Indicateurs de santé dans la population d'un complexe agro-industriel du Sud Cameroun

Pour étudier la répercussion sur l'état sanitaire de la population de l'implantation d'un programme de développement agro-industriel (culture de canne à sucre) au Cameroun dans les années 60 (ville de Mbandjock), nous avons analysé la distribution des prévalences des principales pathologies parasitaires par quartier, groupe ethnique, âge et sexe. Trois enseignements peuvent être retirés de ce travail : dans la zone d'étude, le développement économique ne semble pas s'être accompagné d'une dégradation de l'état de santé, puisqu'au contraire les pathologies recherchées se sont avérées moins fréquentes que dans les régions avoisinantes; les pathologies importées (loase, schistosomose) ne se sont manifestement pas implantées localement en dépit des concentrations de population entraînées par l'installation du complexe agro-industriel; les parasitoses sévissant à l'état endémique dans la région (paludisme, onchocercose, helminthiases et protozooses intestinales) sont essentiellement groupées dans quelques quartiers (pas nécessairement défavorisés sur le plan socio-économique) qui devraient faire l'objet de mesures d'intervention intégrées

Modeling of electrostatic forces induced by chemical surface functionalisation for microrobotics applications.

International audienceNon-contact microrobotics is a promising way to avoid adhesion caused by the well-known scale effects. Nowadays, several non-contact micro-robots exist. Most of them are controlled by magnetic or dielectrophoresis phenomena. To complete this, we propose a method based on electrostatic force induced by chemical functionalisation of substrates. In this study, we show a model of this force supported by experimental results. We reached long range forces measuring an interaction force of several microNewtons and an interaction distance of tens micrometers. This paper shows the relevance of using chemical electrostatic forces for microrobotics applications

Consequences of Gestational Malaria on Birth Weight: Finding the Best Timeframe for Intermittent Preventive Treatment Administration

To investigate the consequences of intermittent preventive treatment (IPTp) timing on birth weight, we pooled data from two studies conducted in Benin between 2005 and 2010: a prospective cohort of 1037 pregnant women and a randomised trial comparing sulfadoxine-pyrimethamine (SP) to mefloquine in 1601 women. A total of 1439 women (752 in the cohort and 687 in the SP arm of the randomised trial) who delivered live singletons were analysed. We showed that an early intake of the first SP dose (4 months of gestation) was associated with a lower risk of LBW compared to a late intake (6–7 months of gestation) (aOR = 0.5 p = 0.01). We also found a borderline increased risk of placental infection when the first SP dose was administered early in pregnancy (aOR = 1.7 p = 0.1). This study is the first to investigate the timing of SP administration during pregnancy. We clearly demonstrated that women who had an early intake of the first SP dose were less at risk of LBW compared to those who had a late intake. Pregnant women should be encouraged to attend antenatal visits early to get their first SP dose and a third dose of SP could be recommended to cover the whole duration of pregnancy and to avoid late infections of the placenta

Lipoteichoic Acid in Streptomyces hygroscopicus: Structural Model and Immunomodulatory Activities

Gram positive bacteria produce cell envelope macroamphiphile glycopolymers, i.e. lipoteichoic acids or lipoglycans, whose functions and biosynthesis are not yet fully understood. We report for the first time a detailed structure of lipoteichoic acid isolated from a Streptomyces species, i.e. Streptomyces hygroscopicus subsp. hygroscopicus NRRL 2387T. Chemical, MS and NMR analyses revealed a polyglycerolphosphate backbone substituted with α-glucosaminyl and α-N-acetyl-glucosaminyl residues but devoid of any amino-acid substituent. This structure is very close, if not identical, to that of the wall teichoic acid of this organism. These data not only contribute to the growing recognition that lipoteichoic acid is a cell envelope component of Gram positive Actinobacteria but also strongly support the recently proposed hypothesis of an overlap between the pathways of lipoteichoic acid and wall teichoic acid synthesis in these bacteria. S. hygroscopicus lipoteichoic acid induced signalling by human innate immune receptor TLR2, confirming its role as a microbe-associated molecular pattern. Its activity was partially dependant on TLR1, TLR6 and CD14. Moreover, it stimulated TNF-α and IL-6 production by a human macrophage cell line to an extent similar to that of Staphylococcus aureus lipoteichoic acid. These results provide new clues on lipoteichoic acid structure/function relationships, most particularly on the role of the polyglycerolphosphate backbone substituents

Malaria associated symptoms in pregnant women followed-up in Benin

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>It is generally agreed that in high transmission areas, pregnant women have acquired a partial immunity to malaria and when infected they present few or no symptoms. However, longitudinal cohort studies investigating the clinical presentation of malaria infection in pregnant women in stable endemic areas are lacking, and the few studies exploring this issue are unconclusive.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>A prospective cohort of women followed monthly during pregnancy was conducted in three rural dispensaries in Benin from August 2008 to September 2010. The presence of symptoms suggestive of malaria infection in 982 women during antenatal visits (ANV), unscheduled visits and delivery were analysed. A multivariate logistic regression was used to determine the association between symptoms and a positive thick blood smear (TBS).</p> <p>Results</p> <p>During routine ANVs, headache was the only symptom associated with a higher risk of positive TBS (aOR = 1.9; p < 0.001). On the occasion of unscheduled visits, fever (aOR = 5.2; p < 0.001), headache (aOR = 2.1; p = 0.004) and shivering (aOR = 3.1; p < 0.001) were significantly associated with a malaria infection and almost 90% of infected women presented at least one of these symptoms. Two thirds of symptomatic malaria infections during unscheduled visits occurred in late pregnancy and long after the last intermittent preventive treatment dose (IPTp).</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>The majority of pregnant women were symptomless during routine visits when infected with malaria in an endemic stable area. The only suggestive sign of malaria (fever) was associated with malaria only on the occasion of unscheduled visits. The prevention of malaria in pregnancy could be improved by reassessing the design of IPTp, i.e. by determining an optimal number of doses and time of administration of anti-malarial drugs.</p

Repulsive Force for Micro-and Nano-Non-Contact Manipulation

International audienceNon-contact positioning of micro-objects using electric fields has been widely explored, based on several physical principles such as electrophoresis, dielectrophoresis (DEP) or optical dielectrophoresis (ODEP), in which the actuation force is induced by an electric charge or an electric dipole placed in an electric field. In this paper, we introduce a new way to control charges in non-contact positioning of micro-objects using chemical functionalization (3-aminopropyl) triethoxysilane-APTES) able to localize charges on a substrate and/or on a micro-object. We demonstrate that this functionalization in a liquid with a low ionic strength is able to concentrate a significant amount of electric charges on surfaces generating an electric field over a long distance (about 10 microns), also called a large exclusion zone (EZ). A model is proposed and validated with electrostatic force measurements between substrate and microparticles (diameter up to 40 µm). We demonstrate that the magnitude of the force and the force range decrease rapidly when the ionic strength of the medium increases. Based on the proposed model, we show that this new way to localize charges on micro-objects may be used for non-contact positioning

Modeling of electrostatic forces induced by chemical surface functionalisation for microrobotics applications.

International audienceNon-contact microrobotics is a promising way to avoid adhesion caused by the well-known scale effects. Nowadays, several non-contact micro-robots exist. Most of them are controlled by magnetic or dielectrophoresis phenomena. To complete this, we propose a method based on electrostatic force induced by chemical functionalisation of substrates. In this study, we show a model of this force supported by experimental results. We reached long range forces measuring an interaction force of several microNewtons and an interaction distance of tens micrometers. This paper shows the relevance of using chemical electrostatic forces for microrobotics applications

Yarrowia lipolytica lipase Lip2: An efficient enzyme for the production of concentrates of docosahexaenoic acid ethyl ester

The production of Omega-3 (omega)-3) polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) rich in cis-4,7,10,13,16,19-docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) was studied using lipase-catalysed hydrolysis of a mixture of ethyl esters from tuna oil. Lipases from Yarrowia lipolytica (YLL2), Thermomyces lanuginosus (TLL) and Candida rugosa (CRL1, CRL3 and CRL4) were tested. C. rugosa lipases discriminated esters on the basis of their chain length, with less affinity for gamma-linolenate, 11-eicosenoate, arachidonate, EPA, DPA and DHA ethyl esters. However, YLL2 and TLL improved discrimination towards DHA, as enzyme selectivity was shown to be mainly based on the position of the double bond closest to the carboxylic group. From the point of view of kinetics, purity and yield, YLL2 was the most effective lipase for DHA purification. Using this enzyme in an open reactor process resulted in the highest concentrations of DHA ethyl ester (77%) and (omega)-3 esters (81%) with a recovery of 94% and 77% respectively. (C) 2014 Published by Elsevier B.V