TDZ AND 4-CPPU in Gamborg B5 salts with MS vitamins doubles embryogenic 191 response from male flowers of EA-AAA banana.

Conventionally, auxins have been used in MS medium in combination or without purine-based cytokinins for induction of embryogenesis in EA-AAA banana (Musa spp.). Besides, low embryogenic response, it has been rare for more than two cultivars to respond similarly to a single treatment. This study investigated the efficacy of urea-type cytokinins, N-phenyl-N’-1,2,3-thidiazol-5-ylurea (TDZ) and N-(2-chloro-4-pyridyl)-N'-phenylurea (4-CPPU); and salt formulations, Chu (N6), Eriksson, Gamborg B5, MS, Nitsch, NLN, SH and White for embryogenic callus induction in different EA-AAA banana cultivars. Immature male flowers of cultivars Mpologoma, Mbwazirume, Nakabululu, Nakinyika and Nfuuka were cultured on callus induction medium, supplemented with different TDZ and 4-CPPU combinations. Most of the cultivars had embryogenic response to the medium with 10μM TDZ+10μM CPPU. Cultivar Nakabululu recorded 22.2% embryogenic response, followed by Mwazirume (5.7%), Nakinyika (5.3%) and Mpologoma (4.6%). Cultivar Nfuuka had 9.1% embryogenic response on 15μM TDZ+15μM CPPU. When cultivars Mpologoma and Nakinyika were cultured on the same medium containing 10μM TDZ+10μM CPPU, but the MS salts substituted with the other salt formulations, their cultures recorded 11.4 and 8.3% embryogenic response, respectively to Gamborg B5 salts; which was almost twice their response to MS medium. The results suggested that TDZ and 4-CPPU, particularly in Gamborg B5 salt formulation, could increase percentage of embryogenic callus induced from male flowers of EA-AAA banana cultivars, and would improve plant regeneration and consequently help in the process of genetic improvement of EA-AAA banana.Key Words: Cytokinins, embryogenic response, Musa spp., Thidiazuro

TDZ AND 4-CPPU IN GAMBORG B5 SALTS WITH MS VITAMINS DOUBLES EMBRYOGENIC RESPONSE FROM MALE FLOWERS OF EA-AAA BANANA

Conventionally, auxins have been used in MS medium in combination or without purine-based cytokinins for induction of embryogenesis in EA-AAA banana ( Musa spp.). Besides, low embryogenic response, it has been rare for more than two cultivars to respond similarly to a single treatment. This study investigated the efficacy of urea-type cytokinins, N-phenyl-N\u2019-1,2,3-thidiazol-5-ylurea (TDZ) and N-(2-chloro-4-pyridyl)-N\u2019-phenylurea (4-CPPU); and salt formulations, Chu (N6), Eriksson, Gamborg B5, MS, Nitsch, NLN, SH and White for embryogenic callus induction in different EA-AAA banana cultivars. Immature male flowers of cultivars Mpologoma, Mbwazirume, Nakabululu, Nakinyika and Nfuuka were cultured on callus induction medium, supplemented with different TDZ and 4-CPPU combinations. Most of the cultivars had embryogenic response to the medium with 10\ub5M TDZ+10\ub5M CPPU. Cultivar Nakabululu recorded 22.2% embryogenic response, followed by Mwazirume (5.7%), Nakinyika (5.3%) and Mpologoma (4.6%). Cultivar Nfuuka had 9.1% embryogenic response on 15\ub5M TDZ+15\ub5M CPPU. When cultivars Mpologoma and Nakinyika were cultured on the same medium containing 10\ub5M TDZ+10\ub5M CPPU, but the MS salts substituted with the other salt formulations, their cultures recorded 11.4 and 8.3% embryogenic response, respectively to Gamborg B5 salts; which was almost twice their response to MS medium. The results suggested that TDZ and 4-CPPU, particularly in Gamborg B5 salt formulation, could increase percentage of embryogenic callus induced from male flowers of EA-AAA banana cultivars, and would improve plant regeneration and consequently help in the process of genetic improvement of EA-AAA banana.Conventionnellement, les auxines ont \ue9t\ue9 utilisees dans le medium MS en combinaison avec ou sans cytokinines \ue0 base de purine pour induction de l\u2019embryogen\ue8se dans la banane EA-AAA ( Musa spp.). En plus d\u2019une faible r\ue9ponse embryog\ue9nique, il a \ue9t\ue9 rare pour plus de deux cultivars de r\ue9pondre de fa\ue7on similaire \ue0 un seul traitement. Cette \ue9tude a \ue9t\ue9 conduite pour \ue9valuer l\u2019efficacit\ue9 des cytokinines de type urea, N-phenyl-N\u2019-1,2,3-thidiazol-5-ylurea (TDZ) et N-(2-chloro-4-pyridyl)-N\u2019-phenylurea (4-CPPU)\ua0; et les formulations du sel, Chu (N6), Eriksson, Gamborg B5, MS, Nitsch, NLN, SH et blanc pour l\u2019 induction du callus embryog\ue9nique dans diff\ue9rents cultivars de banane EA-AAA. Des cultivars Mpologoma des fleurs males immatures Mbwazirume, Nakabululu, Nakinyika et Nfuuka \ue9taient cultiv\ue9s sur le medium d\u2019induction du callus, suppl\ue9ment\ue9e avec diff\ue9rentes combinaisons de TDZ et 4-CPPU. La plupart des cultivars avaient une r\ue9ponse embryog\ue9nique au medium avec 10\ub5M TDZ+10\ub5M CPPU. Le cultivar Nakabululu a r\ue9alis\ue9 22.2% de r\ue9ponse embryog\ue9nique, suivi de Mbwazirume (5.7%), Nakinyika (5.3%) et Mpologoma (4.6%). Le cultivar Nfuuka avait 9.1% de r\ue9ponse embryog\ue9nique sur 15\ub5M TDZ+15\ub5M CPPU. Lorsque les cultivars Mpologoma et Nakinyika \ue9taient cultiv\ue9s sur le m\ueame medium contenant 10\ub5M TDZ+10\ub5M CPPU, mais les sels MS substitu\ue9s par d\u2019autres formulations de sels, leurs cultures ont enregistr\ue9 11.4 et 8.3% de r\ue9ponses embryog\ue9niques, respectivement, aux sels Gamborg B5; qui faisait presque le double de leur r\ue9ponse au medium MS. Les r\ue9sultats ont sugg\ue8rent que TDZ et 4-CPPU, particuli\ue8rement dans la formulation du sel Gamborg B5, pourrait augmenter le pourcentage induit du callus embryog\ue9nique des fleurs males des cultivars de banane EA-AAA et pourrait am\ue9liorer la r\ue9g\ue9n\ue9ration des plants et en cons\ue9quence aider dans le processus de l\u2019am\ue9lioration g\ue9n\ue9tique de la banane EA-AAA

Proliferation and shoot recovery among the East African highland banana

Production of East African highland banana (EA-AAA banana) ( Musa spp.) is limited by scarcity of planting materials, attributable to their low natural proliferation ability. Under natural field conditions, the EA-AAA bananas greatly differ in suckering ability. In vitro micropropagation has been adopted as an alternative means for production of banana planting materials. In this study, the in vitro proliferation potential of seven EA-AAA banana cultivars, with different suckering ability was determined on Murashige and Skoog (MS) medium, to enhance development of micropropagation protocols for their multiplication. Commonly cultivated non EA-AAA banana cultivars were used to compare proliferation of the seven EA-AAA cultivars. There was a wide variation in the number and morphology of shoots and buds produced by the different cultivars. The EA-AAA banana cultivars produced 3-4 new shoots in each subculture cycle, and 57-169 recoverable shoots from one starting shoot-tip explant in 18 weeks. Non-EA-AAA banana cultivars, namely Sukali Ndizi (AAB) and Yangambi Km5 (AAA), showed higher proliferation levels, 5 and 9 shoots, from each subculture cycle and 322 and 352 recoverable shoots, respectively. The EA-AAA banana cultivars showed higher efficiency to produce recoverable shoots from shoot buds (53 - 66% except for cv. Kabula at 36%) compared to Sukali Ndizi (52%) and Yangambi Km5 (32%). The study demonstrates the potential of in vitro approach for production of banana planting materials. In vitro proliferation ability and in particualr efficiency to produce recoverable shoots of the different EA-AAA banana cultivars could be improved by varying the culture conditions during the subsequent subculture cycles.La production de la banane (EA-AAA banana) ( Musa spp.) dans les montagnes de l\u2019Afrique de l\u2019Est est limit\ue9e par le manque du mat\ue9riel de plantation suite \ue0 leur base capacit\ue9 de prolif\ue9ration. En conditions naturelles au champs, les bananes EA-AAA different consid\ue9rablement en leur capacit\ue9 de succion. La propagation in vitro a \ue9t\ue9 adopt\ue9e comme moyen alt\ue9rnatif pour la production du mat\ue9riel de plantation de la banana. Dans cette \ue9tude, le potentiel de prolif\ue9ration in vitro de sept cultivars de banana EA-AAA de capacit\ue9 de succion diff\ue9rente, \ue9tait d\ue9termin\ue9 sur les media de Murashige et Skoog (MS), afin d\u2019am\ue9liorer le d\ue9veloppement de protocoles de micropropagation pour leur multiplication. Des cultivars commun\ue9ment cultiv\ue9s autre que la banana EA-AAA \ue9taient utilis\ue9s pour faire la comparaison avec la proliferation des sept cultivars EA-AAA. Il y\u2019avait eu une large variation dans le nombre et la morphologie des pousses et bourgeons de diff\ue9rents cultivars. Les cultivars de bananes EA-AAA ont produit 3-4 nouvelles pousses dans chaque cycle de sous culture et 57-169 pousses recouvrables d\u2019un explant de pousse dans 18 semaines. Les cultivars de bananes non-EA-AAA nom\ue9ment Sukali Ndizi (AAB) and Yangambi Km5 (AAA), ont montr\ue9 de niveaux \ue9lev\ue9s de proliferation, 5 et 9 pousses de chaque cycle de sous culture et 322 et 352 pousses recouvrables, respectivement. Les cultivars de bananes EA-AAA ont montr\ue9 un niveau d\u2019efficacit\ue9 \ue9lev\ue9 quant \ue0 la production de de pousses recouvrables \ue0 partir de bourgeons (3566% except\ue9 pour cv. Kabula \ue0 36%) en comparaison avec Sukali Ndizi (52% et Yangambi km5 (32%). Cette \ue9tude d\ue9montre le potentiel de production du mat\ue9riel de plantation de la banana par l\u2019approche in vitro. La capacit\ue9 de proliferation in vitro et en particulier l\u2019efficacit\ue9 de produire de pousses recouvrables de diff\ue9rents cultivars pourrait \ueatre am\ue9lior\ue9 en variant les conditions de cultrure Durant les cycles sous culturales

Sensory characterization of the perceived quality of East African highland cooking bananas (matooke)

Open Access ArticleBACKGROUND It has recently become increasingly evident that banana projects in Uganda need to consider consumer preferences as part of the breeding process to increase the acceptability of new cultivars. A trained panel used quantitative descriptive analysis (QDA) as a tool to assess the sensory characteristics of 32 cooking bananas (matooke). The aim was to investigate which sensory characteristics best describe matooke. RESULTS Fourteen descriptors were generated. The preferred attributes of matooke were high-intensity yellow color, homogeneous distribution of yellow color, good matooke aroma, highly moldable by touch, moist and smooth in the mouth. Analysis of variance revealed significant differences in the yellowness, homogeneity of color, firmness, moistness, smoothness, matooke aroma, hardness, and moldability across the genotypes (P < 0.05). Principal component analysis (PCA) showed strong positive correlations between yellowness and homogeneity of the color (R = 0.92). Smoothness in the mouth and moldability by touch were strongly and positively correlated (R = 0.88). Firmness in the mouth was well predicted by hardness to touch (R2 = 0.85). The matooke samples were ranked into two sensory clusters by agglomerative hierarchical clustering (AHC). CONCLUSION The study showed attribute terms that could be used to describe matooke and also revealed that QDA may be used as a tool during the assessment and selection of new cooking banana hybrids to identify relevant sensory attributes because of its ability to discriminate among the banana hybrids

Capacity building for conservation: problems and potential solutions for sub-Saharan Africa

To successfully achieve their stated conservation goals individuals, communities and organisations need to acquire a diversity of skills, knowledge and information (capacity). Despite current efforts to build and maintain appropriate levels of conservation capacity, it has been recognised that there will need to be a significant scaling-up of these activities in sub-Saharan Africa. This is because of the rapidly growing number and extent of environmental problems in the region. This paper presents a range of socio-economic contexts relevant to four key areas of African conservation capacity building: protected area management, community engagement, effective leadership, and professional e-Learning. Under these core themes, 39 specific recommendations are presented. These were derived from multi-stakeholder workshop discussions at an international conference held in Nairobi (Kenya) in 2015. At the meeting, 185 delegates (practitioners, scientists, community groups and government agencies) represented 105 organisations from 24 African nations and 8 non-African nations. The 39 recommendations constitute five broad types of suggested action: those that recommend (i) the development of new methods, (ii) the provision of capacity building resources e.g. information or data, (iii) the communication of ideas or examples of successful initiatives, (iv) the implementation of new research or gap analyses, (v) the establishment of new structures within and between organisations, and (vi) the development of new partnerships. A number of cross-cutting issues also emerged from the discussions. For example, all four workshops highlighted the need for a greater sense of urgency in developing capacity building activities in response to ongoing and rapid socio-environmental change in the region. Delegates also felt that conservation organisations, responsible agencies and donors need to recognise capacity building as one of the most urgent conservation issues we face. The need to develop novel and cost-efficient capacity building methodologies (and associated evaluation metrics), was also identified as a key issue. However, it was stressed that future of capacity building efforts will be best served by integrating new methods with more established activities. Importantly, given the broad suite of social, cultural and economic contexts found across sub-Saharan Africa, the need to move away from ‘one-size-fits-all’ approaches was strongly recommended in all thematic areas. Lastly, it was recognised that closing the gap between capacity need and capacity provision in the region will only be achieved through multi-partner capacity initiatives and networks.Additional co-authors: Vivian Kosgei, Anthony Kuria, Chris Magero, Maaike Manten, Paul Mugo, Eduard Müller, Julie Mulonga, Leo Niskanen, Josephine Nzilani, Mary Otieno, Nisha Owen, Juliet Owuor, Stuart Paterson, Sébastien Regnaut, Richard Rono, Joseph Ruhiu, Jesse Theuri Njoka, Lucy Waruingi, Brian Waswala Olewe and Emily Wilso

Addressing the data gaps on child and adolescent tuberculosis

The burden of tuberculosis (TB) among children and young adolescents (<15 years old) is estimated at 1.1 million; however, only 400,000 are treated for TB, indicating a large gap between the number who are cared for and the number estimated to have TB. Accurate data on the burden of pediatric TB is essential to guide action. Despite several improvements in estimating the burden of pediatric TB in the last decade, as well as enhanced data collection efforts, several data gaps remain, both at the global level, but also at the national level where surveillance systems and collaborative research are critical. In this article, we describe recent advances in data collection and burden estimates for TB among children and adolescents, and the remaining gaps. While data collection continues to improve, burden estimates must evolve in parallel, both in terms of their frequency and the methods used. Currently, at the global level, there is a focus on age-disaggregation of TB notifications, the collection of data on TB-HIV, multi-drug resistant (MDR)-TB and treatment outcomes, as well as estimates of the disease burden. Additional data from national surveillance systems or research projects on TB meningitis, as well as other forms of extra-pulmonary TB, would be useful. We must capitalize on the current momentum in child and adolescent TB to close the remaining data gaps for these age groups to better understand the epidemic and further reduce morbidity and mortality due to TB

B cell sub-types following acute malaria and associations with clinical immunity.

BACKGROUND: Repeated exposure to Plasmodium falciparum is associated with perturbations in B cell sub-set homeostasis, including expansion atypical memory B cells. However, B cell perturbations immediately following acute malaria infection have been poorly characterized, especially with regard to their relationship with immunity to malaria. METHODS: To better understand the kinetics of B cell sub-sets following malaria, the proportions of six B cell sub-sets were assessed at five time points following acute malaria in four to 5 years old children living in a high transmission region of Uganda. B cell sub-set kinetics were compared with measures of clinical immunity to malaria-lower parasite density at the time of malaria diagnosis and recent asymptomatic parasitaemia. RESULTS: Atypical memory B cell and transitional B cell proportions increased following malaria. In contrast, plasmablast proportions were highest at the time of malaria diagnosis and rapidly declined following treatment. Increased proportions of atypical memory B cells were associated with greater immunity to malaria, whereas increased proportions of transitional B cells were associated with evidence of less immunity to malaria. CONCLUSIONS: These findings highlight the dynamic changes in multiple B cell sub-sets following acute, uncomplicated malaria, and how these sub-sets are associated with developing immunity to malaria

Development of two high-yielding, consumer-acceptable apple banana hybrids (Musa species, AAB genome group) with resistance to Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. cubense race 1

Fusarium wilt of bananas (Musa species) is caused by Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. cubense (Foc). Foc race 1 in particular affects dessert bananas in Uganda, causing >60% yield loss. This study was conducted to assess the performance of two new apple banana genotypes for bunch yield, resistance to Foc race 1 and consumer acceptability. The new apple banana genotypes (NAMU1 and NAMU2), along with two check cultivars, one susceptible but preferred by consumers (Sukali ndiizi) and the other resistant (Yangambi-KM5), were evaluated at the National Agricultural Research Laboratories in Uganda. Bunch yields of the two new apple bananas were higher than those of check cultivars by >50%. NAMU1 and Yangambi-KM5 showed no symptoms of Foc race 1, whereas NAMU2 showed mild symptoms on its corms. Sukali ndiizi showed severe pseudostem splitting and corm discoloration as the key symptoms of Foc race 1. The consumer acceptability of NAMU1 and NAMU2 was as high as that of Sukali ndiizi, implying that they can be perfect substitutes for the Foc race 1 susceptible Sukali ndiizi

Enrollment and retention of female sex workers in HIV care in health facilities in Mbarara city

BackgroundSex work is a global driver of the HIV epidemic, and the risk of acquiring HIV is 13 times higher for female sex workers (FSWs) compared to the general population. The enrollment and retention of FSWs in HIV care is a challenge and has been a major contributing factor to increased new HIV infections.MethodsWe conducted a qualitative study among 30 FSWs and 21 healthcare workers (HCWs) working in antiretroviral therapy (ART) clinics at the selected three primary health facilities in Mbarara City, Southwestern Uganda. The study participants were enrolled by both purposive and snowball sampling techniques. We obtained informed consent from all the participants, and data were collected using in-depth interviews and thematically analyzed.ResultsThree themes emerged as facilitators toward enrollment and retention of FSWs into HIV care, namely, (1) good health living, (2) receptive HCWs and availability of health services, and (3) community outreach services and peer support. The barriers are summarized into four major themes: (1) stigma, community discrimination, and beliefs; (2) social obstacles; (3) adverse effects of ART; and (4) inadequate services at the health facilities.ConclusionFSWs are challenged by unsupportive environments and communities where they live and work, which hinders their enrollment and retention in HIV care. Creating awareness of the utilization of HIV care services and extending such services to hotspot communities could enhance the response of HIV-positive FSWs to ART