Browsing by Department "Pathology"

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    Antisense Therapy for Infectious Diseases
    (Multidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute, 2023-08-21) Buthelezi, Lwanda Abonga; Pillay, Shandre; Ntuli, Noxolo Nokukhanya; Gcanga, Lorna; Guler, Reto
    Infectious diseases, particularly Tuberculosis (TB) caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis, pose a significant global health challenge, with 1.6 million reported deaths in 2021, making it the most fatal disease caused by a single infectious agent. The rise of drug-resistant infectious diseases adds to the urgency of finding effective and safe intervention therapies. Antisense therapy uses antisense oligonucleotides (ASOs) that are short, chemically modified, single-stranded deoxyribonucleotide molecules complementary to their mRNA target. Due to their designed target specificity and inhibition of a disease-causing gene at the mRNA level, antisense therapy has gained interest as a potential therapeutic approach. This type of therapy is currently utilized in numerous diseases, such as cancer and genetic disorders. Currently, there are limited but steadily increasing studies available that report on the use of ASOs as treatment for infectious diseases. This review explores the sustainability of FDA-approved and preclinically tested ASOs as a treatment for infectious diseases and the adaptability of ASOs for chemical modifications resulting in reduced side effects with improved drug delivery; thus, highlighting the potential therapeutic uses of ASOs for treating infectious diseases.
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    Open Access
    Zero malaria: a mirage or reality for populations of sub-Saharan Africa in health transition
    (BioMed Central, 2022-11-04) Sarpong, Esther; Acheampong, Desmond O.; Fordjour, George N. R.; Anyanful, Akwasi; Aninagyei, Enoch; Tuoyire, Derek A.; Blackhurst, Dee; Kyei, George B.; Ekor, Martins; Thomford, Nicholas E.
    The global burden of malaria continues to be a significant public health concern. Despite advances made in therapeutics for malaria, there continues to be high morbidity and mortality associated with this infectious disease. Sub-Saharan Africa continues to be the most affected by the disease, but unfortunately the region is burdened with indigent health systems. With the recent increase in lifestyle diseases, the region is currently in a health transition, complicating the situation by posing a double challenge to the already ailing health sector. In answer to the continuous challenge of malaria, the African Union has started a "zero malaria starts with me” campaign that seeks to personalize malaria prevention and bring it down to the grass-root level. This review discusses the contribution of sub-Saharan Africa, whose population is in a health transition, to malaria elimination. In addition, the review explores the challenges that health systems in these countries face, that may hinder the attainment of a zero-malaria goal.