Survival and growth responses of Jatropha curcas L. to three restoration techniques on degraded soils in Burkina Faso

Land degradation is a major problem in the Sahelian countries. Erosion control through establishment of vegetation cover is at important strategy to reverse the trend. Our research objective was to analyse the e-ffects of three restoration techniques on Jatropha curcas L. seedlings growth and survivorship. Were conducted two separate field trials, involving the sowing and planting of J. curcas, in which several different soil restoration techniques were applied. The trial was monitored using a ran-domized block study design over a period of two years. The design included ten different treatments, six in the sowing trial and four in the planting trial, each with three replicates. In the first experiment, growth rate was found to be significantly higher in the Sub-Soiling treatment, that received additional organic matter than other treatments. However, overall survival rate was low (18%). In the second experiment, the Half-moon treatment yielded a significantly higher growth both in height (df = 3, F = 56.74, p < 0.05) and diameter (df = 3, F = 31.76, p < 0.05) and survival rate compared to those of the other treatments (df = 3, F = 50.4, p < 0.05). In conclusion, planting seedlings produced a greater survival rate than sowing seeds. Among tested the soil restoration and water conservation techniques the Half-moon technique was found as the most effective. This is recommended to be used for improving the revegetation of J. curcas in the future

Impact de trois techniques de restauration des sols sur la survie et la croissance de trois espèces ligneuses sur les « zipellés » au Burkina Faso

A la lumi&egrave;re des ph&eacute;nom&egrave;nes de d&eacute;gradation des sols, un essai de r&eacute;g&eacute;n&eacute;ration artificielle d&rsquo;esp&egrave;ces ligneuses utilisant des technologies d&rsquo;am&eacute;nagement a &eacute;t&eacute; conduit dans la zone soudano-sah&eacute;lienne du BurkinaFaso. Il avait pour objectif d&rsquo;appr&eacute;hender l&rsquo;impact des techniques de restauration des sols (demi-lunes, soussolage et amendement) sur les performances de Combretum micranthum, Jatropha curcas et Faidherbia albida &agrave; Gamp&eacute;la. Un dispositif en blocs randomis&eacute;s combinant les plantations des trois esp&egrave;ces avec les am&eacute;nagements a &eacute;t&eacute; utilis&eacute; sur un sol nu et encro&ucirc;t&eacute;. Les r&eacute;sultats apr&egrave;s la premi&egrave;re saison pluvieuse indiquent que les am&eacute;nagements ont influenc&eacute; de mani&egrave;re significative (p &lt; 0,0001) la croissance des plants &agrave; l&rsquo;exception de F. albida (p = 0,627). Au bout de 2 ans, la croissance et les taux de survie ont &eacute;t&eacute; nettement am&eacute;lior&eacute;s dans les am&eacute;nagements de demi-lunes et dans une moindre mesure de sous solage avec des valeurs de survie &eacute;lev&eacute;es (&gt; 70% dans les demi-lunes chez tous les esp&egrave;ces) et de croissance atteignant parfois le double des t&eacute;moins. Cet impact positif est imputable &agrave; l&rsquo;am&eacute;lioration des conditions du sol (compacit&eacute;, fertilit&eacute; et humidit&eacute;) induite par les diff&eacute;rentes techniques

Antimicrobial susceptibility of Salmonella enterica strains isolated from raw beef, mutton and intestines sold in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso.

Objectives: The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence and antibiotic resistance profile of Salmonella enterica isolated from raw beef, mutton and intestines sold in Ouagadougou; Burkina Faso.Methodology and Results: A total of 450 samples from raw meat of beef (n=175), mutton (n=175), beef intestine (n=50) and sheep intestine (n=50) were analyzed using standards microbiological method for the detection of Salmonella. The isolates were tested for antibacterial resistance using the agar diffusion method with fourteen commonly used antibiotics. In this study, Salmonella contaminated 19% (86/450) of the samples with 27% (47/175) of beef, 18% (9/50) of beef intestine, 11% (19/175) of mutton and 22% (11/50) of sheep intestine. Salmonella strains isolates were most resistant to tetracycline and cefalotin than other tested antibiotics.Conclusion and main findings: The high rate of Salmonella strains in animals can pose a major public health risk in Burkina Faso. In addition, the susceptibility test confirms the circulation of antibiotic resistant pathogens in raw meat. Interestingly, these findings indicate a presence of multiresistant strains. The regulation of antibiotics use in animal husbandry is recommended to prevent antibiotic resistance in humans.Key words: Beef, Mutton, Raw Intestine, Salmonella, Antimicrobial Susceptibility, Burkina Faso

Modern-style plate subduction preserved in the Palaeoproterozoic West African craton

The timing of onset of modern-style plate tectonics is debated. The apparent lack of blueschist metamorphism(1)-a key indicator of modern plate subduction(2)-in rocks aged more than about 1 billion years calls into question the existence of plate tectonics during the Archaean and Palaeoproterozoic eras(3,4). Instead, plate tectonics and subduction could have either not occurred at that time(5), or could have proceeded differently(6) owing to warmer conditions in the early Earth mantle(7). Here we use thermodynamic models(8-10) to investigate the formation conditions of metamorphic minerals in the 2.2-2.0 Gyr old West African metamorphic province. We find a record of blueschist metamorphism in these rocks. We show that minerals such as chlorite and phengite formed at high pressures of 10-12 kbar, low temperatures of 400-450 degrees C and under a geothermal gradient of 10-12 degrees C km(-1). These conditions are typical of modern subduction zones. We therefore suggest that modern-style plate tectonics existed during the Palaeoproterozoic era. We conclude that ancient blueschist metamorphism may exist in other parts of the world, but the identification of these rocks has so far been hampered by methodological problems associated with deciphering their pressure and temperature evolution

Hypertensive disorders in women with peripartum cardiomyopathy: insights from the ESC EORP PPCM Registry

Aims: Hypertensive disorders occur in women with peripartum cardiomyopathy (PPCM). How often hypertensive disorders co-exist, and to what extent they impact outcomes, is less clear. We describe differences in phenotype and outcomes in women with PPCM with and without hypertensive disorders during pregnancy. Methods: The European Society of Cardiology PPCM Registry enrolled women with PPCM from 2012-2018. Three groups were examined: 1) women without hypertension (‘PPCM-noHTN’); 2) women with hypertension but without pre-eclampsia (‘PPCM-HTN’); 3) women with pre-eclampsia (‘PPCM-PE’). Maternal (6-month) and neonatal outcomes were compared. Results: Of 735 women included, 452 (61.5%) had PPCM-noHTN, 99 (13.5%) had PPCM-HTN and 184 (25.0%) had PPCM-PE. Compared to women with PPCM-noHTN, women with PPCM-PE had more severe symptoms (NYHA IV in 44.4% and 29.9%, p&lt;0.001), more frequent signs of heart failure (pulmonary rales in 70.7% and 55.4%, p=0.002), higher baseline LVEF (32.7% and 30.7%, p=0.005) and smaller left ventricular end diastolic diameter (57.4mm [±6.7] and 59.8mm [±8.1], p&lt;0.001). There were no differences in the frequencies of death from any cause, re-hospitalization for any cause, stroke, or thromboembolic events. Compared to women with PPCM-noHTN, women with PPCM-PE had a greater likelihood of left ventricular recovery (LVEF≥50%) (adjusted OR 2.08 95% CI 1.21-3.57) and an adverse neonatal outcome (composite of termination, miscarriage, low birth weight or neonatal death) (adjusted OR 2.84 95% CI 1.66-4.87). Conclusion: Differences exist in phenotype, recovery of cardiac function and neonatal outcomes according to hypertensive status in women with PPCM