Unlocking the potential of magnetic biochar in wastewater purification: a review on the removal of bisphenol A from aqueous solution.

Bisphenol A (BPA) is an essential and extensively utilized chemical compound with significant environmental and public health risks. This review critically assesses the current water purification techniques for BPA removal, emphasizing the efficacy of adsorption technology. Within this context, we probe into the synthesis of magnetic biochar (MBC) using co-precipitation, hydrothermal carbonization, mechanical ball milling, and impregnation pyrolysis as widely applied techniques. Our analysis scrutinizes the strengths and drawbacks of these techniques, with pyrolytic temperature emerging as a critical variable influencing the physicochemical properties and performance of MBC. We explored various modification techniques including oxidation, acid and alkaline modifications, element doping, surface functional modification, nanomaterial loading, and biological alteration, to overcome the drawbacks of pristine MBC, which typically exhibits reduced adsorption performance due to its magnetic medium. These modifications enhance the physicochemical properties of MBC, enabling it to efficiently adsorb contaminants from water. MBC is efficient in the removal of BPA from water. Magnetite and maghemite iron oxides are commonly used in MBC production, with MBC demonstrating effective BPA removal fitting well with Freundlich and Langmuir models. Notably, the pseudo-second-order model accurately describes BPA removal kinetics. Key adsorption mechanisms include pore filling, electrostatic attraction, hydrophobic interactions, hydrogen bonding, π-π interactions, and electron transfer surface interactions. This review provides valuable insights into BPA removal from water using MBC and suggests future research directions for real-world water purification applications.

HERBAL MEDICINE USE DURING PREGNANCY IN A FEDERAL TEACHING HOSPITAL IN NORTHERN NIGERIA- A CROSS-SECTIONAL STUDY.

Introduction: The use of herbal medicine is common in the general population. However, it has not been well-studied among pregnant women in Nigeria, especially in the northeast. Knowledge of herbal medicine use in this population is important in improving maternal and child care. Objectives: 1. To determine the prevalence of herbal medicine use during pregnancy among the study population. 2. To determine the association between herbal medicine use and pregnancy-related outcomes. Methodology: The study was conducted among 339 women attending the postnatal clinic of Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University Teaching Hospital, Bauchi, from July to September 2022. Interviewer-administered questionnaires were administered to participants selected through consecutive sampling. Information about the antenatal care details of the participants was retrieved from their folders. Data analysis was conducted using Epi Info version 7.2.5.0 software produced by the Centers for Disease Control, USA. Ethical approval for the study was obtained from the Ethics Review Committee of the Hospital. Results: The lifetime prevalence of herbal medicine use was 38.1% among the study participants. In their last pregnancies, over a quarter (27.1%) of the participants had used herbs. This group was significantly less likely to use routine hematinic (folic acid and iron tablets) than participants who did not use herbs while pregnant (X2=22.9, p<0.00000). Family income and religion were associated with herbal medicine use in pregnancy on logistic regression (p=0.02 and 0.008 respectively). Conclusions: Herbal medicine use is common during pregnancy in the study population and is strongly associated with a low uptake of iron and folic acid.

Occurrence, environmental impact and fate of pharmaceuticals in groundwater and surface water: a critical review.

In many nations and locations, groundwater serves as the population's primary drinking water supply. However, pharmaceuticals found in groundwater and surface waters may affect aquatic ecosystems and public health. As a result, their existence in natural raw waters are now more widely acknowledged as a concern. This review summarises the evidence of research on pharmaceuticals' occurrence, impact and fate, considering results from different water bodies. Also, various analytical techniques were reviewed to compare different pharmaceuticals' detection frequencies in water bodies. These include liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS), high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC), ultra-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (UPLC-MS/MS), and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). However, owing to LC-MS's high sensitivity and specification, it is the most reported instrument used for analysis. The PRISMA reviewing methodology was adopted based on relevant literature in order to focus on aim of the review. Among other pharmaceuticals reviewed, sulfamethoxazole was found to be the most frequently detected drug in wastewater (up to 100% detection frequency). The most reported pharmaceutical group in this review is antibiotics, with sulfamethoxazole having the highest concentration among the analysed pharmaceuticals in groundwater and freshwater (up to 5600 ng/L). Despite extensive study and analysis on the occurrence and fate of pharmaceuticals in the environment, appropriate wastewater management and disposal of pharmaceuticals in the water environment are not still monitored regularly. Therefore, there is a need for mainstream studies tailored to the surveillance of pharmaceuticals in water bodies to limit environmental risks to human and aquatic habitats in both mid and low-income nations.

Seroprevalence and risk factors for rubella infection in pregnant women attending a tertiary hospital in Kano-Nigeria.

Introduction: rubella is a leading cause of vaccine preventable birth defects especially in developing countries. Acquisition of infection with the rubella virus in early pregnancy exposes the fetus to a very high chance of developing congenital rubella syndrome. The neonate is born with multiple abnormalities with the triad of congenital cataract, deafness and cardiovascular abnormalities like ventricular septal defect or patent ductus arteriosus. Limited data exist on the seroprevalence of rubella antibodies in pregnant women in Nigeria. The aim of this study was to determine the seroprevalence of rubella antibodies in pregnant women attending antenatal clinic in Aminu Kano Teaching Hospital, Kano State. Methods: the study was a cross-sectional study involving one hundred and sixty-three pregnant women attending antenatal clinic of Aminu Kano Teaching Hospital in Kano, Nigeria. Interviewer administered questionnaire was used to collect sociodemographic data and risk factors. Blood samples were taken from consenting pregnant women during antenatal care and samples were subjected to antibody testing (IgG and IgM). Descriptive analysis was done for sociodemographic data and seroprevalence of rubella. Chi-square tests were used to determine associations. Results: one hundred and sixty-three pregnant women were recruited for the study. The participants´ age ranged from 18 to 41 years with mean age of 27.60±5.7 years. The overall rubella seroprevalence was found to be 68.7%. The seroprevalence of specific anti-Rubella virus IgM and IgG was found to be 58.4% and 37.3% respectively while prevalence of having both anti-Rubella virus IgG and IgM in the women was found to be 26.4%. Non-formal education and immunodeficiency was found to be associated with rubella infection (P-value of 0.018 and 0.001 respectively). Conclusion: the study found a high prevalence of anti-Rubella virus immunoglobulins in asymptomatic pregnant women attending antenatal care in our facility with immunodeficiency and non-formal education found to be significant risk factors.

Influence of Irradiation Time on the Structural and Optical Characteristics of CuSe Nanoparticles Synthesized via Microwave-Assisted Technique.

A rapid, sustainable, and ecologically sound approach is urgently needed for the production of semiconductor nanomaterials. CuSe nanoparticles (NPs) were synthesized via a microwave-assisted technique using CuCl2·2H2O and Na2SeO3 as the starting materials. The role of the irradiation time was considered as the primary concern to regulate the size and possibly the shape of the synthesized nanoparticles. A range of characterization techniques was used to elucidate the structural and optical properties of the fabricated nanoparticles, which included X-ray diffraction, energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX), atomic force microscopy, field emission scanning electron microscopy, Raman spectroscopy (Raman), UV-Visible diffuse reflectance spectroscopy (DRS), and photoluminescence spectroscopy (PL). The mean crystallite size of the CuSe hexagonal (Klockmannite) crystal structure increased from 21.35 to 99.85 nm with the increase in irradiation time. At the same time, the microstrain and dislocation density decreased from 7.90 × 10-4 to 1.560 × 10-4 and 4.68 × 10-2 to 1.00 × 10-2 nm-2, respectively. Three Raman vibrational bands attributed to CuSe NPs have been identified in the Raman spectrum. Irradiation time was also seen to play a critical role in the NP optical band gap during the synthesis. The decrease in the optical band gap from 1.85 to 1.60 eV is attributed to the increase in the crystallite size when the irradiation time was increased. At 400 nm excitation wavelength, a strong orange emission centered at 610 nm was observed from the PL measurement. The PL intensity is found to increase with an increase in irradiation time, which is attributed to the improvement in crystallinity at higher irradiation time. Therefore, the results obtained in this study could be of great benefit in the field of photonics, solar cells, and optoelectronic applications.

Choice of Specialization among Female Clinical Medical Students of Bayero University Kano, Nigeria

Background: The field of medicine is very wide; female medical students also have their choice of specialization which many develop in medical schools due to different factors.Methodology: It was a cross sectional study that was conducted among female clinical medical students of Bayero University Kano. Ethical approval was obtained from the hospital Ethical Committee. Questionnaire was administered to all consenting female students. Data were analysed by SPSS Electronic Software Version 18 (SPSS Inc, IL, Chicago, USA). A P value of less than 0.05 was considered statistically significant.Results: Eighty five female medical students participated in the study. Mean (SD) age was 23.09 ± 1.8 years. Seventy two (84.70%) chose clinical medicine to be their future career while 13 (15.30%) were undecided. Only 15 (22.70%) decided to specialize in their career of choice. Obstetrics and Gynaecology was the most interested speciality of choice (30.80%). Most students were interested in the reward in working in the speciality 54 (68.40%) followed by interest in the clinical work 52 (65.80%). Many of the respondents 41 (49.4%) considered their career development as a priority in future career plans in practice location, and educational environment for children 40 (51.90%). Only 15 (18.00%) were keenly motivated to work in rural areas regardless of the duration of time.Conclusion: Female medical students preferred to be clinicians in their future career with obstetrics and gynaecology as the most interested speciality of choice. Their career development and educational environment for children were the priority in future career plans in practice location