Les torsions du cordon spermatique chez l’enfant

Objectif: Evaluer la fréquence des torsions du cordon spermatique, décrire leurs manifestations et leur prise en charge et évaluer les résultats de cette prise en charge au CHU Tokoin de Lomé, Togo. Patients et méthodes: Il s’agit d’une étude rétrospective sur les dossiers de 17 patients pris en charge dans le service de chirurgie pédiatrique du 1er janvier 2002 au 31 décembre 2006 pour torsion du cordon spermatique de diagnostic per opératoire. Les données étudiées étaient l’âge des patients, le délai d’évolution, les symptômes, les examens diagnostiques, le traitement et les résultats postopératoires. Résultats: Durant la période d’étude, nous avons recensé 57 patients présentant une grosse bourse douloureuse dans le service de chirurgie pédiatrique. Parmi eux, 17 ont présenté une torsion du cordon spermatique (29,8%) dont 11 patients étaient âgés de 6 à 15 ans montrant une nette prépondérance de l’âge pubertaire. L’âge moyen de nos patients était de 9 ans (extrêmes de 7 jours et 15 ans). Le délai moyen d’évolution était de 30 heures (extrêmes 10 et 72 heures). La douleur était le symptôme principal chez les nourrissons et les grands enfants. Onze patients sur les 17 ont bénéficié d’un écho doppler. Les gestes chirurgicaux réalisés ont été l’exploration chirurgicale suivie d’une détorsion et d’une fixation des deux testicules. Tous les testicules (17) ont été sauvés. Avec un recul moyen de 12 mois (extrêmes 4 mois et 5 ans), les suites opératoires ont été bonnes. Conclusion: Les torsions du cordon spermatique se voient préférentiellement en période néonatale et à l’adolescence. Cependant elles peuvent se voir entre ces deux périodes. L’exploration chirurgicale doit être systématique devant toute suspicion de torsion du cordon spermatique.Mots clés: Torsion, cordon spermatique, enfant, lomé

Compatibility of Millet and Legume under Relay Cropping Condition

Double-cropping millet and legumes is a popular cropping system in the Upper East region (UER) of Ghana. For improved production efficiency, suitable millet-legume combinations with short life cycles that permit extension of the growing season to facilitate double-cropping need to be explored. The objective of this study was therefore to use performance data to identify millet-legume combinations compatible for relay cropping within the UER. Three early millet cultivars (Bongo Shorthead, Arrow Millet and Bristled Millet) were factorially relayed by three legumes namely cowpea, groundnut and soybean. Bongo Shorthead followed by cowpea in a relay cropping system has the greatest prospect of accounting for superiority in grain and stover/straw yield while Bongo Shorthead followed by groundnut in a relay will provide the least suitable combination for relay cropping within the Upper East Region of Ghana. Keywords: double cropping, millet, legumes, compatible combination, savannah zone

Physico-chemical properties of crude oil of Khaya senegalensis (Desr.) A. Juss according to bioclimatic zones in Chad

The mature seeds of Khaya senegalensis are from 2 to 2.5 cm long and weigh 289 g per 1000 seeds. These seeds contain about 67% oil by weight. This oil, which is fairly rich in oleic acid (66%), is used in West Africa for cooking, for cosmetics, as an insecticide and in traditional medicine. Prospecting to enhance the development of this oil in Chad, the present study aims to determine the physico-chemical properties of this oil according to bioclimatic zones. The density, acidity, peroxide value, moisture content and percentage of impurities were the parameters studied. The results showed that the crude oil of the seeds of K. senegalensis has the qualities close to those of other edible oils. The study also revealed that climate has influenced the physico-chemical parameters of this oil. Further and more research investigations are necessary to guide decisions on the valorisation and large-scale production of this oil. Keywords: Khaya senegalensis, seed crude oil, physico-chemical parameters, valorisation, bioclimatic zone, Cha

HIV prevalence and behavioral studies in female sex workers in Togo: a decline in the prevalence between 2005 and 2011

Introduction: We determined the sero-prevalence of HIV among female sex workers (FSWs) in Togo identified their sexual risk behaviors.Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional study from 17 to 27 December, 2011 on 1106 FSWs in Togo. Venous sample were collected to estimate HIV prevalence as per national algorithms. Behavior data were collected by interviewer-administered questionnaires. Results: Of the 1106 FSWs (mean age = 27.6 years) surveyed, 17% and 63% had their first sexual intercourse before the age of 15 and 18 years respectively. Overall, 43.4% of the FSWs had more than seven clients per week. Most FSWs (95%) said they had sex using a condom in their lifetime while 8.8% had used a condom during their last sexual intercourse. About 79% of FSWs used a condom during their sexual encounters the previous week and 11.6% had used a condom during each of their sexual encounters the previous day. Most FSWs (62.2%) reported to have been tested for HIV. Of these, 145 (13.1%) were HIV positive. HIV sero-prevalence decreased from 19.4% in the south to 7.5% in the north of the country. Behaviors associated with FSW being HIV positive included: FSW having more than 7 clients per week (p<0.001), not using condoms at every intercourse act (p=0.003) or during the last sexual encounter (p=0.006) and trading sex in brothels (p<0.001). Conclusion: We estimate HIV sero-prevalence among FSWs in 2011 to be 13.1% in Togo, significantly lower than a prevalence of 29.5% estimated previously in 2005. Inconsistent use of condoms was identified as associated with high risk factor for acquiring HIV.Key words: Sex workers, HIV, sexual behavior, Tog

Evaluating the effects of storage conditions on dry matter loss and nutritional quality of grain legume fodders in West Africa

Feed scarcity is a major challenge for livestock production in West Africa, especially during the dry season when grass quality and quantity on grazing lands are inadequate. In the dry season, crop residues are a key source of livestock feed. The residues of grain legumes, also known as grain legume fodders (GLFs), are stored and traded for feeding in the dry season. The objectives of our experiment were to evaluate the effects of storage conditions and duration on dry matter (DM) and nutritional quality of GLFs, and to assess the risk of aflatoxin in stored groundnut fodder. The experiment was designed as a factorial trial with 18 treatment combinations with four replicates (4 farms). The treatments included: 3 types of GLFs (cowpea, groundnut and soybean fodder), 3 types of storage locations (rooftop, room and tree-fork) and 2 types of packaging (packed in polythene sacks and unpacked but tied with rope). Over a 120 day storage period, DM quantity reduced by an average of 24 % across all storage conditions, showing a range from 14 % in the best condition (sacks and rooms) to 35 % in the worst condition (bundles tied with rope and stored on rooftops or tree-forks). Soybean fodder had no leaves, the lowest crude protein content (CP) and organic matter digestibility (OMD), and the highest content of cell wall components compared to cowpea and groundnut fodder. These nutritional quality parameters in soybean fodder hardly changed during storage. Cowpea and groundnut fodder showed a decrease in leaf-to-stem ratio (LSR), CP and OMD, and an increase in the content of cell wall components during storage, but their nutritional value remained better than that of soybean fodder. Storage in sacks resulted in less DM loss, in less reduction of LSR and in a smaller increase of the content of cell wall components than storage of bundles tied with rope. Our study shows that the DM loss, the decrease in LSR, and the increase in the content of cell wall components can be prevented partly by storing GLFs in sacks instead of tying bundles with rope, and to a minor extent by storing in rooms instead of in the open air. Aflatoxin was not detectable in the groundnut fodder samples. Our results highlight that attention to storage conditions can improve the feeding value of GLFs which are key for livestock nutrition during the dry season.</p

Syndrome Keratitis-Ichtyosis-Deafness (KID) chez un enfant togolais issu d’un mariage consanguin

Le syndrome KID est une affection génétique rare associant kératite, ichtyose et surdité. Nous rapportons un cas dont la surdité s'est compliquée de mutisme chez un enfant togolais issu d'un mariage consanguin.Il s'agissait d'une fillette de 9 ans admise en dermatologie pour une peau sèche et une kératodermie palmoplantaire évoluant depuis l'enfance, une surdité sévère et un mutisme total évoluant depuis la naissance. Il n'y avait pas d'histoire familiale connue de syndrome KID. Les parents de cet enfant sont des cousins germains. A l'examen, on notait une kératodermie palmoplantaire typique en cuir grossier, une peau sèche ichtyosiforme finement squameuse avec un aspect pachydermique aux genoux et un aspect arlequin aux jambes. L'examen ophtalmologique avait noté une blépharo-conjonctivite, une xérophtalmie, une photophobie et une absence de sourcils. L'examen ORL avait objectivé une hypotrophie des pavillons des oreilles, une surdité sévère et un mutisme total. La particularité de cette observation réside dans la sévérité de l'atteinte auditive qui s'est compliquée de mutisme. Notre enfant étant née de parents consanguins sains, sans histoire familiale de KID, nous pensons que le mode de transmission est probablement sporadique. Une étude moléculaire du cas index et de ses parents, non réalisée à cause de notre plateau technique limité aurait pu le confirmer

Second T = 3/2 state in 9^9B and the isobaric multiplet mass equation

Recent high-precision mass measurements and shell model calculations~[Phys. Rev. Lett. {\bf 108}, 212501 (2012)] have challenged a longstanding explanation for the requirement of a cubic isobaric multiplet mass equation for the lowest $A = 9$ isospin quartet. The conclusions relied upon the choice of the excitation energy for the second $T = 3/2$ state in $^9$B, which had two conflicting measurements prior to this work. We remeasured the energy of the state using the $^9{\rm Be}(^3{\rm He},t)$ reaction and significantly disagree with the most recent measurement. Our result supports the contention that continuum coupling in the most proton-rich member of the quartet is not the predominant reason for the large cubic term required for $A = 9$ nuclei