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Introduction: The presence of cytomegalovirus (CMV) immunoglobulin M (IgM) in human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-positive individuals indicates an active infection or reactivation of the virus. Methodology: This study investigated the seroprevalence of CMV IgM antibodies among HIV-positive individuals attending the Ahmadu Bello University Teaching Hospital in Nigeria. Results: Fifty nine out of 92 participants who were tested with an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) were positive for CMV IgM, resulting in a prevalence rate of 64.1%. Analysis of sociodemographic variables revealed a statistically significant association between CMV IgM seropositivity, and both gender and residence of the participants. Clinical variables also indicated a significant association between CMV IgM seropositivity and the duration of HIV infection. Multivariate analysis showed that participants in the 18–29 years age group, those with a secondary education level, the unemployed, and those who had been infected with HIV for 1–3 years were most likely to test positive for CMV infection. Joint and muscle pain were the most commonly reported symptoms among participants. Conclusions: The high seroprevalence of CMV IgM antibodies found in this study suggests that CMV infection is widespread in the study area. Therefore, it is essential to regularly screen HIV-positive individuals for CMV during routine antiretroviral therapy visits to enable early detection and improve treatment outcomes.

Fusobacterium necrophorum is a Gram-negative, anaerobic pathogen responsible for Lemierre’s syndrome, bovine foot rot, and other necrotizing infections. The rise in antimicrobial resistance and the absence of effective vaccines underscore the need for alternative therapeutic strategies. This study employs computational biology to design a multi-epitope vaccine targeting transmembrane proteins of F. necrophorum to elicit strong immune responses. The selected proteins were evaluated for toxicity, allergenicity, and antigenicity, followed by epitope prediction and screening. B and T cell epitopes were linked using immunogenic linkers, forming a vaccine construct with a VaxiJen score of 0.7293 and a solubility score of 8.30 in E. coli . Structural validation using TrRosetta and Ramachandran plots confirmed 97.4% of residues in favored regions, indicating high stability. Population coverage analysis indicated over 99% global applicability, further enhancing its potential impact. Docking studies revealed strong interactions with immune receptors TLR7 and TLR8. TLR7 formed 12 hydrogen bonds, while TLR8(A) formed 9, and TLR8(B) exhibited the highest interaction, forming 13 hydrogen bonds with the vaccine construct. Molecular dynamics simulations confirmed structural stability and receptor engagement. The RMSD stabilized around 4–5 Å, indicating structural stability of the Vaccine-TLR8(B) complex. The Radius of Gyration remained around 36 Å, showing slight compaction over time, while RMSF peaked at 8–9 Å in flexible regions, with lower fluctuations (1.5–2.5 Å) in stable core regions. Principal component analysis (PCA) identified elastic regions critical for biological activity, and the stable energy levels (-5000 kJ/mol) further confirmed the reliability of the binding. Moreover, the vaccine exhibited high expression levels in E. coli , as demonstrated using SnapGene software with the pET-29a( +) vector. The vaccine demonstrated strong binding affinities with immune receptors and predicted activation of both humoral and cellular immune responses, including increased IgM, IgG, and cytokine levels. However, experimental validation is necessary to confirm safety and efficacy, and challenges in vaccine manufacturing and variable immune responses across populations must also be addressed.

In Saudi Arabia, the HPV vaccine is administered to young females through school-based immunization programs; however, the program's efficacy depends on parental consent, with physicians acting as primary determinants in parental decision-making regarding HPV vaccination. In this cross-sectional study, we recruited 128 physicians and assessed their knowledge and attitudes toward cervical cancer, HPV, and the HPV vaccine, and unraveled predictors of HPV vaccine acceptability and factors that would influence recommending the vaccine. Although the major factor that influenced recommending the vaccine negatively was the fear of vaccine side effects, a positive influence of the physician's personal reading (91%), recommendations from colleagues (88%), and government directives (87%) provided reassurance and increased confidence in recommending the vaccine. Longer clinical experience and institutional awareness were found to be a predictors of favorable recommendation of HPV vaccination. Physicians in vaccine-related medical specialty with more than 4 years of experience were 5 to 6 times more likely to have positive attitude and better knowledge regarding HPV and HPV vaccination. A notable finding was that participants who reported knowing a woman suffering from cervical cancer had more positive attitudes compared to those who did not. This study identified physicians' personal reading, peer recommendations, and government directives as factors affecting the physicians' decision to recommend HPV vaccine, and found that longer clinical experience and institutional awareness were predictors influencing physicians to recommend the vaccine. It also emphasizes on the influence of healthcare providers in promoting the HPV vaccination and the need for designing interventions targeting specific demographic and professional groups that would be more effective in improving better knowledge and promoting positive attitudes towards these critical public health issues.

Human astrovirus (HAsVs) is a significant viral agent responsible for acute gastroenteritis, primarily affecting children. Among HAsVs serotypes, HAsVs − 1 and HAsVs-2 are the most virulent serotypes, contributing to severe gastrointestinal infections, and having limited therapeutics. This study aims to design multi-epitope vaccine candidate with predicted glycosylation sites against HAsVs-1 and HAsVs-2 utilizing an immunoinformatic approach. B-cell and T-cell epitopes in which natural glycan sites were present were selected and linked via GPGPG, AAY, and KK linkers, with an adjuvant to stimulate a balanced immune response. The 3D structure of the vaccine was validated via Ramachandran plot, following molecular docking with human immune receptors, and then subjected to dual molecular dynamics (MD) simulations via AMBER and DESMOND to confirm interaction stability and to predict its immunogenic profile. The HAsVs vaccine demonstrated strong immunogenic properties, including more than 70% of global populations, with favorable physiochemical characteristics, including an antigenicity score of 0.534, instability index of 29.26, molecular weight of 24,230.71 Da, and GRAVY score of − 0.126, ensuring stability, solubility, and hydrophilicity. Molecular docking studies confirmed stable binding with human immune receptors, particularly with HLA-DR, showing a binding energy of − 272.83 kcal/mol, and 35 hydrogen bonds. In MD simulations, the RMSD reached a stable point at ~ 15–20 Å (Desmond) and ~ 1.5 Å (AMBER), indicating little movement. RMSF values were mainly less than 8 Å, with flexible parts around residues 50 and 150. The radius of Gyration (Rg) stabilized around 33.0–26.0 Å (Desmond) and ~ 5 Å (AMBER), confirming the compactness. Immune simulation predicted a strong, Th1-dominated response, with antigen concentrations peaking at nearly 700,000 antigens per mL, and IFN-γ levels reaching approximately 450,000 ng/mL, supporting effective adaptive immunity with minimal Th2 activation. Although this research is an in-silico study, the results demonstrate the strong potential of a multi-epitope vaccine candidate against HAsVs.

Neurosyphilis, a severe neurological complication of syphilitic infection caused by the gram-negative spirochete Treponema pallidum poses significant challenges in treatment due to its irregular physiology and lack of efficacy in present therapeutic strategies. Here, we report a new approach to developing drug treatment that targets the enzyme phosphoglycerate kinase (PGK), an essential component of the T. pallidum glycolytic pathway. Therefore, a ligand was designed involving common neuroprotectant elements reported from literature by a computational drug design method, to increase their binding energy with lower toxicity. The calculated binding affinity of the designed ligand with PGK was analyzed by molecular docking to be − 116.68 kcal/mol. Also, interaction analysis predicted that there are 5 hydrophobic bonds and 3 hydrogen bonds present between the docked complex. Afterward, in-silico ADMET studies were conducted for the designed ligand that determined a strong pharmacological profile with good absorption, zero violation of Lipinski’s rule, and non-toxic properties. DFT analysis further optimized the ligand with a HOMO/LOMO gap value of 0.01421 kcal/mol indicating higher reactivity and enhanced electronic interactions, improving ligand efficiency. Moreover, pharmacophore modeling confirmed the reactive nature of the ligand. Furthermore, MD simulations showed stability in the overall structure. The output shows that our optimized ligand has statistically better binding affinity than the currently used drug penicillin, with improved pharmacokinetic profiles. This work demonstrates the importance of ligand design for the discovery of new drugs to treat neurosyphilis.

BK virus (BKV) reactivation is a significant complication in renal transplant recipients, often leading to BK viremia and BK virus-associated nephropathy (BKVAN), which can compromise graft survival. While the routine monitoring of BKV DNA in blood aids in early detection, identifying pre-transplant risk factors remains a challenge. This study investigates the role of pre- and post-transplant anti-BKV IgG levels and human leukocyte antigen (HLA) alleles in predicting BKV reactivation. The hospital-based cross-sectional study was conducted on 38 renal transplant recipients, stratified into viremic, non-viremic, and BKVAN groups. Anti-BKV IgG levels were measured pre-transplant, at viremia onset, and post-viremia using ELISA. BKV DNA was detected via qPCR, and HLA typing was performed using sequence-specific oligonucleotide probe (SSOP) hybridization. Statistical analyses included Kaplan–Meier survival curves and Cox regression models. Pre-transplant anti-BKV IgG seropositivity was higher in viremic (94%) and BKVAN (100%) patients than in non-viremic recipients (66.6%). Post-transplant IgG levels increased significantly in viremic recipients (p < 0.05). HLA-B44 and HLA-DR15 were significantly associated with increased BKV viremia risk (p = 0.02 and p = 0.01, respectively). Pre-transplant anti-BKV IgG levels and specific HLA alleles influence BKV reactivation risk. These findings highlight the potential for integrating serological and genetic screening into pre-transplant assessments to improve risk stratification and post-transplant monitoring strategies.

Alport syndrome (AS) is a rare genetic disorder categorized by the progressive loss of kidney function, sensorineural hearing loss and eye abnormalities. It occurs due to mutations in three genes that encode for the alpha chains of type IV collagen. Globally, the disease is classified based on the pattern of inheritance into X-linked AS (XLAS), which is caused by pathogenic variants in COL4A5, representing 80% of AS. Autosomal recessive AS (ARAS), caused by mutations in either COL4A3 or COL4A4, represents 15% of AS. Autosomal dominant AS (ADAS) is rare and has been recorded in 5% of all cases due to mutations in COL4A3 or COL4A4. This review provides updated knowledge about AS including its clinical and genetic characteristics in addition to available therapies that only slow the progression of the disease. It also focuses on reported cases in Saudi Arabia and their prevalence. Moreover, we shed light on advances in genetic technologies like gene editing using CRISPR/Cas9 technology, the need for an early diagnosis of AS and managing the progression of the disease. Eventually, we provide a few recommendations for disease management, particularly in regions like Saudi Arabia where consanguineous marriages increase the risk.

Introduction: In Saudi Arabia, the HPV vaccine is administered to young females through school-based immunization programs; however, the program's efficacy depends on parental consent, with physicians acting as primary determinants in parental decisionmaking regarding HPV vaccination. Methods: In this cross-sectional study, we recruited 128 physicians and assessed their knowledge and attitudes toward cervical cancer, HPV, and the HPV vaccine, and unraveled predictors of HPV vaccine acceptability and factors that would influence recommending the vaccine. Results: Although the major factor that influenced recommending the vaccine negatively was the fear of vaccine side effects, a positive influence of the physician's personal reading (91%), recommendations from colleagues (88%), and government directives (87%) provided reassurance and increased confidence in recommending the vaccine. Longer clinical experience and institutional awareness were found to be a predictors of favorable recommendation of HPV vaccination. Physicians in vaccine-related medical specialty with more than 4 years of experience were 5 to 6 times more likely to have positive attitude and better knowledge regarding HPV and HPV vaccination. A notable finding was that participants who reported knowing a woman suffering from cervical cancer had more positive attitudes compared to those who did not. Discussion: This study identified physicians' personal reading, peer recommendations, and government directives as factors affecting the physicians' decision to recommend HPV vaccine, and found that longer clinical experience and institutional awareness were predictors influencing physicians to recommend the vaccine. It also emphasizes on the influence of healthcare providers in promoting the HPV vaccination and the need for designing interventions targeting specific demographic and professional groups that would be more effective in improving better knowledge and promoting positive attitudes towards these critical public health issues. Keywords: HPV vaccine, cervical cancer, human papillomavirus, factors, physicians, knowledge, attitudes

Acne vulgaris is a chronic inflammatory skin disorder predominantly caused by Cutibacterium acnes and its virulence-associated CAMP (Christie–Atkins–Munch-Petersen) factors, particularly CAMP1 and CAMP2, which contribute to inflammation and bacterial survival. With increasing antibiotic resistance and concerns over microbiome disruption from conventional treatments, probiotic-derived postbiotics present a promising alternative. This study aimed to investigate the anti-acne potential of fatty acids produced by Pediococcus acidilactici BCBH1, targeting CAMP1 and CAMP2 proteins of C. acnes using a network pharmacology-guided approach. Metabolite profiling via GC-MS identified vaccenic acid as a major fatty acid metabolite (4.88 mg/L at 48 h under 10% linoleic acid stress). Virulence prediction confirmed high pathogenicity of CAMP1 (score 0.9055) and CAMP2 (score 0.9927). Molecular docking revealed strong binding affinities of vaccenic acid to CAMP1 and CAMP2 with binding energies of –9.6 kJ/mol and –9.3 kJ/mol, respectively, outperforming traditional anti-acne compound 4-terpineol (–9.0 kJ/mol and –8.7 kJ/mol). Molecular dynamics simulations further validated the stable interaction of vaccenic acid with CAMP proteins over 100 ns. Pharmacokinetic analyses indicated vaccenic acid’s favorable absorption and safety profiles with no blood–brain barrier permeability. These findings highlight vaccenic acid as a potent, microbiome-friendly therapeutic candidate for acne management. Future work should focus on experimental validation, formulation development, and combinatorial strategies to enhance clinical efficacy and safety.