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Norovirus is the leading cause of sporadic and epidemic acute gastroenteritis (AGE) in children and adults around the world. We investigated the molecular diversity of noroviruses in a paediatric population in Senegal between 2007-2010 prior to rotavirus vaccine implementation. Stool samples were collected from 599 children under 5 years of age consulting for AGE in a hospital in Dakar. Specimens were screened for noroviruses using the Allplex™ GI-Virus Assay. Positive samples were genotyped after sequencing of conventional RT-PCR products. Noroviruses were detected in 79 (13.2%) of the children, with GII.4 (64%) and GII.6 (10%) as the most frequently identified genotypes. Our study describes the distribution of genotypes between 2007 and 2010 and should be a baseline for comparison with more contemporary studies. This could help decision makers on possible choices of norovirus vaccines in the event of future introduction. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.

Antisepsis and disinfection have always played an important role in the fight against infectious diseases. The use of these products has been effective in breaking the chain of transmission of microorganisms. Today, with the advent of COVID-19, the main recommendations are, among other things, physical distance and the use of antiseptic products, including hydro-alcoholic products. In Senegal, with poor regulations on the acquisition and distribution of antiseptics and disinfectants, this situation has led to a proliferation of antiseptics and disinfectants on the national market. this work aimed to study the quality of hydroalcoholic products found in the trade. We evaluated ten samples of hydro-alcohol products collected during the month of March 2020. Physical and microbiological controls were performed at the National Drug Control Laboratory. The alcohol content of the samples ranged from 63 to 85% and were consistent with WHO recommendations except for samples E3 and E5. The pH values varied between 4.02 and 6.64 and the densities of the hydro-alcoholic gel samples ranged from 0.84 to 0.92 g/cm3; E2, E4, E5, E6 samples had densities greater than 0.89 g/cm3. The samples of hydro-alcoholic products all conformed to the sterility test and no microbiological contamination was observed. Antimicrobial activities of the hydro-alcoholic samples tested ranged from 58.3 to 100% with two samples showing no activity (E2 and E5). In view of the results of this study, it would be relevant to expand and deepen investigations by a significant increase in the number of samples and by carrying out as complete an analysis as possible.

A proximate analysis and the assessment of mineral content of a dried snail called “Yet” (Cymbium sp) were conducted in this study. “Yet” is an important condiment in Senegalese culinary practice and is used to increase the taste of various dishes. The proximate analysis includes the determination of pH, fat, moisture and protein contents using the methods of the Association of Official Analytical Chemists (AOAC). The mineral contents were determined using the AOAC method based on atomic absorption spectrophotometry and includes levels of calcium (Ca), potassium (K), copper (Cu), Zinc (Zn), iron (Fe) and magnesium (Mg). The results of the proximate analysis revealed an acidic condiment with a pH value of 5.25, a moisture level of around 36.76% and fat and protein contents of 4.84 and 37.3%, respectively. Potassium was the most predominant mineral with a concentration of 666.42 mg/100 g.The other minerals includes Zn, Ca, Fe, Mg and Cu with levels of 0.77, 7.80, 0.30, 25.83 and 1.05 mg/100 g respectively. Even though the acidic pH is beneficial for the conservation of “Yet”, the high value of K might lead to health problems such as kidney failure, adrenal insufficiency and insulin deficiency. Consequently, the findings of this study, could be useful to sanitary authorities and nutritionists in the evaluation and recommendation of healthy diets to the population.

Introduction Cerebral venous thrombosis (CVT) are underdiagnosed in sub-saharan Africa where publications are uncommon. Our study aim was to describe the CVT diagnostic and therapeutic features through a senegalese case series. Patients and method A monocentric retrospective and prospective study was conducted at the adult Neurology department of Fann Teaching Hospital in Dakar (Senegal), between January 01, 2013 and April 30, 2020. It had included all CVT cases diagnosed by neurovascular imaging. Results Seventy CVT cases were collected including 48 women (68.6%). The average age of the patients was 35.2 ± 14 years. The main neurological signs were headache (92.8%) and motor deficit (41.4%), with subacute onset in 67.2% of cases. The superior sagittal sinus (54.3%) and the transverse sinus (38.6%) were the most affected with multiple involvements in 27 patients (38.6%). Thirty patients (42.8%) had indirect parenchymal signs such as venous infarction (15.7%), cerebral edema (11.4%) or intracerebral hemorrhage (12.8%). The etiological factors were mostly infectious (41.4%) with meningoencephalitis (12.8%) and otorhinolaryngological infection (10%). Gyneco-obstetric factors (27%) and Behcet's disease (7%) were the main aseptic factors. In the short-term clinical course, curative anticoagulation (98.6%) had enabled a favourable outcome (mRS 0-1) in half of the patients. Conclusion Our study, the largest series in sub-saharan Africa to this date, confirms that CVT is a young women disease. Infectious etiology is the most frequent at the Fann national teaching hospital (41.4% in Dakar against 6.5% in Germaine Bousser's series) even if the etiological assessment is limited by financial constraints (no coagulopathy/thrombophilia check-up).

Methods proposed by pharmacopeias to check the quality of chlorpheniramine maleate tablets are multi steps methods which involve extraction and present issues with repeatability. An alternative method is proposed with a sensitive, reliable, simple and rapid UV-VISIBLE spectrophotometry method developed for the determination without extraction of chlorpheniramine maleate in tablets. The method was validated using the accuracy profile approach with an accuracy ranging from 99.70 to 100.46%. Analysis was done using 0.25 mol/L sulfuric acid, distilled water, and raw material in a room at 23 °C for 25 to 30 minutes. Chlorpheniramine maleate concentration varied from 0.018 to 0.03 mg/mL. The method was found to be specific with the appearance of the corresponding maxima at 265 nm and a correlation coefficient (R2 ) of 0.9993. Limits of detection and quantification were respectively 1.39 × 10-4and 2.26 × 10-3 mg/mL. The tolerance limits for the different concentration levels (75, 100 and 125%) were respectively: 88.37; 92.74 and91.62% for lower limits and 111.03; 108.17 and 108.02% for upper limits. It was observed that the tolerance limits were within the limits of acceptability set at 20%. Consequently, the method was declared valid and reliable for routine analysis of chlorpheniramine maleate in tablets containing chlorphenamine as active principle.Keywords : Chlorpheniramine maleate, tablets, accuracy profile, assay method without extraction, validation

Senegal is affected by a relatively high prevalence of iodine deficiency disorders, which compromises its social and economic development. To address this situation, the Universal Salt Iodization strategy was adopted by the Senegalese Government. The monitoring of salt iodine status is crucial to the success of such a program. Therefore, this study aimed to evaluate the iodine concentration of table salt from Senegalese households. A total of 1575 samples collected in urban and rural areas were analyzed using the iodometric method. The powdered salt samples showed higher mean iodine content (18.99 ppm) and lower percentage of non-compliance (58.4%) than the other salt types (p = 0.02). Most of the samples collected from urban area were found with iodine content between 15 and 39.9 ppm, whereas, in rural areas, the situation was significantly different (p = 0.01). Iodine levels of most samples were lower than 5 ppm in the rural producing area or varied between 5 to 14.9 ppm in the rural non-producing area. A percentage of 37.3% of adequately iodized salt samples was obtained at a national scale with a significant disparity between urban and rural areas. Therefore, improvements in quality control procedures in tandem with the iodization process are necessary and an information, education and communication strategy should be adopted.

Cucurbits are largely grown in tropical and subtropical areas for nutritional and medicinal purposes. In Senegal, two species, watermelon (Citrullus lanatus) and pumpkin (Cucurbita pepo), are cultivated and their use include consumption of flesh or the whole fruit. In general, people don’t give importance to seeds which can have nutritional properties of great interest. Hence, the relevance of this study whose objective is to assess the nutritional and therapeutic properties of seeds. For that purpose, the seeds of watermelon and pumpkin were air-dried, manually shelled, ground, and subjected to assays including physicochemical determination, characterization of oils, phytochemical screening and antioxidant analysis. Proteins (28.46 - 32.85 %), fat (36.3 - 39.7 %) and carbohydrates (23.6 - 13.9 %) were the main chemical components found in watermelon and pumpkin seeds. Micro-elements such as potassium, magnesium, phosphorous, calcium, and iron were also found with potassium showing the highest levels as 1026.07 and 635.00 mg/100 g for watermelon and pumpkin, respectively. Magnesium and phosphorous were the following minerals in terms of level content. The unsaturated fatty acids (UFAs) were predominant in seed oils with the linoleic acid most representative as 73.01 and 35.90% for watermelon and pumpkin, respectively. From the saturated fatty acids (SFAs), the palmitic acid was the most important. Phytochemical components in seeds include the presence of alkaloids, cardiac glycosides, flavonoids, and tannins in the ethanolic extracts of pumpkin and watermelon seeds. Regarding to the radical scavenging activity, relatively close values have been obtained for fractions from the ethanolic watermelon extract, the aqueous fraction showing the highest antioxidant activity (26.82%). For pumpkin, the highest values were registered for ethyl acetate and aqueous fractions as 36.17 and 35.36%, respectively. Therefore, seeds from watermelons and pumpkin cultivated in Senegal exhibited interesting nutritional and antioxidant properties which argue in favor of their use to overcome malnutrition issues.

ntroduction: Stroke according to the WHO (World Health Organization) is a sudden deficit of focal brain function with no apparent cause other than a vascular cause. It is a major public health problem. It is the first cause of motor disability, second cause of cognitive disability and third cause of mortality in the world. Material and method: It is a retrospective and descriptive study of a period of 18 months (January 1, 2016 to October 30, 2017) conducted in the national Emergency Medical Services of Dakar (Senegal). According to our study criteria, 343 patients were collected. Results: The mean age of the patients was 64.2 years (extremes of 17 and 104 years). Men represented 54.22% (sex ratio M/W 1.8). Dakar represented the main provenance of our patients (79.30%). Hypertension was the main risk factor (50%). Acute headaches were the main warning sign (13.41%). An echocardiography was performed in 59 patients; complete tachyarrhythmia by atrial fibrillation represented 30% of the ECG. The CT-scan was performed for 201 patients (61% of ischemic stroke, 37.5% hemorrhagic and 1.5% of transient ischemic attack). The medevac represented 53.93%. Transportation was made essentially by the emergency medical services; home interventions were the most represented. The mean time for intervention by the emergency medical services was 134.71 minutes. Fann Hospital was the main host structure (45.49%). The care (of the emergency medical services) included, among others, intubation (4.8%), monitoring, oxygen therapy, urinary catheter and medical treatment. We noticed 20.40% of deaths in our series, due essentially to neurological complications. Conclusion: Stroke is a major public health problem. Difficulties are sometimes encountered in the care and the research of an appropriate host structure. The purpose of the pre-hospital care is to intervene as soon as possible while making a clinic diagnosis by performing forthwith a brain CT-scan in order to optimize the care and improve the prognostic of stroke patients.

The photoparoxysmal response (PPR) is defined as the occurrence of generalized spike, spike-wave or polyspike-wave discharges consistently elicited by intermittent photic stimulation (IPS). PPR is not well studied in Sub-Saharan African people. We prospectively studied the epidemiological, clinical, and EEG characteristics of PPR among consecutive patients recorded at the clinical neurophysiology unit of Fann University Hospital (Dakar, Senegal). Among 6,808 EEG recordings including 3,065 pathological EEGs, we collected 56 EEGs with PPR (0.8% of all recorded EEGs and 1.8% of anormal EEGs), from 31 women and 25 men (sex ratio: 0.8). The mean age was 13.3 years (range: 8 months to 59 years). The peak of photosensitivity was found in the range of 6 to 10 years. Of the PPR cases, 12 had clinical manifestations during IPS. Generalized epilepsy was diagnosed in 23 (41%) patients and 18 (32%) had focal epilepsies. The most epileptogenic stimulation frequencies were between 12 and 24 Hz (range: 1-28 Hz). PPR were mainly triggered during eye closure (64%), and 41 patients (73% of PPR cases) were classified as Type 4 (Waltz classification). Our results confirm lower rates of photosensitivity in African Sub-Saharan people compared with others. Although the current data do not support a role of short-term ambient light levels, subject to consistent data from larger cohorts, it may be interesting to study the probable epigenetic-mediated protective role of sunshine against photosensitivity.

Methods proposed by pharmacopeias to control the quality of Efavirenz, an antiretroviral drug used in the treatment of AIDS are based on expensive equipment which are most of the time not available in African countries. To solve this issue, using UV-visible spectrophotometry, a cheap and easy-to-use device available in many laboratories on the African continent; a sensitive, reliable, simple and rapid method has been validated for the determination of the active substance Evafirenz in Efavirenz tablets, to control their quality by checking its dosage. The accuracy profile approach was adopted. The response function gave a correlation coefficient R2 = 0.9987. The detection and quantification limits were 0.15625 μg / mL and 0.515625 μg / mL, respectively. The acceptability limit has been set at 15%. The tolerance limits for the different concentration levels (80, 100 and 120%) are represented respectively as follows: lower limits 86.2; 90.3 and 96.1%; upper limits 100.2; 106.3 and 113.7%. The tolerance limits are within the acceptability limits for values around 100% concentration (7 μg / mL). Therefore, the method was declared valid and reliable for the analysis of Efavirenz in Efavirenz tablets and could routinely be used in laboratories for the quality control of EFAVIRENZ drug. © 2020 International Formulae Group. All rights reserved. Keywords: Efavirenz, accuracy profile, spectrophotometry, pharmaceutical formulation

Africa is the world’s most genetically diverse, second largest, and second most populous continent, with over one billion people distributed across 54 countries. With a 23% lifetime risk of stroke, Africa has some of the highest rates of stroke worldwide and many occur in the prime of life with huge economic losses and grave implications for the individual, family, and the society in terms of mental capital, productivity, and socioeconomic progress. Tackling the escalating burden of stroke in Africa requires prioritized, multipronged, and inter-sectoral strategies tailored to the unique African epidemiological, cultural, socioeconomic, and lifestyle landscape. The African Stroke Organization (ASO) is a new pan-African coalition that brings together stroke researchers, clinicians, and other health-care professionals with participation of national and regional stroke societies and stroke support organizations. With a vision to reduce the rapidly increasing burden of stroke in Africa, the ASO has a four-pronged focus on (1) research, (2) capacity building, (3) development of stroke services, and (4) collaboration with all stakeholders. This will be delivered through advocacy, awareness, and empowerment initiatives to bring about people-focused changes in policy, clinical practice, and public education. In the spirit of the African philosophy of Ubuntu “I am because we are,” the ASO will harness the power of diversity, inclusiveness, togetherness, and team work to build a strong, enduring, and impactful platform for tackling stroke in Africa.

Background Bacterial meningitis is a major cause of mortality among children under 5 years of age. Senegal is part of World Health Organization–coordinated sentinel site surveillance for pediatric bacterial meningitis surveillance. We conducted this analysis to describe the epidemiology and etiology of bacterial meningitis among children less than 5 years in Senegal from 2010 and to 2016. Methods Children who met the inclusion criteria for suspected meningitis at the Centre Hospitalier National d’Enfants Albert Royer, Senegal, from 2010 to 2016 were included. Cerebrospinal fluid specimens were collected from suspected cases examined by routine bacteriology and molecular assays. Serotyping, antimicrobial susceptibility testing, and whole-genome sequencing were performed. Results A total of 1013 children were admitted with suspected meningitis during the surveillance period. Streptococcus pneumoniae, Neisseria meningitidis, and Haemophilus accounted for 66% (76/115), 25% (29/115), and 9% (10/115) of all confirmed cases, respectively. Most of the suspected cases (63%; 639/1013) and laboratory-confirmed (57%; 66/115) cases occurred during the first year of life. Pneumococcal meningitis case fatality rate was 6-fold higher than that of meningococcal meningitis (28% vs 5%). The predominant pneumococcal lineage causing meningitis was sequence type 618 (n = 7), commonly found among serotype 1 isolates. An ST 2174 lineage that included serotypes 19A and 23F was resistant to trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole. Conclusions There has been a decline in pneumococcal meningitis post–pneumococcal conjugate vaccine introduction in Senegal. However, disease caused by pathogens covered by vaccines in widespread use still persists. There is need for continued effective monitoring of vaccine-preventable meningitis., Disease caused by pathogens covered by conjugate vaccines in widespread use still persists in Senegal. There is need for continued effective monitoring of vaccine-preventable meningitis.

Pesticides are extensively used by farmers in the Niayes zone of Dakar regardless of good agricultural practices as evidenced by many authors. Some of them were either not registered or banned for ...

Neuro-Behcet (NB) African studies are mainly North African, but Sub-Saharan Africa is not to be outdone. Our aim was to describe diagnostic and therapeutic features of NB in a Senegalese series collected in Dakar. This was a descriptive and retrospective study conducted at the Neurology department of Fann Teaching Hospital in Dakar, Senegal. All patients who met the NB's diagnostic criteria were included. Sixteen patients were collected, 14 males and 2 females with an average age of 40 years [18-71]. The main neurological signs were motor deficit (13 cases), headache (10 cases), and language disorders (4 cases). Extra-neurological signs were dermatological (14 cases), ocular (2 cases), and articular (2 cases) with aseptic unilateral gonarthritis. Fever was present in 9 patients. Neurological involvement was mostly isolated parenchymal (8 cases) or mixed (6 cases). The main clinical forms of NB were rhombencephalitis (8 cases) and retrobulbar optic neuritis (4 cases). Seven patients had a cerebral angio-Behcet with cerebral venous thrombosis (3 cases), ischemic stroke (2 cases), and intracerebral hematoma (2 cases). Under prednisone (16 cases) and azathioprine (3 cases), the short-term clinical outcome was mostly favorable (14 cases) with a modified Rankin scale at 2. NB is an under-diagnosed adult male disease in Sub-Saharan Africa and further studies are needed.

International audience; Although psychiatric and neurological disorders are among the first contributors to the global burden of disease, they remain among the most neglected topics of Global Health. There is a real need to raise their profile, to improve advocacy so that the impact of these diseases is better understood, and greater political efforts are made to improve access to health care for mental disorders and epilepsy. This is the reason why in September 2019, the Interactive Meetings Promoting Access to Care and Treatment (IMPACT) Forum co-organized by the Institute of Epidemiology and Tropical Neurology UMR 1094 Inserm, the World Association of Social Psychiatry (WASP), and Sanofi Global Health was focused on “Advocacy: how to create political will for mental health and epilepsy in low- and middle-income countries?” This forum involved 40 people from 20 countries (from Africa, Asia, Latin America, but also from Europe), from various backgrounds (public, private, associative, and academic sectors), all committed to developing access to care for people living with mental disorders or epilepsy in low- and middle-income countries. The 2-day meeting combining plenary didactic sessions and group workshops provided participants with an opportunity to get a better understanding of advocacy, of its importance to drive policy and societal changes, and encouraged them to develop local advocacy plans. A survey conducted at the start of the IMPACT Forum, to evaluate the baseline understanding and attitudes toward advocacy, and repeated at the end, showed improvements in the overall score, as well as in every single item.

Introduction ─ Multidrug-resistant tuberculosis is resistant to isoniazid and/or rifampicin. It is favored by poverty and infection with the human immunodeficiency virus. This retrospective, descriptive study aimed to determine the contribution of Xpert MTB/RIF® in the diagnosis of multidrug-resistant pulmonary tuberculosis in a semi-urban environment at the Peace Hospital of Ziguinchor in Senegal during the period from April 2015 to August 2019.Methodology ─ The study is retrospective, descriptive and carried out in the laboratory of Ziguinchor Hospital de la Paix, in southern Senegal, from April 2015 to August 2019. All respiratory specimens were subjected to Ziehl-Neelsen-stained smear microscopy and Xpert MTB/RIF® testing.Results ─ 180 samples, i.e. 6.4% were microscopy-negative but positive in Xpert MTB/RIF® testing. 32 patients (1%) are infected with rifampicin-resistant M. tuberculosis, against 29% of patients (798/2794) infected with susceptible strains.Conclusion ─ Tuberculosis is not longer a “disease of the past”. Having a high cost, Xpert MTB/RIF® testing must be associated with microscopy, which remains accessible in semi-urban areas and is easy to perform.

Guillain-Barre Syndrome (GBS) is an acute autoimmune polyradiculoneuropathy, that often follows an antecedent infection. Leishmaniasis is a zoonosis due to a flagellate protozoan of the Leishmania genus and transmitted by the sandfly. Here we report a 15 years old teenager who presented with an ascending installation of the motor deficit in three weeks associated with dysphonia and swallowing disorders. The physical examination showed a flaccid proximo-distal quadriparesis, akinesthesia, apallesthesia and cutaneous lesions on the forehead, wrist and calf that appeared two months earlier. The HIV serology was negative and cerebro-spinal fluid examination was normal. The electroneuromyography showed a reduction in motor and sensitive amplitudes with an increase in distal latencies and F waves in the upper limbs and segmental and focal conduction blocks. Parasitological examination of the dermal juice around the edges of the skin lesions revealed amastigote forms of leishmaniasis. The evolution was favorable with only symptomatic treatment.

Recommended supplementation of salt with iodine and requirements for controlling iodised salt result in the necessary validation of the titrimetric method used for the quantification of this micron...

Honey is one of the most pleasant food substances for humanity. It has many properties and contributes to the improvement of human nutrition. In Senegal, honey is an object of many speculations as for its origin and its physico-chemical and microbiological qualities. In this context, our study aims to evaluate the quality of local honey. Our study focused on six honey samples. Physico-chemical and microbiological analyses were carried out to evaluate the quality of the honey samples. The water content of the honey samples varied from 7.86 to 14.96 %. As for the ash content, the results varied from 0.13 to 0.45 %. The pH of the honey samples varies from 4.60 to 5.05, except for sample E5 which is 6.68. The total acidity values of the honey samples ranged from 10 to 26.5 mEq/kg. The IC50 values for the evaluation of the antiradical activity of the honey samples ranged from 145.05 to 189.40 μg/mL. The honey samples were generally compliant to the microbiological parameters studied, with the exception of samples E2 and E3 for which we had the presence of coliform for both samples and the presence of yeast and mold for sample E2 only.Given the results of this study, it would be necessary to do a more comprehensive study on as many local samples as possible.

Background and Aims: Initially barely affected by the COVID-19, the African continent suffered a second violent wave this winter. Neurological manifestations worldwide are increasingly reported, dominated by encephalitis, stroke and polyradiculoneuritis. We report the Senegalese experience of Neurocovid through a series of 9 patients. Methods: This is a prospective study of patients hospitalized in the neurology department of Fann. Were included patients who had neurological manifestations during or following an COVID-19 infection defined by a positive PCR or a recent infection with ELISA serology or typical chest imaging. Results: We collected 9 patients (6 men and 3 women), aged 7 to 80 years. Diagnoses were: 3 encephalitis, 4 polyradiculoneuritis, 1 hemorrhagic stroke and 1 chorea. 4 patients had comorbidities. The delay for neurological signs appearance was 11.1 days. A nasal swab was positive on 5/8 patients. Antibodies were found in all 3 negative patients. The LCR study showed hyperproteinorrachia in 7/9 patients. 5 patients underwent CT chest scan, showing ground glass opacities. Brain imaging was normal in 3 and pathological in 2, showing a parietal temporo hematoma fx1 in one and mesencephalic and parietal hypersignal in the other fx2 50% of patients with polyradiculoneuritis had an ENMG that showed an AIDP. One patient had an electroencephalogram that showed an overall slowing of the pattern with diffuse pseudoperiodic complexes fx3. Evolution was good for 6 patients but we noticed 3 deaths. [Formula presented] [Formula presented] [Formula presented] Conclusions: Neurological manifestations most often occur in post-infection. The creation of a multidisciplinary team will allow a better understanding of the sequel as of patients with COVID-19.

We aimed to determine the molecular profile of strains of Mycobacterium tuberculosis isolated in Senegal From to strains isolated at the National Reference Laboratory for Mycobacteria of the National Antituberculosis Program NAP were characterized by spoligotyping T super family was the principal family identified with two unusual spoligotypes T RUS and Central Asia CAS Delhi

Molecular typing of extended spectrum beta lactamase producing nbsp klebsiella pneumoniae nbsp strains isolated in the university hospital center of Dakar

Streptococcus pneumoniae is a pathogen causing pneumonia, meningitis, otitis and bacteraemia. Nowadays, S. pneumoniae is developing antibacterial resistance, particularly for those with reduced susceptibility to penicillin. The objective of this study was to assess the susceptibility profile of S. pneumoniae strains isolated from acute respiratory infections (ARIs) in children younger than 5 years of age in Dakar, Senegal. S. pneumoniae strains were isolated from broncho-alveolar lavages (BALs), nasopharyngeal swabs, and middle ear secretion from children in the Paediatric Department of Abass Ndao University Teaching Hospital and Paediatric Department of Roi Baudouin Hospital in Dakar, Senegal. The strains were cultivated on Columbia agar supplemented with 5% of horse blood and gentamicin (6 mg/L). Antibiotic susceptibility testing was performed using E-test method. A total of 34 strains of S. pneumoniae were isolated and identified in this study, among them 7 strains (20.58%) showed penicillin-resistance. Antibiotics such as amoxicillin/clavulanic acid (MIC90=0.036 μg/mL), cefuroxim (MIC90=0.38 μg/mL), cefixim (MIC90=1.5 μg/mL), as well as macrolides (azithromycin MIC90=1.5 μg/mL, clarithromycin MIC90=0.125 μg/mL) and fluoroquinolone (levofloxacin MIC90=1 μg/mL, ofloxacin MIC90=2 μg/mL) were mostly active. However, all S. pneumoniae strains were resistant to sulfamethoxazole/trimethoprim (MIC90: 32 μg/mL). Except of S. pneumoniae strains penicillin-resistance or reduced susceptibility, most strains were susceptible to β-lactams antibiotics commonly used in ARI treatment. Continuous surveillance of antimicrobial resistance patterns of pneumococcus strains is still crucial for effective control of ARIs in children.

In Senegal, social-economic changes have likely affected dietary habits. As in many parts of the world, Senegalese children consume significant amounts of food between main meals (snacking) with a wide consumption of soft drinks and chips products which can have negative effects on children sanitary health. This study aims at investigating some dietary habits of Senegalese school-age children and the nutritional composition of some snacking products to alleviate nutrition and health issues caused by food quality. A survey was carried out in schools in some districts of Dakar and allowed to identify the most consumed soft drinks and chips from which samples were taken and subjected to physicochemical analysis. Snacking was a common habit in Senegalese school-age children with 68% declaring regular consumption of chips and 88% that of sweetened drinks. The main component in soft drinks after water was carbohydrates with contents ranging between 6.50 ± 0.27 and 13.75 ± 0.01% and energy values varying between 26.00 ± 1.09 and 54.99 ± 0.04 kcal/100g. Some minerals such as magnesium, sodium, potassium and calcium were also present with levels comprised between 4.35 ± 0.15 mg/100g to 167.41 ± 9.50 mg/100g. The ranges were: Mg (8.26 ± 0.23-12.11 ± 0.84), Na (4.35 ± 0.15-8.18 ± 0.10), K (4.50 ± 0.35-8.18 ± 0.52) and Ca (120.51 ± 10.90-167.41 ± 9.50). The macronutrients in chips were proteins (5.95 ± 0.10 - 10.70 ± 0.05%), fat (19.86 ± 0.65 - 35.94 ± 0.01%), carbohydrates (47.43 ± 0.44 - 64.65 ± 0.78%) and dietary fiber (1.55 ± 0.10 - 2.13 ± 0.23%). Sodium and potassium were also present with levels of 580.04 ± 23.98 to 692.97 ± 40.78 mg/100g for sodium and 159.84 ± 6.86 to 318.57 ± 1.09 mg/100g for potassium. The results of this study can help orient the strategies to put into effect in order to inform children and their parents on the best diets to adopt for a healthy and quality life.

Resume L’hypomelanose d’Ito est un syndrome neurocutane rare. Nous en rapportons 4 observations chez des enfants âges de 8 a 20 mois. Ils presentaient tous une epilepsie, un retard de developpement psychomoteur et des lesions hypopigmentees diffuses. L’electroencephalogramme montrait des anomalies irritatives diffuses ou focales sur un rythme de fond normal ou ralenti. La tomodensitometrie cerebrale etait normale chez 2 enfants et montrait dans un cas une atrophie hemispherique sous-corticale. Malgre un traitement antiepileptique et une reeducation psychomotrice, l’amelioration clinique est restee pauvre avec persistance d’une epilepsie pharmacoresistante et d’un retard des acquisitions psychomotrices.

Solvatochromic behavior of 2-aminobenzimidazole (2-AB) has been studied in different solvents at room temperature. The observation of the bathochromic shift in the absorption and fluorescence spectra of molecules indicates a strong interaction with solvents in the excited state. The difference in the excited-state (μ e ) and the ground-state (μ g ) dipole moments has been estimated by using the theory of solvatochromism from Bakhshiev, Bilot–Kawski, and Dimroth–Reichardt equations. Higher values of dipole moment have been observed for excited state compared to the corresponding ground state values indicating an intramolecular charge-transfer (ICT). Then in order to carry out a theoretical investigation, the values of dipole moments were calculated in the gas phase with TDDFT/B3LYP. Based on these results, we propose a solvation model consistent with theoretical and experimental results wherein we showed the specific interactions between solvent molecules and aminobenzimidazole at the excited state.

Introduction: In sub-Saharan Africa, acute stroke management is lacking, as is etiological research and gestion of the common complications, often resulting in patients’ death. Atelectasis, is the complete or partial collapse of an area (lobe) of the lung; it is one of the most common respiratory complications after surgery. However, atelectasis is a relatively rare lung disease following a stroke. Case presentation: We report the case of an 84-year-old man, non-alcoholic-smoking and irregularly followed for high blood pressure on a heart disease for several years. He suddenly presented a right brachiofacial spastic hemiplegia with aphasia, rapidly followed by consciousness' troubles correlated with a mixed-mechanism ischemic stroke: embolic and atheromatus. After clinical improvement under symptomatic treatment, he suddenly presented an acute febrile respiratory distress at day 7 of hospitalization causing a suspected pulmonary embolism but with evidence on thoracic CT scan of a bilateral pleuropneumopathy with near-total atelectasis of the left lung. Evolution was unfavourable after a 15-day transitional improvment. Conclusions: Although unusual, an pulmonary atelectasis should be sought in cases of acute rebellious respiratory distress on a patient with a stroke. Management must be quick and collaborative to improve prognosis. Also, it is essential in our African context to systematize and repeat chest X-rays in case of leukoariosis on brain imaging, which is a fertile ground for the occurrence of pseudo-bulbar disorders, especially deglutition troubles.