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In order to propose a plant extract as an alternative to the use of antibiotics used in broiler breeding, an experimental study was carried out in the department of Azaguié and the choice fell on the aqueous extract leaves of Ocimum gratissimum L (EAOG). To achieve this objective, fifty (50) broiler chicks of Cobb-500 strains were divided into two (02) batches of twenty-five (25) each. Thus, batch I received only the aqueous extract of Ocimum gratissimum L., while batch II received the prophylaxis recommended for rearing in this locality. Phytochemical screening revealed the presence of sterols and polyterpenes, polyphenols, flavonoids, alkaloids and catechin tannins in Ocimum gratissimum L. The acute toxicity study carried out on broilers showed that EAOG is not toxic by the oral route in a single dose at a dose of 2000 mg/kg BW. The EAOG caused a significant increase (p

The objectives of the work were to measure the degree of satisfaction of women in the postpartum period and to determine the stability of the immediate postpartum care satisfaction scale (PASS).The motherhood of the reference health center of commune V served as a study framework. The study was descriptive for evaluative purposes in postpartum women. It covered the period from 11 July 2014 to 14 January 2015. Two interview questionnaires (SSOPPI1) and (SF12 and SSOPPI2) were used for data collection. The data analysis was done on the software EPI-info version 3.5.3.The study involved a total of 145 women in SSOPPI1 and SSOPPI2. The average age was 25.6 years ± 5.5 years. The level of satisfaction for the two phases of the study (SSOPPI1 and SSOPPI2) was a function of level of study, occupation, mode of initiation of labor, route of delivery, status of newborn at birth. Satisfaction was 98.6% in SSOPPI1 and was 98,5% in SSOPPI2 with a statistically insignificant difference (p = 0.67).The degree of overall satisfaction was a function of a number of factors. This satisfaction remained stable during both phases of the study.Les objectifs du travail étaient de mesurer le degré de satisfaction des femmes dans le post-partum et de déterminer la stabilité de l'échelle de mesure de la satisfaction des soins post-partum immédiat(SSOPPI).La maternité du centre de santé de référence de la commune V a servi de cadre d'étude. L'étude était descriptive à visée évaluative portant sur les femmes en post-partum. Elle a couvert la période allant du 11juillet 2014 au 14 janvier 2015. Deux questionnaires d'entrevue (SSOPPI1) et (SF12 et SSOPPI2) ont été utilisés pour la collecte des données. L'analyse des données a été faite sur le logiciel EPI-info version 3.5.3.L'étude a porté sur un total de 145 femmes en SSOPPI1 et SSOPPI2. L'âge moyen était de 25, 6ans±5,5ans. Le degré de satisfaction pour les deux phases de l'étude (SSOPPI1 et SSOPPI2) était fonction du niveau d'étude, la profession, le mode de déclenchement du travail, la voie d'accouchement, l'état du nouveau-né à la naissance. La satisfaction était de 98,6% en SSOPPI1 et de 98,5% en SSOPPI2 avec une différence statistiquement non significative (p=0,67).Le degré de satisfaction globale était fonction d'un certain nombre de facteurs. Cette satisfaction est restée stable pendant les deux phases de l'étude.

The diabetic foot wound is a real public health problem, 10% of the reasons for hospitalization. The risk of amputation is 10 to 30 times higher in diabetics than the general population.To study the problem of amputations of the diabetic foot.This was a descriptive and cross-sectional study that took place in the Department of Medicine and Endocrinology of the Mali Hospital from July 1st, 2016 to June 30th, 2017.Twenty-five (25) diabetic patients were enrolled in our study. The sex ratio was 0.66. At admission, 100% of our patients had arterial disease, 96% neuropathy, and mixed foot in 80%. Poor glycemic control in 64% of patients; osteitis in 52% of cases; 92% of the patients had a 100% amputation risk according to the University of Texas classification. Nearly half or 46% of patients had amputations in the leg. We recorded 1 death case that is 4%.The problem of amputation of diabetic feet is a function of the poor equilibrium and progressive neurological and vascular complications of diabetes.La plaie du pied diabétique constitue un réel problème de santé publique, 10% des motifs d'hospitalisation. Le risque d'amputation est de 10 à 30 fois plus élevé chez les diabétiques que la population générale.Etudier la problématique des amputations du pied diabétique.II s'agissait d'une étude descriptive et transversale qui s'est déroulée dans le service de médecine et d'endocrinologie de l'hôpital du Mali du 1er Juillet 2016 au 30 Juin 2017.Vingt-cinq (25) patients diabétiques ont été recrutés dans notre étude. Le sex ratio était de 0,66. A l'admission, 100% de nos patients avaient une artériopathie, 96% une neuropathie, et un pied mixte dans 80%. Un mauvais équilibre glycémique chez 64% des patients ; l'ostéite dans 52% des cas; 92% des patients avaient un risque d'amputation à 100% selon la classification de l'université du Texas. Près de la moitié soit 46% des patients ont été amputé au niveau de la jambe. Nous avons enregistré 1 cas de décès soit 4%.La problématique de l'amputation des pieds diabétiques est fonction du mauvais équilibre et des complications évolutives neurologiques et vasculaires du diabète.

Our objective was to find a mean flow velocity (MFV) cut-off point to differentiate between normal and cognitive impaired patients using Clinical Dementia Rating (CDR) as a comparison method. To evaluate MFV (in cm/s) and pulsatility index (PI) from the left middle cerebral artery (MCA) and basilar artery using transcranial Doppler in a pilot study from an outpatient cognition unit and compare with cognitively normal older adults (at the age of sixty or older) from the Geriatric Ambulatory of Fluminense Federal University. We hypothesized that there is a MFV and PI cut-off point to potentially distinguish between normal and impaired cognition. Sixty-one patients with cognitive decline, including 18 with amnestic mild cognitive impairment (aMCI), 31 with probable Alzheimer disease (AD), 12 with vascular dementia (VD), and 10 cognitively normal older adults were included in the study. Patients with dementia (both AD and VD, p

Heterotopic pregnancy is no more a medical breakthrough. It combines intrauterine pregnancy and extra-uterine pregnancy regardless of location. We report a case of intra-uterine pregnancy associated with a ruptured abdominal ectopic pregnancy located on the pelvic colon in a 29-year-old patient, third gestation, primigravida, having a live baby and a prior history of two abortions. She has blood group O negative of Rhesus. It has been diagnosed at the stage of the rupture of ectopic pregnancy. An emergency laparotomy performed under blood transfusion has revealed heavy hemoperitoneum (1100 ml), a ruptured abdominal extra-uterine localized on the pelvic under blood transfusion and a bulging uterus. We have proceeded with the aspiration of hemoperitoneum, the ablation of the extra-uterine pregnancy and the hemostasis of the section part. The post-operative follow-up has been easy. The intra-uterine pregnancy has developed normally and has given birth to a full-term live, and healthy baby.

Aim: The aim of this study is to determine from a series of 1000 cases the usual dimensions of the portal vein according to the medical ultrasound. Methodology: We realized a transverse study over 2 years (from January 2015 to December 2017). It concerned an ultrasound exploration of the portal vein. The studied population was healthy voluntary subjects visible without history of abdominal trauma and abdominal operating scar. Results: The average age was 39 years ± 12.16 with extremes of 19 years and 70 years. The decade of 21 - 29 years represented 46.2%. The transverse diameter of the portal vein in its origin varied between 8 and 10 mm in 57.9% of the cases. The average was 9.05 ± 2.82 mm with extremes of 5 and 16 mm. The transverse diameter of the portal vein in its ending varied between 8 and 10 mm in 56.9%. In 29.8% of the cases, the length of the portal vein was between 61 and 70 mm and in 8.8% between 81 and 100 mm. The average length was 58 ± 22.3 mm. Before its penetration in the liver, the portal vein divided into 2 branches in 967 cases (96.7%) and in 3 branches in 33 cases (3.3%). Conclusion: This original study shows the normal dimensions of the portal vein to Malian.

Insecticide resistance is one of the primary threats to the recent gains in malaria control. This is especially true in Guinea, where long-lasting insecticidal nets are currently the primary vector control intervention. To better inform the national malaria control program on the current status of insecticide resistance in Guinea, resistance bioassays were conducted, using Anopheles gambiae s.l. Giles, in three sites. Molecular analyses were also done on An. gambiae s.l. to determine the species and find whether the target-site mutations kdr and Ace1R were present. Susceptibility tests revealed resistance to DDT and pyrethroids, although mosquitoes were susceptible to deltamethrin in two of the three sites tested. Mosquitoes were susceptible to bendiocarb, except in Kissidougou, Guinea. The kdr-west mutation was widespread and the frequency was 60% or more in all sites. However, the Ace1R mutation was present in low levels. Insecticide susceptibility should continue to be monitored in Guinea to ensure insecticide-based vector control methods remain effective.

Mass mortalities of juvenile Pacific oysters (Crassostrea gigas) in aquaculture operations have been linked to the ostreid herpes virus 1 (OsHV-1) or its variants. This oyster has heritable resilience to the virus which can provide a basis for selective breeding for higher OsHV-1 resistance, however, controlled challenge methods for improving selection response towards increased OsHV-1 resistance are required. The objective of this study was to compare the survival of sibling juvenile oysters exposed to either a laboratory virus challenge or a heat shock challenge (as proxy for the virus challenge) and the survival of the same families on two oyster farms where they were exposed to natural field conditions including the presence of OsHV-1. A strong correlation between the family rankings was observed for the two farm sites. Estimated narrow sense heritabilities (h2) on the underlying liability scale were 0.38 (on-farm survival), 0.45 (laboratory virus challenge survival) and 0.15 (heat shock challenge survival). Only on-farm survival and laboratory virus challenge had a high genetic correlation. The method for measuring heat shock resistance in juvenile oysters produced high variability in survival among families but low estimates of heritability. Overall, the results of this study indicate that the laboratory virus challenge is a simple and relatively effective tool for selective breeding specifically towards OsHV-1 resistance or as part of a controlled multi-trait program. Statement of relevance The OsHV-1 virus is a serious problem for commercial aquaculture of Pacific oysters in numerous countries. This paper tests two ways of evaluating oysters for resistance to OsHV-1 that can be incorporated into selective breeding programs.

Le bilan de l’activite du centre de traitement Ebola (CTE) de Forecariah (Guinee maritime) du 23 avril au 5 juin 2015 est ici presente. La charge virale du virus Ebola a ete evaluee par la mesure du cycle threshold (Ct). Cent trente personnes ont fait l’objet d’un triage, 24 (18,5 %) ne repondant pas aux criteres de l’OMS d’une fievre hemorragique n’ont pas ete admises au CTE. Parmi les 106 patients admis au CTE, 72 (67,9 %) ont ete declares non-cas a l’issu de la negativite de deux PCR pratiquees a 48 heures d’intervalle. Trente-quatre patients etaient atteints de maladie a virus Ebola (MVE): 19 femmes et 15 hommes (sex-ratio: H/F = 0,78), âge moyen: 33,51 ± 20,1 ans (extremes 42 jours a 70 ans), dont six enfants de moins de huit ans. Leur Ct initial median etait de 21,6 ± 6,3 cycles. La notion de contact n’a ete retrouvee que chez 20 d’entre eux (58,8 %). Treize patients ont gueri: six hommes et sept femmes, d’âge moyen 31,8 ans (extremes: 4–52 ans), presentant a l’admission un Ct median egal a 21,88 ± 6,2 cycles (extremes: 17,6–31,7). Parmi les six enfants de moins de huit ans, un seul a survecu. Vingt et un patients avec MVE sont decedes (61,76 %): 9 hommes et 12 femmes, d’âge moyen 34 ± 24 ans (extremes: 42 jours–70 ans), presentant a l’admission un Ct median egal a 18 ± 7 cycles (extremes: 12–24). Le seul facteur associe a la mortalite etait le Ct a l’admission (p = 0,0004). Il ressort de cette analyse statistique que plus la charge virale est elevee, plus la probabilite d’avoir une forte letalite est presente. L’âge, le sexe, la notion de contact, le delai entre l’apparition des symptomes et l’admission n’etaient pas predictifs de la survenue du deces dans cette serie.

La maladie a virus Ebola (MVE) occasionne une forte letalite, meme prise en charge dans un centre de traitement Ebola (CTE). Des examens de laboratoire de base peuvent aider a mieux en comprendre la physiopathologie, a guider le traitement et a etablir des conduites a tenir simples sur la base de protocoles adaptes a l’exercice de la medecine en milieu precaire et dangereux pour les soignants. Base sur quelques cas cliniques de patients pris en charge au CTE de Forecariah en Guinee, tenu par la Croix-Rouge francaise, cet article decrit les difficiles conditions d’exercice de la medecine aupres des patients atteints de MVE. Il a pour objectif de participer a la reduction des pertes de chance de survie des patients, par l’instauration d’une confrontation clinico-biologique simple et par l’amelioration de la formation des personnels de sante.

The antiretroviral treatments led to a spectacular reduction of morbidity and mortality of HIV-infected patients, transforming it into a chronic infection. HIV infection remains potentially lethal and requires a long term treatment to obtain an immunological and virological control. The goal of this work was to describe the characteristics of the deaths during the ARV treatment.We led a descriptive retrospective study of a 4 year period, from July 2004 to August 2007 which looked at 429 patient under ARV followed in the dermatology - venereology department of the Donka national hospital and whose death during hospitalization occurred for the study period. We excluded the patients who suffered loss of sight or who died during the ARV treatment period.On 429 included patients, recorded death rate was of 27,7%. The mean age of included patients was 42 ± 6.5 years old. Patients at the stage 3 and 4 of the WHO classification recorded the greatest number of death. There was no patient at stage I. More half of the patients were immunosuppressed with a count of CD4200/mm3. In our study 66 patients died with a rate of CD4200/mm3 21 patients with a rate of CD4 ranging between 200 and 499 or 17,6%. Only one patient had a rate of CD4500/mm3 while 31 other patients did not have a CD4 at the time of the death. We recorded 57 deaths in the first 6 months of HAART (among which 32 occurred within the first 3 months) and 24 after. The leading causes of death were tuberculosis (47,05%) including 64,28% of pulmonary localization and 35,71% of extrapulmonary localization, followed by cerebral toxoplasmosis (19,62%) and Kaposi disease (15,12%). The other causes of death found were hepatitis B (4,20%) and neuro-meningeal cryptococcosis (2,52%). A socio-economic unstable situation was found at half of the patients For 14 case the cause of death remained unknown. There no was death due to side effects of the ARV therapy. 89,1% of the patients deceased were under protocol 2 INTI + 1 INNTI which represents the layout of first line in our country.The mortality of the infection by HIV remains high in spite of the introduction of ARV treatment into our service. The patients who passed away were mainly characterized by a low level of CD4 and a very advanced stage of the evolution of the infection to the initiation of the ARV. The leading causes of death were opportunist infections. An early tracking of the infection by HIV and an early and optimal assumption of responsibility of the opportunist infections could contribute to reverse the tendencies in Guinea.Les traitements antirétroviraux (ARV) ont permis d'obtenir une réduction spectaculaire mais non complète de la morbidité et de la mortalité à VIH. Cependant malgré ces résultats positifs, plusieurs études rapportent des taux de mortalité élevée chez des patients soumis aux traitements ARV. Le but de ce travail était de décrire les caractéristiques des décès au cours du traitement ARV.Il s'agissait d'une étude rétrospective descriptive d'une période de 4 ans, allant de juillet 2004 à août 2007 portant sur 429 patients sous traitement ARV suivis dans le service de dermatologie-vénéréologie de l'hôpital national guinéen de Donka et dont le décès est survenu dans le service pendant la période d'étude.Sur 429 patients sous ARV inclus dans l'étude, 119 étaient décédés soit une fréquence de 27,7%. L'âge moyen de nos patients était de 42 ± 6,5 ans. Il y avait une légère prédominance féminine (52,1%) avec un sex ratio F/H égal à 1,08. Les patients au stade 3 et 4 de la classification de l'OMS ont enregistré le plus grand nombre de décès. Aucun patient n'était au stade I. Plus de moitié des patients étaient dans un état de déficit immunitaire très profond (CD4200 / mmLa mortalité de l'infection par le VIH reste élevée malgré l'introduction du traitement ARV dans notre service. Les patients décédés étaient principalement caractérisés par un faible taux de CD4 et un stade très avancé de l'évolution de l'infection à l'initiation des ARV. Les principales causes de décès étaient les infections opportunistes. Un dépistage précoce de l'infection par le VIH et une prise en charge précoce et optimale des infections opportunistes pourraient contribuer à inverser les tendances en Guinée.

If the use of highly active antiretroviral therapies (HAART) have largely improved survival, morbidity and the quality of life of the people living with HIV in Northern countries as well as Southern countries and particularly in Africa, many obstacles have slowed down their use. Thus the follow-up of the patients under HAART in certain developing countries is still limited even non-existent.The objective of this work was to bring the therapeutic outcomes obtained after a minimal six months period of follow-up among HIV+ patients admitted in external consultations or following hospitalizations.We carried out a retrospective and descriptive study concerning patients followed from January 1st, 2004 to December 31st, 2008 (5 years).Our study concerned 275 patients including 61.41% women with a sex-ratio (M/W) of 0.62. The average age of our patients was of 36.83 [rage: 18-70]. The initial average weight of our patients was 59.88 kg [range: 30-107] with the majority (66.91%) at the stage III of the WHO clinical classification. The serologic profile was dominated by HIVIn conclusion, the therapeutic outcomes of the patients under HAART was good at the end of this study with a satisfactory clinical issue, marked by an increase in the average weight which corroborates a good immunological and virological response.Si l'utilisation des multithérapies antirétro-virales (ARV) a grandement amélioré la survie, la morbidité et la qualité de vie des PVVIH dans les pays du Nord, dans les pays du Sud, et notamment en Afrique, de nombreux obstacles ont freiné leur utilisation. C'est ainsi que le suivi des patients sous ARV dans certains pays en voie de développement est encore timide voir inexistant.L'objectif de ce travail était de rapporter les réponses thérapeutiques obtenues après une période minimale de six mois de suivi chez des patients VIH+ admis en consultations externes ou à la suite d'hospitalisations.Il s'agissait d'une étude rétrospective de type descriptif concernant les patients suivis dans la période du 1Notre étude a concernée 275 patients dont 61,41% de femmes avec un sex-ratio (H/F) de 0,62. L'âge moyen de nos patients était de 36,83 [18 70]. Le poids moyen initial de nos patients était de 59,88 kg [30 –107] avec la majorité (66,91%) au stade III de la classification clinique de l'OMS. Le profil sérologique était dominé par le VIH1 (97,09%) avec un nombre de CD4 moyen à 210,99 cellules/mmGlobalement, la réponse thérapeutique était bonne au terme de cette étude avec une réponse clinique satisfaisante, marquée par une augmentation du poids moyen qui corrobore une bonne réponse immunologique et virologique.

Les marins constituent une population mobile avec de nombreux deplacements les exposant souvent a des rapports sexuels occasionnels. L’objectif de cette etude est d’analyser les determinants des rapports sexuels non proteges chez les marins de la marine marchande au Senegal suivis par le Service de sante des gens de mer, institue par decret au sein de la direction de la marine marchande depuis 2007. Une etude descriptive et analytique a donc ete realisee chez ces marins. Les donnees portant sur les connaissances, attitudes et pratiques ont ete recueillies lors d’un entretien individuel. Une analyse multivariee a ete realisee a l’aide d’une regression logistique multiple. Au total 400 marins ont ete interroges, 57,9 % ont eu des rapports sexuels occasionnels dont 23,7 % n’etaient pas proteges. Les rapports sexuels sans protection etaient plus frequents chez les non instruits (OR=2,29 [1,23–28,99]) et les maries (OR=2,29 [1,23–5,99]). Les marins qui pensaient que le port du preservatif reduisait le plaisir lors du rapport sexuel (OR=2,5 [1–5, 1]) et ceux qui consommaient de l’alcool (OR=5,4 [2,07–14,2]) se protegeaient moins lors des rapports sexuels occasionnels. Les marins de la marine marchande pratiquent souvent des rapports sexuels non proteges. Des interventions avec des canaux specifiques doivent donc etre mises en oeuvre en prenant en compte le caractere mobile de ces hommes, souvent non instruits.

Burrowing thalassinid shrimp are important ecosystem engineers in estuarine benthic communities. We characterized 31 microsatellite loci in two shrimp species, Neotrypaea californiensis and Upogebia pugettensis, which are of current management concern due to declining abundance and interactions with shellfish aquaculture. All loci were variable with three to 22 alleles per locus and observed heterozygosity of 0.22–1.00. There were only four deviations from Hardy–Weinberg expectations and no significant linkage disequilibrium. These are the first microsatellites characterized for these species and provide a useful tool for further characterization of population structure and diversity.

The deadlift exercise is commonly performed to develop strength and power, and to train the lower-body and erector spinae muscle groups. However, little is known about the acute training effects of a hexagonal barbell vs. a straight barbell when performing deadlifts. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to examine the hexagonal barbell in comparison with the straight barbell by analyzing electromyography (EMG) from the vastus lateralis, biceps femoris, and erector spinae, as well as peak force, peak power, and peak velocity using a force plate. Twenty men with deadlifting experience volunteered to participate in the study. All participants completed a 1 repetition maximum (1RM) test with each barbell on 2 separate occasions. Three repetitions at 65 and 85% 1RM were performed with each barbell on a third visit. The results revealed that there was no significant difference for 1RM values between the straight and hexagonal barbells (mean ± SD in kg = 181.4 ± 27.3 vs. 181.1 ± 27.6, respectively) (p > 0.05). Significantly greater normalized EMG values were found from the vastus lateralis for both the concentric (1.199 ± 0.22) and eccentric (0.879 ± 0.31) phases of the hexagonal-barbell deadlift than those of the straight-barbell deadlift (0.968 ± 0.22 and 0.559 ± 1.26), whereas the straight-barbell deadlift led to significantly greater EMG values from the bicep femoris during the concentric phase (0.835 ± 0.19) and the erector spinae (0.753 ± 0.28) during the eccentric phase than the corresponding values for the hexagonal-barbell deadlift (0.723 ± 0.20 and 0.614 ± 0.21) (p ≤ 0.05). In addition, the hexagonal-barbell deadlift demonstrated significantly greater peak force (2,553.20 ± 371.52 N), peak power (1,871.15 ± 451.61 W), and peak velocity (0.805 ± 0.165) values than those of the straight-barbell deadlift (2,509.90 ± 364.95 N, 1,639.70 ± 361.94 W, and 0.725 ± 0.138 m·s, respectively) (p ≤ 0.05). These results suggest that the barbells led to different patterns of muscle activation and that the hexagonal barbell may be more effective at developing maximal force, power, and velocity.

Objective To describe the profile of the patient injured in traffic accidents and having a cranio-cerebral trauma (CCT) or spinal cord trauma (SCT). Method Cross-sectional and retrospective survey of records management in 2829 road accident victims with CCT and/or a SCT and admitted to a hospital in Guinea between 1st January and 31st December, 2009. The profile was described by: the sociodemographic data, the circumstances of the accident and the clinical, therapeutic and follow-up data. Results For an average age of 27.1 ± 12.7 years, the location of the trauma was cranio-cerebral in 82.0% of cases, spinal in 8.9% of cases and mixed in 9.1%. A large proportion of CCT (66.3%) and mixed trauma (63.1%) comes from to two-wheeled vehicles, while the large proportion of SCT (54.2%) is attributable to vehicles with four wheels. The Glasgow Coma average was 13.2 ± 2.6 at admission, 21.7% of the victims are taken in charge beyond the first 12 hours after the accident. Only 19.2% of patients underwent a surgical treatment with a hospital mortality ranging from 3.3 % (TVM) to 7.7% (mixed). Conclusion CCT and SCT are characterized by an age under 30 years and male predominance. The support care suffers greatly from the unbalanced distribution of qualified personnel on the national territory and the lack of material means.

The Pacific oyster (Crassostrea gigas ) is an important commercial species in the US Pacific Northwest with a history of production initially based on wild-caught seed imported directly from the Miyagi region of northern Japan (1920s–1970s) followed by an extended period of seed collection from a small number of naturalized, self-recruiting populations in US estuaries (early 1970s-present) and more recently through large-scale hatchery production of seed oysters (mid 1970s-present). I studied the genetic level consequences of each of these major transformations of the oyster industry by examining the patterns of private alleles (bands unique to one sample), the number of polymorphic loci, expected heterozygosity, genetic distance between populations and genetic divergence between individuals within and among three native Pacific oyster populations in Japan (Hiroshima, Miyagi, Midori River), five naturalized populations in North America (Pipestem Inlet BC, Nootka Inlet BC, Dabob Bay WA, Willapa Bay, WA, and Tillamook Bay, OR), two in New Zealand (Chance Bay and Kaipara Harbor), and seven domesticated and selectively bred cohorts from an ongoing genetic improvement program on the West Coast of the United States using amplified fragment length polymorphism (AFLP) markers. All but one of the naturalized populations in both the USA and New Zealand are genetically more similar to native populations from the Ariake Sea (Midori River) than to the Miyagi region of their origin, but all domesticated stocks more closely resemble the wild Miyagi population. According to local oyster producers, the one exceptional naturalized population (Tillamook) is a very recent colonization derived from farmed oysters. Such consistency is unexpected under random genetic drift, and I speculate that both natural and artificial selection may have altered AFLP allele frequencies in this species in the course of naturalization and domestication.

Selective breeding programs for improving Pacific oyster ( Crassostrea gigas ) stocks are expensive, labor-intensive, and typically rely on lengthy field trials in which selection for survival is compromised by inherent stochasticity of outbreaks of “summer mortality syndrome.” Reliable laboratory assays that identify and eliminate poor-performing families prior to planting could improve selection efficiency. We tested the hypotheses that juvenile survival after heat shock and/or gene transcription before or after heat shock predicts adult weight and survival at harvest for full-sib families of the Pacific oyster. We heat-shocked (41 °C for 1 h) juveniles from each of 46 families, monitored their survival for 6 d and classified families with > 69% survival as high-surviving and those with P > 0.05). In a separate experiment, we heat-shocked (39 °C, 1 h) another 25 juveniles from four low-surviving and four high-surviving families from the same cohort, extracted mRNAs from whole bodies collected before and at 6 h and 24 h after heat shock, and measured the mRNA concentrations of 14 candidate ESTs relative to a housekeeping gene ( elongation factor 1 ) using real-time quantitative PCR. The mRNA concentration of galectin was greater in low-surviving families before heat shock, whereas that of cystatin B at all sampling times and of glutathione S-transferase omega at 24 h after heat shock were greater in high-surviving families. The pre-stress differences in transcription between the family types suggest that survival of stress may be related to both constitutive differences in transcription between family types as well as induced responses to heat shock. The concentrations of heat shock protein 27 , catalase , prostaglandin E receptor , gpox , and superoxide dismutase mRNA in juveniles were significantly correlated with adult survival, final individual weight or both. Additionally, mRNA concentrations of galectin and a gene with no match in Genbank, BQ426658 , were correlated with average weight at either the intertidal or subtidal site. We conclude that assays measuring gene transcription in whole bodies of juveniles hold promise for predicting performance of C. gigas families planted in coastal waters.

We used qualitative complementary DNA-amplified fragment length polymorphism (cDNA-AFLP) differential display analysis and real-time, quantitative PCR (RT-qPCR) to identify genes in the Pacific oyster Crassostrea gigas, whose transcription either changes in response to exposure to a pathogenic bacterium (Vibrio tubiashii) or varies between families known to differ in sensitivity to heat stress, before and at 12 and 36 h after bacterial exposure at a temperature of 25 degrees C. These conditions simulate those associated with summer mortality syndrome, a poorly understood cause of massive mortalities in cultured Pacific oysters in North America, Asia and Europe. Using 32 AFLP primer pairs, we identified 92 transcript-derived fragments that are qualitatively differentially expressed. We then cloned and sequenced 14 of these fragments, designed fragment-specific primers and quantified their transcription patterns using RT-qPCR. Most of the differences in transcription patterns between stress-tolerant and stress-sensitive families were evident before bacterial exposure, and genes that responded to bacterial exposure did so in parallel between stress-sensitive and stress-tolerant families. Blast searches of sequence databases revealed that these fragments represent genes involved in immune response as well as genes related to metabolic processes. Our data support the hypothesis that family level differences in resistance to stress in Pacific oysters are largely attributable to constitutive differences in gene transcription or 'general vigour' that are detectable before and maintained after infection, rather than being due to induced responses at the transcriptome level.

As interest and efforts in ecological restoration of native bivalve populations grow, the genetic implications of various restoration strategies are often unclear to resource managers and restoration practitioners, even though genetic considerations are vital to the ultimate success or failure of restoration endeavors. In an effort to fill this void, we present an overview of the underlying genetic concepts, a brief review of documented examples of native mollusc populations impacted by hatchery production, and a summary of the potential genetic impacts of restoration activities ranging from eliminating ongoing negative impacts with minimal genetic effects to intentional genetic manipulation of extant populations. We emphasize throughout the importance of understanding how adaptive, quantitative genetic variation is distributed within and among populations and the limitations of studies that address only selectively neutral molecular genetic variation. We also describe a conceptual framework for ...

The Pacific oyster (Crassostrea gigas) is a species of considerable economic importance, with among the highest global production of any cultured aquatic animal species. In the interest of increasing the value of Pacific oysters sold as “singles” for the half-shell market, we explored the feasibility of modifying shell pigmentation through selective breeding by estimating both the broad- and narrow-sense heritability of total left-shell pigmentation in C. gigas. Twenty-six full-sib families derived from parents collected from a naturalized population in Dabob Bay, WA, were spawned in the hatchery and raised in an intertidal environment for 2 years. At harvest, we sampled shells from each family and quantified their total left-shell pigmentation using digital image analysis. We estimated broad-sense heritability based on full-sib intraclass correlations and narrow-sense heritability based on midparent-offspring regression as 0.91 ± 0.38 and 0.59 ±0.19, respectively. We further examined the distributions of pigmentation levels among individuals within full-sib families and found high within-family variation in total shell pigmentation that in the majority of families was normally and continuously distributed. However, offspring within two families segregated into phenotypically distinct “lighter” and “darker” shell groups in a 3:1 ratio (χ2, P > 0.766) supporting the hypothesis that a single major gene is segregating in these families with the “light” allele being dominant over the “dark” allele. We conclude that selective breeding acting on this high additive genetic variance should be effective in altering total shell pigmentation and that further work is needed to confirm the existence and mode of inheritance of a putative major gene affecting total shell pigmentation in C. gigas.

Inbreeding has profound implications in fields ranging from evolutionary biology to medicine. Most cultured aquatic species are only partially domesticated and highly fecund and are, therefore, expected to have higher genetic load and more severe inbreeding depression than species with lower fecundity and/or longer histories of domestication. Marine bivalves such as oysters are extreme in this regard, and previous studies have demonstrated that self-fertilization, brother/sister matings, and cousin/cousin matings in Pacific oysters (Crassostrea gigas) reduce growth and survival. It is unclear, however, whether these effects can be extrapolated to lower levels of consanguinity such as those expected in natural populations or the founders used to initiate cultured strains or selective breeding efforts. To address this without the need for extensive pedigree information, we studied inbreeding in a naturalized population of Pacific oysters using molecular marker-based estimates of parental relatedness calculated from multilocus microsatellite genotypes. We produced 34 full-sib families using randomly mated parents collected from a naturalized population in Dabob Bay (Washington, USA) and planted them in intertidal and subtidal conditions in Dabob Bay and Yaquina Bay (Oregon, USA). Using 16 microsatellite loci, we estimated the degree of inbreeding of each pair's progeny in three ways: (1) identity (I ) or the expected homozygosity of the progeny based on their parents' genotypes estimated using the IDENTIX program, (2) a moment-based estimator of the pair-wise coefficient of relatedness (W ) of each parental pair estimated using the MER program of Wang, and (3) a modified estimator of the pair-wise coefficient of relatedness (K ) designed specifically to accommodate null alleles, which were common in the Dabob Bay population and estimated using the ML-RELATE by Kalinowski. Using a composite analysis of variance approach to partition the total among-family variation into components attributable to inbreeding and all other family-level effects, we found statistically significant negative relationships between all three estimators of inbreeding and the survival of their progeny when we analyzed all location/exposure combinations simultaneously and in 7 of the 12 separate tests examining each location/exposure combination separately. However, for 4 of the 5 nonsignificant tests, P < 0.07 using K estimator of relatedness, which makes the potentially unreasonable assumption that all parents have inbreeding coefficients (F) of zero. Further, these relationships were strongest at the site with the highest mortality, indicating that inbreeding depression may be more severe in a more stressful environment. Finally, we briefly outline potential strategies for using molecular marker-based estimates of relatedness to improve the genetic composition of new founder populations, incorporation of relatedness information in selective breeding efforts, and minimizing inbreeding effects in established cultured oyster populations.

The status of the Kumamoto oyster Crassostrea sikamea in its native Japan is uncertain because of a lack of information about its abundance and distribution and a suggestion that C. sikamea and the Pacific oyster C. gigas hybridize in the northern Ariake Sea. Furthermore, broodstock populations on the United States Pacific coast have been hybridized with C. gigas in the past and may suffer inbreeding depression from multiple generations of hatchery-propagation. As a result, Japanese conservationists and United States oyster growers share an interest in the status of this species in the wild. We collected wild oysters from three sites in Saga Prefecture located in the northern portion of the Ariake Sea, Kyushu, Japan, in September 2006 and used molecular methods (species-specific PCR of the mitochondrial COI gene and PCR-RFLP of the nuclear ribosomal ITS1 gene) to assign 628 sampled oysters to one of three species found in this region. C. sikamea proved to be the dominant organism on artificial ha...

Adaptation to environmental factors may influence the germination and establishment of focal species in ecological restoration. Reciprocal transplants remain one of the best methods to detect local adaptation, but long-term studies are often not feasible. We conducted reciprocal transplants of the native California bunchgrasses Elymus glaucus and Bromus carinatus between two central California locations to seek evidence of adaptation to local environmental conditions in a single growing season. Experimental plots at one location included grazed and ungrazed sites. The combination of locations and grazing treatments allowed us to determine whether the ability to detect evidence for adaptation depended on grazing regime. In addition, we measured the direct effects of grazing on seedling growth and survival concurrent with our investigation of local adaptation. We detected a homesite advantage for seedling growth or survival in both species, but the factors contributing to adaptive differentiation were species specific. Evidence of local adaptation was detected for seedling biomass in Bromus and for survivorship in Elymus. The homesite advantage observed in both species was greatly reduced under grazed conditions and in Elymus was significant only in the ungrazed plots. Climate and soil analyses detected significant differences between locations in five soil attributes and two climate variables. In particular, differences in exchangeable magnesium indicated that one of the two transplant locations consisted of serpentine soil, which is widely known to drive adaptation in plant populations. Together, these results suggest that it is possible to investigate the scale and factors involved in local adaptation with short-term transplant studies.

The register of activity at the Ebola Treatment Center (ETC) in Forecariah (Guinea), from April 23 to June 5, 2015 is presented for analysis. The viral load of each patient is evaluated by the cycle threshold (Ct). One hundred and thirty patients were seen in Triage at the ETC, of which 24 (18.5%) patients who failed to meet theWHO case criteria for viral hemorrhagic fever were excluded from admission to the ETC. Of the 106 patients admitted in the ETC, 72 (67.9%) were declared non-cases after the results of their two PCR (drawn 48 hours apart) tests were negative. Thirty-four patients were tested positive for Ebola virus disease (EVD): 19 women and 15 men (sex ratio: male/female = 0.78), mean age of 33.51 ± 20.1 years (extremes of 42 days to 70 years), of which six children were aged below 8 years. The median initial Ct value was 21.6 ± 6.3 cycles in this group. Enquiry into patient contacts was only able to identify actual contacts in 20 of these patients (58.8%). Thirteen patients were ultimately cured of EVD (six men and seven women) - with a median age of 31.8 years (extremes of 4 to 54 years). These patients presented on admission with a median Ct value of 21.88 ± 6.2 cycles (extremes of 17.6 to 31.7). Of the six children aged below 8 years, only one survived. Twenty-one patients (61.76%) with EVD died (9 men and 12 women) - median age, 34 ± 21 years (extremes of 42 days to 70 years). They presented on admission with a median Ct value of 18 ± 7 cycles (extremes of 12 to 24). The single most important factor associated with lethality was the Ct value at the time of admission to the ETC (P = 0.0004), i.e., the lower the Ct value, the higher the lethality rate or simply stated, the higher the viral load, the greater the lethality. Age, sex, identification of contact, and delay between the onset of symptoms and admission did not prove to be predictive of death outcome in our series.

Ebola virus disease (EVD) is associated with a high lethality rate even when the afflicted are provided with good support in an Ebola treatment center (ETC). Basic laboratory tests can help to better understand the pathophysiology of the disease, to guide treatment and to establish simple protocols and procedures tailored to the practice of medicine in the context of such precarious environment for caregivers. Based on a few clinical cases of patients treated in the ETC of Forecariah, Guinea, run by the French Red Cross, this article describes the difficult conditions associated with the provision of medical practice in this challenging environment, aiming to minimize the casualties in the EVD patient and to train the health staff.

Because the accumulation of inbreeding within hatchery-propagated stocks of the hard clam, Mercenaria mercenaria (Linnaeus, 1758), could result in reduced growth and survival, we studied the potential for improving performance through out-crossing among existing hatchery strains. We produced all 10 possible out-crossed combinations among 5 strains of clams as well as all 5 pure parental strains simultaneously in the hatchery and measured their size at the time of metamorphosis (the spat stage) and at the end of a nursery period in mesh bags at a single field site (the seed stage). We then planted replicate plots of all fifteen strains at five field sites in Virginia, USA encompassing the range of salinity conditions used by commercial growers, and monitored growth and survival for two growing seasons. We found significant phenotypic differences among strains at the spat and seed stage, but different strains performed best at each stage. In the field we found significant site effects, strain effec...

Many of the methods currently employed to restore Chesapeake Bay populations of the eastern oyster, Crassostrea virginica, assume closed recruitment in certain sub-estuaries despite planktonic larval durations of 2–3 weeks. In addition, to combat parasitic disease, artificially selected disease tolerant oyster strains are being used for population supplementation. It has been impossible to fully evaluate these unconventional tactics because offspring from wild and selected broodstock are phenotypically indistinguishable. This study provides the first direct measurement of oyster recruitment enhancement by using genetic assignment tests to discriminate locally produced progeny of a selected oyster strain from progeny of wild parents. Artificially selected oysters (DEBY strain) were planted on a single reef in each of two Chesapeake Bay tributaries in 2002, but only in the Great Wicomico River (GWR) were they large enough to potentially reproduce the same year. Assignment tests based on eight microsatellite loci and mitochondrial DNA markers were applied to 1579 juvenile oysters collected throughout the GWR during the summer of 2002. Only one juvenile oyster was positively identified as an offspring of the 0.75 million DEBY oysters that were planted in the GWR, but 153 individuals (9.7%) had DEBY ×wild F1 multilocus genotypes. Because oyster recruitment was high across the region in 2002, the proportionately low enhancement measured in the GWR would not otherwise have been recognized. Possible causes for low enhancement success are discussed, each bearing on untested assumptions underlying the restoration methods, and all arguing for more intensive evaluation of each component of the restoration strategy.

Oyster producers in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States export large quantities of oysters to international markets. Proposed changes to international limits for heavy metals content in shellfish could drastically curtail exports and impact the viability of this environmentally-friendly industry. “Supply-side” solutions such as moving oyster farms to uncontaminated sites or short-term depuration would incur substantial costs in terms of labor and infrastructure and displace workers in already economically challenged coastal communities, whereas selective breeding could benefit both producers and consumers within the current infrastructure. We studied the feasibility of selective breeding to reduce heavy metal content through a quantitative genetic analysis of heavy metals accumulation in the Pacific oyster, Crassostrea gigas by opportunistically sampling a factorial mating experiment initiated in 2000 to study the effects of parent size on offspring growth and survival. The experime...

Accurate evaluation of remnant Ostrea conchaphila/lurida population structure is critical for developing appropriate restoration efforts. Here we report 19 polymorphic microsatellites suitable for analyses of population differentiation, pedigree reconstruction and linkage map construction. We screened clones from four enriched genomic libraries, identified 73 microsatellite-containing sequences and designed polymerase chain reaction primers for 44 of these loci. We successfully optimized polymerase chain reaction conditions for 20 loci, including one monomorphic locus. In a Willapa Bay reference sample, mean observed and expected heterozygosities were 0.6729 and 0.8377. Nine loci deviated from Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium. These markers have proven useful for genetic studies of the Olympia oyster.

1. Foraging behaviour and movement within and among host patches of the specialist parasitoid wasp Cotesia melitaearum (Braconidae) attacking the larvae of Melitaea cinxia (Nymphalidae) were studied in the field and in the laboratory. 2. In the field, female wasps aggregated in large host groups in the autumn and caused positive spatial density-dependent parasitism in the field. Wasps stayed longer with groups of pre-diapause caterpillars than with post-diapause caterpillars, but attacked them less frequently. 3. In the laboratory, wasps attacked larger larvae more readily than smaller larvae. Also in the laboratory, wasps exposed to larvae outside their protective webs showed differences in the rates at which they attacked larvae fed different diets, implicating host plant-derived chemicals as proximate cues for foraging wasps. 4. Mark–recapture studies indicated that there was a low rate of successful movement of wasps among groups of young larvae within a habitat patch in the autumn and no successful movement of wasps across non-habitat. In contrast, wasps moved frequently among groups of late-instar caterpillars in the spring. 5. Host caterpillars of different ages responded very differently to wasp attacks. Pre-diapause larvae remained in groups and used collective head-jerking behaviour to defend themselves, whereas post-diapause larvae dispersed away from the group immediately after being attacked. 6. Population and metapopulation level dynamics of the host–parasitoid interaction are discussed in light of these observations of the behaviour of individual wasps.

Recent studies demonstrate that generalist insect herbivores may be more subject to predation than specialists and suggest that this pattern is related to the availability and utilization of plant-derived natural products in diets of the latter. This intuitively attractive hypothesis has seldom been tested under natural conditions, however. A well-described plant-insect system, the buckeye butterfly, Junonia coenia, and its iridoid glycoside-containing host plants, was used to test the hypotheses: (1) that larval sequestration of iridoids reduces predation in the field, and (2) that this protection varies among populations. Fifth-instars reared in the laboratory on leaves of two host-plant species, Kickxia elatine (Scrophulariaceae) or Plantago lanceolata (Plantaginaceae), or on artificial diets were attached to monofilament tethers and set out into four natural populations. Only larvae fed on the locally available host plant and artificial diet-fed caterpillars were used at each site. Despite high overall predation, significantly more leaf-fed caterpillars survived than did artificial diet-fed caterpillars in Plantago sites, but the trend was not significant in Kickxia sites. The results reflect the differences in iridoid glycoside availability in these two host-plant species. They indicate that predators exert a strong selective force on this insect, that sequestered iridoid glycosides can be effective deterrents to predation, and that host-plant choices by ovipositing females and feeding larvae have consequences for mortality from natural enemies. This protection, however, is not absolute, and depends on local predator abundance and/or selectivity. The ecological interactions between buckeye caterpillars, their host plants, and their natural enemies are locally variable in nature.

Several recent studies document that specialist insect phytophages may be less subject to predation than generalists and suggest that hostplant-derived chemical defences may be an important explanation for the predominance of specialized feeding among insect herbivores. The evolution of such chemical defences depends upon both their advantages versus natural enemies and their physiological costs, but data on these costs, particularly genetic data, are few. Here I report the results of an ecological genetic investigation of food use efficiency and allelochemical sequestration in Junonia coenia Hu¨bner (Nymphalidae). I used standard gravimetric techniques to estimate the efficiency of dry matter incorporation and iridoid glycoside sequestration in the larvae of 37 full-sib families fed artificial diets containing trace, low (2%) and high (10%) concentrations of iridoid glycosides. I found a significant reduction in the efficiency of dry matter incorporation on a high iridoid diet that is entirely attributable to reduced digestibility rather than post-digestive toxic effects. Larvae fed high-iridoid diets sequestered them less efficiently, but this difference was due largely to post-digestive effects. Analyses of genetic variation and architecture of dry matter and iridoid budgets reveal substantial genetic variation in both suites of traits, but only chemical defence showed a significant genotype×environment interaction which would be conducive to the evolution of specialization. Neither group of traits showed across-diet trade-offs in the form of negative correlations of family means among diets. Family means correlations of sequestration indices with dry matter indices within diets reveals that chemical defence comes at a cost to growth, but only in the high diet. I also found evidence of specialized physiological machinery for iridoid glycoside processing. These data indicate that even adapted specialists are negatively affected by plant toxins, but in this species, dietary specialization is more likely to result from selection from natural enemies than from hostplant toxins.