Adaptive HIV-1 evolutionary trajectories are constrained by protein stability

Despite the use of combination antiretroviral drugs for the treatment of HIV-1 infection, the emergence of drug resistance remains a problem. Resistance may be conferred either by a single mutation or a concerted set of mutations. The involvement of multiple mutations can arise due to interactions between sites in the amino acid sequence as a consequence of the need to maintain protein structure. To better understand the nature of such epistatic interactions, we reconstructed the ancestral sequences of HIV-1's Pol protein, and traced the evolutionary trajectories leading to mutations associated with drug resistance. Using contemporary and ancestral sequences we modelled the effects of mutations (i.e. amino acid replacements) on protein structure to understand the functional effects of residue changes. Although the majority of resistance-associated sequences tend to destabilise the protein structure, we find there is a general tendency for protein stability to decrease across HIV-1's evolutionary history. That a similar pattern is observed in the non-drug resistance lineages indicates that non-resistant mutations, for example, associated with escape from the immune response, also impacts on protein stability. Maintenance of optimal protein structure therefore represents a major constraining factor to the evolution of HIV-1

Body image dissatisfaction among food-related degree students.

Current western society promotes a strong desirability to be thin. The majority of young females are unhappy with their body shape and wish to be thinner. This can lead to many health problems such as addictive exercising, depression and disordered eating. It is also established that certain groups tend to be more prone to body image dissatisfaction (BID) than others. The purpose of this study was to determine if there was a high prevalence of BID and/or disordered eating among students studying a food-related degree course

AN AUTOMATED ENERGY BILL METERING SYSTEM BASED ON GSM TECHNOLOGY

The measurement of the energy consumed by residential and commercial buildings by utility provider is important in billing, control, and monitoring of the usage of energy. Traditional metering techniques used for the measurement of energy are not convenient and is prone to different forms of irregularities. These irregularities include meter failure, meter tampering, inaccuracies in billing due to human error, energy theft, and loss of revenue due to corruption, etc. This research study proposed the design and construction of a microcontroller-based electric energy metering system using the Global System for Mobile communication (GSM) network. This system provides a solution to the irregularities posed by the traditional metering technique by allowing the utility provider have access to remote monitoring capabilities, full control over consumer load, and remote power disconnection in the case of energy theft. Proteus simulation software was used to model the system hardware and the software was obtained by using embedded C programming and visual basic. It was observed that the system could remotely take accurate energy readings, provided full control over consumer loads and execute remote disconnection in case of energy theft. The system provides high performance and high accuracy in power monitoring and power management.   &nbsp

Pathologic changes in patients infected with SARS-CoV-2: a review

Severe acute respiratory syndrome–coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) enters cells using the angiotensin converting enzyme 2 (ACE2), which are expressed by the respiratory tract endothelium, epithelial cells of the stomach, duodenum, ileum, rectum, cholangiocytes, and hepatocytes. Pathological examinations of these organs are not feasible method of diagnosis but can explain pathological changes, pathogenesis of the disease, and the cause of death in COVID-19 cases. In this review, we performed a literature search for COVID-19-related pathological changes seen during post-mortem examinations in different organs of the body including the lungs, gastrointestinal tract, liver, kidney, skin, heart and blood. Our findings showed that SARS-CoV-2 has damaging effects on many organs, probably due to the host immune responses to the presence of the virus. It is recommended that both antiviral and immunomodulatory agents should be considered in the management of COVID-19 patients for better prognosis, and clinical outcome.   French title: Changements pathologiques chez les patients infectés par le SRAS-CoV-2: une revue Le syndrome respiratoire aigu sévère-coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) pénètre dans les cellules à l'aide de l'enzyme de conversion de l'angiotensine 2 (ACE2), qui est exprimée par l'endothélium des voies respiratoires, les cellules épithéliales de l'estomac, du duodénum, de l'iléon, du rectum, des cholangiocytes, et les hépatocytes. Les examens pathologiques de ces organes ne sont pas une méthode de diagnostic réalisable, mais peuvent expliquer les changements pathologiques, la pathogenèse de la maladie et la cause du décès dans les cas de COVID-19. Dans cette revue, nous avons effectué une recherche bibliographique sur les changements pathologiques liés au COVID-19 observés lors d'examens post-mortem dans différents organes du corps, notamment les poumons, le tractus gastro-intestinal, le foie, les reins, la peau, le coeur et le sang. Nos résultats ont montré que le SRAS-CoV-2 a des effets néfastes sur de nombreux organes, probablement en raison des réponses immunitaires de l'hôte à la présence du virus. Il est recommandé que les agents antiviraux et immunomodulateurs soient pris en compte dans la prise en charge des patients COVID-19 pour un meilleur pronostic et des résultats cliniques. &nbsp

Uncertainty of Output Gap and Monetary policy Making in Nigeria

A major challenge of monetary policy is the attainment of sustainable output level but in setting the optimal monetary policy rate information of the output gap but how uncertainty of the gap affects the path of monetary policy rate is crucial for policy use. The investigation of this phenomenon in Nigeria was mostly concerned with how monetary policy affects output. In view of the dearth of studies on uncertainty and monetary policy in Nigeria, this paper investigates the effect of output gap uncertainty on monetary policy rate in Nigeria-1991Q1-2014Q4. The paper relies on the New Keynesian economics and employs the GARCH-GMM econometric technique for analyses. Evidence from the study shows that real output gap and inflation uncertainty are statistically significant with estimated values of        respectively. The coefficient of the real output variable is significant with a coefficient estimate of    while we found no strong evidence to support the effect of inflation on monetary policy rate.  The inference from our findings is that monetary policy is less responsive to uncertainty of real output gap. We therefore recommend that the Central Bank of Nigeria should consider uncertainty of both inflation and output variables when setting the policy rate.&nbsp

Effects of Microfinance Bank Credit on Small and Medium Scale Businesses: Evidence from Alimosho LGA, Lagos State.

The purpose of this research is to examine the impact of microfinance bank credit and its debt servicing on the profitability of SMEs in Alimosho Local Government Area, Lagos State, Nigeria. A survey was carried out involving 387 SMEs in Alimosho LGA, Lagos State and information was extracted using a well-structured questionnaire to answer research hypotheses raised. Evidence from the simple linear regression outputs of SPSS v.25 shows that that MFBs loans and MFBs loans debt service deteriorates significantly the profitability of selected SMEs in the Alimosho local government area of Lagos state. Policy recommendations to the Federal Government, commercial banks, microfinance banks and the apex bank are; Micro Finance Banks (MFBs) should lighten the terms of lending including increasing the duration of the loans to ease repayment by SMEs; MFBs should adopt flexible requirements suitable for small-scale and medium enterprises as pertaining documentation and other specialized services to engender SMEs growth; MFBs should cover the lacuna of ex-post verification by setting up a digital platform where progress of projects cum businesses for which loans are granted are effectively monitored at lesser costs

DNA polymerase B deficiency is linked to aggressive breast cancer: a comprehensive analysis of gene copy number, mRNA and protein expression in multiple cohorts

Short arm of chromosome 8 is a hot spot for chromosomal breaks, losses and amplifications in breast cancer. Although such genetic changes may have phenotypic consequences, the identity of candidate gene(s) remains to be clearly defined. Pol β gene is localized to chromosome 8p12 - p11 and encodes a key DNA base excision repair protein. Pol β may be a tumour suppressor and involved in breast cancer pathogenesis. We conducted the first and the largest study to comprehensively evaluate pol β in breast cancer. We investigated pol β gene copy number changes in two cohorts (n=128 & n=1952), pol β mRNA expression in two cohorts (n=249 & n=1952) and pol β protein expression in two cohorts (n=1406 & n=252). Artificial neural network analysis for pol β interacting genes was performed in 249 tumours. For mechanistic insights, pol β gene copy number changes, mRNA and protein levels were investigated together in 1 28 tumours and validated in 1952 tumours. Low pol β mRNA expression as well as low pol β protein expression was associated high grade, lymph node positivity, pleomorphism, triple negative, basal - like phenotypes and poor survival (ps<0.001). In oestrogen receptor (ER) positive sub - group that received tamoxifen, low pol β protein remains associated with aggressive phenotype and poor survival (ps<0.001). Artificial neural network analysis revealed ER as a top pol β interacting gene. Mechanistically, there was strong positive correlation between pol β gene copy number changes and pol β mRNA expression (p<0.0000001) and between pol β mRNA and pol β protein expression (p<0.0000001). This is the first study to provide evidence that pol β deficiency is linked to aggressive breast cancer and may have prognostic and predictive significance in patients

Kinetic, Isotherm And Equilibrium Study Of Adsorption Of Hydrogen Sulfide From Wastewater Using Modified Eggshells

The studies of adsorption equilibrium isotherm and kinetics of hydrogen sulfide-water systems on calcite-based adsorbents prepared from eggshell are undertaken. The effects of operating variables such as contact time and initial concentration on the adsorption capacity of hydrogen sulfide are investigated. The modified eggshells are characterized by using different analytical approaches such as Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) and Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR). The batch mode adsorption process is performed at optimum removal conditions: dosage of 1 g/L, pH level of pH 6, agitation speed of 150 rpm and contact time of 14h for adsorbing hydrogen sulfide with an initial concentration of 100-500 mg/L. In the current study, the Langmuir, Freundlich, Temkin, and Dubinin models are used to predict the adsorption isotherms. Our equilibrium data for hydrogen sulfide adsorption agrees well with those of the Langmuir equation. The maximum monolayer adsorption capacity is 150.07 mg/g. Moreover, the kinetics of H2S adsorption by using the modified calcite of eggshell follows a pseudo-second-order model. From the current work, we have found that the calcite eggshell is a suitable adsorbent for H2S embeded inside the waste water. Most importantly, chicken eggshell is a waste and vastly available; hence, it could serve as a practical mean for H2S adsorption