Bioinformatics designing of an mRNA vaccine for Mokola virus (MOKV) using immunoinformatics as a secure strategy for successful vaccine development.

The Mokola Virus belongs to the family Rhabdoviridae and is genotype 3 of the Lyssavirus genera. A small number of cases of animal and human encephalomyelitis, mainly scattered over sub-Saharan Africa, have been linked to the Mokola Virus (MOKV). Currently there is no vaccine to protect against MOKV infection in people or animals.

mRNA vaccine design for Epstein-Barr virus: an immunoinformatic approach.

Epstein-Barr Virus (EBV), structurally similar to other herpes viruses, possess significant global health challenges as it causes infectious mononucleosis and is also associated with various cancers. Due to this widespread impact, an effective messenger RNA (mRNA) vaccine is paramount to help curb its spread, further underscoring the need for its development. This study, following an immunoinformatic approach, aimed to design a comprehensive mRNA vaccine against the EBV by selecting antigenic proteins, predicting Linear B-cell epitopes, cytotoxic T-cell lymphocyte (CTL) and helper T-cell lymphocyte (HTL) epitopes, and assessing vaccine characteristics.

Zooming into the structure-function of RING finger proteins for anti-cancer therapeutic applications.

Cancer is one of the most common and widely diagnosed diseases worldwide. With an increase in prevalence and incidence, many studies in cancer biology have been looking at the role pro-cancer proteins play. One of these proteins is the Really Interesting New Gene (RING), which has been studied extensively due to its structure and functions such as apoptosis, neddylation, and its role in ubiquitination.

Association of alpha-thalassemia and Glucose-6-Phosphate Dehydrogenase deficiency with transcranial Doppler ultrasonography in Nigerian children with sickle cell anemia.

Background: Stroke is a devastating complication of sickle cell anemia (SCA) and can be predicted through abnormally high cerebral blood flow velocity using transcranial Doppler Ultrasonography (TCD). The evidence on the role of alpha-thalassemia and glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PD) deficiency in the development of stroke in children with SCA is conflicting. Thus, this study investigated the association of alpha-thalassemia and G6PD(A ) variant with abnormal TCD velocities among Nigerian children with SCA.

Improving the Understanding of the Immunopathogenesis of Lymphopenia as a Correlate of SARS-CoV-2 Infection Risk and Disease Progression in African Patients: Protocol for a Cross-sectional Study.

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic, caused by SARS-CoV-2, continues to impact health systems throughout the world with serious medical challenges being imposed on many African countries like Nigeria. Although emerging studies have identified lymphopenia as a driver of cytokine storm, disease progression, and poor outcomes in infected patients, its immunopathogenesis, as well as environmental and genetic determinants, remain unclear. Understanding the interplay of these determinants in the context of lymphopenia and COVID-19 complications in patients in Africa may help with risk stratification and appropriate deployment of targeted treatment regimens with repurposed drugs to improve prognosis.

Asymptomatic Malaria and its Effects on Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus Patients in Lagos, Nigeria.

Background: Asymptomatic malaria (ASM) constitutes a reservoir of malaria parasites that sustain transmission and threaten elimination efforts. Studies have also shown a significant relation between insulin resistance and malaria infection. However, data on the clinical effects of ASM and its patterns of carriage among adult malaria patients is limited.

Transition-transversion mutations in the polyketide synthase gene of section .

This study determined the transition-transversion mutation in the gene of section in order to gain insight into the patterns of nucleotide base substitution and the process of molecular evolution using standard recommended techniques. Results obtained depict frequent occurrence of transition (23 ± 0.96) than transversion (11.

Typhoid Fever: Tracking the Trend in Nigeria.

Typhoid fever continues to pose a serious health challenge in developing countries. A reliable database on positive blood cultures is essential for prompt interventions. To generate reliable data on serovar Typhi ( Typhi)-positive blood culture trends in typhoidal in Nigeria alongside changing contextual factors and antimicrobial resistance patterns, a retrospective cohort study was conducted in two hospitals in Lagos between 1993 and 2015.

Occurrence of extended-spectrum and AmpC β-lactamases in multiple drug resistant isolates from clinical samples in Lagos, Nigeria.

Purpose: spp. are important foodborne pathogens exhibiting increasing resistance to antimicrobial drugs. Resistance to broad-spectrum β-lactams, mediated by extended-spectrum β-lactamase (ESBL) and AmpC β-lactamase enzymes is fast spreading and has had negative impacts on the clinical outcomes, particularly on third-generation cephalosporins.

Unique Clones of Vibrio cholerae O1 El Tor with Haitian Type ctxB Allele Implicated in the Recent Cholera Epidemics from Nigeria, Africa.

Background And Objectives: The antimicrobial susceptibility patterns and genetic characteristics of Vibrio cholerae O1, which is responsible for several cholera epidemics in Nigeria, are not reported in detail since 2007. In this study, we screened V. cholerae O1 El Tor biotype isolates from cholera cases and water samples from different states to investigate their phenotypic and genetic attributes with special reference to their clonality.

Plasmodium falciparum Merozoite Surface Protein-1 Polymorphisms among Asymptomatic Sickle Cell Anemia Patients in Nigeria.

Asymptomatic malaria (ASM) has been implicated in the development of hemolytic crisis in infected sickle cell anemia (SCA) patients worldwide. This study surveyed steady state SCA Nigerian patients for ASM to investigate the influence of malaria prevention behaviors and age on parasitaemia and multiplicity of infection (MOI). A total of 78 steady SCA patients aged 5 - 27 years on routine care at three health facilities in Lagos were investigated for ASM by light microscopy and PCR with a multiplicity of infection determined by genotyping block 2 of merozoite surface protein 1 (msp1) gene of Plasmodium falciparum (P.

Carriage of Mutant Dihydrofolate Reductase and Dihydropteroate Synthase Genes among Plasmodium falciparum Isolates Recovered from Pregnant Women with Asymptomatic Infection in Lagos, Nigeria.

Objective: To assess N51I, C59R and S108N polymorphisms of dihydrofolate reductase (dhfr) and A437G and K540E of dihydropteroate synthase (dhps) genes of P. falciparum isolates recovered from pregnant women with asymptomatic malaria in a coastal setting in Nigeria.

Subjects And Methods: A total of 107 consenting and consecutively enrolled pregnant women (mean age ± standard deviation, 26.

Toll-like receptor (TLR4) Asp299Gly and Thr399Ile polymorphisms in relation to clinical falciparum malaria among Nigerian children: a multisite cross-sectional immunogenetic study in Lagos.

Introduction: This study determined the association of TLR4 Asp299Gly and Thr399Ile with uncomplicated and severe malaria among Nigerian children of similar ethnic background in Lagos. The association of these SNPs with high parasite density, malnutrition, hyperpyrexia and anaemia was also investigated.

Methods: Genomic DNA of the study participants was screened for the genotypes of TLR4 Asp299Gly and Thr399Ile by PCR-RFLP.

Seroprevalence of parvovirus B19 antibodies and evidence of viremia among Nigerian patients with sickle cell anemia.

Clinical, biochemical and molecular evidence for the sickle cell anemia (SCA) crisis in Nigerian patients arising from parvovirus b19 infection remains inadequate. This study determined the prevalence and correlates of anti-parvovirus b19 antibodies in a population of SCA patients and non-SCA healthy controls in Lagos, Nigeria. In this prospective cross-sectional study, we enrolled 73 confirmed SCA patients from 5 district hospitals in Lagos and 81 sex and age-matched non-SCA healthy controls.

A study on the association between parvovirus B19 infection, serum tumour necrosis factor and C-reactive protein levels among Nigerian patients with sickle cell anaemia.

Introduction: Microbial burden involving parvovirus B19 infection has been recognised as a major cause of morbidity and mortality in sickle cell anaemia (SCA) patients. Given the recent reports of parvovirus B19 infection in Nigeria and the role of inflammation in sickle cell crisis, knowledge of the relationship between the two may be essential for deploying appropriate interventions in infected patients. This study determined the serum levels of tumour necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α) and C-reactive protein (CRP) as inflammatory markers in Nigerian SCA patients with and without parvovirus B19 infections.

Bacteriologic and plasmid analysis of etiologic agents of conjunctivitis in Lagos, Nigeria.

Background: Conjunctivitis, an inflammation of the conjunctiva, is one of the most common eye problems affecting all age groups in Nigeria. A better understanding of its epidemiology and the antibiotic susceptibility of etiologic bacterial agents is crucial for the initiation of preventive and therapeutic measures. This study determined the distribution and patterns of bacterial infections in Nigerian patients with conjunctivitis.