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Background: Nutritional supplements are used for preventing and treating childhood malnutrition. While there is a growing body of evidence on product efficacy, less emphasis has been placed on how they are perceived and used at the household level. Here, we report on the intrahousehold management of three different supplements (Ready to Use Supplementary food (RUSF), medium quantity lipid-based nutrient supplements (LNS-MQ) and Super Cereal Plus (SC+)) in the region of Maradi (Niger). The main objective of this study was to describe the use, consumption and perception of the three different nutritional products at the household level., Methods: The study was conducted in the Madarounfa district in the region of Maradi (February - March 2012). Female caregivers were purposely selected from eligible households and invited to participate. Data were collected through focus group discussion and interviews and were analyzed using thematic content analysis., Results: In total, 114 caregivers participated. Three major themes were initially identified and included preparation and conservation; consumption and sharing practices as well as perception of impact. The data showed good acceptance at the household level including perceived benefits for the target children, health improvement, prevention of illness and malnutrition. Sharing and gifting at both household and community level were also reported., Conclusions: Caregivers displayed positive perceptions toward the investigated supplements. Patterns of actual management should be considered in the design, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of future programs., Competing Interests: Competing interestsThe authors declare they have no competing interest., (© The Author(s). 2020.)

Introduction: Food insecurity is a potentially important barrier to the success of antiretroviral therapy (ART) programs in resource-limited settings. We undertook a longitudinal study in rural Uganda to estimate the associations between food insecurity and HIV treatment outcomes., Design: Longitudinal cohort study., Methods: Participants were from the Uganda AIDS Rural Treatment Outcomes study and were followed quarterly for blood draws and structured interviews. We measured food insecurity with the validated Household Food Insecurity Access Scale. Our primary outcomes were: ART nonadherence (adherence <90%) measured by visual analog scale; incomplete viral load suppression (>400 copies/ml); and low CD4 T-cell count (<350 cells/μl). We used generalized estimating equations to estimate the associations, adjusting for socio-demographic and clinical variables., Results: We followed 438 participants for a median of 33 months; 78.5% were food insecure at baseline. In adjusted analyses, food insecurity was associated with higher odds of ART nonadherence [adjusted odds ratio (AOR) 1.56, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.10-2.20, P < 0.05], incomplete viral suppression (AOR 1.52, 95% CI 1.18-1.96, P < 0.01), and CD4 T-cell count less than 350 (AOR 1.47, 95% CI 1.24-1.74, P < 0.01). Adding adherence as a covariate to the latter two models removed the association between food insecurity and viral suppression, but not between food insecurity and CD4 T-cell count., Conclusions: Food insecurity is longitudinally associated with poor HIV outcomes in rural Uganda. Intervention research is needed to determine the extent to which improved food security is causally related to improved HIV outcomes and to identify the most effective policies and programs to improve food security and health.

The efficacy of micronutrient powders (MNP) in the treatment of anemia in moderately anemic children aged 6-24 mo has been clearly demonstrated. The evidence of the effectiveness of MNP in large-scale programs, however, is scarce. This article describes the program experience and findings of large-scale MNP distribution in refugee camps and in an emergency context in Bangladesh, Nepal, and Kenya. The MNP contained 15-16 micronutrients as per the WHO/World Food Programme/UNICEF joint statement, whereas the iron content was reduced to 2.5 mg from NaFeEDTA in a malaria-endemic area in Kenya. Hundreds of thousands of children aged 6-59 mo and pregnant and lactating women were targeted to consume MNP either daily or every other day over an extended period of time. Extensive social marketing campaigns were undertaken to promote regular use of the product. A number of studies were embedded in the programs to assess the impact of MNP on the nutritional status of target beneficiaries. Some improvements in anemia prevalence estimates were observed in particular subgroups, but other results did not show significant improvements. A significant decrease in the prevalence of stunting was observed in Nepal and Kenya but not in Bangladesh. Diarrhea episodes decreased significantly among children receiving MNP in Nepal. A key challenge is to ensure high MNP acceptance and adherence among beneficiaries. Investigation of non-nutritional causes of anemia is warranted in settings with high compliance but no improvement in hemoglobin status. Further investigation into the most appropriate manner to use MNP in malaria endemic settings is warranted.

Colony-stimulating-factor-1 (CSF-1) signaling through cFMS receptor kinase is increased in several diseases. To help investigate the role of cFMS kinase in disease, we identified GW2580, an orally bioavailable inhibitor of cFMS kinase. GW2580 completely inhibited human cFMS kinase in vitro at 0.06 microM and was inactive against 26 other kinases. GW2580 at 1 microM completely inhibited CSF-1-induced growth of mouse M-NFS-60 myeloid cells and human monocytes and completely inhibited bone degradation in cultures of human osteoclasts, rat calvaria, and rat fetal long bone. In contrast, GW2580 did not affect the growth of mouse NS0 lymphoblastoid cells, human endothelial cells, human fibroblasts, or five human tumor cell lines. GW2580 also did not affect lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced TNF, IL-6, and prostaglandin E2 production in freshly isolated human monocytes and mouse macrophages. After oral administration, GW2580 blocked the ability of exogenous CSF-1 to increase LPS-induced IL-6 production in mice, inhibited the growth of CSF-1-dependent M-NFS-60 tumor cells in the peritoneal cavity, and diminished the accumulation of macrophages in the peritoneal cavity after thioglycolate injection. Unexpectedly, GW2580 inhibited LPS-induced TNF production in mice, in contrast to effects on monocytes and macrophages in vitro. In conclusion, GW2580's selective inhibition of monocyte growth and bone degradation is consistent with cFMS kinase inhibition. The ability of GW2580 to chronically inhibit CSF-1 signaling through cFMS kinase in normal and tumor cells in vivo makes GW2580 a useful tool in assessing the role of cFMS kinase in normal and disease processes.

GI1147211 is a 7-substituted 10,11-ethylenedioxy-20(S)-camptothecin analogue that inhibits the nuclear enzyme topoisomerase I. In this Phase I and pharmacological study, 24 patients with advanced solid malignancies received a total of 72 courses of GI147211 as a 30-min infusion daily for 5 consecutive days, at doses ranging from 0.3 to 1.75 mg/m2/day. Severe neutropenia precluded dose escalation above 1.5 mg/m2/day in minimally pretreated patients, and both severe neutropenia and thrombocytopenia were dose limiting in heavily pretreated patients at doses above 1.0 mg/m2/day. These doses are, therefore, recommended for subsequent Phase II evaluations of GI147211 in patients with comparable prior therapy. Nonhematological toxicities, including nausea, vomiting, fatigue, and anorexia, were mild to moderate. The disposition of GI147211 in blood was described by a linear three-compartment model, with renal elimination accounting for only 11% of drug distribution. No relationship was observed between the pharmacological exposure to GI147211 and effects on neutrophils; however, patients who developed dose-limiting myelosuppression did experience greater exposure to both the lactone and total forms of the drug. The hydrolysis kinetics of GI147211 revealed not only a shift of the drug to the inactive carboxylate form in human serum albumin but also stabilization of the lactone in erythrocytes, perhaps accounting for the observed lactone:total area under the concentration-time curve ratio of 0.27. These results indicate that GI147211 exhibits predictable toxicities and that further studies are warranted to determine the distinct role of this compound among currently available camptothecin analogues.