Effects of prolonged unsaturated fatty acid supplementation on reproductive competence and metabolic profiles in serum and follicular fluid of Holstein heifers.

This study evaluated the effects of a 120-d dietary supplementation with unsaturated fatty acids from soybean grain and flaxseed on oocyte quality, in vitro embryo quality and production, and the metabolic profiles of blood and follicular fluid in Holstein heifers. Twenty-four heifers were assigned to the following treatments: a control diet (CON) and diets supplemented with whole raw soybeans (WRS) or flaxseed (FLX), both formulated to increase ether extract content to approximately 4.5 % dry matter (DM).

Food as Medicine: Curbing Type-2 Diabetes Prevalence Through Consumption of High Amylose Starchy Foods in Sub-Saharan Africa.

The prevalence of nutrition-related non-communicable diseases like diabetes mellitus (DM) is exponentially increasing across the world. Particularly, type-2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) is prevalent in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) than in any other region of the world, with a significant effect on mortality and morbidity. T2DM is a disease known to be associated with elevated glucose levels in the blood, caused by numerous factors including dietary and lifestyle changes.

Spatiotemporal variation of small hive beetle infestation levels in honeybee host colonies.

Unlabelled: High infestation levels of small hive beetle (SHB), , can cause more damage to honeybee, , host colonies. However, the spatiotemporal variation of SHB infestations is poorly understood. Here, we show that SHB infestations can be equally high in native and invasive ranges, suggesting that differences between host populations are the key criterion for damage.

Integrating the crowdsourced image-based morbidity hotspot surveillance for neglected tropical diseases (CIMS-NTDs) into Nigeria's healthcare system: a mixed methods study.

Background: Traditional surveillance systems for neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) often suffer from underreporting, delays and limited reach, hindering effective disease control. This study describes the integration process of crowdsourced image-based morbidity hotspot surveillance for NTDs (CIMS-NTDs) into the government-led NTD program and assesses its operational performance and stakeholder experience.

Methods: A mixed methods study embedded in an implementation research framework was conducted in Ondo State, Nigeria.

Bioactive profiling, larvicidal and pupicidal activities of against two developmental stages of malaria vector, .

Mosquito-borne diseases continue to pose significant public health challenges globally. Synthetic insecticides, raise concerns regarding their environmental impact and human health risks. This study evaluates the effectiveness of crude extracts against malaria vector .

Precolonial Centralization, Koranic Education and School Participation in Nigeria.

Several studies have documented the persistence of economic development outcomes across space and over long periods. Other studies have argued that the reversal of fortune has also occurred over time and space. Since different areas of current Nigeria were once under the rule of states with different degrees of political centralization and later investment in Koranic, this study seeks to explore whether areas or districts under a more centralized political system are more likely to participate in large-scale school expansion programs, such as the 1976 Universal Primary Education (UPE) and 1999 Universal Basic Education (UBE).

and secondary metabolites exhibit neuroprotective potential: insights from in vitro, ex vivo and computational models.

Cinnamon and coriander plants are sources of popular spice products in different cuisines prepared by many people worldwide. The inhibitory effect of cinnamon bark and coriander seeds aqueous extracts on butyrylcholinesterase (BChE) and acetylcholinesterase (AChE) activities, and their antioxidant properties were investigated using in vitro, molecular docking and molecular dynamics (MD) computational models. Standard experimental methods were employed to determine the plant extracts' antioxidant and enzyme-inhibitory capacities.

Ag Nanoparticle Layer on PEDOT:PSS with Optimized Energy Levels for Improving PM6:Y6-Based Organic Photovoltaics.

Recent advances in donor and acceptor molecules have significantly enhanced the efficiency and competitiveness of organic solar cells. However, optimizing the interfaces remains a critical issue in increasing the photovoltaic performance, mainly to reduce charge accumulation between the hole transport layers (HTLs) and the active layer. In this work, the interface between PM6:Y6 (active layer) and PEDOT:PSS (HTL) has been modified with silver nanoparticles (AgNPs).

DeepSEA: an alignment-free explainable approach to annotate antimicrobial resistance proteins.

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is one of the most concerning modern threats as it places a greater burden on health systems than HIV and malaria combined. Current surveillance strategies for tracking antimicrobial resistance (AMR) rely on genomic comparisons and depend on sequence alignment with strict similarity cutoffs of greater than 95%. Therefore, these methods have high false-negative error rates due to a lack of reference sequences with a representative coverage of AMR protein diversity.

Impact of charcoal production on soil micronutrients, enzyme activities, microbial composition, and biomass phosphorus in a derived savannah ecosystem of Nigeria.

Soil functions as the active force managing diverse biogeochemical processes in tropical forest ecosystems, including storing and recycling nutrients and decomposing organic matter. Anthropogenic activities, mainly deforestation on charcoal production, have substantially disrupted these processes, leading to notable changes in microbial activities, enzyme functions, and the availability and soil nutrient status of the derived savannah in southwestern Nigeria. While there is increasing recognition of charcoal's impact on soil properties, there remains a noticeable research gap in understanding its specific effects on some associated soil microbial properties, soil enzymes, and micronutrients in charcoal production sites.

Elucidating the effects of Fisetin on hALDH4 activity and stability: A multidisciplinary approach using spectroscopy and molecular dynamics simulations.

Human Aldehyde Dehydrogenase IV (hALDH4) role in the metabolism of aldehydic compounds is apodictic. Fisetin, a bioactive flavonoid, having myriad of pharmacological activities with inexhaustible therapeutic potentials. Howbeit, the interactive mechanism and inhibitory potential of fisetin on hALDH4 still remain unclear and untold.

Sustainable Extraction and Multimodal Characterization of Fungal Chitosan from .

Biologically derived polymers, such as chitosan, have gained attention as sustainable alternatives to synthetic materials for food and biomedical applications. Fungal-derived chitosan offers notable advantages over crustacean-based chitosan, including a renewable origin and lower allergenic potential. In this study, chitosan was extracted from fungal biomass through a sequential process comprising demineralization, deproteinization, and deacetylation.

Eggplant ( spp.) Fruits Dietary Polyphenols Upregulate the Expression of Glucose Transporter Protein in Palmitate-Induced Diabetic Cell Line C2C12.

Studies utilizing cell-based systems to investigate plant-based diets for diabetes management are gaining attention due to the adverse effects associated with commercially available drugs. However, the molecular mechanisms underlying the anti-diabetic effects of specific plant-derived products remain inadequately explored. The major aim of our study was to elucidate the molecular mechanisms by which bioactive compounds in the fruit of spp.

Non-invasive pharmacological advances in early retinopathy treatment: bioactive herbal compounds, polymer delivery systems, and computational bioprospecting of functional targets.

Anti-vascular endothelial growth factor (anti-VEGF), laser, and vitrectomy therapy are commonly used for the management of vision-threatening posterior eye disease (PED), but non-invasive alternatives have garnered increasing popularity as proactive preventative strategies for early retinopathy, such as targeted plant-based diets or herbal supplements. However, only some plants contain bioactive compounds that specifically target retinal degeneration and demonstrate potent pharmacological benefits that are cost-effective, safe, and accessible for at-risk individuals. This review pinpoints plant bioactive compounds, specifically polyphenols and carotenoids, that target retinopathy, with a focus on apoptotic, angiogenesis, inflammation, and oxidative pathways leading to visible, functional, and vascular macula improvements.

Advanced machine learning models for the prediction of ceramic tiles' properties during the firing stage.

The firing stage is a critical phase in ceramic tile production, where the interplay of raw material composition and thermal treatment determine essential properties such as water absorption (WA) and bending strength (BS). This study employs advanced machine learning (ML) models to accurately predict these properties by capturing their complex nonlinear relationships. A robust dataset of 312 ceramic samples was analyzed, including variables such as particle size distribution, chemical and mineralogical composition, and firing temperatures ranging from 1000 to 1300 °C.

Indigenous African chickens (Gallus gallus domesticus) lack an anti-Trypanosoma factor and have a prospect for zoonotic transmission of African trypanosomiasis.

African trypanosomes evade host immune response through antigenic variation and utilize other immune modulatory mechanisms to survive in the immunologically hostile mammalian bloodstream. However, indigenous African chicken (Gallus gallus domesticus) exhibits lower susceptibility to trypanosomes, suggesting unique resistance mechanisms; but the exact factor(s) of resistance remains elusive. This study aims to elucidate the mechanisms underlying the observed resistance of indigenous African chickens to T.

Artificial intelligence readiness among healthcare students in Nigeria: A cross-sectional study assessing knowledge gaps, exposure, and adoption willingness.

Background: Artificial intelligence (AI) is rapidly transforming healthcare globally, yet its adoption in developing countries remains limited. As future practitioners, the readiness of healthcare students is crucial for successful AI integration, but this remains unexplored in the Nigerian context.

Objectives: This study aimed to assess AI readiness among healthcare students at a major Nigerian university by evaluating their foundational knowledge, practical exposure, and willingness to adopt AI technologies in clinical practice.

Where there is smoke, there is fire: long- and mid-range biomass burning role on São Paulo's state air quality.

Prolonged exposure to fine particulate matter (PM) is the leading environmental risk factor for human health. In Brazil, frequent wildfires during dry seasons, especially in the Amazon, Cerrado, and more recently the Pantanal, significantly increase PM levels, often exceeding national and international air quality standards. This study analyzed ten years of PM data from 25 monitoring stations across São Paulo State and used 1464 backward trajectories from the HYSPLIT model to assess the influence of open biomass burning and long-range pollutant transport.

Dietary supplementation of calcium salts of palm oil or an encapsulated fat on nutrient digestibility, performance, and milk fatty acid profile in dairy cows.

This study was conducted to evaluate fat supplements differing in fatty acid (FA) composition on nutrient digestibility, milk yield and composition, and milk FA profile in dairy cows. Twenty-four Holstein cows (149 ± 85 d in milk, 35.6 ± 6.

Genetic Variants Affect Distinct Metabolic Pathways in Pediatric Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome and Severe COVID-19.

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has triggered a global health crisis, with over 700 million confirmed cases and at least 7 million deaths reported by early 2024. Children are less vulnerable to severe SARS-CoV-2 infection than adults and typically experience milder respiratory symptoms. However, a rare but significant complication, known as multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children (MIS-C), can develop weeks after infection, characterized by a spectrum of inflammatory symptoms.

Intraspecific functional traits of an invasive alien plant, Hyptis suaveolens differ with respect to land use types.

Hyptis suaveolens is an invasive alien plant which possesses traits that drive its impacts and interruption of ecosystem processes. In this study, the intraspecific functional traits of H. suaveolens were assessed in some invaded parts of Nasarawa State in Nigeria to test whether the functional traits (FTs) of H.

An Open Multifunctional FPGA-Based Pulser/Receiver System for Intravascular Ultrasound (IVUS) Imaging and Therapy.

Coronary artery disease (CAD) is the third leading cause of disability and death globally. Intravascular ultrasound (IVUS) is the most commonly used imaging modality for the characterization of vulnerable plaques. The development of novel intravascular imaging and therapy devices requires dedicated open systems (e.

Exploratory Meta-Analysis of the Effect of Malic Acid or Malate Addition on Ruminal Parameters, Nutrient Digestibility, and Blood Characteristics of Cattle.

The aim of this study was to determine, through meta-analysis, the effects of malic acid/malate addition on ruminal and blood parameters and diet digestibility in cattle. The literature search was conducted in Web of Science, Science Direct, and Google Scholar using the terms "organic acids", "malic acid", "malate", and "bovine". The database was composed of papers published between 1980 and 2023.

Spiroplasma, Wolbachia, Sodalis and trypanosome associations in Glossina Tachinoides from Yankari game reserve, Nigeria.

Background: Tsetse flies are vectors of African trypanosomiasis, a disease that affects both humans and animals. Trypanosomiasis remains a threat to lives and it is an impediment to socio-economic development in sub-Saharan Africa. In spite of decades of chemotherapy and vector control, the disease has not been eradicated.

Unlocking the feed supplement potentials of blue-green alga (spirulina) in broiler nutrition: a comprehensive review.

Presently, spirulina, a cyanobacterium, is gaining attention as a safe feed supplement in livestock and poultry production due to its rich nutritional and medicinal benefits. Spirulina grows well in highly alkaline environments with a pH range of 9.5–11 such as pond, fresh and marine water.