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Strengthening Primary Health Care Systems is the most effective policy response in low-and middle-income countries to protect against health emergencies, achieve universal health coverage, and promote health and wellbeing. Despite the Astana declaration on primary health care, respective investment is still insufficient in Sub-Sahara Africa. The SARS-CoV-2019 pandemic is a reminder that non-communicable diseases (NCDs), which are increasingly prevalent in Sub-Sahara Africa, are closely interlinked to the burden of communicable diseases, exacerbating morbidity and mortality. Governments and donors should use the momentum created by the pandemic in a sustainable and effective way by pivoting health spending towards primary health care.

Objective

Background. Physical inactivity contributes to the rising prevalence of noncommunicable diseases (NCDs). Given the rapidly increasing prevalence of NCDs in Low-Income Countries (LICs), comprehensive evaluation and documentation of physical activity (PA) status in this setting are crucial. Methods. We examined the demographic and social-economic antecedents of PA among adults (5398) from the 2012 Tanzania STEPS survey data. Statistical significance at the level of 0.05 was used to measure the strength of associations. Results. Majority of study participants attained the WHO-recommended levels of physical activity (96.7%). Levels were higher among those living in rural than in urban settings (98% versus 92%,  p<0.0001) and generally, urban residency, female gender, higher education achievement, and employment were significantly associated with low levels of PA. Participation in the different domains of PA (work, transport, and recreational) varied with living setting, levels of education, and employment status. Conclusion. These results describe PA status and associated social-economic determinants among adults in rural and urban Tanzania. The findings contribute to the growing evidence that implicates urbanization as a key driver for the growing prevalence of physical inactivity in LICs and underscore the need for tailored PA interventions based on demography and social-economic factors.

Background. Fibroblast growth factor-21 is an endocrine regulator with therapeutic and diagnostic potential. The levels and pattern of circulating FGF-21 have been described mainly in European and Asian populations. Given its strong association with adiposity, and the reported ethnic variabilities in body composition, examining FGF-21 in an African population is crucial. Methods. We measured levels of circulating FGF-21 in 207 overweight and obese Tanzanian males with or without type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), and using statistical approaches, we explored their relationship with anthropometric and biochemical parameters. Results. Consistent with previous reports from European and Asian populations, we found higher levels of FGF-21 in people with T2DM compared to those without the disease. Based on statistical models, measures of adiposity explained up to 59% of the variability in FGF-21 levels in the circulation. Conclusion. Levels of circulating FGF-21 in overweight and obese African males are higher in T2DM and strongly correlate with measures of adiposity.

The syndrome of inferior vena caval obstruction may result from a number of diverse causes (Missal et al, 1965; Siqueira-Filho et al, 1976), and the clinical presentation and course depend, with some exceptions, upon the aetiology and level of obstruction. Thrombosis within the inferior vena cava (IVC) is one of the more common causes and may be primary or secondary to abdominal infection, abdominal trauma or surgery, hypercoagulable states or extension from femoral or iliac thrombophlebitis.

Study of the long-term and transgeneration effects after exposure of ionizing radiation, as manifestation of genomic instability, is very important for predication of emergency radiation situations’ consequences. We were investigated exposure of γ-radiation in doze range 1 – 6 Gy on example of amounts of the single-starnd DNA breaks (SSB) in the spleen lymphocytes (SL) of irradiated mice and changes in RAPD- and ISSR-patterns of their progeny. Male mice BALB/c strain were acute irradiated by γ-radiation at doses 1, 2, 3 and 6 Gy on gamma-unit GYPOS (dose rate- 4,5 Gy/min, source- Cs-137). For the study of long-term effects, mice were killed in an 11 months after irradiation. The SSB-level was evaluated using the alkaline comet-assay as described by Singh et al. [1998] with additional exposure of the hydrogen peroxide. The DNA comets analyzed with a fluorescence microscope AxioPhote by using the method of visual estimation [Collins et al., 1995]. For study of transgeneration effects after irradiation and comparison of sensitivity of different stages of spermatogenesis males were crossed with females the same strain in two weeks (post meiotic stage) and in three months (pre meiotic stage) after an irradiation. The offspring in both cases contained in standard conditions and were killed in the 3-4 weeks of age. DNA was isolated from liver by using DNA PrepTM(IZOGEN Lab). Amplification was performed by using lyophilizated PCR-mix DNA CoreTM(IZOGEN Lab) on thermocycler PT-48 (TDL Company). Products of amplification were separated in 1,5 % agaroze gel and visualized by ethydium bromide. For detection effects of irradiation was used RAPD- and ISSR-assays. Analysis of offspring patterns carried out on the basis of comparison with parental patterns, with the purpose of registration of new, "not parental" bands, as case of mutation. We are counting mutation frequency per animal in the group and processed these data statistically. Our results are show, that the SL of the animals irradiated dozes 1 – 3 Gy were more resistance to H2O2exposure, but, beginning at dose 1 Gy, mutation frequencies in irradiated offspring is significantly distinguished from the control group. At the same time, change of mutation frequencies is independent of increasing of the irradiation dose. The comparison of sensitivity on different stages of spermatogenesis are indicated, that post-irradiated changes in RAPD- and ISSR-patterns of pre and post meiotic cells have similar character

The aim of this work is the study hereditary effects of ionizing radiation on mice progeny, whose parents were irradiated on different stages of spermatogenesis. Male mice BALB/c strain were acute irradiated by γ-radiation at doses 1, 2 and 3 Gy on gamma-unit GYPOS (dose rate- 4,5 Gy/min, source- Cs-137). For comparison of sensitivity of different stages of spermatogenesis males were crossed with females the same strain in two weeks (post meiotic stage) and in three months (pre meiotic stage) after an irradiation. The offspring in both cases contained in standard conditions and were killed in the 3-4 weeks of age. DNA was isolated from liver by using DNA PrepTM (IZOGEN Lab). Amplification was performed by using lyophilizated PCR-mix DNA CoreTM (IZOGEN Lab) on thermocycler PT-48 (TDL Company). Products of amplification were separated in 1,5 % agaroze gel and visualized by ethydium bromide. For detection effects of irradiation was used RAPD- and ISSR-assays. Analysis of offspring patterns carried out on the basis of comparison with parental patterns, with the purpose of registration of new, "not parental" bands, as case of mutation. We are counting mutation frequency per animal in the group and processed these data statistically. Our results are show, that beginning at dose 1 Gy, mutation frequencies in irradiated offspring is significantly distinguished from the control group. At the same time, change of mutation frequencies is independent of increasing of the irradiation dose. The comparison of sensitivity different stages of spermatogenesis is indicated, that post-irradiated changes in RAPD- and ISSR-patterns of pre and post meiotic cells have similar character.

Background Bacillus licheniformis is a Gram-positive, spore-forming soil bacterium that is used in the biotechnology industry to manufacture enzymes, antibiotics, biochemicals and consumer products. This species is closely related to the well studied model organism Bacillus subtilis, and produces an assortment of extracellular enzymes that may contribute to nutrient cycling in nature.Results We determined the complete nucleotide sequence of the B. licheniformis ATCC 14580 genome which comprises a circular chromosome of 4,222,336 base-pairs (bp) containing 4,208 predicted protein-coding genes with an average size of 873 bp, seven rRNA operons, and 72 tRNA genes. The B. licheniformis chromosome contains large regions that are colinear with the genomes of B. subtilis and Bacillus halodurans, and approximately 80% of the predicted B. licheniformis coding sequences have B. subtilis orthologs.Conclusions Despite the unmistakable organizational similarities between the B. licheniformis and B. subtilis genomes, there are notable differences in the numbers and locations of prophages, transposable elements and a number of extracellular enzymes and secondary metabolic pathway operons that distinguish these species. Differences include a region of more than 80 kilobases (kb) that comprises a cluster of polyketide synthase genes and a second operon of 38 kb encoding plipastatin synthase enzymes that are absent in the B. licheniformis genome. The availability of a completed genome sequence for B. licheniformis should facilitate the design and construction of improved industrial strains and allow for comparative genomics and evolutionary studies within this group of Bacillaceae.

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