Baobab Index

This study investigated the phytochemical profile of Solanum Obtusifolium Dunal extract and explored its biological activities, such as antihyperglycemic, antiglycation, and anti-inflammatory properties. Also, it conducted computational analyses, such as molecular docking simulations. Advanced technique, including high-performance liquid chromatography with a diode-array detector, was employed to identify and quantify phytochemicals. This research evaluated the antiglycation properties of Solanum Obtusifolium Dunal hydro-ethanolic extract by analyzing glycation progression across different stages. The in vitro assessment of the antihyperglycemic effect involved the enzymes α-amylase, α-glucosidase, and pancreatic lipase. The anti-inflammatory effect was demonstrated by the inhibition of protein denaturation and the stabilization of cell membranes. Computational studies, including ADME analysis and molecular docking, were also performed. HPLC-DAD analysis revealed the significant presence of quercetin, p-coumaric acid, catechin, and gallic acid in the hydroethanolic extract from Solanum Obtusifolium Dunal fruit. In glycation assays, this extract exhibited targeted inhibitory effects at multiple levels. Additionally, it had a significant impact (p < 0.001) on the activity of α-amylase, α-glucosidase and pancreatic lipase enzymes in vitro. This extract also exhibited a protective effect against hemolysis and protein denaturation. The findings were supported by the presence of a significant amount of flavonoids and phenolic acids, identified through HPLC-DAD analysis, along with computational studies and molecular docking, which also confirmed that the molecules of this extract were not toxic according to ADMET testing.

Sulfur oxidation intermediate (SOI) compounds represent a risk of delayed acidity generation, oxygen depletion, and metal mobilization in mine receiving environment (RE) waters, as current on-site wastewater monitoring methods often underreport their presence, and treatment strategies fail to effectively eliminate all SOI compounds. Currently, typical mine tailings impoundment (TI) wastewater management is focused on acid mine drainage (AMD) preventative strategies (i.e. low dissolved oxygen and high pH) which can inadvertently promote the activity of sulfur oxidizing bacteria (SOB) that regenerate the SOI pool, increasing SOI persistence through treatment. The objectives of this study were to establish SOB enrichments from the TIs and REs of four Canadian base metal mines and investigate links between acidity, sulfur speciation, and SOB community composition. Experimental results revealed that despite differences in TI and RE parent water SOB community diversity and relative abundance, Halothiobacillus spp. was enriched from all parent waters with detectable thiosulfate (S

The gut microbiota of Tsetse influences several aspects of the host physiology and vector competence. Trypanosome survival in the tsetse midgut depends on surface sialylation. We hypothesised that bacterial sialidases in the tsetse gut could interfere with parasite transmission by counteracting trypanosomal trans-sialidase activity. This study aimed to detect sialidase activity within the tsetse gut, isolate sialidase-producing bacterial strains, and to characterise the enzymatic properties of bacterial sialidases. Tsetse collected from five African countries (Cameroon, Chad, Ethiopia, Ghana and Nigeria) were screened for sialidase activity using a newly developed field-compatible assay. Detectable activity was found only in samples from Cameroon. Bacterial isolates from these samples, representing several genera (

Predation plays a key role in shaping ecological interactions, particularly in environments where seasonal dynamics drive adaptive behaviors. In semi-arid Sudano-Sahelian ecosystems, where resource availability fluctuates significantly, predator-prey interactions are influenced by both natural and anthropogenic pressures. This study documented the first recorded instance of an agama lizard (

Multiciliated cells (MCCs) lining the airways, reproductive tracts, and brain ventricles construct hundreds of motile cilia, each anchored by a centriole.

This study investigates the chemical composition, antioxidant, and anti-inflammatory effects of Cladanthus mixtus (L.) Chevall. flower essential oil (CMEO). Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry (GC-MS) analysis allowed for the identification of 29 compounds representing 92.73% of the total oil. The major constituent was (E)-2-Methylbut-2-en-1-yl methacrylate (32.62. Antioxidant activity yielded IC50 values of 566 ±7 µg/mL for DPPH, 491 ± 10 µg/mL for ABTS, and an EC50 of 235 ± 12 µg/mL for FRAP. These results demonstrate significant radical scavenging and reducing potentials compared to BHT (147 ±2 µg /mL for DPPH) and ascorbic acid (201 ± 5 µg/mL for ABTS). The anti-inflammatory effects of CMEO were assessed through in vitro models, revealing IC50 values for BSA denaturation, heat-induced, and hypotonicity-induced hemolysis tests at 508.6 ± 11, 456.4 ± 9, and 589 ±7 µg/mL, respectively. These values were compared against standards such as Diclofenac sodium (IC50 = 265.6 ±7 µg/mL) and Indomethacin (IC50 = 121.3 ±6 µg/mL). Molecular docking studies provided further insights into the bioactivity of β-Caryophyllene, humulene, and caryophyllene oxide, which showed strong interactions with inflammatory mediators, including TNF-α, COX1, COX2, and 5-LOX enzymes. These findings highlight CMEO as a potential source of natural antioxidant and anti-inflammatory compounds.

Plasmids and viruses are two types of mobile genetic elements (ME), that rely on host cells to reproduce and propagate themselves. Recently, metagenomics has greatly facilitated the discovery and characterization of new plasmids and viruses, which relies on accurate identification of these reads in metagenomes. Some state-of-the-art tools can identify plasmid or viral reads, while others are able to identify the probable host or source species of these reads. Since the Minimizer-based Naïve Bayes Classifier (MNBC) tool accurately classifies chromosomal and viral reads to the species level, we extended it to develop the MNBC-ME tool that can also identify plasmid reads and their putative host species. A standard reference- and test-sequence framework using simulated variable-length reads was used to benchmark MNBC-ME with eleven other state-of-the-art tools for ME identification: DeepMicroClass, geNomad, PPR-Meta, viralVerify, Plasmer, PlasClass, PlasX, VIBRANT, DeepVirFinder, HOTSPOT, and MOSTPLAS. MNBC-ME was the most consistent tool at classifying chromosomal, viral and plasmid reads of variable lengths, in contrast to the other tools whose precision or recall dropped below 50% in some circumstances. MNBC-ME also exceeded 65% and 70% performance in predicting host genus and family of plasmid reads, respectively. MNBC-ME is tool for identification of both short and long viral- and plasmid-originated reads across a wide variety of read types. It also identifies potential low-level host taxa for plasmid reads, and source taxa for chromosomal and viral reads. It is freely available at https://github.com/ComputationalPathogens/MNBC-ME and can be found as the 'mnbc-me' package in bioconda.

To identify and characterize the pathogens responsible for the outbreak of invasive meningococcal disease in Chad during 2024-2025. Surveillance included demographic data and cerebrospinal fluid samples from meningitis patients. Samples were tested using RT-PCR to detect Neisseria meningitidis, Streptococcus pneumoniae, or Haemophilus influenzae. Samples positive for N. meningitidis were further analyzed by direct sequencing, with phylogenetic analysis incorporating published genomes of the same sequence types. In 2024, 12/25 samples were RT-PCR positive for S. pneumoniae. In 2025, among 65 samples, 2 were positive for H. influenzae, 12 for S. pneumoniae, and 18 for N. meningitidis; the rest were negative. Four sequence types of N. meningitidis were identified: non-groupable ST-5789 (n = 1); ST-11 (n = 4), associated with genogroup W; and ST-10217 (n = 10) and the new ST-18990 (n = 1) of the clonal complex CC10217, both genogroup C. The ST-10217 genomes had mutations in gyrA, while the ST-18990 genome possessed additionally a parC mutation, both associated with reduced ciprofloxacin susceptibility. CC10217, responsible for epidemics in Nigeria and Niger since 2015, caused a significant outbreak of serogroup C invasive meningococcal disease in Chad in 2025. The emergence of CC10217 with mutations linked to reduced ciprofloxacin susceptibility is concerning and demands close epidemiological monitoring.

Bambara groundnut [Vigna subterranea (L.) Verdc.] is a nutrient-dense, drought-resilient African legume cultivated largely by smallholders in semi-arid zones. While widely cultivated due to its ability to biologically fix nitrogen, enrich soil fertility, and hold cultural significance, most production relies on germplasm propagated within families with limited breeding efforts. Understanding the genetic diversity across pedoclimatic regions is essential for improving seed yields, quality, and physiological traits. To explore this, 212 diverse Bambara groundnut landraces were collected from four regions in Chad, involving over 80 farmers, from which 172 were used to assess genetic and phenotypic variations in nutritional and agronomic traits. Genotyping revealed significant genetic differentiation between regions (p = 0.1), with farm-level factors being the primary driver of variation (p < 0.001), highlighting the role of farmer selection practices, preferences, and abilities. Farmer surveys confirmed that most Bambara groundnut growers rely on self-propagated and selected seeds for cultivation. Genetic, seed composition, and physiological data all pointed to regional and farm-based origins as the main source of variation. The findings underscore the importance of including farmers in breeding processes, particularly through the distribution of pre-breeding materials tailored for high nutritional value and drought resistance. Additionally, the identification of quantitative trait loci (QTLs) associated with fat and phytate content suggests potential applications for marker-assisted selection to develop improved germplasm. These strategies could improve food security and sustainability and reduce malnutrition.

Milk-derived extracellular vesicles (EVs) transport microRNAs (miRNAs) that are unusually stable and have been proposed to survive digestion and modulate gene expression in the consumer, although their dietary bioavailability and physiological relevance remain debated. How the predicted regulatory potential of these miRNAs differs among the milks of different animals most relevant to human nutrition has not been systematically compared. Here, we performed an integrative in silico analysis of publicly available small-RNA sequencing data from 29 milk and milk-cell samples of human, cow, goat, and donkey origin. miRNAs were quantified against human (hsa) miRBase references-thereby restricting the analysis to evolutionarily conserved miRNAs with human orthologs-and their predicted effect on the human transcriptome was modeled by integrating predicted (mirDIP database) and experimentally supported (TarBase v9 database) miRNA-target interactions into a per-gene, per-species weighted targeting score. Because miRNAs act predominantly as repressors, this score is read as a prediction of which genes would be post-transcriptionally down-regulated in a recipient. miR-148a-3p dominated the exosomal spectrum of all four species (human, cow, goat, and donkey; ≈21.5% of pooled abundance), and the twenty most abundant miRNAs accounted for roughly three quarters of the signal. Of 4577 robustly targeted genes, a 1809-gene conserved "pan-milk" core showed the highest cross-species targeting and was enriched for transcriptional regulation, PI3K-Akt, MAPK, and TGF-β/SMAD signaling, autophagy and-strikingly-the components of the RNA-interference machinery itself. Species-restricted gene sets recapitulated biologically plausible programs, including a human-biased neuronal/axon-guidance and chromatin module, a donkey-biased transcriptional, epithelial, and immune (