Epidemiological Society of Nigeria

12/07/2026

Epidemiological Society of Nigeria (ESN)

To become a member of ESN, prospective applicants are expected to complete the following process:

1. Submit a membership application through the ESN membership portal or by completing the official membership application form.
2. Upload the required supporting documents, including your recent passport photograph, curriculum vitae (CV), academic and professional credentials, and any other documents relevant to your chosen membership category.
3. Your application will undergo an administrative and eligibility review by the ESN Membership Committee.
4. Eligible applications will be presented to the Executive Council for approval.
5. Once approved, you will receive an official admission notification with instructions for payment of the applicable membership dues.
6. After confirmation of payment, you will be formally inducted into the Society and issued your ESN Membership Certificate, Membership Identification Number, and Digital Membership Card.

Membership is open to individuals with an interest or professional involvement in epidemiology, public health, disease surveillance, research, biostatistics, health policy, academia, and other related disciplines, subject to meeting the eligibility requirements for the appropriate membership category.

Should you require further information regarding membership categories, eligibility criteria, fees, or the application process, please feel free to contact the ESN Secretariat. We look forward to welcoming you to the Epidemiological Society of Nigeria and working together to promote excellence in epidemiology and public health.

11/06/2026

14/12/2025

14/12/2025

Imagine your brain’s support crew—cells that don’t fire signals but help regulate and protect neurons. One of those is the astrocyte. New research suggests that when someone endures stress early in life, these astrocytes in a region called the lateral hypothalamus go haywire, and that may raise the risk of depression later on.

Here’s how it seems to work. Under normal conditions, astrocytes help maintain a balance in brain circuits. But when stress hormones flood the brain during childhood, they interfere with receptors on astrocytes. That leads these cells to shrink, lose branches, and become less complex. Because astrocytes interact with neurons, those structural changes disrupt how neurons talk to each other. Behaviorally, that shows up as depressive-like traits: more lethargy, less interest in usual rewards, disturbances in sleep and wake cycles.

The striking part is that the researchers found that blocking the stress hormone receptors in astrocytes rescued much of the problem. Even after damage had started, turning off those receptors helped those astrocytes recover some of their shape and also alleviated depressive behavior. That hints the damage isn’t totally irreversible. So rather than just treating neurons, future therapies might aim to heal the astrocyte network, especially in people who experienced early adversity.

Research Paper 📄
DOI: 10.1038/s41467-025-61643-y

14/12/2025

14/12/2025

14/12/2025

Scientists have discovered that wax moth larvae, known as wax worms, can break down polyethylene plastic—a material that takes decades to decompose. These larvae, which naturally feed on beeswax, have been found to also consume polyethylene, breaking it down with the help of bacteria in their guts. In laboratory tests, about 2,000 wax worms were able to degrade an entire polyethylene bag in just 24 hours.

Researchers have identified that the larvae's ability to digest plastic is linked to specific bacteria in their intestines. When these bacteria were suppressed using antibiotics, the larvae's ability to break down polyethylene significantly decreased. This suggests that the gut microbiome plays a crucial role in the degradation process.

Further studies revealed that the larvae convert the broken-down plastic into lipids, storing it as body fat. However, a diet consisting solely of polyethylene led to rapid weight loss and death in the larvae, indicating the need for additional nutrients to sustain their health.

To harness this natural process, scientists propose two strategies: one involves mass-producing wax worms fed on polyethylene, potentially using them in waste management; the other focuses on isolating the responsible bacteria and enzymes to create a scalable method for plastic degradation without relying on the insects themselves.

Research Paper 📄
DOI: 10.1038/ndigest.2017.170827

14/12/2025