Abstract Objective : In a context of increasing cases despite vaccination campaigns, a survey was conducted in the Bangui population in January 17 to 26, 2022 to evaluate the strains of Severe Acute Respiratory Infection Coronavirus 2 (SARS-Cov-2) circulating in a healthy population by taking nasopharyngeal samples in 2,554 randomly selected volunteers. Antigen detection was performed systematically and RT-PCR was done on the positive samples. Thirty samples were found RT-PCR positive (1.2%) and sent for viral genome sequencing. Twenty eight SARS-Cov-2 strains belong to Omicron type and solely 2 to Delta type. Thus, infection were uncommon in the tested population but the presence of Omicron and Delta types make fear than vaccination will not be efficient to fight against the virus and newly designed vaccine should be implemented to better protect the population who is at risk of infection and re-infection by these variants.

Trachomatous trichiasis (TT) is a painful, potentially blinding eye condition that can be managed through epilation or surgery. Women are affected by TT approximately twice as often as men and are believed to face gendered barriers to receiving surgical care to prevent vision loss. We used data from 817 cross-sectional surveys conducted during 2015-2019 in 20 African countries to estimate the prevalence difference (PD) between female and male eyes for four outcomes potentially indicating gender-related differences in TT management: (1) received surgery and developed postoperative TT (PTT), (2) never offered surgery, (3) offered surgery but declined it, and (4) offered epilation but never offered surgery. The prevalence was modestly elevated among female eyes compared with male eyes for having PTT (PD:1.8 [95% confidence limits (CL): 0.6, 3.0]) and having declined surgery for the eye (PD: 6.2 [95% CL: 1.8, 10.7]). The proportion offered epilation was similar by gender (PD:0.5 [95% CL: -0.4, 1.3]), while never having been offered surgery was somewhat more prevalent among male eyes (PD: -2.1 [95% CL: -3.5, -0.7]). Our results suggest potential gender differences in TT management. More research is needed to determine the causes and implications of the observed differences.

BackgroundHepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is one of the most common cancers worldwide, with a high mortality and poor survival rate. Abnormal tumor metabolism is considered a hallmark of HCC and is a potential therapeutic target. This study aimed to identify metabolism-related biomarkers to evaluate the prognosis of patients with HCC.MethodThe Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) database was used to explore differential metabolic pathways based on high and low epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) groupings. Genes in differential metabolic pathways were obtained for HCC metabolism-related molecular subtype analysis. Differentially expressed genes (DEGs) from the three subtypes were subjected to Lasso Cox regression analysis to construct prognostic risk models. Stard5 expression in HCC patients was detected by western blot and immunohistochemistry (IHC), and the role of Stard5 in the metastasis of HCC was investigated by cytological experiments.ResultsUnsupervised clustering analysis based on metabolism-related genes revealed three subtypes in HCC with differential prognosis. A risk prognostic model was constructed based on 11 genes (STARD5, FTCD, SCN4A, ADH4, CFHR3, CYP2C9, CCL14, GADD45G, SOX11, SCIN, and SLC2A1) obtained by LASSO Cox regression analysis of the three subtypes of DEGs. We validated that the model had a good predictive power. In addition, we found that the high-risk group had a poor prognosis, higher proportion of Tregs, and responded poorly to chemotherapy. We also found that Stard5 expression was markedly decreased in HCC tissues, which was associated with poor prognosis and EMT. Knockdown of Stard5 contributed to the invasion and migration of HCC cells. Overexpression of Stard5 inhibited EMT in HCC cells.ConclusionWe developed a new model based on 11 metabolism-related genes, which predicted the prognosis and response to chemotherapy or immunotherapy for HCC. Notably, we demonstrated for the first time that Stard5 acted as a tumor suppressor by inhibiting metastasis in HCC.

ABSTRACT Purpose Population-based prevalence surveys are essential for decision-making on interventions to achieve trachoma elimination as a public health problem. This paper outlines the methodologies of Tropical Data, which supports work to undertake those surveys. Methods Tropical Data is a consortium of partners that supports health ministries worldwide to conduct globally standardised prevalence surveys that conform to World Health Organization recommendations. Founding principles are health ministry ownership, partnership and collaboration, and quality assurance and quality control at every step of the survey process. Support covers survey planning, survey design, training, electronic data collection and fieldwork, and data management, analysis and dissemination. Methods are adapted to meet local context and needs. Customisations, operational research and integration of other diseases into routine trachoma surveys have also been supported. Results Between 29th February 2016 and 24th April 2023, 3373 trachoma surveys across 50 countries have been supported, resulting in 10,818,502 people being examined for trachoma. Conclusion This health ministry-led, standardised approach, with support from the start to the end of the survey process, has helped all trachoma elimination stakeholders to know where interventions are needed, where interventions can be stopped, and when elimination as a public health problem has been achieved. Flexibility to meet specific country contexts, adaptation to changes in global guidance and adjustments in response to user feedback have facilitated innovation in evidence-based methodologies, and supported health ministries to strive for global disease control targets.

The emergence of the Omicron variant in November 2021, has caused panic worldwide due to the rapid evolution and the ability of the virus to escape the immune system. Since, several Omicron sublineages (BA.1 to BA.5) and their descendent recombinant lineages have been circulating worldwide. Furthermore, in December 2022, a new Omicron subvariant XBB.1.5 characterized by an unusual mutation in the spike protein evolved in the United States and rapidly spread to the other continents. Our study reports on the first cases of XBB.1.5 sublineage among indigenous Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus-2 (SARS-COV-2) positive cases detected through the influenza sentinel surveillance system in Niger. All influenza suspected cases were tested for both influenza and SARS-COV-2 using the Centre for Disease Control and prevention (CDC) Influenza SARS-COV-2 Multiplex quantitative Reverse-Transcription Polymerase Chain Reaction (qRT-PCR) Assay. SARS-COV-2 positive samples with cycle threshold ≤28 were selected for whole genome sequencing subsequently using the Oxford Nanopore Midnight protocol with rapid barcoding on a MinIon MK1B device. A total of 51 SARS-COV-2 positive samples were confirmed between December 2022 and March 2023. We successfully obtained 19 sequences with a predominance of the XBB.1/XBB.1.5 sublineages (73.7 %). In addition, a recombinant XBD sequence was also first-ever identified in early March 2023. Our findings support the need to strengthen the influenza sentinel surveillance for routine Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) surveillance and SARS-COV-2 variants monitoring in Niger.

Abstract Background Exposure to cadmium is associated with a wide range of diseases, often influenced by genetic polymorphisms. This study aimed to investigate the role of the divalent metal transporter 1 (DMT1) gene intronic IVS4 + 44C/A polymorphism in individuals aged 35–60 residing in cadmium-contaminated areas.Methods Blood samples were collected from 306 genetically unrelated individuals (158 females and 148 males). Urinary cadmium levels were measured as an indicator of cadmium exposure. Genotype frequencies were determined for the DMT1 IVS4 + 44C/A polymorphism.Results The geometric mean of urinary cadmium levels was significantly higher in females (4.03±4.15 µg/g creatinine) compared to males (2.62±2.73 µg/g creatinine). Remarkably, 85% of females and 66% of males exceeded the reference values for urinary cadmium concentration set by the German Human Biomonitoring (HBM) Commission (HBM I and II). Genotype frequencies were 65.4% homozygote typical (CC), 31.0% heterozygote (CA), and 3.6% homozygote atypical (AA). The C allele frequency was 80.9%, while the A allele frequency was 19.1%. Notably, the DMT1 IVS4 + 44C/A polymorphism significantly influenced urinary cadmium levels, with the CA genotype showing higher levels compared to CC and AA genotypes. Urinary cadmium levels were also statistically increased with the presence of the A allele (A+ = CA + AA) compared to its absence (A− = CC). Furthermore, the CC genotype was associated with the highest number of individuals exceeding urinary cadmium reference values for HBM I and II across all age groups.Conclusions This study indicates that the CA genotype may signify susceptibility to prolonged cadmium exposure, given its association with elevated urinary cadmium levels. Additional research is essential for a thorough grasp of the implications of DMT1 gene polymorphisms on health outcomes, and to establish monitoring measures for populations residing in cadmium-contaminated areas.

BackgroundMutations in the cardiac sodium channel gene SCN5A cause Brugada syndrome (BrS), an arrhythmic disorder that is a leading cause of sudden death and lacks effective treatment. An association between SCN5A and Wnt/β-catenin signaling has been recently established. However, the role of Wnt/β-catenin signaling in BrS and underlying mechanisms remains unknown.MethodsThree healthy control subjects and one BrS patient carrying a novel frameshift mutation (T1788fs) in the SCN5A gene were recruited in this study. Control and BrS patient-specific induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) were generated from skin fibroblasts using nonintegrated Sendai virus. All iPSCs were differentiated into cardiomyocytes using monolayer-based differentiation protocol. Action potentials and sodium currents were recorded from control and BrS iPSC-derived cardiomyocytes (iPSC-CMs) by single-cell patch clamp.ResultsBrS iPSC-CMs exhibited increased burden of arrhythmias and abnormal action potential profile featured by slower depolarization, decreased action potential amplitude, and increased beating interval variation. Moreover, BrS iPSC-CMs showed cardiac sodium channel (Nav1.5) loss-of-function as compared to control iPSC-CMs. Interestingly, the electrophysiological abnormalities and Nav1.5 loss-of-function observed in BrS iPSC-CMs were accompanied by aberrant activation of Wnt/β-catenin signaling. Notably, inhibition of Wnt/β-catenin significantly rescued Nav1.5 defects and arrhythmic phenotype in BrS iPSC-CMs. Mechanistically, SCN5A-encoded Nav1.5 interacts with β-catenin, and reduced expression of Nav1.5 leads to re-localization of β-catenin in BrS iPSC-CMs, which aberrantly activates Wnt/β-catenin signaling to suppress SCN5A transcription.ConclusionsOur findings suggest that aberrant activation of Wnt/β-catenin signaling contributes to the pathogenesis of SCN5A-related BrS and point to Wnt/β-catenin as a potential therapeutic target.