Co-infection is the simultaneous infection of host by multiple pathogenic species, which may co-exist together or not. In this study, the co-infection of malaria, HIV/AIDS and hepatitis B was investigated, using four different locations in Akure, Ondo State. Blood samples were aseptically collected from the left thumbs of 500 respondents using sterile lancets. Thin and thick smear of the blood samples were observed for malaria parasites using X100 magnification of the light microscope. Hepatitis B and HIV/AIDS were tested using diagnostic test kits. The results show that highest prevalence of malaria was observed in Oba-Ile (82.09%) among age group 31-40 years (92.72%).  The lowest prevalence was found in Ala-Ajagbusi (73.17%) among age group 21-30 years (70.03%). Highest prevalence of hepatitis (7.06%) was observed in Orita-Obele while the lowest prevalence was observed in Ala- Ajagbusi (4.88%).  HIV/AIDS infection was found Orita-Obele (1.76%, n=3) and Ala-Ajagbusi (2.44%, n=2). The results further show that all the individuals that tested positive to hepatitis B virus and HIV also tested positive to malaria. Also, 3 of the 5 individuals infected with HIV/AIDS tested positive to hepatitis B virus.  Similarly, malaria, hepatitis B virus and HIV cohabit in 2 individuals; 1 in age group 21-30 years and 1 in age group 31-40 years. Coinfection of malaria with hepatitis and HIV/AIDS suggests that malaria is an opportunistic infection among the hepatitis and AIDS patients. This calls for prompt malaria treatment among the immunocompromised patients. More so, there should be adequate and consistent public health advocacy programs, to enlighten the populace about malaria, hepatitis B and HIV/AIDS in order to completely mitigate the disease spread in the area.

Aims: One of the ways to manage the current coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic is monitoring of public knowledge, risk perceptions, adherence to preventive measures and preparedness behaviors. This is of utmost importance in resource limited countries. This study determined the knowledge and perception about COVID-19; adherence to COVID-19 preventive measures; as well as predictors of self-perceived risk of contracting COVID-19 among Nigerian adults.Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted among Nigerian adults ≥ 18 years using an online survey. Participants were recruited using the authors’ social networks. Data was analysed using descriptive and inferential statistics at 5% level of statistical significance.Results: Generally, a high proportion of respondents had correct knowledge about COVID-19. However, only about half (49.8% and 49.9%) had correct knowledge that obesity was a risk factor for COVID-19 and that antibiotics cannot be used to treat COVID-19. Most (84.1%) did not have a self-perceived risk of contracting COVID-19. Most (81.0%) have been avoiding crowded places and 61.3% washed their hands very often. Predictors of self-perceived risk of COVID-19 were age 40-59 years (OR 2.05, CI 1.217-3.435), ≥ 60 years (OR 4.68, CI 1.888-11.583) and visiting crowded places (OR 2.27, CI 1.499-3.448).Conclusion: Our study recommends more rigorous public health education aimed at improving COVID-19 outbreak response in Nigerian. Also, physical and social distancing should be emphasized across all age groups with additional focus on the older population.

Black Velvet Tamarind (BVT) is a famous edible fruit with multiple therapeutic properties. The aim of this study was to determine the secondary metabolites and evaluate the medicinal activities of the seed extract of the plant in order to scientifically report its possible medicinal applications in food and pharmaceutical industries. The pulverized seed was extracted with methanol/ethylacetate (2:1) and the concentrated extract was analyzed using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS), the antioxidant capacity was evaluated using galvinoxyl and 2,2ʹ-diphenyl-1-picryl-hydrazyl (DPPH) assays while the antibacterial activity was determined by agar-well diffusion method. From the GC-MS analysis, Twenty (20) organic compounds were identified in the seed extract, accounting for 99.3% of the identifiable components in the seed extract, and the main constituents were:4-O-methylmannose (40.46%), 9,9-dimethoxybicyclo[3.3.1]nona-2,4-dione (12.30%), palmitic acid (10.00%), nitroisobutylglycerol (8.60%), simiarenol (4.77%) and methyl-α-d-mannofuranoside (4.70%). The extract also contained some notable therapeutically active phenolic compounds such as dihydrochavicol (3.60%), p-chloro-m-cresol (0.67%) and p-vinylguaiacol (0.1%). The seed extract possesses significant free radical scavenging and antioxidant (IC50 and AAI) properties; for galvinoxyl assay (30.00-34.00%), 5.0 and 8.4 and DPPH assay (86.78-90.57%), 6.0 and AAI of 6.7, respectively. The result showed that the antioxidant properties of the seed extract of BVT increased in dose-concentration manner due to the synergetic activity of secondary metabolites present in the seed extract. This study showed that the seed of BVT possesses antioxidant and antimicrobial potential and it might be useful against ROS and RNS induced disorders. The seed of BVT can be used as an easily accessible source of natural antioxidant. The extract has high inhibitory effects at different concentrations (1000-250 µgml-1 ) on Enterococcus faecalis (30 mm) and Serratia marcescens (15 mm) isolated from clinical samples. The susceptibility of Gram positive and negative bacterial strains to the seed extract was due to the synergic activities of the secondary metabolites in the seed extract, most especially the phenolic compound and the terpenoids. This study showed that the seed extract of BVT has medicinally bioactive phytochemicals that may be useful in the formulation of food preservatives or drug supplements and treatment of bacterial infections

Aims One of the ways to manage the current coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic is to monitor the public knowledge, risk perceptions, adherence to preventive measures, and level of preparedness behaviors. This is important in resourcelimited countries. This study determined the knowledge and perception regarding COVID-19; adherence to COVID-19 preventive measures; as well as predictors of self-perceived risk of contracting COVID-19 among Nigerian adults. Methods A cross-sectional study was conducted among Nigerian adults ≥18 years using an online survey. A convenience sampling method was utilized to recruit a total of 1022 study participants. The participants were recruited using the authors' social media networks. Data were analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics at a 5% level of statistical significance. Results Generally, a high proportion of respondents had correct knowledge about COVID-19. However, only approximately half (49.8% and 49.9%) had correct knowledge that obesity was a risk factor for COVID-19 and that antibiotics cannot be used to treat COVID-19. Most (84.1%) did not have a self-perceived risk of contracting COVID-19. Most (81.0%) have been avoiding crowded places and 61.3% washed their hands frequently. Predictors of self-perceived risk of COVID-19 were age 40-59 years (OR 2.05, CI 1.217-3.435), ≥ 60 years (OR 4.68,, and visiting crowded places (OR 2.27,). Conclusion Our study recommends more rigorous public health education aimed at improving COVID-19 outbreak response in Nigeria. In addition, physical and social distancing should be emphasized across all age groups with additional focus on the older population.

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