The sub-Saharan region holds a wide variety of indigenous plant species, still offering the possibility to discover very interesting new natural products with potential therapeutic value. Most of the African populatio...The sub-Saharan region holds a wide variety of indigenous plant species, still offering the possibility to discover very interesting new natural products with potential therapeutic value. Most of the African population depends on traditional medicine for primary health care, however, neurological disorders are often not considered as common diseases and many people with mental illnesses, like epilepsy, are severely affected by health-related stigma and discrimination. Epilepsy is the most common serious chronic brain disorder, estimated to affect at least 10 million people in Africa. Guinea-Bissau is located in West Africa, and its population is mainly rural with very few health services available. Since the earliest times, Guinea-Bissau flora has constituted the main source of materials used in folk medicine and the local population, who is well versed in the uses of these plants and their properties. The aim of this study was to document the existing knowledge and practices related to the treatment of neurological disorders, namely epilepsy and seizures, in Guinea-Bissau and in other West African countries. The results presented from this study provide information not only on the specific plants used to treat neurological disorders, but also on social knowledge brought in by various ethnic groups, each one having its own culture, beliefs and ways of nature appropriation. Taking into account the existing knowledge on the medicinal properties of plants for treatment of neurologic disorders, it is believed that research in the areas of ethnomedicine and ethnopharmacology in Guinea-Bissau can bring promising results capable of adding value to the very rich natural resources of this country of West Africa.展开更多
Phlomis purpurea L.grows spontaneously in dry and stony habitats from the south of Iberian Peninsula and in cork oak(Quercus suber L.)and holm oak(Q.ilex ssp.rotundifolia,Lam.)plantations infested with Phytophthora ci...Phlomis purpurea L.grows spontaneously in dry and stony habitats from the south of Iberian Peninsula and in cork oak(Quercus suber L.)and holm oak(Q.ilex ssp.rotundifolia,Lam.)plantations infested with Phytophthora cinnamomi(Rands).The aim of this study is to understand the genetic basis of P.purpurea innate immunity to this pathogen.The transcriptome analysis of P.purpurea upon challenging with P.cinnamomi revealed a set of up-regulated genes,related to signaling,transcription factors and response to stress.Transcripts involved in the synthesis of a number of proteins,namely:ANKYRIN,AP2,AQUAPORIN,ARMADILLO,At1G69870-LIKE,BHLH,BON1,CALMODULIN,CALNEXIN,CALRETICULINE,CC-NBS-LRR,CHAPERONE,CYTOCHROME,DUF,GH3,GMP,G-TYPE,LIPOXYGENASE,MLO-LIKE,MYB,NAC,NBS-LRR,PENTATRICOPEPTIDE,SUBTILISIN,WAK,bZIP and hormones such as BRASSINOSTEROID,JASMONATE,SALICYLATE,ETHYLENE-RESPONSIVE were identified.P.purpurea ability to cope with P.cinnamomi attack is based on the expression of a set of transcription factors and signaling molecules targeted by the pathogen.The information gathered contributes to the elucidation of the overall response of P.purpurea to P.cinnamomi attempted infection which can be helpful for improving woody species resistance to pathogenic oomycetes.展开更多
Genetic variation is a key factor influencing cytokine production capacity,but which genetic loci regulate cytokine production before and after vaccination,particularly in African population is unknown.Here,we aimed t...Genetic variation is a key factor influencing cytokine production capacity,but which genetic loci regulate cytokine production before and after vaccination,particularly in African population is unknown.Here,we aimed to identify single-nucleotide polymorphisms(SNPs)controlling cytokine responses after microbial stimulation in infants of West-African ancestry,comprising of low-birth-weight neonates randomized to bacillus Calmette-Gue rin(BCG)vaccine-at-birth or to the usual delayed BCG.Genome-wide cytokine cytokine quantitative trait loci(cQTL)mapping revealed 12 independent loci,of which the LINC01082-LINC00917 locus influenced more than half of the cytokine-stimulation pairs assessed.Furthermore,nine distinct cQTLs were found among infants randomized to BCG.Functional validation confirmed that several complement genes affect cytokine response after BCG vaccination.We observed a limited overlap of common cQTLs between the West-African infants and cohorts of Western European individuals.These data reveal strong population-specific genetic effects on cytokine production and may indicate new opportunities for therapeutic intervention and vaccine development in African populations.展开更多
基金The fieldwork made by B.I.was supported by the Insti-tute for Biodiversity and Protected Areas(IBAP)of Guinea-BissauThe authors are very grateful to Dr.Luísa Nunes for the critical reading of the manuscript and to Philip Havik and Dora Castro from IICTsupported by Portuguese FCT grants:to MMR and MCD[HC/0075/2009],to LC[AFR/117785/2010].
文摘The sub-Saharan region holds a wide variety of indigenous plant species, still offering the possibility to discover very interesting new natural products with potential therapeutic value. Most of the African population depends on traditional medicine for primary health care, however, neurological disorders are often not considered as common diseases and many people with mental illnesses, like epilepsy, are severely affected by health-related stigma and discrimination. Epilepsy is the most common serious chronic brain disorder, estimated to affect at least 10 million people in Africa. Guinea-Bissau is located in West Africa, and its population is mainly rural with very few health services available. Since the earliest times, Guinea-Bissau flora has constituted the main source of materials used in folk medicine and the local population, who is well versed in the uses of these plants and their properties. The aim of this study was to document the existing knowledge and practices related to the treatment of neurological disorders, namely epilepsy and seizures, in Guinea-Bissau and in other West African countries. The results presented from this study provide information not only on the specific plants used to treat neurological disorders, but also on social knowledge brought in by various ethnic groups, each one having its own culture, beliefs and ways of nature appropriation. Taking into account the existing knowledge on the medicinal properties of plants for treatment of neurologic disorders, it is believed that research in the areas of ethnomedicine and ethnopharmacology in Guinea-Bissau can bring promising results capable of adding value to the very rich natural resources of this country of West Africa.
基金funded by grants from Forskningsrdet for Sundhed og SygdomDanida Travel Grant+5 种基金Augustinus FondenElse og Mogens Wedell-Wedellsborgs FondOticon FondenAage og Johanne Louis-Hansens FondAase og Ejnar Danielsens FondFonden af 1870and Krista og Viggo Petersens Fond
文摘Phlomis purpurea L.grows spontaneously in dry and stony habitats from the south of Iberian Peninsula and in cork oak(Quercus suber L.)and holm oak(Q.ilex ssp.rotundifolia,Lam.)plantations infested with Phytophthora cinnamomi(Rands).The aim of this study is to understand the genetic basis of P.purpurea innate immunity to this pathogen.The transcriptome analysis of P.purpurea upon challenging with P.cinnamomi revealed a set of up-regulated genes,related to signaling,transcription factors and response to stress.Transcripts involved in the synthesis of a number of proteins,namely:ANKYRIN,AP2,AQUAPORIN,ARMADILLO,At1G69870-LIKE,BHLH,BON1,CALMODULIN,CALNEXIN,CALRETICULINE,CC-NBS-LRR,CHAPERONE,CYTOCHROME,DUF,GH3,GMP,G-TYPE,LIPOXYGENASE,MLO-LIKE,MYB,NAC,NBS-LRR,PENTATRICOPEPTIDE,SUBTILISIN,WAK,bZIP and hormones such as BRASSINOSTEROID,JASMONATE,SALICYLATE,ETHYLENE-RESPONSIVE were identified.P.purpurea ability to cope with P.cinnamomi attack is based on the expression of a set of transcription factors and signaling molecules targeted by the pathogen.The information gathered contributes to the elucidation of the overall response of P.purpurea to P.cinnamomi attempted infection which can be helpful for improving woody species resistance to pathogenic oomycetes.
基金supported by the Spinoza grant of the Netherlands Organization for Scientific Research and an ERC Advanced Grant(grant number833247)supported by the European Research Council(starting grant ERC-2009-StG-243149)+3 种基金the Novo Nordisk Foundation(research professorship grant to P.A.)the Danish National Research Foundation(grant DNRF108)the DANIDA,European Union FP7,and OPTIMUNISE(grant Health-F3-2011-261375 to the Bandim Health Project)supported by the Hypathia tenure track grant Radboud UMC。
文摘Genetic variation is a key factor influencing cytokine production capacity,but which genetic loci regulate cytokine production before and after vaccination,particularly in African population is unknown.Here,we aimed to identify single-nucleotide polymorphisms(SNPs)controlling cytokine responses after microbial stimulation in infants of West-African ancestry,comprising of low-birth-weight neonates randomized to bacillus Calmette-Gue rin(BCG)vaccine-at-birth or to the usual delayed BCG.Genome-wide cytokine cytokine quantitative trait loci(cQTL)mapping revealed 12 independent loci,of which the LINC01082-LINC00917 locus influenced more than half of the cytokine-stimulation pairs assessed.Furthermore,nine distinct cQTLs were found among infants randomized to BCG.Functional validation confirmed that several complement genes affect cytokine response after BCG vaccination.We observed a limited overlap of common cQTLs between the West-African infants and cohorts of Western European individuals.These data reveal strong population-specific genetic effects on cytokine production and may indicate new opportunities for therapeutic intervention and vaccine development in African populations.
