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Background: Due to the worldwide reach of the COVID-19 pandemic, authorities across the globe deemed it essential to enforce exceptional containment measures. Maintaining physical activity (PA) during this time was only feasible through engaging in activities at home. Therefore, this study focused on elucidating the levels of PA and well-being among Somali students in the aftermath of the lockdown measures implemented by governments at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods: This study was conducted in Somalia among undergraduate students studying at Somali International University. A total of 1266 students were included in the present study. An online survey was utilized to measure participant PA behavior. The assessment of PA was conducted in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic, utilizing the Godin Leisure questionnaire. The study showed that 85.8% of the study participants (n = 1086) were between the ages of 17 and 22. More than half of the participants (58.7%, n = 743) were female and had no other employment (57.3%, n = 743). Results: Jogging was the most frequently reported PA (57.3%, n = 726), and PA level was on average 59.7 minutes per day (SD = 25.9). Also, most of the study participants were in their last year (82.1%). In the regression analysis, age, gender, academic year, and work status were significant predictors of being physically active after the COVID-19 pandemic. Conclusion: Factors affecting PA after the COVID-19 pandemic include age, gender, academic year, and work status. Males, younger individuals, and those who engage in outdoor exercise are more likely to be physically active. Once the COVID-19 restrictions were relaxed, undergraduate students in Somalia were physically active. A high level of PA appears to be advantageous for public health. Universities in Somalia should uphold school policies that promote an active lifestyle among students, aiming to maintain or enhance the existing level of PA.
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Infection with the intracellular apicomplexan parasite Toxoplasma gondii causes serious clinical outcomes in both human and veterinary settings worldwide. Although approximately one-third of the world's population is infected with T. gondii, an effective human vaccine for this disease remains unavailable. We aimed to design a potential T. gondii vaccine candidate that consisted of the B- and T-lymphocyte epitopes of three parasite immunogenic antigens. Firstly, the immunodominant epitopes expressed within the ROP2, MIC3, and GRA7 proteins of T. gondii were identified. Subsequently, six B-cell epitopes, five CTL epitopes, and five HTL epitopes were combined to generate a multi-epitope vaccine, and the 50S ribosomal protein L7/L12 was added as an adjuvant to boost the vaccine's immunogenicity. All these epitopes were found to be antigenic, nonallergenic, nontoxic, and nonhuman homologs. The designed vaccine construct has a molecular weight of 51 kDa, an antigenicity score of 0.6182, and a solubility of 0.903461. Likewise, the candidate vaccine was immunogenic, nonallergenic, and stable. Molecular docking analysis revealed stable interactions between the vaccine construct and the TLR-4 immune receptor. Meanwhile, the stability of the developed vaccine was validated using molecular dynamics simulation. In silico, the vaccine construct was able to trigger primary immune responses. However, further laboratory-based assessments are needed to confirm its efficacy and safety.
RESUMO
BACKGROUND: The authorities of the world had to take extraordinary containment measures due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic spreading across the globe. The only way to stay active during the pandemic was at-home physical activity (PA). The current study evaluates how these preventative measures impacted the PA and well-being of students. METHODS: This study is multicentral and was conducted in Malaysia, India, Cambodia, and Saudi Arabia; participants were recruited from four different regions to answer the online questionnaire provided via a link shared using their personal WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger, and Twitter social media. RESULTS: The means of vigorous, moderate, and light PA (min/day) between the active and inactive groups were significantly different (p = 0.001, 0.007, and 0.001), respectively. In comparison with pre-COVID-19, the participants reported that it became more challenging to engage in regular exercise since the onset of social distance, associated with a lack of motivation followed by "less confidence", "less enjoyment", "less support, and fewer opportunities to engage in exercise"; moreover, it was "difficult to maintain close relationships" and "hard to voice their options on contentious matters" (p = 0.001). Public health measures affected the PA and well-being of active and inactive students; this demonstrates that health promotion strategies aimed at enhancing levels of PA in inactive students may be necessary to improve students' well-being.