scholarly journals Non-synonymous Substitutions in HIV-1 GAG Are Frequent in Epitopes Outside the Functionally Conserved Regions and Associated With Subtype Differences

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 ◽  
Author(s):  
Babatunde A. Olusola ◽  
David O. Olaleye ◽  
Georgina N. Odaibo
Keyword(s):  
Immune Escape ◽  
West African ◽  
Sub Saharan Africa ◽  
African Region ◽  
The West ◽  
Synonymous Substitutions ◽  
Early Stages ◽  
Immune Pressure ◽  
West African Region ◽  
Hiv 1

In 2019, 38 million people lived with HIV-1 infection resulting in 690,000 deaths. Over 50% of this infection and its associated deaths occurred in Sub-Saharan Africa. The West African region is a known hotspot of the HIV-1 epidemic. There is a need to develop an HIV-1 vaccine if the HIV epidemic would be effectively controlled. Few protective cytotoxic T Lymphocytes (CTL) epitopes within the HIV-1 GAG (HIV_gagconsv) have been previously identified to be functionally conserved among the HIV-1 M group. These epitopes are currently the focus of universal HIV-1 T cell-based vaccine studies. However, these epitopes’ phenotypic and genetic properties have not been observed in natural settings for HIV-1 strains circulating in the West African region. This information is critical as the usefulness of universal HIV-1 vaccines in the West African region depends on these epitopes’ occurrence in strains circulating in the area. This study describes non-synonymous substitutions within and without HIV_gagconsv genes isolated from 10 infected Nigerians at the early stages of HIV-1 infection. Furthermore, we analyzed these substitutions longitudinally in five infected individuals from the early stages of infection till after seroconversion. We identified three non-synonymous substitutions within HIV_gagconsv genes isolated from early HIV infected individuals. Fourteen and nineteen mutations outside the HIV_gagconsv were observed before and after seroconversion, respectively, while we found four mutations within the HIV_gagconsv. These substitutions include previously mapped CTL epitope immune escape mutants. CTL immune pressure likely leaves different footprints on HIV-1 GAG epitopes within and outside the HIV_gagconsv. This information is crucial for universal HIV-1 vaccine designs for use in the West African region.

scholarly journals Non synonymous substitutions in HIV-1 GAG are frequent in epitopes outside the major hydrophobic region and associated with subtype differences

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Babatunde A. Olusola ◽  
David O. Olaleye ◽  
Georgina N. Odaibo
Keyword(s):  
Immune Escape ◽  
West African ◽  
Sub Saharan Africa ◽  
African Region ◽  
The West ◽  
Hydrophobic Region ◽  
Synonymous Substitutions ◽  
Early Stages ◽  
Immune Pressure ◽  
Hiv 1

AbstractIn 2018, an estimated 38 million people lived with HIV-1 infection resulting in 770,000 deaths. More than 50% of this infection and its associated deaths occurred in Sub-Saharan Africa. There is the need to develop an HIV-1 vaccine if the epidemic would be effectively controlled. Cytotoxic T Lymphocytes (CTL) epitopes within the Major Hydrophobic Region (MHR) have been shown to be highly immunogenic and immuno-dominant. These conserved epitopes have recently been the focus of vaccines studies. Despite the West African epicenter having one of the highest numbers of diverse circulating HIV-1 strains, very few longitudinal studies have checked the frequencies of CTL immune escape variants on epitopes within and without the MHR for HIV-1 strains circulating in the region.In this study we describe non-synonymous substitutions within and without the MHR of HIV-1 GAG genes isolated from 10 infected Nigerians at the early stages of HIV-1 infection. Furthermore, we analyzed these substitutions longitudinally in five infected individuals from the early stages of infection up until when antibodies become detectable. We identified 3 non synonymous substitutions within the MHR of HIV-1 GAG genes isolated from the early HIV infected individuals. Fourteen and nineteen mutations outside the MHR were observed before and after detection of antibodies respectively while 4 mutations were found within the MHR. These substitutions include previously mapped CTL epitope immune escape mutants. CTL immune pressure likely leave different footprints on HIV-1 GAG epitopes within and outside the MHR. This information is crucial for future vaccine designs for use in the West African region.

The Puzzling Paradox Presented within the African Supranational Judicial Institutions: The ECOWAS Court of Justice

2020 ◽  
Vol 28 (Supplement) ◽  
pp. 86-109
Author(s):  
Kehinde Ibrahim
Keyword(s):  
Human Rights ◽  
West African ◽  
African Region ◽  
The West ◽  
Political Will ◽  
National Courts ◽  
Court Of Justice ◽  
West African Region

The judgments of the ECOWAS Court, which are final and immediately binding, are vital for the realisation of ECOWAS aims and objectives. The enforcement of its judgments is particularly important in the case of individuals whose enjoyment of fundamental human rights, as guaranteed under the ECOWAS Community laws, is dependent on effective enforcement. Yet, an existential puzzling paradox emanates through a poor record in the implementation of the ECOWAS Court's judgments. This problem, which is not limited to the West African region deserves scrutiny and concrete proposals. Legal and political considerations surface in assessing the existence of this paradox, and despite the lack of a consistent political will, to implement the decisions of ECOWAS Court relevant judicial actors have roles to play. National courts could take a bolder approach in complementing the work of the ECOWAS Court. The ECOWAS Court itself could put in place concrete mechanisms and adopt certain practices to address this poor record of non-implementation. It is yet to be seen how substantive mechanisms would work in practice.

The AMMA field campaigns: multiscale and multidisciplinary observations in the West African region

2009 ◽  
Vol 136 (S1) ◽  
pp. 8-33 ◽  
Author(s):  
T. Lebel ◽  
D. J. Parker ◽  
C. Flamant ◽  
B. Bourlès ◽  
B. Marticorena ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
West African ◽  
African Region ◽  
The West ◽  
West African Region ◽  
Field Campaigns

scholarly journals Foreign Direct Investment in the West African Region: Analyses on the Values of Inflow and Outflow

2020 ◽  
Vol 2 (1) ◽  
pp. p15
Author(s):  
Yeboah Evans ◽  
Yu Jing
Keyword(s):  
Foreign Direct Investment ◽  
Direct Investment ◽  
Developed Countries ◽  
West African ◽  
Least Developed Countries ◽  
Outward Fdi ◽  
African Region ◽  
The West ◽  
Investment Policies ◽  
West African Region

With regards to the ongoing development in investment activities in the Economic Community of West African States(ECOWAS) and the entire African continent is because of institutional reforms and initiation of sound investment policies. Foreign direct investment(FDI) inflow and outflow severs as a source of capital formation for most developing and least developed countries. This paper provides an overview and analyses of the flow of FDI to the ECOWAS region by considering 16 nations under this region in determining their performance towards FDI attraction and their contribution to outward FDI across the globe by the use of the quantitative method. The outcome shows that there is a continuous decline in FDI inflow to the ECOWAS region over the past 10 years. The result also proves that Ghana and Nigeria are the major recipients of foreign direct investment inflows in the West African region. The result further indicates that Nigeria is the major contributor of outward FDI from the ECOWAS region. It is recommended that the region should increase its outward FDI.

scholarly journals Sensitivity of the West African hydrological cycle in ORCHIDEE to infiltration processes

2008 ◽  
Vol 5 (4) ◽  
pp. 2251-2292 ◽  
Author(s):  
T. d'Orgeval ◽  
J. Polcher ◽  
P. de Rosnay
Keyword(s):  
Hydrological Cycle ◽  
Equatorial Region ◽  
West African ◽  
Surface Model ◽  
African Region ◽  
Deep Soil ◽  
The West ◽  
West African Region ◽  
Semi Arid ◽  
Infiltration Processes

Abstract. The aim of this article is to test the sensitivity of the Land Surface Model (LSM) ORCHIDEE to infiltration processes in the West African region, and to validate the resulting version of ORCHIDEE against African river discharges. The parameterizations to take into account the effects of flat areas, ponds and floodplains on surface infiltration, and the effect of roots and deep-soil compactness on infiltration are first described. It is shown that the surface infiltration processes have a stronger impact in the soudano-sahelian region and more generally in semi-arid African basins, whereas the rootzone and deep-soil infiltration also play a role in the guinean region and in the intermediate basins between arid and humid ones. In the equatorial region and the semi-humid basins, infiltration processes generally play a minor role. The infiltration parameterizations may explain part of the difference between simulated and observed river discharge in semi-arid and intermediate basins. So ORCHIDEE could be recalibrated to reduce the discharge errors. However, different sources of uncertainty might also explain part of the error. Indeed, the precipitation forcing in the whole West African region, the long-term storage in the soudano-sahelian region, the soil types in the guinean region and the vegetation types in the equatorial region are significant sources of errors. Therefore, a denser monitoring of the hydrological cycle at different scales in West Africa would ensure the reliability of future calibrations for the infiltration parameterizations.

Industrial pollution discharges from the West African region

1981 ◽  
Vol 5 (3) ◽  
pp. 177-191 ◽  
Author(s):  
E. Joe Middlebrooks ◽  
P.M. Armenante ◽  
J.B. Carmichael
Keyword(s):  
Industrial Pollution ◽  
West African ◽  
African Region ◽  
The West ◽  
West African Region

Evidence for Major Emissions of PCBs in the West African Region

2011 ◽  
Vol 45 (4) ◽  
pp. 1349-1355 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rosalinda Gioia ◽  
Sabine Eckhardt ◽  
Knut Breivik ◽  
Foday M. Jaward ◽  
Ailette Prieto ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
West African ◽  
African Region ◽  
The West ◽  
West African Region

The ECOWAS Community Court of Justice

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Solomon T. Ebobrah
Keyword(s):  
West African ◽  
African Region ◽  
The West ◽  
Community Court ◽  
Economic Context ◽  
Court Of Justice ◽  
International Court ◽  
West African Region ◽  
User Groups

This chapter examines whether the ECOWAS Community Court of Justice (ECCJ or Court), as an international court operating in the West African region with its peculiar sociopolitical and economic context, enjoys any form or degree of actual authority in any of its main functions. The ECCJ’s two contrasting epochs represent a variation in the authority of the Court. Whereas under its 1991 Protocol, the Court enjoyed limited de jure authority with little potential for growing its de facto authority, the 2005 Supplementary Protocol introduced expansions that increased the potential for enhanced de facto authority. Ultimately, the Court’s authority varies significantly both in terms of areas of competence, as among different court-users and in relation to wider communities in its State Parties. Arguably, these variations indicate that different factors influence the responses that the Court attracts from different user-groups.

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