Search

Abstract Sweet sorghum (Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench) is an important crop in Chad that plays an economic role in the countryside were stalks are produced mainly for human consumption without any processing. Unfortunately, very little information exists on its genetic diversity and brix content. Studies performed in 2014 and 2015 showed that there were significant variations (p

Copyright of Annals of African Medicine is the property of Wolters Kluwer India Pvt Ltd and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Annals of African Medicine is the property of Wolters Kluwer India Pvt Ltd and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench is an under-harvested crop in Burkina Faso. It is grown mainly for its sweet grains in the pasty stage. However, the precocity of the cycle and the sweet grains at pasty stage make it an interesting plant with agro-alimentary potential during the lean season. This study was carried out to identify the main sugars responsible for the sweetness of the grains at the pasty stage and their variation according to the agro-morphological group and the botanical race. Thus, the grains harvested at the pasty stage of fifteen (15) accessions selected according to the agro-morphological group and botanical race were lyophilized and analyzed by High Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC). The results reveal the presence of four (4) main carbohydrates at pasty stage of grains such as fructose, glucose, sucrose and starch. Analysis of variance revealed that these carbohydrates discriminate significantly the agro-morphological groups and the botanical races. Moreover, with exception of the sucrose, the coefficient of determination (R2) values shows that the agro-morphological group factor has a greater effect on the expression of glucose, fructose and starch than the botanical race. Group III and caudatum race have the highest levels of fructose and would be the sweetest. While group IV and the guinea-bicolor race with the low value of fructose would be the least sweet. Fructose is therefore the main sugar responsible for the sweetness of the pasty grains of sweet grains sorghum.

Identifying the genetic factors impacting the adaptation of crops to environmental conditions is of key interest for conservation and selection purposes. It can be achieved using population genomics, and evolutionary or quantitative genetics. Here we present a sorghum multireference back-cross nested association mapping population composed of 3,901 lines produced by crossing 24 diverse parents to 3 elite parents from West and Central Africa-back-cross nested association mapping. The population was phenotyped in environments characterized by differences in photoperiod, rainfall pattern, temperature levels, and soil fertility. To integrate the multiparental and multi-environmental dimension of our data we proposed a new approach for quantitative trait loci (QTL) detection and parental effect estimation. We extended our model to estimate QTL effect sensitivity to environmental covariates, which facilitated the integration of envirotyping data. Our models allowed spatial projections of the QTL effects in agro-ecologies of interest. We utilized this strategy to analyze the genetic architecture of flowering time and plant height, which represents key adaptation mechanisms in environments like West Africa. Our results allowed a better characterization of well-known genomic regions influencing flowering time concerning their response to photoperiod with Ma6 and Ma1 being photoperiod-sensitive and the region of possible candidate gene Elf3 being photoperiod-insensitive. We also accessed a better understanding of plant height genetic determinism with the combined effects of phenology-dependent (Ma6) and independent (qHT7.1 and Dw3) genomic regions. Therefore, we argue that the West and Central Africa-back-cross nested association mapping and the presented analytical approach constitute unique resources to better understand adaptation in sorghum with direct application to develop climate-smart varieties., Competing Interests: Conflicts of interest The authors declare no conflicts of interest., (© The Author(s) 2024. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of The Genetics Society of America.)

Setting: A survey of the prevalence of drug-resistant tuberculosis (DR-TB) in new and previously treated patients (PTPs) was performed in Burkina Faso from 2016 to 2017., Design: In this cross-sectional survey, a structured questionnaire was administered to eligible smear-positive patients in all 86 diagnostic and treatment centers of the country to collect their socio-demographic characteristics and medical histories. Their sputa were tested using the Mycobacterium tuberculosis/rifampicin (MTB/RIF) Xpert assay. Those which were found to be positive for TB and rifampicin-resistant were also tested with GenoType MTBDRplus2.0 and MTBDRsl2.0. Univariate and multivariate logistic regressions were performed to determine risk factors associated with rifampicin resistance., Results: Of the 1140 smear-positive patients enrolled, 995 new and 145 PTPs were positive for MTB complex by Xpert. Of these, 2.0% (20/995, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.1-2.9) of the new cases and 14.5% (95% CI: 14.2-20.2) of the PTPs were resistant to rifampicin; 83% of them has multidrug-resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB). None were pre-extensively drug-resistant TB (pre-XDR-TB) or XDR-TB. Only the previous treatment was significantly associated with rifampicin resistance, p < 0.0001., Conclusion: Similar to global trends, rifampicin resistance was significantly higher in patients with prior TB treatment (14.5%) than in naïve patients (2.0%). These percentages are slightly below the global averages, but nonetheless suggest the need for continued vigilance. Extending the use of Xpert testing should strengthen the surveillance of DR-TB in Burkina Faso., Competing Interests: Conflict of Interest The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Key message Major A 1 cytoplasm fertility restoration loci, Rf 2 and Rf 5 , were found in the West African sorghum. A potential causative mutation for Rf 2 was identified. KASP markers were validated on independent material. To accelerate the identification and development of hybrid parental lines in West African (WA) sorghum, this study aimed to understand the genetics underlying the fertility restoration (Rf) in WA A 1 cytoplasmic male sterility system and to develop markers for a routine use in WA breeding programs. We genotyped by sequencing three F 2 populations to map the Rf quantitative trait loci (QTL), validated the molecular KASP markers developed from those QTL in two F 2:3 populations, and assessed the most promising markers on a set of 95 R- and B-lines from WA breeding programs. Seven QTL were found across the three F 2 populations. On chromosome SBI-05, we found a major fertility restorer locus (Rf 5 ) for two populations with the same male parent, explaining 19 and 14% of the phenotypic variation in either population. Minor QTL were detected in these two populations on chromosomes SBI-02, SBI-03, SBI-04 and SBI-10. In the third population, we identified one major fertility restorer locus on chromosome SBI-02, Rf 2 , explaining 31% of the phenotypic variation. Pentatricopeptide repeat genes in the Rf 2 QTL region were sequenced, and we detected in Sobic.002G057050 a missense mutation in the first exon, explaining 81% of the phenotypic variation in a F 2:3 population and clearly separating B- from R-lines. The KASP marker developed from this mutation stands as a promising tool for routine use in WA breeding programs.

Umbilical hernias occur frequently in children but complications are rarely reported. This study assesses the incidence of complicated umbilical hernias in our patients, evaluates data for risk factors, and shows dissimilarities with those encountered in developed countries. This study reports all children operated for complications due to strangulated umbilical hernia over a period of 3 years. On the whole, 162 children had umbilical hernias treated during this period. Thirty (18.5%) of these had complicated hernias. The average age of the complicated group was 3(1/2) years. Twenty-nine cases had a painful irreducible umbilical mass. Twenty-four children had bowel obstruction, while stercoral fistula occurred in one child. The average diameter of the hernia ranged between 1 and 1.5 cm. Five patients had ischemic intestine that required resection. One patient died. When active observation and follow-up after 1 year is difficult or not feasible when the wall defect diameter is 1.5 cm or less, and in suspicion of incarceration (unexplained abdominal pain, and irreducibility), umbilical hernia should be operated.

This is a case-control study conducted to examine the risk factors for multidrug resistance (MDR) among patients with pulmonary tuberculosis (TB) in four centers in Burkina Faso, West Africa: Ouagadougou, Bobo-Dioulasso, Gorom-Gorom, and Dori. Fifty-six MDR-TB cases and 304 controls were enrolled of which 40 MDR-TB cases and 222 controls were from Ouagadougou. The majority of cases were male, with 39 among MDR-TB cases and 205 in controls. The MDR-TB cases were aged from 14 to 75 years versus 11 to 75 years in the controls. The total risk assessment battery score was 11. Living outside of Burkina Faso (adjusted odds ratio [OR] = 0.017; 95% confidence interval [95% CI]: 0.001-0.325), known TB contact (OR = 0.045; 95% CI: 0.004-0.543), and patients with previous history of TB treatment (OR = 0.004; 95% CI: 0.000-0.0.052) were significantly associated with MDR-TB. TB contact and mainly previous treatment were the strongest determinants of MDR-TB. Also, living outside Burkina was a risk factor.