Statistical modeling of maximum temperature in Guinea.

A statistical analysis of maximum temperature from twelve weather stations in parts of Guinea is provided. Using maximum likelihood estimation, maximum temperature data was fitted by the Generalized Extreme Value distribution. Data from all of the twelve stations were adequately fit by the Generalized Extreme Value distribution. Return level estimates are provided. Significant trends in maximum temperature were found for four of the stations. The four stations exhibited significant positive trends at the 5% significance level.

Nitrate fertilization enhances manganese phytoextraction in Tanzania guinea grass: a novel hyperaccumulator plant?

Manganese (Mn) is essential for plants but very toxic at high rates. However, hyperaccumulators can tolerate high Mn concentrations in plant tissue, especially when properly fertilized with N. Tanzania guinea grass (Megathyrsus maximus Jacq.) has been indicated as metal tolerant and a good candidate for Mn phytoextraction due to its fast growth and high biomass. The objective was to evaluate the Mn hyperaccumulator potential of Tanzania guinea grass grown as affected by proportions of nitrate/ammonium (NO3-/NH4+). An experiment in a growth chamber with nutrient solution, combining NO3-/NH4+ proportions (100/0 and 70/30) and Mn rates (10, 500, 1500, and 3000 µmol L-1), was carried out. The highest Mn concentration was verified in plants grown with 100/0 NO3-/NH4+ and Mn at 3000 µmol L-1, reaching up to 5500 and 21,187 mg kg-1 in shoots and roots, respectively, an overall concentration of 13,345 mg kg-1. These numbers are typically seen in hyperaccumulators. At that combination, Mn accumulation in shoots was also the highest, reaching up to 76.2 mg per pot, a phytoextraction rate of 23.1%. Excess Mn increased both H2O2 concentration in roots and non-photochemical quenching and therefore decreased net photosynthesis, stomatal conductance, electron transport rate, and photochemical quenching. Nevertheless, proline concentration in roots affected by excess Mn was high and indicates its important role for mitigating stress since Mn rates did not even affect the dry biomass. Tanzania guinea grass is highly tolerant to excess Mn as much as a hyperaccumulator. However, to show all its potential, the grass needs to be supplied with N as NO3-. We indicate Tanzania guinea grass as a Mn hyperaccumulator plant.

Biomass production and uptake of sulfur, chromium and micronutrients by Tanzania guinea grass grown with sulfur and chromium.

Soil contamination caused by improper waste disposal can affect plant growth. Tropical forage plants have rapid growth, high biomass production and vigorous regrowth. Chromium (Cr) is one of the most common contaminants in the environment. Sulfur (S) is a nutrient involved in various cell detoxification processes. The objective was to assess the effects of excess Cr on biomass production and concentrations of this metal, S and cationic micronutrients, under conditions of varying supply of S for Tanzania guinea grass. The experiment was conducted in randomized complete blocks in a 3 × 4 factorial scheme, corresponding to three levels of S (0.1, 1.9 and 3.7 mmol L-1) and four levels of Cr (0.0, 0.5, 1.0 and 2.0 mmol L-1) in three replicates. Root surface area, shoot and root biomass production, concentrations of total S, sulfate-S, Cr and cationic micronutrients, and Cr transport factor were determined. S level of 1.9 mmol L-1 reduced the toxicity by Cr in Tanzania guinea grass, expressed by the higher shoot and root dry weight production, greater stability in the cellular concentration of sulfate-S and higher concentrations of micronutrients. It was concluded that the high availability of S reduced the toxicity by Cr(VI) in Tanzania guinea grass, expressed by the higher shoot and root dry weight production, greater stability in the cellular concentration of sulfate-S and higher concentration of micronutrients in the grass shoots.

Interferon in the treatment of ill adults with Covid-19 in the Republic of Guinea.

Background: Effective and safe antiviral treatments are required to refrain the COVID-19. Objectives: Investigate the efficacy and safety of interferon in the treatment of COVID-19. Methods: The inclusion criteria were patients who gave their signed consent, with detection confirmed by RT-PCR of SARS-CoV-2, 18 years and older. Patients received therapy as per the Guinea COVID-19 protocol in the group B; the group A received the same treatment including administration of interferon. The outcome measures the time to negative conversion of SARS-CoV-2, mortality, patients transferred to ICU and safety, according to the reports of adverse events. Results: 345 patients were included, 171 in the group A and 174 in the group B. After the treatments, the RT-PCR negative results were attained in the patients in the group A in 9.15±4.79 days and in those in the group B in 14.83±6.67 days. No patient in the group A had to be transferred to ICU, and they all survived; in the group B, 26 patients were transferred to ICU and six of them died. There were eight adverse events with causality relation with interferon administration. Conclusions: The interferon resulted effective and safe in contributing to the viral replication conversion to negative results in shorter time and to survival.

Highly Contiguous Genome Assemblies of the Guinea Paper Wasp (Polistes exclamans) and Mischocyttarus mexicanus.

Paper wasps are a model system for the study of social evolution due to a high degree of inter- and intraspecific variation in cooperation, aggression, and visual signals of social status. Increasing the taxonomic coverage of genomic resources for this diverse clade will aid comparative genomic approaches for testing predictions about the molecular basis of social evolution. Here, we provide draft genome assemblies for two well-studied species of paper wasps, Polistes exclamans and Mischocyttarus mexicanus. The P. exclamans genome assembly is 221.5 Mb in length with a scaffold N50 of 4.11 Mb. The M. mexicanus genome assembly is 227 Mb in length with a scaffold N50 of 1.1 Mb. Genomes have low repeat content (9.54-10.75%) and low GC content (32.06-32.4%), typical of other social hymenopteran genomes. The DNA methyltransferase gene, Dnmt3 , was lost early in the evolution of Polistinae. We identified a second independent loss of Dnmt3 within hornets (genus: Vespa).

Potassium reduces oxidative stress in tanzania guinea grass under cadmium toxicity.

Plants used for phytoextraction of metals need to tolerate toxicity conditions. Potassium (K) participates in physiological and biochemical processes that can alleviate toxicity by heavy metals, including cadmium (Cd). This study aimed to evaluate the effect of K on photosynthesis and on the changes in the antioxidant system of tanzania guinea grass [Panicum maximum Jacq. cv. Tanzania (syn. Megathyrsus maximus (Jacq,) B.K. Simon & S.W.L. Jacobs)] under Cd toxicity. Plants were grown in a greenhouse, in nutrient solution, in a randomized complete block design, arranged in a 3 × 4 factorial, with three replications. Plants were supplied with three K levels (0.4 [K deficiency], 6.0, and 11.6 mmol L-1) and exposed to four Cd levels (0.0, 0.5, 1.0, and 1.5 mmol L-1). Two plant growth periods were evaluated. High Cd level (1.5 mmol L-1) led to a reduction in net photosynthesis (76%) by causing low stomatal conductance and losses in quantum efficiency of photosystem II. However, high K supply (11.6 mmol L-1) increased the net photosynthesis by 15% in plants exposed to 1.0 mmol L-1 Cd, due to upregulation of proline synthesis. Cd toxicity resulted in increases in lipid peroxidation and hydrogen peroxide concentration (35 and 50%; 25 and 30%, at first and second harvest, respectively) and reduction by 80-100% in activity of the antioxidant enzymes: superoxide dismutase, catalase, ascorbate peroxidase, guaiacol peroxidase, and glutathione reductase in the shoots of the grass. However, the high K supply (11.6 mmol L-1) increased the activity of these enzymes (about 50-75%) and reduced lipid peroxidation (36%), restoring cellular homeostasis. Moreover, high K supply promoted a 25% increase in spermidine and spermine concentrations in the shoots. Therefore, K reduced the Cd-induced oxidative stress and increased the net photosynthesis in tanzania guinea grass by increasing the activity of antioxidant enzymes and proline and polyamines synthesis, which enhances the tolerance of this grass to Cd.

Silicon modulates copper absorption and increases yield of Tanzania guinea grass under copper toxicity.

Silicon (Si) is a beneficial element which was proven to enhance the tolerance of plants to excess metal in a given growth medium. However, the efficacy of Si in mitigating Cu toxicity in plants can vary between plant species and with the amount of copper (Cu) present in the soil/medium. An experiment was performed to investigate the role of Si in alleviating Cu toxicity in Tanzania guinea grass (Panicum maximum cv. Tanzania). The experimental design consisted on complete random blocks with tree replicates containing three Si rates (0, 1, and 3 mmol L-1) and four Cu rates (0.3, 250, 500, and 750 µmol L-1). The grass was grown for 62 days in a greenhouse under hydroponic conditions, with a total of 36 pots. Thirteen days after sowing, seedlings were transplanted to pots and grown for further 25 days, and then exposed to the set Cu rates for 7 days. The plants were also evaluated more for 30 days after the first harvesting. The results confirmed that the Si supply to Tanzania guinea grass can alleviate the effects of excessive Cu. Plant yield increased with Si supply and decreased with the increment of Cu rates in both growth periods. Copper concentration in diagnostic leaves (DL) and in roots, and Cu content in shoots and roots were higher in plants exposed to Cu of 750 µmol L-1 with no Si application than in other combinations. Besides reducing Cu concentration in plant tissues, the most important Si role was reducing the transport of Cu from roots to shoots, which allowed successive harvesting. Graphical abstract.

The Impact of a One-Dose versus Two-Dose Oral Cholera Vaccine Regimen in Outbreak Settings: A Modeling Study.

BACKGROUND: In 2013, a stockpile of oral cholera vaccine (OCV) was created for use in outbreak response, but vaccine availability remains severely limited. Innovative strategies are needed to maximize the health impact and minimize the logistical barriers to using available vaccine. Here we ask under what conditions the use of one dose rather than the internationally licensed two-dose protocol may do both. METHODS AND FINDINGS: Using mathematical models we determined the minimum relative single-dose efficacy (MRSE) at which single-dose reactive campaigns are expected to be as or more effective than two-dose campaigns with the same amount of vaccine. Average one- and two-dose OCV effectiveness was estimated from published literature and compared to the MRSE. Results were applied to recent outbreaks in Haiti, Zimbabwe, and Guinea using stochastic simulations to illustrate the potential impact of one- and two-dose campaigns. At the start of an epidemic, a single dose must be 35%-56% as efficacious as two doses to avert the same number of cases with a fixed amount of vaccine (i.e., MRSE between 35% and 56%). This threshold decreases as vaccination is delayed. Short-term OCV effectiveness is estimated to be 77% (95% CI 57%-88%) for two doses and 44% (95% CI -27% to 76%) for one dose. This results in a one-dose relative efficacy estimate of 57% (interquartile range 13%-88%), which is above conservative MRSE estimates. Using our best estimates of one- and two-dose efficacy, we projected that a single-dose reactive campaign could have prevented 70,584 (95% prediction interval [PI] 55,943-86,205) cases in Zimbabwe, 78,317 (95% PI 57,435-100,150) in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, and 2,826 (95% PI 2,490-3,170) cases in Conakry, Guinea: 1.1 to 1.2 times as many as a two-dose campaign. While extensive sensitivity analyses were performed, our projections of cases averted in past epidemics are based on severely limited single-dose efficacy data and may not fully capture uncertainty due to imperfect surveillance data and uncertainty about the transmission dynamics of cholera in each setting. CONCLUSIONS: Reactive vaccination campaigns using a single dose of OCV may avert more cases and deaths than a standard two-dose campaign when vaccine supplies are limited, while at the same time reducing logistical complexity. These findings should motivate consideration of the trade-offs between one- and two-dose campaigns in resource-constrained settings, though further field efficacy data are needed and should be a priority in any one-dose campaign.

A facility birth can be the time to start family planning: postpartum intrauterine device experiences from six countries.

Initiation of family planning at the time of birth is opportune, since few women in low-resource settings who give birth in a facility return for further care. Postpartum family planning (PPFP) and postpartum intrauterine device (PPIUD) services were integrated into maternal care in six low- and middle-income countries, applying an insertion technique developed in Paraguay. Facilities with high delivery volume were selected to integrate PPFP/PPIUD services into routine care. Effective PPFP/PPIUD integration requires training and mentoring those providers assisting women at the time of birth. Ongoing monitoring generated data for advocacy. The percentages of PPIUD acceptors ranged from 2.3% of women counseled in Pakistan to 5.8% in the Philippines. Rates of complications among women returning for follow-up were low. Expulsion rates were 3.7% in Pakistan, 3.6% in Ethiopia, and 1.7% in Guinea and the Philippines. Infection rates did not exceed 1.3%, and three countries recorded no cases. Offering PPFP/PPIUD at birth improves access to contraception.

Estresse osmótico na germinação de sementes de Petiveria alliacea L / Osmotic stress on seed germination of Petiveria alliacea L

RESUMOO trabalho teve como objetivo verificar os efeitos dos estresses hídrico e salino na germinação de sementes de Petiveria alliacea , bem como definir os limites máximos de tolerância da espécie a esses estresses. As sementes foram submetidas aos agentes osmóticos NaCl, CaCl2 e PEG nos potenciais à 0; -0,1; -0,2; -0,3; -0,4; -0,5; -0,6; -0,7; -0,8; -0,9 e -1,0 MPa sob temperatura constante de 25˚C e fotoperíodo de 12 horas, com avaliações diárias durante 30 dias. As variáveis analisadas foram porcentagem de germinação, índice de velocidade de germinação, tempo médio de germinação, índice de sincronização e frequência relativa da germinação. As sementes de P. alliacea sob estresse osmótico apresentam menor porcentagem e velocidade de germinação com a redução dos potencias osmóticos, principalmente com CaCl2. Em potenciais osmóticos mais negativos que -0,4; -0,5 e -0,7 MPa, respectivamente nos agentes CaCl2, NaCl, e PEG, não ocorre germinação. O padrão de distribuição da frequência relativa aumentou a polimodalidade, o tempo médio de germinação e o índice de sincronização da germinação com a redução dos potencias osmóticos.

ABSTRACTThe study aimed to investigate the effects of water and salt stress on seed germination of Petiveria alliacea, as well as to define the limits of tolerance of the species to these stresses. The seeds were subjected to osmotic agents NaCl, CaCl2 and PEG in the potential 0; -0.1; -0.2; -0.3; -0.4; -0.5; -0.6; -0.7; -0.8; -0.9 and -1.0 MPa at a constant temperature of 25˚C and a photoperiod of 12 hours, with daily assessments for 30 days. The variables studied were germination percentage, germination velocity index, middle fear germination, synchronization index and relative frequency of germination. The seeds of P. alliacea under osmotic stress had lower percentage and speed of germination with the reduction of the the osmotic potential, especially with CaCl2. At more negative osmotic potentials than -0.4; -0.5 and -0.7 MPa, respectively in the CaCl2, NaCl, and PEG agents, the germination does not occur. The distribution pattern of the relative frequency increased the several modalities, , the average time of germination and the germination index of synchronization with the reduction of osmotic potential.

[Stroke in paediatric patients with sickle-cell anaemia]. / Ictus en pacientes pediátricos con anemia falciforme.

INTRODUCTION: Sickle-cell anaemia is the severe homozygotic form of drepanocytosis, a genetic disorder that often occurs among black people and which is characterised by the production of haemoglobin S, chronic hemolytic anaemia and tissue ischaemia due to alterations in blood flow. A quarter of the patients presented neurological manifestations; 8-10% of children will have a stroke. AIM. To analyse the cases of stroke in children with sickle-cell anaemia in our centre. PATIENTS AND METHODS: We conducted a retrospective descriptive study of children with sickle-cell anaemia and stroke. RESULTS: Five patients (two Dominicans and three Guineans) with sickle-cell anaemia and stroke; one patient suffered two episodes of stroke. The mean age was 27 months. Five of the episodes were ischaemic infarctions. Stroke was the initial form of presentation of drepanocytosis on three occasions. Two of the strokes occurred within a context of pneumococcal meningitis. Four of the patients had previously reported fever. The initial clinical picture was hemiparesis in four cases. Mean haemoglobin on diagnosing the stroke was 6.5 g/dL. Transcranial ultrasound imaging revealed alterations in three patients and, in all the patients, magnetic resonance imaging revealed lesions, which were bilateral in half the cases. Following the stroke, a hypertransfusion regimen protocol was established and only one patient presented a new stroke. This same patient went on to develop moya-moya disease and was submitted to an indirect revascularisation; the patient progressed well, without presenting any new ischaemic events. CONCLUSIONS: Drepanocytosis is a disease that is emerging in our setting as a result of immigration. It should be suspected in cases of paediatric strokes associated to anaemia, above all in black children under the age of five who were not submitted to neonatal screening.

TITLE: Ictus en pacientes pediatricos con anemia falciforme.Introduccion. La anemia falciforme es la forma homocigota, grave, de drepanocitosis, un trastorno genetico, frecuente en raza negra, caracterizado por la produccion de hemoglobina S, anemia hemolitica cronica e isquemia tisular por alteracion del flujo sanguineo. Una cuarta parte de los pacientes presenta manifestaciones neurologicas; el 8-10% de los niños sufrira un ictus. Objetivo. Analizar los casos de ictus en niños con anemia falciforme en nuestro centro. Pacientes y metodos. Estudio descriptivo retrospectivo de niños con anemia falciforme e ictus. Resultados. Se recogieron cinco pacientes (dos dominicanos y tres guineanos) con anemia falciforme e ictus; un paciente sufrio dos episodios ictales. La edad media fue de 27 meses. Cinco episodios fueron infartos isquemicos. El ictus fue la forma de inicio de la drepanocitosis en tres ocasiones. Dos de los ictus ocurrieron en un contexto de meningitis neumococica. En cuatro pacientes hubo fiebre previa. La clinica inicial fue hemiparesia en cuatro casos. La hemoglobina media al diagnostico de ictus fue de 6,5 g/dL. En tres pacientes se hallaron alteraciones en la ecografia transcraneal y, en todos los pacientes, lesiones en la resonancia magnetica, que en la mitad eran bilaterales. Tras el ictus se inicio un protocolo de regimen hipertransfusional, y solo un paciente presento un nuevo ictus, que desarrollo un sindrome moya-moya y fue sometido a una revascularizacion indirecta, con buena evolucion, sin presentar nuevos eventos isquemicos posteriores. Conclusiones. La drepanocitosis es una enfermedad emergente en nuestro medio debido a la inmigracion. Debe sospecharse en ictus pediatricos asociados a anemia, sobre todo en menores de 5 años de raza negra no sometidos a cribado neonatal.

Use of antivenoms for the treatment of envenomation by Elapidae snakes in Guinea, Sub-Saharan Africa

Background In Guinea Elapids are responsible for 20% of envenomations. The associated case fatality rate (CFR) ranged 15-27%, irrespective of treatment. Results We studied 77 neurotoxic envenomations divided in 3 groups: a set of patients that received only traditional or symptomatic treatments, and two other groups that received either 2 or 4 initial vials of Antivipmyn® Africa renewed as necessary. CFR was 27.3%, 15.4% and 17.6%, respectively. Although antivenom treatment was likely to reduce CFR, it didn’t seem to have an obvious clinical benefit for the patients, suggesting a low treatment efficacy. Mean delay to treatment or clinical stages were not significantly different between the patients who recovered and the patients who died, or between groups. Interpretation of these results is complicated by the lack of systematic studies under comparable conditions. Of particular importance is the absence of assisted ventilation, available to patients in all the other clinical studies of neurotoxic envenomation. Conclusion The apparent lack of clinical benefit may have several causes. The hypothesis of a limited therapeutic window, i.e. an insufficient formation of antigen-antibody complexes once toxins are bound to their targets and/or distributed beyond the reach of antivenom, should be explored. .

Biogeography and potential exchanges among the atlantic Equatorial belt cold-seep faunas.

Like hydrothermal vents along oceanic ridges, cold seeps are patchy and isolated ecosystems along continental margins, extending from bathyal to abyssal depths. The Atlantic Equatorial Belt (AEB), from the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of Guinea, was one focus of the Census of Marine Life ChEss (Chemosynthetic Ecosystems) program to study biogeography of seep and vent fauna. We present a review and analysis of collections from five seep regions along the AEB: the Gulf of Mexico where extensive faunal sampling has been conducted from 400 to 3300 m, the Barbados accretionary prism, the Blake ridge diapir, and in the Eastern Atlantic from the Congo and Gabon margins and the recently explored Nigeria margin. Of the 72 taxa identified at the species level, a total of 9 species or species complexes are identified as amphi-Atlantic. Similarity analyses based on both Bray Curtis and Hellinger distances among 9 faunal collections, and principal component analysis based on presence/absence of megafauna species at these sites, suggest that within the AEB seep megafauna community structure is influenced primarily by depth rather than by geographic distance. Depth segregation is observed between 1000 and 2000 m, with the middle slope sites either grouped with those deeper than 2000 m or with the shallower sites. The highest level of community similarity was found between the seeps of the Florida escarpment and Congo margin. In the western Atlantic, the highest degree of similarity is observed between the shallowest sites of the Barbados prism and of the Louisiana slope. The high number of amphi-atlantic cold-seep species that do not cluster according to biogeographic regions, and the importance of depth in structuring AEB cold-seep communities are the major conclusions of this study. The hydrothermal vent sites along the Mid Atlantic Ridge (MAR) did not appear as "stepping stones" for dispersal of the AEB seep fauna, however, the south MAR and off axis regions should be further explored to more fully test this hypothesis.

Models and tools for health workforce planning and projections

The objective of this paper is to take stock of the available methods and tools for health workforce planning and projections, and to describe the processes and resources needed to undertake such an exercise. Including this introduction, the paper is divided into four sections. In the next section, an overview of workforce projection models and their applications is presented. Then the operationalization of selected models is described in some detail. Lastly, the pathways by which projection results can be optimized to inform decision-making for policies and programmes are discussed. (AU)

[Leprosy in children: A diagnosis that must not be missed]. / Lèpre de l'enfant : un diagnostic à ne pas méconnaître.

BACKGROUND: With 254,525 new cases reported in 2007, leprosy is the worlds' second most widespread form of mycobacteriosis. According to the WHO, eradication of leprosy as a public health problem (defined by less than one case per 10,000 people) has been globally achieved. High endemic zones, however, still subsist. Leprosy rates among children, which reflect a country's endemic level, ranged from 0.55 to 19.2 % in 2006. Due to world population migrations, cases of leprosy are now seen in mainland France, in both children and adults. PATIENTS AND METHODS: We describe three leprosy patients aged under 15 years treated at the Dermatology Unit of Saint Louis Hospital between 1st January 2002 and 31st December 2008. The three cases described account for 3 % of new patients treated for leprosy at Saint Louis Hospital over this 7-year period. All were born in an endemic country. Lesions appeared 18 months after arrival in France in two cases and clinical diagnosis was made in only one case. Due to absence of sensory loss in the lesions, diagnosis was reliant upon histopathological examination in two cases. CONCLUSION: Leprosy should be suspected in children from endemic countries presenting skin lesions, particularly hypochromic lesions, even if there is no sensory loss, regardless of how long they have been living in France.

[Cutaneous-mucosal paracoccidio-domycosis: the first case diagnosed in French Guiana]. / Paracoccidioïdomycose cutanéo-muqueuse: premier cas diagnostiqué en Guyane Française.

INTRODUCTION: Paracoccidio-domycosisis a deep mycosis due to a dimorphic fungus:Paracoccidioides brasiliensis. The principle endemic country is Brazil. We describe the first case of paracoccidio-domycosis, in its cutaneous-mucosal form, diagnosed in French Guiana. OBSERVATION: A 20 year-old Brazilian man, having mover to French Guiana a few months earlier, presented with multiple disseminated cutaneous lesions, predominating on the face, and composed of multiple nodules and two ulcerations. The clinical examination also revealed voluminous superficial lymph nodes and ulcerations of the pharynx and larynx. Direct examination, anatomopathology and culture of cutaneous biopsies revealed specific images of Paracoccidioides brasiliensis. HIV serology was negative. Treatment combining cotrimoxazole and itraconazole eliminated the lesions in one month. DISCUSSION: Because the patient had just moved to Guiana, this observation probably corresponded to an imported disease. The principle differential diagnosis was leishmaniosis.