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RDT- AND MICROSCOPIC-BASED TRENDS OF MALARIA AMONG LOCAL AND MIGRANT POPULATIONS IN THE PROVINCE OF CENTRAL KALIMANTAN, INDONESIA DURING 2017-2020: Trend of malaria among local and migrant population
No full textBackground: Indonesia has demonstrated a significant progress in malaria elimination. Kapuas and Gunung Mas Districts in Central Kalimantan Province have not been freed from malaria and there is no information of malaria incidences in these areas. Palangka Raya city has been freed from malaria in 2018.
Materials and Methods: The total number of 140 samples consisting of 75 malaria Giemsa-stained blood smears and 65 RDT cartridges from both local and migrant populations. Both males and females aged 15 years and above were included and their demographic data were recorded. The malaria trend in these areas was analyzed based on the number of cases, species of Plasmodium and the demographic characteristics of the enrolled subjects.
Results: The study findings disclosed a yearly decrement of malaria trend in both local and migrant populations of the studied areas. The highest number of P. vivax infection (8.76%) occurred in 2018 among migrant population in Gunung Mas district, while P.falciparum infection was found in 2017 contributed by both population. The decreased number of cases was shown by very low number of cases during 2019 and 2020. The observed significant decrease in malaria incidences indicated the implementation of the malaria control programs at the sub-district level.
Conclusion: To minimize malaria cases among gold miners, mosquito repellent, prophylactic administration of antimalarial drugs and enough enlightenment should be considered before and during their activities. From that standpoint, the effective collaboration between health officers and environmental authorities is recommended to control, prevent and eradicate malaria in these areas
ANTIBACTERIAL EFFECTS OF SINGLE AND COMBINED CRUDE EXTRACTS OF SYNADENIUM GLAUCESCENS AND COMMIPHORA SWYNNERTONII
Full text linkBackground: Synadenium glaucescens and Commiphora swynnertonii are among the reported plants used traditionally for treatment of bacterial infections. This study reports antibacterial effects of single and combined extracts from leaves, stem and root barks of Commiphora swynnertonii and Synadenium glaucescens.
Materials and Methods: Plants were collected from Manyara and Njombe regions in Tanzania. Extraction was done using dichloromethane and methanol. The extracts were assessed for antibacterial activity against Gram-positive bacteria (Staphylococcus aureus and Enterococcus faecalis) and Gram-negative bacteria (Escherichia coli, Klebsiella pneumonia and Pseudomonas aeruginosa). Minimum Inhibitory Concentrations (MIC) was determined by broth microdilution, while Fractional Inhibitory Concentration (FIC) indices were calculated from MIC values of combined extracts to determine combination effects.
Results: Strong antibacterial activities were demonstrated by all extracts of S. glaucescens (MIC 0.011-0.375mg/mL) against Gram-positive bacteria and methanol extracts of C. swynnertonii (MIC 0.047-0.375mg/mL). Synergistic effect was observed when combining methanol extracts of C. swynnertonii stem bark with S. glaucescens leaves against S. aureus (∑FIC 0.5), Other synergistic effects were observed against E. faecalis with dichloromethane extracts of C. swynnertonii stem bark and S. glaucescens stem bark (∑FIC 0.5), and C. swynnertonii root bark and S. glaucescens root bark (FIC index 0.3). For the remaining combinations, mainly additive effects were observed.
Conclusion: Synergistic effects on bacteria were observed by combining different plant parts of S. glaucescens and C. swynnertonii suggesting that it could be beneficial to combine such extracts when used for antibacterial purposes
MATHEMATICAL MODELLING APPROACH OF THE STUDY OF EBOLA VIRUS DISEASE TRANSMISSION DYNAMICS IN A DEVELOPING COUNTRY.: EBOLA VIRUS DISEASE TRANSMISSION DYNAMICS
No full textBackground: Ebola Virus causes disease both in human and non-human primates especially in developing countries.
Materials and Methods: Here we studied the spread of Ebola virus in and hence obtained a system of equations comprising of eighteen equations which completely described the transmission of Ebola Virus in a population where control measures like vaccination, treatment, quarantine, isolation of infectious patients while on treatment and use of condom were incorporated and a major source of contacting the disease which is the traditional washing of dead bodies was also incorporated. We investigated the local stability of the disease-free equilibrium using the Jacobian approach and the global stability using the center manifold theorem. We also investigated the local and global stability of the endemic theorem by constructing a Lyapunov function using the LaSalle’s Invariant principle.
Results: This modeled system of equations was analyzed, and result showed that the disease-free equilibrium where both local and globally stable and that the system exhibits a forward bifurcation. The endemic equilibrium also was showed to be stable when the reproduction number is greater than one.
Conclusions: Furthermore, numerical simulations were carried out to further see the impacts of the various control measures on the various compartments of the population. Our graphs show that isolation is the best option for an infectious person to be treated to avoid the disease been spread further and leads to quicker and better recovery
ANTIPLASMODIAL ACTIVITIES OF THE STEM BARK EXTRACT OF ARTOCARPUS ALTILIS FORSBERG
Full text linkBackground: The potential of Artocarpus altilis stem bark as a safe antimalarial agent, and the identification of its antimalarial constituents was explored.
Materials and Methods:The air-dried stem bark was extracted with 70% ethanol, filtered and concentrated in vacuo to obtain the extract (EE). The extract was successively partitioned to give n-hexane (AAH),dichloromethane (AAD), ethyl acetate (AAE)n-butanol (AAB)and aqueous (AAQ)fractions respectively after determining the acute toxicity using Lorke’s method. These were each evaluated for chemosuppressive antimalarial activities (0-200mg/kg) against chloroquine-sensitive Plasmodium berghei-berghei-infected albino mice. Normal saline and chloroquine, 10 mg/kg were negative and positive control respectively.The survival times and percentage survivors of the mice in both experiments were determined after observation for twenty-eight days post-drug administration. The five (5) column chromatographic (CC) fractions, AAH1, AAH2, AAH3, AAH4andAAH5 obtained from the most active AAH, were also evaluated for antimalarial activities (0-50mg/kg). Further column purification and repeated PTLC of AAH5 yielded three bands, which were finally subjected to GC-MS analysis.
Results:EE gave ED50 and LD50 values of 227.17and >5000 mg/kg while its partitioned fractions gave ED50 values as follows: AAH, 79.14; AAD, 215.59;AAE, 160.46,AAB,81.42; and AAQ, 90.85 mg/kg respectively. The primary CC fractions also gave ED50 values as follows:AAH1 21.95;AAH2, 26.96;AAH3,21.30; AAH4, 20.92 andAAH5, 20.75 mg/kg respectively to identify AAH5 as the putative fraction. GC-MS analysis revealed eleven major compounds (1–11) in the three PTLC bands as the antiplasmodial constituents of the plant.
Conclusion:The stem bark of A. altilis is a potential agent in malaria control which is safe for oral use
LOCAL KNOWLEDGE OF ADAPTIVE STRATEGIES AGAINST MALARIA ENDEMICITY IN THE OKAVANGO DELTA, BOTSWANA
Full text linkBackground: An increasing recognition of the need to eliminate malaria infection globally and particularly in Africa where more than 90% of the cases originate, should enhance community awareness and participation in the same. The perennial freshwater of Okavango Delta located in northern Botswana, which is a source of rural livelihoods and a suitable habitat for the malaria-causing mosquito, and where malaria is endemic provides a suitable environment for the study.Therefore,local households’ adaptive strategies against malaria transmission in the Okavango Delta were investigated.
Materials and Methods: The data used in this paper is a subset or retrospective cohort of 79 households that reported malaria cases/incidences during the first community level household survey conducted from October-November 2015 on 355 households in Shakawe and Ngarange. The households were selected through stratified random sampling in the two study villages. The retrospective cohort household survey was conducted from 7-19 August 2016, in the two study sites. Data were collected through socio-economic survey, key informants’ interviews and focus group discussions.
Results: The results obtained indicate that most cohort households embraced several adaptive strategies against malaria transmission. These included, inter alia, knowledge capacity building through attendance of health information and education workshops(69%), modifications of houses structures(49.4%), timing of activities and restricting movement at certain times of the day(43%).
Discussion:Although most of the stated adaptive strategies such as house screening were not exclusively aimed towards malaria prevention and adaptation, they nonetheless had postive spill over effect that could be a catalyst for eliminating malaria in the study area
KNOWLEDGE, ATTITUDE AND RISK PERCEPTION OF COVID-19 AMONG NIGERIANS
Full text linkBackground: COVID-19 emerged as a novel disease with global health importance. Personal and collective behaviours have been modified to prevent the spread of this pandemic. This study is aimed to assess the knowledge, attitude and risk perceptions of Nigerians towards COVID-19.
Method: A cross-sectional survey was conducted between the 30th of April and 17th of May 2020 with a national representative among Nigerians using a combination of online and interviewer administered questionnaire.
Results: A total of 1,135 respondents participated in the study with a slight male preponderance (M: F=1.5:1). The mean age of the participants was 42±12.2 years with the majority (77%) between the ages of 26 and 55 years. The majority were aware of the pandemic, mostly through mass and social media. Most of the respondents demonstrated good knowledge of COVID-19 but the unaware minority (0.6%) were likewise uneducated. Educational status had no significant association with attitude towards hand washing and wearing of face mask (p>0.05). Risk perception was however low to moderate despite their concerns for COVID-19 and lack of trust in the governments’ response to the disease.
Conclusion: The risk perception of COVID-19 among the respondents is not encouraging, hence more advocacy and public orientation must be done to curb further spread of COVID-19 in our setting.
 
RHAMNETIN IS A BETTER INHIBITOR OF SARS-COV-2 2’-O-METHYLTRANSFERASE THAN DOLUTEGRAVIR: A COMPUTATIONAL PREDICTION
Full text linkBackground: The 2’-O-methyltransferase is responsible for the capping of SARS-CoV-2 mRNA and consequently the evasion of the host’s immune system. This study aims at identifying prospective natural inhibitors of the active site of SARS-CoV-2 2’O-methyltransferase (2’-OMT) through an in silico approach.
Materials and Method: The target was docked against a library of natural compounds obtained from edible African plants using PyRx - virtual screening software. The antiviral agent, Dolutegravir which has a binding affinity score of -8.5 kcal mol−1 with the SARS-CoV-2 2’-OMT was used as a standard. Compounds were screened for bioavailability through the SWISSADME web server using their molecular descriptors. Screenings for pharmacokinetic properties and bioactivity were performed with PKCSM and Molinspiration web servers respectively. The PLIP and Fpocket webservers were used for the binding site analyses. The Galaxy webserver was used for simulating the time-resolved motions of the apo and holo forms of the target while the MDWeb web server was used for the analyses of the trajectory data.
Results: The Root-Mean-Square-Deviation (RMSD) induced by Rhamnetin is 1.656A0 as compared to Dolutegravir (1.579A0). The average B-factor induced by Rhamnetin is 113.75 while for Dolutegravir is 78.87; the Root-Mean-Square-Fluctuation (RMSF) for Rhamnetin is 0.75 and for Dolutegravir is 0.67. Also at the active site, Rhamnetin also has a binding affinity score of -9.5 kcal mol−1 and forms 7 hydrogen bonds as compared to Dolutegravir which has -8.5 kcal mol−1 and forms 4 hydrogen bonds respectively.
Conclusion: Rhamnetin showed better inhibitory activity at the target’s active site than Dolutegravir
PROSPECTS OF LASSA FEVER CANDIDATE VACCINES
Full text linkBackground: Lassa fever is an acute viral haemorrhagic disease caused by the Lassa virus (LASV). It is endemic in West Africa and infects about 300,000 people each year, leading to approximately 5000 deaths annually. The development of the LASV vaccine has been listed as a priority by the World Health Organization since 2018. Considering the accelerated development and availability of vaccines against COVID-19, we set out to assess the prospects of LASV vaccines and the progress made so far.
Materials and Methods: We reviewed the progress made on twenty-six vaccine candidates listed by Salami et al. (2019) and searched for new vaccine candidates through Google Scholar, PubMed, and DOAJ from June to July 2021. We searched the articles published in English using keywords that included “vaccine” AND “Lassa fever” OR “Lassa virus” in the title/abstract.
Results: Thirty-four candidate vaccines were identified – 26 already listed in the review by Salami et al. and an additional 8, which were developed over the last seven years. 30 vaccines are still in the pre-clinical stage while 4 of them are currently undergoing clinical trials. The most promising candidates in 2019 were vesicular stomatitis virus-vectored vaccine and live-attenuated MV/LASV vaccine; both had progressed to clinical trials.
Conclusions: Despite the focus on COVID-19 vaccines since 2020, LASV vaccine is under development and continues to make impressive progress, hence more emphasis should be put into exploring further clinical studies related to the most promising types of vaccines identified
ANTI-FUNGAL ACTIVITY OF ACALYPHA WILKESIANA: A PRELIMINARY STUDY OF FUNGAL ISOLATES OF CLINICAL SIGNIFICANCE
Full text linkBackground: Acalypha wilkesiana (AW), a popular medicinal plant has been used in traditional medicine to treat a variety of skin disorders including pityriasis versicolor and seborrheic dermatitis. As a prelude to clinical trials in humans, an experimental study was carried out to determine the spectrum of antifungal activity of 2 variants of the Acalypha wilkesiana plant.
Materials and Methods: The ethanol extract and herbal cream formulation of the dried leaves of 2 cultivars (Macrophylla & Hoffmani) of Acalypha wilkesiana were investigated for in-vitro antifungal activity by disc diffusion and micro-broth dilution techniques. Organisms tested were typed cultures of Malassezia furfur, Candida albicans and Trichophyton rubrum; and clinical strains of Microsporum canis and Epidermophyton floccosum.
Results: Both cultivars (Macrophylla and Hoffmanii) of the plant showed good activity against all the fungi tested except Microsporum canis (8.0±0.00; 7.00±0.00 mm). The greatest activity was observed against Trichophyton rubrum (22.0±0.00; 24.00±0.00 mm). The Minimum Inhibitory Concentration (MIC) of the crude extract ranged between 0.25 and 8 mg/ml for all organisms, while that of the herbal cream was 0.31-8mg/ml. The lowest MIC was seen with Candida albicans for both varieties of the plant. The Acalypha wilkesiana Hoffmanii demonstrated a greater activity against Candida albicans and Malassezia furufur than the A. wilkesiana Macrophylla.
Conclusion: This study reveals Acalypha wilkesiana leaf extract has potential for development as a cream that can be used to treat superficial fungal skin infections
ACUTE AND SUB-ACUTE TOXICITY OF UTHULI LWEZICHWE™, A TRADITIONAL MEDICINE USED IN THE MANAGEMENT OF DIABETES MELLITUS IN KWAZULU NATAL, SOUTH AFRICA
Full text linkBackground: The number of people using traditional medicines in the management of chronic diseases is increasing. The safety profile of some of the formulations, however, has not been scientifically demonstrated. This study assessed the acute and sub-acute toxicity of Uthuli Lwezichwe™ (UL), a traditional medicine used by a traditional healer in the management of diabetes mellitus.
Materials and Methods: In the acute toxicity assay, one female Sprague dawley rat was administered 1000mg/kg body weight (BW) of Uthuli lwezichwe™ and observed for 14 days. In the sub-acute assay, 24 Sprague dawley rats were randomized into four groups. With one group as the control, the other groups were administered varying daily doses (100 mg, 300 mg, 1000 mg/kg BW) of UL for 28 days. Phytochemical analysis of UL was done using Liquid Chromatography – Quadrupole Time of Flight - Mass Spectrometer (LC-QTOF-MS).
Results: There were no significant differences in liver function biomarkers and kidney function biomarkers between the control and all the treatment groups. Histological examination of the kidney however, showed enlarged bowman’s space and distal convoluted tubule diameter and area in the 1000mg/kg UL treated group compared to the control group. Similarly, histological examinations of the liver showed increased sinusoidal space and decreased central vein area in the 1000mg/kg UL treated group. A number of phytoconstituents were identified in UL.
Conclusion: The maximum safe dose was determined to be between 300 – 1000 mg/kg BW. We recommend a chronic toxicity study to assess the long-term effects