FACULTY OF LIFE SCIENCES

This study investigated the protective effects of watermelon (Citrullus lanatus) rind extract against cadmium-induced toxicity,on lipid profiles in Wistar rats. Twenty rats were divided into five groups: a control, a cadmium-only group, a cadmium with vitamin C group, and two groups receiving cadmium along with watermelon rind extract at 250 mg/kg and 500 mg/kg body weight. The experiment lasted for 60 days. Results showed that cadmium exposure significantly suppressed weight gain and induced dyslipidemia, expressed by elevated cholesterol and triglycerides. Treatment with the hydroethanolic watermelon rind extract, particularly at the 500 mg/kg dose, ameliorated these effects, resulting in a significant increase in percentage weight gain and a normalization of the lipid profile, comparable to the protective effects of vitamin C. The extract did not significantly reduce blood cadmium levels, suggesting its mechanism is likely cyto protection through antioxidant activity rather than metal chelation. The results show that watermelon rind phytowaste possesses bioactive compounds that can mitigate cadmium induced metabolic disturbances.

This study examined the emotional impact of parental neglect on children in Egor Local Government Area of Edo State, Nigeria. The research aimed to determine the prevalence of emotional neglect, identify its major causes, assess its ef ects on children’s mental health, behavior, and academic performance, evaluate parental responsiveness, and examine the availability and ef ectiveness of support services. A descriptive survey research design was adopted, targeting 370 respondents, including primary and secondary school children, their parents, and teachers. Data were collected through structured questionnaires and analyzed using descriptive statistics (means, standard deviations) and inferential statistics (Spearman’s Rank Correlation and multiple regression analysis) via SPSS version 25. Findings revealed that emotional neglect is prevalent, primarily driven by parental work commitments, financial constraints, and poor communication. The study further established significant associations between neglect and children’s emotional well-being, social behavior, and academic performance, while institutional support services were found to be limited. Recommendations emphasize parental engagement, school counseling, community awareness, and policy interventions

This study investigated the influence of grinding fineness on heavy metal leaching across seven common food matrices-melon, tomatoes, pepper, white and yellow corn, beans, groundnut, and crayfish-using both household and industrial tools. Samples were processed at two fineness levels (coarse and smooth), and analyzed for iron (Fe), manganese (Mn), zinc (Zn), nickel (Ni), cadmium (Cd), and lead (Pb). Results showed that smooth grinding consistently produced higher Fe and Zn concentrations than coarse grinding, indicating that finer particle exposure and increased friction enhance metal transfer from processing tools. Iron levels were highest in beans (10.97 mg/kg), followed by crayfish (6.47 mg/kg) and white corn (4.64 mg/kg), while zinc peaked in crayfish (1.15 mg/kg) and groundnut (0.82 mg/kg). Manganese were moderate, with the highest levels in pepper (0.71 mg/kg) and melon (0.58 mg/kg). Nickel appeared only in isolated smooth-ground samples, while cadmium and lead were largely undetected, except for trace levels in melon (0.015 mg/kg) and tomatoes (0.00008 mg/kg). Blenders, hand crank grinders, and aged milling machines contributed most to metal leaching, whereas traditional tools such as mortars and grinding stones showed comparatively lower contamination. Although detected metal levels generally fell within international food safety limits, cumulative exposure may pose long-term health risks. The study concludes that grinding fineness, tool type, and age are key factors influencing heavy metal migration during food processing. Routine equipment maintenance, use of food-grade materials, and greater public awareness are recommended to minimize contamination and ensure safer household and industrial food processing practices.

Refractive errors, including myopia, hyperopia, and astigmatism, constitute a significant public health concern affecting visual well-being of individuals as well as the academic performance of pupils. Uncorrected refractive error, the second most common cause of preventable blindness globally places a heavy burden on individuals and the society. This study aimed to assess the knowledge, attitudes, and practices of refractive errors among secondary school students in Egor Local Government Area (LGA). The study was carried out for a period of three month. A stratified random sampling method was used where students from the selected schools within Egor LGA were selected for the study. The sample size was 400 with a number of 151 females and 249 males. Data was collected using a well structured self-administered questionnaires. This questionnaire included demographic information and was further divided into three sections. The data collected were analyzed using the statistical package for social sciences (SPSS) version 22.0. Descriptive statistics (frequencies, percentages, mean and standard deviation) was used to
summarize the variables. Continuous variables was expressed as the mean ± standard deviation for those that displayed normal distribution. A total of 400 students participated in the study between the ages of 11 to 19years (mean age 16.07± 1.320). Majority of the participants was male (249) while the remaining where females (151). The results showed that those who had good knowledge about refractive errors was about 52.3% while those who had good attitudes to refractive errors was 44% and who with good practice of refractive errors was just 17.5% of the
respondents. In conclusion, the knowledge about refractive error was fair, attitude towards refractive error was good but the practices towards refractive error was poor.

The quality of aquatic environments is an important contributor to good environmental health. This study assessed the ecological risk assessment of heavy metals in sediments from Ossiomo River, Edo State in order to ascertain the status and degree of contamination. Nine sediment samples were collected using an Eckman Grab from Ossiomo River from November 2021 to January 2022. Samples collected were air-dried, crushed and sieved through a 2mm sieve, pre-treated using standard methods before determining the heavy metal concentrations in Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometer according to the method of the Association of Analytical Chemists. The average mean concentration of heavy metals in sediments from Ossiomo river were1137±760.55 for Fe, 6.83±1.24 for Cu, 28.94±11.93 for Zn, 0.14±0.06 for Cd, 5.80±5.27 for Pb, 9.02±3.80 for Mn, 4.30±1.04 mg/kg for Cr respectively while total hydrocarbon content had an average mean value of 826.80±457.27 mg/kg. The result showed that the concentration of heavy metal were in the following decreasing order: Fe>Zn>Mn>Cu> Pb> Cr>Cd. The composition of
computed Enrichment factor (EF) indicated that there is a moderate enrichment for Fe and Zn, a significant enrichment for Fe, Cr, Cd and a very high enrichment for Pb. Geo accumulation index (Igeo)
showed that sediments from Ossiomo River indicates Cu and Mn were practically unpolluted, Cr and Cd were moderately to heavily polluted, Pb was heavily polluted and extremely polluted. The contamination factor showed a moderate contamination exist for Cu and Mn across the sampled stations from Ossiomo River, a very high contamination exist for Cr, Cd, and Pb across the three sample stations. The contamination degree (CD) showed that a very high degree of contamination(CD ≥ 24) exists across all the three sample stations. Pollution load Index (PLI) showed that Ossiomo river is polluted (PLI>1) by metals. Potential ecological risk index (PERI) showed slight pollution degree of Cu, Zn, and Mn, a medium pollution degree of Cr, a strong pollution degree and a very strong pollution degree of Pb while Cd exhibited an extremely strong pollution degree. The risk level or risk degree for Ossiomo River indicated an extremely strong risk degree or level Dacross the sediments across the stretch of Ossiomo River. The potential ecological risk showed that station1and 3 indicates considerable ecological risk (300<RI≤600), while station 2 indicates a very high ecological risk (RI>600). The heavy metals content exhibited a positive and significant correlation. Therefore the pollution by heavy metals in sediments from Ossiomo River should not be ignored.

This study evaluated the chemistry and biological consequences of heavy metal contamination of water from River Nun at Onuebum town, Ogbia Local Government Area of Bayelsa State, Nigeria. The pH of the water, acidity, alkalinity, turbidity, sulphides, total nitrogen and total hydrocarbon content in the river water were identified. The toxicity of the water itself and that of the heavy metals in the river water were investigated using rats. Sixty rats divided into twelve groups of five rats each were used. Group A, the control rats, received distilled water only (42.86 ml/rat/day by gavage). Group B received the boiled river water. Group C received the unboiled river water. Group D received a solution of the salts of all the metal ions identified in the river water (1.24 mg Fe, 0.018 mg Cu, 0.001 mg Hg, 0.001 mg Cd, 0.001 mg Pb, 0.001mg Mn, 0.001 mg Cr/L of distilled water). Group E received a solution containing 1.24 mg Fe/L. Group F received a solution containing 0.018 mg Cu/L. Group G received a solution containing 1.24 mg Fe/L and 0.001 mg Hg/L in distilled water. Group H received a solution containing 0.001 mg Hg/L. Group I received a solution containing 0.001 mg Cr/L. Group J received a solution containing 0.001 mg Cd/L. Group K received a solution containing 0.001 mg Mn/L. Group L received a solution containing 0.001 mg Pb/L. Each rat received 42.86 ml/kg bd wt. of the appropriate solution by gavage daily, 7 days a week for 3 months. After an exposure duration of three months, there were significant increases (p ≤ 0.05) in serum urea, creatinine, chloride, LDH, total and direct bilirubin levels of the groups H (mercury only), J (cadmium only) and L (lead only) rats compared to the rats in the control and the other eight groups. There were significant increases (p ≤ 0.05) in liver GGT, LDH, total bilirubin, ALT, AST, and total protein levels of groups H (mercury only), J (cadmium only) and L (lead only) rats as compared to the control and other eight groups. There were significant increases (p ≤ 0.05) in kidney sodium, chloride, urea and creatinine levels of groups H (mercury only), J (cadmium only) and L(lead only) rats as compared to the rats in the control and other eight groups. There was also significant (p ≤ 0.05) increase in the group G when compared to control in terms of serum AST, ALT, Na+ and cholesterol levels. However, these increases were not as profound as those observed for mercury when administered singly. The adverse effects, evidenced by changes in these parameters in the test rats relative to the control group, was not observed in the groups (B and C) that consumed the river water directly. The results obtained here show that heavy metals antagonize the effects of each other when administered concurrently, a pattern of behavior which would not be evident when each is examined inisolation. The findings also show that the River Nun water, although containing several toxic
elements, may be fairly safe for human consumption.

Given the widespread global use of hair dyes, which contain chemicals like aromatic amines and oxidative agents, understanding their toxic potential is a critical component of assessing human safety. Drosophila melanogaster served as a model organism due to its well-characterized genome, conserved neurological pathways, and ease of genetic tractability. The flies were exposed to three treatment concentrations of the hair dye (0.05%, 0.5%, and 2.0%). The study assessed overall survival rates and observed climbing ability of the flies using the negative geotaxis assay. Flies were exposed to various concentrations of the dye through dietary administration, and survival was monitored over a 7-day period for the pilot study and a 5-day period for the main study. The relative expression of several key genes including Spitz(Spi), Wingless(Wnt), Eiger(egr), Forkhead box(FOXO), Hedgehog(HH), and Kelch-like ECH-associate protein 1(Keap1) was analyzed. Results demonstrated a dose-dependent response of the organism. The locomotor behavior analysis showed declining climbing ability of the flies at increasing concentrations. The Spi gene, associated with the EGFR pathway, showed a significant increase at the highest (2.0%) concentration. Wnt gene was significantly decreased at the 0.5% and 2.0% concentrations while Eiger gene was increased. The transcription factor FOXO was decreased while the signaling gene HH was significantly increased at high concentrations, indicating the activation of stress-induced and developmental response mechanisms. Conversely, the stress regulator Keap1, involved in the Nrf2 pathway was decreased at the 0.5% and 2.0% concentrations. These findings collectively establish that exposure to the hair dye induces significant neurotoxicity and disturbs fundamental regulatory mechanisms in Drosophila melanogaster, highlighting the need for accurate toxicological evaluation of these cosmetic products.

Bryophyllum pinnatum, commonly known as “Miracle Leaf,” has long been employed in traditional medicine for the treatment of infections and various oxidative stress-related ailments. This study aimed to evaluate and compare the phytochemical composition, antioxidant capacity, and antimicrobial activity of the aqueous and ethanol leaf extracts of B. pinnatum. Fresh leaves were collected, authenticated, air-dried, pulverized, and subjected to Soxhlet extraction using ethanol and distilled water. The extraction yields were determined, revealing a higher yield for the aqueous extract (18.3%) compared to the ethanol extract (14.3%). Preliminary qualitative phytochemical screening indicated the presence of diverse bioactive compounds, including alkaloids, flavonoids, phenols, tannins, saponins, glycosides, terpenoids, steroids, and anthraquinones in both extracts. Quantitative analysis showed that the ethanol extract contained higher concentrations of flavonoids (31.63 mg/g), phenolics (37.06 mg/g), and alkaloids (21.06 mg/g), whereas the aqueous extract exhibited elevated saponin content (31.57 mg/g). The antioxidant potential of the extracts was assessed using 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical scavenging and ferric reducing antioxidant power (FRAP) assays. The ethanol extract demonstrated superior free radical scavenging activity (IC₅₀ = 63.11 µg/mL) and reducing power (345.5 µmol Fe²⁺/g) compared to the aqueous extract, correlating with its higher phenolic and flavonoid contents. ntimicrobial activity was evaluated against clinically relevant pathogens, including Staphylococcus aureus, Bacillus subtilis, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Candida albicans, and Aspergillus niger using agar well diffusion, minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC), and minimum bactericidal concentration/minimum fungicidal concentration (MBC/MFC) methods. Both extracts displayed dose-dependent, broad-spectrum antimicrobial effects, with Gram-positive bacteria being more susceptible than Gram-negative bacteria, and fungi showing the least sensitivity. Notably, the ethanol extract exhibited greater potency, requiring lower concentrations to inhibit and kill test organisms. These findings collectively validate the ethnomedicinal use of B. pinnatum and highlight the influence of extraction solvent on bioactivity. The study underscores the potential of the ethanol leaf extract as a promising source of natural antioxidants and antimicrobial agents, warranting further pharmacological and mechanistic investigations for therapeutic development

The aim of the study was to investigate the effect of varying light intensities on the growth and development of Zea mays (maize), a staple crop of global importance. The experiment evaluated key growth parameters, including plant height, leaf number, leaf area, chlorophyll content, fresh weight, dry weight, and root development under three distinct light intensity levels: high,
medium, and low. The results indicated that high light intensity promotes superior growth, as evidenced by greater biomass accumulation, increased leaf area, taller plants, and higher fresh and dry weights. Conversely, low light intensity results in reduced growth rates but induces an adaptive increase in chlorophyll content to maximize light absorption. Root development was
also significantly influenced, with high light intensity supporting robust root systems and low light leading to underdeveloped roots. This study highlights the critical role of light intensity in regulating photosynthesis and overall plant productivity. The findings provide valuable insights for optimizing agricultural practices to enhance maize yield, particularly in environments where
natural light is insufficient or inconsistent. Recommendations are made for strategic light management to ensure optimal maize growth in both traditional and controlled cultivation systems.

Access to safe drinking water remains a critical public health challenge in many urban communities, with contaminated water sources posing significant health risks to residents. This study assessed the human health risks associated with household drinking water quality and hygiene practices among residents of BDPA Community, Ugbowo, Benin City, Edo State. A mixed-methods approach combined structured questionnaire surveys of 100 households with physicochemical and microbiological analyses of 30 water samples from borehole, sachet, and bottled water sources. Parameters examined included pH, temperature, turbidity, total dissolved solids, electrical conductivity, total heterotrophic bacterial counts, total coliforms, and Escherichia coli.The study revealed a predominantly young, educated population demonstrating high personal hygiene awareness, yet significant environmental sanitation deficits persisted, with over half of households located near waste dumps or open sewage systems. Borehole water exhibited the highest contamination risk, recording mean heterotrophic bacterial counts of 58.3 colony forming units per milliliter and total coliform counts of 12.3 colony forming units per milliliter, exceeding acceptable safety standards. Sachet water showed moderate contamination with intermittent coliform presence, while bottled water remained consistently safe. Escherichia coli was absent in all samples. A critical behavioral gap emerged as 64% of residents consumed borehole water without treatment, correlating with 24% self-reported water-related illnesses, predominantly typhoid fever. Poor local sanitation infrastructure enables contaminant infiltration into untreated water sources, creating tangible public health threats. Municipal authorities must enforce Nigerian water quality standards and improve community sanitation infrastructure. Public health campaigns should urgently encourage residents, particularly borehole users, to consistently boil or chlorinate drinking water before consumption to prevent disease outbreaks