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Copyright of Mali Médical is the property of Mali Medical, Faculte de Medecine, de Pharmacie et d'Odonto-stomatologie 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.)

Aims: The aim of this study was to describe the clinical and therapeutic aspects of the peritonitis by typhoid ileum perforation in a tropical endemic land. Patients and methods: a descriptive retrospective study over 6 years period (January 2000 to December 2006) was undertaken in a visceral service of CHU du POINT G, Bamako, Mali. The patients diagnosed and operated for peritonitis presenting lesions of perforations of the final ileum were included in the study. The bowel's perforations of other aetiologies were not retained. Results: a total of 120 patients answering the criteria of inclusion were listed. The average age was 22.7 years. The triad abdominal pains (120 cases; 100%), vomiting (41; 62.3%), gas and matter stop (22; 32.3%) constituted the main part of the functional signs. The physical examination showed a localised abdominal defence (7 cases, 10.3%), generalized defence (98 cases; 81.6%), unspecified 2 times (2.9%). A "wood belly" abdomen was palpated among 105 patients (87.5%), as well as a cry of the umbilical point (106 cases; 88.3%). The test of agglutination of Felix and Widal was positive for 75 patients (62.5%) and negative for 27 patients (22.5%). In per operational the quantity of aspired pus was higher than 1500 ml for 2 cases and lower or equal to 500 ml for 57.4% of case. The site of the perforation was ante mesenteric in 64 cases (53.3%). The excision-suture and abdominal toilet were the most current surgical procedure (68 cases; 57%). In post operational 19 patients (15.83%) died of septic shock. The average duration of hospitalization was 20.6 days. Conclusion: the peritonitis by typhoid ileum perforation is always and still the cause of a strong mortality in our country. The prevention by the vaccination of the young population could decrease the incidence of pathology and the serious complications which result from this. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Childhood mortality rates remain high in sub-Saharan Africa. This study aimed to assess the causes and associated factors of pediatric emergency mortality at the Sourô Sanou University Hospital of Bobo-Dioulasso., Methodology: This was a cross-sectional study with prospective collection from June to August 2020. We documented and analyzed demographic and clinical characteristics by means or proportions. Logistic regression was performed to identify the factors associated with childhood mortality., Results: From 618 pediatric patients admitted to pediatric emergency unit, 80 (12.9%) were documented as death outcomes. The mean age was 34.10 ± 36.38 months. The male sex represented 51.25%. The main diagnoses were severe malaria (61.25%), acute gastroenteritis (11.25%) and pneumonia (10%); 48.75% of the patients were malnourished and only 55% were fully immunized. The average length of hospitalization was 2.73 ± 3.03 days. Mortality was a strongly significant association with late come to the emergency unit (AOR = 1.11, CI = 1.04-1.18), young maternal age (AOR = 0.95, CI = 0.92-0.99) and incomplete vaccination (AOR = 1.94, CI = 1.13-3.31)., Conclusion: The in-hospital mortality rate was 12.94%; younger maternal age, delay in consultation, unimmunized or incompletely immunized status and shorter hospital stays were significantly associated with death., (© The Author(s) [2023]. Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved. For permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.)

Background: Studies on the gut microbiota of animals have largely focused on vertebrates. The transmission modes of commensal intestinal bacteria in mammals have been well studied. However, in gastropods, the relationship between gut microbiota and hosts is still poorly understood. To gain a better understanding of the composition of gut microbes and their transmission routes in gastropods, a large-scale and long-term experiment on the dynamics and transmission modes of gut microbiota was conducted on freshwater snails., Results: We analyzed 244 microbial samples from the digestive tracts of freshwater gastropods and identified Proteobacteria and Bacteroidetes as dominant gut microbes. Aeromonas, Cloacibacterium, and Cetobacterium were identified as core microbes in the guts, accounting for over 50% of the total sequences. Furthermore, both core bacteria Aeromonas and Cloacibacterium, were shared among 7 gastropod species and played an important role in determining the gut microbial community types of both wild and cultured gastropods. Analysis of the gut microbiota at the population level, including wild gastropods and their offspring, indicated that a proportion of gut microbes could be consistently vertically transmitted inheritance, while the majority of the gut microbes resulted from horizontal transmission. Comparing cultured snails to their wild counterparts, we observed an increasing trend in the proportion of shared microbes and a decreasing trend in the number of unique microbes among wild gastropods and their offspring reared in a cultured environment. Core gut microbes, Aeromonas and Cloacibacterium, remained persistent and dispersed from wild snails to their offspring across multiple generations. Interestingly, under cultured environments, the gut microbiota in wild gastropods could only be maintained for up to 2 generations before converging with that of cultured snails. The difference observed in gut bacterial metabolism functions was associated with this transition. Our study also demonstrated that the gut microbial compositions in gastropods are influenced by developmental stages and revealed the presence of Aeromonas and Cloacibacterium throughout the life cycle in gastropods. Based on the dynamics of core gut microbes, it may be possible to predict the health status of gastropods during their adaptation to new environments. Additionally, gut microbial metabolic functions were found to be associated with the adaptive evolution of gastropods from wild to cultured environments., Conclusions: Our findings provide novel insights into the dynamic processes of gut microbiota colonization in gastropod mollusks and unveil the modes of microbial transmission within their guts. Video Abstract., (© 2023. The Author(s).)

Timely diagnosis of Pulmonary Tuberculosis (PTB) is associated with good prognosis, but remains difficult in primary healthcare facilities and particularly in children and patients living with HIV. The aim of this study was to compare the GeneXpert ® MTB/RIF assay (Xpert) performed using a stool sample (3-5 g) and using the first Respiratory Tract Sample (RTS; i.e., sputum, bronchoalveolar or gastric aspirate; as normally done) concomitantly collected from 119 patients with suspected PTB to improve PTB diagnosis in Burkina Faso, a high tuberculosis burden country with limited resources. Overall, microbiological, microscopic and molecular analysis of the 119 first RTS and 119 stool specimens led to Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex detection in 28 patients (23 positive RTS cultures and 5 negative RTS cultures-RTS Xpert positive). When using the 28 clinical confirmed cases as reference standard, the sensitivities of the stool-based and RTS-based Xpert assays were not different (24/28, 85.7%, versus 26/28, 92.86%; p > 0.30), and 22 results were fully concordant. Considering the first RTS culture as the gold standard, the sensitivities of the stool-based and RTS-based Xpert assays to detect PTB in patients with positive RTS culture were 100% (23/23) and 91.3% (21/23), respectively (p >0.05). The stool-based Xpert assay specificity for excluding PTB was 99% (95/96) (compared with 95%, 91/96, when using RTS) and its negative and positive predictive values were 100% (95/95) and 96% (23/24), respectively. Compared with the 23 positive RTS cultures, the incremental yield rates of the RTS-based and stool-based Xpert assays were 4.2% (5/119) and 0.84% (1/119), respectively. Overall, our findings support using the stool-based Xpert assay as an alternative method for earlier PTB diagnosis, when RTS are difficult to obtain., Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist., (Copyright: © 2023 Kaboré et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.)

Background: Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus are invasive mosquito species and significantly impact human health in southern China. Microbiota are confirmed to affect the development and immunity of mosquitoes. However, scientists have focused more on midgut microbiota of female mosquitoes and bacterial differences between female and male Aedes mosquitoes. The relationship between the midgut and entire body microbiota of Aedes is unclear. In this study, we collected mosquito samples reared under the same laboratory conditions and compared the microbial composition of midgut and entire bodies of Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus using 16S rRNA gene sequencing., Methods: In this study, we collected mosquito samples reared under the same laboratory conditions and compared the microbial composition of midgut and entire bodies of Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus using 16S rRNA gene sequencing., Results: A total of 341 OTUs were identified, showing that Proteobacteria was the dominant phylum and Methylobacterium the dominant genus in both Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus. The bacterial diversity and community structures of the entire bodies were similar between males and females in both Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus. Conversely, the bacterial compositions of male and female Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus were significantly different. NMDS analysis, UPGMA analysis, diversity indices and OTU distribution demonstrated that compositions and structures in midgut microbiota were similar but significantly different in the entire bodies of Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus. Functional prediction analysis showed that metabolism and environmental information processing were the dominant KEGG pathways at level 1. Our study showed that there were significantly different level 2 and 3 KEGG pathways in the midgut microbiota (16 level 2 and 24 level 3) and the entire bodies (33 level 2 and 248 level 3) between female Aedes albopictus and Aedes Aegypti., Conclusions: Our findings that Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus reared in the same laboratory harbor a similar gut bacterial microbiome but different entire body microbiota imply that the gut microbiota of adult mosquitoes is environmentally determined regardless of the host genotype, but the entire body microbiota is more genetically determined. Our findings improved the understanding of the microbiota in the entire and partial tissues of Aedes mosquitoes., (© 2021. The Author(s).)

Background: Schistosomiasis is one of the most important tropical parasitic diseases worldwide. Biomphalaria straminea , the intermediate host of Schistosoma mansoni , has invaded and spread to Southern China since 1974 and may pose enormous threats to public health. Controlling intermediate host snails is an effective strategy in schistosomiasis intervention. However, the only effective chemical molluscicide, niclosamide, currently recommended by WHO may cause environmental pollution, loss of biodiversity, and high costs. Thus, to counter intermediate hosts, a sustainable and environmentally friendly tool is urgently needed. Here, we conducted field investigations to collect and identify a potential snail competitor rotifer and evaluated its molluscicide effect., Results: In this study, we collected two samples of rotifers from Shenzhen. We found both red and black phenotypic B. straminea snails at the sampling sites. We identified the rotifer population as a species of the genus Philodina according to the amplification and phylogenetic analysis results of coxI gene. We found that rotifer exposure did not significantly affect the hatching rate of B. straminea eggs but promoted the killing of juvenile snails. Meanwhile, rotifer exposure did not significantly alter the fecundity of B. straminea quantified by the number of eggs per egg mass, the number of egg masses per snail, and the number of eggs per snail; but the snails exposed to rotifers showed lower fecundity performance than the control snails. Importantly, rotifer exposure could significantly affect the development of juvenile B. straminea , showing a smaller shell diameter of the exposed snails than that of the control snails. In addition, rotifer exposure affected the life span of B. straminea snails, showing a 16.61% decline in the average life span. After rotifer exposure, the S. mansoni -infected B. straminea snails died significantly faster than those without rotifer exposure. Similar findings were observed in S. mansoni -infected Biomphalaria glabrata snails. These results implied that rotifer exposure significantly promoted the mortality of S. mansoni -infected B. straminea and B. glabrata ., Conclusions: Our study demonstrated the potential molluscicide effect of rotifers on intermediate hosts under laboratory conditions. Our findings may provide new insights into the development of biocontrol strategies for snail-borne disease transmission., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2021 Lin, Xiang, Sanogo, Liang, Sun and Wu.)

Objective: The objective of this study is to evaluate the feasibility and tolerability of new bacteriological samples to diagnose tuberculosis (TB) in HIV-infected children., Method and Patients: HIV1-infected children with suspicion of TB in Universitary Hospital Sourô Sanon (Burkina Faso) were included in a prospective cohort study. Children underwent three gastric aspirates (GA) if aged <4 years; two GA, one string test (ST) if aged 4-9 years and three sputum, one ST if aged 10-13 years. All children underwent one nasopharyngeal aspirate (NPA) and one stool sample. To assess feasibility and tolerability of procedures, adverse events were identified and pain was rated on different scales. Samples were tested by microscopy, culture, GeneXpert® (Xpert®)., Results: Sixty-three patients were included. Mean age was 8.92 years, 52.38% were females. Ninety-five GA, 67 sputum, 62 NPA, 60 stool and 55 ST had been performed. During sampling, the main adverse events were cough at 68/95 GA and 48/62 NPA; sneeze at 50/95 GA and 38/62 NPA and vomiting at 4/55 ST. On the behavioral scale, the average pain score during collection was 6.38/10 for GA; 7.70/10 for NPA and 1.03/10 for ST. Of the 31 cases of TB, bacteriological confirmation was made in 12 patients., Conclusion: ST, stool is well-tolerated alternatives specimens for diagnosing TB in children. NPA has a poor feasibility and tolerability in children., (© The Author(s) [2021]. Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved. For permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.)

Background: Serotype-specific diagnosis of pneumococcal community-acquired pneumonia in children under age 5 years would mark a major advancement for understanding pneumococcal epidemiology and supporting vaccine decision-making., Methods: A Luminex technology-based multiplex urinary antigen detection (UAD) diagnostic assay was developed and subsequently validated in adults, but its applicability to children is unknown. This study aimed to set appropriate cutoffs for use of the UAD in a healthy pediatric population and apply these cutoffs in children with pneumonia in sub-Saharan Africa. The cutoffs were determined by assessing 379 urines obtained from healthy children under age 5 years from the Bobo-Dioulasso area for serotypes included in 13-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (UAD-1) and the 11 other serotypes unique to 23-valent pneumococcal polysaccharide vaccine (UAD-2)., Results: Based on the assigned cutoff values, among 108 children who met the World Health Organization consolidation endpoint criteria, UAD-1 and UAD-2 were positive in 23.3% and 8.3%, respectively; among 364 children with clinically suspected pneumonia who did not meet the World Health Organization criteria, UAD-1 and UAD-2 were positive for 6.6% and 3.6%, respectively. Pneumococcal carriage prevalence was similar among pneumonia cases (30%) versus controls (35%) as was semiquantitative carriage density., Conclusions: UAD-1 and UAD-2 were able to distinguish community controls from children with pneumonia, particularly pneumonia with consolidation. Future studies are needed to confirm these results and more fully assess the contribution of pneumococcal carriage and concurrent viral infection., Competing Interests: J.M. and B.D.G. were employees of Agence de Medicine Preventive during the implementation of the study and currently work for Pfizer Inc. M.W.P. and Q.J. currently work for Pfizer Inc. E.B. worked for Pfizer Inc. during the previous 3 years but is not currently an employee. The other authors have no conflicts of interest to disclose., (Copyright © 2021 Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc. All rights reserved.)

Objective: Evaluate the performance of QuantiFERON ® -TB Gold In-Tube test (QFT-GIT), to improve the diagnosis of active tuberculosis (TB) in Human Immuno-Deficiency Virus (HIV)-infected children., Method: Sensitivity, specificity, Positive Predictive Value (PPV), Negative Predictive Value (NPV) of QFT-GIT were assessed in 58/63 HIV-infected children who were suspected of having TB., Results: Sensitivity of QFT-GIT was 20.69%, specificity 96.55%, PPV/NPV respectively 85.71% and 54.90%., Conclusion: QFT-GIT appears to be of little contribution to the diagnosis of active TB in children living with HIV in a TB-endemic country., Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.

Schistosomes infect more than 200 million people worldwide, and globally, over 700 million people are at risk of infection. The snail Biomphalaria straminea, as one of the intermediate hosts of Schistosoma mansoni, consecutively invaded Hong Kong in 1973, raising great concern in China. In this study, a malacological survey was conducted over a period of four years, and investigations were performed on the mechanism of susceptibility of B. straminea to S. mansoni. B. straminea was investigated in China from 2014 to 2018. Out of 185 investigated sites, 61 were positive for stages of black B. straminea (BBS), which shows pigmented spots. Twenty of the 61 sites were positive for red B. straminea (RBS), which is partially albino and red colored. Phylogenetic analyses based on cox1 and 18S rRNA sequences demonstrated that both phenotypes were clustered with Brazilian strains. No S. mansoni infections were detected in field-collected snail. However, in laboratory experiments, 4.17% of RBS were susceptible to a Puerto Rican strain of S. mansoni, while BBS was not susceptible. The highest susceptibility rate (70.83%) was observed in the F2 generation of RBS in lab. The density of RBS has increased from south to north and from west to east in Guangdong since 2014. Five tyrosinase tyrosine metabolism genes were upregulated in BBS. Transcriptome comparisons of RBS and BBS showed that ficolin, C1q, MASP-like, and membrane attack complex (MAC)/perforin models of the complement system were significantly upregulated in BBS. Our study demonstrated that B. straminea is widely distributed in Hong Kong and Guangdong Province, which is expanding northwards very rapidly as a consequence of its adaptation to local environments. Our results suggest that B. straminea from South China is susceptible to S. mansoni, implying the high potential for S. mansoni transmission and increased S. mansoni infection risk in China., Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.

Seckel syndrome-1 or "bird-headed dwarfism", Online Mendelian Inheritance in Man number 210600, is a rare genetic disease with an autosomal recessive transmission. We report a female child of 56 months diagnosed with SCKL1 at the Pediatric department of the University Hospital Center Sourou Sanou, Burkina Faso. She showed the typical features including facial dysmorphism, dwarfism, microcephalus and mental retardation. Ophthalmic and dental anomaly and extremities were associated. Without a codified etiological treatment, a psychotherapist support, a genetic counseling, a regular pediatric follow-up, a quarterly odontostomatological and ophthalmological follow- up have been recommended., Competing Interests: Conflict of interest: The authors declare no potential conflict of interest, (©Copyright: the Author(s).)

Objective: To determine the contribution of ultrasonography in the diagnosis of abdominal tuberculosis (TB) in HIV- infected children at the University TeachingHospital Sourô-Sanou of Bobo-Dioulasso, Burkina Faso., Methods: In children infected with HIV and suspected to develop tuberculosis (TB) on the basis of epidemiological and clinical evidence, the following were performed at inclusion, at 2, 6, and 9 months of follow-up: a chest x-ray and abdominal ultrasound. A bacteriological investigation of the Koch bacillus (BK) was made. All children diagnosed with TB were put on treatment., Results: Sixty-three (63) children with suspected TB were included. Thirty one children (42.86%) had been diagnosed with tuberculosis. Tuberculosis with abdominal lesions accounted for 29.03% (9/31) of TB cases, divided as follows: 4 cases (12.9%) of abdominal tuberculosis without radiographic lung lesions; 5 (16.13%) cases of multifocal TB associating pulmonary involvement with ultrasound abdominal lesions. Bacteriological confirmation was 55.55%. The main ultrasound lesions were abdominal lymph nodes (88.89%). A spleen miliary and hepatosplenic miliary were noted in 33.33% and 11.11% of the cases respectively. The evolution under antituberculous treatment was favorable in 88.88% of the cases., Conclusion: Ultrasonography is a significant contributor in the diagnosis and monitoring of treatment of abdominal TB in HIV-infected children., (Le comité de rédaction se réserve le droit de renvoyer aux auteurs avant toute soumission à l'avis des lecteurs les manuscrits qui ne seraient pas conformes à ces modalités de présentation. En outre il leur conseille de conserver un exemplaire du manuscrit, des figures et des tableaux.)

Viral hepatitis B is a public health issue. We establish the children serological profile of hepatitis B in Bobo-Dioulasso, six years after the introduction of hepatitis B vaccine into the Expanded Program on Immunization. This was a descriptive study of prospective data collection carried out in the Department of Pediatrics and the laboratory of virology of the Centre MURAZ of Bobo-Dioulasso between March 2013 and May 2013. Blood samples were made in search of the following hepatitis B serological markers: anti-HBcAb total, HBsAg, Ac anti-HBs, HBeAg, AcHBs, IgM anti-HBc total. The ELISA method with the Monolisa BIORAD reagents was used. A total of 2015 children were included, 1026 (50, 9%) boys and 989 (49.1%) girls, at an average age of 58±48 months. Out of these 2015 children, 53 (2.6%) were positive to HBsAg including 19 vaccinated cases, one child has received 3 doses plus 1 booster dose of hepatitis B vaccine. We found no statistically significant difference in the carriage of serologic markers of hepatitis B between the unvaccinated group and the vaccinated group. Large-scale studies should be carried out in Burkina Faso to see the real impact of vaccination on the health of our populations., (©Copyright: the Author(s), 2019.)

Apert syndrome or acrocephalosyndactyly is a rare genetic disease characterized by craniofacial dysmorphism and syndactyly of the hands and feet. We report an observation in a 4-month-old female infant, whose father was 65 years old. The infant was admitted to the neonatology of Sourô Sanou University Hospital (Burkina Faso) for respiratory distress in a congenital malformation disorders context with the notion of resuscitation for 10 minutes at birth. Her clinical examination revealed a craniofacial dysmorphism, syndactyly, choanal atresia, a cleft palate and a retardation of the psychomotor development. The paraclinical assessment consisted of a radiograph of the skeleton and a cerebral tomodensitometry confirming bicoronal synostosis and bone syndactyly; an abdominopelvic, cardiac ultrasound didn't reveal any abnormalities; toxoplasmic serology was negative and rubella serology positive. The association of Apert syndrome with positive rubella serology seems fortuitous. Also, the association of choanal atresia and cleft palate has not commonly been reported in Apert syndrome. In the absence of surgical the infant has been followed until 9 months with therapeutic prospects., Competing Interests: Conflict of interest: the authors declare no potential conflict of interest., (©Copyright: the Author(s), 2019.)

Background: Diagnosis of tuberculosis should be improved in children infected with HIV to reduce mortality. We developed prediction scores to guide antituberculosis treatment decision in HIV-infected children with suspected tuberculosis., Methods: HIV-infected children with suspected tuberculosis enrolled in Burkina Faso, Cambodia, Cameroon, and Vietnam (ANRS 12229 PAANTHER 01 Study), underwent clinical assessment, chest radiography, Quantiferon Gold In-Tube (QFT), abdominal ultrasonography, and sample collection for microbiology, including Xpert MTB/RIF (Xpert). We developed 4 tuberculosis diagnostic models using logistic regression: (1) all predictors included, (2) QFT excluded, (3) ultrasonography excluded, and (4) QFT and ultrasonography excluded. We internally validated the models using resampling. We built a score on the basis of the model with the best area under the receiver operating characteristic curve and parsimony., Results: A total of 438 children were enrolled in the study; 251 (57.3%) had tuberculosis, including 55 (12.6%) with culture- or Xpert-confirmed tuberculosis. The final 4 models included Xpert, fever lasting >2 weeks, unremitting cough, hemoptysis and weight loss in the past 4 weeks, contact with a patient with smear-positive tuberculosis, tachycardia, miliary tuberculosis, alveolar opacities, and lymph nodes on the chest radiograph, together with abdominal lymph nodes on the ultrasound and QFT results. The areas under the receiver operating characteristic curves were 0.866, 0.861, 0.850, and 0.846, for models 1, 2, 3, and 4, respectively. The score developed on model 2 had a sensitivity of 88.6% and a specificity of 61.2% for a tuberculosis diagnosis., Conclusions: Our score had a good diagnostic performance. Used in an algorithm, it should enable prompt treatment decision in children with suspected tuberculosis and a high mortality risk, thus contributing to significant public health benefits., Competing Interests: POTENTIAL CONFLICT OF INTEREST: The authors have indicated they have no potential conflicts of interest to disclose., (Copyright © 2019 by the American Academy of Pediatrics.)

This article has been retracted: please see Elsevier Policy on Article Withdrawal (https://www.elsevier.com/about/our-business/policies/article-withdrawal) This article has been retracted at the request of the authors: Benjamin Sanogo, Dongjuan Yuan, Xin Zeng, Yanhua Zhang, and Zhongdao Wu. Our article reviews the evolution, geography, diversity, genetics and host-compatibility of human schistosomes and their hosts. It has come to our attention that readers have found some of the content in the article to be confusing or misleading. As authors, we have tried our best to share our scientific discovery and understanding faithfully, but we also agree that scientific reports should stand up to doubt and discussion. After serious consideration, to avoid confusion in the Schistosoma research community, we are retracting the Review. We apologize to the community for any inconvenience we have caused., (Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Background: Schistosomiasis mansoni is one of the most important, but often neglected, tropical diseases transmitted by snails of the genus Biomphalaria. Control of the intermediate host snail plays a crucial role in preventing the spread of schistosomiasis. However, there is only one molluscicide, niclosamide, recommended by the World Health Organization. Niclosamide has been used for several decades but is toxic to non-target organisms. Therefore, it is necessary to optimize the scaffold of niclosamide and develop novel molluscicides with enhanced potency and decreased toxicity to non-target organisms., Methods: In this study, a candidate compound was analyzed by nuclear magnetic resonance and mass spectrometry. The molluscicidal potential against Biomphalaria species and cercaricidal potential against S. mansoni were evaluated using the immersion method. Furthermore, the preliminary mechanism was studied through cellular enzyme tests and electron microscopy., Results: 5-chloro-2-[(2-chloro-4-nitrophenyl)carbamoyl]phenyl-4-methoxybenzoate (salicylanilidate), a novel salicylanilide ester derivative, was derived from niclosamide. The 50% lethal concentration to B. glabrata, B. straminea and B. pfeifferi was 0.261 mg/l, 0.172 mg/l and 0.241 mg/l, respectively. The effective dose required to completely kill S. mansoni cercariae was 0.625 mg/l for salicylanilidate and 0.125 mg/l for niclosamide. However, salicylanilidate was approximately 100-fold less toxic to the fish Danio rerio than niclosamide. Furthermore, salicylanilidate reduced the enzymatic activities of nitric oxide synthase (NOS), lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) and acetylcholinesterase (AChE) in the snail, demonstrating that it could affect neurohypophysis transmission and energy metabolism. Severe swelling in the tentacle and deformation of cilia in the tentacle and mantle were observed through scanning electron microscopy. The results of transmission electron microscopy showed that salicylanilidate could damage critical organelles in hepatopancreas tissues, including degeneration of the endoplasmic reticulum and vacuolization in mitochondria. In addition, transcriptional levels of superoxide dismutase (SOD), acid phosphatase (ACP) and NOS in the hepatopancreas were significantly downregulated as shown by real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). These results indicated that the hepatopancreas is a primary target organ of salicylanilidate., Conclusions: Salicylanilidate not only had deleterious effects on Biomphalaria species and S. mansoni cercariae but also showed very low toxicity to D. rerio, suggesting that it has broad potential applications.

Aim: This study was to determine the prevalence of missed opportunities for immunization in the pediatrics unit of the Souro Sanou University Hospital., Methods: This was a cross-sectional descriptive study conducted from May to June 2010 involving children aged 0-11 months, accompanying persons and health personnel. Self-questionnaires were administered to health personnel in order to gage their knowledge of vaccination practices., Results: 177 children including 101 girls and 49 health workers were recruited. The vaccination rate for children targeted by the Expanded Programme on Immunization (EPI) was 38% in the city of Bobo-Dioulasso and the rate of missed vaccination occasions was 50%. The low level of parental education, ignorance of EPI targeted diseases and a poor organization of the vaccination unit were noted., Conclusion: The overall strategy for vaccine administration should be rethought in a country with limited resources such as Burkina Faso to optimize immunization, EPI target diseases contributing to the mortality and morbidity in these regions., (Le comitée de rédaction se réserve le droit de revoyer aux auteurs avant toute soumission à l'avis des lecteurs les manuscrits qui ne seraient pas conformes à ces modalités de présentation. En outre il leur conseille de sonserver un examplaire du manuscrit, des figures et des tableaux.)

Williams-Beuren syndrome (WBS) is a rare neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by a set of somatic, psychological, and behavioral abnormalities, which is caused by a deletion of several genes. Herein we report a 6 year-old boy, who presented with mental retardation and psychological disorders. The result of the first clinical examination was poor, since it didn't detect any dysmorphic feature which is a major component for the clinical diagnosis of WBS. Despite the multidisciplinary and the multicenter approaches used, the diagnosis of WBS (deletion of chromosome band 7q11. 23) was established more than 3 years after the first medical consultation. Rare partial forms of WBS have been recently described and they are both clinically and genetically difficult to diagnose. Unfortunately, this disorder is still little known by health professionals.

Aims: The aim of this study was to describe the clinical and therapeutic aspects of peritonitis by typhoid ileal perforation in a tropical typhoid fever endemic area., Patients and Methods: A descriptive retrospective study over an 8 year period (January 2000 to December 2007) was undertaken in a visceral service of the Point G teaching hospital in Bamako, Mali. Only patients diagnosed and operated for peritonitis presenting lesions or perforations of the final ileum were included in the study., Results: The data from 120 patients meeting the inclusion criteria was collected. The average age was 22.7 years old. Triad abdominal pains (120 cases; 100%), vomiting (41; 62.3%), lack of matter and gas (22; 32.3%) constituted the main part of the functional signs. The physical examination showed a localised abdominal defence (7 cases, 10.3%), generalized defence (98 cases; 81.6%), and 2 unspecified cases (2.9%). A "wood belly" abdomen was palpated among 105 patients (87.5%), as well as umbilical hernias (106 cases; 88.3%). The Felix and Widal agglutination test was positive for 75 patients (62.5%) and negative for 27 patients (22.5%). During the operation, the quantity of aspirated pus was higher than 1500 ml in 2 cases and lower or equal to 500 ml in 57.4% of cases. The site of the perforation was ante mesenteric in 64 cases (53.3%). Excision-suture and abdominal cleansing were the most common surgical procedures (68 cases; 57%). Postoperatively 19 patients (15.83%) died of septic shock. The average duration of hospitalization was 20.6 days., Conclusion: The peritonitis by typhoid ileum perforation is still the cause of a high mortality rate in our country. The prevention by the vaccination in young populations could decrease the incidence of pathology and the serious complications which result from this., (Le comitée de rédaction se réserve le droit de revoyer aux auteurs avant toute soumission à l'avis des lecteurs les manuscrits qui ne seraient pas conformes à ces modalités de présentation. En outre il leur conseille de sonserver un examplaire du manuscrit, des figures et des tableaux.)