive function via alteration of spermatogenesis, steroidogenesis, and eNOS pathway metabolites.

Background: Cannabis and cannabinoids affect almost every system of the body and exert systemic effects such as alterations in memory and cognitive functions, neurotransmission impediment, as well as obstruction of endocrine and reproductive system functions. Reproduction is a complicated phenomenon that integrates biological, psychological and behavioural aspects, hence susceptible to intracellular and extracellular modulations by numerous chemicals and toxicants like cannabis.

Aim: The effects of early-life exposure to cannabis on reproductive function biomarkers and genes were investigated in male and female Wistar rats in this study.

Human health risks of metal contamination in Shallow Wells around waste dumpsites in Abeokuta Metropolis, Southwestern, Nigeria.

Metal contamination in shallow wells through solid waste leaching is a serious environmental problem with contribution to global cancer cases. This paper evaluated the health risks of metals in shallow wells around dumpsites in the Abeokuta metropolis, Nigeria. Five dumpsites were purposively selected to sample twenty-five shallow wells.

Dual-mode colorimetric/fluorescent chemosensor for Cu/Zn and fingerprint imaging based on rhodamine ethylenediamine bis(triazolyl silsesquioxane).

A novel dual functional and visual rhodamine ethylenediamine bis(triazolyl silsesquioxane) (RBS) chemosensor was successfully synthesized using "click" chemistry. The results have unambiguously demonstrated that RBS can act in fluorescent and colorimetric sensing of Cu and Zn by their respective coordination with triazole structures and, more importantly, it has also been found that triazole-amide of RBS could turn on chelation-enhanced fluorescence (CHEF) of Cu. Remarkably, the addition of Cu triggered an enhanced fluorescent emission by 63.

Urogenital schistosomiasis (UGS) and female genital schistosomiasis (FGS) in Cameroon: an observational assessment of key reproductive health determinants of girls and women in the Matta Health Area.

Objectives And Setting: Across sub-Saharan Africa, urogenital schistosomiasis (UGS), in particular female genital schistosomiasis (FGS), is a significant waterborne parasitic disease, with its direct burden on the sexual and reproductive health (SRH) of sufferers infrequently measured. UGS has an established control plan, which in most endemic regions as in Cameroon, still excludes FGS considerations. Highlighting existent associations between UGS and FGS could increase the management of FGS within UGS interventions.

AND ANTIBACTERIAL ACTIVITIES OF ESSENTIAL OIL AGAINST BACTERIA ASSOCIATED WITH IN CHILDREN.

Background: This study investigated the efficacy of the essential oil (EO) of (clove) on the bacteria associated with .

Materials And Methods: Ear swab samples were collected and bacteria isolated were identified using morphological and biochemical procedures. Essential oil was extracted from the dried flower buds using the hydro-distillation method while physicochemical and phytochemical analysis was done on the oil.

Antihypertensive activity of roasted cashew nut in mixed petroleum fractions-induced hypertension: An and approaches.

Consumption of water polluted by crude oil is a major environmental problem typical in exploration areas. Numerous health complications such as high blood pressure, myocardial infarction, and other heart complications are prevalent and ravaging. These have gradually become age-defiling disease conditions that are usually maintained with lifestyle changes and diet control.

Compressed Hydrogen-Induced Synthesis of Quaternary Trimethyl Chitosan-Silver Nanoparticles with Dual Antibacterial and Antifungal Activities.

Quaternary Trimethyl Chitosan (QTMC) and QTMC-Silver Nanoparticles (QTMC-AgNPs) have been synthesized, characterized, and tested as antibacterial agents against , , and two plant fungi ( and ). The as-prepared water-soluble QTMC was reacted with silver nitrate in the presence of clean compressed hydrogen gas (3 bar) as a reducing agent to produce QTMC-AgNPs. UV-vis, ATR-FTIR, HR-TEM/SEM, XPS, DLS, XRD, and TGA/DTG were employed to assess the optical response, morphology/size, surface chemistry, particle size distribution, crystal nature, and thermal stability of the synthesized QTMC-AgNPs, respectively.

High-resolution species assignment of mosquitoes using -mer distances on targeted sequences.

The ANOSPP amplicon panel is a genus-wide targeted sequencing panel to facilitate large-scale monitoring of species diversity. Combining information from the 62 nuclear amplicons present in the ANOSPP panel allows for a more senstive and specific species assignment than single gene (e.g.

Recent Advancements and Development in Nano-Enabled Agriculture for Improving Abiotic Stress Tolerance in Plants.

Abiotic stresses, such as heavy metals (HMs), drought, salinity and water logging, are the foremost limiting factors that adversely affect the plant growth and crop productivity worldwide. The plants respond to such stresses by activating a series of intricate mechanisms that subsequently alter the morpho-physiological and biochemical processes. Over the past few decades, abiotic stresses in plants have been managed through marker-assisted breeding, conventional breeding, and genetic engineering approaches.

Degradation and detoxification of reactive yellow dyes by Scedosporium apiospermum: a mycoremedial approach.

Textile industrial effluents have long enunciated the essentiality of ascertaining an efficient wastewater treatment for the removal of azo dyes given their potential disturbances on the ecosystem. Our study investigated the efficiency of the strain SKF2 among 14 other isolates, molecularly identified to be Scedosporium apiospermum, isolated by our research group from the textile effluent sludge in the degradation of two azo dyes, Reactive Yellow 145 and Remazol Yellow RR. Kinetic profiling of the degradation process revealed the decolourisation efficiency to be 94.