Background: Snakebite envenomation Snakebite envenomation is a major public health problem, affecting an estimated 1.8-2.7 million people annually, predominantly in low-and middle-income countries. Despite its classification as a neglected tropical disease by the World Health Organization, snakebite envenomation continues to cause substantial morbidity and mortality, driven in part by limited access to effective antivenoms, delays in treatment, and the lack of widely available rapid diagnostic tools. The marked biological complexity and geographic variability of snake venom composition further complicate clinical management, underscoring the need for innovative and context-appropriate approaches to improve both therapeutic effectiveness and diagnostic accuracy. This review examines recent advancements in regionally informed antivenom strategies and next-generation diagnostic technologies, emphasizing their necessity for achieving more precise, timely, and context-appropriate snakebite management. Methods: This review adopts a structured, critical narrative approach, synthesizing peer-reviewed literature and global health reports to evaluate recent innovations in antivenom development and snakebite diagnostics. Literature was identified using PubMed, Web of Science, and Scopus, with emphasis placed on studies published from 2010 onward, reflecting the period of rapid advances in venom omics, recombinant antivenoms, and diagnostic technologies. Searches were focused on terms directly relevant to the review's analytical scope, including antivenom development, venom proteomics, transcriptomics, and snakebite diagnostics. Rather than aiming for exhaustive coverage, studies were prioritized based on their relevance to therapeutic effectiveness, translational feasibility, scalability, and accessibility in snakebite-endemic settings. Findings were synthesized comparatively to identify key advances, persistent limitations, and barriers to clinical implementation. Findings: Recent advances in antivenom research include the development of recombinant antibody platforms, immunoinformatics-guided design strategies, synthetic biology approaches, and the characterization of endogenous venom resistance mechanisms, all of which have contributed to improved understanding of how specificity and immunogenicity might be optimized beyond conventional antivenoms. At the same time, progress in diagnostic research, particularly involving lateral flow-based immunoassays and multi-omic venom profiling, has highlighted potential pathways for improving venom or toxin identification and supporting more informed clinical decision making. However, translation of these scientific advances into routine clinical practice remains limited. Persistent challenges related to large-scale manufacturing, regulatory approval, affordability, and implementation within resource-constrained health systems continue to restrict the real-world impact of next-generation antivenoms and diagnostics in snakebite-endemic regions. Conclusion: Future progress in snakebite envenomation management will depend on coordinated advances across antivenom development, diagnostic innovation, and supportive global health policy frameworks. Region-informed antivenom strategies, enabled by venom profiling and supported by scalable and modular production models, together with appropriately validated rapid diagnostic tools, represent a plausible pathway toward improving treatment effectiveness and access. Nevertheless, achieving meaningful reductions in morbidity and mortality will require sustained interdisciplinary collaboration and explicit attention to translational, regulatory, and health system constraints, ensuring that scientific innovation is matched by practical feasibility and equitable implementation in high-burden settings.

Proper nutrition practice is critical during adolescence since it is the second opportunity to catch up growth, and have a strong effect on lifetime nutritional status and health of the adolescent. This study was to assess the nutritional status, food consumption pattern, and short chain fatty acids among adolescent school girls in Igabi LGA, Kaduna State, Nigeria. A cross‑sectional study was conducted among 229 adolescent girls (mean age ≈ 15 years) attending public (n = 126) and private (n = 103) secondary schools in Nigeria. The study revealed that private‑school participants were slightly older (15.8 ± 1.7 vs 15.4 ± 1.9 years), more likely to be Hausa (55% vs 63% public), and came from households with higher parental education (49 % vs 24 % tertiary) and lower family‑size extremes. Finding of this study using (what method/technique/approach?) showed a higher prevalence of stunting (32% vs 19%) and underweight (28% vs 15%) in public schools, while overweight (12% vs 10%) and obesity (5% vs 8%) were comparable. Short chain fatty acids (SCFAs) demonstrated significantly lower concentrations in public schools (acetate 120.5 ± 20.5 µmol/g, propionate 30.2 ± 5.5 µmol/g, butyrate 20.1 ± 4.2 µmol/g) compared to private schools (150.8 ± 25.1, 40.5 ± 6.8, 28.5 ± 5.1 µmol/g). The relationship linked higher SCFA‑producing bacteria to greater dietary diversity, nutritional status and better socio-demographic characteristics (p < 0.05). These findings underscore that socioeconomic advantage, nutritional status, food‑consumption pattern, and dietary diversity co‑vary with a SCFAs profile, suggesting that integrated school‑based nutrition and counselling interventions could narrow the health gap between public and private school adolescents in Nigeria.

Dengue fever is an expanding public health threat in sub-Saharan Africa, yet access to laboratory-confirmed diagnosis remains severely constrained in resource-limited settings. Rapid diagnostic tests (RDTs) offer a practical alternative to molecular and serological diagnostic methods, but their performance must be validated in local epidemiological contexts before integration into national testing algorithms. We conducted a retrospective laboratory-based diagnostic accuracy study using 221 archived serum samples from suspected dengue patients admitted to public and private hospitals in Niamey between October and December 2023. The STANDARD™ Q Dengue DUO (SD Biosensor) was compared against qRT-PCR (NS1 reference) and ELISA IgM (IgM reference). Sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value (PPV) and negative predictive value (NPV) were calculated with 95

Bacterial cellulose hydrogels (BCHs) are characterized as exopolysaccharides of glucose polymers consisting of β–1–4–glycosidic linkage with various degrees of polymerization which are synthesized by bacteria. There is a paucity of information on the isolation and characterization of a BCH producer isolate from Nigeria. The study, therefore, aimed to characterize a new Acetobacter species that had previously been confirmed to produce BCH. The BCH-producing isolate was characterized by PCR amplification of the full-length 16S rRNA gene, as well as whole-genome sequencing analysis. The whole-genome sequence of the isolate was determined using the Illumina next-generation sequencing (NGS) platform, with downstream analysis of genomic reads through the metaWRAP pipeline. The BCH producer isolate was identified to be Acetobacter orientalis strain Zaria-B1, based on sequence identity with the reference Acetobacter orientalis strain VVS. Based on its annotated genome, the isolate had an approximate genomic size of 3.1 Mbp, 45 total RNAs, a GC content of 52.5%, 3046 total protein-encoding genes, an N50 of 253,774 bp, and an L50 of 4, as well as 30 contigs. The nucleotide BLAST of the cellulose synthase gene sequence confirmed the bin to be Acetobacter orientalis. The whole-genome characterization alongside the 16S rRNA genotyping confirmed the BCH-producing isolate to be Acetobacter orientalis.

Trypanosoma brucei phospholipase A2 (TbPLA2) is a validated drug target but the difficulty in expressing its soluble recombinant protein has limited its exploitation for drug and vaccine development for African and American trypanosomiases. We utilized recombinant deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) technology approaches to express soluble TbPLA2 in Escherichia coli and Pichia pastoris and biochemically characterize the purified enzyme. Full-length TbPLA2 was insoluble and deposited as inclusion bodies when expressed in E. coli. However, soluble and active forms were obtained when both the full-length and truncated TbPLA2 were expressed in fusion with N-terminal FLAG tag and C-terminal eGFP in P. pastoris, and the truncated protein in fusion with N-terminal FLAG tag and C-terminal mClover in E. coli. Truncated TbPLA2 lacking the signal peptide and transmembrane domain was finally expressed in Rosetta 2 cells and purified to homogeneity. Its migration on sodium dodecyl polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE) confirmed its size to be 39 kDa. Kinetic studies revealed that the enzyme has a specific activity of 107.14 µmol/min/mg, a V max of 25.1 µmol/min, and a K M of 1.58 mM. This is the first report on the successful expression of soluble and active recombinant TbPLA2, which will facilitate the discovery of its specific inhibitors for the development of therapeutics for trypanosomiasis.

Extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) are a collection of organic molecules from microbial metabolism, secreted outside the cell to counteract effects of harsh environment, a process that has enabled the application of the biopolymer for wastewater treatment. Reduction in concentration of lead II (Pb2+) and chromium VI (Cr6+) together with other physicochemical parameters from tannery wastewater by EPS from Penicillium expansum was studied. The maximum removal of Pb2+ and Cr6+ were 23.13

Textile industries discharge up to 280,000 tons of dye waste annually, resulting in global pollution and health risks. In Nigeria and other African countries, persistent dyes threaten aquatic life and human health. This study introduces a cost-effective, enzyme -mediated bioremediation alternative using a novel laccase from the cyanobacterium Microcystis flos-aquae. This purified enzyme yielded 0.55 % (w/w) with significant activity at 40 degrees C and pH 4.00. Kinetic studies showed the dependence of M. flos-aquae laccase on Cu2+ and its inhibition by EDTA and Fe2+. The efficacy of the enzyme was demonstrated through rapid decolorization of the azo dye Cibacron Brilliant Blue over a wide temperature and pH range. As this enzyme effectively decolorizes dyes across a broad temperature and pH range, it offers a promising solution for bioremediation of textile effluents.

Microbially-Induced Corrosion (MIC) of mild steel in Aspergillus niger cultures at various temperatures (30, 40, 50 and 60oC) and times (6, 12, 18 and 24 hours) has been investigated. The Aspergillus niger mycelia was cultured and its spores harvested from seven (7) days old slants, inoculated by washing the slants with 0.1% sterilized tween 80 into the 250ml Erlenmeyer flasks containing the cultures, and placed on a rotary shaker at 300rpm, pH4.0 and a temperature of 30oC for 120 hours. The corrosion tests were conducted in a thermo-stated water bath containing eight beakers of Aspergillus niger cultures and the coupons. There was a general increase in corrosion rate with exposure time; the highest corrosion rate of 245mpy being attained at a temperature of 40oC. Corrosion rates obtained at 50 and 60oC were found to be lower than those at 30 and 40oC. This might be due to the retardation in the growth of the fungi as the temperature was increased. The metabolic activities of the fungi might have produced some organic substrates which, directly or indirectly, were responsible for the observed degradation of the substrate. It was concluded that the rate of fungal growth, temperature and environment (corrodent) are the major factors affecting the corrosion rate of mild steel under the influence of these microorganisms.

Despite the fact that life expectancies are increasing and the burden of infectious diseases is decreasing, global cancer incidence rates are on the rise. Cancer outcome metrics are dismal for low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), including sub-Saharan Africa, where adequate resources and infrastructure for cancer care and control are lacking. Nigeria, the most populous country in Africa, exemplifies the miserable situation. However, the investigation of medicinal plants for better and safer anti-cancer drugs has now increased tremendously. While scientific evidence is emerging of the potential of some constituents of medicinal plants used in traditional medicine in Nigeria to have anti-cancer effects, there is now a critical need for platforms that integrate ethnomedicinal information on such plants with emerging scientific data on them, to support and accelerate the discovery and development of more efficacious and safer anti-cancer drugs and recipes. Thus, this review highlights the scientific evidence to date for the anti-cancer potential of plants commonly used in traditional medicine to treat cancers in Nigeria. Scientific databases such as PubMed, Science Direct, Scopus, Google Scholar, and Web of Science, as well as related sources, were searched to retrieve relevant information on anti-cancer medicinal plants. Ethnobotanical/ethnomedicinal details of the identified plants were then linked with the available scientific data on their anti-cancer potential, including the cytotoxicity to cancer and normal cells of the extracts and constituent compounds responsible for the activity. This annotated chronicle of Nigerian medicinal plants with potential anticancer activity is a great resource for all stakeholders in the prevention and management of cancers.

Extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) are products of microbial metabolism that exist as a complex of polymers found outside the cells and interior of cell aggregates. Microorganisms use EPS to protect themselves from toxic environment and this property enables the application of EPS in the treatment of wastewater. Removal of lead (II) and chromium (VI) from simulated wastewater by EPS from Penicillium expansum was studied. Maximum uptake of lead (II) was 773.05 mg/g of EPS, while the maximum uptake of chromium (VI) was found to be 618.75 mg/g of EPS in the simulated wastewater under the same removal conditions of 180 rpm, 90 mg/L EPS, 100 min contact time, 5.0 pH, 40 °C temperature, 120 mg/L initial concentration of lead (II) and 100 mg/L initial concentration of chromium (VI). Thermodynamic analyses gave respective enthalpy values of − 1.093 kJ/mol and − 1.030 kJ/mol for lead (II) and chromium (VI), with corresponding entropy values of 2.673 kJ/mol/K and 1.896 kJ/mol/K, these values indicated that the metal uptake by EPS was exothermic and the process can occur spontaneously. Pseudo-second order was the predominant model in the kinetic studies, having the highest R2 values of 0.997 for lead (II) and 0.992 for chromium (VI) compared to the other studied kinetic models. Out of the 5 adsorption isotherms considered in this study, the removal process by EPS for both lead (II) and chromium (VI) fitted into the 3 models which can be ranked based on the R2 values as Redlich-Peterson, Temkin and Langmuir isotherms. The findings indicate the ability of EPS produced by P. expansum to remove lead (II) and chromium (VI) simultaneously from simulated wastewater which could be due to identical binding sites for both metals with possible involvement of chemical bonds in the stabilization of complexes formed between EPS and Pb2+ or EPS and Cr6.

Background Among the medically important snakes in Nigeria, Echis ocellatus and Bitis arietans have the most lethal venom. These venoms were classified according to the presence of snake venom metalloproteinases (SVMPs), snake venom phospholipase A 2 (PLA 2 s), and snake venom serine proteases (SVSPs). Toxicological analyzes were performed to understand the significance of different protein families in venoms. Methods Proteins were separated from venom using column chromatography. The skin and footpad of mice were used to determine hemorrhagic and edematogenic activities. Caprine blood plasma was used to test fibrinolytic activity in vitro. Results The results showed that, compared to the crude venom, the SVMP fraction induced hemorrhagic effects with a diameter of 26.00 ± 1.00 mm in E. ocellatus and 21.33 ± 1.52 mm in B. arietans . Both SVSP and SVMP had anticoagulant effects; however, the SVSP fraction had a stronger effect, with a longer anticoagulation time of 30.00 ± 3.00 min in E. ocellatus and 26.00 ± 2.00 min in B. arietans . These main venom toxins, SVMPs, SVSPs, and PLA 2 , were found to have edema-forming effects that were optimal at 2 h after envenomation. PLA 2 s had the highest edema-inducing activity, with onset 30 min after envenomation. Conclusions Given the importance of SVMPs in altering the integrity of the membrane structure and impairing the blood coagulation system, an antivenom that can specifically neutralize its activity could inhibit the hemorrhage effects of the venoms.

Background: A poor nutritional status in children results in reduced physical and mental health and poor aca-demic performance. The National Homegrown School Feeding Program (NHSFP) was introduced in Nigeria in 2016 to ameliorate short-term hunger and improve the nutritional status of school-aged children (SAC). At least 33% of the recommended nutrient intake (RNI) for the enrolled students should be met by the school meals. However, to our knowledge, the contribution of school meals served through the NHSFP to the RNI of SAC in Zaria, Nigeria, remains to be explored.Methods: We conducted a school-based cross-sectional study among 276 eligible SAC recruited from public primary schools in the Zaria Local Government Area. Portion sizes of the meals served through the NHSFP were determined using an electronic scale, meal samples were collected for nutrient analysis, and the aver-age daily nutrient intake of the participants from the meals was calculated. The average daily intake of nutrients and energy of the participants was compared with the age-and sex-specific RNI to estimate the percentage contribution of the meals.Results: The portion sizes recorded were 199.3 +/- 20.6 g, 263.9 +/- 11.5 g, 242.1 +/- 16.8 g, 311 +/- 17.3 g, and 160.3 +/- 1.9 mL, respectively, for moi-moi, jollof rice and beans, bean porridge, jollof rice and boiled egg, and yoghurt. In addition, the meals contained moisture (30.13-66.11%), ash (0.73-7.08%), crude fat (9-32.61%), crude protein (7.25-24.5%), crude fiber (0-2.45%), and total carbohydrate (2.19-29.74%) with an energy content ranging from 183.6 to 330.57 kcal. Similarly, the meals contained calcium (82.58-711 mg), potas-sium (133-797 mg), sodium (340-1720 mg), iron (0.078-8.60 mg), zinc (1.84-13.4 mg), vitamin A (2.38 - 100.56 RAE), and vitamin C (0.04-1.57 mg) per 100 g of the school meals. The meals contributed 18.2 - 19.1%, 102.8-183.7%, 13.04-13.6%, and 26.1%-35.8% of the RNI for carbohydrates, proteins, fiber, and energy, respectively. Furthermore, they contributed 137-175%, 314.3-502.2%, 87.6-142.1%, 21.5-25.1%, 279.2-348.5%, 3.3-5.9%, 24.7-48.8%, and 3.3-5.9% of the RNI for iron, zinc, calcium, potassium, sodium, vita-min A, and vitamin C, respectively.Conclusion: The meals served through the NHSFP contributed at least 33% of the RNI for energy, protein, iron, calcium, sodium, vitamin A, and zinc. However, they could not meet the 33% of the RNI for carbohydrates, fiber, potassium, and vitamin C. Increasing the portion sizes and the diversity of the meals can address the suboptimal contribution of the meals to the RNI for carbohydrates, fiber, potassium, and vitamin C.(c) 2023 French Society of Pediatrics. Published by Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.

The quest for discovery of a new antiglycation and antioxidant drug still remains a major priority in medicine and related clinical sectors. Against this backdrop, the antioxidant and antiglycation activities of ethylacetate, chloroform, methanol and aqueous extracts of Syzygium guineense (SG) and Borassus aethiopum (BA) leaves including their phytochemical compositions were evaluated in an in vitro trial. DPPH free radical scavenging capacity, antiglycation activity and qualitative phytochemical screening in vitro assay were employed respectively. Our result revealed that triterpenes, cardiac glycosides, tannins and flavonoids were detected in the plants leaves extracts. The extracts demonstrated a significantly (p < 0.05) low antioxidant and antiglycation activities except the aqueous extract of BA leaves, which displayed a significantly (p < 0.05) high antiglycation ability. Overall, data from the current study showed that ethylacetate, chloroform, methanol and aqueous extracts of the plants leaves have potential effect towards lowering oxidative stress and protein glycation and thus should be exploited for further research in the area of drug discovery.

Onchocerciasis is a vector-borne disease caused by the filarial nematode Onchocerca volvulus, which is responsible for most of the visual impairments recorded in Africa, Asia and the Americas. It is known that O. volvulus has similar molecular and biological characteristics as Onchocerca ochengi in cattle. This study was designed to screen for immunogenic epitopes and binding pockets of O. ochengi IMPDH and GMPR ligands using immunoinformatic approaches. In this study, a total of 23 B cell epitopes for IMPDH and 7 B cell epitopes for GMPR were predicted using ABCpred tool, Bepipred 2.0 and Kolaskar and Tongaonkar methods. The CD4+ Th computational results showed 16 antigenic epitopes from IMPDH with strong binding affinity for DRB1_0301, DRB3_0101, DRB1_0103 and DRB1_1501 MHC II alleles while 8 antigenic epitopes from GMPR were predicted to bind DRB1_0101 and DRB1_0401 MHC II alleles, respectively. For the CD8+ CTLs analysis, 8 antigenic epitopes from IMPDH showed strong binding affinity to human leukocyte antigen HLA-A*26:01, HLA-A*03:01, HLA-A*24:02 and HLA-A*01:01 MHC I alleles while 2 antigenic epitopes from GMPR showed strong binding affinity to HLA-A*01:01 allele, respectively. The immunogenic B cell and T cell epitopes were further evaluated for antigenicity, non-alllergernicity, toxicity, IFN-gamma, IL4 and IL10. The docking score revealed favorable binding free energy with IMP and MYD scoring the highest binding affinity at -6.6 kcal/mol with IMPDH and -8.3 kcal/mol with GMPR. This study provides valuable insight on IMPDH and GMPR as potential drug targets and for the development of multiple epitope vaccine candidates.Communicated by Ramaswamy H. Sarma

Rabies virus (RABV) infection leads to a fatal neurological outcome in humans and animals and is associated with major alterations in cellular gene expression. In this study, we describe the effects of RABV infection on the mRNA expression levels of two genes, encoding the Ca2+-binding proteins (Ca-BPs) calbindin D-28K (Calb1) and calretinin (Calb2), in the brains of BALB/c mice. Sixty 4-week-old mice were divided into two test groups and one control group. Mice were inoculated intramuscularly with either a street rabies virus (SRV) strain or a challenge virus standard (CVS-11) strain and sacrificed at 3-day intervals up to day 18 postinfection. A direct fluorescent antibody test (DFAT) was used to verify the presence of RABV antigen in brain tissues, and real-time quantitative PCR (RT-PCR) was used to assess gene expression. Infection with both RABV strains resulted in significant (p < 0.05) increases in Calb1 and Calb2 expression in the test animals when compared with the controls at various time points in the study. Correlation analysis indicated very weak insignificant (p > 0.05) negative and positive relationships, respectively, between Calb1 expression (r = -0.04) and Calb2 expression (r = 0.08) with viral load (CVS-11 strain). Insignificant (p > 0.05) relationships were also observed Calb1 expression (r = -0.28) and Calb2 expression (r = 0.06) and viral load for the SRV strain.The observed alterations in Calb1 and Calb2 expression in this study indicate possible impairments in neuronal Ca2+ buffering and Ca2+ homeostasis as a result of RABV infection and, consequently, possible involvement of calbindin-D28K and calretinin in the neuropathogenesis of rabies.

Expensiveness of trypanocides triggered the use of plants decoction as a therapeutic option after safety validation. We evaluated the cyto-genotoxic and clastogenic effects of antitrypanosomal plants; Lonchocarpus laxiflorus (LL) and Afrormosia laxiflora (AL) and their impact on hepatic metabolomics in Wistar rats. The IC50 was determined based on malondialdehyde (MDA) level (ex vivo). This was followed by lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), 8-hydroxy-2′-deoxyguanosine (8OHDG), DNA fragmentation (DF) and micronucleated polychromatic erythrocytes (MNPCEs) determinations. Hepatic metabolites of exposed rats to the said plants’ extracts were identified by LC–MS coupled with a positive control group treated with sodium arsenite (SA). The IC50s of LL and AL are 2.545 and 5.693 µg/ml, respectively, for liver tissue and 4.440 and 5.877 µg/ml, respectively, for bone marrow tissue. In bone marrow tissue, low cyto-genotoxicity potentials based on LDH and 8OHDG levels as compared with SA were observed. At in vivo level, we observed significant (p < 0.05) reduction of MDA, LDH, 8OHDG, DF and MNPCEs levels relative to SA-treated rats. Based on metabolomics, tyrosine, sphingolipid and glycerophospholipid metabolic pathways were likely activated in SA-treated group and shut down in LL- and AL-treated groups with concomitant stabilization of sphingolipid metabolism in SA + LL- and SA + AL-treated rats. However, AL-treated group showed activation of phenylalanine metabolism. Altogether, AL depicts insignificant (p > 0.05) cyto-genotoxicity and ability to cause chromosomal breakage ex vivo and in vivo, indicating that decoction of AL appears to be safe for the treatment of human trypanosomiasis.

Envenoming by snakebite is a serious health problem that maims and kills a large number of people, primarily in rural areas of developing African countries. The first comparative venom proteomic analyses of four snakes from the viperidae (E. ocellatus and B. arietans) and elapidae (N. haje and N. katiensis) families are presented in this study. Two-dimensional electrophoresis was combined with matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry to analyze the venoms. Proteins were identified by comparing mass spectrometry spectra to those in the reviewed Uniprot-Serpentes database. A protein spot was considered differentially present between samples at a p-value of < 0.05 and a fold change of >2. Viper venoms contained cytotoxic-inducing proteins such as SVMPs, SVSPs, and cytotoxins, whereas elapid snake venoms contained neurotoxic proteins such as PLA2, 3-FTx, and neurotoxins. The PDQuest annotated protein spots on the 2-DE gels showed that the proteins in these snakes' venoms were differentially expressed between snake families and species. The elapid venoms were predominantly acidic (low pI) with low molecular masses, whereas the viperid venoms had high molecular masses and a pI in the region of 7. Venom phosphodiesterase, L-amino acid oxidase and cysteine-rich venom protein were common in the venoms of these snakes, while an uncommon protein actiflagelin was detected in the Naja venoms. Our findings show that there is significant variation in the toxin profiles of these snakes, both at the species and family levels. This has an impact on the clinical manifestations of envenomation. A thorough understanding of the various toxins found in venomous snakes may aid in the development of new and improved therapeutic strategies.

Different potentials has been devoted to most of the abundant and under-utilized plants found in Africa. This characteristic properties can be harness and channel to aid environmental, economic and social development. Tamarindus indica is one of the most commonly under-utilized plant materials with a number of reported biological and environmental relevance. In this mini review, we reported on antioxidant potentials and environmental role associated with tamarindus indica which might be due to its vast phytochemical profile. The aim of the work was to unravel the applicability of antioxidant possession of Tamarindus indica in the field of environmental health and remediation. About sixty one (61) publications out of two hundreds (200) sourced from various databases were consulted. The articles were screened based on their bearing to the areas concerned this report. Numerous researchers revealed antioxidant capacity, phenolics and ascorbic acid content of different parts of tamarind to be significantly appreciative. This property shows a strong association with the vast amount of phytochemical confined in this plant. Antioxidant property in Tamarindus indica might serve a driving force in many of its displayed biologicals potentials. Thus, tamarindus indica could also serve a reasonably in the field of environmental health and safety due to their abundance and less utilization. Keywords: Tamarind; antioxidants; phytochemicals; environment; remediation DOI: 10.7176/JEES/13-1-02 Publication date: January 31 st 2023

ABSTRACTBackground : Erythroid cells play important roles in hemostasis and disease. However, there is still significant knowledge gap regarding stress erythropoiesis.Methods : Two single-cell RNAseq datasets of erythroid cells on GEO with accession numbers GSE149938 and GSE184916 were obtained. The datasets from two sources, bone marrow and peripheral blood were analyzed using Seurat v4.1.1, and other tools in R. QC metrics were performed, data were normalized and scaled. Principal components that capture the variation of the data were determined. In clustering the cells, KNN graph was constructed and Louvain algorithm was applied to optimize the standard modularity function. Clusters were defined via differential expression of features.Results We identified 9 different cell types, with a particular cluster representing the stress erythroids. The clusters showed differentially expressed genes as observed from the gene signature plot. The stress erythroid cluster differentially expressed some genes including ALAS2, HEMGN, and GUK1.Conclusion The erythroid population was found to be heterogeneous, with a distinct sub-cell type constituting the stress erythroids; this may have important implications for our knowledge of steady-state and stress erythropoiesis, and the markers found in this cluster may prove useful for future research into the dynamics of stress erythroid progenitor cell differentiation.