Hepatitis B virus infection among pregnant women on antenatal visits: rapid tests or ELISA?

Background: Hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection is a global public health challenge with over 360 million people infected worldwide, and is one of the leading causes of death worldwide. The hepatitis B surface antigen (HBSAg) is the most important marker for HBV screening, and HBSAg rapid screening test methods are the most widely used compared with the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and nucleic acid testing methods. The objectives of this study are to evaluate the comparative efficacy of rapid test kits and ELISA for HBV screening among pregnant women on antenatal visits and to screen for other HBV serological markers among HBsAg positive patients. Methodology: This is a cross-sectional study of 172 pregnant women who were recruited consecutively on their first antenatal visit at the University College Hospital, Ibadan, Nigeria between November 2018 and February 2019. All participants were screened for HBsAg using both rapid immunochromatographic test (ICT) and ELISA techniques. HBsAg negative samples were further screened for anti-HBeAg/Ab, anti-HBcAg and anti-HBs by ELISA. Socio-demographic data of the participants were obtained using a semi-structured questionnaire, and data were analyzed using EPI INFO 7.2 statistical software. Results: The prevalence rate of HBsAg among pregnant women in this study was 10.5% (18/172). The sensitivity, specificity, accuracy, positive predictive value (PPV) and the negative predictive value (NPV) of the rapid ICT kit were 72.2%, 97.4%, 94.8%, 76.5% and 96.8% respectively. Level of education, previous history of sexually transmitted infections (STIs) and previous positive HBV results were significantly associated with HBsAg seropositivity. Majority of the pregnant women (66.9%) tested negative to all the serological markers. Conclusion: The low efficacy of rapid ICT kits compared to ELISA justifies the need to develop a safer antenatal screening strategy for HBV by combining the use of the less sensitive rapid screening techniques with the more sensitive ELISA method to limit vertical transmission of hepatitis B virus. Keywords: Hepatitis B virus; Rapid ICT kits; ELISA; pregnant women   French title: Infection par le virus de l'hépatite B chez les femmes enceintes en consultation prénatale: tests rapides ou ELISA? Contexte: L'infection par le virus de l'hépatite B (VHB) est un défi de santé publique mondial avec plus de 360 million de personnes infectées dans le monde et est l'une des principales causes de décès dans le monde. L'antigène de surface de l'hépatite B (HBSAg) est le marqueur le plus important pour le dépistage du VHB, et les méthodes de test de dépistage rapide HBSAg sont les plus largement utilisées par rapport aux méthodes de test immuno-enzymatique (ELISA) et d'acide nucléique. Les objectifs de cette étude sont d'évaluer l'efficacité comparative des kits de tests rapides et de l'ELISA pour le dépistage du VHB chez les femmes enceintes lors de consultations prénatales et de dépister d'autres marqueurs sérologiques du VHB chez les patients AgHBs positifs. Méthodologie: Il s'agit d'une étude transversale de 172 femmes enceintes qui ont été recrutées consécutivement lors de leur première visite prénatale à l'Hôpital Universitaire, Ibadan, Ibadan, Nigéria entre novembre 2018 et février 2019. Tous les participants ont été dépistés pour l'AgHBs en utilisant les deux tests immuno-chromatographiques rapides (TIC) et techniques ELISA. Les échantillons négatifs à l'AgHBs ont en outre été criblés pour l'anti-HBeAg/Ab, l'anti-HBcAg et l'anti-HBs par ELISA. Les données sociodémographiques des participants ont été obtenues à l'aide d'un questionnaire semi-structuré et les données ont été analysées à l'aide du logiciel statistique EPI INFO 7.2. Résultats: Le taux de prévalence de l'HBSAg chez les femmes enceintes dans cette étude était de 10,5% (18/172). La sensibilité, la spécificité, la précision, la valeur prédictive positive (VPP) et la valeur prédictive négative (VPN) du kit ICT rapide étaient respectivement de 72,2%, 97,4%, 94,8%, 76,5% et 96,8%. Le niveau d'éducation, les antécédents d'infections sexuellement transmissibles (IST) et les résultats positifs antérieurs pour le VHB étaient significativement associés à la séropositivité de l'AgHBs. La majorité des femmes enceintes (66,9%) ont été testées négatives pour tous les marqueurs sérologiques. Conclusion: La faible efficacité des kits TIC rapides par rapport à l'ELISA justifie la nécessité de développer une stratégie de dépistage prénatal plus sûre du VHB en combinant l'utilisation des techniques de dépistage rapide moins sensibles avec la méthode ELISA plus sensible pour limiter la transmission verticale du virus de l'hépatite B. Mots clés: virus de l'hépatite B; Kits TIC rapides; ELISA; femmes enceinte

In Vivo antimicrobial activities of Allium cepa on cultured adult Clarias gariepinus (Burchell, 1822)

The design of the study was to evaluate the antimicrobial activity of Allium cepa in cultured Clarias gariepinus. The proximate compositions and Mineral assay of whole A. cepa bulb and experimental diets were determined using standard methods. Microbial susceptibility assay was carried out in vitro on Staphloccocus aureus and Escherichia coli using Agar well diffusion. Bacterial isolation and identification from the different treatments and control was carried out according to standard methods. High moisture content (89.25 %) was recorded followed by carbohydrate (9.45%) and crude protein (7.21%). Experimental and control diets revealed 50 % and above crude protein content. In vitro susceptibility test of the various onion extracts and antibiotic shows susceptibility of the reference strains to the onion extracts. Bacterial isolation and identification showed the presence of pathogenic gram positive and negative coli and bacilli respectively. Results obtained for total fungi counts show the presence of both systemic and superficial fungi. Lower bacteria and fungi counts were observed 14 days after the withdrawal of experimental diets. Conclusively, onion can be used as antimicrobial agent in the culture of Clarias gariepinus. &nbsp

Absent fathers’ socio-economic status and perceptions of fatherhood as related to developmental challenges faced by children in South Africa

Background: There has been increased attention to the problem of fathers’ absenteeism and fathers’ participation in the socio-educational development of children among scholars in South Africa in the last decade. Studies have been carried out on extent, causes and possible interventions for fathering in the country. The majority of these studies have adopted a qualitative research approach, which has limited their ability to determine scientifically the cause–effect relationships that exist among several factors identified as the causes and the problems generated by fathers’ absenteeism, hence this study. Aim: The aim is to determine which of the socio-economic factors as well as the fathers’ perception would significantly determine the challenges faced by the children. Setting: The study was carried out in one of the universities that have Foundation Phase teacher education programmes in Eastern Cape Province. Methods: Ex post facto research design was adopted to carry out this study. The sample of the study is 300 participants, out of which 43% are male and 57% are female participants; 78% of the teachers are black, 13% are white, 7% are mixed race and 2% are Indian. Results: There is a significant composite contribution of socio-economic factors and fathers’ perception on developmental challenges faced by the children (F(6, 293) = 3.74; p < 0.05) among other findings. Conclusion: Inculcation of fathering skills in secondary schools for boys and establishment of a government agency that will ensure equal opportunities for socio-economic status of South African fathers irrespective of their race were recommended

Comparative effects of charred bamboo and its ash on the growth of Entandrophragma angolense (welw.) C dc seedlings

Entandrophragma angolense is relatively slow growing species and its growth needs to be enhanced by soil nutrients amendment. Uniformed two weeks old seedlings of E. angolense were transplanted into the polythene pots filled with 2kg of degraded soil and mixed with different levels of biochar and ash produced from bamboo. A 2 x 7 factorial experiment was laid out in Completely Randomized Design (CRD) with four replications to assess the effects of charred bamboo and its ash on the stem girth, leaf area, leaf production and shoot height of E. angolense. The germination data were subjected to descriptive statistics and analysis of variance (ANOVA). There were significant differences (p&lt;0.05) among the treatments in leaf area and shoot height while there were no significant differences (p&gt;0.05) among the treatments in stem girth, leaf production and interactions among levels of biochar and ash. On stem girth, leaf production and shoot height, T6 (15g of bio char + 15g of ash + degraded soil) had the highest mean value of 4.27 mm, 4.59 and 37.55cm respectively while T2 (30g of bio char + 0g of ash + degraded soil) had the highest leaf area (73.31cm2 ). The biochar and ash from bamboo had significant effects on the growth and development of E. angolense seedlings on degraded soil. Keywords: Degraded soil, Pyrolysis, Biochar, Ash, E. angolens

Efficacy of nadph-oxidase and rho-kinase pathways inhibition in a genetic in-vitro Parkinson's disease model

SummaryThe nerve terminal protein α-synuclein and its interacting protein synphilin-1 are major protein components of Lewy bodies (LBs), the pathological hallmark of sporadic Parkinson disease (PD). Angiotensin II type 1 receptor (AT R) blocker and Rho-associated protein kinase (Rho) inhibitor have shown protective effects against 1 neurotoxins. This study examined the effects of telmisartan (AT R blocker), CGP42112 (AT R agonist) and Y1 2 27632 (Rho inhibitor) in a genetic in vitro PD model produced by α-synuclein in the H4 human neuroglioma cell line. H4 neuroglioma cells transfected with equimolar ratio of constructs encoding non-amyloid β components (NAC) (Aa 61-95) of α-synuclein carboxy-terminus fused to enhanced green fluorescent fusion protein (EGFP) (SNCA), and synphilin-1 fused to mCherry (SNCAIP) or empty vector control. Two hours later, telmisartan, CGP42112 or Y-27632 (1, 5 or 10µM) or telmisartan (5µM) + Y-27632 (5µM) was added and assayed for αsynuclein toxicity. WTSyn-EGFP-Synphilin-1 (SNCA-SNCAIP) induced marked cell toxicity compared with empty vector control. However, telmisartan (1, 5 or 10 µM) produced concentration dependent decrease in toxicity (9.07±3.51, 41.85±11.27, and 66.92±8.96%, respectively). Similarly, Y-27632 (1, 5 or 10µM) significantly reduced adenylate kinase release in a dose dependent manner (3.27±1.03, 28.54±5.64 and 46.89%, respectively) but not CGP42112. Interestingly, co-administration of telmisartan (5µM) with Y-27632 (5µM) induced synergism, producing 86.72±14.58% reduction in cytolysis. Findings from this study showed that telmisartan and Y-27632 attenuate α-synuclein pathology. This underscores the translational potential of telmisartan and Y-27632 as disease-modifying drugs for the treatment of sporadic PD. Keywords: Y-27632; telmisartan; MTT assay; adenylate kinase; cell viability; synphilin-1Abstrait La protéine α-synucléine nerveuse terminale et sa protéine synphiline-1 en interaction sont des composants protéiques majeurs des corps de Lewy (LB), caractéristique pathologique de la maladie de Parkinson (PD) sporadique. Un inhibiteur des récepteurs de l'angiotensine II de type 1 (AT1R) et un inhibiteur de la protéine kinase (Rho) associée à Rho ont montré des effets protecteurs contre les neurotoxines. Cette étude a examiné les effets du telmisartan (bloqueur AT1R), du CGP42112 (agoniste de l'AT2R) et du Y-27632 (inhibiteur de Rho) dans un modèle génétique de PD in vitro produit par la α-synucléine dans la lignée cellulaire H4 de neurogliome humain. Cellules de neurogliome H4 transfectées avec un rapport équimolaire de constructions codant pour des composants β non amyloïdes (NAC) (Aa 61-95) de l'α-synucléine carboxy-terminal fusionnée à la protéine de fusion à fluorescence verte améliorée (SNCA) et à la synphiline-1 fusionnée mCherry (SNCAIP) ou un contrôle vectoriel vide. Deux heures plus tard, le telmisartan, CGP42112 ou Y-27632 (1, 5 ou 10 µM) ou le telmisartan (5 µM) + Y-27632 (5 µM) a été ajouté et dosé pour déterminer sa toxicité en α-synucléine. WTSyn-EGFP-Synphilin-1 (SNCA-SNCAIP) a induit une toxicité cellulaire marquée par rapport au contrôle du vecteur vide. Cependant, le telmisartan (1, 5 ou 10 µM) a entraîné une diminution de la toxicité en fonction de la concentration (9,07 ± 3,51, 41,85 ± 11,27 et 66,92 ± 8,96%, respectivement). De même, le Y-27632 (1, 5 ou 10 µM) a significativement réduit la libération d'adénylate kinase de manière dépendante de la dose (3,27 ± 1,03, 28,54 ± 5,64 et 46,89%, respectivement), mais pas de CGP42112. Fait intéressant, la co-administration de telmisartan (5 µM) avec Y27632 (5 µM) a induit une synergie, produisant une réduction de 86,72 ± 14,58% de la cytolyse. Les résultats de cette étude ont montré que le telmisartan et le Y-27632 atténuent la pathologie de l'α-synucléine. Cela souligne le potentiel de traduction du telmisartan et du Y-27632 en tant que médicaments modificateurs de la maladie pour le traitement de la MP sporadique. Mots-clés: Y-27632; le telmisartan; Dosage du MTT; l'adénylate kinase; viabilité cellulaire; synphilin-1West Afr. J. Pharmacol. Drug Res. Vol.32 January – December 2017/2018; 1-