Case Study for Undetermined Mosquito Species by Polymerase Chain Reaction in Western Burkina Faso

Introduction: Malaria eradication campaigns all over the world are largely based on parasite and vector control. Vector identification, whether morphological or molecular, is an essential component of vector control. This study analyzed the possible causes of indeterminate polymerase chain reaction (PCR) results for mosquito species in Western part of Burkina Faso. Methodology: From July 2021 to November 2021, mosquitoes were collected during the period of high malaria transmission in the village of Séguéré, Houet province, Burkina Faso, and morphologically identified. After DNA extraction, samples were amplified by sine 200× PCR to identify species of the Anopheles gambiae complex. Indeterminate samples were then selected for further analysis. The parameters studied were: DNA dilution, the effect of protocol adjusting, and the type of protocol used. Results: A total of 130 “indeterminate” DNAs diluted 1:10 were analyzed. After dilution, the mean amount was 14.73 ± 3.59 ng/μL and absorbance 1.71 ± 0.1. PCR chain reaction yielded 94.62% (123/130) anopheline species in SINE PCR, 5.38% (7/130) “negative”. A significant difference between SINE PCR before dilution and after dilution was observed (P < 0.001). Identification tests carried out using other protocols gave no positive results. From these results, we note that the adaptation of the protocol significantly reduced the polymerase amplification results of the species. Conclusion: It is therefore necessary to respect the amplification protocols. However, the persistence of “indeterminate” results suggests that further studies should be carried out to shed more light on the subject.

Traditional Healer’s Medicinal Practice Survey and Clinical Evidence Assessment of “YIKI”: An Antimalarial Phytomedicine Recipe from Bobo-Dioulasso, Burkina Faso

YIKI is an antimalarial phytomedicine used by a traditional healer to treat malaria in Bobo-Dioulasso. However, there is no scientific evidence to support its use by local populations. The aim of this study was to identify the medicinal practices of the healer holder of YIKI and assess the clinical evidence of its phytomedicine in the uncomplicated malaria treatment. Ethnomedical survey based on a semi-structured and open questionnaire was conducted from October to December 2019 with the healer. Malaria knowledge and diagnosis methods, patient treatment and monitoring, and recipe formulation steps were surveyed. Moreover, thick and thin blood smears were taken, haemoglobin levels and temperature of consenting patients were measured before treatment, mid-treatment and at the end of treatment. The survey revealed that the healer has a good knowledge of malaria symptoms and his diagnosis is based on observation and physical examination of patients. The healer’s malaria diagnosis was rudimentary and had accuracy problems, with only 62.79% of malaria cases confirmed by microscopy. The formulation of YIKI and its use to treat malaria follow a standard process for plant harvesting, powder quantities and posology, but do not use any reproducible parameters for dose adjustment. Forty-three patients diagnosed and treated by the healer participated in the study. Laboratory results revealed 27 Plasmodium falciparum infection cases, including 2 with parasitaemia ≥ 200,000 p/µl blood. 25 patients were selected for therapeutic evidence assessment. There was a 48% elimination of parasites, a 28% parasitaemia decrease without complete cure, with gametocytogenesis in some patients, and a 24% parasitaemia increase. Haemoglobin and temperature results suggested that YIKI was not cytotoxic and reduced fever. Encouraging preliminary results have been obtained, but in view of the low number of patients, further YIKI efficacy and toxicity studies will be necessary for patient safety.

Crystallographic Study of Uranium-Thorium Bearing Minerals in Tranomaro,South-East Madagascar

Studies are undertaken to characterize the uranium and thorium minerals of south-east Madagascar. Seven selected uranothorianite bearing pyroxenites samples from old abandoned uranium quarries in Tranomaro, south Amboasary, Madagascar (46°28'00"E, 24°36'00"S) have been collected. To determine the mineral micro-structure, they were investigated for qualitative identification of crystalline compounds by using X-ray powder diffraction analytical method (XRD). Results showed that the uranium and thorium compounds, as minor elements, were present in various crystalline structures. Thorium, as thorianite, is present in a simple ThO2 cubic crystalline system, whereas the uranium component of the Tranomaro uranothorianite samples is oxide-based and is a mixture of complex oxidation states and crys-talline systems. Generally called uraninite, its oxide compounds are present in more than eight phases.

Comparison of the Effectiveness of Different Traditional Soaking Processes on the in Vitro Digestibility of Taro(Colocasia esculenta L.SCHOTT)Flour

A traditional process used by farmers in Chad consists in soaking slices of taro (Colocasia esculenta L. SCHOTT) in tamarind infusion, or in corn solution or in water over a 24-hour period to reduce the acridity of taro and facilitate cooking. The aim of this study was to assess the effect of traditional soaking on the in vitro digestibility of taro flour using or not using an α-amylase enzyme. The digestion without the enzyme has shown that the soaking processes improve the digestibility of taro flour (from 39.30% for the control sample to 75.11% (after tamarind infusion) and 78.67% (treatment with water) after 24 hours of soaking). Soaking over a 6-hour period and preferentially in tamarind infusion or in corn solution obtains highly digestible flour (around 95% of digestibility rate after 3 hours of enzymatic digestion).

HIV-1 Viral Load and CD4 Assessment in HIV-1 Infected Pregnant Women Supported as Part of PMTCT in N’Djamena, Chad

In Sub-Saharan Africa, HIV affects lots of women of childbearing age;without prevention they can transmit the virus to their child. A cross-sectional study was conducted in the center of Psycho Medico-Social Support (APMS) in N’Djamena, Chad from January 2014 to March 2015. Our sampling concerned HIV-1 infected pregnant women followed up for PMTCT and their newborn. CD4+ lymphocytes and HIV-1 viral load were tested respectively with PIMATM and Abbott m2000 Real Time in mothers. Early infant diagnosis of HIV-1 was done in Children using PCR tool (Abbott m2000 Real Time). Pregnant women included in the study had a median age of 25 years (IQR, 22 - 30 years). Most of them (75.6%) (34/45), were under combination ART (TDF + 3TC or FTC + EFV). The median duration on ART was 4 month (IQR [3 - 5 months]). Nevirapine syrup was administrated to newborns as prophylaxis at least for the first six weeks of life until EID was done. At ART initiation, mothers’ LTCD4+ median was 249 cells/mm3 (IQR: 95 - 674 cells/mm3). After a median duration of 4 months on ART, LTCD4+ median was 530 cells/mm3 (IQR [263 - 1220 cells/mm3]). Viral load assessment in mothers showed that 15.5% (7/45) were undetectable, 75.6% (34/45) were detectable with a VL < 3log copies/ml and 8.8% (4/45) at virologic failure (VL > 3log copies/ ml). Four (11.4%) of 35 children included were tested positive at EID for HIV-1. Antiretroviral treatment management in pregnant women can improve their health and reduce the risk of MTCT. Availability of virologic monitoring in routine is essential for pregnant women in resources limited setting for preventing HIV transmission to their new-born and keep them alive.

Socio-Economic Impact Evaluation of Bovine Tuberculosis on Primary Meat Production at the Bobo-Dioulasso Slaughterhouse in Burkina Faso

Bovine tuberculosis is one of the zoonoses which has a very significant socio-economic importance due to the losses in agribusiness and hampers commercial exchange of animals and products. The present study highlights the risk of considerable potential economic and health impacts of this major zoonosis. It was carried out at the Bobo-Dioulasso slaughterhouse, in Burkina Faso over 3 years. A retrospective study was conducted based on bovine tuberculosis suspected carcass seizures during primary meat production between January 1st, 2020 and December 31st, 2022. The diagnosis and the criteria for suspecting bovine tuberculosis were addressed by post-mortem inspection. All carcasses were examined for tuberculosis lesions detection. All cattle slaughtered in the abattoir for primary meat production during the study period were included. Economic losses were determined from recorded seizure data and we included all the cattle slaughtered during the study period. Three thousand two hundred ten (3210) bovine carcasses were seized on a total of 180,827 cattle slaughteredwith a prevalence of 19.48%. Economic loss was estimated to be 53,505,000 F CFA, while the average quantity of animal protein lost was 4746 kg, 435 kg, and 13,445 kg for the carcass, livers, and lungs, respectively. The various results show a real health issue linked to exposure to M. bovis for agents and stakeholders in the primary meat production chain, processors and consumers. In addition, the survey conducted over the study period, reveals important material seized and destroyed. This leads to significant loss in rural agriculture and also in the primary meat production industry for the population. The figures are enormous and impact both the nutritional intake linked to animal protein consumption and the livelihood of the beef industry. The Burkinabe administration should invest in biosecurity and biosafety measures to minimize the risks of the disease and also provide compensation for losses recorded among breeders and butchers.

On product affine hyperspheres in R^n+1

In this paper,we study locally strongly convex affine hyperspheres in the unimodular affine space Rn+1 which,as Riemannian manifolds,are locally isometric to the Riemannian product of two Riemannian manifolds both possessing constant sectional curvature.As the main result,a complete classification of such affine hyperspheres is established.Moreover,as direct consequences,3-and 4-dimensional affine hyperspheres with parallel Ricci tensor are also classified.

Comparative assessment on rodent impacts and cultural perceptions of ecologically based rodent management in 3 Afro-Malagasy farming regions

Rodents generate negative consequences for smallholder farmers in Africa that directly impact household and livestock damage,food security,and public health.Ecologically Based Rodent Management(EBRM)seeks sustainable solutions for the mitigation of rodent damage through assessments of rodent population dynamics,agro-ecosystems,and socio-cultural contexts.We adopt a comparative approach across 3 rural Afro-Malagasy smallholder farming regions in South Africa,Tanzania,and Madagascar to assess the household impacts of rodent pests and current perceptions and preferences associated with several rodent control measures.We conducted focus group questionnaires and interviews in different study site locations.Rodents assert multiple impacts on Afro-Malagasy farmers demonstrating recurrent and emerging agricultural and household costs,and public health impacts.We identify a significant knowledge gap in educating communities about the application of different EBRM approaches in favor of acute poisons that are perceived to be more effective.Cultural issues and taboos also have a significant impact on the social acceptance of rodent hunting as well as biological control using indigenous predators.We advocate for an enhanced investigation of the socio-cultural beliefs associated with different rodent practices to understand the factors underlying social acceptance.A collaborative approach that integrates the perspectives of target communities to inform the design of EBRM initiatives according to the specific agro-ecosystem and socio-cultural context is necessary to ensure programmatic success.

AN hp-FEM FOR SINGULARLY PERTURBED TRANSMISSION PROBLEMS

We perform the analysis of the hp finite element approximation for the solution to singularly perturbed transmission problems, using Spectral Boundary Layer Meshes. In [12] it was shown that this method yields robust exponential convergence, as the degree p of the approximating polynomials is increased, when the error is measured in the energy norm associated with the boundary value problem. In the present article we sharpen the result by showing that the hp-Finite Element Method （FEM） on Spectral Boundary Layer Meshes leads to robust exponential convergence in a stronger, more balanced norm. Several numerical results illustrating and extending the theory are also nresented.

Minimal Lagrangian submanifolds of the complex hyperquadric

We introduce a structural approach to study Lagrangian submanifolds of the complex hyperquadric in arbitrary dimension by using its family of non-integrable almost product structures.In particular,we define local angle functions encoding the geometry of the Lagrangian submanifold at hand.We prove that these functions are constant in the special case that the Lagrangian immersion is the Gauss map of an isoparametric hypersurface of a sphere and give the relation with the constant principal curvatures of the hypersurface.We also use our techniques to classify all minimal Lagrangian submanifolds of the complex hyperquadric which have constant sectional curvatures and all minimal Lagrangian submanifolds for which all local angle functions,respectively all but one,coincide.