Recent Articles
Hereditary Spastic Paraplegia (HSP) is a group of inherited neurodegenerative disorders caused by axonal degeneration of the cortical motor neurons. HSP affects around two out of 100,000 people worldwide. Symptoms of HSP involve spasticity, numbness and tingling sensations in the lower limb muscles. The most common recessive form of HSP, Spastic Paraplegia Type 15 (SPG15), represents 2-4% of HSP cases. SPG15 is correlated with mutations in the ZFYVE26 gene, potentially leading to lysosomal dysfunction in cortical motor neurons, resulting in mitochondrial impairment and consequent axonal degeneration. However, the challenges of acquiring patient neurons require the application of induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs). iPSCs provide an innovative approach to studying patient-specific mutations and disease phenotypes. This study aims to determine the pluripotency of SPG15 iPSCs derived from patient-specific fibroblasts, serving as the first crucial step in deriving stem cell models that can later be used to test for inhibitors of axonal degeneration. Following the generation of SPG15 iPSCs from patient-specific fibroblasts, we tested both samples for multiple genes and protein expressions using regular PCR, qPCR and immunostaining. The results of [which test?] indicate that the iPSC sample had elevated levels of the pluripotent genes NANOG, OCT4 and SOX2, as well as pluripotent proteins, OCT4, SSEA4, NANOG and SOX2 in comparison to the initial patient fibroblast samples. In parallel, the expression of fibroblast gene FGF5 in the iPSCs was reduced to about 0.21% of its initial expression in fibroblast cells from the Student’s t-test. The confirmation of cell pluripotency makes the SPG15 iPSCs suitable for future studies to characterize differentiated SPG15 cortical motor neurons and analyze the effects of HSP SPG15 treatments on neural cells.
Currently, 1.6 million people in Uganda are living with HIV, with most new infections occurring in adolescents. The COVID-19 pandemic also disproportionately affected adolescents, disrupting their access to HIV care. This study examined these interruptions using Bronfenbrenner’s Social Ecological Model, analyzing factors such as sex, financial status, education, family size and government policy.
A secondary analysis was conducted using data from a parent study of 154 adolescents (ages 15-20) receiving HIV treatment at Nsambya Home Care in Kampala. Between September and December 2022, 80 females and 74 males completed a COVID-19 impact questionnaire addressing healthcare disruptions, medical care concerns, distress and financial hardship. The average age was 17.9 years. Females were more likely than males to report interruptions in general care and in HIV care, though 95% of participants denied experiencing delays in care. However, 66% worried that the pandemic would impact their HIV care, with financial instability linked to difficulty in accessing HIV medication. The results of this study demonstrate that factors such as sex and financial status influence the extent to which COVID-19 affected HIV care in Uganda. Understanding the impact of COVID-19 on care, such as interruptions in medication therapy, can help healthcare providers better support adolescents living with HIV during public health crises.
