Immunisation with a Multivalent, Subunit Vaccine Reduces Patent Infection in a Natural Bovine Model of Onchocerciasis during Intense Field Exposure

Human onchocerciasis, caused by the filarial nematode Onchocerca volvulus, is controlled almost exclusively by the drug ivermectin, which prevents pathology by targeting the microfilariae. However, this reliance on a single control tool has led to interest in vaccination as a potentially complementary strategy. Here, we describe the results of a trial in West Africa to evaluate a multivalent, subunit vaccine for onchocerciasis in the naturally evolved host-parasite relationship of Onchocerca ochengi in cattle. Naïve calves, reared in fly-proof accommodation, were immunised with eight recombinant antigens of O. ochengi, administered separately with either Freund's adjuvant or alum. The selected antigens were orthologues of O. volvulus recombinant proteins that had previously been shown to confer protection against filarial larvae in rodent models and, in some cases, were recognised by serum antibodies from putatively immune humans. The vaccine was highly immunogenic, eliciting a mixed IgG isotype response. Four weeks after the final immunisation, vaccinated and adjuvant-treated control calves were exposed to natural parasite transmission by the blackfly vectors in an area of Cameroon hyperendemic for O. ochengi. After 22 months, all the control animals had patent infections (i.e., microfilaridermia), compared with only 58% of vaccinated cattle (P = 0.015). This study indicates that vaccination to prevent patent infection may be an achievable goal in onchocerciasis, reducing both the pathology and transmissibility of the infection. The cattle model has also demonstrated its utility for preclinical vaccine discovery, although much research will be required to achieve the requisite target product profile of a clinical candidate

How Effective is Dietary Counsel Received by Diabetic Patients at the Federal Medical Center, Owo, South West Nigeria?

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Relationship between Unhealthy Sexual Behaviour and Urinary Infections among Adolescents Presenting in a Tertiary Hospital in South West Nigeria

Adolescent is an important segment of the world population accounting for about one fifth. It is a transition state between childhood and adulthood and characterized with the development of behaviours with lifelong consequences. Such behaviours include unhealthy sexual practices with its associated risks like unwanted pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases. This was a cross sectional descriptive study of 321 adolescents who presented at the general outpatient clinic of a tertiary health institution. The diagnosis of urinary infection was by the use of rapid dipstick test to detect the presence of nitrites, while the presence of pus cells, white blood cells greater than 5 per high power fluid, epithelial cells and trichomonal vaginalis were identified microscopically. Their HIV status was also determined. The fifty three (16.25) of the respondents who had coital experience were screened for evidence of urinary infection. The prevalence of urinary infection was 24.5% among the respondents with 10% and 5% of the sexually exposed females reported homosexual and bisexual experience. Parental higher socioeconomic class was protective against sexual exposure among the adolescents. In view of the high level of poverty with a large part of the population belonging to low socioeconomic class, it is necessary to research into possible interventional study on how to prevent unhealthy sexual behavior among adolescents from low socioeconomic class.Key words: sexual behavior; Urogenital Infection; Adolescent

Mechanisms accounting for lymphocytic alveolitis in Hypersensitivity Pneumonitis.

Hypersensitivity pneumonitis (HP) is a lung disorder characterized by an exaggerated accumulation of CD8+ T lymphocytes in the pulmonary parenchyma. To investigate the mechanisms accounting for the T cell alveolitis taking place in the lung of HP patients and their pattern of growth, cells recovered from the bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) of seven patients were evaluated for: 1) the expression of activation markers, including IL-2R (p55 and p75 subunits), HLA-DR and VLA-1 Ag; 2) the ability of IL-2 and IL-4 to induce in vitro proliferation; 3) the capability to synthesize and release IL-2 by determining the levels of IL-2 in BAL cell-free supernatants and by evaluating the presence of mRNA transcripts for IL-2; and 4) the molecular configuration of the beta- and gamma-genes of the TCR. This study demonstrates that a high number of BAL lymphocytes recovered from the lungs of HP patients express activation markers including the p75 chain of IL-2R, VLA-1, and HLA-DR Ag. These cells express the CD3+,CD8+,CD16-,CD56+ phenotype and proliferate in vitro in the presence of IL-2 but do not release this cytokine. Furthermore, IL-2 transcripts could not be detected in BAL resting T lymphocytes. No proliferation was observed in the presence of IL-4. The analysis of the configuration of the TCR beta- and gamma-genes showed a polyclonal pattern, with the exception of one case in which extra bands were observed following digestion with BamHI and EcoRI restriction enzymes. Taken together, our data suggest that the IL-2 system may play a central role in the mechanisms accounting for lymphocytic alveolitis in HP patients. Although the pattern of growth is usually polyclonal, such polyclonal recruitment seems to be biased toward cells that have rearranged and possibly expressed particular V beta or V gamma genes, thus leading to the hypothesis that the events that take place in the lung of these patients may occasionally elicit an oligoclonal expansion of the cells proliferating in lung parenchyma

Risk of cataract and glaucoma in patients with multiple sclerosis

Background: the aim of the study was to evaluate whether multiple sclerosis (MS) is associated with risk of cataract or glaucoma.Methods: we conducted a population-based cohort study utilizing the UK General Practice Research Database (1987–2009) linked to the national hospital registry of England (1997–2008). Incident MS patients (5576 cases) were identified and each was matched to six patients without MS (controls) by age, gender, and practice. Cox proportional hazard models were used to estimate hazard ratios (HRs) of incident cataract and glaucoma in MS. Time-dependent adjustments were made for age, history of diseases and drug use.Results: MS patients had no overall increased risk of cataract, adjusted (adj.) HR 1.15 (95% CI 0.94–1.41) or glaucoma, adj. HR 1.02 (95% CI 0.78–1.33). Risk of cataract (adj. HR 2.45 (95% CI 1.56–3.86)) and glaucoma (adj. HR 1.70 (95% CI 1.01–2.86)) was significantly greater in patients < 50 years, particularly in men < 50 years: cataract, adj. HR 4.23 (95% CI 2.22–8.05) and glaucoma, adj. HR 2.76 (95% CI 1.28–5.93).Conclusion: this is the first study which showed that the risk of cataract and glaucoma is elevated in MS patients younger than 50 years, particularly me