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    Why women utilize traditional rather than skilled birth attendants for maternity care in rural Nigeria: Implications for policies and programs
    (2022) Ntoimo LF; Okonofua FE; Ekwo C; Solanke TO; Igboin B; Imongan W; Yaya S
    Objective Data from the Nigeria Demographic and Health Survey indicate that many pregnant women in rural Nigeria use traditional birth attendants (TBAs) rather than skilled birth attendants (SBAs) for maternal health care. This is one factor that accounts for the persistently high rate of maternal mortality in Nigeria. The objective of this study was to identify the pervading reasons that women use TBAs for pregnancy care in rural Nigeria and to make recommendations for policy and programmatic reform. Design Qualitative research design consisting of focus group discussions, key informant interviews, and community conversations, followed by inductive thematic analysis. Setting Twenty rural communities (villages) in Etsako East, and Esan South East Local Government Areas of Edo State, South-South, Nigeria. Participants Twenty focus group discussions with men and women in a marital union; 15 key informant interviews with policymakers, senior health providers, and women leaders; and 10 community conversations with key community leaders. Findings Some reasons proffered for using TBAs included perceptions of higher efficacy of traditional medicines; age-long cultural practices; ease of access to TBAs as compared to SBAs; higher costs of services in health facilities; and friendly attitude of TBAs. Key conclusions and implications for practice The continued use of TBA is a major challenge in efforts to achieve the Sustainable Development Goal 3 in Nigeria. We conclude that efforts to address the factors identified by community stakeholders as inhibiting the use of SBAs will promote skilled birth attendance and reduce maternal mortality in rural Nigeria.
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    Cardiovascular risk factors in semi-urban communities in southwest Nigeria: Patterns and prevalence
    (2015) Oluyombo R; Olamoyegun MA; Olaifa O; Iwuala SO; Babatunde OA
    Introduction Over 80% of cardiovascular deaths take place in low- and middle-income countries; most of these deaths are due to modifiable risk factors. The study aimed at estimating the prevalence and pattern of major cardiovascular risk factors in both men and women older than 18years. Methods This is a cross-sectional study of cardiovascular risk factors among semi-urban dwellers in Ekiti State, south-western, Nigeria. 750 participants were drawn from 10 communities. The instrument used was the standard WHO STEPS (II) questionnaire, while blood samples were obtained for analysis. Results There were 750 participants with 529 (70.53%) females. The mean age of participants was 61.7±18.50years and participants’ ⩾65years comprised 38.3%. There were 0.8%, 24.9% and 12.4%, who at the time of this study smoked cigarettes, consumed alcohol, and ate a high salt diet, respectively. The prevalence of hypertension, diabetes, generalized and abdominal obesity was 47.2%, 6.8%, 8.5% and 32.0%, respectively, with only 48.9% receiving hypertension treatment. Elevated total cholesterol, LDL-cholesterol, and low HDL was seen in 4.4%, 16.7% and 56.3% respectively. Conclusion High prevalence of cardiovascular risk factors call for an urgent need for more public health attention and reinforcement of primary preventive strategies to curb its menace.
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    Assessment of use of psychoactive and other non-prescription drugs among students of selected tertiary institutions in Ekiti State South West Nigeria - A baseline study
    (2021) Soremekun RO; Omole OE; Adeyemi OC; Oshatimi AM
    Background Substance abuse is causing increasing threats to the stability of young minds, from teenage to the older youths and is an issue of public health concern in Nigeria. This study was carried out to determine the prevalence of drug abuse among students of tertiary institutions in Ekiti State. Methodology A comparative cross-sectional survey was carried out among students in tertiary institutions in Ekiti state with participants selected from Year 1 to Year 4. Data collection tool was the WHO questionnaire (STASSIS). Data was analysed to obtain descriptive and inferential data, Kruskal-Wallis test and chi square were used for analysis of variance and test of association. Result The majority of the students reported low use of all the drugs (64–90.1%) though moderate to high use were reported for: alcohol 35.1%, marijuana 15.7%, heroine 15.3%, tobacco 13.8% and cocaine 10.2%. There was a significant association between student's moderate to high use and university type. Students in private universities reported more use, especially heroine. Difference in substance use across the four years surveyed was significant with final year students (400 level) showing highest use. Conclusion Tertiary students in Ekiti state are low users of psychoactive substances with a prevalence of 60–91%. Moderate to high prevalence of 10–31% was reported with alcohol as the substance with highest usage. Substance use varied significantly with university type with highest prevalence in the private institution and students at different academic levels with final year students being the highest users.
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    University students’ knowledge and readiness to practice genomic nursing in Nigeria
    (2021) Adejumo PO; Kolawole IO; Ojo IO; Ilesanmi RE; Olorunfemi O; Tijani WA
    Introduction Genetic nursing education provides knowledge of traits and inherited diseases. This has not been well integrated into nursing practice in Nigeria. Aim This study evaluated university nursing students’ knowledge of genomic concepts and readiness to practice genomic nursing in Nigeria. Methods A cross-sectional study was conducted. Three universities were purposively selected in Nigeria. A total of 136 participants were recruited using convenient sampling technique. A modified Genetic Nursing Concept Inventory questionnaire was distributed to participants in their classrooms. Data were analyzed with SPSS (23); descriptive data were presented in tables and figures with their mean and standard deviations. Chi-square test and multivariate analysis were used to ascertain association between variables at p < 0.05 level of significance. Results Findings indicated that participants have poor knowledge (89%) and lack readiness (66%) to practice genomic nursing in Nigeria. Their knowledge influenced their readiness (χ2 = 21.033, df = 1, p = 0.001). Institution type was the most consistent predictor of knowledge (χ2 = 48.586, df = 2, p = 0.001) and readiness (OR = 14.817, p = 0.326, C.I. = 3.190, 319.57) as those in federal institution were more knowledgeable and prepared to practice genetic nursing. Participants perceived that poor funding, lack of trained personnel, and social/environmental factors could affect their readiness to practice genetic nursing. Conclusion The study has brought to the fore that nursing students have low knowledge and were not ready to practice genetic nursing, efforts should be made to look into the adequacy of nursing training on genetic nursing and strategies needed for its integration in education and practice.
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    Characterization of biochar and phosphorus adsorption in charnockite-originated soils
    (2022) Ilori AO; Ogbonnaya OU; Asaolu JI; Shittu OS; Fasina AS
    Phosphorus, P deficiency by adsorption and fixation of applied P is a critical problem in the tropical soils coupled with wastage of agricultural land and potential nutrients from crop residues’ decomposition necessitates conservancy and sustainable management. Maize stover biochar (mB) and sawmill waste biochar (sB) pyrolysed for 60-minute at 460 °C using Top-Lit Up Draft (TLUD) carbonizer were characterized by morphological, elemental and proximate properties analysed by Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM), CHNS Elemental Analyser and appropriate methods, respectively. Phosphorus (P) adsorption potential of the biochars in charnockite-originated soils were evaluated using adsorption isotherms after adding biochars at 0, 5, 10 and 20% (w/w) with concentrations of 0, 15, 30, 60, 90, 120, 150 mg P/L. SEM showed macropores (>50 nm) embedded biochars, with higher elemental C and H in sB while mB contained higher N, S, O, available P and pH. P-adsorption decreased inconsistently with increasing biochar rates resulting in P-desorption. Low Langmuir adsorption maximum (Qm) were recorded (−0.0350 to 0.1250 mg kg−1) mostly with negative separation factors (RL) and the adsorption process were favourable for mB amended soils having Freundlich heterogeneity factor (nF) of 4.476–9.634 but not for sB amended soils (nF = 0.638–2.812). Biochar production conserved nutrient loss and potentially reduced soil P fixation.
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    Biochemical Ameliorating Potential of Optimized Dough Meal from Plantain (Musa AAB), Soycake (Glycine max) and Rice bran (Oryza sativa) Flour Blends in Streptozotocin Induced Diabetic Rats
    (2022) Olugbuyi AO; Oladipo GO; Malomo SA; Ijarotimi SO; Fagbemi TN
    Research is gradually drifting towards the adoption of food as therapy for the management of diseases that result from metabolic derangement, in extension genetic diseases can as well be managed by a functional and nutritional diet that will maintain the health of an individual through life. Diabetes Mellitus is not an exception. This study was aimed at formulating functional diets from blends of plantain, soycake, and rice bran flours. They were processed into the dough and referred to as optimized flour blends and dough meals. The 100% Plantain flour (PLTF) and 100% cerolina (CERF) serve as the positive and negative controls. The protein efficiency ratio of the optimized flour blends and dough meal samples fed on rats ranged between 0.73 in PLTF – 3.23 in PSRD. The flour blends were less digestible than the dough meal flour. The dough meal flours (PLTD, CERD, and PSRD) have higher α–amylase inhibitory activity than the flour samples (PLTF, CERF, and PSRF). The PSRD has the highest α–amylase inhibition (30%) and was significantly higher than others.Inhibition against α- glucosidase activity ranged from 25% (PLTD) to 32% (PSRD). The raw flours (PLTF, CERF, and PSRF) have lessα–glucosidase inhibition than dough meal samples. Rats fed with the optimized diets enhanced the endogenous antioxidant status by elevating the levels of reduced glutathione (GSH), catalase (CAT), superoxide dismutase (SOD), glutathione peroxidase (GPx), and glutathione transferase (GST) in the liver, while the diet depressed the levels of malondialdehyde (MDA), myeloperoxidase (MPO) and xanthine oxidase (XO). The optimized dough meal has high alpha-amylase and alpha-glucosidase activities which are key enzymes implicated in diabetes mellitus; hence, the sample has the potential to be used as dietary intervention to modulate DM and hypertension.
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    Reversal of acetaminophen-generated oxidative stress and concomitant hepatotoxicity by a phytopharmaceutical product
    (2017) Akinmoladun AC; Oguntunde KO; Owolabi LO; Ilesanmi OB; Ogundele JO; Olaleye MT; Akindahunsi AA
    The increasing popularity of herbal medicine and the well-established health benefits of phytochemicals have spurred the multiplicity of nutraceutical and phytopharmaceutical products. In this study, Trévo™, a nutraceutical and phytopharmaceutical product, was evaluated for beneficial effects in acetaminophen-induced hepatic toxicity in Wistar rats. Animals received Trévo™ (1.5mL/kg, 3.0mL/kg or 4.5mL/kg) orally for 14 days. Hepatotoxicity was induced by the oral administration of acetaminophen (2g/kg), 24h prior to sacrifice. Biochemical liver function tests, oxidative stress indicators and histoarchitectural changes were evaluated. Acetaminophen administration occasioned significant increase (P<0.05) in serum bilirubin level and activities of the aminotransferases, alkaline phosphatase, γ-glutamyltransferase and lactate dehydrogenase accompanied by a significant decrease (P<0.05) in albumin level as well as histopathological alterations in liver sections. Promotion of hepatic oxidative stress by acetaminophen was revealed by significant (P<0.05) increase in lipid peroxidation, depletion of reduced glutathione, and decrease in superoxide dismutase and catalase activities. Administration of Trévo™ remarkably ameliorated acetaminophen-induced histopathological alterations and changes in serum and tissue biochemical markers. The protective effect of Trévo™ (4.5mL/kg) was at par with that of Silymarin (25mg/kg). The present study indicates that Trévo™ has notable salubrious effects.
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    Structural architecture of the Middle Niger Basin, Nigeria based on aeromagnetic data: An example of a non-volcanic basin
    (2021) Salawu NB; Dada SS; Fatoba JO; Ojo OJ; Adebiyi LS; Sunday AJ; Abdulraheem TY
    The Middle Niger Basin is located within the west-central half of Nigeria, as a NW-SE trending Campano-Maastrichtian depo-centre which extends from the southern end of the Sokoto Basin west of Kainji reservoir southwestwards to the convergence of the Benue and Niger Rivers at Lokoja. The aeromagnetic anomaly data of the Middle Niger Basin was interpreted to characterize the structural architecture and depth to the magnetic basement of the basin. This is to expand the current knowledge of the region. The analysis of the data has been facilitated by the application of derivative and source parameter imaging techniques. The results from the application of total gradient to the aeromagnetic data provided here signify a rift origin of the basin and NW-SE trending fault systems in the surrounding basement complex terrain. The absence of magnetic highs on the first vertical derivative of the reduced-to-pole aeromagnetic data reveals lack of volcanic rocks within the sedimentary layers of the basin. Additionally, the consistent NW-SE trending source parameter imaging depth solutions within the basin confirm the internal geometry and NW-SE orientation of the basin with sediments not more than 1100 m thick.
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    Specific Energy Based Characterization of Surface Integrity in Mechanical Machining
    (2017) Balogun VA; Mativenga PT
    In mechanical machining operations, process mechanisms and machining efficiency can be characterized by the cutting tool geometry, process parameters and workpiece materials. These variables are vital parameters to evaluating the specific cutting energy demand as indication to sustainable manufacture. In today's manufacturing environment, where minimum production cost is required to maximize profits, optimum performance of manufactured component is one of the pre-requisite to consumer's continuous patronage. The optimum performance of product especially in machining can be linked to process mechanisms, specific energy demand and surface roughness. Surface integrity is known to vary with values of the ratio of un-deformed chip thickness to cutting edge radius. The specific energy demand is influenced as process mechanism changes. This raises the economic cost of manufacture and CO2 emission. In this work, surface integrity of mechanically machined component is characterized and linked to its corresponding process mechanisms and specific energy demand. This work will contribute towards an improved process parameter selection for minimum energy demand, aid process planning, sustainable manufacture and resource efficiency for mechanical machining processes.
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    Theoretical assessment of new low global warming potential refrigerant mixtures as eco-friendly alternatives in domestic refrigeration systems
    (2020) Bolaji BO
    Refrigerants of low global warming potentials (GWPs) of ≤ 150 are required by regulations as working fluids in domestic refrigeration systems. Therefore, this study theoretically investigated the performance of five new refrigerant mixtures (R440A, R441A, R444A, R445A and R451A) with zero ODP and GWPs of less than 150. The results showed that all the investigated refrigerants exhibited very low pressure ratios and discharge temperatures in comparison with R134a with average discharge temperatures of R451A and R440A lower by 8 and 7% respectively, than that of R134a. R451A and R440A have similar vapour specific volume and pressure-temperature characteristics with those of R134a which confirmed that they could be used as replacement for R134a. R440A and R451A have advantages of better COPs and volumetric cooling capacity (VCC) in comparison with R134a. Their average COPs are higher by 14 and 5% respectively, than that of R134a. The specific power consumptions (SPCs) of R441A and R445A are significantly higher by average of 57 and 44% respectively; while those of R440A and R451A are lower by average of 8 and 4% respectively, in comparison with R134a. In general, in terms of all the performance parameters considered, R441A and R445A consistently performed poorly, while R440A and R451A achieved better performance than R134a in all aspects. Beside the flammability of these two refrigerants, in which their use require following the established rules and regulations for the safety precautions, they can serve as long term eco-friendly substitute refrigerants for R134a in domestic refrigerators.
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    Survey dataset on open and distance learning students’ intention to use social media and emerging technologies for online facilitation
    (2020) Arulogun OT; Akande ON; Akindele AT; Badmus TA
    Open and Distance Learning (ODL) students rely majorly on the use of Information, Communication and Technology (ICT) tools for online facilitation and other activities supporting learning. With emphasis on ODL students of Ladoke Akintola University of Technology (LAUTECH), Oyo Sta te, Nigeria; Moodle Learning Management System (LMS) has being the major medium for online facilitation for the past 5 years. Therefore, this data article presents a survey dataset that was administered to LAUTECH ODL students with a view to assess their readiness to accept and use alternative social media platforms and emerging technologies for online facilitation. The data article also includes questionnaire instrument administered via google form, 900 responses received in spreadsheet formats, chats generated from the responses, the Statistical Package of the Social Sciences (SPSS) file, the descriptive and reliability statistics for all the variables. Authors believe that the dataset will guide policy makers on the choice of social media and emerging technologies to be adopted as a facilitation tool for ODL students. It will also reveal the challenges that could militate against the willingness to use these supplementary modes of learning from students’ perspectives.
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    Soil organic carbon concentration and stock of arable land use of two agro-ecological zones of Nigeria
    (2021) Kadiri WO; Fasina AS; Babalola TS
    Soil Organic Carbon (SOC) dynamics study in arable land use at different agro-ecological zones is important for recommendation of sustainable land use management practices against detrimental practices. This will provide insight on how to enhance SOC sequestration, improve soil quality and mitigate impact of climate change in different agro-ecological zones. This study was conducted at two agro-ecological zones of Nigeria; upland rainforest (Ado-Ekiti) and southern guinea savanna (Kabba) to evaluate SOC sequestration under arable land use. From the two agro-ecological zones, 1 ha (ha) of land was marked out, five soil samples were randomly collected at four different depths (0–15, 15–30, 30–45, and 45–60 cm) for SOC sequestration study. Higher SOC concentration and stock were observed at Ado-Ekiti site over Kabba site was due to best soil management practices like soil organic and inorganic fertilizers application and incorporation of crop residues. SOC concentration distribution varied greatly (%CV > 35%) and decreased with depth at the two agro-ecological zones. SOC stocks ranged from 6.59 t ha−1 to 24.97 t ha−1 and decreased with depth in similar trend with SOC concentration. Generally, at both sites, soil organic matter (SOM), total nitrogen (TN), available phosphorus (AP) decrease with increasing depth especially to 45 cm depth while soil pH increase with increasing depth. Both SOC concentration and stock were observed to have significant positive correlation (P < 0.01; P < 0.05) with SOM (r = 1.000** and 0.996**; and r = 0.991** and 0.707**) and TN (r = 0.936** and 0.934**; and r = 0.992** and 0.691**) at Ado-Ekiti and Kabba sites respectively. This indicated that increase in SOM and TN were associated with increase in SOC stock and concentration. Maximum value (20.33%) of exchangeable sodium percentage (ESP) of above critical value of 15% was recorded at Ado-Ekiti site which requires that soil be managed against sodicity. There was significant difference (t = 2.975**) between the overall mean SOC stocks (14.83 and 9.15 t ha−1 at Ado-Ekiti and Kabba sites respectively) at two agro-ecological zones. Thus, adoption of better soil management practices will enhance SOC sequestration and soil quality at the two agro-ecological zones.
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    Assessment of heavy metal pollution in soil samples from a gold mining area in Osun State, Nigeria using proton-induced X-ray emission
    (2021) Fagbenro AA; Yinusa TS; Ajekiigbe KM; Oke AO; Obiajunwa EI
    This study identified and determined the concentration of heavy metal contaminants in Igun, Ijana-Gada and Igbadae gold mining sites using Particle Induced X-ray Emission (PIXE) technique. This was with a view to providing information on various heavy metal concentrations, potential sources of metals contamination and pollution load at Igun, Ijana-Gada and Igbadae gold mining sites. A total of thirty soil samples were collected randomly from Igun, Ijana-Gada and Igbadae gold mining sites in the Ilesha area, Osun State. Twelve samples were collected each from Igun and Ijana-Gada sites; while six samples were collected from Igbadae site. The soil samples were processed and analyzed for selected heavy metals (Fe, Mn, Cu, Zn, Cr, M, V and Fe). A Multivariate statistics approach (Pearson Correlation Matrix and Principal Component Analysis) was used on the data for identification of contamination sources. The heavy metal concentrations in the studied soils decreased in the following order: Fe > Ti > Mn > V > Cr > Zn > Pb > Cu with mean value of Fe (84,470.60 mg/kg), Ti (15,337.30 mg/kg), Mn (576.80 mg/kg), V (465.90 mg/kg), Cr (304.10 mg/kg), Zn (103.90 mg/kg), Pb (38.60 mg/kg), and Cu (26.00 mg/kg). The result obtained from the assessment of heavy metal pollution using Enrichment Factor (EF), Pollution Load Index (PLI), and Pollution Index (PI) confirmed that Igun, Ijana-Gada, and Igbadae soils/mine-tailings were polluted in the range from slightly through moderately polluted up to highly polluted. Principal Component Analysis (PCA) extracted three major components: PC1with loading of Fe, V, Zn, and Cu, PC2 with high loading of Ti and Mn while PC3 with the contribution of Pb and Cr. This was corroborated by Pearson Correlation Matrix (PCM) for the analyzed elements. The study revealed that the soils and mine tailings from the study area were polluted with heavy metals especially V, Ti and Cr from anthropogenic sources with little crustal material contributions thereby posing serious environmental and health concerns.
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    Performance evaluation of machine learning tools for detection of phishing attacks on web pages
    (2022) Ojewumi TO; Ogunleye GO; Oguntunde BO; Folorunsho O; Fashoto SG; Ogbu N
    This paper analyses and implements a rule-based approach for phishing detection using the three machine learning models trained on a dataset consisting of fourteen (14) features. The machine learning algorithms are; k-Nearest Neighbor (KNN), Random Forest, and Support Vector Machine (SVM). Among the three algorithms used, it was discovered that Random Forest model proved to deliver the best performance. Rules were extracted from the Random Forest Model and embedded into a Google chrome browser extension called PhishNet. PhishNet is built during the course of this research using web technologies such as HTML, CSS, and Javascript. As a result, PhishNet facilitates highly efficient phishing detection for the web.
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    Potential effects of Land Use Land Cover Change on streamflow over the Sokoto Rima River Basin
    (2022) Achugbu IC; Olufayo AA; Balogun IA; Dudhia J; McAllister M; Adefisan EA; Naabil E
    This research investigated the effects of Land Use Land Cover Change (LULCC) over the Sokoto Rima River Basin (SRRB) using a setup of Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) atmospheric model to generate the parameters to force WRF hydrological (WRF-Hydro) model which comprises of a parent domain at 12km horizontal resolution with an updated MODIS Land Use (LU) data and the nested domain at 4km resolution which focuses on the SRRB. The calibration of the model was done by modifying the infiltration and the Manning's roughness parameters. WRF-Hydro model was used to run simulations with the control LU and five different LU scenarios generated for Urban (Ur), Grassland (Gr), Savanna (Sa), Forest (Fr) and Barren (Ba). For the period analysed, simulation with Gr scenario increased streamflow in all the forecast points, while the Sa decreases it. A strong correlation was noted between the input precipitation and streamflow for all LU scenarios, and a significant Specific Discharge to Rainfall (SDR) for Ur, Fr and Ba scenarios. There was an increase in streamflow in the dry period due to afforestation and a decrease due to deforestation. Areas where grasslands were converted into savanna showed a little increase in evapotranspiration ET. There was more ET for the Sa scenario than the Gr scenario in the wet period, while there was more ET in the dry period for Gr scenario than it is for the Sa scenario. The study has shown that ET is a major factor to changes in streamflow due to LU changes over the basin. The sensitivity of the model to LULCC is reasonable, but more research is recommended to compare results with different hydrological model popularly used for LULCC impact studies.
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    Polypharmacology of Gongronema latifolium leaf secondary metabolites against protein kinases implicated in Parkinson's disease and Alzheimer's disease
    (2021) Oyinloye BE; Iwaloye O; Ajiboye BO
    Neurodegenerative diseases (NDD) are one of the major health concerns around the globe; Parkinson's disease (PD) and Alzheimer's disease (AD) are the most prevalent form of NDD. Protein kinases (PKs), common protein domains implicated in neurodegenerative diseases, are regulatory protein of cell functions; and play a pivotal role in signal transduction. Hence, this study considered the computational screening of secondary metabolites form Gongronema latifolium leaf for their inhibitory activities against the three prevalent PKs leucine-rich repeat kinase 2 (LRRK2), GSK3β (glycogen kinase 3β) and MAPK14 associated with the onset of AD and PD. The compounds were initially screened against LRRK2, GSK3β and MAPK14 by molecular docking to retrieve the hits. Nine (9) compounds were chosen and calculated for binding free energy to determine their stability with the proteins. The Lipinski, Ghose, Veber and Egan rules were considered to predict the compounds drug-likeness, in addition to drug-drug interaction and GI absorption. 2D QSAR models were constructed using a Kernel-based PLS regression model with Canvas binary fingerprint as the X variable. From the selected nine-hit with favourable stability with the proteins, 4 flavonoids (Catechin, Gallocatechin, Butein and Isorhamnetin) showed drug-likeness attributes with a low tendency for drug-drug interaction and high GI absorption. The generated QSAR models also predicted moderate pIC50 values for these compounds against the three PKs. This study will help in future endeavours for finding effective therapy for AD and PD.
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    Pilot groundwater radon mapping and the assessment of health risk from heavy metals in drinking water of southwest, Nigeria
    (2022) Ajiboye Y; Isinkaye MO; Badmus GO; Faloye OT; Atoiki V
    Radon and heavy metals are sources of groundwater pollution and are identified as potential carcinogens. Southwest Nigeria's populace mostly relies on groundwater source for drinking. This study aims to map radon distribution in groundwater of southwest Nigeria and to determine the health risk of radon and heavy metal in drinking water. Radon concentrations of 145 groundwater samples were measured using RAD7 electronic radon detector and heavy metal concentrations of 52 groundwater samples were measured using atomic absorption spectrophotometer. Radon concentration distributions were delineated using geographical information system. Radon concentration of water samples ranges between 1.6 Bq l−1 and 271 Bq l−1 with an average value of 35.9 ± 38.4 Bq l−1. The average groundwater radon concentration is higher than US-EPA recommended level of 11.1 Bq l−1 but lower than the WHO recommended limit of 100 Bq l−1. The estimated average annual effective radiation doses to infants, children, and adults are 29 μSvy−1, 41 μSvy−1 and 92 μSvy−1 respectively. The radon distribution map of the study area reveals regions of high, medium, and low groundwater radon concentrations. The average concentration values of heavy metals in groundwater samples are of the order Mn > Zn > Pb > Cu > Cr > Ni > Cd. 84% of groundwater exhibits good to excellent quality in terms of heavy metal pollution. However, about 16% of the samples which lie in the sedimentary regions of Ogun and Lagos States exhibit poor to very poor quality. Overall, ingestion of groundwater in the study area may not pose a serious health hazards from radon ingestion and heavy metal toxicity.
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    Phytochemical properties and pharmacological activities of the genus Pennisetum: A review
    (2022) Ojo OA; Ojo AB; Barnabas M; Iyobhebhe M; Elebiyo TC; Evbuomwan IO; Michael T; Ajiboye BO; Oyinloye BE; Oloyede OI
    Background The genus Pennisetum contains remarkable natural bioactive components, and its 140 species are widely distributed in tropical and subtropical countries, where they are frequently used for therapeutic purposes such as the treatment of dysentery, fever, diabetes, and abdominal pain by indigenous people. However, the available information for this genus has not been thoroughly researched in terms of their bioactive principles and extracts. Aim of the review The current review provides a profound perception, enhanced understanding, and comprehensive information on the traditional uses, phytochemical compounds, and biological activities of the genus Pennisetum, as well as toxicological perspectives. Furthermore, the significance of ethnopharmacological uses, application, and the beneficial potential of Pennisetum species for the management of a variety of diseases were thoroughly discussed. Materials and methods The significant data of Pennisetum species was obtained through a thorough review of scientific articles published in a variety of databases, including Elsevier, Wiley, Web of Science, Springer, PubMed, Taylor and Francis, and Google Scholar. Furthermore, PhD and MSc theses were used in compiling and evaluating data obtained. Results The ethnopharmacological applications of Pennisetum genus plants in various countries were established through detailed analysis of the aforementioned databases and thesis. So far, only a few species' chemical compositions and a total of 35 metabolites (excluding amino acids and fatty acid constituents) have been studied, including saponins, tannins, flavonoids, alkaloids, steroids, anthocyanin phenols, terpenoids, and others. The crude extracts were found to have antioxidant, antimicrobial, anti-cytotoxic, anti-hypertensive, and anti-inflammatory properties. Furthermore, the significance of ethnopharmacological applications, application, and the positive potential of Pennisetum species for the management of a variety of disorders was thoroughly examined. Conclusions Although there are significant gaps in comprehending the traditional applications in the current available data, Pennisetum spp. are known to be rich in flavonoids, phenols, fatty acids, and amino acids with favorable medicinal characteristics. However, more research into the chemical makeup of innovative plant-derived medications is still needed. Furthermore, high-quality preclinical studies using a unique strategy are needed to assess the efficacy, safety, and mechanism of these plants.
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    Modelling and optimal control analysis of Lassa fever disease
    (2020) Peter OJ; Abioye AI; Oguntolu FA; Owolabi TA; Ajisope MO; Zakari AG; Shaba TG
    Lassa fever is a severe hemorrhagic viral infection whose agents belong to Mastomys natelensis. Generally, humans contract Lassa virus through exposure to food or household products that have been contaminated with the excreta of the infected rodents. Lassa fever is endemic in some West African countries including Nigeria. A basic model is proposed to examine the transmission of the disease. The proposed model is subjected to qualitative study via the theory of differential equations and the threshold quantity that denotes the dominant eigenvalue was derived using next-generation matrix approach. The basic model is further extended to an optimal control model with four controls namely, the fumigation of the environment with pesticide, the use of condom to prevent human to human transmission during sexual activities, early treatment and the use of indoor residual spray. The theory of optimal control was explored to establish the necessary conditions for curtailing the transmission of Lassa fever. Numerical simulation was conducted and the results showed that if the Lassa fever transmission and spread were to be reduced significantly in the endemic region, all the control measures must be taken with all seriousness.