Mixed influence of COVID-19 on primary maternal and child health services in sub-Saharan Africa: a scoping review.

Introduction: The COVID-19 pandemic profoundly affected the provision of and demand for routine health services in the world. The objective of this scoping review was to synthesize the influence of the COVID-19 pandemic on primary maternal and child health (MCH) services in sub-Saharan Africa. Methods: The studies searched original studies reporting on the influence of the COVID-19 pandemic on primary MCH services. Four scientific databases (Pubmed, AJOL, CAIRN, CINAHL) and one gray literature database (Google Scholar) were used for this search. We also searched through the snowball citation approach and study reference lists. Results: The influence of the COVID-19 pandemic on primary MCH services has been mixed in sub-Saharan Africa. Attendance at some health centers declined for antenatal care, deliveries, immunization, and pneumonia cases. Other health centers did not experience a significant influence of the pandemic on some of these services. In fact, antenatal care increased in a number of health centers. MCH service indicators which declined during COVID-19 were linked on the demand side to regulatory measures against COVID-19, the perceived unavailability of resources for routine services, the perceived negative attitude of staff in these facilities, the perceived transmission risk in primary health care facilities and the perceived anticipated stigma. On the supply side, factors included the lack of equipment in primary facilities, the lack of guidelines for providing care in the pandemic context, the regulatory measures against COVID-19 taken in these facilities, and the lack of motivation of providers working in these facilities. Conclusion: This study recommends prioritizing the improvement of infection prevention measures in primary health care facilities for resilience of MCH indicators to epidemic crises. Improvement efforts should be tailored to the disparities in preventive measures between health centers. The identification of best practices from more resilient health centers could better guide these efforts.

Structural characterization and rheological properties of a galactomannan from Astragalus gombo Bunge seeds harvested in Algerian Sahara.

A water soluble polysaccharide (WSP) was extracted and purified from Astragalus gombo seeds (Fabaceae) harvested in Septentrional Sahara (Ouargla, Algeria) with a yield of 6.8% (w/w of the dry seed ground). It was characterized by gas chromatography coupled to the mass spectrometry (GC-MS), size exclusion chromatography with Multi-Angle Light Scattering analysis (SEC-MALLS), high-resolution 1H and 13C NMR, and rheological measurements. The structural characterization indicated that this WSP fraction is a galactomannan with a mannose/galactose ratio of 1.7 formed by a backbone of ß-(1,4)-d-mannopyranosyl residues (63%) substituted at O-6 position by a single α-galactopyranose residue (37%). SEC-MALLS analysis revealed that this galactomannan has an average molecular mass (Mw) of 1.1×106g/mol, an intrinsic viscosity of 860mL/g and, a random coil conformation structure. Rheological analysis in semi diluted regimes shown pseudo-plastic and viscoelastic behaviour.

Scorpionism in Sidi Okba, Algeria: a cross-sectional study of 2016 stung patients between 2014 and 2015.

The present cross-sectional study aimed to highlight some epidemiological and clinical features of scorpion stings in Sidi Okba, Algeria. The 2016 designed questionnaires for stung patients admitted between January 2014 and December 2015 in the different care units affiliated to public health care establishment Sidi Okba were reviewed and analysed. The analysis revealed that scorpion stings occur mainly in rural areas (66.1%), outside dwellings (54.2%), are observed round the clock throughout the year with the highest seasonal incidence in summer (43.2%). There were approximately 11 stings per year per 1000 inhabitants. Males were more affected than females with 62.5% of recorded stings. Almost half of the victims were aged between 20 and 40 years old and the most prone human body areas to stings were the upper and lower limbs (93.7%). The majority of cases (99%) were classified as mild and systemic toxicity was observed in 19 cases including two deaths. An efficient management of scorpion envenomation requires an active involvement of the public in decision-making processes along with the development of intersectoral actions. Scorpionism, as a health issue, requires not only more attention from scholars and researchers, but also multidisciplinary scientific collaboration.

Wedge Dyakonov Waves and Dyakonov Plasmons in Topological Insulator Bi2Se3 Probed by Electron Beams.

Bi2Se3 has recently attracted a lot of attention because it has been reported to be a platform for the realization of three-dimensional topological insulators. Due to this exotic characteristic, it supports excitations of a two-dimensional electron gas at the surface and, hence, formation of Dirac-plasmons. In addition, at higher energies above its bandgap, Bi2Se3 is characterized by a naturally hyperbolic electromagnetic response, with an interesting interplay between type-I and type-II hyperbolic behaviors. However, still not all the optical modes of Bi2Se3 have been explored. Here, using mainly electron energy-loss spectroscopy and corresponding theoretical modeling we investigate the full photonic density of states that Bi2Se3 sustains, in the energy range of 0.8 eV-5 eV. We show that at energies below 1 eV, this material can also support wedge Dyakonov waves. Furthermore, at higher energies a huge photonic density of states is excited in structures such as waveguides and resonators made of Bi2Se3 due to the hyperbolic dispersion.

Dimensional crossover in the quantum transport behaviour of the natural topological insulator Aleksite.

Three-dimensional topological insulators comprise topologically protected surface states displaying massless, Dirac-like linear dispersion with spin-momentum locking. Electrical conduction through such surface states has been documented to manifest itself in a two-dimensional character of the angle-dependent magnetotransport behavior. Here, we explore the size-dependent electronic properties of nanostructures made of the lead-containing mineral Aleksite, a naturally occurring topological insulator. Compared to its sister compound Kawazulite, a member of the well-studied Tetradymite crystal class, the crystal structure of Aleksite is distinguished by its lack of any counterpart within the group of synthetic topological insulators. Low temperature Hall measurements on thin Aleksite nanosheets reveal a significant carrier mobility on the order of 1000 cm(2)/(Vs), and a high carrier density of n = 3.9 × 10(25) m(-3). Importantly, for Aleksite nanoribbons with a width below 150 nm, a 1D weak antilocalization effect along with 1D universal conductance fluctuations emerges, which transforms into 2D behavior for larger ribbon widths.

[Dynamic palatography: Diagnostic tool for dysfunc­tional swallowing? Feasibility study].

Objective: Dysfunctional swallowing may cause transverse occlusal disorders. The speech re-education of dysfunctional swallowing aims to correct or prevent the recurrence of occlu­sal disorders. The main objective was to test the dynamic palato­graphy as a diagnosis and quantification tool of the dysfunctional swallowing. Material and methods: The study was prospective and descriptive. Twelve average 23.5 years old women with a clinical dysfunctional swallowing have been included between January and May 2014. None was aware of presenting an atypical swallowing or dento-facial dysmorphism of class II. The dynamic palatography device measured the pressure force of the language on the palate during the lingual rest, swallowing saliva and water. Parameters measured were the duration and magnitude of support of the tongue on the palate. Results: Dynamic palatography showed a trend to predominant anterior contact during rest position (25%), and lower position of the language with little contact during swallo­wing of saliva and water. Discussion: Palatography results are consistent with the clinical diagnostic criteria of atypical swallo­wing. Our palatography tool has the advantage of being unobtrusive in the mouth compared to other pre existing systems. This device should be tested on larger patient popu­la­tions and could enable monitore atypical swallowing rehabili­ta­tion efficiency. The palatography could complete the swallo­wing assessment and be a monitoring and rehabilitation tool in real time.

[Study of tongue pressure on the hard palate during exercises of swallowing rehabilitation]. / Etude de la pression de la langue sur le palais osseux au cours desexercices de rééducation de la déglutition.

INTRODUCTION: The exercises performed during the reeducation of swallowing seek to improve forces of propulsion of the bolus and airway protection during the course of swallowing. The objective of this study was to objectify the effect of pronunciation praxis of posterior phonemes /aka/ and /akra/, and swallowing maneuvers (super-supraglottic swallow with or without superimposed effort swallowing effort) on the time of the oral swallowing. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Four healthy volunteers participated in the experiment. They are called "experts" because they have a good knowledge of physiology and rehabilitation of swallowing. The dynamic palatography setup measured continuously the different pressures from the tongue on the hard palate through three force sensors arranged in a sagittal plane during the implementation of articulatory and swallowing tasks. RESULTS: Articulatory praxis created significant pressure on the posterior sensor for 2 of the 4 subjects. All the swallowing maneuvers increased the contact pressure and the contact duration compared to the control swallowing for the anterior and posterior pressure sensor. A large inter-individual variability was found. CONCLUSION: The complexity of instruction, the inter-individual variability in their performance, and the non-invasive nature of the instrument make the dynamic palatography a potentially useful tool in routine practice of swallowing reeducation.

Reactive chemical doping of the Bi2Se3 topological insulator.

Using angular resolved photoemission spectroscopy we studied the evolution of the surface electronic structure of the topological insulator Bi(2)Se(3) as a function of water vapor exposure. We find that a surface reaction with water induces a band bending, which shifts the Dirac point deep into the occupied states and creates quantum well states with a strong Rashba-type splitting. The surface is thus not chemically inert, but the topological state remains protected. The band bending is traced back to Se abstraction, leaving positively charged vacancies at the surface. Because of the presence of water vapor, a similar effect takes place when Bi(2)Se(3) crystals are left in vacuum or cleaved in air, which likely explains the aging effect observed in the Bi(2)Se(3) band structure.

[Tuberculosis morbidity between 1982 and 1990 in Algiers]. / La morbidité tuberculeuse de 1982 à 1990 en Algérie.

Information on notified tuberculosis cases collected by the Algerian Ministry of Health and Social Affairs (Ministère de la Santé et des Affaires Sociales Algérien) from 1982-1990 show that 13,916 cases were notified in 1982 and 10,864 in 1990, of which 67%-71% were cases of pulmonary tuberculosis (TP) and 25-29% cases of extrapulmonary tuberculosis (TEP). New cases of smear-positive TP represented 49-55.4% of all cases and the majority of TP (69-79% depending on the year). These forms particularly affected men aged between 20 and 39 and both men and women over the age of 60. The annual incidence of tuberculosis of all forms fell by 40.3% in 9 years, from 72 cases per 100,000 in 1982 to 43 cases in 1990. Similarly, the annual incidence of smear-positive TP fell from 32 per 100,000 to 22 cases (a decline of 37%), and mainly affected the age group 20-39 years. Lymphadenitis remained the most common TEP (a total of 32% in 1990), the fall in incidence of which was similar to that of TP, although slightly less marked. Whilst a firm diagnosis of new TP cases is provided mainly by direct smear examination, TEP are unfortunately rarely confirmed. The HIV pandemic, which has hardly touched Algeria as yet, does not for the moment play a significant role in tuberculosis morbidity in the community.