Secreted extracellular heat shock protein gp96 and inflammatory cytokines are markers of severe malaria outcome.

Malaria caused by Plasmodium spp., is a major public health issue in sub-Saharan Africa. The fight against malaria has stalled due to increasing resistance to treatments and insecticides.

Immune responses to SARS-CoV-2 in sub-Saharan Africa and western Europe: a retrospective, population-based, cross-sectional study.

Background: SARS-CoV-2 has been associated with a higher proportion of asymptomatic infections and lower mortality in sub-Saharan Africa than high-income countries. However, there is currently a lack of data on cellular immune responses to SARS-CoV-2 in people living in Africa compared with people in high-income regions of the world. We aimed to assess geographical variation in peripheral and mucosal immune responses.

From Genome-wide Association Studies to Functional Variants: ARL14 Cis-regulatory Variants Are Associated With Severe Malaria.

Background: Genome-wide association studies have identified several nonfunctional tag single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) associated with severe malaria. We hypothesized that causal SNPs could play a significant role in severe malaria by altering promoter or enhancer activity. Here, we sought to identify such regulatory SNPs.

An elevated level of interleukin-17A in a Senegalese malaria cohort is associated with rs8193038 IL-17A genetic variant.

Malaria infection is a multifactorial disease partly modulated by host immuno-genetic factors. Recent evidence has demonstrated the importance of Interleukin-17 family proinflammatory cytokines and their genetic variants in host immunity. However, limited knowledge exists about their role in parasitic infections such as malaria.

Genetic contribution of breast cancer genes in women of black African origin.

Breast cancer (BC) is an increasing public health issue worldwide. BC incidence and mortality rates are rising in transitioning countries in Africa, with the most rapid increase occurring in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). Female BC represents 25.

Gene expression profiling of peripheral blood mononuclear cells from women with cervical lesions reveals new markers of cancer.

Cervical cancer (CC) is a multifactorial disease of which human papillomavirus (HPV) is the main etiological agent. Despite cervical Pap smear screening and anti‑HPV vaccination, CC remains a major public health issue. Identification of specific gene expression signatures in the blood could allow better insight into the immune response of CC and could provide valuable information for the development of novel biomarkers.

ATP2B4 regulatory genetic variants are associated with mild malaria.

Background: Genome-wide association studies have identified ATP2B4 as a severe malaria resistance gene. Recently, 8 potential causal regulatory variants have been shown to be associated with severe malaria.

Methods: Genotyping of rs10900585, rs11240734, rs1541252, rs1541253, rs1541254, rs1541255, rs10751450, rs10751451 and rs10751452 was performed in 154 unrelated individuals (79 controls and 75 mild malaria patients).

Galectin-3 as a biomarker in breast neoplasms: Mechanisms and applications in patient care.

Galectin-3 is a member of the lectin family encoded by the LGALS3 gene on chromosome 14. It is secreted by a wide range of immune cells and mammary tumor cells. Through its activity on the tumor microenvironment, in particular on tumor-infiltrating leukocytes, galectin-3 improves the proliferation, survival, and colonizing ability of mammary neoplastic cells.

and polymorphisms in the Senegalese population: prevalence, correlation with clinical malaria.

Background: Host genetic factors contribute to the variability of malaria phenotypes and can allow a better understanding of mechanisms involved in susceptibility and/or resistance to infection outcomes. Several genetic polymorphisms were reported to be prevalent among populations living in tropical malaria-endemic regions and induce protection against malaria. The present study aims to investigate the prevalence of and deficiencies polymorphisms among Senegalese populations and their associations with the risk for severe malaria occurrence.

Identification of Regulatory Element Containing Functional Genetic Variants Associated with Severe Malaria.

Genome-wide association studies for severe malaria (SM) have identified 30 genetic variants mostly located in non-coding regions. Here, we aimed to identify potential causal genetic variants located in these loci and demonstrate their functional activity. We systematically investigated the regulatory effect of the SNPs in linkage disequilibrium (LD) with the malaria-associated genetic variants.

New Insights Into c.815_824dup Pathogenic Variant of in Inherited Breast Cancer: A Founder Mutation of West African Origin.

Founder mutations have been reported in and in different ethnic groups with inherited breast cancer. Testing of targeted mutations in specific populations is important for cancer prevention in mutation carriers. In Sub-Saharan Africa, only a few studies have reported specific founder mutations in inherited breast cancer.

Vaccination against tuberculosis, polio and hepatitis B at birth in Podor health district, Northern Senegal: cross-sectional study of vaccination coverage and its associated factors.

Background: In Senegal, studies focusing specifically on vaccination coverage with the Bacille de Calmette et Guérin (BCG) vaccine, the birth dose of oral polio vaccine (OPV zero dose) and the birth dose of hepatitis B (HepB-BD) vaccine are insufficient. This study aimed to highlight vaccination coverages with birth doses and factors associated with timely vaccination in Podor health district.

Methods: A cross-sectional study was carried out from June 19 to 22, 2020.

The global response to the COVID-19 pandemic: how have immunology societies contributed?

The COVID-19 pandemic is shining a spotlight on the field of immunology like never before. To appreciate the diverse ways in which immunologists have contributed, Nature Reviews Immunology invited the president of the International Union of Immunological Societies and the presidents of 15 other national immunology societies to discuss how they and their members responded following the emergence of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2).

Evidence for an ancient 1 pathogenic variant in inherited breast cancer patients from Senegal.

and are the most incriminated genes in inherited breast/ovarian cancers. Several pathogenic variants of these genes conferring genetic predisposition have been described in different populations but rarely in sub-Saharan Africa. The objectives of this study were to identify pathogenic variants of the genes involved in hereditary breast cancer in Senegal and to search for a founder effect.

Morphological and genetic characterizations of Avitellina tapeworms from domestic ruminants in Senegal: An evidence of specificity among sheep and cattle host.

Avitellina tapeworms are common intestinal parasites of ruminants with a worldwide distribution. In Senegal, only Avitellina centripunctata tapeworm has been reported to date, and genetic diversity was previously confirmed by enzymatic analysis. This study aims to clarify the diversity of Avitellina tapeworms isolated from sheep and cattle in Senegal.

Novel BRCA2 pathogenic variant c.5219 T > G; p.(Leu1740Ter) in a consanguineous Senegalese family with hereditary breast cancer.

Background: Pathogenic variants associated with hereditary breast cancer have been reported for BRCA1 and BRCA2 (BRCA1/2) genes in patients from multiple ethnicities, but limited information is available from sub-Saharan African populations. We report a BRCA2 pathogenic variant in a Senegalese family with hereditary breast cancer.

Methods: An index case from a consanguineous family and nineteen healthy female relatives were recruited after informed consent.

polymorphism, haematological parameters, and severe malaria in Senegalese patients.

Background: Host factors, including host genetic variation, have been shown to influence the outcome of infection. Genome-wide linkage studies have mapped mild malaria resistance genes on chromosome 6p21, whereas polymorphism (rs2736191) lying within this region was found to be associated with mild malaria.

Methods: Blood samples were taken from 188 malaria patients (76 mild malaria patients, 85 cerebral malaria patients, and 27 severe non-cerebral malaria patients).

Optimization of a magnetic bead-based assay (MAGPIX-Luminex) for immune surveillance of exposure to malaria using multiple Plasmodium antigens and sera from different endemic settings.

Background: Serological markers are potentially useful tools for monitoring the progress of malaria control programs, but a better understanding of antibody response dynamics is necessary. The use of a magnetic bead-based immunoassay (MBA) is advantageous compared to ELISA, due to its multiplexing capacity, but limited information is available on the standardization and validation of this assay.

Methods: Several parameters for multiplex testing of antibodies to Plasmodium antigens were analysed using a set of 4 antigens and 98 sera from Senegalese rural asymptomatic and urban symptomatic individuals.

Genetic variants of RNASE3 (ECP) and susceptibility to severe malaria in Senegalese population.

Background: Severe forms of malaria (SM) are an outcome of Plasmodium falciparum infection and can cause death especially in children under 4 years of age. RNASE3 (ECP) has been identified as an inhibitor of Plasmodium parasites growth in vitro, and genetic analysis in hospitalized Ghanaian subjects has revealed the RNASE3 +371G/C (rs2073342) polymorphism as a susceptibility factor for cerebral malaria. The +371 C allele results in an Arg/Thr mutation that abolishes the cytotoxic activity of the ECP protein.

Genetic and morphological characterization of Thysaniezia tapeworms from cattle and sheep in Senegal.

Genetic and morphological diversity of Thysaniezia tapeworms from cattle and sheep in Senegal was investigated using light and scanning microscopic observations and molecular analysis based on mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase subunit 1 (cox1) and nuclear small subunit ribosomal RNA gene (SSU rDNA). A total of 52 adult tapeworms were collected from sheep and cattle. Although the tapeworms of the two hosts were morphologically very close, phylogenetic analysis based on cox1 and SSU rDNA gene sequences showed that they were divided into two clades corresponding each to a host.

Relationship between Antibody Levels, IgG Binding to Plasmodium falciparum-Infected Erythrocytes, and Disease Outcome in Hospitalized Urban Malaria Patients from Dakar, Sénégal.

Background. Management of clinical malaria requires the development of reliable diagnostic methods and efficient biomarkers for follow-up of patients. Protection is partly based on IgG responses to parasite antigens exposed at the surface of infected erythrocytes (iRBCs).

A Worldwide Map of Plasmodium falciparum K13-Propeller Polymorphisms.

Background: Recent gains in reducing the global burden of malaria are threatened by the emergence of Plasmodium falciparum resistance to artemisinins. The discovery that mutations in portions of a P. falciparum gene encoding kelch (K13)-propeller domains are the major determinant of resistance has provided opportunities for monitoring such resistance on a global scale.