Isolation and characterization of medicinal plant-based extracellular vesicles as nano delivery systems for ascorbic acid.

Aim: Plant-derived extracellular vesicles (EVs) are natural nanovesicles for drug delivery. This study isolated and characterised EVs from medicinal plants as delivery vehicles.

Methods: Precipitation method was employed for the isolation and characterised using DLS, SEM, and TEM.

Brain health is essential for smooth economic transitions: towards socio-economic sustainability, productivity and well-being.

Optimal brain health is essential to smoothing major global skill-intensive economic transitions, such as the bioeconomy, green, care economy and digital transitions. Good brain health is vital to socio-economic sustainability, productivity and well-being. The care transition focuses on recognizing and investing in care services and care work as essential for economic growth and social well-being.

Targeting mutation sites in the omicron variant of SARS-CoV-2 as potential therapeutic strategy against COVID-19 by antiretroviral drugs.

The multiple mutation of the spike (S) protein of the Omicron SARS-CoV-2 variant is a major concern, as it has been implicated in the severity of COVID-19 and its complications. These mutations have been attributed to COVID-19-infected immune-compromised individuals, with HIV patients being suspected to top the list. The present study investigated the mutation of the S protein of the omicron variant in comparison to the Delta and Wuhan variants.

Braimah-Taiwo et al New Classification System and Treatment Algorithm of Mandibulo-Maxillary Synostosis Related to Noma. Field Experience From Noma Children Hospital Sokoto, Nigeria.

Study Design: This was a retrospective study at Noma Children Hospital, Sokoto, Nigeria, from January 2018 to December 2021.

Objective: The main objective of this appraisal was to present Braimah-Taiwo et al's new classification system for mandibulo-maxillary synostosis secondary to noma and also to provide a guide to their treatment.

Methods: Noma with mandibulo-maxillary synostosis was the main inclusion criteria.

Diagnostic Capacity for Fungal Infections in Tertiary Hospitals in Nigeria and Ghana - An Onsite Baseline Audit of 9 Sites.

Objectives: To assess diagnostic mycology capacity and available fungal diagnostic services of microbiology laboratories in eight tertiary hospitals in Nigeria and one in Ghana.

Methods: On-site audits were performed in the microbiology laboratories of nine tertiary hospitals using a structured observation checklist.

Results: A total of nine tertiary hospitals' laboratories in Nigeria and Ghana were assessed between June 2022 and December 2023.

Challenges in oral health practice in Somalia: a call for regulatory strengthening and inclusion into primary healthcare services.

Background: Oral diseases remain a significant public health problem worldwide despite being largely preventable. Oral disorders such as dental caries, periodontal diseases, and oral cancers are highly prevalent chronic conditions that negatively impact quality of life. The oral health practice in Somalia has been evolving over the years, we therefore explored the challenges of oral health practice in a security-constrained poorly regulated environment to guide policy development.

Brown rice attenuates iron-induced Parkinson's disease phenotypes in male wild-type : insights into antioxidant and iron metabolism modulation.

Parkinson's disease (PD) is a progressive movement disorder associated with brain iron (Fe) accumulation and free radicals. Brown rice (BR) is antioxidant-rich and has been shown to ameliorate oxidative stress-induced damage. The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of BR compared to white rice (WR) on Fe-induced PD in a fruit fly model.

Isolation and Molecular Characterization of Pathogenic Leptospira spp. from Brown Rats (Rattus norvegicus) in Zaria and Environs, Kaduna, Nigeria, 2022.

Leptospirosis caused by the pathogenic serovars of Leptospira spp. is a zoonotic disease of global importance. Brown rats (Rattus norvegicus), due to their worldwide distribution and reservoir host status, are considered the most important reservoir for environmental leptospiral persistence and infections in animals.

Occurrence of Salmonella enterica in faecal sludge from Nigeria and genetic relatedness with strains associated with human infections in Africa.

Aims: This study investigated occurrence of Salmonella in faecal sludge from public toilets in Nigeria and genetic relatedness of strains that have been reported to cause human infection across Africa.

Methods And Results: The study collected 150 human sludge from public toilets and identified Salmonella through culture and PCR. Isolates were tested for antimicrobial susceptibility and sequenced using Illumina MiSeq.

Challenges, Health Risks and Recommendations on Meat Handling Practices in Africa: A Comprehensive Review.

Meat handling is a crucial aspect of public health as it forms complex interactions among humans, animals, and the environment. African meat handlers continue to face various challenges in slaughterhouses that significantly impact their lives and the general public during meat processing. This paper reviews the challenges meat handlers encounter and the associated risks of improper meat handling in various African slaughterhouses.

Clovibactin and Staphylococcus aureus: a new weapon against resistant strains.

Clovibactin is a new depsipeptide and highly efficacious against () , including methicillin-resistant and vancomycin-resistant , with no apparent resistance. Clovibactin outclasses current antibiotics such as vancomycin. Here, we discuss its efficacy, emphasize the need for new antibiotics owing to growing global antibiotic resistance, highlight its mode of action and possible benefits over current treatments.

PATHWAYS TO CARE AMONG PATIENTS WITH MENTAL ILLNESS AT USMANU DANFODIYO UNIVERSITY TEACHING HOSPITAL, SOKOTO, NIGERIA.

Background: The first line of care is a paramount stage in the management of the mentally ill persons. In Nigeria, traditional and faith-based healers compete with medical professionals in providing care.

Aim: Pathway to care among patients with Mental Illness at Usmanu Danfodiyo University Teaching Hospital, Sokoto, Nigeria.

DEPRESSION AS A PREDICTOR OF OPIOID USE DISORDER IN SICKLE CELL DISEASE PATIENTS.

Background: Sickle cell disease (SCD) is highly prevalent in Africa, especially in Nigeria, the most populous country, and is associated with a high mortality rate. Depression, common among individuals with SCD, correlates with increased pain intensity and opioid misuse, leading to poorer outcomes and diminished quality of life in these patients.

Aim: To determine whether major depressive disorder is a predictor of opioid use disorder among patients with sickle cell disease.

STRONGYLOIDIASIS CAUSING BOWEL PERFORATION: RARE COMPLICATION.

Background: Strongyloidiasis is a soil-transmitted helminth infection caused by Strongyloides Stercoralis, mostly in tropical and sub-tropical regions, affecting over 600 million people worldwide. Infection is more prevalent among those who are socioeconomically disadvantaged, institutionalized, or residing in rural areas. Parasitic adult females reside in the duodenum or stomach and produce eggs that hatch in the mucosa.

CENTRAL BLOOD PRESSURE IN CONJUNCTION WITH CONVENTIONAL BLOOD PRESSURE MAY EXPLAIN TARGET ORGAN CHANGES BETTER THAN CONVENTIONAL PRESSURE ALONE IN HYPERTENSIVE PATIENTS.

Background: Although, it is well-recognized that conventional BP alone may not be enough to determine target organ changes associated with hypertension and in cardiovascular events risk assessment, there is scarcity of data on this topic.

Objectives: To determine how central BP compares with conventional BP in their association with left ventricular mass index (LVMI), among hypertensive patients.

Methods: Ninety-five participants were evaluated.

AORTIC REFLECTION MAGNITUDE SUGGESTS A BETTER RELATIONSHIP WITH BODY MASS INDEX THAN OBTAINED IN OTHER CONVENTIONAL BLOOD PRESSURE PARAMETERS, IN A GROUP OF HYPERTENSIVE PATIENTS.

Background: Although body mass index (BMI) is an important confounder of hypertension and a relationship has been postulated between BMI and blood pressure (BP) in the hypertensive range, the relationship between BMI and central BP remains poorly studied.

Objectives: To determine how central BP parameters relate to BMI, in a group of hypertensive patients.

Methods: In ongoing data, 55 hypertensive patients (average age =52.

COMPARATIVE ASSESSMENT OF PERCEIVED QUALITY OF ANTENATAL SERVICES AMONG INSURED AND UNINSURED PREGNANT WOMEN ATTENDING ANTENATAL CLINIC IN A TERTIARY HEALTH INSTITUTION, IN SOKOTO, NIGERIA.

Introduction: Access to quality antenatal care (ANC) is essential in reducing high maternal morbidity and mortality, especially in resource-poor countries. One way of ensuring financial accessibility to high-quality ANC services is through health insurance. This study assessed the perceived quality of services among insured and uninsured pregnant women attending the ANC at a tertiary health institution in Sokoto, Nigeria.

ASSESSMENT OF LEAD IN DUST SAMPLES AND HOUSEKEEPING PRACTICES IN STONE QUARRY WORKPLACES IN GUSAU, ZAMFARA STATE.

Background: Workplace hazards are produced in the process of quarrying stones and include heavy metals like Lead, Cadmium, Nickel, etc. These hazards are harmful to the workers whenever they accumulate above the maximum permissible level in the quarries.

Objectives: This study assessed the Lead level in dust samples and housekeeping practices in stone quarries in Gusau.

A preregistered meta-meta-analysis on the global distribution of Hepatotropic Viruses.

Introduction: Hepatotropic viruses (HAV, HBV, HCV, HDV, and HEV) significantly impact global health, with varying prevalence across regions.

Objective: This study aims to systematically consolidate data from diverse meta-analyses to provide a contemporary reference on virus distribution and prevalence.

Materials And Methods: Adhering to PRISMA guidelines, the study utilized a mixed effects model for data integration.

Combatting extensively drug-resistant : a global perspective on outbreaks, impacts, and control strategies.

Antibiotic resistance in typhoid fever poses a critical public health problem due to the emergence of extensively drug-resistant (XDR) , resulting in prolonged illness and treatment failure. is the most predominant among all serotypes and can acquire resistance. The emergence of XDR in various regions globally, particularly Pakistan, presents a concerning trend.