Unlocking the geography of Azobé timber (Lophira alata): revealing spatial genetic structure beyond species boundaries.

Background: The illegal trade of tropical timber constitutes a major and persistent environmental problem. Since the detection of fraud in trade documents remains challenging, forensic tools that can independently trace timber origin are needed. In this study, we evaluated the potential of the chloroplast genome (plastome) as a genetic tool to verify the claimed species and geographic origin of timber from Azobé (Lophira alata), an intensively exploited and threatened tropical tree species.

[Association of systemic lupus and HIV/AIDS: nine observations at the Centre Hospitalier Universitaire de Libreville (Gabon)].

Background: HIV/AIDS infection is endemic in sub-Saharan Africa. It is manifested by a variety of opportunistic diseases that usually occur when the CD4 count is below 200/mm, but also during the immune restoration syndrome (IRS) that occurs under highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART). Autoimmune and inflammatory diseases are rarely associated with this condition.

Interest of D-dimer level, severity of COVID-19 and cost of management in Gabon.

Background: Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is strongly associated with an increased risk of thrombotic events, including severe outcomes such as pulmonary embolism. Elevated D-dimer levels are a critical biomarker for assessing this risk. In Gabon, early implementation of anticoagulation therapy and D-dimer testing has been crucial in managing COVID-19.

Explainable AI analysis for smog rating prediction.

Smog poses a direct threat to human health and the environment. Addressing this issue requires understanding how smog is formed. While major contributors include industries, fossil fuels, crop burning, and ammonia from fertilizers, vehicles play a significant role.

Zika virus: an overview update.

Purpose Of Review: Although cases of Zika virus disease (ZVD) have declined globally since 2017, new outbreaks have been reported, such as in Asia in 2024. As there is no vaccine or treatment available to date, both vaccines and mAbs neutralizing Zika virus would be of great interest, especially for pregnant women and immunocompromised patients such as those living with HIV. This review focuses on new insights regarding ZVD in the last two years and summarizes the key literature on global epidemiology, transmission, diagnostics, clinical features, preventive measures, and treatment options.

Canopy functional trait variation across Earth's tropical forests.

Tropical forest canopies are the biosphere's most concentrated atmospheric interface for carbon, water and energy. However, in most Earth System Models, the diverse and heterogeneous tropical forest biome is represented as a largely uniform ecosystem with either a singular or a small number of fixed canopy ecophysiological properties. This situation arises, in part, from a lack of understanding about how and why the functional properties of tropical forest canopies vary geographically.

Ebola and Marburg viruses IgG detections in small ruminants and dogs from villages within outbreak areas in Gabon.

The Ebola virus (EBOV) and Marburg virus (MARV) have been in circulation in Africa for several decades and are the cause of numerous outbreaks. There has been very little research on the role of domestic animals in their transmission to humans, but studies have only been conducted in dogs and pigs where relatively high levels of IgG was detected. These levels suggest that ruminants, which have not been studied, should also be investigated.

Diversity, Phylogeny, and historical biogeography of the genus Coccocarpia (lichenized Ascomycota: Peltigerales) in the tropics.

Coccocarpia Pers. currently comprises 28 mostly broadly distributed tropical species of fungi associated with cyanobacteria. Three of these taxa, C.

[Determinants of vaccine acceptance in Makokou, Gabon].

Conclusion: de nombreuses connaissances erronées dans les communautés de Makoukou nécessitent d'être corrigées par le PEV, afin d'intégrer une culture de vaccination.

Introduction: the root causes of vaccine hesitancy in communities must be determined in order to address them. Analyzing the knowledge, attitudes, and perceptions of parents could help explain the poor performance of the Expanded Program on Immunization (EPI).

The dubious case of Urbanorum: a call to strengthen global pathogen verification mechanisms.

The detection and validation of novel pathogens have become increasingly important, as seen with the emergence of COVID-19 and mpox. Current detection and response capacities, especially in resource-poor regions, are insufficient, highlighting the key role of clinical laboratories. Despite the strides made by national and supranational agencies in targeting viruses and bacteria, parasites have been largely overlooked.

Human schistosomiasis.

Schistosomiasis is a neglected tropical disease caused by infection with blood flukes of the genus Schistosoma. Widely distributed in the Middle East, southeast Asia, Latin America, and (mostly) sub-Saharan Africa, schistosomiasis is acquired upon skin penetration of infective larvae released by freshwater snails. Acute infection might present with self-limiting hypersensitivity reactions (known as Katayama fever).

Ancient origin of an urban underground mosquito.

Understanding how life is adapting to urban environments represents an important challenge in evolutionary biology. Here we investigate a widely cited example of urban adaptation, form , also known as the London Underground Mosquito. Population genomic analysis of ~350 contemporary and historical samples counter the popular hypothesis that originated belowground in London less than 200 years ago.

The Performance of a Rapid Coronavirus Disease 2019 Antigen Test in Rural Gabon.

Access to severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) testing is limited in rural sub-Saharan Africa. We evaluated the performance of the Siemens CLINITEST® rapid coronavirus disease 2019 antigen test under real-life conditions during the pandemic in rural Gabon. From August 2021 to February 2022, 277 participants were tested in Sindara and Lambaréné, Gabon, via outpatient mobile services.

Field Evaluation of Advanced Rice Lines for Adaptability to Drought and Heat in the Senegal River Valley.

In Senegal, the average rice consumed is 100 kg per capita per year. The objective was to evaluate and select the well-adapted high-yielding lines in Ndiaye and Fanaye growth conditions in Senegal River Valley. One hundred and twelve advanced lines were evaluated in consecutive wet and dry seasons at AfricaRice Fanaye and Ndiaye sites challenged by drought and high temperatures.

Algal bloom-mediated microplastic dispersion in coastal areas of West Africa: Integrated insights and risk projections from molecular models and remote-sensed evaluations.

Algal blooms along the West African coast threaten ecosystems and human health due to nutrient enrichment and rising temperatures. This remote-sensing study examined the relationships between chlorophyll-a concentrations, environmental variables, and the potential for microplastic retention in blooms using molecular docking models for predictive insights. Correlation analyses revealed region-specific associations, with moderate positive correlations between chlorophyll and temperature along the southwest Nigeria-Togo coastline and near Liberia and Sierra Leone (r = 0.

Broadening the Healthy Aging Paradigm: Inclusion of Gestation, Development, and Reproductive Health.

The prevailing focus of lifespan health research has predominantly centered on "healthy aging". This oversight may hinder the understanding of health across the lifespan, as disorders in earlier stages can substantially impact overall health and longevity. Aging, conceptually, begins at gestation.

Cross-sectional evaluation of host biomarkers for guiding antibiotic use in bacterial and non-bacterial acute febrile illness in low- and middle-income tropical settings.

Objectives: To evaluate the effectiveness of 18 different host biomarkers in differentiating bacterial from non-bacterial acute febrile illness (AFI) in resource-limited settings, specifically in Brazil, Malawi and Gabon.

Design: Multinational, cross-sectional study.

Setting: The study was carried out across multiple primary healthcare facilities, including urban and rural settings, with a total of three participating centres.

Exploring Alternative Zinc-Binding Groups in Histone Deacetylase (HDAC) Inhibitors Uncovers as a Potent Ethylhydrazide-Based HDAC Inhibitor with Chemosensitizing Properties.

In this work, we synthesized a series of peptoid-based histone deacetylase (HDAC) inhibitors with variations in the linker region and zinc-binding groups. All compounds were investigated for their HDAC inhibition, antiplasmodial activity, and cytotoxicity against native and cisplatin-resistant carcinoma cell lines. The ethylhydrazide () proved to be the most effective compound in these primary screenings.

Loss of Tyrosine Phosphatase Mu Promotes Scoliosis Progression Through Osteopontin-α5β1 Integrin Signaling and PIPK1γ90 Activity.

Adolescent idiopathic scoliosis (AIS) is characterized by a curvature of the spine affecting approximately 4% of the pediatric population, and the mechanisms driving its progression remain poorly understood. Whole-exome sequencing of a French-Canadian AIS cohort with severe scoliosis identified rare variants in the gene, which encodes Protein Tyrosine Phosphatase μ (PTPµ). However, these rare variants alone did not account for the pronounced reduction in PTPµ at both mRNA and protein levels in severe AIS cases.

A chromosomal reference genome sequence for the malaria mosquito, , Giles, 1902.

We present a genome assembly from an individual female (the malaria mosquito; Arthropoda; Insecta; Diptera; Culicidae). The genome sequence is 224 megabases in span. Most of the assembly is scaffolded into three chromosomal pseudomolecules with the X sex chromosome assembled.

A pragmatic pipeline for drug resistance and lineage identification in Mycobacterium tuberculosis using whole genome sequencing.

Delays in accurate diagnosis of drug resistant tuberculosis (DR-TB) can hinder treatment. Whole genome sequencing (WGS) provides more information than standard molecular and phenotypic testing, but commonly used platforms are expensive to implement, and data interpretation requires significant expertise. We aimed to optimise a TB WGS diagnostic pipeline balancing user-friendliness, cost-effectiveness and time to results, whilst ensuring accuracy.

Prevalence of gastrointestinal parasites in chickens () and associated risk factors in M'passa department, Southeast Gabon.

Background: Gastrointestinal parasites (GIPs) pose a significant global challenge to the poultry industry, affecting health, welfare, and production performance. Few studies have been conducted in Gabon on the prevalence of these infections in chickens.

Aim: This cross-sectional survey aims to assess the presence and diversity of GIP among chickens in the M'passa department.

Large range sizes link fast life histories with high species richness across wet tropical tree floras.

Understanding how the traits of lineages are related to diversification is key for elucidating the origin of variation in species richness. Here, we test whether traits are related to species richness among lineages of trees from all major biogeographical settings of the lowland wet tropics. We explore whether variation in mortality rate, breeding system and maximum diameter are related to species richness, either directly or via associations with range size, among 463 genera that contain wet tropical forest trees.