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Changing environmental conditions in dryland areas exacerbate land degradation and food insecurity in many sub-Saharan African nations. Multi-purpose tree species such as Senegalia senegal (L.) Britton, are favored for reforestation and land reclamation as compared to single-use species. A great deal of research has also focused on this tree species due to its ability to fix atmospheric nitrogen into ammonia, which is returned over time to the soil via the recycling of N-rich plant tissue. We review the recent literature on how S. senegal contributes to soil fertility and crop production especially in the context of sustainable and ecological agriculture. We also review the current literature on this legume species with regard to its microsymbionts, with the goal of further maximizing the potential of S. senegal for agriculture in sub-Saharan Africa. Senegalia senegal, which has the potential to restore degraded soils and to be used for agroforestry, is both economically and ecologically important for the dry areas of sub-Saharan Africa because it produces gum arabic, an important commodity crop for smallholder farmers; it succeeds where other crops fail. This tree species also can correct soil fertility loss caused by continuous agriculture and worsened by a reduced or non-existent fallow period. Senegalia senegal and its soil microbes are positively associated with this species' ability to survive in harsh conditions. This tree is an important candidate for restoring soil fertility and providing commercial products especially in countries with arid environments.

This commentary advocates for a comprehensive approach to addressing the Black maternal and infant health crisis, utilizing the collective impact model with health equity at its center. Black women in the United States face alarmingly high rates of maternal morbidity and mortality compared to white women. Black women are twice as likely to have premature and low birthweight babies than white women, exposing both the expectant woman and child to various health risks. This crisis stems from systemic racism, implicit bias in healthcare, and a lack of targeted health communications for pregnant Black women. The urgency of this situation requires a bold and unified response through collaboration and coordination among healthcare providers, local and grassroots community-based organizations (CBOs), and digital health communicators. A comprehensive Black maternal and infant health campaign embedded within the collective impact model and led by a dedicated backbone organization would facilitate the coordination and involvement of diverse stakeholders. Central to these efforts should be the acknowledgment that systemic racism perpetuates health inequities. Consequently, any initiatives to improve health outcomes should prioritize health equity by valuing and incorporating Black women's perspectives. This involves crafting a responsive strategy and placing Black women at the forefront of content creation, program strategy, and evaluation. Through a collaborative effort involving healthcare partners, CBOs, and health communicators, we can have an impact far more significant than any single initiative. Immediate action is needed to dismantle systemic barriers and ensure every Black woman and infant receives the care and support they deserve. Black maternal health disparities in the United States have been widely acknowledged and studied. It is well-established that Black women face significantly higher rates of maternal morbidity and mortality compared to their white counterparts, indicative of a severe healthcare crisis. This opinion piece contributes to the discourse by proposing a comprehensive solution grounded in the collective impact model, which emphasizes collaboration and coordination across various stakeholders. This approach represents a shift from past siloed efforts, aiming to tackle the urgent issue of Black maternal and infant health with a multidisciplinary approach centered on health equity., (© 2024. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature.)

Competing Interests: We declare no competing interests.

Introduction: As of December 2021, 22 countries and one jurisdiction in WHO African Region (AFRO) have adopted pictorial health warning labels on tobacco packaging, but only 13 have implemented them. In 2014, Senegal enacted a comprehensive tobacco control law, which requires strong provisions on tobacco packaging and labelling. The objective of this study was to assess the level of compliance with these provisions in Senegal 6 months after implementation., Methods: Data collection took place in Senegal's capital city of Dakar across 12 districts in February 2018, following the Tobacco Pack Surveillance System Field Protocol developed by the Institute for Global Tobacco Control at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. Unique tobacco packs were purchased from a total of 48 tobacco vendors, and compliance with new packaging and labelling provisions was assessed., Results: In total, seven unique cigarette packs were confirmed to be legally available for sale in Dakar, Senegal. All packs complied with all health warning provisions (type, size, location, language and quitline information) as well as bans on quantitative emissions yields. However, no pack complied with the descriptive constituents and emissions statement required on the lateral side, and four of the seven packs violated the ban on misleading brand descriptors., Conclusions: AFRO countries have made substantial progress in adopting comprehensive tobacco control laws that bring them closer into alignment with the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control. This study found areas of effective implementation of FCTC recommended packaging and labelling requirements, as well as areas in need of stronger enforcement., Competing Interests: Competing interests: None., (© Author(s) (or their employer(s)) 2023. No commercial re-use. See rights and permissions. Published by BMJ.)

Delirium (or Acute Confusional State) refers to an acute alteration of attention, consciousness, and cognitive performance. Particularly the hypoactive subtype of delirium represents a diagnostic and clinical challenge. As symptoms of hypoactive delirium may overlap with the clinical picture present in dementia and depression, correct diagnostic differentiation can be challenging. In the absence of timely diagnosis and treatment, hypoactive delirium can last for several weeks. Apart from the health consequences for the patient, such a long course can stress caregivers and the family to their very limit. In this article, we will address the particularities of hypoactive delirium in hospital practice, the neurobiological bases of this disorder, the challenges it represents at the diagnostic level as well as its recommended management according to current literature., Competing Interests: Les auteurs n’ont déclaré aucun conflit d’intérêts en relation avec cet article.

Addressing mental stigma is a key component of improving mental health outcomes. A digital media campaign was implemented to reduce mental health stigma in the Omaha Metropolitan area. The campaign used evidence-based approaches within a collective impact framework. Two surveys were conducted at baseline and at 10-month follow-up to evaluate the campaign within the Omaha and Council Bluffs intervention region, and a control region in Iowa. Analysis revealed significant improvements in desires for social distance and perceptions toward treatment efficacy within the intervention group. Improvements were seen across measures of personal and community attitudes towards mental health conditions, confidence in supporting others, and likelihood of disclosing a mental health condition. The trends were generally not replicated within the control group. Respondents who were aware of the campaign showed fewer stigmatizing views, including lower desires for social distance, improved attitudes toward treatment, and significant improvements in providing support and caring for their own mental health. The results suggest that the implemented evidenced-based approach could potentially create positive shifts in stigma reduction. This evaluation further supports the potential for scaling and adapting digital media campaigns for stigma reduction in different geographic locations., (© 2022. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature.)

Background: With KiESEL, the Children's Nutrition Survey to Record Food Consumption, the German Federal Institute for Risk Assessment (BfR) collected representative food consumption data for children aged six months up to five years. KiESEL was one of five modules of KiGGS Wave2 (German Health Interview and Examination Survey for Children and Adolescents) conducted by the Robert Koch Institute (RKI). The objective was to update the consumption data for children in Germany and to fill a data gap for the age group of five-year-old children. The study provides an up-to-date and comprehensive database that will be used for exposure assessment, as part of risk assessment of Germany's youngest consumers., Methods: In the years 2014 to 2017, 1104 children from all over Germany participated in KiESEL. During home visits, survey staff conducted a questionnaire-based interview including a food propensity questionnaire (FPQ) on seldom eaten foods and questions concerning consumption outside home, dietary habits and diet during first year. The interviewer measured the children's height and weight. Families and childcare workers filled out a food record, covering three consecutive days and one independent day. Data are based on the FPQ and present consumption frequencies. Depending on the question, socioeconomic status (SES) and migration background were considered., Results: 1104 participants had an interview and filled out the questionnaire on usual food intake, seldom eaten foods and consumption away from home. They were included in sample1. 1008 of these participants additionally reported food consumption of at least three days (sample2). 91.2% of the children follow no special diet and 0.8% are vegetarians. 7% of the older children consuming soya-drink. For some foods differences in consumption across SES or migration status were noted. Children from families with higher SES consume more often soya-based substitute milk as families with lower SES (p < 0.00005)., Conclusions: KiESEL gathered up-to-date consumption data for more than 1000 children living in Germany, aged six month up to including five years. The data will be used for risk assessments of the BfR and provided to national and international partners., (© 2022. The Author(s).)

The genus Mesorhizobium contains many species that are able to form nitrogen-fixing nodules on plants of the legume family. Here, we report the draft genome sequences for three Mesorhizobium strains. The genome sizes of strains LCM 4576, LCM 4577, and ORS3428 were 7.24, 7.02, and 6.55 Mbp, respectively., (Copyright © 2017 Diagne et al.)

The genus Rhizobium contains many species that are able to form nitrogen-fixing nodules on plants of the legume family. Here, we report the 5.5-Mb draft genome sequence of the salt-tolerant Rhizobium sp. strain LCM 4573, which has a G+C content of 61.2% and 5,356 candidate protein-encoding genes., (Copyright © 2017 Diagne et al.)

The genus Ensifer (formerly Sinorhizobium ) contains many species able to form nitrogen-fixing nodules on plants of the legume family. Here, we report the 6.1-Mb draft genome sequence of Ensifer sp. strain LCM 4579, with a G+C content of 62.4% and 5,613 candidate protein-encoding genes., (Copyright © 2017 Diagne et al.)

Acacia senegal (L) Willd. and Acacia seyal Del. are highly nitrogen-fixing and moderately salt tolerant species. In this study we focused on the genetic and genomic diversity of Acacia mesorhizobia symbionts from diverse origins in Senegal and investigated possible correlations between the genetic diversity of the strains, their soil of origin, and their tolerance to salinity. We first performed a multi-locus sequence analysis on five markers gene fragments on a collection of 47 mesorhizobia strains of A. senegal and A. seyal from 8 localities. Most of the strains (60%) clustered with the M. plurifarium type strain ORS 1032T, while the others form four new clades (MSP1 to MSP4). We sequenced and assembled seven draft genomes: four in the M. plurifarium clade (ORS3356, ORS3365, STM8773 and ORS1032T), one in MSP1 (STM8789), MSP2 (ORS3359) and MSP3 (ORS3324). The average nucleotide identities between these genomes together with the MLSA analysis reveal three new species of Mesorhizobium. A great variability of salt tolerance was found among the strains with a lack of correlation between the genetic diversity of mesorhizobia, their salt tolerance and the soils samples characteristics. A putative geographical pattern of A. senegal symbionts between the dryland north part and the center of Senegal was found, reflecting adaptations to specific local conditions such as the water regime. However, the presence of salt does not seem to be an important structuring factor of Mesorhizobium species.

To get a more realistic estimation of food additive intake for toddlers and children, a German database on the occurrence of food additives was created. It uses consumption data of two recent national nutrition surveys for toddlers and children in combination with qualitative information of food additive occurrence in the consumed food. The information on food additive occurrence is based on food labelling. A categorisation system was developed according to regulations to classify the foods consumed and to identify possible food additive use in the food groups. Two natural (E120, E160b) and three artificial food colours (E110, E124, E129) were chosen for an assessment of food additive intake. The percentage of food items containing one of the chosen food colours was calculated for every food group and the food groups with most items containing the additive were identified. Intake estimations were performed based on maximum permitted-use levels (MPLs). Firstly, additive use was assumed in all foods consumed (tier 2); and secondly, food additive use was assumed only for those items where labelling confirmed the use and for all foods with no labelling available (tier 2b). Intake estimations were then compared with the ADI. Most food items with at least one of the food colours were found in the food groups confectionary, desserts, fermented milk products, flavoured drinks and breakfast cereals. The tier 2b approach provided more realistic estimations, which were always below those of the tier 2 approach and below the ADI for mean exposure. Exposure for high-level consumers exceeded the ADI for two of the food additives in tier 2b. Keeping in mind that the database is only mirroring the current situation, it provides a good possibility to refine the estimation of food additive intake for toddlers and children in Germany.

The spores of several Bacillus species, including Bacillus pumilus SAFR-032 and B. safensis FO-36b, which were isolated from the spacecraft assembly facility at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, are unusually resistant to UV radiation and hydrogen peroxide. In order to identify candidate genes that might be associated with these resistances, the whole genome of B. pumilus SAFR-032, and the draft genome of B. safensis FO-36b were compared in detail with the very closely related type strain B. pumilus ATCC7061(T). 170 genes are considered characteristic of SAFR-032, because they are absent from both FO-36b and ATCC7061(T). Forty of these SAFR-032 characteristic genes are entirely unique open reading frames. In addition, four genes are unique to the genomes of the resistant SAFR-032 and FO-36b. Fifty three genes involved in spore coat formation, regulation and germination, DNA repair, and peroxide resistance, are missing from all three genomes. The vast majority of these are cleanly deleted from their usual genomic context without any obvious replacement. Several DNA repair and peroxide resistance genes earlier reported to be unique to SAFR-032 are in fact shared with ATCC7061(T) and no longer considered to be promising candidates for association with the elevated resistances. Instead, several SAFR-032 characteristic genes were identified, which along with one or more of the unique SAFR-032 genes may be responsible for the elevated resistances. These new candidates include five genes associated with DNA repair, namely, BPUM&#95;0608 a helicase, BPUM&#95;0652 an ATP binding protein, BPUM&#95;0653 an endonuclease, BPUM&#95;0656 a DNA cytosine-5- methyltransferase, and BPUM&#95;3674 a DNA helicase. Three of these candidate genes are in immediate proximity of two conserved hypothetical proteins, BPUM&#95;0654 and BPUM&#95;0655 that are also absent from both FO-36b and ATCC7061(T). This cluster of five genes is considered to be an especially promising target for future experimental work.

The lack of antenatal care and the growing number of genital infections make ectopic pregnancy a current unrecognized pathology in areas with few physicians. Such pregnancies exceptionally reach term but delivery of a live infant is rare. We report two cases in which echographic diagnosis of abdominal pregnancy was followed by the delivery of a live child. In both cases, fetal hypotrophy led to neonatal death. Maternal outcome was however favorable with surgery to reduce the risk of hemorrhage. Safe childbearing requires improved preventive measures and better maternal sanitary conditions and education, particularly important for subjects living in areas poorly provided with health facilities.

It is the prospective study of 226 cases of operated ectopic pregnancies, in order to draw the epidemiological outline of such an affliction adn find out the possible etiologies. During this study, 107 swabs were anatomically exploited. An analysis of the results reveals the high frequency of disrupted ectopic pregnancies (over 90%). The ampullary localization exists in 73.45% of the cases. In the histological level, in 82.70 of the cases, the tubal pregnancy has been associated with a salpingitis or malformed lesions. The death rate is about 2.65%. In other respects, it appears that the limits of echography are actual, hence the importance of basic clinic, that mutilating surgery remains prevalent; histology also plays an unavoidable part in the diagnosis.

In a comparative study issued in 1989 in Gynecology in Dantec (a Medical Hospital School) in Dakar (Senegal), the authors made a retrospective analysis of 206 cases of abruptio placenta (3.3%) and 56 cases of eclampsia (0.9%). After a physiopathologic overview of the vascular renal syndromes, they point out the risk factors of paroxistic accidents represented mainly by the age and the parity, knowing that young age and primiparity appear as new risk factors for abruptio placenta. Finally, they insisted on the prevention of these accidents because of their impact on fetal and maternal mortalities.

The authors reviewed two cases of extra-uterine and intra-uterine pregnancies association. The frequency was higher than people expect. The diagnosis, usually done after surgery because of a very poor symptomatology, should benefit to the precious help of echography to make the prognosis better.

The authors report 2 cases of ovarian pregnancy at Gynecological Obstetric Clinic of University Teaching Hospital in Dakar out of 210 ectopic pregnancy registered in a 28 month period (March 91 to June 93). These are the fourth and fifth cases operated on in Dakar (the 3 first cases are reported during the last 10 years). In light of the 2 cases using the data of the literature, the authors try to find out the particularities of the scarce affection which etiopathogeny is still unclear even if the symptomatology is often similar to a tubal pregnancy. The diagnosis is often evoked during laparatomies but its confirmation is based exclusively on the anatomopathological test. The frequent existence of intra ovarian hematoma and zones of necrosis make people practise annexectomy which should be avoid as much as possible.

2-Cyclohexylcarbonyl-1,2,3,6,7,11b-hexahydro-4H-pyrazino [2,1-a]isoquinolin-4-one (praziquantel, EMBAY 8440, Biltricide) was administered to 78 patients aged from 6 to 18 years. They were divided into 3 groups, receiving single doses of 30 mg and 40 mg/kg b.w. and 2 doses of 20 mg/kg b.w. (at an interval of 6 h), respectively. Tolerance examinations showed that 65% of the patients treated did not complain of any side effects. The remaining patients mentioned abdominal pain, headache and/or nausea. All these symptoms disappeared within a few hours without special treatment. Compared with pretreatment results, clinical examinations after treatment did not reveal any significant changes of haematocrit, haemoglobin, transaminases and bilirubin. Follow-up urine examinations were carried out 6 months after treatment in 71 children, of whom 68 were found to be no longer excreting viable eggs of Schistosoma. This corresponds to a parasitological cure rate of 95.8%. In the three patients who were not cured the number of eggs excreted was reduced by 89.2%. No statistically significant difference in efficacy was recorded between the three doses administered. Praziquantel appears to be an effective, well tolerated and easily administrable schistosomicide and thus a favourable contribution to the control of urinary schistosomiasis.

The distribution of T-cell subsets in acute and cerebral malaria have been studied using two monoclonal antibodies. In the course of the disease both in acute and cerebral malaria in persons living in senegalese hypoendemic area occurred important alterations of circulating T-cell subsets. A significant loss of OKT4 positive cells is observed; OKT8 positive lymphocytes are also affected but to a lesser extent. The reversal of the OKT4/OKT8 ratio found in this disease is associated with decrease responsiveness of lymphocytes to PHA. The considerable loss seen in OKT4 cells fonction could be of great importance in reducing cell mediated immune mechanisms and humoral response needed to eradicate the malaria parasite.