Consumer education can lead to behaviour change

Changes not only at macro level but also at micro level are required to create more sustainable and efficient essential services in Africa. From this perspective, how can we promote change in consumer behaviour when we know that it is difficult to transform habits and beliefs that are rooted in everyday life? A set of four articles has been chosen to describe in detail consumer education strategies put in place to create awareness and changes in consumer and citizen behavior. A comparative and analytical approach helps understand how: i) the diffusion of off-grid solar energy in rural areas is facilitated by a few key principles of consumer education strategy; ii) social network have become a civic mobilization channel for cleaning up garbage in public spaces; iii) the future of drinking water is transformed by journeys of citizen mobilization

Abundant Expression of HIV Target Cells and C-Type Lectin Receptors in the Foreskin Tissue of Young Kenyan Men

A biological explanation for the reduction in HIV-1 (HIV) acquisition after male circumcision may be that removal of the foreskin reduces the number of target cells for HIV. The expression of potential HIV target cells and C-type lectin receptors in foreskin tissue of men at risk of HIV infection were thus analyzed. Thirty-three foreskin tissue samples, stratified by Herpes simplex virus type 2 status, were obtained from a randomized, controlled trial conducted in Kenya. The samples were analyzed by confocal in situ imaging microscopy and mRNA quantification by quantitative RT-qPCR. The presence and location of T cells (CD3+CD4+), Langerhans cells (CD1a+Langerin/CD207+), macrophages (CD68+ or CD14+), and submucosal dendritic cells (CD123+BDCA-2+ or CD11c+DC-SIGN+) were defined. C-type lectin receptor expressing cells were detected in both the epithelium and submucosa, and distinct lymphoid aggregates densely populated with CD3+CD4+ T cells were identified in the submucosa. Although the presence of lymphoid aggregates and mRNA expression of selected markers varied between study subjects, Herpes simplex virus type 2 serostatus was not the major determinant for the detected differences. The detection of abundant and superficially present potential HIV target cells and submucosal lymphoid aggregates in foreskin mucosa from a highly relevant HIV risk group demonstrate a possible anatomical explanation that may contribute to the protective effect of male circumcision on HIV transmission