Apicoplast-Resident Processes: Exploiting the Chink in the Armour of Parasites.

The discovery of a relict plastid, also known as an apicoplast (apicomplexan plastid), that houses housekeeping processes and metabolic pathways critical to parasites' survival has prompted increased research on identifying potent inhibitors that can impinge on apicoplast-localised processes. The apicoplast is absent in humans, yet it is proposed to originate from the eukaryote's secondary endosymbiosis of a primary symbiont. This symbiotic relationship provides a favourable microenvironment for metabolic processes such as haem biosynthesis, Fe-S cluster synthesis, isoprenoid biosynthesis, fatty acid synthesis, and housekeeping processes such as DNA replication, transcription, and translation, distinct from analogous mammalian processes.

P53 Gene Expression and Nitric Oxide Levels after Artemisinin-Caffeine Treatment in Breast, Lungs and Liver of DMBA-Induced Tumorigenesis.

Objective: With increasing incidence of cancers globally and limited resources in some affected countries, repurposing existing drugs for reducing tumorigenesis is highly important. Artemisinin and caffeine have potent anti-oxidative and anti-tumor properties but are therapies for other diseases. This study evaluated the biochemical and p53 gene modulatory effects of doses of artemisinin-caffeine combination on breast, lungs and liver tissues in rats induced with DMBA.

Structure Prediction, Molecular Docking, and Dynamic Simulation of AP2-I Transcription Factor.

Apicomplexan Apetala 2 Invasion (AP2-I) transcription factor (TF) is a protein that regulates the expression of a subset of gene families involved in red blood cell (RBC) invasion. Inhibiting AP2-I TF with small molecules represents a potential new antimalarial therapeutic target to combat drug resistance, which this study aims to achieve. The 3D model structure of AP2-I was predicted using ROBETTA prediction tool and was validated using Save server 6.

Haptoglobin genotypes and malaria comorbidity in breast cancer and healthy Nigerian women.

Background: Breast cancer is the leading cause of mortality among women, with over a million cases recorded globally. Haptoglobin (Hp) protein and genotypes play important roles in cancer predisposition and progression, but studies have reported varying outcomes in populations.

Aim: The association of Hp genotypes in breast cancer patients with malaria has not been investigated in Nigerians, which is the aim of our study.

Effects of chronic exposure to paint fumes among artisans in Lagos State, Nigeria.

The chronic effects of automobile paint fumes and their volatile organic constituents form detrimental air pollution with hazardous consequences especially to paint industrial workers and the population within the vicinity. This study investigated the chronic effects of exposure to paint fumes in Mushin area of Lagos, Nigeria. Fifty artisans employed in automobile painting industries were compared with 50 control group whose work does not expose them to paint fumes.

New Insights into the Link between Melanoma and Thyroid Cancer: Role of Nucleocytoplasmic Trafficking.

Cancer remains a major public health concern, mainly because of the incompletely understood dynamics of molecular mechanisms for progression and resistance to treatments. The link between melanoma and thyroid cancer (TC) has been noted in numerous patients. Nucleocytoplasmic transport of oncogenes and tumor suppressor proteins is a common mechanism in melanoma and TC that promotes tumorigenesis and tumor aggressiveness.

Hidden in plain sight: The effects of BCG vaccination in the COVID-19 pandemic.

To investigate the relationship between Bacille Calmette-Guérin (BCG) vaccination and SARS-CoV-2 by a bioinformatics approach, two datasets for the SARS-CoV-2 infection group and BCG-vaccinated group were downloaded. Differentially Expressed Genes were identified. Gene ontology and pathways were functionally enriched, and networking was constructed in NetworkAnalyst.

Declining responsiveness of childhood Plasmodium falciparum infections to artemisinin-based combination treatments ten years following deployment as first-line antimalarials in Nigeria.

Background: The development and spread of artemisinin-resistant Plasmodium falciparum malaria in Greater Mekong Subregion has created impetus for continuing global monitoring of efficacy of artemisinin-based combination therapies (ACTs). This post analyses is aimed to evaluate changes in early treatment response markers 10 years after the adoption of ACTs as first-line treatments of uncomplicated falciparum malaria in Nigeria.

Methods: At 14 sentinel sites in six geographical areas of Nigeria, we evaluated treatment responses in 1341 children under 5 years and in additional 360 children under 16 years with uncomplicated malaria enrolled in randomized trials of artemether-lumefantrine versus artesunate-amodiaquine at 5-year interval in 2009-2010 and 2014-2015 and at 2-year interval in 2009-2010 and 2012-2015, respectively after deployment in 2005.

Asymptomatic malaria infections and Pfmdr1 mutations in an endemic area of Nigeria.

Background: Malaria eradication globally is yet to be achieved and transmission is sustained in many endemic countries. Plasmodium falciparum continues to develop resistance to currently available anti-malarial drugs, posing great problems for malaria elimination. This study evaluates the frequencies of asymptomatic infection and multidrug resistance-1 (mdr-1) gene mutations in parasite isolates, which form the basis for understanding persistently high incidence in South West, Nigeria.

Cytotoxic Effects of Compounds Isolated from .

This study was designed to explore the in vitro anticancer effects of the bioactive compounds isolated from on selected cancer cell lines. The leaves of the plant were extracted with ethanol and partitioned in sequence with petroleum ether, ethyl acetate, and -butanol. The ethyl acetate fraction was phytochemically studied using thin layer chromatography (TLC) and column chromatography (CC).

Dataset on analysis of quality of health and social insurance subscription in different socio-economic class of workers in selected areas in southwest Nigeria.

National social health insurance scheme aims to improve the health of citizens and provide equal access to health care across different income classes. This empirical datasets describes quality of health, insurance subscription, awareness, health care coverage and benefits in different socio-economic class of workers in Ota and Lagos, Nigeria. The perception of individual׳s state of health and level of satisfaction of accessed health care are reported and opinions on ways to meet the health needs of workers in a developing country such as Nigeria.

Cardiovascular Risk Factors in a Suburban Community in Nigeria.

The burden of hypertension, a silent killer, continues to increase in low- and middle-income countries. This study evaluated blood pressure (BP) in healthy adults to determine their risk of developing hypertension and to reduce associated morbidity of the disease. Overall, 182 subjects aged >16 years participated in the study.