Usmanu Danfodiyo University, Sokoto (UDUS), also known as UDUSOK, is a public research university located in the city of Sokoto, north western Part of Nigeria. It is one of the initial twelve universities founded in Nigeria by the federal government in 1975.The university is named after the famous Usman dan Fodio, the founder of the Sokoto Caliphate.
Sickle cell disease (SCD), a β-haemoglobinopathy, is a neglected multi-system disorder caused by inherited abnormal haemoglobin structure or production and leads to catastrophic economic burden on affected households and societies. We assessed the predictors of both SCD severity and SCD care costs. This is a retrospective chart review of eligible children with SCD in a developing setting. Their sociodemographic, clinical and costs data were collected and analyzed using SPSS version 26.0 with p ≤ 0.05 considered significant. Overall 2503 children with SCD (female: 1053 [51.3
Public automobile parks' soil dust is a significant source of inhalable particulate matter in metropolitan environments worldwide. This study aims to examine the health risks associated with ten potentially toxic elements (PTEs) (As, Ba, Cd, Cr, Cu, Ni, Hg, Li, Zn and Pb) and their composition in 13 different motor parks in the Northwest region of Nigeria. The samples were digested with acids and analysed using an Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometer, while cold vapour atomic fluorescence spectrophotometers were used to analyse mercury. The highest mean concentrations followed the sequence Ba (189 mg/kg), followed by Zn (157 mg/kg), Cu (115 mg/kg), Cr (58.93 mg/kg), Ni (34.27 mg/kg), Pb (23.72 mg/kg), Cd (9.63 mg/kg), Li (1.07 mg/kg), and Hg (0.08 mg/kg). Ba and Zn exhibited the highest enrichment factor (EF) and contamination factor (CF). The health risk assessment for PTEs showed that As, Pb, Cr, and Ba have the greatest health index, suggesting a possible health risk where ingestion is the primary pathway, with children having higher vulnerability than adults. The geo-accumulation index reflected different pollution levels, with certain elements presenting serious ecological risks. The study also revealed different pollution patterns in automobile parks by comparing its findings with those of other studies conducted around the world. Principal Component Analysis (PCA) identified the sources of PTEs in the motor parks' dust includes human activities, vehicular emissions and lithogenic occurrences through leaching and runoffs. The study further showed that metals particularly Cr present slight to high ecological risks. Health hazard evaluation uncovered that the occupants of the area particularly children are more inclined to non-cancer-causing health risks. The study highlights the necessity of implementing remedial measures to address the environmental and public health problems associated with metal pollution.
Background: Anxiety and depressive disorders are increasingly associated with oxidative stress and neurotransmitter imbalance. Limitations of current pharmacotherapies have intensified interest in plant-derived agents with multi-target activity. Objective: This study investigated the phytochemical composition, antioxidant capacity, and anxiolytic- and antidepressant-like effects of the n-butanol fraction of Caralluma dalzielii (BUF), alongside exploratory in silico analysis of potential molecular interactions. Methods: Phytochemical profiling was performed using HPLC. Antioxidant activity was evaluated using DPPH radical scavenging, ferric reducing antioxidant power (FRAP), hydrogen peroxide scavenging, total antioxidant capacity (TAC), and total phenolic content (TPC) assays. Behavioural effects of BUF (10, 50, and 100 mg/kg, p.o.) were assessed in naive mice using the elevated plus maze (EPM), open field test (OFT), tail suspension test (TST), and forced swim test (FST). Post-behavioural biochemical analyses included modulation of oxidative stress markers, triacylglycerol levels, and acetylcholinesterase activity. Molecular docking was conducted against selected neurobiological targets. Results: BUF exhibited strong antioxidant capacity (DPPH IC50 < 0.2 mg/mL; TPC 537.75 +/- 3.06 mg GAE/g extract). In the EPM, 100 mg/kg significantly increased open-arm entries and time spent in open arms (p < 0.0001), while in the OFT, central crossings were significantly elevated (p < 0.0001), indicating anxiolytic-like activity. In behavioural despair paradigms, immobility time was significantly reduced at 100 mg/kg in both the TST (p < 0.001) and FST (p < 0.001). Biochemically, BUF significantly reduced malondialdehyde levels (p < 0.001), increased catalase and superoxide dismutase activities (p < 0.0001), reduced triacylglycerol levels (p < 0.0001), and inhibited acetylcholinesterase activity (p < 0.0001). Docking analyses indicated favourable binding of key flavonoids, particularly naringenin, to serotonergic, monoaminergic, and GABAergic targets. Conclusion: These findings provide experimental evidence that the BUF exerts significant anxiolytic- and antidepressant-like effects in validated behavioural models, likely mediated through integrated antioxidant, monoaminergic, and cholinergic mechanisms.
Background: Heavy metal contamination in Nigerian water bodies poses persistent environmental and public health risks. Traditional laboratory-based detection methods, while accurate, are limited by cost, accessibility, and real-time applicability, creating a need for advanced monitoring approaches. Objectives: This review systematically synthesises recent advances in smart electrochemical sensors integrated with Internet of Things (IoT) technologies for heavy metal detection, highlighting technological innovations, field applications, and unresolved deployment challenges in Nigerian aquatic environments. Methods: Peer-reviewed literature was systematically surveyed to synthesise advances in heavy metal contamination assessment and smart electrochemical sensing technologies relevant to Nigerian aquatic systems. Publications spanning the early 2000s to 2023 were retrieved from major scientific databases, focusing on (i) environmental and toxicological studies of heavy metal exposure, (ii) electrochemical sensor development, including nanomaterial-enhanced and screen-printed platforms, and (iii) IoT-enabled water quality monitoring architectures. Additional studies addressing energy infrastructure, connectivity, cost considerations, and capacity constraints in Nigeria were included to contextualise deployment feasibility. The collected literature was qualitatively analysed to identify technological progress, practical applications, and persistent research gaps. Results: Nanomaterial-enhanced electrodes, such as graphene, carbon nanotubes, and metal nanoparticles, improve sensitivity, selectivity, and detection limits for Pb, Cd, Hg, As, and Cr. Miniaturised platforms, including screen-printed and microfluidic sensors, facilitate portable and multiplexed detection. IoT integration enables real-time data acquisition, cloud-based analytics, and remote monitoring, demonstrated across the Niger Delta, mining-affected rivers, and urban-industrial water bodies. Field studies reveal high correlation with laboratory measurements but also highlight technical, infrastructural, and economic challenges, including biofouling, sensor drift, power and connectivity limitations, high costs, and limited local expertise. Regulatory gaps and lack of standardised protocols further constrain national-scale deployment. Conclusion: Smart electrochemical sensors with IoT integration offer transformative potential for continuous and distributed monitoring of heavy metal contamination in Nigerian water systems. Despite demonstrable field viability, unresolved gaps remain in autonomous operation, multiplexed detection, long-term stability, and data integration, indicating critical areas for further investigation to fully leverage these technologies for water quality management.
