Evaluation of the use of birth control followed in women's hospital regional Saint Louis (Senegal) in 2014

Background: To evaluate the use of contraceptive methods among women followed at Saint Louis Health Centre.Methods: This was a descriptive cross-sectional study of all recue clients in the Obstetrics and Gynecology department of the Regional Hospital of St. Louis. She ran from 1 January 2014 to 31 December 2014, 12 months.Results: The mean age was 28.8 years. The most common demographic characteristics were the Wolof ethnic group (64.5%), married the marital status (97.9%), they were not in school in 46.3%. The main sources of information on the use of contraception were health workers in 80.3%, friends and relatives (8.5%) followed by husbands (2.5%), the media represented 6 0% and 0.1% posters. The injection method was the most used method (42.8%) followed by implants (36.2%), pills (14.9%) and tubal ligation (4.4%). The IUD was the least used method with 1.7% of use. The main reasons given by women were spacing births (70.6%), to avoid unwanted pregnancy (3.90%), avoid early pregnancies (1.20%) and of other unspecified reasons in 24.3%. In this study, no accidental pregnancy was reported. Indeed, 79.4% of women had respected the monitoring schedule of monitoring visits. They had abandoned contraception in 23.5%.Conclusions: This study shows the achievements and shortcomings in relation to the nature and completeness of the information provided. Strengthening the awareness and training will reduce missed opportunities for family planning, and indirect; reduce the rate of unmet need for FP in our country

Repeated-sprints exercise in daylight fasting: carbohydrate mouth rinsing does not affect sprint and reaction time performance

To determine the effect of carbohydrate mouth rinsing (CHO-MR) on physical and cognitive performance during repeated-sprints (RS) after 3 days of intermittent fasting (abstaining from food and fluid 14 h per day). In a randomized and counter-balanced manner 15 active healthy males in a fasted state performed a RS-protocol [RSP; 2 sets (SET1 and SET2) of 5×5 s maximal sprints, with each sprint interspersed with 25 s rest and 3 min of recovery between SET1 and SET2] on an instrumented non-motorized treadmill with embedded force sensors under three conditions: i) Control (CON; no-MR), ii) Placebo-MR (PLA-MR; 0% maltodextrin) and iii) CHO-MR (10% maltodextrin). Participants rinsed their mouth with either 10 mL of PLA-MR or CHO-MR solution for 5 s before each sprint. Sprint kinetics were measured for each sprint and reaction time (RTI) tasks (simple and complex) were assessed pre-, during- and post-RSP. There was no statistical main effect of CHO-MR on mean power, mean speed, and vertical stiffness during the sprints between the PLA-MR and CON condition. Additionally, no statistical main effect for CHO-MR on accuracy, movement time and reaction time during the RTI tasks was seen. CHO-MR did not affect physical (RSP) or cognitive (RTI) performance in participants who had observed 3 days of intermittent fasting (abstaining from food and fluid 14 h per day)

Convalescent plasma in patients admitted to hospital with COVID-19 (RECOVERY): a randomised controlled, open-label, platform trial

Background: Many patients with COVID-19 have been treated with plasma containing anti-SARS-CoV-2 antibodies. We aimed to evaluate the safety and efficacy of convalescent plasma therapy in patients admitted to hospital with COVID-19. Methods: This randomised, controlled, open-label, platform trial (Randomised Evaluation of COVID-19 Therapy [RECOVERY]) is assessing several possible treatments in patients hospitalised with COVID-19 in the UK. The trial is underway at 177 NHS hospitals from across the UK. Eligible and consenting patients were randomly assigned (1:1) to receive either usual care alone (usual care group) or usual care plus high-titre convalescent plasma (convalescent plasma group). The primary outcome was 28-day mortality, analysed on an intention-to-treat basis. The trial is registered with ISRCTN, 50189673, and ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT04381936. Findings: Between May 28, 2020, and Jan 15, 2021, 11558 (71%) of 16287 patients enrolled in RECOVERY were eligible to receive convalescent plasma and were assigned to either the convalescent plasma group or the usual care group. There was no significant difference in 28-day mortality between the two groups: 1399 (24%) of 5795 patients in the convalescent plasma group and 1408 (24%) of 5763 patients in the usual care group died within 28 days (rate ratio 1·00, 95% CI 0·93–1·07; p=0·95). The 28-day mortality rate ratio was similar in all prespecified subgroups of patients, including in those patients without detectable SARS-CoV-2 antibodies at randomisation. Allocation to convalescent plasma had no significant effect on the proportion of patients discharged from hospital within 28 days (3832 [66%] patients in the convalescent plasma group vs 3822 [66%] patients in the usual care group; rate ratio 0·99, 95% CI 0·94–1·03; p=0·57). Among those not on invasive mechanical ventilation at randomisation, there was no significant difference in the proportion of patients meeting the composite endpoint of progression to invasive mechanical ventilation or death (1568 [29%] of 5493 patients in the convalescent plasma group vs 1568 [29%] of 5448 patients in the usual care group; rate ratio 0·99, 95% CI 0·93–1·05; p=0·79). Interpretation: In patients hospitalised with COVID-19, high-titre convalescent plasma did not improve survival or other prespecified clinical outcomes. Funding: UK Research and Innovation (Medical Research Council) and National Institute of Health Research

The evolving SARS-CoV-2 epidemic in Africa: Insights from rapidly expanding genomic surveillance

INTRODUCTION Investment in Africa over the past year with regard to severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) sequencing has led to a massive increase in the number of sequences, which, to date, exceeds 100,000 sequences generated to track the pandemic on the continent. These sequences have profoundly affected how public health officials in Africa have navigated the COVID-19 pandemic. RATIONALE We demonstrate how the first 100,000 SARS-CoV-2 sequences from Africa have helped monitor the epidemic on the continent, how genomic surveillance expanded over the course of the pandemic, and how we adapted our sequencing methods to deal with an evolving virus. Finally, we also examine how viral lineages have spread across the continent in a phylogeographic framework to gain insights into the underlying temporal and spatial transmission dynamics for several variants of concern (VOCs). RESULTS Our results indicate that the number of countries in Africa that can sequence the virus within their own borders is growing and that this is coupled with a shorter turnaround time from the time of sampling to sequence submission. Ongoing evolution necessitated the continual updating of primer sets, and, as a result, eight primer sets were designed in tandem with viral evolution and used to ensure effective sequencing of the virus. The pandemic unfolded through multiple waves of infection that were each driven by distinct genetic lineages, with B.1-like ancestral strains associated with the first pandemic wave of infections in 2020. Successive waves on the continent were fueled by different VOCs, with Alpha and Beta cocirculating in distinct spatial patterns during the second wave and Delta and Omicron affecting the whole continent during the third and fourth waves, respectively. Phylogeographic reconstruction points toward distinct differences in viral importation and exportation patterns associated with the Alpha, Beta, Delta, and Omicron variants and subvariants, when considering both Africa versus the rest of the world and viral dissemination within the continent. Our epidemiological and phylogenetic inferences therefore underscore the heterogeneous nature of the pandemic on the continent and highlight key insights and challenges, for instance, recognizing the limitations of low testing proportions. We also highlight the early warning capacity that genomic surveillance in Africa has had for the rest of the world with the detection of new lineages and variants, the most recent being the characterization of various Omicron subvariants. CONCLUSION Sustained investment for diagnostics and genomic surveillance in Africa is needed as the virus continues to evolve. This is important not only to help combat SARS-CoV-2 on the continent but also because it can be used as a platform to help address the many emerging and reemerging infectious disease threats in Africa. In particular, capacity building for local sequencing within countries or within the continent should be prioritized because this is generally associated with shorter turnaround times, providing the most benefit to local public health authorities tasked with pandemic response and mitigation and allowing for the fastest reaction to localized outbreaks. These investments are crucial for pandemic preparedness and response and will serve the health of the continent well into the 21st century

Rare Case of a Well-Differentiated Paratesticular Sarcoma of the Spermatic Cord in a 60-Year-Old Patient

Introduction. Liposarcomas are tumors that occur mostly in the retroperitoneum. Of all liposarcomas only 3 to 7% are found in the paratesticular region. The spermatic cord is the main site of origin in these cases. The patients ages range from 50 to 60 years. This malignant disease can result in a loss of fertility aside from life-threatening sequelae. Case. We present a case of a liposarcoma of the paratesticular region. A 60-year-old man was referred with a painless mass in the scrotum and the right inguinal region. The patient underwent surgery and the mass was removed along with the right testis, the spermatic cord, and the soft tissues to the internal inguinal ring. Histopathological examination found a well-differentiated liposarcoma of 80⁎80 mm. The surgical margins were negative. The adjuvant treatment consisted in radiation therapy of the right inguinoscrotal area to the dose of 54 Gray, 2 Gy per session, 5 times a week. Conclusion. Paratesticular liposarcomas are rare tumors. Surgery with large margin resections was the main treatment in all reported cases. The adjuvant treatment is still unclear especially when the surgical margins are negative. The main factor that indicated this adjuvant treatment was the size of the tumor and the histologic subtype

Control of an Outer Rotor Doubly Salient Permanent Magnet Generator for Fixed Pitch kW Range Wind Turbine Using Overspeed Flux Weakening Operations

This paper deals with the analysis of the dynamic performance of a generator with a doubly salient exterior rotor excited by permanent magnets inserted in the stator yoke. The electrical generator works at low speed and is devoted to a wind energy conversion system. Indeed, the studied generator is a robust high-torque machine and can be directly coupled to the turbine blades. It must therefore assure the energy conversion for wind speeds lower or higher than its base speed. In fact, the control technique used in this work covers the two main operating zones: below the base speed and above it. In the first case, the maximum torque per ampere control law is developed; however, when the base speed is reached, the flux decay control law is implemented and, consequently, the system works above the nominal conditions. Fuzzy logic controllers are employed to regulate direct and quadrature machine currents and DC voltage in order to obtain satisfactory regulation performances. The ensemble of the wind turbine and electrical machine with technical control is performed in Matlab/Simulink software. The simulation results obtained show the capability of the machine to operate at variable speeds, ensuring efficient energy conversion under and over the nominal speed

Serological, clinical, and risk factors of the Newcastle disease on broilers flocks in Algeria

Aim: The work aimed at studying the serological and clinical factors, as well as the risk factors of the Newcastle disease (ND) on broilers herds in Algeria. Materials and Methods: A sample of 1248 birds was randomly selected from 52 broiler flocks. We took blood samples from each bird at the level of the wing vein area where an indirect enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay technique was carried out through the use of an IDvet kit. Results: The flocks showed 82.69% of seroprevalence. Clinically speaking, the most common symptoms were sneezing, rale, greenish diarrhea, torticollis, and motor discords. Most commonly observed postmortem lesions were the proventriculitis, tracheitis, and enteritis. Especially, the caeca are hemorrhagic. The scores show the effect of risk factors. There was a significant effect on the mortality, the hygiene and vaccination groups on antibody titers in time 2. The antibody titers were elevated in the herd that recorded a high mortality (more than 10%) compared with those which recorded a low mortality (<10%) (p=0.002). Therefore, the antibody titers were elevated in herds with bad hygiene, compared with the ones with good hygiene (p=0.04). At last, when broiler chicken were not boosted by ND vaccine, flocks appeared to be more seropositive (p=0.02). Conclusion: The serological survey conducted in this study provided an important scope for ND as a dominant viral disease in broilers. Many factors are responsible for the onset of these diseases; correct biosecurity measures are needed to reduce the impact of this pathology in poultry farms