HIV/AIDS Related Stigma and Discrimination against PLWHA in Nigerian Population

Background

HIV/AIDS remain a major public health concern in Nigeria. People living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHA) face not only personal medical problems but also social problems associated with the disease such as stigma and discriminatory attitudes. This study provides an insight into HIV/AIDS related stigma and discrimination against PLWHA in Nigeria.

Methods

The data for this study was extracted from the 2013 Nigeria Demographic and Health Survey conducted by the National Population Commission. All men and women aged 15–49 years, permanent residents and visitors of the households were eligible for the interview. Several questionnaires were used in the survey, some covering questions on HIV/AIDS.

Results

A total of 56 307 men and women aged 15–49 years participated in this national survey. About half of the population in Nigeria have HIV stigma. Younger persons, men, those without formal education and those within poor wealth index are more likely to have stigma towards PLWHA. In addition, married people are more likely to have stigma on PLWHA and are more likely to blame PLWHA for bringing the disease to the community. Also about half of the population discriminates against PLWHA. However, those with higher levels of education and those from higher wealth index seem to be more compassionate towards PLWHA. About 70% in the population are willing to care for relative with AIDS, even more so among those with higher level of education.

Conclusion

There is a high level of HIV stigma and discrimination against PLWHA in the Nigerian population. Education seems to play a major role in the society with respect to HIV stigma and discrimination against PLWHA. Educating the population with factual information on HIV/AIDS is needed to reduce stigma and discrimination towards PLWHA in the community.     

Resistance of grapevine to the erineum strain of Colomerus vitis (Acari: Eriophyidae) in western Iran and its correlation with plant features

The interaction of grape erineum mite (GEM), Colomerus vitis Pagenstecher (Acari: Eriophyidae), with grape was investigated in the laboratory. We studied some plant morphological biochemical features potentially related to vine resistance/tolerance of eight native grapevine cultivars, extensively cultivated in western Iran, and two non-native cultivars. Free-choice experiments indicated that the cultivars Shahani, Flame seedless and Yaghuti were colonized by lower levels of GEM, whereas Muscat Gordo, Gazne and White Thompson seedless hosted denser populations. These differences between cultivars may be due to differential attractiveness to GEM, possibly associated with plant biochemical and morphological traits. In no-choice assays with six grapevine cultivars, mite population development and some cultivar features were assessed. Mite populations grew fastest on Gazne and Muscat Gordo, and slowest on Yaghuti and Shahani. The degree of mite infestation was associated with reduction of leaf area, increase of leaf weight, shortening of shoots and more numerous erinea: these features were larger on the most infested Gazne, whereas morphological features of Shahani and Yaghuti were scarcely affected by GEM infestation. Also trichome type and density of the assayed cultivars appeared to be related to mite density: the most infested cultivars (Gazne and Muscat Gordo) displayed higher ranks of blade and vein hairs and lower ranks of blade and vein bristles and domatia. No correlation was found between mite density and leaf thickness of mature leaves. The amount of leaf waxes was highest in Shahani and Yaghuti, which displayed the lowest mite density, the fewest erinea and the largest leaves. Carbohydrate amount of uninfested leaves was lowest on the least infested Shahani and highest on the most infested Gazne; phenols increased in leaves of Shahani and decreased in those of Gazne after mite infestation. Finally, cultivars also appeared to influence some morphological traits of the mites: larger specimens were detected on White Thompson seedless, Flame seedless and Gazne, whereas smaller mites were found on leaves of the less infested Yaghuti and Shahani. These results indicate that leaf hairiness, leaf wax and carbohydrate contents may be useful tools for a preliminary screening among vine cultivars and help predict resistance/tolerance to GEM. Shahani and Yaghuti seem quite promising for developing grape resistance programs against GEM in western Iran.     

Oxidative stress during the cryopreservation of Passiflora suberosa L. shoot tips using the V-Cryo-plate technique: determination of the critical stages of the protocol

Plant Cell, Tissue and Organ Culture (PCTOC) - Ceratostigma willmottianum Stapf is an endemic species of China. Although it has high ornamental and medical value, its use is greatly limited by the...     

Deformity Correction in Ankle Osteoarthritis Using a Lateral Trans-Fibular Total Ankle Replacement: A Weight-Bearing CT Assessment

BackgroundAnkle osteoarthritis (AO) is often secondary to prior trauma and frequently presents with joint deformity. Total ankle replacement (TAR) has been shown as a viable surgical option to reduce pain, improve function, and preserve ankle joint range of motion. The standard TAR uses an anterior approach, but recently a lateral trans-fibular approach has been developed. Our aim was to determine if the lateral TAR was able to correct alignment and improve patient reported outcomes (PROs) in patients with end-stage AO.MethodsThis IRB-approved, retrospective comparative study included 14 consecutive patients that underwent lateral trans-fibular approach TAR for end-stage AO. All patients had received pre-and post-operative WBCT imaging on the affected foot and ankle. Using multiplanar reconstruction of WBCT images, measures of coronal and sagittal plane ankle alignment: Foot and Ankle Offset (FAO), Talar Tilt Angle (TTA), Hindfoot Moment Arm (HMA), and Lateral Talar Station (LTS) were performed. PROs were collected pre- and postoperatively at the latest clinical follow-up.ResultsAll patients demonstrated a significant deformity correction in all measurements performed: FAO (7.73%-3.63%, p=0.031), HMA (10.93mm – 5.10mm, p=0.037), TTA (7.9o-1.5o, p=0.003), and LTS (5.25mm-2.83mm, p=0.018). Four of the PROs measured exhibited significant improvement postoperatively, the Tampa Scale for Kinesiophobia (TSK) (42.7-34.5, p=0.012), PRO-MIS Global Physical Health (46.1-54.5, p=0.011), EFAS (5-10.3, p=0.004), and FAAM Daily Living (60.5-79.7, p=0.04). Multivariate analysis assessing the influence of deformity correction in the improvements of PROs found that PROMIS Global Physical Health was significantly associated with improvements in FAO and LTS, TSK associated with HMA, and FAAM Daily Living with FAO and TTA (p<0.05).ConclusionThe results of this retrospective comparative cohort study suggest that the lateral trans-fibular TAR can correct different aspects of AO deformity. The method also impacted PROs, particularly TSK, PROMIS Global Physical Health, EFAS, and FAAM Daily Living. Direct correlation between some of the deformity correction measurements and the significantly improved PROs was found. The obtained data could help surgeons when making treatment decisions and be the base for comparative prospective studies. Level of Evidence: III     

Single-Cell and Single-Cycle Analysis of HIV-1 Replication

The dynamics of the late stages of the HIV-1 life cycle are poorly documented. Viral replication dynamics are typically measured in populations of infected cells, but asynchrony that is introduced during the early steps of HIV-1 replication complicates the measurement of the progression of subsequent steps and can mask replication dynamics and their variation in individual infected cells. We established microscopy-based methods to dynamically measure HIV-1-encoded reporter gene and antiviral gene expression in individual infected cells. We coupled these measurements with conventional analyses to quantify delays in the HIV-1 replication cycle imposed by the biphasic nature of HIV-1 gene expression and by the assembly-inhibiting property of the matrix domain of Gag. We further related the dynamics of restriction factor (APOBEC3G) removal to the dynamics of HIV-1 replication in individual cells. These studies provide a timeline for key events in the HIV-1 replication cycle, and reveal that the interval between the onset of early and late HIV-1 gene expression is only ~3h, but matrix causes a ~6–12h delay in the generation of extracellular virions. Interestingly, matrix delays particle assembly to a time at which APOBEC3G has largely been removed from the cell. Thus, a need to prepare infected cells to be efficient producers of infectious HIV-1 may provide an impetus for programmed delays in HIV-1 virion genesis. Our findings also emphasize the significant heterogeneity in the length of the HIV-1 replication cycle in homogenous cell populations and suggest that a typical infected cell generates new virions for only a few hours at the end of a 48h lifespan. Therefore, small changes in the lifespan of infected cells might have a large effect on viral yield in a single cycle and the overall clinical course in infected individuals.     

Studies of Cytotoxicity Effects,SARS-CoV-2 Main Protease Inhibition,and in Silico Interactions of Synthetic Chalcones

SARS-CoV-2 main protease (M^pro) plays an essential role in proteolysis cleavage that promotes coronavirus replication. Thus, attenuating the activity of this enzyme represents a strategy to develop antiviral agents. We report inhibitory effects against M^pro of 40 synthetic chalcones, and cytotoxicity activities, hemolysis, and in silico interactions of active compounds. Seven of them bearing a (E)-3-(furan-2-yl)-1-arylprop-2-en-1-one skeleton ( 10 , 28 , and 35–39 ) showed enzyme inhibition with IC₅₀ ranging from 13.76 and 36.13 μM. Except for 35 and 36 , other active compounds were not cytotoxic up to 150 μM against THP-1 and Vero cell lines. Compounds 10 , and 35–39 showed no hemolysis while 28 was weakly hemotoxic at 150 μM. Moreover, molecular docking showed interactions between compound 10 and M^pro (PDBID 5RG2 and 5RG3) with proximity to cys145 and His41, suggesting a covalent binding. Products of the reaction between chalcones and cyclohexanethiol indicated that this binding could be a Michael addition type.     

Relationship between spore germination kinetics and lag time during growth of Mucor racemosus

AIMS: Spore germination requires microscopic observation whereas fungal growth results in a macroscopic examination. This paper aims at establishing a relationship between the percentage of germinated spores and parameters easily available from visible development. METHODS AND RESULTS: About 225 spores of Mucor racemosus were inoculated on PDA medium and incubated at 15 degrees and 25 degrees C. Germination kinetics were modelled by a logistic function. Fungal development provided two parameters, a growth rate, micro, and a lag period, lambda, defined as the slope of the straight line of the graph radius (mm) vs time (h) and the intercept of this line with the X-axis, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: It was found that the lag period coincided with the completion of the germination process, although the number of spores inoculated should be controlled carefully. SIGNIFICANCE AND IMPACT OF THE STUDY: Providing that this result can be generalized, this procedure would constitute a significant breakthrough for predicting food spoilage by moulds.     

Diagnosis of labor: a prospective study

Accurate diagnosis of the onset of labor remains a problem in obstetrics. Criteria commonly used to diagnose labor have never been scientifically evaluated. This prospective study involved 423 pregnant women who presented themselves with uterine contractions to 2 Italian hospitals (248 nulliparous patients total and 175 multiparous total) and who were either admitted or advised to return home. The obstetrician on duty collected data using a standardized form that listed common criteria for labor diagnosis. Multivariate analysis showed that a reduction of the interval between consecutive uterine contractions, odds ratio [OR] = 1.42; 95% confidence interval [95%CI] 1.06-1.90); abdominal pain of increasing intensity (OR = 1.42; 95% CI 1.01-2.02); cervical effacement (OR = 1.4; 95%CI 1.12-1.77); and cervical dilation (OR = 1.91; 95% CI 1.53-2.38) were significant markers of the onset of labor. On the other hand, backache had a negative diagnostic value (OR = 0.78; 95% CI 0.61-0.99). The value of criteria such as regular uterine contractions, loss of mucous plug, changes in intestinal habits, vomiting, pain that is relieved by walking, and changes in breathing pattern did not reach statistical significance.