In silico design and analyses of a multi-epitope vaccine against Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever virus through reverse vaccinology and immunoinformatics approaches.

Crimean Congo Hemorrhagic Fever virus (CCHFV) is a deadly human pathogen that causes an emerging zoonotic disease with a broad geographic spread, especially in Africa, Asia, and Europe, and the second most common viral hemorrhagic fever and widely transmitted tick-borne viral disease. Following infection, the patients are presented with a variety of clinical manifestations and a fatality rate of 40%. Despite the high fatality rate, there are unmet clinical interventions, as no antiviral drugs or vaccines for CCHF have been approved. Immunoinformatics pipeline and reverse vaccinology were used in this study to design a multi-epitope vaccine that may elicit a protective humoral and cellular immune response against Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever virus infection. Three essential virulent and antigenic proteins (S, M, and L) were used to predict seven CTL and 18 HTL epitopes that were non-allergenic, antigenic, IFN-γ inducing, and non-toxic. The epitopes were connected using linkers and 50S ribosomal protein L7/L12 was used as an adjuvant and raised a multi-epitope vaccine (MEV) that is 567 amino acids long. Molecular docking and simulation of the predicted 3D structure of the MEV with the toll-like (TLR2, TLR3, and TLR4) receptors and major histocompatibility complex (MCH-I and MCH-II) indicate high interactions and stability of the complexes, MM-GBSA free binding energy calculation revealed a favourable protein-protein complex. Maximum MEV expression was achieved with a CAI value of 0.98 through in silico cloning in the Drosophila melanogaster host. According to the immune simulation, IgG1, T-helper cells, T-cytotoxic cells, INF-γ, and IL-2 were predicted to be significantly elevated. These robust computational analyses demonstrated that the proposed MEV is effective in preventing CCHFV infections. However, it is still necessary to conduct both in vitro and in vivo experiments to validate the potential of the vaccine.

Histogenesis of the Oesophagus of Guinea Fowl (Numida meleagris) at Prehatch and Posthatch.

The histogenesis of the primordial oesophagus was studied to determine the period in which the tunics of the oesophagus developed and became functional in the helmeted guinea fowl (Numida meleagris). Eighteen embryos and nine keets were studied at prehatch and posthatch, respectively. Simple columnar epithelium surrounded by mesenchymal cells was obvious at the 8th day of embryonic development. By the 19th day of embryonic development, the four tunics, tunica mucosa, submucosa, tunica muscularis, and tunica adventitia/serosa, were beginning to differentiate from the mesenchymal cells and also the primordial oesophageal glands appeared as clusters of cells that invaginate from the epithelium. By the 27th day, the tunics were clearly differentiated and the primordial glands were fully developed as evident with positive reaction to Periodic Acid Schiff (PAS). The tunics of the muscularis were not well developed till at posthatch. This study therefore concludes that the primordial oesophagus is active at the late incubation due to mucin secretion by mucous glands but fully functional at posthatch since the tunica muscularis is completely developed at posthatch.

Effect of different methods of bone preparation on the skeleton of the african giant pouched rat (Cricetomys gambianus) / Efecto de diferentes métodos de preparación ósea en el esqueleto de la rata gigante africana (Cricetomys gambianus)

This study was conducted using 12 Adult African Giant Pouched rats of both sexes to compare and to see the effect of three different methods of bone preparation on the bones of the African Giant Rat (Cricetomys gambianus). Five rats were used for maceration method, three for burial method and four rats for chemical method (involving two rats each for 3 percent and 5 percent solution of Sodium Hydroxide). Chemical preparation with Sodium Hydroxide was found to be the best method in terms of time required to complete the procedure, number of bones recovered, colour of the bones and odour of the preparation. However, the chemical method has the disadvantage of dissolving and cracking the bones if the concentration used is high and prompt attention is not given to the preparation.

Este estudio fue realizado en 12 ratas africanas gigantes adultas (Cricetomys gambianus) de ambos sexos, para comparar y ver el efecto de tres diferentes métodos de preparación ósea. Cinco ratas fueron utilizadas para el método de maceración, tres para el método de enterramiento y cuatro para el método químico (que implica dos ratas para solución de hidróxido de sodio al 3 por ciento y 5 por ciento, respectivamente). Se encontró que la preparación química con hidróxido de sodio era el mejor método en términos de tiempo requeridos para completar el procedimiento, el número de huesos recuperados, el color de los huesos y de olor de la preparación. Sin embargo, el método químico tiene la desventaja de la disolución y la formación de grietas en los huesos si la concentración utilizada es alta y no se le da el cuidado adecuado a la preparación.