Abstract: Metallo-β-lactamases can hydrolyze a broad range of β-lactam antibiotics and no effective inhibitors could be used in the clinic. Therefore, the discovery of metallo-β-lactamase inhibitors has attracted much attention in recent years. In this study, a support vector machine (SVM) that separates compounds into positives and negatives, combined with docking method was employed for virtual screening of IMP-1 metallo-β-lactamase inhibitors. Eight of the twenty five selected compounds were purchased for in vitro assays. Among them, four compounds show inhibitory potency against IMP-1. Two of them are found to have novel scaffolds, implying a good potential for further optimization.

Abstract: It is well known that most of the orthodontic treatments require more time for completion of the treatment. This technique literally accelerates the orthodontic corrections. The appliance is worn by the patient before the surgery. After the periodontal surgery, force is applied to the appliance which moves the tooth faster. In this technique Distraction osteogenesis & Regional Accelerated phenomenon are combined to produce a faster orthodontic correction as desired by the Orthodontist. The concept behind the technique, the pros and cons, and the technique as well are reviewed in this article.

Abstract: Introduction: GATA6 is a transcription factor which has role in the induction of cell differentiation genes and the maintenance of the differentiated state of epithelial cells. GATA6 expression is lost in neoplastic ovarian epithelia cells and in ovarian carcinoma leading to abnormal nuclear morphology characteristic of most cancer cells. We investigated the profile of GATA6 in cells collected from cervical-uterine smears (CUS) of women in the gynecologic service of three hospitals in Benin. Objective: To utilize GATA6 as molecular marker for the screening of women at risk of developing cervical carcinomas. Methods: CUS were collected from forty (40) women coming for regular checkup (a) at the National University Hospital (CNHU) in Cotonou and (b) from the local hospital of Mènontin (HZ) in Cotonou (south of Benin); (c) forty other (40) CUS were collected from women coming for treatment against HIV1 in the service of gynecology of the Departmental University Hospital (CHDU) of Borgouin Parakou (north of Benin). GATA6 was analyzed in cells isolated from 80 CUS totally by the immunoblotting techniques. Results: In women from Cotonou, GATA6waspresent in 17/40 (42%) CUS, lightly expressed in 10/40 (25%) CUS and totally absent in /40 (32.5%) CUS. In the HIV1 infected women under treatment in Parakou, GATA6 was present in 8/40 (20%) CUS, lightly expressed in 13/40 (32.5%) and totally lost in 19/40 (47.5%) CUS. Conclusion: Our study showed that the loss of GATA6 in CUS was significantly higher in the population of women infected with HIV1 than in women from regular population in Cotonou. Thus the deficiency in GATA6 expression maybe utilizedas diagnostic tools to identify women at risk for developing cervical carcinomas regardless the infectious status before the onset of neoplasia.

Abstract: Oxidative stress has been increasingly implicated in different stages of liver cirrhosis and has been found responsible for DNA damage. Alcohol consumption and oxidative stress have been linked with DNA damage and progression of disease, leading to the hypothesis that chronic alcoholism causes DNA damage. The study was aimed at evaluating the relation between alcohol consumption and relative oxidative damage in different stages of liver cirrhosis. The study included two groups based on severity of cirrhosis of liver; categorized as compensated and decompensated liver cirrhotic patients based on child Pugh criteria. All decompensated cirrhotic patients in the study group had significantly higher MDA levels (P < 0.001) associated with DNA Damage (P > 0.01) than those with compensated cirrhotic patients and control group who were not suffering from liver cirrhosis. These results highlighted a significant higher degree of DNA damage in decompensated cirrhotic patients associated with oxidative stress as shown from greater average DNA migration in decompensated cirrhotic patients than in the compensated cirrhotic patients with low level of oxidative stress. Thus these results suggest that increase in MDA levels may be associated with pathogenesis and progression of liver cirrhosis.

Abstract: This study was carried out to determine sero-prevalence of hepatitis B and hepatitis C virus co-infection among pregnant women. Viral hepatitis during pregnancy is associated with high risk of maternal complications; infections with Hepatitis B virus (HBV) or the Hepatitis C virus (HCV) are public health problems. Worldwide, there are about 350 million HBV carriers and 130 to 170 million people infected with HCV. The presence of HBV and HCV was determined using third-generation enzyme immunoassay (EIA), reactive samples were further confirmed using enzyme linked immune sorbent assay (ELISA) (Bio-Rad, France). Age group 26-30 and 31-35 had highest frequency of 240 (36.98%) and 206 (31.74%) respectively in HBV and HCV. Sero prevalence of HBV and HCV were 44 (6.78%) and 9 (1.39%) respectively. Prevalence of HBV and HCV co-infection was 1 (0.15%) in age group 31-35. Proper management of maternal hepatitis during the prenatal phase ensures better outcomes in the infant, therefore screening of pregnant women for hepatitis B and C virus are necessary in order to identify those neonates at risk of transmission.