Background: The cognitive and motor effects of sub-anesthetic doses of ketamine remain controversial. The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of ketamine administration under anesthesia on cognitive function and motor responses in Wistar rats. Methods: Twenty-five Wistar rats were randomized into five groups of five rats each (n=5): group 1 (normal control), group 2 (1mg/kg ketamine), group 3 (2mg/kg ketamine), group 4 (3mg/kg ketamine) and group 5 (0.5ml/100g celecoxib). Treatment for each group lasted 3 weeks. Rats from each group were subjected to a total of nine (9) trials of cognitive-motor tests, including; the Barnes maze test (memory based on visual scenes), hand grip test (motor response to foreleg strength), rotarod test (coordination ability). The neurobehavioral ability displayed by the animals was recorded and analyzed using analysis of variance (ANOVA). Results: Observations from the cognitive function study showed a significant improvement (p<0.05) from week 1 to week 3. The quality of motor task performance also improved from week 1 to week 3 compared to control and celecoxib-treated groups. Conclusions: Sub-anesthetic doses of ketamine improved cognitive function and motor responses in Wistar rats.

SARS-CoV-2 is a betacoronavirus, the etiologic agent of the novel Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). In December 2019, an outbreak of COVID-19 began in Wuhan province of the Hubei district in China and rapidly spread across the globe. On March 11th, 2020, the World Health Organization officially designated COVID-19 as a pandemic. Across the continents and specifically in Africa, all index cases were travel related. Thus, it is crucial to compare COVID-19 genome sequences from the African continent with sequences from COVID-19 hotspots (including China, Brazil, Italy, United State of America and the United Kingdom). To identify if there are distinguishing mutations in the African SARS-CoV-2 genomes compared to genomes from other countries, including disease hotspots, we conducted in silico analyses and comparisons. Complete African SARS-CoV-2 genomes deposited in GISAID and NCBI databases as of June 2020 were downloaded and aligned with genomes from Wuhan, China and other SARS-CoV-2 hotspots. Using phylogenetic analysis and amino acid sequence alignments of the spike and replicase (NSP12) proteins, we searched for possible targets for vaccine coverage or potential therapeutic agents. Our results showed a similarity between the African SARS-CoV-2 genomes and genomes in countries including China, Brazil, France, the United Kingdom, Italy, France and the United States of America. This study shows for the first time, an in-depth analysis of the SARS-CoV-2 landscape across Africa and will potentially provide insights into specific mutations to relevant proteins in the SARS-CoV-2 genomes in African populations.