SARS-CoV-2 Reverse Zoonoses to Pumas and Lions, South Africa.

Reverse-zoonotic infections of severe acute respiratory syndrome-related coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) from humans to wildlife species internationally raise concern over the emergence of new variants in animals. A better understanding of the transmission dynamics and pathogenesis in susceptible species will mitigate the risk to humans and wildlife occurring in Africa. Here we report infection of an exotic puma (July 2020) and three African lions (July 2021) in the same private zoo in Johannesburg, South Africa.

Decolonising human rights: how intellectual property laws result in unequal access to the COVID-19 vaccine.

The recent rapid development of COVID-19 vaccines offers hope in addressing the worst pandemic in a hundred years. However, many countries in the Global South face great difficulties in accessing vaccines, partly because of restrictive intellectual property law. These laws exacerbate both global and domestic inequalities and prevent countries from fully realising the right to health for all their people.

Decolonizing Health Governance: A Uganda Case Study on the Influence of Political History on Community Participation.

This paper presents a case study of how colonial legacies in Uganda have affected the shape and breadth of community participation in health system governance. Using Habermas's theory of deliberative democracy and the right to health, we examine the key components required for decolonizing health governance in postcolonial countries. We argue that colonization distorts community participation, which is critical for building a strong state and a responsive health system.

Diversity-Oriented A-Macrocyclization for Studying Influences of Ring-Size and Shape of Cyclic Peptides: CD36 Receptor Modulators.

Cyclic peptide diversity has been broadened by elaborating the A-macrocyclization to include various di-amino carboxylate components with different -amine substituents. Triple-bond reduction provided new cyclic peptide macrocycles with -olefin and completely saturated structures. Moreover, cyclic azasulfurylpeptides were prepared by exchanging the propargylglycine (Pra) component for an amino sulfamide surrogate.

5-Substituted -Aminoimidazolone Peptide Mimic Synthesis by Organocatalyzed Reactions of Azopeptides and Use in the Analysis of Biologically Active Backbone and Side-Chain Topology.

Fifteen -aminoimidazolone (Nai) dipeptides having a variety of 5-position side-chain groups were synthesized by regioselective proline-catalyzed reactions of azopeptide and aldehyde components followed by acid-mediated dehydration of an aza-aspartate semialdehyde intermediate. The introduction of 5-aryl-Nai dipeptides into cluster of differentiation 36 receptor (CD36) peptide ligands has provided insight into the conformation responsible for binding affinity and anti-inflammatory activity.

The CD36 Ligand-Promoted Autophagy Protects Retinal Pigment Epithelial Cells from Oxidative Stress.

The retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) performs many functions that maintain photoreceptor health. Oxidative damage to the RPE is a critical component in the pathogenesis of eye diseases such as age-related macular degeneration (AMD). Ligands of the cluster of differentiation 36 (CD36) have previously preserved photoreceptor integrity in mouse models of AMD.

AgSecure Africa Programme: A Blended Training Approach for Africa.

An innovative training program entitled "AgSecure Africa Programme was developed in partnership with the South African Agricultural Research Council-Onderstepoort Veterinary Research (ARC-OVR) to train veterinarians, animal health technicians, researchers and laboratory personnel. Three blended courses consisting of both virtual and in-person delivery were provided with the intent of contributing to the better prevention, detection and control of infectious diseases of livestock and poultry of significant importance for the region with a strong emphasis on transboundary animal diseases. A "train the trainer" model of instruction was employed to equip participants with the ability to train and share knowledge with colleagues and small-holder farmers in their various communities and regions.

Global Health in the Age of COVID-19: Responsive Health Systems Through a Right to Health Fund.

We propose that a Right to Health Capacity Fund (R2HCF) be created as a central institution of a reimagined global health architecture developed in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic. Such a fund would help ensure the strong health systems required to prevent disease outbreaks from becoming devastating global pandemics, while ensuring genuinely universal health coverage that would encompass even the most marginalized populations. The R2HCF's mission would be to promote inclusive participation, equality, and accountability for advancing the right to health.

UHC2030's Contributions to Global Health Governance that Advance the Right to Health Care: A Preliminary Assessment.

The September 2019 United Nations High Level Meeting on Universal Health Coverage (UHC) aims to mobilize top-level political support for action on UHC to advance the health Sustainable Development Goal (SDG). A driving force behind this meeting is the "UHC Movement," led by UHC2030, which focuses on coordinating and amplifying efforts by WHO, the World Bank, civil society, and the private sector to strengthen health systems and achieve UHC. In line with Horton and Das, this paper contends that while the argument about UHC is won, it is crucially important to focus on "how" UHC will be delivered, and specifically, whether ongoing efforts to advance UHC align with efforts to realize the right to health.

Rift Valley fever virus in small ruminants in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

Rift Valley fever (RVF) is a zoonotic viral disease caused by the RVF phlebovirus (RVFV) that infects a variety of animal species including sheep and goats. Sera (n = 893) collected between 2013 and 2015 from randomly selected indigenous sheep and goats in seven provinces of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) were tested for the presence of specific immunoglobulin G (IgG) and M (IgM) against RVFV, using two commercially available enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays. The reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) was also used to detect RVFV nucleic acid.

Immunometabolic modulation of retinal inflammation by CD36 ligand.

In subretinal inflammation, activated mononuclear phagocytes (MP) play a key role in the progression of retinopathies. Little is known about the mechanism involved in the loss of photoreceptors leading to vision impairment. Studying retinal damage induced by photo-oxidative stress, we observed that cluster of differentiation 36 (CD36)-deficient mice featured less subretinal MP accumulation and attenuated photoreceptor degeneration.

Solid-Phase Azopeptide Diels-Alder Chemistry for Aza-pipecolyl Residue Synthesis To Study Peptide Conformation.

Solid-phase chemistry for the synthesis and Diels-Alder reaction of Fmoc-protected azopeptides has been developed and used to construct aza-pipecolyl (azaPip) peptides. Considering their ability to induce electronic and structural constraints that favor cis-amide isomer geometry and type VI β-turn conformation in model peptides, azaPip residues have now been introduced into biologically relevant targets by this enabling synthetic method. Turn conformers were shown to be important for receptor affinity, selectivity, and activity by employing azaPip residues to study the conformational requirements of opioid and cluster of differentiation 36 receptor peptide ligands.

Using Health Committees to Promote Community Participation as a Social Determinant of the Right to Health: Lessons from Uganda and South Africa.

Community participation is not only a human right in itself but an essential underlying determinant for realizing the right to health, since it enables communities to be active and informed participants in the creation of a responsive health system that serves them efficiently. As acknowledged by the Rio Political Declaration on Social Determinants of Health, participatory processes are important in policymaking and in the implementation of laws relating to health. Collective deliberation improves both community development and health system governance, resulting in more reasoned, informed, and public-oriented decisions.

Azasulfurylpeptide Modulation of CD36-Mediated Inflammation Without Effect on Neovascularization.

Modulation of the cluster of differentiation-36 receptor (CD36) has proven promising for dampening pro-inflammatory macrophage signaling. For example, azapeptides (e.g.

Influences of Histidine-1 and Azaphenylalanine-4 on the Affinity, Anti-inflammatory, and Antiangiogenic Activities of Azapeptide Cluster of Differentiation 36 Receptor Modulators.

Azapeptide analogues of growth hormone releasing peptide-6 (GHRP-6) exhibit promising affinity, selectivity, and modulator activity on the cluster of differentiation 36 receptor (CD36). For example, [A, azaF]- and [azaY]-GHRP-6 (1a and 2b) were previously shown to bind selectively to CD36 and exhibited respectively significant antiangiogenic and slight angiogenic activities in a microvascular sprouting assay using choroid explants. The influences of the 1- and 4-position residues on the affinity, anti-inflammatory, and antiangiogenic activity of these azapeptides have now been studied in detail by the synthesis and analysis of a set of 25 analogues featuring Ala or His and a variety of aromatic side chains at the aza-amino acid residue in the 4-position.

Access to safe abortion in Uganda: Leveraging opportunities through the harm reduction model.

Access to safe and legal abortion services is a far reach for women and girls in Uganda. Although unsafe abortion rates have fallen from 54 to 39 per 1000 women aged 15-45 years over a decade, absolute figures show a rise from 294 000 in 2003 to 314 000 women having unsafe abortions in 2013. Unfortunately, only 50% of the women who develop abortion complications are able to reach facilities for postabortion care.

Diversity-Oriented Synthesis of Cyclic Azapeptides by A -Macrocyclization Provides High-Affinity CD36-Modulating Peptidomimetics.

Macrocyclization has enabled the use of peptides in drug discovery creating a need for methods to synthesize diverse peptide macrocycles. Azapeptides have advanced to clinically used drugs, however, few cyclic azapeptides have been studied. A multiple component "A -macrocyclization" strategy is described for the preparation of diverse cyclic azapeptides and is demonstrated by the synthesis of 15 growth hormone releasing hormone-6 (GHRP-6) analogs.

Serological Survey of Foot-and-Mouth Disease Virus in Buffaloes (Syncerus caffer) in Zambia.

A study was conducted to determine the serotypes of foot-and-mouth disease viruses (FMDV) circulating in African buffaloes (Syncerus caffer) from selected areas in Zambia. Sera and probang samples were collected between 2011 and 2012 and analysed for presence of antibodies against FMDV while probang samples were used to isolate the FMDV by observing cytopathic effect (CPE). Samples with CPE were further analysed using antigen ELISA.

QRFP-43 inhibits lipolysis by preventing ligand-induced complex formation between perilipin A, caveolin-1, the catalytic subunit of protein kinase and hormone-sensitive lipase in 3T3-L1 adipocytes.

QRFP (RFamide) peptides are neuropeptides involved in food intake and adiposity regulation in rodents. We have previously shown that QRFP-43 (43RFa) and QRFP-26 (26RFa) inhibited isoproterenol (ISO)-induced lipolysis in adipocytes. However, the antilipolytic signaling pathways activated by QRFP peptides have not been investigated.

Challenges and economic implications in the control of foot and mouth disease in sub-saharan Africa: lessons from the zambian experience.

Foot and mouth disease is one of the world's most important livestock diseases for trade. FMD infections are complex in nature and there are many epidemiological factors needing clarification. Key questions relate to the control challenges and economic impact of the disease for resource-poor FMD endemic countries like Zambia.

Serosurveillance of foot-and-mouth disease virus in selected livestock-wildlife interface areas of Tanzania.

Foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) is caused by a virus of the genus Aphthorvirus of the family Picornaviridae. There is great scientific need for determining the transmission dynamics of FMD virus (FMDV) by drawing more attention to the livestock-wildlife interface areas. A variety of literature suggests that buffalo could serve as reservoir of FMDV in wildlife and cattle.