Daily exposure to sodium fluoride has been associated with oxidative stress. The effects of both aqueous and methanolic extracts of Piliostigma reticulatum on hematology and on oxidative stress markers in cardiac, liver, and kidney tissues were evaluated in this study. Twenty-four adult male Wistar rats were grouped into six groups of four animals each: group 1 (control) received distilled water only, group 2 received aqueous extract of Piliostigma reticulatum (APR) (100 mg/kg/day), Group 3 received methanolic extract of Piliostigma reticulatum (MPR) (100 mg/kg/day), group 4 received sodium fluoride (NAF) (600 mg/L) + APR, group 5 received NAF (600 mg/L) + MPR and group 6 received NAF alone for 2 weeks. Results from this study show that NAF and treatments with APR and MPR did not significantly alter the hematological parameters in rats. However, there was a significant increase (P < 0.05) in cardiac, liver, and kidney MDA. Also, there was a decrease (P < 0.05) in cardiac, liver, and kidney catalase, SOD, and GSH. Treatment with both APR and MPR ameliorated the oxidative stress in these organs. Histopathological examination reveals the presence of distortion of hepatic structure with extensive vacuolations in the sodium fluoride-treated group, which was ameliorated with APR and MPR treatments. In conclusion, aqueous and methanolic extracts of Piliostigma reticulatum ameliorated cardiac and hepato-renal oxidative stress induced by NAF in Wistar rats.

Cement manufacturing is identified as a major source of environmental contamination, primarily due to the atmospheric release of heavy metals, plants growing near cement factories are prone to bioaccumulation, which could lead to ecological and human health risk when such plants are consumed. This study was carried out to determine levels of some heavy metals in plants growing around Obajana cement factory using inductively coupled optical emission spectroscopy (ICP-OES) following standard procedures. Sida acuta and Helianthus annus plants were sampled in this study. The mean concentration of the metals were; 17.82±4.54 (Cu), 48.40±1.81 (Mn), 21.70±7.37 (Ni) and 18.83±3.76 (Pb) mg/kg respectively. The results of the concentration (mg/kg) showed that Ni and Pb exceeded the WHO maximum permissible limit (WHO, 2007) while that of Cu and Mn were below the WHO MPL. Health risk assessment including Hazard quotient (HQ) indicated potential non carcinogenic risk for Adults from Pb while the Cancer risk (CR) revealed cancer risk from Ni for Adults in the study area. These findings highlights the significance of continuous environmental management measures to reduce heavy metal pollution from cement production.

The present study was designed to evaluate the nutrient quality, haematological, and sensory properties of noodles developed from blends of wheat, Orarudi, and Moringa oleifera seed flours. The wheat, Orarudi, and Moringa oleifera seed flour samples were mixed in the ratio of 100% Wheat (A), Wheat 80% + Orarudi 10% + M. oleifera 10% (B), Wheat 70% + Orarudi 15% + M. oleifera 15% (C), Wheat 50% + Orarudi 25% + M. oleifera 25% (D), respectively, and used for the preparation of noodle samples. The noodle samples produced were subjected to protein quality, haematological indices, and sensory evaluation. The result of the protein quality of the rats maintained on a casein-based diet used as control was significantly (p<0.05) higher than those fed on diets formulated from noodle samples and a nitrogen-free diet, although the diet formulated from 50% wheat, 25% Orarudi, and 25% Moringa oleifera compared favourably with the casein-based diet. The results of the in vivo study showed that there was a significant increase (p < 0.05) in WBC, RBC, Hb, PCV, and platelets. There was no death recorded during the treatment period. No change in locomotor activity was observed; rather, there was a significant increase (p < 0.05) in body weights of the treated groups when compared to the control group. The result of sensory evaluation showed that the products had appearance (6.00-8.10), aroma/flavour (6.20-8.00), taste (6.10-8.35), texture (6.25-7.85), and overall acceptability (6.10-8.00). The results have shown that formulated noodle samples from the blends of wheat, Orarudi, and Moringa oleifera seed flours up to 70:15:15 produced good results and had acceptable quality relative to those made from 100% wheat flour, and thus could help to alleviate the problem of malnutrition prevalent in developing countries.

This research determined the mineral contents and the anti-nutritional elements in the fermented dairy products of goat milk, cow milk, and plant-based yoghurt such as soy yoghurt, tiger nut yoghurt and coconut yoghurt. The study reveal that the fermentation improve the bioavailability of minerals in the plant-based yoghurt by mortifying phytates, cyanide, oxalate and Saponin content in the products. The plant based yoghurts have various levels of anti-nutritional factor values for SMY have highest phytate content of 18.99 ± 0.09 mg/100g and coconut milk yoghurt (CNY) have the lowest content 1.96 ± 0.07 mg/100g, CNY 90.29±1.21 mg/100g with highest content of cyanide and SMY 7.70 ± 0.40 mg/100g with lowest content, CNY 90.29 ± 1.22 mg/100g with highest value of oxalate and soy milk yoghurt (SMY) with lowest value of 0.03±0.01 mg/100g . For saponin CNY 67.51±0.47 mg/100g with highest value and TNY with least value of 0.05±0.01 mg/100g while for dairy yoghurt anti-nutritional factors value cow milk yoghurt (CMY) values is higher than goat milk yoghurt (GMY) values. The findings reveal that plant-based and animal based yoghurts have differing levels of mineral content in which certain samples like CMY, GMY and SMY are having high levels of calcium 16.05 ± 0.02 mg/100g, magnesium 12.62 ± 0.06 mg/100g and potassium 192 ± 4.55 mg/100g content.

The exponential growth of internet usage for transmitting sensitive information has intensified the demand for advanced security techniques to safeguard digital communication. This study aimed to enhance image steganography by modifying the Least Significant Bit (LSB) method with the J5 algorithm and applying file compression to improve data security and reduce detectability. The method involved embedding hidden text into digital images using a C#-based J5 steganographic tool, secured with password-protected extraction, and evaluating performance with machine learning techniques such as accuracy scoring, confusion matrices, and structural similarity analysis. Results showed that while embedding messages increased pixel modifications and reduced accuracy with larger payloads, the integration of compression reduced inflated stego-image sizes by over 85%, thereby minimizing suspicion without loss of hidden information. Comparative analyses demonstrated that the proposed approach achieved peak signal-to-noise ratio (PSNR) values that were comparable to, and in several cases higher than, those obtained in existing studies, while consistently yielding lower mean squared error (MSE) values across the tested image datasets. In conclusion, this work validates the feasibility of combining steganography, machine learning, and compression to achieve more practical, secure, and efficient data hiding in modern communication systems.

Drug-resistant tuberculosis (DR-TB) remains a major public health challenge in Nigeria, especially in the northern region where weak health systems, poverty, conflict, and stigma exacerbate the problem. This review assesses the epidemiology, diagnostic landscape, treatment challenges, and health system factors influencing control of DR-TB in northern Nigeria. A systematic review on this topic was conducted on retrieved peer-reviewed articles, national reports, and other literatures from 2010 to June 2025 using PubMed, AJOL, Google Scholar, and Science Direct. Studies focusing on DR-TB epidemiology, diagnosis, treatment, and health systems in Northern Nigeria were included. Northern Nigeria shows rising DR-TB prevalence, particularly in Kano, Bauchi, and conflict-affected states. Key drivers included diagnostic delays, poor treatment adherence, drug stock-outs, and weak referral systems. While WHO-recommended diagnostic tools like GeneXpert and community-based treatment strategies are in place, access is uneven due to geographic, infrastructural, and workforce limitations. High stigma and limited community engagement further hinder detection and adherence. Health system weaknesses—such as inadequate laboratory capacity, poor funding, and weak data systems—pose significant barriers to achieving “End TB” targets. Addressing DR-TB in northern Nigeria requires a multifaceted response that goes beyond clinical care. Strengthening diagnostic infrastructure, decentralizing treatment, improving drug supply chains, enhancing community engagement, and addressing stigma are key to improving DR-TB outcomes.

The menace of cancer, which has sent many to untimely deaths globally in the 21st century, lives with us today. This study compared the reported death rates from five selected West African countries over nine different types of cancer, excluding all sexually related types. The data was acquired from Kaggle.com, covering the period from 1990 to 2019, and contained various cancer types; however, the study considered only nine different types from the five selected West African countries. The Multivariate Analysis of Variance (MANOVA) was adopted for the analysis and comparison of cancer-variant mortality rates. The results showed a significant difference in the mean vectors of the cancer-variant mortality rates, with Côte d’Ivoire consistently higher and Nigeria consistently lower (p < 0.05). It was therefore concluded that cancer-variant mortality rates in West African countries, as low-income countries, are still moderate and that efforts need to be made to reverse the rise observed in certain variants while improving on policies to keep those declining on the drop.

This study reports the concentration of naturally occurring radionuclide materials in mined salts (Trona) generally consumed in Minna, Niger State, north-central Nigeria. Because of the increase in the consumption of Trona in Minna, the government is considering enacting a policy that will regulate the radiological effects of trona in the general population. Eight (8) varieties of Trona currently in the market were purchased. The samples were analyzed using NaI(TI) gamma ray spectrometry. The radiological parameters, such as radium equivalent (Raeq), annual effective dose (AED), internal hazard index (Hin), and total cancer risk (fatality plus hereditary) were used to estimate the radiological risk associated with the ingestion of mined Trona. The average activity concentration of 40K, 226Ra, and 232Th varied from 331.12 Bqkg-1 , 19.39 Bqkg-1 , and 6.42 Bqkg-1 , respectively. Raeq, Hin, and AED were estimated at 54.08 Bqkg-1 , 0.19, and 40.28 mSv/y, respectively. These results were within the acceptable limits by UNSCEAR and USEPA, and there is no apparent justification for radiological risk concern in the current Trona consumption rate in Minna.

Most reported sensitivities of P. falciparum specific malaria rapid diagnostic tests (RDTs) do not account for the integrity of the PfHRP2 gene that produces the HRP2 antigen in P. falciparum infections. However, low sensitivity of RDTs could be due to the deletion of this gene. This study aimed to determine the sensitivity and specificity of P. falciparum specific HRP2-based RDT, investigate levels of parasitaemia and deletion of HRP2 gene in the parasites. A total of 272 children aged 0-14 years were diagnosed for malaria using CareStart Pf HRP2 malaria RDT, microscopy and nested species-specific malaria PCR. The level of parasitaemia, malaria species composition, and pfHRP2 gene integrity of false negative malaria RDTs were also determined. The sensitivity of the RDT was 43.3%, 95%CI (37.7-50.3) versus microscopy, and 51.0%, 95%CI (40.5-61.3) versus PCR used as reference tests. Out of 47 false negative malaria RDTs, 100% were positive by P. falciparum species specific PCR, and had intact PfHRP2 gene. The geometric mean parasitaemia of the false negative RDT parasites was 178 parasites/µl of blood versus 939 parasites/µl of blood in true positive cases. Thus, the low sensitivity of the Pf HRP2 malaria RDT was not due to deletion of the pfHRP2 gene or the presence of non HPR2 producing malaria species. It was likely due to the low parasitaemia observed among the P. falciparum parasites.

In Nigeria, the increase in level of patronage of traditional medicine is substantial due to the unmet healthcare needs of people. This study focused on traditional medicine (TM) patronage in Kaduna State for healthcare maintenance. Structured questionnaire was used as instrument of data collection. Multistage sampling technique was used to select the wards and snowball technique was used to identify the patronisers of traditional medicine in the study area. The data collected were analysed using descriptive statistics. The result showed that there are more male patrons (66.4 %) of TM, with tertiary level of education (41 %) and income below ₦100,000 (70 %). Information on TM is obtained mostly from friends (57.6%) and family members (29.7%). Despite that all the respondents have patronised traditional medicine, the most preferred choice of healthcare is orthodox medicine (42 %). Although about 48 % of the respondents identified their health status as very good, only 6.5% did not use TM in the last three months prior to the study. The ailments for which TM were most frequently used include malaria, Sexually Transmitted Infection, haemorrhoids and stomach related diseases. The study recommended that government policies should be more considerate of traditional medicine practices due to the growth in patronage. Orthodox medicine practitioners should be more accommodating to traditional medicine practices in order for the patients to be more comfortable in revealing their usage.