Sickle cell trait, APOL1 risk allele status and chronic kidney disease among ART-experienced adults living with HIV in northern Nigeria.

Background: We sought to determine the prevalence of sickle cell trait (SCT) and apolipoprotein-1 ( risk variants in people living with HIV (PLWH) in Nigeria, and to establish if SCT and high-risk status correlate with estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) and/or prevalent chronic kidney disease (CKD).

Methods: Baseline demographic and clinical data were obtained during three cross-sectional visits. CKD was defined as having an eGFR<60 mL/min/1.

Association of hormone receptors and human epidermal growth factor receptor-2/neu expressions with clinicopathologic factors of breast carcinoma: a cross-sectional study in a tertiary care hospital, Kabul, Afghanistan.

Background: Breast cancer (BC) is one of the major causes of death worldwide. It is the most common cause of death before the age of 70 years. The incidence and mortality of BC are rapidly increasing, posing great challenges to the health system and economy of every nation.

The Vanderbilt Nigeria Biostatistics Training Program (VN-BioStat): Results from a Skills Workshop.

The Vanderbilt-Nigeria Biostatistics Training Program (VN-BioStat) aims to establish a research and training platform for biostatisticians doing HIV-related research in Nigeria, including enhancing mid-level biostatistics capacity through annual workshops. This paper describes findings from the inaugural workshop in Kano, Nigeria. Participants were surveyed before and after the workshop to assess their self-perceived familiarity with and confidence in their abilities to use statistical software and apply specific statistical techniques, as well as to gather feedback regarding the conduct of the workshop and future topic areas.

Training the next generation of Biostatisticians in West Africa: The Vanderbilt Nigeria Biostatistics Training Program (VN-BioStat).

Biomedical HIV research is growing in West Africa, but biostatistical expertise is lagging. The Vanderbilt-Nigeria Biostatistics Training Program (VN-BioStat) seeks to establish a research and training platform for biostatisticians doing HIV-related research in Nigeria. The objectives of the program are: 1) Host two Nigerian data scientists per year (a total of 10 over 5 years) at Vanderbilt University Medical Center to gain hands-on biostatistics training and experience via one-year fellowships.

Peroxiredoxin-2 gene in Antheraea pernyi modulates immune functions and protect DNA damage.

Peroxiredoxins have been shown to protect insects from oxidative damage and to play a role in the immune system. In the present study, we cloned and characterized the Antheraea pernyi peroxiredoxin 2 (ApPrx-2) gene, then assessed its functional roles. The ApPrx-2 gene has a 687 bp open reading frame that encodes a protein with 288 amino acid residues.

Helping babies survive: Thermal and umbilical cord care practices for neonates in Ado-Ekiti, Southern Nigeria.

Newborn care practices immediately after delivery can decrease newborns' risk of diseases and death in early neonatal life. This study assessed thermal and umbilical cord care practices among mothers in randomly selected health care facilities in Ado-Ekiti, Ekiti State. Descriptive quantitative research design was used and 211 mothers were selected through convenience sampling techniques.

Gastric Aspergillosis in a COVID-19 Patient.

The SARS-CoV-2 virus, which causes Coronavirus-19 infection (COVID-19), frequently elicits the development of depressed immunity, therefore, opportunistic infections. Opportunistic organisms are commonly present in the human body without causing critical illness. However, they can also lead to pathologic illness when a person is immunocompromised.

Transmission Dynamics of Monkeypox Virus in Nigeria during the Current COVID-19 Pandemic and Estimation of Effective Reproduction Number.

Monkeypox virus (MPXV) continues to pose severe threats to global public health, especially in non-endemic areas. Like all other regions, Africa faces potential public health crises due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and other infectious disease outbreaks (such as Lassa fever and malaria) that have devastated the region and overwhelmed the healthcare systems. Owing to the recent surge in the MPXV and other infections, the COVID-19-control efforts could deteriorate and further worsen.

Pathological Features of Ovarian Tumors, Diagnosed at a Tertiary Care Hospital in Afghanistan: A Cross-sectional Study.

Purpose: In Afghanistan, research work is still in its infancy and there is no national level tumor registry at the moment in the country that could elaborate the histopathological features of ovarian tumors in the country. The current study was conducted with the aim to describe pathological characteristics of ovarian tumors diagnosed at tertiary level in Afghanistan.

Patients And Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted, including 198 cases diagnosed with ovarian tumors, that were consecutively included in the study from July 2017 to August 2020.

Hydroxyurea for secondary stroke prevention in children with sickle cell anemia in Nigeria: a randomized controlled trial.

We tested the hypothesis that fixed oral moderate-dose hydroxyurea (20 mg/kg per day) for initial treatment of secondary stroke prevention results in an 80% relative risk reduction of stroke or death when compared with fixed oral low-dose hydroxyurea (10 mg/kg per day) in a phase 3 double-blind, parallel-group, randomized controlled trial in children with sickle cell anemia (SCA) living in Nigeria. A total of 101 participants were randomly allocated to low-dose (n = 49) and moderate-dose (n = 52) hydroxyurea treatment groups. The median participant follow-up was 1.

Risk factors associated with esophageal cancers, diagnosed at tertiary level in Afghanistan: a descriptive cross-sectional study.

Background: Worldwide, esophageal cancer (EC) is a common cancer in term of incidence and mortality and is the 4th common cancer in Afghanistan. Current study aimed to evaluate the profile of risk factors for EC among patients diagnosed at tertiary level in Afghanistan.

Methodology: A descriptive cross-sectional study was carried out between January 2019 up to February 2021 including all esophageal cancers diagnosed at pathology department of French Medical Institute for Mothers and Children, Afghanistan.

Relationship of age and gender with cytopathological findings of thyroid nodules diagnosed by FNAC: a retrospective study.

In Afghanistan, there are no reliable epidemiological data available about thyroid cytopathology and its possible relationship with the age and gender of patients. Therefore, we conducted this study to outline this relationship and the importance of fine needle aspiration cytology in this regard. A retrospective review study was conducted including 686 consecutive medical records of thyroid nodules diagnosed by fine needle aspiration cytology in a span of five years.

The co-circulating transmission dynamics of SARS-CoV-2 Alpha and Eta variants in Nigeria: A retrospective modeling study of COVID-19.

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic poses serious threats to public health globally, and the emerging mutations in SARS-CoV-2 genomes has become one of the major challenges of disease control. In the second epidemic wave in Nigeria, the roles of co-circulating SARS-CoV-2 Alpha (ie, B.1.

The Heterogeneous Severity of COVID-19 in African Countries: A Modeling Approach.

The COVID-19 pandemic has had a considerable impact on global health and economics. The impact in African countries has not been investigated thoroughly via fitting epidemic models to the reported COVID-19 deaths. We downloaded the data for the 12 most-affected countries with the highest cumulative COVID-19 deaths to estimate the time-varying basic reproductive number ([Formula: see text]) and infection attack rate.

Control of snakebite envenoming: A mathematical modeling study.

A mathematical model is designed to assess the impact of some interventional strategies for curtailing the burden of snakebite envenoming in a community. The model is fitted with real data set. Numerical simulations have shown that public health awareness of the susceptible individuals on snakebite preventive measures could reduce the number of envenoming and prevent deaths and disabilities in the population.

Men with sickle cell disease experience greater sexual dysfunction when compared with men without sickle cell disease.

Recurrent ischemic priapism is a common complication of sickle cell disease (SCD). We assessed the burden, characteristics, and types of priapism, including sexual dysfunction, in a cohort of men with and those without SCD, to test the hypothesis that sexual dysfunction is more prevalent in men with SCD. In Kano, Nigeria, we conducted a comparative cross-sectional survey that included 500 and 250 men 18 to 40 years of age, with and without SCD, respectively.

Analysis and optimal control of an HIV model based on CD4 count.

A non-linear mechanistic model for the transmission dynamics of HIV/AIDS is developed and analyzed. The model classified the infected individuals based on their CD4 count level. Furthermore, education campaign, voluntary testing and counseling and treatment are considered as intervention strategies for controlling the disease.

Prevention of Oxidative Damage and Phytoremediation of Cr(VI) by Chromium(VI) Reducing Bacillus subtilus PAW3 in Cowpea Plants.

Experiments were conducted to observe the role of plant growth promoting (PGP) strain PAW3 in reduction of Cr(VI) and cowpea growth. PAW3 was identified as Bacillus subtilus by 16S rRNA sequence analysis. Strain PAW3 produced substantial amounts of PGP substances such as indole acetic acid (IAA), ACC deaminase, exopolysaccharide (EPS), siderophore and solublized phosphate even at 500 µg/mL Cr(VI).

Mathematical analysis of a model for zoonotic visceral leishmaniasis.

Zoonotic visceral leishmaniasis (ZVL), caused by the protozoan parasite and transmitted to humans and reservoir hosts by female sandflies, is endemic in many parts of the world (notably in Africa, Asia and the Mediterranean). This study presents a new mathematical model for assessing the transmission dynamics of ZVL in human and non-human animal reservoir populations. The model undergoes the usual phenomenon of backward bifurcation exhibited by similar vector-borne disease transmission models.

Mathematical analysis of a model for AVL-HIV co-endemicity.

A model for the transmission dynamics of Anthroponotic Visceral Leishmaniasis (AVL) and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) in a population is developed and used to assess the impact of the spread of each disease on the overall transmission dynamics. As for other vector-borne disease models, the AVL component of the model undergoes backward bifurcation when the associated reproduction number of the AVL-only sub-model (denoted by RL) is less than unity. Uncertainty and sensitivity analyzes of the model, using data relevant to the dynamics of the two diseases in Ethiopia, show that the top three parameters that drive the AVL infection (with respect to the associated response function, RL) are the average number of times a sandfly bites humans per unit time (σV), carrying capacity of vectors (KV) and transmission probability from infected humans to susceptible sandflies (β2).