Vaccine development for bacterial pathogens: Advances, challenges and prospects.

The advent and use of antimicrobials have played a key role in treating potentially life-threatening infectious diseases, improving health, and saving the lives of millions of people worldwide. However, the emergence of multidrug resistant (MDR) pathogens has been a significant health challenge that has compromised the ability to prevent and treat a wide range of infectious diseases that were once treatable. Vaccines offer potential as a promising alternative to fight against antimicrobial resistance (AMR) infectious diseases.

The Emotional and Personal Experiences of the COVID-19 Illness During the Early Pandemic: A Qualitative Study.

Background: Several studies report the incidence of psychiatric symptoms and disorders among patients who recovered from coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19); however, little is known about the emotional impact of acute COVID-19 illness and recovery on these survivors. Qualitative methods are ideal for understanding the psychological impact of a novel illness.

Objective: To describe the emotional experience of the acute COVID-19 illness and recovery in patients who contracted the virus during the early months of the pandemic.

Evaluation of aquifer hydraulic conductivity and transmissivity of Ezza/Ikwo area, Southeastern Nigeria, using pumping test and surficial resistivity techniques.

Aquifer hydraulic parameters including hydraulic conductivity and transmissivity play a very important role in the assessment and management of groundwater. Conventionally, these parameters are best estimated employing pump test, which is usually expensive and time-consuming. The use of surficial electrical resistivity data integrated with few available pumping test data provides a cost-effective and efficient alternative.

The resurgence of phage-based therapy in the era of increasing antibiotic resistance: From research progress to challenges and prospects.

Phage therapy was implemented almost a century ago but was subsequently abandoned when antibiotics emerged. However, the rapid emergence of drug-resistant, which has brought to the limelight situation reminiscent of the pre-antibiotic era, coupled with the unavailability of new drugs, has triggered the quest for an alternative therapeutic approach, and this has led to the rebirth of phage-derived therapy. Phages are viruses that infect and replicate in bacterial cells.

A Longitudinal Study of COVID-19 Sequelae and Immunity: Baseline Findings.

Background: A substantial proportion of persons who develop COVID-19 report persistent symptoms after acute illness. Various pathophysiologic mechanisms have been implicated in the pathogenesis of postacute sequelae of SARS-CoV-2 infection (PASC).

Objective: To characterize medical sequelae and persistent symptoms after recovery from COVID-19 in a cohort of disease survivors and controls.

Indirect Effects of Racial Discrimination on Health Outcomes Through Prefrontal Cortical White Matter Integrity.

Background: Racial discrimination is consistently associated with adverse health outcomes and has been linked to structural decrements in brain white matter. However, it is unclear whether discrimination-related neuroplastic changes could indirectly affect health outcomes. Our goal was to evaluate indirect associations of racial discrimination on health outcomes through white matter microstructure in a sample of trauma-exposed Black women.

Cholelithiasis in children and adolescents with sickle cell disease: Experience in a resource-limited setting.

Background: Sickle cell disease (SCD) remains prevalent in Nigeria and can be complicated by cholelithiasis even in children. There is still a dearth of knowledge about the occurrence of cholelithiasis in these children. The present study is aimed to determine the prevalence of cholelithiasis in pediatric SCD in Lagos and documents relevant socio-demographic and clinical correlates.

Application of the research electronic data capture (REDCap) system in a low- and middle income country- experiences, lessons, and challenges.

The challenges of reliably collecting, storing, organizing, and analyzing research data are critical in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), particularly in Sub-Saharan Africa where several healthcare and biomedical research organizations have limited data infrastructure. The Research Electronic Data Capture (REDCap) System has been widely used by many institutions and hospitals in the USA for data collection, entry, and management and could help solve this problem. This study reports on the experiences, challenges, and lessons learned from establishing and applying REDCap for a large US-Nigeria research partnership that includes two sites in Nigeria, (the College of Medicine of the University of Lagos (CMUL) and Jos University Teaching Hospital (JUTH)) and Northwestern University (NU) in Chicago, Illinois in the United States.

Hepatobiliary Findings in Nigerian Children with Sickle Cell Anaemia.

Introduction: Hepatobiliary abnormalities occur commonly in sickle cell anaemia and these have been extensively reported in the adult patients. However, complications have been sparsely reported in children especially in the sub-Saharan African continent. This study aimed to highlight the hepatobiliary complications in this group of children using clinical examination, laboratory testing and abdominal ultrasonography.

Risk Factor Characterization of Ischemic Stroke Subtypes Among West Africans.

Background And Purpose: To identify the qualitative and quantitative contributions of conventional risk factors for occurrence of ischemic stroke and its key pathophysiologic subtypes among West Africans.

Methods: The SIREN (Stroke Investigative Research and Educational Network) is a multicenter, case-control study involving 15 sites in Ghana and Nigeria. Cases include adults aged ≥18 years with ischemic stroke who were etiologically subtyped using the A-S-C-O-D classification into atherosclerosis, small-vessel occlusion, cardiac pathology, other causes, and dissection.

Immunobiology and nanotherapeutics of severe acute respiratory syndrome 2 (SARS-CoV-2): a current update.

The emergence of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) constitutes the most significant global public health challenge in a century. It has reignited research interest in coronavirus. While little information is available, research is currently in progress to comprehensively understand the general biology and immune response mechanism against SARS-CoV-2.

Report of high prevalence of schistosome infection in Biomphalaria snails from a geographic area with no previous prevalence of human schistosomiasis in Nigeria.

Previous study using the traditional method of screening snails for infection reported shedding of Schistosoma cercaria by Biomphalaria snails from a river in Nkalagu, southeastern Nigeria. This is contrary to published reports that Biomphalaria from this part of the country does not shed schistosome cercaria. Here, we employed the use of polymerase chain reaction (PCR) methods to screen and characterize the Biomphalaria snails from Nkalagu.

Evaluation of Clay-Functionalized Wafers and Films for Nicotine Replacement Therapy via Buccal Mucosa.

The functional physicochemical properties of nicotine (NIC)-loaded composite freeze-dried wafers and solvent-evaporated films comprising hydroxypropylmethylcellulose (HPMC) and sodium alginate (SA), stabilized with magnesium aluminium silicate (MAS), have been reported. The formulations were characterized for swelling capacity, mucoadhesion, in vitro drug dissolution properties in simulated saliva (SS) and PBS at pH 6.8, and ex vivo and in vitro permeation using pig buccal mucosa membrane and EpiOral buccal tissue culture, respectively; finally, the cell viability of the EpiOral tissues after contact with the NIC-loaded formulations was investigated using 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay and the functional characteristics compared with those of commercially available NIC strips.

Nicotine stabilization in composite sodium alginate based wafers and films for nicotine replacement therapy.

Composite wafers and films comprising HPMC and sodium alginate (SA) were formulated for nicotine (NIC) replacement therapy via the buccal route. Magnesium aluminium silicate (MAS) was added in different concentration ratios (0.25, 0.

Trematode infections of the freshwater snail Biomphalaria pfeifferi from a south-east Nigerian community with emphasis on cercariae of Schistosoma.

Knowledge of trematode infections in Biomphalaria pfeifferi from south-eastern Nigeria is scarce, due to the absence of Schistosoma mansoni infection in the region. Therefore, the present study sought to describe trematode infections in B. pfeifferi from the River Uzuru in the Nigeria Cement Factory area, Nkalagu, south-eastern Nigeria.

Composite HPMC and sodium alginate based buccal formulations for nicotine replacement therapy.

Smoking cessation is of current topical interest due to the significant negative health and economic impact in many countries. This study aimed to develop buccal films and wafers comprising HPMC and sodium alginate (SA) for potential use in nicotine replacement therapy via the buccal mucosa, as a cheap but effective alternative to currently used nicotine patch and chewing gum. The formulations were characterised using texture analyser (tensile and hardness, mucoadhesion), scanning electron microscopy, X-ray diffractometry, attenuated total reflection-Fourier transform infrared (ATR-FTIR), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and swelling capacity.

Polysaccharide Based Formulations for Mucosal Drug Delivery: A Review.

There has been increased interest in novel drug delivery systems to be administered via mucosal routes as an alternative to the currently used traditional routes such as parenteral (injections) and oral routes of administration. This is due to the several advantages they offer including avoiding first pass metabolism in the liver for oral administration and local activity which avoids the need for high systemic doses. To achieve the foregoing objectives, bioadhesive vehicles are required that ensure prolonged residence time to achieve systemic bioavailability via substantial drug absorption or significant drug concentration for local action.

Composite alginate and gelatin based bio-polymeric wafers containing silver sulfadiazine for wound healing.

Lyophilized wafers comprising sodium alginate (SA) and gelatin (GE) (0/100, 75/25, 50/50, 25/75, 0/100 SA/GE, respectively) with silver sulfadiazine (SSD, 0.1% w/w) have been developed for potential application on infected chronic wounds. Polymer-drug interactions and physical form were characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and X-ray diffraction (XRD), respectively, while morphological structure was examined using scanning electron microscopy (SEM).

Geographic access to street food sources for dogs and its association with spatial patterns of animal bite injuries in Enugu, Nigeria, 2005-2011.

Background: Accessibility of street food source to dogs in Enugu, the capital city of Enugu State, south-eastern Nigeria was examined in relation to spatial patterns of animal bite injuries in the city.

Method: Retrospective data on animal bite injuries were retrieved from records of selected hospitals in Enugu and its environs during the period 2005-2011. Victim's residence and street point where animal bite incidence occurred were geo-referenced.

Performance of three rapid screening methods in the detection of Schistosoma haematobium infection in school-age children in Southeastern Nigeria.

Background: A cross-sectional study of primary school children was conducted to evaluate and compare the performance of some rapid screening methods in the detection of Schistosoma haematobium infection in Nigeria Cement Factory (NigerCem) and Nike Lake areas of Southeastern Nigeria.

Methods: Urine samples of school children were examined for macro-haematuria and tested for micro-haematuria and proteinuria using reagent strips followed by egg microscopy. Self-reported haematuria was assessed using simple questionnaire.

Urinary schistosomiasis in urban and semi-urban communities in South-eastern Nigeria.

Background: In view of the massive rural-to-urban migration in Nigeria, investigations on transmission of urinary schistosomiasis were carried out in urban and semi-urban communities in Nike Lake area of Enugu State, Nigeria.

Methods: Urine samples of school children were tested for micro-haematuria using reagent strips followed by microscopic examination for Schistosoma haematobium eggs. Water contact sites were also identified and sampled for snails.

Effect of placental malaria on birth weight of babies in Nnewi, Anambra state, Nigeria.

Background & Objectives: In malaria-endemic countries, one adverse consequence of placental malaria on infants is low birth weight (LBW) caused by intra-uterine growth retardation and pre-term delivery. The effect of placental malaria on birth weight of babies was investigated in Nnamdi Azikiwe University Teaching Hospital (NAUTH), Nnewi, Anambra state, Nigeria.

Methods: Placental blood was collected from 364 women who gave birth in NAUTH.

Reactive flow in silicon electrodes assisted by the insertion of lithium.

In the search for high-energy density materials for Li-ion batteries, silicon has emerged as a promising candidate for anodes due to its ability to absorb a large number of Li atoms. Lithiation of Si leads to large deformation and concurrent changes in its mechanical properties, from a brittle material in its pure form to a material that can sustain large inelastic deformation in the lithiated form. These remarkable changes in behavior pose a challenge to theoretical treatment of the material properties.

Parasitological and histopathological effects of immunosuppression in guinea-pigs (Cavia porcellus) experimentally infected with Schistosoma haematobium.

The parasitological and histopathological effects of immunosuppression in guinea-pigs (Cavia porcellus) experimentally infected with Schistosoma haematobium were studied. A total of 16 guinea-pigs were divided into four groups (four per group): non-immunosuppressed, non-infected group (NN); immunosuppressed, non-infected group (IN); immunosuppressed, infected group (II); non-immunosuppressed, infected group (NI). The IN and II groups were immunosuppressed with 5 mg/kg prednisolone while the II and NI animals were infected with 200-300 S.