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Incidence and Severity of the African Cassava Mosaic in Fields and Home Gardens in Kinshasa (Democratic Republic of the Congo). A prospective survey was carried out from 2010 to 2011 in the cassava fields of Kimwenza and Mitendi and the home gardens of five townships of Kinshasa in order to determine the incidence and the severity of the African Cassava Mosaic (ACM) in Kinshasa city. ¶The ACM is present in almost all the fields and home gardens of Kinshasa city. An average incidence rate of 70.11% and an average rate of foliar attack of 71.29% were respectively observed in the fields of Kimwenza and Mitendi while it amoutend to 78% in the home gardens of the five Kinshasa townships. It was observed that 70.23 % of the cassava plants presented a Symptom of Gravity Index (SGI) varying from 2-5 at Kimwenza and Mitendi. The SGI was 52.5% in the home gardens of Kinshasa. Four cassava cultivars belonging to M. esculenta and M. glaziovii species were identified in the fields of Kimwenza and Mitendi. Among them, Nsanginsangi is the most sensitive to the ACM with an incidence of 81.7% while the Mankanu is less sensitive with an incidence of 52.8%. The majority of the population in Kinshasa grows M. glaziovii as vegetable in their home gardens and M. esculenta as a source of tuberous roots in their fiels. The high ACM incidence in the fields and home gardens in Kinshasa associated to the propagation of the plants by cuttings represents a danger for food security.

BackgroundThe present study aimed to investigate the drug–drug interaction and initial dosage optimization of aripiprazole in patients with schizophrenia based on population pharmacokinetics.Research design and methodsA total of 119 patients with schizophrenia treated with aripiprazole were included to build an aripiprazole population pharmacokinetic model using nonlinear mixed effects.ResultsThe weight and concomitant medication of fluoxetine influenced aripiprazole clearance. Under the same weight, the aripiprazole clearance rates were 0.714:1 in patients with or without fluoxetine, respectively. In addition, without fluoxetine, for the once-daily aripiprazole regimen, dosages of 0.3 and 0.2 mg kg−1 day−1 were recommended for patients with schizophrenia weighing 40–95 and 95–120 kg, respectively, while for the twice-daily aripiprazole regimen, 0.3 mg kg−1 day−1 was recommended for those weighing 40–120 kg. With fluoxetine, for the once-daily aripiprazole regimen, a dosage of 0.2 mg kg−1 day−1 was recommended for patients with schizophrenia weighing 40–120 kg, while for the twice-daily aripiprazole regimen, 0.3 and 0.2 mg kg−1 day−1 were recommended for those weighing 40–60 and 60–120 kg, respectively.ConclusionThis is the first investigation of the effects of fluoxetine on aripiprazole via drug–drug interaction. The optimal aripiprazole initial dosage is recommended in patients with schizophrenia.