Publications by authors named "R J Leke"
From 2014-2019, the University of Hawai'i (UH) at Manoa offered a National Institutes of Health funded Minority Health International Research Training (MHIRT) Program for undergraduate research experiences in infectious diseases. The goal of the program was to immerse undergraduate students in conducting global infectious diseases research to train a new generation of scientists to combat future global pandemics. The MHIRT program trained educationally underrepresented groups unique in Hawai'i: Native Hawai'ians and other Pacific Islanders, and underrepresented Asian Americans, e.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFIntroduction: Depending on the microenvironment, γδ T cells may assume characteristics similar to those of Th1, Th2, Th17, regulatory T cells or antigen presenting cells. Despite the wide documentation of the effect of Th1/Th2 balance on pregnancy associated malaria and outcomes, there are no reports on the relationship between γδ T cell phenotype change and Placental Malaria (PM) with pregnancy outcomes. This study sought to investigate the involvement of γδ T cells and its subsets in placental malaria.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFSkin microbiome profile in people living with HIV/AIDS in Cameroon.
Front Cell Infect Microbiol
December 2023
Article Synopsis
- The study investigates how HIV infection affects the skin microbiome, particularly in Cameroonian individuals, highlighting potential changes in skin health.
- Findings indicate that HIV-infected individuals exhibited higher alpha-diversity but significantly altered beta-diversity in their skin microbiome compared to healthy individuals.
- The research suggests that specific skin microbes were affected by HIV, pointing to early changes that may influence skin diseases, even independent of CD4 T cell counts, paving the way for new treatments for skin-related microbial disorders.
Soluble biomarkers of HIV-1-related systemic immune activation are associated with high plasma levels of growth factors implicated in the pathogenesis of Kaposi sarcoma in adults.
Front Immunol
November 2023
Background: Human Herpesvirus-8 (HHV-8) is the etiologic agent of Kaposi's sarcoma (KS), a multicentric angio-proliferative cancer commonly associated with Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) infection. KS pathogenesis is a multifactorial condition hinged on immune dysfunction yet the mechanisms underlying the risk of developing KS in HHV-8 seropositive adults remains unclear. Here we explored whether soluble markers of HIV-1-related systemic immune activation (SIA) and angiogenesis (VEGF and FGF acidic) are involved in the pathogenesis of KS in adults with HHV8.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFArticle Synopsis
- The study examines the role of antibody (Ab) avidity in the transplacental transfer of maternal IgG to babies, focusing on babies in Cameroon.
- It found that while total IgG and antigen-specific Abs increased with gestational age, Ab avidity indices (AIs) did not differ between mothers and their babies, regardless of maternal placental malaria status.
- Ultimately, the research concluded that higher avidity antibodies for malaria and tetanus were not preferentially transferred to the babies.