Tree mycorrhizal associations determine how biodiversity,large trees,and environmental factors drive aboveground carbon stock in temperate forests

Biodiversity,large trees,and environmental conditions such as climate and soil have important effects on forest carbon stocks.However,recent studies in temperate forests suggest that the relative importance of these factors depends on tree mycorrhizal associations,whereby large-tree effects may be driven by ectomycorrhizal(EM)trees,diversity effects may be driven by arbuscular mycorrhizal(AM)trees,and environment effects may depend on differential climate and soil preferences of AM and EM trees.To test this hypothesis,we used forest-inventory data consisting of over 80,000 trees from 631 temperate-forest plots(30 m×30 m)across Northeast China to examine how biodiversity(species diversity and ecological uniqueness),large trees(top 1%of tree diameters),and environmental factors(climate and soil nutrients)differently regulate aboveground carbon stocks of AM trees,EM trees,and AM and EM trees combined(i.e.total aboveground carbon stock).We found that large trees had a positive effect on both AM and EM tree carbon stocks.However,biodiversity and environmental factors had opposite effects on AM vs.EM tree carbon stocks.Specifically,the two components of biodiversity had positive effects on AM tree carbon stocks,but negative effects on EM tree carbon stocks.Environmental heterogeneity(mean annual temperature and soil nutrients)also exhibited contrasting effects on AM and EM tree carbon stocks.Consequently,for the total carbon stock,the positive large-tree effect far surpasses the diversity and environment effect.This is mainly because when integrating AM and EM tree carbon stock into total carbon stock,the opposite diversity-effect(also environment-effect)on AM vs.EM tree carbon stock counteracts each other while the consistent positive large-tree effect on AM and EM tree carbon stock is amplified.In summary,this study emphasized a mycorrhizal viewpoint to better understand the determinants of overarching aboveground carbon profile across regional forests.

Casual associations between blood metabolites and colon cancer

BACKGROUND Limited knowledge exists regarding the casual associations linking blood metabolites and the risk of developing colorectal cancer.AIM To investigate causal associations between blood metabolites and colon cancer.METHODS The study utilized a two-sample Mendelian randomization(MR)analysis to investigate the causal impact of 486 blood metabolites on colorectal cancer.The primary method of analysis used was the inverse variance weighted model.To further validate the results several sensitivity analyses were performed,including Cochran's Q test,MR-Egger intercept test,and MR robust adjusted profile score.These additional analyses were conducted to ensure the reliability and robustness of the findings.RESULTS After rigorous selection for genetic variation,486 blood metabolites were included in the MR analysis.We found Mannose[odds ratio(OR)=2.09(1.10-3.97),P=0.024],N-acetylglycine[OR=3.14(1.78-5.53),P=7.54×10^(-8)],X-11593-O-methylascorbate[OR=1.68(1.04-2.72),P=0.034],1-arachidonoylglycerophosphocholine[OR=4.23(2.51-7.12),P=6.35×10^(-8)]and 1-arachidonoylglycerophosphoethanolamine 4[OR=3.99(1.17-13.54),P=0.027]were positively causally associated with colorectal cancer,and we also found a negative causal relationship between Tyrosine[OR=0.08(0.01-0.63),P=0.014],Urate[OR=0.25(0.10-0.62),P=0.003],N-acetylglycine[0.73(0.54-0.98),P=0.033],X-12092[OR=0.89(0.81-0.99),P=0.028],Succinylcarnitine[OR=0.48(0.27-0.84),P=0.09]with colorectal cancer.A series of sensitivity analyses were performed to confirm the rigidity of the results.CONCLUSION This study showed a causal relationship between 10 blood metabolites and colorectal cancer,of which 5 blood metabolites were found to be causal for the development of colorectal cancer and were confirmed as risk factors.The other five blood metabolites are protective factors.

Reform of the Irrigation Sector and Creation of Functional and Sustainable Irrigation Water Users Associations (AUEI) in Niger: Capitalization of the Experience of the Konni AHA

During the 1980s, as part of a policy of liberalization, following budgetary cuts linked to the implementation of structural adjustment programs, management responsibilities for AHAs were transferred from ONAHA to cooperatives concerned. Due to lack of financial resources, but also because of poor management, everywhere in Niger we are witnessing an accelerated deterioration of the irrigation infrastructure of hydro-agricultural developments. Institutional studies carried out on this situation led the State of Niger to initiate a reform of the governance of hydro-agricultural developments, by streng-thening the status of ONAHA, by creating an Association of Irrigation Water Users (AUEI) and by restructuring the old cooperatives. Indeed, this research aims to analyze the creation of functional and sustainable Irrigation Water User Associations (AUEI) in Niger in a context of reform of the irrigation sector, and based on the experience of the Konni AHA. It is based on a methodological approach which takes into account documentary research and the collection of data from 115 farmers, selected by reasoned choice and directly concerned by the management of the irrigated area. The data collected was analyzed and the results were analyzed using the systemic approach and the diagnostic process. The results show that the main mission of the AUEI is to ensure better management of water, hydraulic equipment and infrastructure on the hydro-agricultural developments of Konni. The creation of the Konni AUEI was possible thanks to massive support from the populations and authorities in the implementation process. After its establishment, the AUEI experienced a certain lethargy for some time due to the rehabilitation work of the AHA but currently it is functional and operational in terms of associative life and governance. Thus, the constraints linked to the legal system, the delay in the completion of the work, the uncertainties of access to irrigation water but also the problems linked to the change in mentality of certain ONAHA agents constitute the challenges that must be resolved in the short term for the operationalization of the Konni AUEI.

The Development and Experience of American Pharmaceutical Industry Associations and Its Enlightenment to China

Objective To study the development history and current situation of pharmaceutical industry associations in the United State and to provide reference for China’s pharmaceutical industry associations.Methods Literature research and comparative study were used to investigate the development history and current situation of pharmaceutical associations in the United States.Then,their characteristics and experiences were summarized.Some countermeasures and suggestions were put forward for the existing problems of pharmaceutical associations in China.Results and Conclusion The institutional environment of pharmaceutical associations in the United States is relatively good,reflecting the characteristics of emphasizing process management and neglecting entrance management with and the help of public supervision.At the same time,the government advocates market competition by adhering to the market-oriented services for the public.American pharmaceutical industry associations have strong innovation capacity and perfect credit system.Drawing on the experience of pharmaceutical industry associations in the United States,China should strengthen the construction of pharmaceutical industry associations.Firstly,the supervision mechanism should be improved.Secondly,these associations should have good partnerships with the government and offer the public the best services.Finally,the fund-raising mechanism of pharmaceutical industry associations should be optimized to ensure the innovative development of the pharmaceutical industry.

Logistic Weighted Profile-Based Bi-Random Walk for Exploring MiRNA-Disease Associations

MicroRNAs(miRNAs)exert an enormous influence on cell differentiation,biological development and the onset of diseases.Because predicting potential miRNA-disease associations(MDAs)by biological experiments usually requires considerable time and money,a growing number of researchers are working on developing computational methods to predict MDAs.High accuracy is critical for prediction.To date,many algorithms have been proposed to infer novel MDAs.However,they may still have some drawbacks.In this paper,a logistic weighted profile-based bi-random walk method(LWBRW)is designed to infer potential MDAs based on known MDAs.In this method,three networks(i.e.,a miRNA functional similarity network,a disease semantic similarity network and a known MDA network)are constructed first.In the process of building the miRNA network and the disease network,Gaussian interaction profile(GIP)kernel is computed to increase the kernel similarities,and the logistic function is used to extract valuable information and protect known MDAs.Next,the known MDA matrix is preprocessed by the weighted K-nearest known neighbours(WKNKN)method to reduce the number of false negatives.Then,the LWBRW method is applied to infer novel MDAs by bi-randomly walking on the miRNA network and the disease network.Finally,the predictive ability of the LWBRW method is confirmed by the average AUC of 0.9393(0.0061)in 5-fold cross-validation(CV)and the AUC value of 0.9763 in leave-one-out cross-validation(LOOCV).In addition,case studies also show the outstanding ability of the LWBRW method to explore potential MDAs.

Causal associations between inflammatory bowel disease and anxiety:A bidirectional Mendelian randomization study

BACKGROUND Anxiety is common in patients with inflammatory bowel disease(IBD),including those with ulcerative colitis(UC)and Crohn’s disease(CD);however,the causal relationship between IBD and anxiety remains unknown.AIM To investigate the causal relationship between IBD and anxiety by using bidirectional Mendelian randomization analysis.METHODS Single nucleotide polymorphisms retrieved from genome-wide association studies(GWAS)of the European population were identified as genetic instrument variants.GWAS statistics for individuals with UC(6968 patients and 20464 controls;adults)and CD(5956 patients and 14927 controls;adults)were obtained from the International IBD Genetics Consortium.GWAS statistics for individuals with anxiety were obtained from the Psychiatric Genomics Consortium(2565 patients and 14745 controls;adults)and FinnGen project(20992 patients and 197800 controls;adults),respectively.Inverse-variance weighted was applied to assess the causal relationship,and the results were strengthened by heterogeneity,pleiotropy and leave-one-out analyses.RESULTS Genetic susceptibility to UC was associated with an increased risk of anxiety[odds ratio:1.071(95%confidence interval:1.009-1.135),P=0.023],while genetic susceptibility to CD was not associated with anxiety.Genetic susceptibility to anxiety was not associated with UC or CD.No heterogeneity or pleiotropy was observed,and the leave-one-out analysis excluded the potential influence of a particular variant.CONCLUSION This study revealed that genetic susceptibility to UC was significantly associated with anxiety and highlighted the importance of early screening for anxiety in patients with UC.

Mechanistic associations between dietary patterns and colorectal cancer

Colorectal cancer(CRC)is a common cancer with high morbidity and mortality rates.Its occurrence and development are determined by many factors,including genetics,the environment,lifestyle,and so on.The occurrence of CRC is often accompanied by changes in the intestinal microenvironment.Numerous studies have focused on the association between dietary patterns,dietary components,and CRC now.This article reviews five different dietary patterns:the Western diet,the Mediterranean diet,the ketogenic diet,the Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension diet,and fasting,and themechanistic associations between their food components and CRC.The finding can provide a reference for further studies on the association between different dietary patterns and CRC and will help clinicians formulate reasonable and feasible dietary interventions.

Effects of excess high-normal alanine aminotransferase levels in relation to new-onset metabolic dysfunction-associated fatty liver disease:Clinical implications

In this editorial,we comment on the article by Chen et al recently published in 2024.We focus the debate on whether reducing the upper limit of normal of alanine aminotransferase(ALT)would effectively identify cases of fibrosis in metabolic-dysfunction associated fatty liver disease(MAFLD).This is important given the increasing prevalence of MAFLD and obesity globally.Currently,a suitable screening test to identify patients in the general population does not exist and most patients are screened after the finding of an abnormal ALT.The authors of this paper challenge the idea of what a normal ALT is and whether that threshold should be lowered,particularly as their study found that 83.12%of their study population with a diagnosis of MAFLD had a normal ALT.The main advantages of screening would be to identify patients and provide intervention early,the mainstay of this being changing modifiable risk factors and monitoring for liver fibrosis.However,there is not enough suitable therapeutic options available as of yet although this is likely to change in the coming years with more targets for therapy being discovered.Semaglutide is one example of this which has demonstrated benefit with an acceptable side effect profile for those patients with MAFLD and obesity,although studies have not yet shown a significant improvement in fibrosis regression.It would also require a huge amount of resource if a reduced ALT level alone was used as criteria;it is more likely that current scoring systems such as fibrosis-4 may be amended to represent this additional risk.Currently,there is not a good argument to recommend wide-spread screening with a reduced ALT level as this is unlikely to be cost-effective.This is compounded by the fact that there is a significant heterogeneity in what is considered a normal ALT between laboratories.Although studies previously have suggested a more pragmatic approach in screening those over the age of 60,this is likely to change with the increasing incidence of obesity within the younger age groups.The main message from this study is that those who have hypercholesterolemia and high body metabolic index should have these risk factors modified to maintain a lower level of ALT to reduce the risk of progression to fibrosis and cirrhosis.

Offering Smoking Cessation Support to Cancer Patients:The Role of Associations Providing Supportive Care in Cancer.Example of the Ligue Contre le Cancer Gironde

Aims:This article aims to explore the interventional and contextual components of smoking cessation support for cancer patients in the context of supportive care in cancer provided by an association,that is viable and effective in the French context,and to describe the partnership research process in which they were developed.Procedure:The intervention was developed from a dataset collected during a viability study for the development of a smoking cessation intervention carried out at the Ligue Contre le Cancer Gironde,a scoping review of evidence-based interventions and two narrative reviews on the determinants and ethical issues of smoking cessation in cancer.Results:The results confirmed a tangible opportunity to develop smoking cessation services within the relevant case because of the obstacles that can be overcome,the facilitators that can be mobilized,and the gaps existing in this field.In addition,they enabled the design of an intervention adapted to the context,guided by a voluntarist,multidisciplinary approach,and focused on patients’well-being.Conclusion:The associations providing supportive care in cancer can initiate and participate in the process of smoking cessation.They can play a key role in mediating between oncology and addictology.

MDA-TOEPGA:A novel method to identify miRNA-disease association based on two-objective evolutionary programming genetic algorithm

The association between miRNA and disease has attracted more and more attention.Until now,existing methods for identifying miRNA related disease mainly rely on top-ranked association model,which may not provide a full landscape of association between miRNA and disease.Hence there is strong need of new computational method to identify the associations from miRNA group view.In this paper,we proposed a framework,MDA-TOEPGA,to identify miRNAdisease association based on two-objective evolutionary programming genetic algorithm,which identifies latent miRNAdisease associations from the view of functional module.To understand the miRNA functional module in diseases,the case study is presented.We have been compared MDA-TOEPGA with several state-of-the-art functional module algorithm.Experimental results showed that our method cannot only outperform classical algorithms,such as K-means,IK-means,MCODE,HC-PIN,and ClusterONE,but can also achieve an ideal overall performance in terms of a composite score consisting of f1,Sensitivity,and Accuracy.Altogether,our study showed that MDA-TOEPGA is a promising method to investigate miRNA-disease association from the landscapes of functional module.

Genome-wide associations, polygenic risk, and Mendelian randomization reveal limited interactions between John Henryism and cynicism

BACKGROUND John Henryism(JH)is a strategy for dealing with chronic psychological stress characterized by high levels of physical effort and work.Cynicism is a belief that people are motivated primarily by self-interest.High scores on the JH scale and cynicism measures correlate with an increased risk of cardiovascular disease.High cynicism is also a hallmark of burnout syndrome,another known risk factor for heart disease.AIM To evaluate possible interactions between JH and cynicism hoping to clarify risk factors of burnout.METHODS We analyzed genetic and psychological data available from the Database of Genotypes and Phenotypes for genome-wide associations with these traits.We split the total available samples and used plink to perform the association studies on the discovery set(n=1852,80%)and tested for replication using the validation set(n=465).We used scikit-learn to perform supervised machine learning for developing genetic risk algorithms.RESULTS We identified 2,727,and 204 genetic associations for scores on the JH,cynicism and cynical distrust(CD)scales,respectively.We also found 173 associations with high cynicism,109 with high CD,but no associations with high JH.We also produced polygenic classifiers for high cynicism using machine learning with areas under the receiver operator characteristics curve greater than 0.7.CONCLUSION We found significant genetic components to these traits but no evidence of an interaction.Therefore,while there may be a genetic risk,JH is not likely a burnout risk factor.

Prevalence of Hepatitis B and Associated Factors in the Garoua Central Prison, Cameroon: A Cross-Sectional Study

Introduction: Hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection is a major public health problem in Cameroon. Garoua city is the headquarters of the North Region of Cameroon, where the HBV prevalence is among the highest of the country. The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of HBsAg carriage and associated factors among persons incarcerated in the Garoua Central Prison. Methods: It was a cross-sectional study conducted from July 1 to July 31, 2023 at the Garoua Central prison. We included all prisoners willing to participate in the study and who gave their verbal consent. We collected data using a pre-established data entry form and we used rapid test for blood screening for HBV surface antigen (HBs Ag) with ELISA confirmation. Data were analyzed using the R® software for Windows. After the univariate analysis, we selected associated variables to HBV infection with p-value p-value was set at 5%. Results: We included 1389 prisoners out of which 97.6% were male. The median age (IQR) of the study population was 28 (23 - 35) years. The median (IQR) duration of incarceration was 12 (6 - 26) months and the mean (±sd) number of incarcerations was 1.24 (±0.6). HBV prevalence was estimated at 14.8% (95% CI: 13.0 - 16.7). Upon uni- and multivariate analysis, no risk factor was significantly associated with viral hepatitis B infection in our study population. Conclusion: The prevalence of Hepatitis B was high in the Garoua Central Prison, but there were no additional risk factors for HBV infection. There is a need to include the Garoua Central Prison and by the way other prisons in the country in the chronic viral hepatitis care program.

Associated Factors to Poor Blood Pressure Control in Hypertensives Followed Up at the Campus University Hospital of Lome (Togo)

Introduction: Hypertension is a real public health issue and its control is very difficult. We aim to determine the frequency of uncontrolled hypertension in hypertensive patients followed up as an outpatient at the campus university hospital of Lome (Togo) and to search for the associated factors. Methodology: The study was cross-sectional, descriptive and analytical, carried out from February (2022) to August 2022 in 260 hypertensive patients aged 22 years old, followed up (on an) as an outpatient for at least 3 months at the Lome University Hospital campus. A univariate then multivariate analysis were conducted in order to highlight the most common factors significantly linked to uncontrolled. Results: The mean age of hypertensives was 56.4 ± 12.7 years, the sex ratio (M/F) was 0.59. Prevalence of uncontrolled blood pressure was 42%. Associated Factors to poor blood pressure control in our study were age > 60 years (OR = 1.6 CI [1.17 - 2.50]), low socio-economic level (OR = 2.2 CI [1.96 - 4.33]), high cardiovascular risk level (OR = 3.1 CI [2.18 - 4.52]), non-adherence to regular blood pressure monitoring (OR = 3.3 CI [2.21 - 5.55]), low compliance to treatment (OR = 4.1 CI [2.33 - 6.76]) and a chronic renal failure (OR = 2.1 CI [1.21 - 3.10]). Conclusion: Nearly half of the hypertensives in our study had poorly controlled blood pressure by antihypertensive treatment medication. The factors of this poor control were age > 60 years, low socio-economic level, high or very high level of cardiovascular risk, low compliance to treatment, and renal failure.

Factors Associated with Renal Impairment in Patients on Tenofovir for Chronic Hepatitis B in Yaoundé (Cameroon)

Background: Tenofovir (TFV) is widely used to treat patients with hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection. But kidney abnormalities are the main concern using this drug. Few studies have described the renal impairment due to the TFV in chronic hepatitis B (CHB) in Sub-Saharan Africa. The objective was to evaluate factors associated with renal impairment observed in patients on TFV for CHB. Method: It was a hospital based cross sectional prospective study carried out from June 2023 to July 2023 in Yaoundé (Cameroon) and included any patient treated with TFV for CHB during at least a period of 6 months. For each participant, we collected in the medical report socio-demographic data, clinical data, baseline creatinine, treatment information (type of TFV which was Disoproxil Fumarate (TDF) or Alafenamide (TAF), duration). Then, we collected blood samples to measure serum creatinine and phosphate levels and urine dipstick analysis. Factors associated with renal impairment were assessed with the Odds Ratio. A p value of Results: A total of 60 participants were included. The median age was 44 years [36-55] and median duration of TFV therapy was 17.5 months [11.7-25.7]. The prevalence of reduced eGFR (Conclusion: Kidney function was impaired in some patients receiving TFV for CHB. It should be monitored, particularly after 36 months and for those receiving TDF prodrug.

Depression and Suicidal Risk in HIV-Infected Adults at Brazzaville University Hospital: Prevalence and Associated Factors

Introduction: Highly active antiretroviral tritherapies have improved the quality of life of people living with HIV (PVVIH) and extended their life expectancy. However, the nervous system is faced with a neurotropic virus that evolves chronically, sometimes creating neurological disorders directly or indirectly linked to stigmatization or therapeutic effects. Objective: to determine the prevalence of depression associated with suicidal risk (SR) and identify associated factors. Patients and method: This was a prospective descriptive and analytical study from January 1 to November 30, 2022, including all HIV-positive patients receiving or not receiving antiretroviral therapy. The study took place in the infectious diseases department of Brazzaville University Hospital. This department has an inpatient capacity of 36 beds, and an outpatient capacity of 25 patients per day, three times a week. This is the largest center for PVVIH in Brazzaville. The Patient Heath Questionnaire 9 (PHQ-9) was used to assess the degree of depression and suicidal risk. Therapeutic adherence was assessed using the Morisky questionnaire. Data were analyzed using SPSS version 23 software. Qualitative variables were expressed as numbers and percentages, and quantitative variables as means and standard deviations. Statistical tests were used according to their applicability criteria. For all tests, the significance threshold was set at 0.05. Results: A total of 150 patients were consulted, constituting the sample size. The prevalence of depression and suicidal risk was 32%. These patients had an average age of 42.83 ± 10.24 years, were female (n = 101;67.3%), Christian (n = 97;64%), single (n = 68;45.3%). Stigmatization (n = 75;50%) was the reason for attempted suicide. HIV was perceived as treatable (n = 103;68.7%), unlucky (n = 62;41.3%). Patients were WHO stage 1 (n = 105;70%). RS was present in 47 cases (31.3%). Factors associated with depression and suicidal risk were age (p = 0.000), residence (p = 0.028), suicide attempt (p = 0.000), desire to procreate (p = 0.000) and ARV (antiretrovirals) side effects (p Conclusion: The prevalence of depression and suicidal risk was high, in line with stigma and socio-economic conditions. The associated factors were in line with those identified in the literature. Mental health needs to be integrated into the overall care of people living with HIV.

A micro-crosslinked amphoteric hydrophobic association copolymer as high temperature-and salt-resistance fluid loss reducer for water-based drilling fluids

During ultradeep oil and gas drilling,fluid loss reducers are highly important for water-based drilling fluids,while preparing high temperature-and salt-resistance fluid loss reducers with excellent rheology and filtration performance remains a challenge.Herein,a micro-crosslinked amphoteric hydrophobic association copolymer(i.e.,DADC)was synthesized using N,N-dimethyl acrylamide,diallyl dimethyl ammonium chloride,2-acrylamido-2-methylpropane sulfonic acid,hydrophobic monomer,and pentaerythritol triallyl ether crosslinker.Due to the synergistic effects of hydrogen bonds,electrostatic interaction,hydrophobic association,and micro-crosslinking,the DADC copolymer exhibited outstanding temperature-and salt-resistance.The rheological experiments have shown that the DADC copolymer had excellent shear dilution performance and a certain degree of salt-responsive viscosity-increasing performance.The DADC copolymer could effectively adsorb on the surface of bentonite particles through electrostatic interaction and hydrogen bonds,which bring more negative charge to the bentonite,thus improving the hydration and dispersion of bentonite particles as well as the colloidal stability of the drilling fluids.Moreover,the drilling fluids constructed based on the DADC copolymer exhibited satisfactory rheological and filtration properties(FLHTHP=12 m L)after aging at high temperatures(up to200℃)and high salinity(saturated salt)environments.Therefore,this work provided new insights into designing and fabricating high-performance drilling fluid treatment agents,demonstrating good potential applications in deep and ultradeep drilling engineering.

Short, Medium, and Long-Term Stroke Mortality in Libreville and Associated Factors

Strokes are common around the world and especially in sub-Saharan Africa. They are responsible for severe sequelae and the majority of deaths. In Gabon, no study on stroke mortality has been conducted. Objective: To determine short, medium, long-term mortality and factors associated with long-term stroke mortality. Method: Our study took place in the Neurology Department of the University Hospital Center of Libreville (UHCL). It was a historical cohort study with descriptive and analytical purposes covering the period from June 1 to August 31, 2018 and taking into account hospitalized patients from January 1, 2013 to December 31, 2017. We conducted a comprehensive systematic recruitment of patients with stroke, 18 years old and more, and had been agreed to give information. We included all patients meeting the inclusion criteria. The data was gathered using Epi-Info 7 software. The CHI-2 test was used for the comparison of frequencies and the Student’s test, for comparison of means. Multivariate analysis with logistic regression allowed us to look for factors associated with long-term mortality. A result was statistically significant for a p 0.05 value. Results: At 3 months, 28 patients (18.1%) died, at 6 months thirty-one patients or 20.1% died. At 5 years old, fifty-three patients or 34.4% had died. The factors associated with long-term mortality, if the lost of sight were all alive were tobacco (p = 0.01) and stroke (p = 0.008). If all those who were lost to sight had died, no factor was associated with 5-year mortality. Conclusion: Stroke mortality must not be taken for granted, it can be underestimated because of the large number of lost sight. Measures must be put in place to strengthen post-stroke monitoring. .

Epidemiological, Clinical Aspects and Factors Associated with Typical Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease in the General Population of Parakou, Republic of Benin

Introduction: Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) is a benign and chronic disease that can impair the quality of life. Objective: To study the epidemiological, clinical aspects and factors associated with typical GERD in the general population of Parakou in the Republic of Benin. Methods: This was a descriptive and analytical cross-sectional study with prospective data collection which took place from May 1, 2019 to June 30, 2019. The study population consisted of any subject aged at least 15 years and living in Parakou. Subjects aged at least 15 years, present on the day of the survey and having given their free and informed verbal consent were included. The Short form of QRS®(Reflux-Qual Short form) questionnaire and the “Hospital Anxiety and Depression” score were used to assess the quality of life and anxiety/depression, respectively. The sampling was probabilistic through a 2-stage cluster sampling. The variable of interest was the presence of GERD. Results: Out of 390 subjects surveyed, 28 had symptoms of typical GERD, representing a prevalence of 7.18%. The average age of these subjects was 27.11 ± 7.88 years. Fifteen subjects (53.57%) were male, giving a sex ratio of 1.15. Fourteen (50%) had a secondary level of education, 12 (42.86%) were pupils/students, 18 (64.29%) were single. The monthly income of 22 subjects (78.57%) was lower than the guaranteed interprofessional minimum wage (40,000 FCFA). The average duration of progression of symptoms was 15.89 ± 4.97 months. Symptoms occurred less than twice a week in 22 subjects (78.57%). The clinical manifestations were both diurnal and nocturnal in 12 subjects (42.86%). None of the 28 subjects with GERD had clinical warning signs. Asthma, diabetes, consumption of high fat or spice foods, carbonated drinks, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, alcoholic beverages and tobacco were statistically associated with the occurrence of GERD. Each of the 28 subjects had at least one associated factor. A significant impair in quality of life was observed in 27 patients (96.43%). Conclusion: Typical GERD is relatively common in the general population of Parakou in the Republic of Benin. It often affects young males. Among the risk factors identified, the most common are carbonated drinks, spicy meals and diabetes. GERD significantly impairs quality of life. Raising awareness about the disease and its associated factors is necessary among the general population.

Study of Factors Associated with Knowledge, Attitudes and Practices Regarding Rabies in the Commune of Niakhéne in Senegal, in 2022

Introduction: Rabies is a serious disease, as it is always fatal, but it can be prevented by sero-vaccination. It is a neglected tropical disease endemic in Asia and Africa. The aim of this study was to assess knowledge, attitudes and practices regarding rabies and to determine the factors associated with them among people aged 18 and over in the commune of Niakhène. Methods: This was a cross-sectional, descriptive and analytical survey of subjects aged 18 and over living in the commune of Niakhène. A sample of 300 individuals was drawn from a two-stage cluster survey stratified by age and sex. Bivariate analysis was performed using association tests. Results: The mean age of respondents was 35.3 ± 16.9 years. It was noted that 67% (201) of respondents had a good knowledge of rabies. The results showed that 7.3% (22) of respondents owned a dog. Of the 278 people who did not own a dog, 78.4% (218) said they would have vaccinated their dog if they had had one. It should be noted that 83.7% (251) of respondents said they would go to a health facility if an animal bit them. None of the dog owners had vaccinated their dogs against rabies. Of the 41 people exposed to rabies, 39% went to a health facility. The age and education of the respondents had statistically significant associations with knowledge of rabies. Respondents’ age and education were statistically significantly related to whether they had vaccinated a domestic dog. The age, education and economic well-being quintile of respondents’ households had statistically significant associations with the use of a health facility in the event of being bitten or scratched by an animal vector. The education of respondents who had been bitten by an animal vector was statistically significantly associated with the use of a health facility. Conclusion: It would be imperative for human and animal health authorities to collaborate in a “One Health” approach in order to increase knowledge and promote the adoption of good practices in rabies prevention.

Spatial compartmentalization and temporal stability of associated microbiota in Pacific oyster Crassostrea gigas

The Pacific oyster Crassostrea gigas,one of the most exploited molluscs in the world,has suffered from massive mortality in recent decades,and the occurrence mechanisms have not been well characterized.In this study,to reveal the relationship of associated microbiota to the fitness of oysters,temporal dynamics of microbiota in the gill,hemolymph,and hepatopancreas of C.gigas during April 2018-January 2019 were investigated by 16 S rRNA gene sequencing.The microbiota in C.gigas exhibited tissue heterogeneity,of which Spirochaetaceae was dominant in the gill and hemolymph while Mycoplasmataceae enriched in the hepatopancreas.Co-occurrence network demonstrated that the gill microbiota exhibited higher inter-taxon connectivity while the hemolymph microbiota had more modules.The richness(Chao 1 index)and diversity(Shannon index)of microbial community in each tissue showed no significant seasonal variations,except for the hepatopancreas having a higher richness in the autumn.Similarly,beta diversity analysis indicated a relatively stable microbiota in each tissue during the sampling period,showing relative abundance of the dominant taxa exhibiting temporal dynamics.Results indicate that the microbial community in C.gigas showed a tissue-specific stability with temporal dynamics in the composition,which might be essential for the tissue functioning and environmental adaption in oysters.This work provides a baseline microbiota in C.gigas and is helpful for the understanding of host-microbiota interaction in oysters.