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While child anemia remains an uncontrolled health issue in developing and underdeveloped countries, the public health burden of child anemia is high in Madagascar. Using cross-sectional data from Madagascar Demographic and Health Survey 2021 (Madagascar DHS 2021), this study aims to examine the prevalence and risk factors of child anemia by region and socioeconomic status in the country. A total of 5,048 children aged 6-59 months with hemoglobin (Hb) concentration data were used for the study. First, the associations between child anemia (Hb< 11.0g/dl) and the household, parental, and child characteristics were tested by univariate logistic regression analysis. Variables with a p-value Key words: Anemia prevention, anemia control, Madagascar, child health, public health, INTRODUCTION Anemia is a deficiency in red blood cells, or hemoglobin, which results in a decreased oxygen-carrying capacity of blood to human body [1]. Anemia leads to serious impacts on [...]

Bien que consid r e comme culture mineure ou culture << orpheline >> le voandzou peut contribuer efficacement r soudre d'importantes probl matiques mondiales telles que la faim, la pauvret et l'adaptation aux changements climatiques. Il est une source prometteuse de prot ines v g tales et a l'avantage d'avoir de nombreux morphotypes largement cultiv s par les populations rurales. Malheureusement pendant le stockage cette ressource est en proie une pression des ravageurs qui engendrent des pertes quantitatives et qualitatives. L'objectif de cette tude, est de d terminer en condition contr l e, le degr de vuln rabilit de 40 morphotypes cod CM/R gion/Collection/no(01 40) vis- -vis de Callosobruchus maculatus. Au cours de trois campagnes de collecte des donn es et interviews men es dans le Cameroun septentrional, des informations sur la diversit de graines de voandzou ont t collect es, puis ramen es en laboratoire. L' valuation de la sensibilit vari tale de cette collection, a repos sur l'analyse des param tres qui d finissent l' chelle de sensibilit savoir: le nombre d'oeufs pondus, le nombre d'oeuf et de larves morts, le nombre d'individus merg s et l'indice de susceptibilit . Il ressort que le nombre d'oeufs pondus par C. maculatus est compris entre 56,5[+ or -]19,65 (CM/EN/DW/01) et 111,5[+ or -]58,69 CM/EN/MC/34. Le taux d' mergence varie entre 58,23% (CM/EN/EA/02) et 96, 70% (CM/EN/DW/24). L'analyse statistique des valeurs li es l'indice de susceptibilit montre une diff rence tr s hautement significative (p < 0,0001). Il existe une forte corr lation n gative entre l' mergence et la mortalit larvaire (r = -0,97). La classification ascendante hi rarchis e a permis de r aliser un dendrogramme regroupant les morphotypes en 7 classes distinctes en fonction du degr de susceptibilit . La classe I montre de fa on sp cifique trois morphotypes les plus r sistants aux attaques de la bruche (CM/EN/DW/09, CM/EN/AE/02 et CM/EN/MC/49) dans cette exp rimentation. Les vari t s qui ont pr sent une r sistance la bruche peuvent tre adopt es ou exploit es pour le d veloppement des vari t s plus int ressantes pour les producteurs, les consommateurs et les transformateurs. D'autre part, compte tenu des changements globaux qui affectent l'agriculture en g n rale et certaines esp ces mineures dites n glig es et sous-utilis es en particulier, il serait imp ratif de trouver des strat gies de conservation efficaces court, moyen et long terme pour r pondre la demande alimentaire de plus en plus importante au Cameroun. Mots cl s: voandzou, indice de susceptibilit , r sistance, valuation, bruche, attaque, mergence lavaire, Cameroun Although considered a minor crop or 'orphan' crop, Bambara groundnut can effectively contribute to solving important global problems such as hunger, poverty and adaptation to climate change. It is a promising source of plant protein and has the advantage and has the advantage of having numerous morphotypes to be widely cultived by rural populations. Unfortunately during storage this resource is subject to pest pressure which leads to quantitative and qualitative losses. The objective of this study is to determine, under controlled conditions, the degree of vulnerability of 40 morphotypes code CM/Region Collection/ no(01 to 40) collected with regard to C. maculatus. During three campaigns of data collection and interviews conducted in northern Cameroon, information on the diversity of voandzou seeds was collected, seeds were collected in the field during three campaigns in the three northern regions of Cameroon, then brought back to the laboratory. The assessment of varietal sensitivity for this collection, is based on an analysis of the parameters that define the sensitivity scale, namely: the number of eggs laid, the number of dead eggs and larvas, the number of emerged individuals and the susceptibility index.The number of eggs laid by C. maculatus ranged from 56.5[+ or -]19.65 (CM/EN/DW/01) to 111.5[+ or -]58.69 CM/EN/MC/34. Emergence rates ranged from 58.23% (CM/EN/EA/02) to 96.70% (CM/EN/DW/24). Analysis of susceptibility index values shows a highly significant difference (p < 0.0001). There is a strong negative correlation between emergence and larval mortality (r = -0.97). Cluster analysis was used to produce a dendrogram grouping morphotypes into 7 distinct classes according to degree of susceptibility. Class I specifically shows three of the most resistant morphotypes to bruchid attacks (CM/EN/DW/09, CM/EN/AE/02 and CM/EN/MC/49) in this experiment. Varieties that have shown a resistance to bruchid beetle may be adopted or exploited for the development of more interesting varieties for growers, consumers and processors. On the other hand, given the global changes affecting agriculture in general and certain neglected and under-utilised minor species in particular, it would be imperative to find effective short-, medium- and long-term conservation strategies to meet the growing demand for food in Cameroon Key words: Bambara groundnut, susceptibility index, resistance, evaluation, weevil, attack larval emergence, Cameroun, INTRODUCTION Les estimations r centes de l' tat de la s curit alimentaire et de la nutrition dans le monde, parues en juillet 2022, font tat de ce que le [...]

Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is a common endocrine disorder that affects the function of the ovaries. PCOS causes an abnormal release of GnRH, and can lead to outcomes such as ovarian cancer, infertility and cardiovascular disease. The purpose of this project was to systematically review the available literature on PCOS to answer the following questions: Are African Americans females more likely to be affected by PCOS than other groups of women? How do health factors like diabetes interact with PCOS? What prevention or treatment options are available to African American women with PCOS in Geogia? We used the GALILEO search engine through Piedmont University's Library System to perform a systematic search of the available PCOS literature. We were specifically looking for evidence of a genetic basis to PCOS, which would indicate the potential for heightened vulnerability for different ethnic groups, such as African Americans. Interactions with type II diabetes and other disorders would be evidenced by studies showing statistical correlation or causal relationship between PCOS and those conditions. The published outcomes of studies which tested treatment options were reviewed with the tested options compared based on their outcomes and relative costs or benefits. A targeted search narrowed the number of relevant papers to just over 1,600, ordered by relevance. We drew 25 papers that related to PCOS from the 100 top listed items. From those papers we found evidence of a genetic basis to PCOS, but not one associated with a specific racial or ethnic group. We also found connections between PCOS and type II diabetes, and a variety of treatment options. A further search of non-academic media sources, such as google, provided a picture of available treatment services in Georgia., Recommended Citation Authors Shernaille Bataille (*), Piedmont University Follow Timothy O. Menzel, Piedmont University Follow Bataille (*), Shernaille and Menzel, Timothy O. (2023) 'SUSCEPTIBILITY TO POLYCYSTIC OVARY SYNDROME AND TREATMENT [...]

Atopic dermatitis is an inflammatory skin disease that affects approximately 20% of children worldwide. Left untreated, the barrier function of the skin is compromised, increasing susceptibility to dehydration and infection. Despite its prevalence, its multifactorial nature has complicated the unraveling of its etiology. We found that chronic loss of epidermal caspase-8 recapitulates many aspects of atopic dermatitis, including a spongiotic phenotype whereby intercellular adhesion between epidermal keratinocytes is disrupted, adversely affecting tissue architecture and function. Although spongiosis is generally thought to be secondary to edema, we found that suppression of matrix metalIoproteinase-2 activity is sufficient to abrogate this defect, p38 MAPK induces matrix metalloproteinase-2 expression to cleave E-cadherin, which mediates keratinocyte cohesion in the epidermis. Thus, the conditional loss of caspase-8, which we previously found to mimic a wound response, can be used to gain insights into how these same wound-healing processes are commandeered in inflammatory skin diseases. inflammation | adherens junction | T cells | eczema doi/ 10.1073/pnas.1009751108

Exponentially Weighted Moving Average (EWMA) plans for negative binomial counts with a non-homogeneous (time-varying) mean are developed for monitoring disease counts. These plans are used to identify unusual disease outbreaks or unusual epidemics. Time-varying means are typical for disease counts. The recommended surveillance plan in this article differs from the traditional approach of using standardized forecast errors based on the normality assumption, which suffers assumption concerns. The article demonstrates that the proposed EWMA plan has efficient detection properties for signaling unusually large outbreaks. These plans may be a useful tool for epidemiologists. Keywords: Control charts, EWMA, monitoring, negative binomial counts, 1. Introduction Compulsory reporting of several diseases to health authorities is used to facilitate public health monitoring and disease control. Epidemiologists monitor counts of these reportable diseases and decide when [...]

The study attempts to evaluate the association, if any, between CISH polymorphisms and the susceptibility to infectious diseases. The results indicate that variants of CISH are associated with susceptibility to infectious disease and the overall risk of an infectious disease rose by nearly 18% in those carrying the variant CISH alleles.

Both activated and resting [CD4.sup.+] T cells in mucosal tissues play important roles in the earliest phases of infection after sexual transmission of HIV-1, a process that is inefficient. HIV-1 gp120 binds to integrin [[alpha].sub.4][[beta].sub.7] ([[alpha].sub.4][[beta].sub.7]), the gut mucosal homing receptor. We find that [[alpha].sub.4][[beta].sub.7.sup.high] [CD4.sup.+] T cells are more susceptible to productive infection than are [[alpha].sub.4][[beta].sub.7.sup.low-neg] [CD4.sup.+]T cells in part because this cellular subset is enriched with metabolically active [CD4.sup.+]T cells, [[alpha].sub.4][[beta].sub.7.sup.high] [CD4.sup.+]T cells are [CCR5.sup.high] and [CXCR4.sup.low]; on these cells, [[alpha].sub.4][[beta].sub.7]appears in a complex with CD4. The specific affinity of gp120 for [[alpha].sub.4][[beta].sub.7] provides a mechanism for HIV-1 to target activated cells that are critical for efficient virus propagation and dissemination following sexual transmission. integrin receptor | transmission | gut-associated lymphoid tissues (GALT) doi/10.1073/pnas.0911796106

Genetic factors are known to contribute to seizure susceptibility, although the long-term effects of these predisposing factors on neuronal viability, remain unclear. To examine the consequences of genetic factors conferring increased seizure susceptibility, we surveyed a class of Drosophila mutants that exhibit seizures and paralysis following mechanical stimulation. These bang-sensitive seizure mutants exhibit shortened life spans and age-dependent neurodegeneration. Because the increased seizure susceptibility in these mutants likely results from altered metabolism and since the [Na.sup.+]/[K.sup.+] ATPase consumes the majority of ATP in neurons, we examined the effect of ATP[alpha] mutations in combination with bang-sensitive mutations. We found that double mutants exhibit strikingly reduced life spans and age-dependent uncoordination and inactivity. These results emphasize the importance of proper cellular metabolism in maintaining both the activity and viability of neurons.

Previous interethnic comparative studies on the susceptibility to malaria performed in West Africa showed that Fulani are more resistant to Plasmodium falciparum malaria than are sympatric ethnic groups. This lower susceptibility is not associated to classic malaria-resistance genes, and the analysis of the immune response to P. falciparum sporozoite and blood stage antigens, as well as non-malaria antigens, revealed higher immune reactivity in Fulani. In the present study we compared the expression profile of a panel of genes involved in immune response in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) from Fulani and sympatric Mossi from Burkina Faso. An increased expression of T helper 1 (TH1)-related genes (IL-18, IFN[gamma], and TBX21) and TH2-related genes (IL-4 and GATA3) and a reduced expression of genes distinctive of T regulatory activity (CTLA4 and FOXP3) were observed in Fulani. Microarray analysis on RNA from [CD4.sup.+][CD25.sup.+] (T regulatory) cells, performed with a panel of cDNA probes specific for 96 genes involved in immune modulation, indicated obvious differences between the two ethnic groups with 23% of genes, including TGF[beta], TGF[beta]Rs, CTLA4, and FOXP3, less expressed in Fulani compared with Mossi and European donors not exposed to malaria. As further indications of a low T regulatory cell activity, Fulani showed lower serum levels of TGF[beta] and higher concentrations of the pro-inflammatory chemokines CXCL10 and CCL22 compared with Mossi; moreover, the proliferative response of Fulani to malaria antigens was not affected by the depletion of [CD25.sup.+] regulatory cells whereas that of Mossi was significantly increased. The results suggest that the higher resistance to malaria of the Fulani could derive from a functional deficit of T regulatory cells.

Syrian Golden hamsters develop severe emphysema after a single intratracheal dose of elastase, whereas Sprague-Dawley rats exhibit mild emphysema with the same dose per kilogram body weight. We hypothesized that the development of severe emphysema is prevented in rats by the high serum level of [alpha]1-antitrypsin reported in rats, compared with hamsters, which provides for a high lung elastase inhibitory capacity (EIC). To explore this possibility, we challenged the antiprotease system of the rats by treating them with three similar weekly doses of elastase. Four months after treatment, we evaluated changes in histology, volume, and elastic properties of rat lungs and compared them with those of hamsters receiving a single dose of elastase. We also measured serum [alpha]1-antitrypsin levels and serum and lung EIC in control rats and hamsters. Results showed that, in association with 40% less serum and lung EIC compared with rats (P < 0.001), hamster lungs had upperlobe bullae formation, severe microscopic emphysema, a fourfold increase in lung volume (P < 0.01) and a threefold increase in constant k, an index of compliance, of the lung deflation pressurevolume curve (P < 0.01). In contrast, rats developed mild emphysema, with only 50% increase in volume (P < 0.05) and 60% increase in constant k (P < 0.01). In conclusion, two species that differ in serum and lung EIC exhibit significant differences in emphysema development after elastase. Rats with high EIC, despite receiving three doses of elastase, showed significantly less derangement of morphological and physiological parameters than hamsters with low EIC receiving a single dose. alpha1-antitrypsin; disease models; lung mechanics; susceptibility

Parasite transmission generally exhibits some form of positive density dependence. Thus, as population density increases, so too does the per capita risk of becoming infected. Under such circumstances, natural selection should favor individuals that use cues associated with population density to determine the optimal allocation of resources to disease resistance mechanisms. As a consequence, individuals experiencing crowded conditions are predicted to be more resistant to parasites and pathogens than those experiencing low-density conditions. This phenomenon (termed 'density-dependent prophylaxis') [Wilson, K. & Reeson, A. F. (1998) Ecol. Entomol. 23, 100-101] is predicted to be particularly prevalent in outbreak pest species and in species exhibiting density-dependent phase polyphenism, such as the desert locust, Schistocerca gregaria. Here we show that, as predicted, desert locusts reared under crowded conditions are significantly more resistant than solitary locusts to the entomopathogenic fungus, Metarhizium anisopliae var. acridum, a key natural disease of acridids and an important agent in locust and grasshopper bio-control. Moreover, enhanced pathogen resistance in crowded locusts is associated with elevated antimicrobial activity, but not with any difference in thermal preferences or behavioral fever response. These results have implications for understanding the development and biocontrol of locust plagues.

From 1995 to 1998, outbreaks of bubonic plague occurred annually in the coastal city of Mahajanga, Madagascar. A total of 1,702 clinically suspected cases of bubonic plague were reported, including [...]

Glucose (sugar) metabolism is controlled by the hormone insulin. Factors present in nonobese patients with coronary artery disease and abnormal glucose tolerance include high levels of insulin (hyperinsulinemia), triglycerides and high blood pressure. It is suggested that abnormal insulin metabolism may play a role in coronary artery disease. To study the response of insulin in the blood, two groups (32 patients each) of nondiabetic patients with normal glucose tolerance and normal blood pressure were compared. One group, with hyperinsulinemia, had significantly higher glucose and triglyceride levels, lower high density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol levels, and higher blood pressure than the group with normal insulin levels. Therefore, otherwise healthy patients with high insulin levels or insulin resistance and normal glucose tolerance have an increase in risk factors for coronary heart disease.