Qualitative Assessment of Some Available Water Resources in Efon-Alaaye, Ekiti State Nigeria

As water is a major life sustainer, hence its portability is of great importance in performing that role well. In this study, various water samples were  collected within Efon-Alaaye for both physicochemical and bacteriological tests. A total of nine (9) water samples were taken for analysis with six (6) from various surface sources and three (3) from groundwater sources in the study area. The mean turbidity value, temperature, total dissolved solids(TDS) concentration, hardness and EC are 2.92 NTU, 23°C, 447.8 mg/l, 48.1 mg/l and 138.4 μS/cm respectively. Manganese has mean value of 0.27 mg/l. The concentration of both copper and zinc ranges from 0.07 – 0.13 mg/l and 0.16 – 0.55 mg/l with an average value of 0.04 mg/l and 0.28 mg/l respectively. Water samples collected were also analyzed for total coliform bacteria and ranged from 1 to 4.6/100 ml with an average value of 3.29 colony/100 ml. On the basis of findings, the physico-chemical analysis reveals that some of the water samples were above the WHO standards for parameters like turbidity and TDS while the bacteriological test reveals that seven (7) of the water samples considered met the WHO requirement of portability while the other two samples contain faecal contaminant as E.coliwas discovered, though at reasonable rate.Keywords: Physicochemical, Bacteriological, Groundwater, Surface water

Rubella IgG Antibody among Nigerian Pregnant Women without Vaccination History

Rubella is a vaccine-preventable viral infection, its aetiologic agent; rubella virus was identified as human teratogen capable of causing a spectrum of birth defects described as congenital rubella syndrome (CRS). Despite the availability of safe and effective vaccines, significant proportion of the population remains susceptible to rubella infection in developing countries. More significantly, such developing countries including Nigeria have not demonstrated adequate commitment to preventive vaccination; a panacea for intervention. Consequently, this study was designed to determine the prevalence of anti-rubella IgG among pregnant women to ascertain the proportion of susceptible population. A total of 273 consenting rubella vaccine naïve antenatal clinic attendees aged 15-42 years (Median age = 28 years) were randomly selected and their sera analyzed for qualitative and quantitative anti-rubella IgG detection. Overall, 244/273 (89.4%) pregnant women enrolled in this study had protective level (Titre = >10 IU/mL) of anti-rubella IgG (Median Titre = 165 IU/mL; Range = <10 - >250 IU/mL), while, 29/273 (10.6%) of the study population lack protective antibody titre ( OD = <10 IU/mL). Results confirm previous reports of exposure, infection, and continuous circulation of rubella virus in Nigeria. It emphasizes the need for improved  and continuous surveillance for rubella and CRS cases, prompt vaccination of vulnerable populations, and evaluation of health policies to achieve immunization and ultimately ensure control/elimination of rubella virus in Nigeria and beyond.Keywords: Rubella, Pregnancy, Antibody, Congenital Rubella Syndrome, Nigeri

Culture Adaptation Alters Transcriptional Hierarchies among Single Human Embryonic Stem Cells Reflecting Altered Patterns of Differentiation

We have used single cell transcriptome analysis to re-examine the substates of early passage, karyotypically Normal, and late passage, karyotypically Abnormal (‘Culture Adapted’) human embryonic stem cells characterized by differential expression of the cell surface marker antigen, SSEA3. The results confirmed that culture adaptation is associated with alterations to the dynamics of the SSEA3(+) and SSEA3(-) substates of these cells, with SSEA3(-) Adapted cells remaining within the stem cell compartment whereas the SSEA3(-) Normal cells appear to have differentiated. However, the single cell data reveal that these substates are characterized by further heterogeneity that changes on culture adaptation. Notably the Adapted population includes cells with a transcriptome substate suggestive of a shift to a more naïve-like phenotype in contrast to the cells of the Normal population. Further, a subset of the Normal SSEA3(+) cells expresses genes typical of endoderm differentiation, despite also expressing the undifferentiated stem cell genes, POU5F1 (OCT4) and NANOG, whereas such apparently lineage-primed cells are absent from the Adapted population. These results suggest that the selective growth advantage gained by genetically variant, culture adapted human embryonic stem cells may derive in part from a changed substate structure that influences their propensity for differentiation

Keratan sulfate, a complex glycosaminoglycan with unique functional capability

From an evolutionary perspective keratan sulfate (KS) is the newest glycosaminoglycan (GAG) but the least understood. KS is a sophisticated molecule with a diverse structure, and unique functional roles continue to be uncovered for this GAG. The cornea is the richest tissue source of KS in the human body but the central and peripheral nervous systems also contain significant levels of KS and a diverse range of KS-proteoglycans with essential functional roles. KS also displays important cell regulatory properties in epithelial and mesenchymal tissues and in bone and in tumor development of diagnostic and prognostic utility. Corneal KS-I displays variable degrees of sulfation along the KS chain ranging from non-sulfated polylactosamine, mono-sulfated and disulfated disaccharide regions. Skeletal KS-II is almost completely sulfated consisting of disulfated disaccharides interrupted by occasional mono-sulfated N-acetyllactosamine residues. KS-III also contains highly sulfated KS disaccharides but differs from KS-I and KS-II through 2-O-mannose linkage to serine or threonine core protein residues on proteoglycans such as phosphacan and abakan in brain tissue. Historically, the major emphasis on the biology of KS has focused on its sulfated regions for good reason. The sulfation motifs on KS convey important molecular recognition information and direct cell behavior through a number of interactive proteins. Emerging evidence also suggest functional roles for the poly-N-acetyllactosamine regions of KS requiring further investigation. Thus further research is warranted to better understand the complexities of KS

The evolving SARS-CoV-2 epidemic in Africa: Insights from rapidly expanding genomic surveillance

INTRODUCTION Investment in Africa over the past year with regard to severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) sequencing has led to a massive increase in the number of sequences, which, to date, exceeds 100,000 sequences generated to track the pandemic on the continent. These sequences have profoundly affected how public health officials in Africa have navigated the COVID-19 pandemic. RATIONALE We demonstrate how the first 100,000 SARS-CoV-2 sequences from Africa have helped monitor the epidemic on the continent, how genomic surveillance expanded over the course of the pandemic, and how we adapted our sequencing methods to deal with an evolving virus. Finally, we also examine how viral lineages have spread across the continent in a phylogeographic framework to gain insights into the underlying temporal and spatial transmission dynamics for several variants of concern (VOCs). RESULTS Our results indicate that the number of countries in Africa that can sequence the virus within their own borders is growing and that this is coupled with a shorter turnaround time from the time of sampling to sequence submission. Ongoing evolution necessitated the continual updating of primer sets, and, as a result, eight primer sets were designed in tandem with viral evolution and used to ensure effective sequencing of the virus. The pandemic unfolded through multiple waves of infection that were each driven by distinct genetic lineages, with B.1-like ancestral strains associated with the first pandemic wave of infections in 2020. Successive waves on the continent were fueled by different VOCs, with Alpha and Beta cocirculating in distinct spatial patterns during the second wave and Delta and Omicron affecting the whole continent during the third and fourth waves, respectively. Phylogeographic reconstruction points toward distinct differences in viral importation and exportation patterns associated with the Alpha, Beta, Delta, and Omicron variants and subvariants, when considering both Africa versus the rest of the world and viral dissemination within the continent. Our epidemiological and phylogenetic inferences therefore underscore the heterogeneous nature of the pandemic on the continent and highlight key insights and challenges, for instance, recognizing the limitations of low testing proportions. We also highlight the early warning capacity that genomic surveillance in Africa has had for the rest of the world with the detection of new lineages and variants, the most recent being the characterization of various Omicron subvariants. CONCLUSION Sustained investment for diagnostics and genomic surveillance in Africa is needed as the virus continues to evolve. This is important not only to help combat SARS-CoV-2 on the continent but also because it can be used as a platform to help address the many emerging and reemerging infectious disease threats in Africa. In particular, capacity building for local sequencing within countries or within the continent should be prioritized because this is generally associated with shorter turnaround times, providing the most benefit to local public health authorities tasked with pandemic response and mitigation and allowing for the fastest reaction to localized outbreaks. These investments are crucial for pandemic preparedness and response and will serve the health of the continent well into the 21st century