Search results for "africa"

TReND in Africa: Toward a Truly Global (Neuro)science Community

2020

TReND is a volunteer-scientist run charity dedicated to promoting research and education on the African continent. Focusing on neuroscience, we discuss approaches to address some of the factors that currently stifle Africa's scientific development and our experience in implementing them.

Effects of Study Population, Labeling and Training on Glaucoma Detection Using Deep Learning Algorithms

2020

Author(s): Christopher, Mark; Nakahara, Kenichi; Bowd, Christopher; Proudfoot, James A; Belghith, Akram; Goldbaum, Michael H; Rezapour, Jasmin; Weinreb, Robert N; Fazio, Massimo A; Girkin, Christopher A; Liebmann, Jeffrey M; De Moraes, Gustavo; Murata, Hiroshi; Tokumo, Kana; Shibata, Naoto; Fujino, Yuri; Matsuura, Masato; Kiuchi, Yoshiaki; Tanito, Masaki; Asaoka, Ryo; Zangwill, Linda M | Abstract: PurposeTo compare performance of independently developed deep learning algorithms for detecting glaucoma from fundus photographs and to evaluate strategies for incorporating new data into models.MethodsTwo fundus photograph datasets from the Diagnostic Innovations in Glaucoma Study/African Descent…

Novel and known signals of selection for fat deposition in domestic sheep breeds from Africa and Eurasia

2018

International audience; Genomic regions subjected to selection frequently show signatures such as within-population reduced nucleotide diversity and outlier values of differentiation among differentially selected populations. In this study, we analyzed 50K SNP genotype data of 373 animals belonging to 23 sheep breeds of different geographic origins using the Rsb (extended haplotype homozygosity) and FST statistical approaches, to identify loci associated with the fat-tail phenotype. We also checked if these putative selection signatures overlapped with regions of high-homozygosity (ROH). The analyses identified novel signals and confirmed the presence of selection signature in genomic regio…

Development of Novel Peptide-Based Michael Acceptors Targeting Rhodesain and Falcipain-2 for the Treatment of Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTDs)

2017

This paper describes the development of a class of peptide-based inhibitors as novel antitrypanosomal and antimalarial agents. The inhibitors are based on a characteristic peptide sequence for the inhibition of the cysteine proteases rhodesain of Trypanosoma brucei rhodesiense and falcipain-2 of Plasmodium falciparum. We exploited the reactivity of novel unsaturated electrophilic functions such as vinyl-sulfones, -ketones, -esters, and -nitriles. The Michael acceptors inhibited both rhodesain and falcipain-2, at nanomolar and micromolar levels, respectively. In particular, the vinyl ketone 3b has emerged as a potent rhodesain inhibitor (k2nd = 67 × 106 M-1 min-1), endowed with a picomolar b…

The Guinea Worm: A Zoonotic Parasite of Dogs

2017

Phylogenomics of Mycobacterium africanum reveals a new lineage and a complex evolutionary history.

2021

Coscolla et al.

Ancient goat genomes reveal mosaic domestication in the Fertile Crescent

2018

How humans got their goatsLittle is known regarding the location and mode of the early domestication of animals such as goats for husbandry. To investigate the history of the goat, Dalyet al.sequenced mitochondrial and nuclear sequences from ancient specimens ranging from hundreds to thousands of years in age. Multiple wild populations contributed to the origin of modern goats during the Neolithic. Over time, one mitochondrial type spread and became dominant worldwide. However, at the whole-genome level, modern goat populations are a mix of goats from different sources and provide evidence for a multilocus process of domestication in the Near East. Furthermore, the patterns described suppor…

Cytotoxicity of South-African medicinal plants towards sensitive and multidrug-resistant cancer cells

2016

Abstract Ethnopharmacological relevance Traditional medicine plays a major role for primary health care worldwide. Cancer belongs to the leading disease burden in industrialized and developing countries. Successful cancer therapy is hampered by the development of resistance towards established anticancer drugs. Aim In the present study, we investigated the cytotoxicity of 29 extracts from 26 medicinal plants of South-Africa against leukemia cell lines, most of which are used traditionally to treat cancer and related symptoms. Material and methods We have investigated the plant extracts for their cytotoxic activity towards drug-sensitive parental CCRF-CEM leukemia cells and their multidrug-r…

Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex lineage 5 exhibits high levels of within-lineage genomic diversity and differing gene content compared to the type…

2021

Pathogens of theMycobacterium tuberculosiscomplex (MTBC) are considered to be monomorphic, with little gene content variation between strains. Nevertheless, several genotypic and phenotypic factors separate strains of the different MTBC lineages (L), especially L5 and L6 (traditionally termedMycobacterium africanum) strains, from each other. However, this genome variability and gene content, especially of L5 strains, has not been fully explored and may be important for pathobiology and current approaches for genomic analysis of MTBC strains, including transmission studies. By comparing the genomes of 355 L5 clinical strains (including 3 complete genomes and 352 Illumina whole-genome sequenc…

Performance of a rapid diagnostic test for the detection of Cryptosporidium spp. in African children admitted to hospital with diarrhea

2020

Background Cryptosporidium is a protozoan parasite that causes mild to severe diarrhoeal disease in humans. To date, several commercial companies have developed rapid immunoassays for the detection of Cryptosporidium infection. However, the challenge is to identify an accurate, simple and rapid diagnostic tool for the estimation of cryptosporidiosis burden. This study aims at evaluating the accuracy of CerTest Crypto, a commercialized rapid diagnostic test (RDT) for the detection of Cryptosporidium antigens in the stool of children presenting with diarrhoea. Methods A cross-sectional study was conducted in four study sites in Sub-Saharan Africa (Gabon, Ghana, Madagascar, and Tanzania), from…