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Introduction The increasing availability of antiretroviral drugs has made HIV-positive patients to live longer, and conditions that are associated with longevity such as metabolic syndrome and other cardiovascular related conditions have become relevant in them. This is less well studied among African populations. Therefore the study aimed at estimating and comparing the prevalence of and associated risk factors for the metabolic syndrome (MS) among African HIV infected patients. Method In this comparative cross-sectional study, we analyzed the data of 300 participants matched for age and gender who satisfied the inclusion criteria with half of the subjects on HAART, while the other half was HAART naïve. The MS was diagnosed using ATP-III criteria. Results The mean age of the patients was 34.8 ± 9.9 years. The majority of the patients were females 64%. The prevalence of MS among HAART-exposed patients was found to be 19.3%, while it was 5.3% among HAART naïve patients (p = 0.001). Raised triglyceride and elevated blood pressure were the criteria with the highest occurrence among HAART-exposed, 82.8% for each. Advanced age, longer duration of HIV diagnosis and HAART exposure, increased BMI, weight gain after HAART exposure, exposure to PIs and increased mean CD4 cell count were found to be significantly associated with MS (p < 0.05). However, only age (OR 4.3, 95% CI 1.6-11.8, p = 0.005) and BMI (OR 4.2, 95% CI 1.5-11.9, p = 0.007) were found to be independently associated with the development of MS. Conclusion Exposure to HAART particularly protease inhibitor based regimen increases the risk of MS among HIV-infected patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Echis ocellatus is one of the commonest snakes responsible for envenomation in Nigeria. Antivenom is the only effective treatment, but the country suffers from a limited supply of effective antivenom. This study therefore aimed to explore the feasibility of effective, mono-specific antibodies production through immunization in rabbits using the venom of Echis ocellatus from Nigeria. The World Health Organization guide on antivenom production was employed in the immunization and the resultant antibodies were purified using protein A agarose column chromatography. Antibody titer reached a high plateau by 2-month immunization, and SDS PAGE of the sera suggests the presence of intact immunoglobulins accompanied with the heavy (50 kDa) and light (25 kDa) chains. The venom has an intravenous LD 50 of 0.35 mg/kg in mice, and the venom lethality at a challenge dose of 2 LD 50 was effectively neutralized by the antibodies with a potency value of 0.83 mg venom per g antibodies. The antibodies also neutralized the procoagulant activity of the venom with an effective dose (ED) of 13 ± 0.66 μl, supporting its use for hemotoxic envenomation. The study establishes the feasibility of developing effective, mono-specific antibodies against the Nigerian Carpet viper. [Display omitted] • This study investigated the feasibility of producing antibodies against Echis ocellatus venom in rabbits. • The antibodies effectively neutralized the venom's lethality, with a potency value of 0.83 mg venom per gram. • The procoagulant activity was also neutralized with an effective dose (ED) of 13 ± 0.66 μL. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• The alliance of COVID-19 and Lassa fever has lingering public health concerns. • We investigated the synergistic impact of COVID-19 on Lassa fever in Nigeria. • We explored possible reasons for decreased Lassa fever cases during the pandemic. • We observed potential underreporting of Lassa fever cases owing to SARS-CoV-2. As the COVID-19 pandemic poses serious threats to global public health, Nigeria faces a potential public health crisis owing to COVID-19 and other infectious diseases, such as Lassa fever (LF) and malaria. In this study, we discuss the possible determinants behind the decreased number of LF cases in Nigeria, which was likely due to the synergistic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the epidemic curve of LF seems to have deviated from the general seasonal scale seen in past years, which could be due to underreporting of cases. In addition, partial compliance with nonpharmaceutical interventions, limited resources, or human behavior could be contributing factors. Thus, we suggest that better differentiation in terms of human and resource allocation between COVID-19 and LF could help curtail the transmission effectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]