Osun State University

Spirituality is deeply embedded in childbirth experiences among Nigerian women; yet, its integration into maternity care remains limited, especially at the primary health care (PHC) level. This study explored the barriers and facilitators to integrating spirituality in childbirth among PHC workers in Ogbomoso, Nigeria. An exploratory qualitative research design was used, involving semi-structured interviews with ten purposively selected female PHC workers from selected health centers. Participants were mostly aged 41-50years, predominantly Christian, and had 11-20years of professional experience. Thematic analysis generated six themes as barriers to integrating spirituality: safety concerns related to harmful or unsterile spiritual items; concerns about disturbance from loud prayers disrupting the ward environment; heavy workload limiting attention to non-clinical needs; lack of training on spiritual care beyond prayer; time constraints, particularly during emergencies; and personal beliefs of health workers which sometimes conflicted with patients' spiritual preferences. Facilitators to integrating spirituality generate four themes: strong rapport between patients and caregivers, a calm and organized clinical environment, allowing access to personal spiritual items like scriptures or prayer beads, and supportive management policies that enabled flexibility without compromising care. The findings suggest that while spirituality is valued, systemic, institutional, and individual-level factors influence its implementation. Integrating spiritual care into PHC will require targeted training, staffing improvements, clear policies, and culturally sensitive guidelines to ensure holistic and respectful maternal care.

Cancer continues to be a significant global health liability characterized by high mortality rates and substantial treatment costs. The limitations of the existing therapeutic strategies, including chemotherapy, have led to the search for alternatives. This review categorizes the bioactive compounds from medicinal plants, including quinones, polyphenols, triterpenes, flavonoids, alkaloids, tannins, and saponins, and examines their antineoplastic effects. Plant bioactives exert anticancer effects through multiple mechanisms, including the inhibition of angiogenesis, induction of apoptosis, and cell cycle arrest, mediated by complex cellular signaling pathways. Therefore, exploring additional plant-based bioactives and their respective mechanisms of action is essential. This review highlights several medicinal plants with anticancer properties, including Artemisia annua , Coptis chinensis , and Curcuma longa . Many of these active compounds are currently in clinical use, such as paclitaxel, vinblastine, and topotecan. Biomarkers play a critical role in the diagnosis, treatment, and monitoring of cancer, with key examples discussed, including the BRAF V600E mutation, the EGFR gene, and BRCA1/BRCA2 genes . Despite advancements in cancer treatment, medicinal plants continue to offer promising alternatives, emphasizing the need for further exploration for the development of antineoplastic drugs.

Background: Accurate diagnosis and reporting are paramount for optimising pregnancy treatment and achieving favourable management outcomes. Misdiagnosis and erroneous reports can have critical and detrimental consequences for patient safety. This study examines the first-trimester ultrasound scan reports generated by practising ultrasound practitioners on Lagos Island and evaluates their adherence to World Health Organisation (WHO) guidelines. Aim: This research aims to investigate the variability in first-trimester ultrasound scan reporting among practising ultrasound practitioners on Lagos Island, with a particular emphasis on correlating these practices with WHO recommendations. The study seeks to identify factors contributing to inconsistencies in reporting and their potential implications for prenatal care. Methodology: A longitudinal, descriptive study design was employed, involving a sample of 200 sonographers from both private and community health institutions. Data were collected using structured questionnaires aligned with WHO-recommended parameters. Statistical analysis was conducted using SPSS version 25, with results presented as frequencies, percentages and means. Results: The findings revealed that 72.5% of respondents reported noticeable discrepancies among professionals regarding ultrasound reporting practices, with 66% attributing these inconsistencies to the lack of unified guidelines. Other significant factors included variability in training and experience (58.5%) and differences in equipment (52.5%). Radiographers demonstrated the highest compliance with WHO parameters, achieving 95.1% for gestational age estimation, while their knowledge of fetal movement showed 87.8%, with the lowest compliance level at 46.5%. Conclusion: Variability in first-trimester ultrasound reporting is influenced by factors such as training, experience, and institutional practices. The study underscores the necessity for standardised reporting procedures, ongoing professional development, and regular equipment calibration to enhance the reliability of diagnostic outcomes and improve maternal-fetal health. Implications for Policy and Practice: Informing policy decisions related to sonographer training, regulatory enforcement, and healthcare service delivery. Enhancing maternal health policies and promoting standardised first-trimester ultrasound reporting. Improving the quality, accuracy, and standardisation of prenatal ultrasound services, and reducing avoidable healthcare costs associated with inconsistent ultrasound reporting. Promoting the adoption of digital health solutions for real-time quality checks and validation of ultrasound data.

Maternal malaria and its sequelae, including maternal mortality and neonatal infection, represent a growing public health crisis in Sub-Saharan Africa, often exacerbated by underlying socioeconomic factors. The study seeks to assess the associations between maternal socioeconomic indicators, maternal malaria, and neonatal peripheral parasitaemia in a Nigerian hospital. A cross-sectional analysis of 85 mother-infant pairs was conducted at a hospital in Osogbo, Osun state, Nigeria. Well-structured questionnaires were used to collect maternal demographics, socioeconomic indicators, and preventive practices. Mother, cord blood, and neonatal peripheral blood samples were collected for parasitemia through microscopy. Descriptive statistics, Fisher exact and chi-square tests were used for categorical variables, and univariate logistic regression for continuous predictors. The prevalence of neonatal peripheral parasitemia was 8.2% (7/85). Maternal parasitemia strongly predicted neonatal infection. All positive neonates were born to mothers with positive microscopy (7/19), whereas no neonates from parasitemia negative mothers were infected (p < 0.001). No statistically significant associations were found between neonatal parasitemia and maternal education (p = 0.912), occupation (p = 0.183), insecticide treated net use (p = 0.413), or intermittent preventive therapy uptake (p = 1.000). The present study revealed maternal parasitemia as a primary risk factor for neonatal malaria. While socioeconomic factors showed no significant association in this small cohort, these preliminary findings highlighted the need for larger studies with refined socioeconomic measures to fully elucidate these relationships. This highlights the critical need for strengthening antenatal malaria screening, ensuring timely treatment of maternal infection, and enhancing community-based malaria education to reduce vertical transmission in high-burden regions like Osun State, Nigeria.

ABSTRACT The rapid expansion of electrified energy systems has transformed batteries from passive storage components into critical infrastructure assets. This shift has intensified persistent challenges related to degradation, safety and lifecycle uncertainty. A growing body of literature examines the use of artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) in battery modelling and management. However, most extant studies emphasise individual algorithms or isolated prediction tasks. The reliable deployment of intelligence on operational battery system receives limited attention. This perspective addresses this limitation by examining intelligent battery systems from a system‐level standpoint. Intelligence is approached as an outcome of coordinated integration across sensing, learning, optimisation and management functions, rather than as an isolated algorithmic feature. Recent advances in data acquisition, performance optimisation, lifecycle modelling and predictive management are examined within a unified battery management architecture. Attention is given to practical deployment constraints, including sensing fidelity, data representativeness, interpretability, scalability and compatibility with embedded control systems. Evidence from fast charging studies and grid‐scale deployments highlights both the potential of AI‐driven approaches and the structural barriers that restrict translation from laboratory settings to real‐world operation. The analysis highlights the role of early and diverse sensing, physics‐informed learning, uncertainty‐aware decision processes and deployment‐oriented model design in shaping dependable system‐level intelligence. The paper concludes by identifying research priorities that align algorithmic development with safety, sustainability and operational feasibility, positioning intelligent battery systems as adaptive assets within future energy infrastructures.

Schistosomiasis is a neglected tropical disease that disproportionately affects underprivileged populations, especially school-aged children and adolescents who are frequently exposed to infested water sources. Effective control requires combining treatment with preventive strategies such as health education. This quasi-experimental study assessed the effect of context-specific health education and praziquantel treatment on knowledge, attitude, and risky practices (KAP) regarding schistosomiasis among primary school children in riverine communities of Osun State, Nigeria. Using multistage sampling, 201 and 203 pupils were recruited into intervention and control groups, respectively. A pre-tested facilitated self-administered questionnaire was used to collect data at baseline and post-intervention. The study was conducted from March to October 2024 in three phases: pre-intervention to identify prevalence of Schistosoma haematobium and Schistosoma mansoni and KAP towards Schistosomiasis, Intervention (health education sessions and treatment of positive cases), and post-intervention. Data were analyzed with IBM SPSS version 25, using Chi-square to test associations, with significance set at p < 0.05. The prevalence of schistosomiasis significantly declined in the intervention group, from 16.9% at baseline to 3.6% post-intervention, while no reduction was observed in the control group (15.8% at both baseline and post-intervention). Risky practices slightly decreased in the intervention group (88.1% to 87.0%, p > 0.05), whereas they increased in the control group (82.3% to 83.9%). Knowledge improved markedly from 27.9% to 99.5%, and favorable attitudes rose from 68.2% to 80.2% in the intervention group (p < 0.05). Context-specific health education, combined with treatment of positive cases, significantly reduced schistosomiasis prevalence and improved knowledge and attitudes among school-aged children and adolescents. This approach is vital for effective schistosomiasis control in endemic communities.

<title>Abstract</title> Metronidazole (MNZ) is both an approved antimicrobial agent and a frequent environmental contaminant. This study aimed to evaluate the biodegradation of MNZ by <italic>Providencia vermicola</italic> (PV) <italic>in vitro</italic> and <italic>in silico</italic> and the characterization of degraded metabolites. The biodegradation experiment was carried out using standard methods. Optimization studies were carried out to assess the effects of concentration and nutrient media on degradation efficiency. Characterization of degraded metabolites was done using Fourier transform infrared spectrometry (FT-IR) and Gas chromatography-mass spectrophotometry (GC-MS). Molecular docking of MNZ with laccase, aldehyde dehydrogenase and nitric oxide (NO) reductase enzymes was done. Toxicity of the biodegraded metabolites was evaluated using <italic>Saccharomyces cerevisiae</italic> conductometric test (SCCT). Results showed that the organism, efficiently degraded MNZ (95.61 %) at optimum conditions of pH 7, 30 ^° C, 10 mg/L MNZ in peptone medium at day 7. FTIR analysis of the degraded MNZ metabolite revealed the removal of specific compounds (methyl and nitro groups). GC-MS analysis of biodegraded MNZ metabolites majorly revealed benzoic acid methyl ester with m/z 140 and base peak 105. MNZ gave docking scores of ∆G = -5.5 kcal/mol, -5.5 kcal/mol and -5.7 kcal/mol with laccase, aldehyde dehydrogenase and NO reductase enzymes respectively which were higher than the scores of the respective inhibitors of the enzymes. MNZ metabolites were less toxic as revealed by SCCT. <italic/> PV can be employed in the bioremediation of metronidazole contaminated sites towards a safer environment.

Former OCP countries like Senegal have made important progress towards eliminating onchocerciasis. Senegal has engaged in post-MDA activities, mainly entomological surveillance, but the country initially struggled to collect the recommended number of blackflies in all the country' transmission zones. Here we implemented a simple approach in the entomological surveillance protocol to increase the number of S. damnosum collected. The study was conducted over two consecutive years, 2022 and 2023, in the main S. damnosum capture points located along the Gambie and the Faleme river basins. We reviewed environmental data, analysed and interpreted previous blackflies capture data, and processed field visits to identify optimal periods of blackfly capture in each capture point. After the implementation of our approach, the number of blackflies captured increased by approximately 42% in 2023 when compared to 2022 captures. The numbers of blackflies captured increased from 71 999 and 23 666 respectively in Gambia and Falemé in 2022, to 101 276 and 34 780 in 2023. Our results revealed that simple and effective microplanning of blackfly capture periods can support onchocerciasis post-MDA surveillance activities by increasing the number of blackflies captured.