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Background: Malaria is a major public health problem in sub-Saharan Africa. Several efforts are being made to reduce its prevalence and morbidity in Nigerian children with emphasis on vector control measures. Methods: This was a crosssectional descriptive study conducted on 382 febrile children seen at a tertiary hospital in Nigeria over an eight-month period. A structured questionnaire was used to collect information on sociodemographic, vector control measures and care given to the subjects. Investigations conducted included malaria microscopy and total leukocyte count. Results: Eighty percent (308/382) employed at least one vector control measures to prevent malaria infection, and majority 232 (75.2%) use only one control measure. The commonest control measures used included always keeping doors and windows shut 298 (96.7%) and/or netted 280 (90.9%), use of conventional insecticide sprays 183 (59.4%), use of insecticide treated bed nets (ITNs) 178 (57.8%) and ensuring child sleeps at night with body adequately covered 77 (25%). Approximately half (178/315) of households who owned ITN used it, and only 40.4% (72/178) used it daily. It was noted that children that slept under an insecticide treated bed net (RR 0.56, 95% CI 0.33-0.94; P=0.029) and those who slept well covered at night (RR 0.26, 95% CI 0.12-0.61; P=0.002) had less risk of malaria infection. The use insecticide treated bed net however lost significance following adjustment for other control measures used and socio-demographic factors of interest (RR 0.63, 95% CI 0.36-1.10; P=0.101). Conclusion: There is need to intensify education on appropriate malaria control measures especially proper use of insecticide-treated nets and suitable clothing during sleep at night.

This narrative review aims to appraise the current evidence on using biomarkers of obstructive nephropathy to predict the onset and progression of chronic kidney disease (CKD) in infants with posterior urethral valves (PUV). PUV is the most frequently reported congenital anomaly of the kidney and urinary tract (CAKUT) associated with bladder outlet obstruction in male children. It contributes significantly to the CKD burden in childhood. Despite different approaches for its postnatal repair, evidence-based data still suggest a high risk of CKD and end-stage kidney disease (ESKD) later in childhood. In obstructive nephropathy, glomerular and tubulointerstitial lesions contribute to renal impairment. Although it may be difficult to predict these adverse renal outcomes in repaired PUV, detecting and monitoring future CKD appears enhanced using the combination of serum creatinine- or cystatin C-based estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) and albuminuria. Given the drawbacks of these conventional biomarkers, there is a paradigm shift to novel biomarkers as tools for the early identification of glomerular and tubulointerstitial lesions seen in obstructive nephropathy. Most novel biomarkers are yet to be fully applied to routine clinical practice globally. Nevertheless, there is substantial evidence showing that they form part of the emerging diagnostics for obstructive nephropathy. From the reviewed studies, urine transforming growth factor-beta 1 (TGF-β1) is the most prominent biomarker among the novel biomarkers of obstructive nephropathy. However, other novel approaches like the machine learning (ML) model (a form of health-related artificial intelligence) and urodynamic parameters like bladder contractility index hold promise for PUV outcomes prediction (PUVOP). Because of the association of urine TGF-β1 with urine angiotensin level (a biomarker of the renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system [RAAS]), early angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor (ACEI) therapy in patients with PUV may potentially retard the progression of CKD and improve renal outcomes. Thus, future research directions will be to explore the role of ACEI as a pre-emptive treatment for poor renal outcomes in post valve-ablation patients and to conduct longitudinal studies that would properly demonstrate these biomarkers as predictors of these outcomes.

Chronic inflammation in HIV infection and antiretroviral therapy have been shown to cause balance disorders due to neuromusculoskeletal damage, sensorimotor deficits, failure of foot mechanoreceptors and/or plantar lipoatrophy. However, despite evidence of plantar lipoatrophy in HIV patients, there is a dearth of information on how this relates to walking balance. This study sought to investigate how plantar fat thickness affects dynamic balance in HIV infected persons.Can plantar lipoatrophy significantly affect walking balance in HIV infected persons?This is a cross sectional study of 367 persons (106 HIV seronegative control subjects, 211 HIV seropositive subjects on antiretroviral therapy (HIV_ART) and 50 HIV ART naïve subjects (HIV_NonART)). Plantar fat thickness (PFT) was measured using diagnostic ultrasound. Subjects were asked to walk at 5 self-selected speeds, from very slow to very fast on a level 15-meter walkway. Average number of steps and time taken to complete the study distance were obtained, used to calculate gait parameters and plot the velocity field diagram for gait analysis.Findings from this study showed significant reduction in plantar fat thickness, velocity of travel, stride frequency and a significant increase in stride and double support duration (p 0.01) in HIV-seropositive individuals compared to healthy controls but none were observed between HIV_ART and NonART groups.HIV infection significantly affects dynamic balance and increases the risk of falls, fracture and mobility impairment in this patient population.This study will help clinicians to recognize plantar lipoatrophy as a significant cause of gait pathology in HIV infected persons and thus, make targeted interventions to minimize deformity and impairment, promote functional independence and improve quality of life.

Objective(s): In order to recommend a more effective approach to manage insulin resistance, we monitored the activities of glycolytic kinases, insulin signaling molecules, and incretin hormones and identified the possible targets related to the insulin-sensitizing effects of combined pharmacological and dietary intervention involving avicularin and lettuce. Materials and Methods: Insulin resistance was induced in rats with a fructose-rich diet and confirmed from baseline analysis of FBS (>250 mg/dl), insulin (>25 µIU/ml), and HOMA-IR (>10). For 12 weeks, the insulin-resistant rats were treated exclusively with 5000 mg/kg b.w avicularin (DAvi) or by dietary placement on lettuce (DLet) or a combination of both and compared with non-insulin resistant rats. Results: Avicularin reversed alterations in HbA1c and insulin levels. DLet produced no significant effect on the incretins GLP 1 (P=0.909) and GIP (P=0.990), but DAvi slightly stimulated GLP 1 but not GIP. A strong positive correlation was found between improved β-cell responsiveness and the insulin signaling molecules: Akt2 (r=0.7248), IRS 1 (r=0.5173), and PI3K (r=0.7892). Only the combined avicularin and lettuce reversed the Akt2 levels (P=0.728). The lettuce meal slightly stimulated PI3K but normalized IRS 1 while avicularin treatment slightly stimulated IRS 1 but restored the PI3K levels (P=0.815). The positive correlation between β-cell responsiveness and hexokinase (r=0.5959), PFK (r=0.6222), and PK (r=0.6591) activities were statistically significant. Alterations in glycolytic kinases were reversed by DLet and in combination with avicularin. Conclusion: A combined pharmacological and dietary approach with avicularin and lettuce is required to effectively reverse insulin resistance.

Urinary tract infection (UTI) in children is one of the most common bacterial infections that propels inappropriate antibiotic use. Long-term, potentially fatal complications can occur if not properly treated. Prompt investigation and appropriate treatment would prevent these complications. Although urine culture remains the gold standard investigation for UTI, its process is cumbersome and requires time (24–72 hours). Hence, there has been growing interest in the use of urinary biomarkers. However, some conventional urinary biomarkers detected on urinalysis have poor sensitivity values when used singly as a screening tool. Thus, the searchlight has shifted to the role of novel biomarkers in UTI diagnosis. This narrative review aimed to determine if elevated levels of these biomarkers directly correlate with positive urine cultures. A positive correlation may imply that these biomarkers could serve as novel UTI diagnostics and thus augment urine culture requests. Established and recent serum and urinary biomarkers show disparate predictive abilities for UTI and its related complications. Some have elevated differential levels in upper and lower UTI or febrile and non-febrile UTI. All studies that investigated these biomarkers established culture-positive UTI, highlighting a direct correlation between positive urine cultures and increased concentrations of the biomarkers in body fluids. Because certain uropathogens were less likely to be associated with pyuria, the sensitivities of some neutrophil-related novel biomarkers (such as urine neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin and human neutrophil peptides 1–3) were reduced in cases of UTI caused by these bacteria. While levels of these novel biomarkers directly correlate with positive urine cultures, it appears that there is yet no standalone biomarker with the optimal sensitivity and specificity for UTI. Although these novel biomarkers are promising, translating their measurements into clinical practice with specific clinical utilities will take time. Novel methods interrogating high-throughput serum (and urine) metabolome data with positive urine cultures in a platform-agnostic manner (metabolome-wide approach) will help confirm and identify novel biomarkers that might capture specific aetiologic agents or shared pathways of related agents. The authors recommend that future research on UTI diagnostics should specifically focus on identifying highly sensitive and specific standalone novel biomarkers that can be easily applied as a point-of-care investigation.

Bone, skin and soft tissue chronic wounds emanating from burns or bacterial infections which persist due to prolonged tissue inflammation contribute to a delay in wound healing. Electrospun biomimetic scaffolds produced from biodegradable polymers have proven to be a better alternative due to their large surface area to volume ratio and ability to release the drug directly to the wound surface allowing fast and sustained absorbance over the affected wound area. In this study, poly lactic acid (PLA) (20% w/v) and collagen-based (PLA/C) fibrous scaffolds (electrospun at a voltage of 22 kV, flow rate of 0.1 mL/min) containing varying concentrations of silver sulphadiazine (1% w/w, 0.75% w/w) (Ag+S) and Aspalathus linearis (AL) fermented extract (0.025%, 0.1% and 0.5% w/w), were designed and fabricated to increase antimicrobial penetration and cellular biocompatibility. The elastic modulus of samples revealed that incorporating 1% Ag+S and A. linearis extract to PLA solution culminates in a fiber with the superlative stiffness of 2.1.1 GPa. The antimicrobial effect of the scaffolds was evaluated against S. aureus, P. aeruginosa, MRSA and E. coli. PLA/C–Ag+S/AL scaffolds and showed antibacterial activity against both gram +ve and gram −ve bacteria. They were nontoxic to the cells and provided favorable substrates for the neonatal epidermal keratinocytes cells to undergo cell attachment and proliferation. PLA/C–Ag+S/AL scaffolds have a great potential for use in chronic wounds as well as in tissue and bioengineering applications.

Background The Hall technique (HT) is popular with UK paediatric dentists (PDs). Global PDs perception/use of HT is unknown.Aim To investigate global PDs opinions/use of HT.Materials and methods A cross-sectional questionnaire of 26 questions was sent to specialist PDs across the globe.Results Responses of 709 PDs from six continents were obtained. The majority (n = 654, 92.32%) had heard about HT but only 50.6% (n = 358) used it, with wide country variations. Respectively, 37.5%, 31.5% and 31% were neutral, against or supportive of HT when they initially heard about it. Only 17% of HT users said it was always the treatment of choice for non-pulpal asymptomatic carious primary molars (NPACPMs), 62% would take a pre-operative radiograph, 65% would consider using high speed drills before HT, 63% would never consider HT under general anaesthesia, 56% would use HT under N2O sedation. Finally, in a clinical scenario of a NPACPM in a cooperative 6-year-old, 75% of PDs would choose conventional restorative methods over the HT.Conclusion The HT is recognised, but not used, by an outright majority of PDs across the globe. Identifiable barriers such as lack of training, perception as substandard dentistry and perceived lack of evidence reduced its use.

Crude aqueous and methanol extracts of Khaya senegalensis wood dust were employed as histological stains for the demonstration of general tissue architecture. Preliminary phytochemical screening of the extracts was conducted. Mixtures of the extracts of K. senegalensis in acidic, alkaline and neutral solutions were used to stain tissue sections. Preliminary phytochemical screening revealed that K. senegalensis extracts contains flavonoids, saponins, tannins, glycosides and reducing sugars. Optimum staining time was 15 minutes for both extracts and they stained the tissues in different shades of red and brown in the various media used. The best and worst stain uptake of tissues was observed with both extracts in alkaline and neutral media respectively. Mordant preparation of the extracts produced no significant staining difference from the non-mordant preparations. Staining solutions of the extracts have better affinity for the cellular cytoplasm and hence gave a good contrast when compared with Hematoxylin and Eosin control sections. In conclusion, Khaya senegalensis wood extract is a promising histological stain for the demonstration of general tissue architecture.Keywords: Khaya senegalensis, wood dust, stain, histology, mordant

Roots are essential to plants and can be the focus for yield improvement in the environment the plant grows. The objectives of this study were to evaluate some yield components and root traits in cowpea (Vigna unguiculata (L) Walp) and establish the linear association between the yield and root traits to explore improvement potentials of the crop in humid ecosystem. Ten cowpea accessions were tested in Calabar, Nigeria with humid tropical rainforest ecology. The accessions were grown in perforated polyethylene pipes arranged in completely randomized design, in five replications and on the field arranged in a randomized complete block design, in three replications. TVu-215 had longest roots, heaviest root biomass and largest root volume. TVu-10983, TVu-1515 and TVu-7906 also had long roots. TVu-7857, TVu-1130, TVu-1131, TVu-215 and TVu-1515 had the greatest root density. With respect to yield traits, TVu-1131 and TVu-16196 had the highest yield per hectare; TVu-7857 also had high yield per hectare. Root traits did not significantly correlate with most of the yield traits, but there was significant negative moderate correlation (-0.51) between root volume and number of pods per plant. Root of cowpea does not require much robustness in humid ecology to absorb water and nutrient, which accounts for the non-significant correlation between root system and yield traits in the environment. TVu-16196, TVu-1130, TVu-1131, TVu-215, TVu-7857 and TVu-1515 are selected for the improvement of the root and yield traits. Key words: Cowpea yield traits, root traits, humid tropical ecology, Calabar, Nigeria.

SUMMARY: Brassica juncea (Indian mustard) seeds are consumed in treatment of high blood pressure, headache and prevention of heart disease. The aim of the present study was to investigate the effects of methanol extract of Brassica juncea seeds [BJME] on the heart and liver of adult Albino Wistar rats. A total of 24 albino rats of both sexes were divided into 6 groups [I - VI] of 4 rats per group. Groups I to IV received graded doses of the methanol extract by oral gavage while groups V and VI (controls) received 2 ml/kg body weight of 3 % Tween 80 and water respectively via oral gavage once daily. Treatment lasted for four weeks and the serum levels of aspartate transaminase (AST), alanine transaminase (ALT) and alkaline phosphatase (ALP) were estimated. The animals were sacrificed and the heart and liver tissues were excised for further histological processing for light microscopy. There was significant increase in AST and ALT levels following BJME treatment when compared to the controls. ALP activity did not differ significantly among the treatment and control groups. Histopathological changes consistent with toxic injury were observed in the heart and liver tissues of BJME- treated rats. In conclusion, the results of this study show that sub-acute administration of methanol seed extract of Brassica juncea can exert cardiotoxic and hepatotoxic effects in rats. RESUMEN: Las semillas de Brassica juncea (mostaza india) se consumen en el tratamiento de la hipertensión arterial, el dolor de cabeza y la prevención de enfermedades del corazón. El objetivo del presente estudio fue investigar los efectos del extracto de metanol de semillas de Brassica juncea [BJME] en el corazón y el hígado de ratas Albino Wistar adultas. Un total de 24 ratas albinas de ambos sexos se dividieron en 6 grupos [I - VI] de 4 ratas por grupo. Los grupos I a IV recibieron dosis del extracto de metanol por sonda oral progresivamente, mientras que los grupos V y VI (control) recibieron 2 ml / kg de peso corporal de 3 % de 80 y agua, respectivamente, por sonda oral una vez al día. El tratamiento duró cuatro semanas y se estimaronlos niveles séricos de aspartato transaminasa (AST), alanina transaminasa (ALT) y fosfatasa alcalina (ALP). Los animales se sacrificaron y fueron analizados los tejidos del corazón y el hígado, para un procesamiento histológico adicional con microscopía óptica. Hubo un aumento significativo en los niveles de AST y ALT después del tratamiento con BJME en comparación con los controles. La actividad de ALP no difirió significativamente entre los grupos de tratamiento y control. Se observaron cambios histopatológicos compatibles con lesiones tóxicas en los tejidos del corazón y el hígado de ratas tratadas con BJME. En conclusión, los resultados de este estudio muestran que la administración subaguda de extracto de semilla de metanol de Brassica juncea puede ejercer efectos cardiotóxicos y hepatotóxicos en ratas.

SUMMARY: Brassica juncea (Indian mustard) seeds are consumed in treatment of high blood pressure, headache and prevention of heart disease. The aim of the present study was to investigate the effects of methanol extract of Brassica juncea seeds [BJME] on the heart and liver of adult Albino Wistar rats. A total of 24 albino rats of both sexes were divided into 6 groups [I - VI] of 4 rats per group. Groups I to IV received graded doses of the methanol extract by oral gavage while groups V and VI (controls) received 2 ml/kg body weight of 3 % Tween 80 and water respectively via oral gavage once daily. Treatment lasted for four weeks and the serum levels of aspartate transaminase (AST), alanine transaminase (ALT) and alkaline phosphatase (ALP) were estimated. The animals were sacrificed and the heart and liver tissues were excised for further histological processing for light microscopy. There was significant increase in AST and ALT levels following BJME treatment when compared to the controls. ALP activity did not differ significantly among the treatment and control groups. Histopathological changes consistent with toxic injury were observed in the heart and liver tissues of BJME- treated rats. In conclusion, the results of this study show that sub-acute administration of methanol seed extract of Brassica juncea can exert cardiotoxic and hepatotoxic effects in rats.

Crude aqueous and methanol extracts of Khaya senegalensis wood dust were employed as histological stains for the demonstration of general tissue architecture. Preliminary phytochemical screening of the extracts was conducted. Mixtures of the extracts of K. senegalensis in acidic, alkaline and neutral solutions were used to stain tissue sections. Preliminary phytochemical screening revealed that K. senegalensis extracts contains flavonoids, saponins, tannins, glycosides and reducing sugars. Optimum staining time was 15 minutes for both extracts and they stained the tissues in different shades of red and brown in the various media used. The best and worst stain uptake of tissues was observed with both extracts in alkaline and neutral media respectively. Mordant preparation of the extracts produced no significant staining difference from the non-mordant preparations. Staining solutions of the extracts have better affinity for the cellular cytoplasm and hence gave a good contrast when compared with Hematoxylin and Eosin control sections. In conclusion, Khaya senegalensis wood extract is a promising histological stain for the demonstration of general tissue architecture.Keywords: Khaya senegalensis, wood dust, stain, histology, mordant