Clinical and biological profiles of prospective blood donors at the Yaoundé Central Hospital and the Yaoundé University Teaching Hospital: Profils cliniques et biologiques des futurs donneurs de sang à l'hôpital central de Yaoundé et au CHU de Yaoundé

Assessing the profiles of prospective donors could help develop strategies to improve blood safety in our context. This study aimed to evaluate the clinical and biological profiles of prospective Cameroonian blood donors. To attain this objective, we carried out a cross-sectional and analytical study on all prospective blood donors that presented at the Yaoundé Central Hospital (HCY) and Yaoundé University Teaching Hospital (YUTH) blood banks from January 2017 to May 2017. After obtaining participants’ consent, we collected information from them, examined them, and collected five-milliliter blood samples from each of them. These blood samples were used to test for HIV, HBV, HCV, and Syphilis. A total of 247 prospective donors were retained for the study. We found that group “O” was noted in 50.9% of the participants and 97% were Rhesus-positive. Of the four main transfusion transmissible infections (TTIs) screened, 57 participants tested positive for at least one; nine were tested positive for HIV, twenty-six for HBV, ten for HCV, and sixteen for Syphilis. Co-infection was noted in four of the participants with two of them testing positive for both HIV and HBV, one for both HIV and HCV, and one for both HCV and Syphilis. On univariate analysis, a significant association was found between lymph nodes measuring more than 2 cm and the presence of a TTI. The presence of lymph nodes measuring more than 2 cm was associated with the presence of a TTI. L'évaluation des profils des donneurs potentiels pourrait aider à développer des stratégies pour améliorer la sécurité du sang dans notre contexte. Cette étude visait à évaluer les profils cliniques et biologiques des candidats donneurs de sang camerounais. Pour atteindre cet objectif, nous avons mené une étude transversale et analytique sur tous les candidats donneurs de sang qui se sont présentés aux banques de sang du Centre Hospitalier Central de Yaoundé (HCY) et du CHU de Yaoundé (YUTH) de janvier 2017 à mai 2017. Après obtention des participants ' consentement, nous avons recueilli des informations auprès d'eux, les avons examinés et prélevé des échantillons de sang de cinq millilitres sur chacun d'eux. Ces échantillons de sang ont été utilisés pour tester le VIH, le VHB, le VHC et la syphilis. Au total, 247 donneurs potentiels ont été retenus pour l'étude. Nous avons constaté que le groupe « O » était noté chez 50,9 % des participants et 97 % étaient rhésus positifs. Sur les quatre principales infections transmissibles par transfusion (ITT) dépistées, 57 participants ont été testés positifs pour au moins une ; neuf ont été testés positifs pour le VIH, vingt-six pour le VHB, dix pour le VHC et seize pour la syphilis. Une co-infection a été notée chez quatre des participants, dont deux étaient positifs à la fois pour le VIH et le VHB, un pour le VIH et le VHC et un pour le VHC et la syphilis. En analyse univariée, une association significative a été retrouvée entre les ganglions mesurant plus de 2 cm et la présence d'un ITT. La présence de ganglions mesurant plus de 2 cm était associée à la présence d'un ITT

Diaphragmatic Injuries: A Frequent Missed Diagnosis in a Low Income Country

Objectives: To evaluate the current reported incidence of diaphragmatic injuries (DI) and to determine criteria that could help make the diagnosis of DI and improve its recognition in traumatised patients in Cameroon.Design: A retrospective study.Subjects: The cases of all diaphragmatic injuries repaired and diagnosed in two major hospitals in Cameroon.Setting: The General Hospital of Douala and the University Hospital centre of Younde, Cameroon.Results: During a ten-year period we have repaired eight diaphragmatic injuries. Five of them were consecutive to penetrating trauma and three after blunt trauma. All the patients were males. The mean age was 34. 5 years. Seven injuries occurred on the right side. The average Injury Severity Score was 37. 5 and all the patients had associated injuries to other organs. DI represents only 0.05% of all trauma cases. DI is underestimated in Cameroon and under diagnosed because physicians are not trained to think or to recognise it and autopsy is rarely performed after a traumatic death. Although there are no specific signs or symptoms, we have found some criteria which can raise suspicion of DI.Conclusion: Diaphragmatic injury is a very difficult diagnosis, and it is under diagnosed in Cameroon. We suspect that many patients severely injured may have associated DI which is not recognised and may contribute to increased mortality rate after major traum

A Clinical and Epidemiological Investigation of the First Reported Human Infection With the Zoonotic Parasite Trypanosoma evansi in Southeast Asia

Background. Trypanosoma is a genus of unicellular parasitic flagellate protozoa. Trypanosoma brucei species and Trypanosoma cruzi are the major agents of human trypanosomiasis; other Trypanosoma species can cause human disease, but are rare. In March 2015, a 38-year-old woman presented to a healthcare facility in southern Vietnam with fever, headache, and arthralgia. Microscopic examination of blood revealed infection with Trypanosoma. Methods. Microscopic observation, polymerase chain reaction (PCR) amplification of blood samples, and serological testing were performed to identify the infecting species. The patient's blood was screened for the trypanocidal protein apolipoprotein L1 (APOL1), and a field investigation was performed to identify the zoonotic source. Results. PCR amplification and serological testing identified the infecting species as Trypanosoma evansi. Despite relapsing 6 weeks after completing amphotericin B therapy, the patient made a complete recovery after 5 weeks of suramin. The patient was found to have 2 wild-type APOL1 alleles and a normal serum APOL1 concentration. After responsive animal sampling in the presumed location of exposure, cattle and/or buffalo were determined to be the most likely source of the infection, with 14 of 30 (47%) animal blood samples testing PCR positive for T. evansi. Conclusions. We report the first laboratory-confirmed case of T. evansi in a previously healthy individual without APOL1 deficiency, potentially contracted via a wound while butchering raw beef, and successfully treated with suramin. A linked epidemiological investigation revealed widespread and previously unidentified burden of T. evansi in local cattle, highlighting the need for surveillance of this infection in animals and the possibility of further human cases

Aerobic co-composting degradation of highly PCDD/F-contaminated field soil. A study of bacterial community

© 2018 Elsevier B.V. This study investigated bacterial communities during aerobic food waste co-composting degradation of highly PCDD/F-contaminated field soil. The total initial toxic equivalent quantity (TEQ) of the soil was 16,004 ng-TEQ kg −1 dry weight. After 42-day composting and bioactivity-enhanced monitored natural attenuation (MNA), the final compost product's TEQ reduced to 1916 ng-TEQ kg −1 dry weight (approximately 75% degradation) with a degradation rate of 136.33 ng-TEQ kg −1 day −1 . Variations in bacterial communities and PCDD/F degraders were identified by next-generation sequencing (NGS). Thermophilic conditions of the co-composting process resulted in fewer observed bacteria and PCDD/F concentrations. Numerous organic compound degraders were identified by NGS, supporting the conclusion that PCDD/Fs were degraded during food waste co-composting. Bacterial communities of the composting process were defined by four phyla (Proteobacteria, Actinobacteria, Bacteroidetes and Firmicutes). At the genus level, Bacillus (Firmicutes) emerged as the most dominant phylotype. Further studies on specific roles of these bacterial strains are needed, especially for the thermophiles which contributed to the high degradation rate of the co-co-composting treatment's first 14 days

Phytophthora antagonism of endophytic bacteria isolated from roots of black pepper (Piper nigrum L.).

[[abstract]]Abstract: In this study, 90 root samples were collected from 30 black pepper farms in three provinces in the Central Highlands of Vietnam. A total of 352 endophytic bacteria were isolated and their morphology described. An in vitro assay on the ntifungal activity of these isolates was then conducted and 47 isolates were found to have antagonistic activity on Phytophthora fungi. The antifungal activity of the 47 isolates was evaluated in vivo by shoot assay. Among these 47 isolates, 6 were selected for further investigation. The six isolates were classified and identified by sequencing the 16S RNA gene and phylogeny. The results showed that all six endophytic bacteria belong to the following species of Bacillus genus: B. siamensis, B. amyloliquefaciens, B. velezenis, and B. methylotrophiycus. Enzymatic activity related to the antifungal activity of the six potent isolates was determined; it showed that they possessed high chitinase and protease activities. These isolates were applied for black pepper seedlings in greenhouse. The results showed three promising isolates: B. siamensis EB.CP6, B. velezensis EB.KN12, and B. methylotrophycus EB.KN13. Black pepper seedlings treated with the promising bacteria had the lowest rate of root disease (8.45–11.21%) and lower fatal rate (11.11–15.55%) compared to the control group (24.81% and 24.44%). In addition, the three promising isolates strongly affected the growth of the black pepper seedlings in greenhouse. The plant height, length of roots, and fresh biomass of the seedlings in the treated plots were higher than those in the control plots. Thus, the endophytic bacterial isolates have the potential to act as biocontrol agent for the sustainable production of black pepper.[[sponsorship]]科技部[[notice]]補正完

An Accurate Definition of the Status of Inactive Hepatitis B Virus Carrier by a Combination of Biomarkers (FibroTest-ActiTest) and Viral Load

BACKGROUND: The combination of transaminases (ALT), biopsy, HBeAg and viral load have classically defined the inactive status of carriers of chronic hepatitis B. The use of FibroTest (FT) and ActiTest (AT), biomarkers of fibrosis and necroinflammatory activity, has been previously validated as alternatives to biopsy. We compared the 4-year prognostic value of combining FT-AT and viral load for a better definition of the inactive carrier status. METHODS AND FINDINGS: 1,300 consecutive CHB patients who had been prospectively followed since 2001 were pre-included. The main endpoint was the absence of liver-related complications, transplantation or death. We used the manufacturers' definitions of normal FT (< = 0.27), normal AT (< = 0.29) and 3 standard classes for viral load. The adjustment factors were age, sex, HBeAg, ethnic origin, alcohol consumption, HIV-Delta-HCV co-infections and treatment. RESULTS: 1,074 patients with baseline FT-AT and viral load were included: 41 years old, 47% African, 27% Asian, 26% Caucasian. At 4 years follow-up, 50 complications occurred (survival without complications 93.4%), 36 deaths occurred (survival 95.0%), including 27 related to HBV (survival 96.1%). The prognostic value of FT was higher than those of viral load or ALT when compared using area under the ROC curves [0.89 (95%CI 0.84-0.93) vs 0.64 (0.55-0.71) vs 0.53 (0.46-0.60) all P<0.001], survival curves and multivariate Cox model [regression coefficient 5.2 (3.5-6.9; P<0.001) vs 0.53 (0.15-0.92; P = 0.007) vs -0.001 (-0.003-0.000;P = 0.052)] respectively. A new definition of inactive carriers was proposed with an algorithm combining "zero" scores for FT-AT (F0 and A0) and viral load classes. This new algorithm provides a 100% negative predictive value for the prediction of liver related complications or death. Among the 275 patients with the classic definition of inactive carrier, 62 (23%) had fibrosis presumed with FT, and 3 died or had complications at 4 year. CONCLUSION: In patients with chronic hepatitis B, a combination of FibroTest-ActiTest and viral load testing accurately defined the prognosis and the inactive carrier status

Identification of the risk for liver fibrosis on CHB patients using an artificial neural network based on routine and serum markers

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Liver fibrosis progression is commonly found in patients with CHB. Liver biopsy is a gold standard for identifying the extent of liver fibrosis, but has many draw-backs. It is essential to construct a noninvasive model to predict the levels of risk for liver fibrosis. It would provide very useful information to help reduce the number of liver biopsies of CHB patients.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>339 chronic hepatitis B patients with HBsAg-positive were investigated retrospectively, and divided at random into 2 subsets with twice as many patients in the training set as in the validation set; 116 additional patients were consequently enrolled in the study as the testing set. A three-layer artificial neural network was developed using a Bayesian learning algorithm. Sensitivity and ROC analysis were performed to explain the importance of input variables and the performance of the neural network.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>There were 329 patients without significant fibrosis and 126 with significant fibrosis in the study. All markers except gender, HB, ALP and TP were found to be statistically significant factors associated with significant fibrosis. The sensitivity analysis showed that the most important factors in the predictive model were age, AST, platelet, and GGT, and the influence on the output variable among coal miners were 22.3-24.6%. The AUROC in 3 sets was 0.883, 0.884, and 0.920. In the testing set, for a decision threshold of 0.33, sensitivity and negative predictive values were 100% and all CHB patients with significant fibrosis would be identified.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>The artificial neural network model based on routine and serum markers would predict the risk for liver fibrosis with a high accuracy. 47.4% of CHB patients at a decision threshold of 0.33 would be free of liver biopsy and wouldn't be missed.</p

Differential effects of non-REM and REM sleep on memory consolidation?

Sleep benefits memory consolidation. Previous theoretical accounts have proposed a differential role of slow-wave sleep (SWS), rapid-eye-movement (REM) sleep, and stage N2 sleep for different types of memories. For example the dual process hypothesis proposes that SWS is beneficial for declarative memories, whereas REM sleep is important for consolidation of non-declarative, procedural and emotional memories. In fact, numerous recent studies do provide further support for the crucial role of SWS (or non-REM sleep) in declarative memory consolidation. However, recent evidence for the benefit of REM sleep for non-declarative memories is rather scarce. In contrast, several recent studies have related consolidation of procedural memories (and some also emotional memories) to SWS (or non-REM sleep)-dependent consolidation processes. We will review this recent evidence, and propose future research questions to advance our understanding of the role of different sleep stages for memory consolidation