Study on the prevalence of donkey trypanosomosis in Awi zone northwest Ethiopia

The study on trypanosomosis of donkeys was conducted from October 2009 to March 2010 in four districts of Awi zone including Jawi district of tsetse infested, Abadera and Chara districts found at the edge of tsetse infested area and Dangla of tsetse free district. A total of 384 randomly selected donkeys (86 from Abadera, 87 from Chara, 94 from Dangla and 117 from Jawi) were sampled and examined using haematocrit centrifugation technique. The overall prevalence of trypanosomosis of donkeys was 1.6% (n=6). The observed prevalence was not significantly (P > 0.05) different among the four districts. Trypanosoma vivax (75%) and Trypanosoma congolense (25%) were the most common trypanosome species encountered during the study period. No significance difference was observed between male and female donkeys both in prevalence of infection and mean PCV (P > 0.05). The mean PCV of infected donkey (23.50 ± 3.782) was significantly (P < 0.05) lower than that of non infected donkeys (34.70 ± 4.44). The body condition score of the donkey was significantly associated with both prevalence of infection and mean PCV (P < 0.05). The study revealed that trypanosomosis in donkeys in the study areas indicates the presence of both cyclical and non-cyclical transmitted trypanosomes which require inclusion of equines in the control program of trypanosomosis in the study areas

Impact of improved wheat technology adoption on productivity and income in Ethiopia

Wheat ( Triticum aestivum L.) is one of the most important cereal crops cultivated in wide range of agro-ecologies in Eastern Africa. However, wheat productivity has remained low. This study was carried out in Ethiopia Aris Zone to determine the level and impact of adoption of improved wheat varieties on wheat productivity and farm income level of wheat producers in the country. The study employed the propensity score matching method to carry out the impact study. It was found out that the rate of adoption of improved wheat varieties in 2013 was 56%. Probit model showed that sex of household headship and livestock ownership enhanced adoption of improved varieties, while the educational level of the household head negatively affected in enhancing the adoption of improved wheat varieties. According to the result of the propensity score matching method, improved wheat variety adoption on average increased wheat productivity of adopters by about 1 to 1.1 t ha-1 than the non-adopters. Similarly, the result of the propensity score matching estimates showed that the average income of adopters was 35 to 50% greater than the non-adopters.The results provide empirical evidence that agricultural technology adoption can contribute to improving productivity and raising income of farm households.Bl\ue9 ( Triticum aestivum L.) est l\u2019une des cultures de c\ue9r\ue9ales les plus importantes cultiv\ue9es dans une large gamme de produits agro-\ue9cologiques en Afrique orientale. Cependant, la productivit\ue9 du bl\ue9 est rest\ue9e faible. Cette \ue9tude a \ue9t\ue9 r\ue9alis\ue9e en Ethiopie Aris Zone pour d\ue9terminer le niveau et l\u2019impact de l\u2019adoption de vari\ue9t\ue9s am\ue9lior\ue9es de bl\ue9 sur la productivit\ue9 du bl\ue9 et au niveau des producteurs de bl\ue9 dans le pays du revenu agricole. L\u2019\ue9tude a utilis\ue9 la m\ue9thode score de correspondance de propension \ue0 mener \ue0 bien l\u2019\ue9tude d\u2019impact. Il a \ue9t\ue9 constat\ue9 que le taux d\u2019adoption de vari\ue9t\ue9s am\ue9lior\ue9es de bl\ue9 en 2013 \ue9tait de 56%. mod\ue8le Probit a montr\ue9 que le sexe du chef de famille et la propri\ue9t\ue9 de l\u2019\ue9levage am\ue9lior\ue9 l\u2019adoption de vari\ue9t\ue9s am\ue9lior\ue9es, tandis que le niveau d\u2019instruction du chef de m\ue9nage affect\ue9 n\ue9gativement dans l\u2019am\ue9lioration de l\u2019adoption de vari\ue9t\ue9s am\ue9lior\ue9es de bl\ue9. Selon le r\ue9sultat de la m\ue9thode score de correspondance de propension, l\u2019am\ue9lioration du bl\ue9 vari\ue9t\ue9 adoption sur la productivit\ue9 moyenne du bl\ue9 a augment\ue9 des adoptants d\u2019environ 1 \ue0 1,1 t ha-1 que les non-adoptants. De m\ueame, le r\ue9sultat des estimations d\u2019appariement des scores de propension a montr\ue9 que le revenu moyen des adoptants est de 35 \ue0 50% plus grand que les r\ue9sultats non-adopters.The fournir des preuves empiriques que l\u2019adoption de la technologie agricole peut contribuer \ue0 am\ue9liorer la productivit\ue9 et l\u2019augmentation du revenu des m\ue9nages agricoles

Towards a needs-based design of the physical rehabilitation workforce in South Africa : trend analysis [1990–2017] and a 5-year forecasting for the most impactful health conditions based on global burden of disease estimates

Louw, Q., et al. 2021. Towards a needs-based design of the physical rehabilitation workforce in South Africa: trend analysis [1990–2017] and a 5-year forecasting for the most impactful health conditions based on global burden of disease estimates. BMC Public Health, 21:913, doi:10.1186/s12889-021-10962-y.The original publication is available at https://bmcpublichealth.biomedcentral.com/Background: Rehabilitation can improve function in many people with chronic health conditions. It is important to consider priority conditions requiring rehabilitation, so it can be realistically positioned and costed in national health financing systems like South Africa (SA)‘s proposed National Health Insurance (NHI). This paper describes temporal trends of top-ranked conditions on years lived with disability (YLDs) rates in SA, for which physical rehabilitation can ameliorate associated disability. Methods: This study is a systematic synthesis of publicly available Global Burden of Disease (GBD) 2017 estimates. The top 11 conditions contributing most to YLDs and for which evidence-based rehabilitation interventions exist were identified. Age-standardized rates per 100,000 and YLDs counts were extracted from 1990 to 2017. Significance of changes in temporal trends was determined using Mann-Kendall trend tests. Best-fit rates of yearly changes were calculated per condition, using GBD estimates (2012–2017), and extrapolated (by imposing the bestfit regression line onto results for each subsequent predicted year) as forecasts (2018–2022). Results: Trends for YLDs counts per condition year (1990–2017) and forecasted values (2018–2022) showed an overall steady increase for all conditions, except HIV and respiratory conditions. YLDs counts almost doubled from 1990 to 2017, with a 17% predicted increase from 2017 to 2022. The proportionate contribution to YLDs counts reduced over time for all conditions, except HIV. Although age-standardized YLDs rates appear relatively stable over the analyzed periods for all conditions (except HIV, respiratory conditions and type 2 diabetes), trend changes in YLDs rates over 28 years were significant for all conditions, except neonatal (p = 0.855), hearing loss (p = 0.100) and musculoskeletal conditions (p = 0.300). Significant trend decreases were apparent for 4/9 conditions, implying that another 5/9 conditions showed trend increases over 28 years. Predicted all-age prevalence in 2022 suggests relatively large increases for cardiovascular disease and heart failure, and burns, while relative decreases are predicted for fractures and dislocations, stroke, and musculoskeletal conditions. Conclusion: Rehabilitation needs in SA are potentially massive and unmet, highlighting the need for innovative and context-specific rehabilitation that considers current local needs and projected changes. These findings should be considered when designing the NHI and other schemes in SA to ensure human and financial resources are deployed efficiently.https://bmcpublichealth.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12889-021-10962-yPublisher’s versio

Air pollution and the incidence of ischaemic and haemorrhagic stroke in the South London Stroke Register: a case-cross-over analysis.

BACKGROUND: Few European studies investigating associations between short-term exposure to air pollution and incident stroke have considered stroke subtypes. Using information from the South London Stroke Register for 2005-2012, we investigated associations between daily concentrations of gaseous and particulate air pollutants and incident stroke subtypes in an ethnically diverse area of London, UK. METHODS: Modelled daily pollutant concentrations based on a combination of measurements and dispersion modelling were linked at postcode level to incident stroke events stratified by haemorrhagic and ischaemic subtypes. The data were analysed using a time-stratified case-cross-over approach. Conditional logistic regression models included natural cubic splines for daily mean temperature and daily mean relative humidity, a binary term for public holidays and a sine-cosine annual cycle. Of primary interest were same day mean concentrations of particulate matter <2.5 and <10 µm in diameter (PM2.5, PM10), ozone (O3), nitrogen dioxide (NO2) and NO2+nitrogen oxide (NOX). RESULTS: Our analysis was based on 1758 incident strokes (1311 were ischaemic and 256 were haemorrhagic). We found no evidence of an association between all stroke or ischaemic stroke and same day exposure to PM2.5, PM10, O3, NO2 or NOX. For haemorrhagic stroke, we found a negative association with PM10 suggestive of a 14.6% (95% CI 0.7% to 26.5%) fall in risk per 10 µg/m(3) increase in pollutant. CONCLUSIONS: Using data from the South London Stroke Register, we found no evidence of a positive association between outdoor air pollution and incident stroke or its subtypes. These results, though in contrast to recent meta-analyses, are not inconsistent with the mixed findings of other UK studies

Machine-learning based patient classification using Hepatitis B virus full-length genome quasispecies from Asian and European cohorts

Chronic infection with Hepatitis B virus (HBV) is a major risk factor for the development of advanced liver disease including fibrosis, cirrhosis, and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). The relative contribution of virological factors to disease progression has not been fully defined and tools aiding the deconvolution of complex patient virus profiles is an unmet clinical need. Vari

Wnt5a Increases Cardiac Gene Expressions of Cultured Human Circulating Progenitor Cells via a PKC Delta Activation

Background: Wnt signaling controls the balance between stem cell proliferation and differentiation and body patterning throughout development. Previous data demonstrated that non-canonical Wnts (Wnt5a, Wnt11) increased cardiac gene expression of circulating endothelial progenitor cells (EPC) and bone marrow-derived stem cells cultured in vitro. Since previous studies suggested a contribution of the protein kinase C (PKC) family to the Wnt5a-induced signalling, we investigated which PKC isoforms are activated by non-canonical Wnt5a in human EPC. Methodology/Principal Findings: Immunoblot experiments demonstrated that Wnt5a selectively activated the novel PKC isoform, PKC delta, as evidenced by phosphorylation and translocation. In contrast, the classical Ca2+-dependent PKC isoforms, PKC alpha and beta2, and one of the other novel PKC isoforms, PKC epsilon, were not activated by Wnt5a. The PKC delta inhibitor rottlerin significantly blocked co-culture-induced cardiac differentiation in vitro, whereas inhibitors directed against the classical Ca2+-dependent PKC isoforms or a PKC epsilon-inhibitory peptide did not block cardiac differentiation. In accordance, EPC derived from PKC delta heterozygous mice exhibited a significant reduction of Wnt5a-induced cardiac gene expression compared to wild type mice derived EPC. Conclusions/Significance: These data indicate that Wnt5a enhances cardiac gene expressions of EPC via an activation of PKC delta

Ecology and genomics of an important crop wild relative as a prelude to agricultural innovation

Domesticated species are impacted in unintended ways during domestication and breeding. Changes in the nature and intensity of selection impart genetic drift, reduce diversity, and increase the frequency of deleterious alleles. Such outcomes constrain our ability to expand the cultivation of crops into environments that differ from those under which domestication occurred. We address this need in chickpea, an important pulse legume, by harnessing the diversity of wild crop relatives. We document an extreme domestication-related genetic bottleneck and decipher the genetic history of wild populations. We provide evidence of ancestral adaptations for seed coat color crypsis, estimate the impact of environment on genetic structure and trait values, and demonstrate variation between wild and cultivated accessions for agronomic properties. A resource of genotyped, association mapping progeny functionally links the wild and cultivated gene pools and is an essential resource chickpea for improvement, while our methods inform collection of other wild crop progenitor species