Impact of MenAfriVac on Meningococcal A Meningitis in Cameroon: A Retrospective Study Using Case-by-Case-Based Surveillance Data from 2009 to 2015.

Meningococcal meningitis is a public health concern in Africa. Conjugated vaccine against serogroup A Neisseria meningitidis (MenAfriVac) was used in mass vaccination and was proved to have a good impact in the meningitis belt. There is a lack of information about the impact of this intervention in Cameroon after mass vaccination was undertaken. This study aimed at filling the gap in its unknown impact in Cameroon. A retrospective longitudinal study using biological monitoring data of case-by-case-based surveillance for meningitis was obtained from the National Reference Laboratories from 1 January 2009 to 20 September 2015. Immunization coverage data were obtained from Regional Public Health Delegations where immunizations took place. We compared the risks of vaccine serogroup occurrence before and after vaccinations and calculated the global impact using Halloran's formula. Annual cases of meningitis A decreased gradually from 92 in 2011 to 34 in 2012 and then to 1 case in 2013, and since 2014, no cases have been detected. The impact was estimated at 14.48% (p=0.41) in 2012 and then at 98.63% (p < 0.0001) after the end of vaccinations in 2013. This survey confirms the effectiveness of the MenAfriVac vaccine in Cameroon as expected by the WHO. The surveillance must be pursued and enhanced to monitor coming immunizations measures with multivalent conjugated vaccines for this changing threat.

Breast cancer awareness and screening practice amongst health personnel and general population of the littoral region of Cameroon.

Introduction: Late diagnosis has been observed as the hallmark of breast cancer in Cameroonian women where over 70% of patients report with either stage III or IV of the disease, with high mortality and dire socioeconomic consequences. The present study was undertaken to assess the awareness of breast cancer, warning signs and screening methods among Health professionals and general population of Douala. Methods: Participants included in this study were health practitioners and women randomly selected and enrolled in six health facilities in the city of Douala, Littoral Region, Cameroon. A self-administered questionnaire was designed for each group and aimed at assessing their knowledge about breast cancer, warning signs and screening practices. Then, 616 women underwent breast palpation, followed by fine needle aspiration (FNA) when a nodule was found. Results: Out of a total of 737 participants (121 health personnel and 616 women) interviewed, a majority (96.3%) were aware of the disease with the main source of information being the hospital (76.0%), media (47.1%) and vocational training schools (45.4%) for health personnel; medias (39.9%), health professionals (26.1%) and their entourage (21.9%) for the population. Health workforce presented suitable awareness of the risk factors for breast cancer and its clinical signs even though 37.1% of them had misconceptions and myth-based ideas on the origin of the disease. Both the population and health personnel were aware of the possibility of early screening for breast cancer and cited breast self-examination, clinical breast examination and mammography as screening techniques. Nonetheless, screening practice amongst all women is very poor and mainly due to ignorance, high cost of mammography, together with a lack of mastery of the BSE technique and the fear of actually discovering signs of the disease. Conclusion: Our findings show lack of awareness and low practice of breast cancer screening amongst women in Douala and highlight the need to raise awareness and provide the right information to the public for early detection of breast cancer.

Effect of Harvest Period on the Proximate Composition and Functional and Sensory Properties of Gari Produced from Local and Improved Cassava (Manihot esculenta) Varieties.

This study is aimed at evaluating the proximate composition and functional and sensory characteristics of gari obtained from five cassava varieties (EN, AD, TMS92/0326, TMS96/1414, and IRAD4115). These cassavas were harvested during the dry season 12 months after planting (12MAP) and in the rainy season (15MAP). Results showed that the characteristics of gari varied significantly (p < 0.05) with the variety and the harvest period. Gari from EN cassava harvested at 12MAP had the highest total carbohydrates (78.07% dry weight), starch (61%), and proteins content, while gari from TMS 96/1414 variety (12MAP) had high amino acids (10.25 mg/g) and phenolic compounds (9.31 mg/g) content. The gari from IRAD4115 had the highest value of ash content (20.62 mg/g) at 12MAP. The soluble sugar content was high in the gari from cassava harvested at 12MAP while free cyanide reduced significantly in gari from cassava harvested at 12MAP. The water absorption capacity, swelling power, and bulk density were significantly (p < 0.05) high in the gari from EN cassava variety at 12MAP. Compared to commercial gari (3.30), gari from EN local cassava had the best overall acceptability (4.35) followed by those obtained from TMS92/0326 and TMS92/1414 varieties, respectively.

Larvicidal and phytochemical properties of Callistemon rigidus R. Br. (Myrtaceae) leaf solvent extracts against three vector mosquitoes.

BACKGROUND & OBJECTIVES: Due to ever-growing insecticide resistance in mosquito vectors and environmental contamination by synthetic insecticides, plants may be a source of alternative agents for mosquito control. Therefore, the present investigation involved the determination of larvicidal and phytochemical properties of Callistemon rigidus leaf extracts against Anopheles gambiae, Aedes aegypti and Culex quinquefasciatus. METHODS: The standard protocol of WHO was used for larval tests. Twenty five IV instar larvae were exposed to various concentrations from 125-1000 ppm for methanol crude extract (MCE), hexane (HF), chloroform (CF), ethyl acetate (EAF) and methanol (MF) fractions, from 250-2000 ppm for aqueous extract (AE) and 2500 ppm for Diclorvos. The mortality was observed 24 h post-exposure. The LC50 and LC90 values were determined by Probit analysis. RESULTS: The phytochemical analysis revealed that the presence of alkaloids, steroids, saponins, terpenoids, tannins and phenolic compounds, lipids, fats and fixed oils in MCE; terpenoids, steroids, lipids, fats and fixed oils in HF; terpenoids in CF; tannins and phenolic compounds in EAF and alkaloids, tannins, saponins and phenolic compounds in MF. Against Ae. aegypti, HF was the most active fraction with LC50 of 56.25 ppm. Against An. gambiae, HF demonstrated its potential mosquito larvicide killing relatively all exposed larvae at all concentrations with LC50 of 17.11 ppm. Against Cx. quinquefasciatus, only MCE and HF exhibited larvicidal activity with LC50 of 447.38 and 721.95 ppm, respectively. INTERPRETATION & CONCLUSION: Callistemon rigidus exhibited some promising larvicidal activity against medically important vector mosquitoes. Studies are indicated to identify the active compounds from this plant for developing mosquito larvicides.

Normal hematopoiesis and hematologic malignancies: role of canonical Wnt signaling pathway and stromal microenvironment.

Wnts are a family of evolutionary-conserved secreted signaling molecules critically involved in a variety of developmental processes and in cell fate determination. A growing body of evidence suggests that Wnt signaling plays a crucial role in the influence of bone marrow stromal microenvironment on the balance between hematopoietic stem cell self-renewal and differentiation. Emerging clinical and experimental evidence also indicates Wnt signaling involvement in the disruption of the latter balance in hematologic malignancies, where the stromal microenvironment favors the homing of cancer cells to the bone marrow, as well as leukemia stem cell development and chemoresistance. In the present review, we summarize and discuss the role of the canonical Wnt signaling pathway in normal hematopoiesis and hematologic malignancies, with regard to recent findings on the stromal microenvironment involvement in these process and diseases.