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Introduction and objective: Sickle cell disease is an inherited pathology to an abnormality of hemoglobin precisely hemoglobin S for which there is no curative therapy. It mainly affects sub-Saharan African and Caribbean populations. Thus, this study aims to make the phytochemical screening ofCremaspora trifloraandMacaranga schweinfurthiias well as to evaluate the antisickling activity of their purified alkaloids. Methodology: Chemical screening was performed using color and precipitation tests as well as the foam index method. The extraction of the alkaloids was carried out with organic solvents in a basic medium while the purification by open column chromatography. The evaluation of the antisickling activity was carried out by Emmel’s test. Results: The chemical screening highlighted alkaloids, steroids, saponins, tannins, and terpenoids in the species studied. Flavonoids and anthocyanins were present in organs ofMacaranga schweinfurthii, but absent inCremaspora triflora. The extraction showed thatMacaranga schweinfurthiileaves contained 0.59% alkaloids and 0.73% alkaloids inCremaspora trifloraleaves. The alkaloids purification allowed to obtain an alkaloidal fraction MS1 (1.24 g, 70.05%) fromMacaranga schweinfurthiiand two fractions [CT2 (0.934 g, 63.97%) and CT3 (0.006 g, 0.41 %)] fromCremaspora triflorawhich tested positive with Dragendorff and Wagner reagents. The antisickling activity evaluation showed that the SIR varied between 36.00% (0.25 mg/ml) and 90.66% (1 mg/ml) for the alkaloid solutions ofCremaspora triflora(IC50of 0.51 mg/ml) as well as between 4.00% (0.25 mg/ml) and 33.33% (1 mg/ml) for the alkaloid solutions ofMacaranga schweinfurthii(IC50of 1.40 mg/ml). Conclusion: This study showed that the purified alkaloids of the studied plant species have an inhibitory power on sickling.&nbsp

The supply of biofortified material to areas affected by malnutrition or micronutrient deficiency remains one of the major concerns of breeders. Nevertheless, this material must be efficient and stable. The evaluation of this performance and stability requires statistical indices. Biofortified genotypes are evaluated for the first time by these indices. The objective of this work is to analyze the performance and stability of biofortified common bean genotypes under low altitude conditions in the Democratic Republic of Congo. The present contribution uses the evaluation of twenty-six genotypes of biofortified common beans over six crop years using parametric (Wᵢ², σ²ᵢ, s²dᵢ, bi, CVi, θ₍ᵢ₎, θᵢ) and non-parametric (S(1), S(2), S(3), S(6), NP(1), NP(2), NP(3), NP(4), KR, AR) indices for the identification of successful and stable genotypes. The results indicate the presence of the genotype x year interaction. Principal Component Analysis (PCA) shows similarities between the indices. Mean sum rank (AR) identifies NYIRAMUHONDO, G59/1-2, CODMLV 086, MBC 23, NABE 4, and K 131 as performing and stable genotypes. In the end, the best genotypes are those that are both efficient and stable. However, where stability is much more desired in relation to performance, the use of ecovalence (Wi) is more appropriate in the stability calculation.

La consommation du manioc, sous forme des pâtes alimentaires (Foufou ou chikwangue) nécessite de passer par le rouissage qui réduit la toxicité due à la présence de l’acide cyanhydrique. Cependant, les caractéristiques des exploitations et les techniques de rouissages sont variées. Ainsi l’objectif de cette étude était de réaliser une typologie des exploitations agricoles familiales de la commune de Maluku, en rapport avec les techniques de rouissage du manioc. Une enquête portant sur 344 exploitations agricoles a permis de collecter les données y afférentes. Les caractéristiques sociodémographiques, les caractéristiques de l’exploitation, les contraintes auxquelles font face les exploitations ainsi que la localisation (villages) ont été prises en compte. La typologie a été réalisée sur base de l’Analyse en Composantes Multiples (ACM) et la Classification Hiérarchique Ascendante (CHA). Les résultats révèlent 3 types d’exploitations agricoles. Le premier axe principal est dominé par le village, le type de contraintes, la productivité en cosette, le type de la main-d’œuvre et le type de matériel végétal. Le second axe principal est dominé par les techniques de rouissage. The objective of this study is to develop a typology of cassava-producing farms in the Maluku area, on the outskirts of Kinshasa in the Democratic Republic of Congo. The criteria chosen are: socio-economic characteristics (type of workforce, membership of a group of producers and type of production constraints); characteristics related to cassava production technology (exploited area, plowing equipment and type of plant material); the characteristics linked to the cassava processing technology (retting method, retting duration and chip yield) and the village. The data was collected by survey on 344 farms operating in 6 villages. The typology was made thanks to an ACM and finalized by a CAH. The results of the study made it possible to group cassava producers into three types on the basis of the variables retained. The results reveal 3 types of farms. With the village, the type of constraints, the productivity in cosette, the type of labor and the type of plant material as the dominant characteristics of the first axis of the typology and the mode and duration of retting as the dominant characteristics of the second axis.

Background: Childhood myelodysplastic neoplasm (cMDS) often raises concerns about an underlying germline predisposition, and its verification is necessary to guide therapeutic choice and allow family counseling. Here, we report a novel constitutional t(3;8)(p26;q21) in a child with MDS, inherited from the father, the ANKRD26 and SRP72 variants from the maternal origin, and the acquisition of molecular alterations during MDS evolution. Case presentation: A 4-year-old girl showed repeated infections and severe neutropenia. Bone marrow presented hypocellularity with dysplastic features. The patient had a t(3;8)(p26;q21)c identified by G-banding and FISH analysis. The family nucleus investigation identified the paternal origin of the chromosomal translocation. The NGS study identified ANKRD26 and SRP72 variants of maternal origin. CGH-array analysis detected alterations in PRSS3P2 and KANSL genes. Immunohistochemistry showed abnormal p53 expression during the MDS evolution. Conclusion: This study shows for the first time, cytogenetic and genomic abnormalities inherited from the father and mother, respectively, and their clinical implications. It also shows the importance of investigating patients with constitutional cytogenetic alterations and/or germline variants to provide information to their family nucleus for genetic counseling and understanding of the pathogenesis of childhood MDS.

Background and aim: Access to contraceptive methods remains low in the world in general and in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). Data of these contraceptive methods in rural areas of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) remain poorly known. The aim is to identify the socio-demographic characteristics of clients associated with purchasing contraceptives methods via different distribution system in Kongo Central province. Methods: Cross-sectional study including data from mini Lelo Family Planning contraceptive method distribution campaigns organized in 11 health zones of Kongo Central province, from January to March 2020 by community-based distributors (DBC), learner DBCs (DBCa), graduated DBCs (DBCg) and clinical providers (CP). Results: The median age of clients was 25 years old. A quarter of them were men and almost half of the clients were in a conjugal relationship and 46.5% were single. The majority (70.4%) had a high school education. The male condom was the most requested method during Lelo Family Planning, followed by implants. Natural methods remain the methods preferred by clients 25 years. Among the hormonal methods, the implant was the most popular modern method, while the short and long-lasting injectable hormonal methods were more in demand by women Conclusion: Natural methods are still the most preferred among male clients despite the poor protection they provide. Modern methods have to be promoted for male’s partners to assure better couple protection especially in rural area where maternal mortality remains high.

The objective of this study was to characterize environment factors involved in loss of seed viability during storage in open granaries. The temperature and relative humidity of the granary as well as the equilibrium moisture content of seeds were determined monthly. Their effects on the loss of viability of maize (Zea mays L.) and cowpea (Vigna unguiculata (L.) Walp.) seeds were examined. The results showed that relative humidity levels > 65% associated with temperatures > 25°C (conditions in the open granary) do not guarantee safe storage of maize lots for a period of 9 to 12 months. Based on these data and the results of seed viability analysis, local environmental conditions in Gandajika (DR-Congo) and seed genetic background are the main factors for the rapid deterioration of seeds during storage. The germination rate correlated negatively with storage duration (-0.94) and temperature (-0.57) while it correlates positively with the relative humidity (0.58) for both lots of maize analyzed. The same trend was observed with the two-cowpea varieties studied (IT82D-889 and Diamant). Similar work using more varieties in other granaries is required to validate key factors involved in seed viability during storage in targeted regions.

Soybean is one of the main food crops in Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). Its production is ensured mainly by farmers who use seeds of various origins. However, yields obtained with this crop remain low because of seed-borne diseases that also affect the quality of the seeds. Twenty – two batches of seeds collected in the Democratic Republic of Congo were analyzed. The average values ​​of weight purity recorded ranged from 79 to 100 %, germination rates from 0 % to 86.6 % and seed weight from 71.1 to 152 g. Several phytopathogenic agents have been identified on both certified variety and landraces. The fungus Fusarium solani F.sp Glycine, Aspergillus sp, Rhizoctonia solani, Phomopsis longicola, Xanthomonas axonopodis pv. Glycine and Pseudomonas syringae pv Glycine have been identified.

Falsified antibacterial agents continue to pose serious public health problems around the world. They are notably responsible for resistance emergence in the treatment of infectious diseases that can lead to death. The aim of this study was to summarize the literature on the methods developed and validated to detect poor quality antibacterial agents in order to assess the impact of these available methods in the fighting against Counterfeit/substandard medicines. Thus, studies published in the time from January 2000 to July 2017, were accessible via Google Scholar and Pubmed and allowed to analyze 41 papers. The majority (30) of developed and validated methods concerned LC methods, 9 regarded UV/V is spectrophotometry and two studies simultaneously developed both methods. Antibacterial agents belonging to beta-lactams group were the most concerned by the methods developed and validated (39%), followed by quinolones (18%) and macrolides (12%). Regarding active ingredients, amoxicillin (12%) was the most concerned by the development and validation methods. In spite of several available methods to detect substandard drugs, antibacterial agents for which methods were developed and validated were the most concerned by worldwide detected non-conformities. The fight against this scourge should not be only limited by their detection, but it also requires an effective involvement of different actors notably: health authorities, international organizations, pharmaceutical industries etc.

Should students in public schools learn to think critically about racial (in)justice and social (in)equity? The results of a recent mixed methods survey for educators revealed that a significant number of teachers did not believe they were responsible for helping their students develop the skills to critically analyze and respond to social injustice. Quantitative data showed that most of the educators who responded unfavorably, self-identified as “White” teachers of mostly White students; while most of the White teachers of mostly African American students held the opposite belief. Qualitative data provided some context for the rationales informing the divergent beliefs of these White teachers. Utilizing a combination of grounded theory and coding methods, I explore, illustrate, and analyze the responses of both sets of White teachers in an effort to illuminate and contextualize their articulated beliefs. Then, I interrogate the findings in light of their emergence along racial strata, using insights from scholarship in Critical Whiteness Studies and Critical Literacy/Pedagogy. Then I discuss their implications with reference to Robert Starratt’s “Virtue of Responsibility” and current theories of antiracist education. I conclude with a call for improving the educational experiences and societal outcomes of all students by naming and disrupting social illiteracy, championing critical-ethical literacy and encouraging an antiracist ethos.

This study was implemented to evaluate the performance of biofortified bean under different integrated soil fertility management (ISFM) options and agro-ecological conditions in Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). A Split-plot design with eight genotypes as main factors and four ISFM options as secondary factors was carried out in eight production zones distributed across South-Kivu, North-Kivu, and Katanga provinces. The application of lime + manure + NPK increased the bean yield by 173% in Lohutu. Compared to local variety in Lohutu, the CODMLB001 variety under the same option increased the yield by 252%. The same ISFM option allowed best response in terms of micronutrient content of bean in Rutshuru, inducing up to 80.3 mg.kg-1 Fe, representing increase 41%. For Zn, the best response was obtained with lime + NPK applied in Kipopo that induced up to 32.2 mg.kg-1 Zn. Lime + manure + NPK fertilizer option reduced root rot severity by 17.8% compared to the control. This study confirmed the potential of increasing bean productivity, micronutrient and reducing the severity of major diseases through application of soil fertility management options, which will vary with the bean genotype and the environment under which bean is cultivated. Key words: Integrated soil fertility management, bean yield, micronutrient content, disease control, Phaseolus vulgaris L.

The data used in this work were collected between the month of January and February of the year 2016 in the Lukaya River, located in the commune of Mont-ngafula, in the city province of Kinshasa. The DRC does not have a specific law or a water code and a clear national policy on integrated water resources management. Several projects exist and are underway with the support of German cooperation. The framework for the application of the laws of the related sectors is hardly applied this favors pollution, the irrational exploitation of fishery resources, inappropriate use of chemicals raising hygienic and environmental concerns. The objective of this work is to assess the environmental impact of the microbiological pollution of the water in the Lukaya River. The water samples were taken from the different sites in 600 ml plastic Canadian bottles and their analysis was performed at the INRB laboratory and the approach adopted in this work is that of membrane filtration which led to the following results: a high bacteriological concentration and numerous pathogens such as Escherichia coli, Proteus vulgaris, Enterobacter, Proteus penneri, Citrabacter and many other bacteria which testify to faecal contamination such as coliforms and faecal streptococci.

When a polymer is extruded freely from a rectangular die of large cross-sectional aspect ratio, wrinkles are observed. While not present in extruded Newtonian materials, such wrinkles develop in extruded viscoelastic sheets and are understood as an elastic stress-driven instability. The present study is devoted in developing a transient finite element method, which combines the matrix-logarithm-based formulation of the conformation tensor and the single-phase level set method, for simulating wrinkles that form during sheet extrusion of viscoelastic fluids. Numerical analyses of sheet extrusion were conducted over a wide range of flow rate and width-to-thickness ratio of the die exit cross section, χ, to determine critical conditions for the onset of wrinkling of extruded sheets. For large aspect ratios, that is, χ >> 1, wrinkles develop at moderate extrusion flow rate, corresponding to a Weissenberg number of about 29. Calculations based on Rayleigh's energy method show that the critical compressive stress, σ꜀, for the onset of wrinkling of an elastic sheet scales like σ꜀~1/χ², with a significant drop for χ >> 1. As next to the die exit lip, compressive normal stresses are induced in the extruded sheet, wrinkling will take place for large χ (σ꜀ being small), in accordance with numerical predictions.

The learning sciences are currently being reinvigorated by cultural-historical approaches. Part of this process of regeneration includes engaging with the theory of developmentalists who worked in ...

Objectif : L’objectif de cette etude etait d’identifier les facteurs associes a la survie chez les detenus a la prison centrale de Mbuji-Mayi, situee en Republique democratique du Congo, entre janvier 2014 et decembre 2016.Methodes : Il s’agit d’une etude de cohorte retrospective. Le taux de mortalite a ete calcule durant la periode de suivi de trois ans et la courbe de survie de Kaplan-Meier determinee. La regression de Cox et le rapport de risque (HR) ont ete utilises pour analyser et quantifier les facteurs associes a la survie. L’etude a porte sur un total de 793 detenus.Resultats : L’âge moyen des detenus etait de 33 ± 10 ans (extremes : 17-67 ans) La duree mediane de suivi etait de 12 mois pour un total de 7 513 personnes-mois. Le nombre de deces repertorie etait de 135, soit un taux de mortalite de 17,9/1 000 personnes-mois. Les facteurs de risque associes au deces etaient la malnutrition (HR = 17,5 ; IC 95 % = [12,1 ; 25,4]) et la tuberculose (HR = 11,8 ; IC 95 % = [7,7 ; 17,8]).Conclusion : Cette etude met en evidence un taux eleve de deces en milieu carceral et identifie les deux facteurs potentiels (malnutrition et tuberculose) sur lesquels les autorites penitentiaires et sanitaires se doivent d’agir.

Purpose Acute renal failure (ARF) or acute kidney injury (AKI) is one of the major criteria for the severity of malaria according to WHO. The objective was to determine the frequency as well as to evaluate the management and follow-up of ARF during malaria in children in Lubumbashi. Material and methods This is a descriptive cross-sectional study over 48 months (January 1st, 2016 to December 30th, 2019) carried out at the pediatric service of the University Clinics of Lubumbashi. All children with an ARF with a positive thick blood smear were included in the study. Data were analyzed with SPSS 19 software. Results During this period, 910 patients (49.1%) were admitted for malaria. Among them, 14 patients, i.e. an intra-hospital prevalence of 0.78%, of which 6 boys (42.9%) and 8 girls (57.1%) had ARF. The mean age is 7.9±3.5 years. The serum creatinine level was between 0.54 and 15.2 mg/dL with a mean of 5.7 mg/dL. Kidney dialysis was only effective in 3 patients (21.4%) and diuretics were given 100% in all children. The mean length of stay was 13.4±8.7 days (range: 1 day and 18 days). Mortality was 21.4%. Conclusion The present study shows that ARF in childhood malaria in Lubumbashi is infrequent but of high mortality in our environment with limited resources where care is lacking and monitoring difficult.

Draft genome assembly of Fusarium marasasianum Introduction Many plants are thought to have at least one Fusarium-associated disease with more than 80% of economically important plants affected by at least one Fusarium disease (Leslie and Summerell 2006). The socioeconomic importance of Fusarium is particularly evident when considering the Fusarium fujikuroi species complex (FFSC, sensu Geiser et al. 2021). This monophyletic group contains 65 species and numerous cryptic species (Yilmaz et al. 2021). More than 50 species in the FFSC have publicly available genomes (www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov), indicative of their economic importance. A number of recent studies showed that the FFSC complex contains four large clades (Herron et al. 2015; Sandoval-Denis et al. 2018; Yilmaz et al. 2021). One of these corresponds to the so-called “American” clade that was initially proposed to reflect the biogeography of the species it contains (O’Donnell et al. 1998). For example, Fusarium circinatum, the pine pitch canker pathogen, is thought to be native to Mexico and Central America (Drenkhan et al. 2020), where it likely co-evolved with its Pinus hosts (Herron et al. 2015; O’Donnell et al. 1998; Wikler and Gordon 2000). The American clade also includes five additional species associated with Pinus species in Colombia. These species are F. fracticaudum, F. pininemorale, F. parvisorum, F. marasasianum, and F. sororula, of which F. parvisorum, F. marasasianum, and F. sororula displayed levels of pathogenicity that were comparable to those of F. circinatum on susceptible Pinus species (Herron et al. 2015). The risk that the various American clade species pose to forestry in Colombia and globally has provided the impetus for projects aiming to sequence their genomes. To complement the genomic resources available for F. circinatum (Fulton et al. 2020; van der Nest et al. 2014a; Van Wyk et al. 2018; Wingfield et al. 2012, 2018a), the genomes of F. pininemorale (Wingfield et al. 2017), F. fracticaudum (Wingfield et al. 2018b) and F. sororula (van der Nest et al. 2021) have been published. Here we present the whole genome sequence for the pine pathogen F. marasasianum, named after the late South African professor Walter “Wally” F.O. Marasas (Wingfield and Crous 2012) who specialised in the taxonomy of Fusarium species and their associated mycotoxins.

The seismic resilience of water supply systems can be impacted by numerous factors, but what these factors are in the rural context of China is unknown. In this study, 41 potential influencing factors of seismic-resilience for rural water supply system (RWSS) were obtained through a literature review and semi-structured expert interview, comprising 26 general influencing factors (GFs) and 15 water supply safety influencing factors (SFs). This study verified and ranked these factors through a questionnaire survey delivered to RWSS stakeholders in Sichuan Province, China. Based on 123 valid, returned questionnaires, these factors are divided into 9 factor groups through factor analysis performed on GFs and SFs, respectively, of which “economic resilience” and “organizational resilience in disaster prevention stage” are shown to be the most important factor groups. Additionally, it found that the experience of earthquake events significantly affects the perceptions of stakeholders on the importance of certain factors. Specifically, stakeholders who have experienced an earthquake prioritize the post-earthquake resilience of the system, while those who have not experienced an earthquake prioritize the absorption capacity of the system in the disaster prevention stage. Thus, it is not appropriate to use fixed weights to evaluate the seismic resilience of RWSSs. Significantly, this outcome differs from existing findings on the resilience of Urban Water Supply Systems (UWSSs), where “technical resilience” is the key dimension. These findings can help decision-makers fully understand the factors affecting the seismic resilience of RWSSs in China, and in doing so, augment the strengthening of rural water supply.

It is unequivocal that human influence has warmed the planet, which is seriously affecting the planetary health including human health. Adapting climate change should not only be a slogan, but requires a united, holistic action and a paradigm shift from crisis response to an ambitious and integrated approach immediately. Recognizing the urgent needs to tackle the risk connection between climate change and One Health, the four key messages and recommendations that with the intent to guide further research and to promote international cooperation to achieve a more climate-resilient world are provided. Graphical Abstract

OBJECTIVE: Azithromycin is an alternative to treat invasive non-typhoidal Salmonella (iNTS) infections. We determined its epidemiological cut-off (ECOFF) and compared azithromycin susceptibility testing methods for iNTS. METHODS: We used EUCAST ECOFFinder to determine the minimum inhibitory concentrations (MIC; obtained by broth microdilution) ECOFF and corresponding disk zone diameters of 515 iNTS from blood cultures in Democratic Republic of Congo, Burkina Faso, Rwanda, and Cambodia. Transferable resistance mechanisms were determined by polymerase chain reaction. We compared azithromycin susceptibility testing by semi-automated broth microdilution (customized Sensititre panel; reference), agar dilution, gradient tests (bioMérieux, Liofilchem, HiMedia; read at 80% (MIC80%) and 100% inhibition (MIC100%)), and disk diffusion (Rosco, Oxoid, BD, Liofilchem) for 161 wild- and 198 non-wild-type iNTS. RESULTS: Azithromycin MIC ECOFF was 16 mg/L corresponding to a 12 mm zone diameter; mphA was detected in 192/197 non-wild- and 0/47 wild-type iNTS. Categorical agreement was excellent (≥98%) for all methods. Essential agreement was very good for agar dilution (>90%) but moderate for gradient tests (MIC80%: 52% to 71% and MIC100%: 72% to 91%). Repeatability was good for all methods/brands. Interreader agreement was high for broth microdilution and agar dilution (all ≤1 twofold dilution difference) and disk diffusion (>96% ≤3 mm difference) but lower for gradient tests (MIC80% & MIC100%: 83% to 94% ≤1 twofold dilution difference). DISCUSSION: Azithromycin ECOFF of iNTS was 16 mg/L, i.e. equal to Salmonella Typhi. Disk diffusion is an accurate, precise, and user-friendly alternative for agar dilution and broth microdilution. Reading gradient tests at 100% instead of 80% inhibition improved accuracy and precision. ispartof: CLINICAL MICROBIOLOGY AND INFECTION vol:28 issue:12 pages:1615-1623 ispartof: location:England status: published