Nahrain University (Arabic: جامعة النهرين), also known as Al-Nahrain University, is a coeducational public university established in 1987 and located in Baghdad, Iraq. The university offers undergraduate and postgraduate education as well as research opportunities. From 1987 to the 2003 Invasion of Iraq, the university was known as Saddam University which was then changed to its current name "Nahrain" meaning The Two Rivers (as in the two rivers of Iraq: Tigris and Euphrates).
Food fraud and mislabeling represent persistent threats to food safety and public health, particularly in Sub Saharan Africa where fragmented supply chains, dominant informal markets, and limited regulatory capacity increase vulnerability to adulteration and misrepresentation. The growing complexity of global food systems has intensified the need for reliable authentication and traceability tools as integral components of preventive food safety frameworks. This review critically examines the current landscape of food authentication technologies in Sub Saharan Africa, with emphasis on their analytical performance, practical applicability, and integration into regulatory control systems. A systematic narrative review approach was adopted, guided by structured evidence synthesis principles. Peer reviewed literature published between 2010 and 2026 was analyzed across major scientific databases, focusing on spectroscopic, chromatographic, molecular, and isotopic analytical methods, alongside digital traceability systems and artificial intelligence-driven data analytics. The review employed thematic and comparative synthesis to evaluate technological effectiveness, adoption patterns, and regulatory relevance. The evidence indicates that spectroscopic techniques enable rapid screening, while chromatographic and molecular methods provide high precision confirmatory analysis. Isotope ratio analysis supports origin verification, while digital traceability systems, including blockchain-based ledgers, improve supply chain transparency, while artificial intelligence and machine learning tools function as analytical decision-support systems that enhance pattern recognition and predictive analytics for fraud detection. However, significant limitations persist, including inadequate context specific validation, high costs, limited infrastructure, and weak integration into preventive food safety systems. Technology adoption remains uneven, with concentration in urban laboratories and limited coverage in informal markets. Strengthening food authentication in Sub Saharan Africa requires coordinated investment in low cost technologies, context specific validation frameworks, and regulatory harmonization. Integrating authentication into risk-based food safety systems is essential for improving surveillance, enhancing consumer protection, and aligning regional practices with international standards.
Typical drug administration methods are often limited by low bioavailability, lack of specificity in biodistribution, rapid systemic clearance and dose-dependent toxicity, which adversely impact both the therapeutic efficacy and safety of the patient. Nanoparticle-based drug delivery systems have been heralded as potential solutions to various challenges that are simply inherent in conventional methods of drug treatment, for instance, the capacity to administer drugs in a controlled release manner, enhancing stability and targeted delivery to very specific sites. In this review, a more detailed and in-depth discussion of the different categories of nanoparticle systems will be presented. For example, organic nanoparticles (liposomes, polymeric nanoparticles, solid lipid nanoparticles, nanostructured lipid carriers and nanoemulsions), inorganic nanoparticles (iron oxide nanoparticles, quantum dots and gold nanoparticles) and hybrid systems that integrate multifunctional design features. Besides, the various mechanisms through which targeted delivery is achieved have been very thoroughly brought up in the paper. These mechanisms are passive targeting via the enhanced permeability and retention (EPR) effect, active ligand-mediated targeting through receptor-ligand interactions and also, pH, redox, enzyme, temperature and external field stimuli responsive systems. Various important synthesis methods include nanoprecipitation, high-pressure homogenization, microfluidics and green synthesis while some of the important characterization methods entail dynamic light scattering, electron microscopy, zeta potential analysis and drug loading efficiency analysis. In addition to descriptive classification, other translational factors such as scalability, batch reproducibility, protein corona formation, biodistribution variability, long-term safety and regulatory issues that affect clinical applicability are highlighted in this review. Although, a few nanoparticle formulations have been allowed by regulatory bodies, numerous potential platforms are limited by the challenge of the complexity of manufacturing and poor consistency in vivo. The future outlooks point at the necessity of standardized characterization schemes, enhanced predictive in vivo protocols, incorporation of precision medicine schemes and rational design schemes that would compromise between multifunctionality and clinical attainability. It will not be possible to generalize the use of nanoparticle-based drug delivery without not only innovative material engineering but also a realistic correspondence with biological and regulatory constraints to provide meaningful therapeutic translation. This review summarizes the recent developments that are recorded mainly within the 2018–2025 period, with notable changes in the priorities of assessing translational effectiveness, regulation and design of nanoparticles. Nanoparticles and nanomaterials have restructured the arena of targeted drug delivery to provide unprecedented manipulation of drug localisation, release kinetics and intracellular fate. The ability of their tunable properties, size, shape, charge and surface functionality and responsiveness to biological or external cues, allows them to surmount most of the inherent constraints of traditional therapeutics.
Climate variability accelerates moisture induced deterioration, concrete carbonation, reinforcement corrosion, and biological colonization in building envelopes across tropical, semi-arid, and coastal Nigerian bioclimatic zones. While hygrothermal modeling and pathology assessments advance, empirical links between climatic stressors, material degradation, and rehabilitation outcomes remain scarce in developing contexts. This study investigates hygrothermal behavior and degradation pathways, including carbonation kinetics, chloride induced corrosion, biological colonization, and moisture driven pathologies, across Nigeria’s three zones. It emphasizes diagnostic methods and adaptive rehabilitation under variability. Mixed methods included 908 surveys from pathology specialists, conservation experts, and managers in coastal (Niger Delta), semi-arid (Kaduna), and tropical (Cross River) zones. Analyses comprised descriptive statistics, chi square tests, correlations, multiple regression, and thematic analysis of 847 open ended responses. Policy constraints (β = − 0.29, p < 0.001) and ecological uncertainty (β = − 0.21, p < 0.001) hindered decisions, while institutional support (β = 0.34, p < 0.001) and adaptive governance (β = 0.27, p < 0.001) improved management. Model R² = 0.49. Zone specific pathologies: coastal chloride corrosion (68.3
Nigeria is undergoing a rapid epidemiological transition marked by a growing burden of non-communicable diseases (NCDs) alongside persistent communicable diseases. This shift poses substantial challenges for population health, health system capacity, and socioeconomic development. This review aims to synthesize contemporary epidemiological evidence on the burden of NCDs in Nigeria, with emphasis on prevalence, mortality, disability adjusted life years (DALYs), temporal trends, and major risk factors. A structured narrative review was conducted using 127 peer reviewed articles and 15 national or authoritative reports (total N = 142 sources) sourced from PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, African Journals Online, World Health Organization publications, and Global Burden of Disease studies published between January 2000 and December 2025. From 142 included sources (127 peer reviewed articles; 15 grey literature reports), we identified substantial heterogeneity in NCD prevalence estimates, with hypertension ranging from 18.6
This study explores how incorporating barium (Ba) into zinc sulfide (ZnS) can influence its effectiveness as an ammonia gas sensor operating at room temperature. The materials were synthesized using a cost-effective sol–gel method. The Ba-doped ZnS films with different concentrations (1
