Morphology Evaluation of ZrO2 Dip Coating on Mild Steel and its Corrosion Performance in NaOH Solution

In this work, the morphology of ZrO2 thin film from dip coating process on mild steel has been investigated. Mild steel was dip-coated on solution made of zirconium butoxide as a precursor, ethanol as solvent, acetylacetone as chelating agent and water for hydrolysis. Number of dipping was adjusted at 3, 5 and 7 times. The dipped sample then annealed at 350°C for two hours by adjusting the heating rate at 1°C/min respectively. The optical microscope showed that micro-cracks were observed on the surface of the coating with its concentration reduced as dipping sequence increased. The XRD result showed that annealing process can produce polycrystalline tetragonal-ZrO2. Meanwhile, SEM image showed that the thicknesses of the ZrO2 coatings were in between 400-600 nm. The corrosion resistance of uncoated and coated substrates was studied by polarization test through potentio-dynamic polarization curve at 1mV/s immersed in with 3.5% NaCl. The coating efficiency was improved as the number of layer dip coated increased, which showed improvement in corrosion protection

Efficacy and tolerability of four antimalarial combinations in the treatment of uncomplicated Plasmodium falciparum malaria in Senegal

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>In view of the high level of chloroquine resistance in many countries, WHO has recommended the use of combination therapy with artemisinin derivatives in the treatment of uncomplicated malaria due to <it>Plasmodium falciparum</it>. Four antimalarial drug combinations, artesunate plus amodiaquine (Arsucam^®), artesunate plus mefloquine (Artequin^®), artemether plus lumefantrine (Coartem^®; four doses and six doses), and amodiaquine plus sulphadoxine-pyrimethamine, were studied in five health districts in Senegal.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>This is a descriptive, analytical, open, randomized study to evaluate the efficacy and tolerability of these four antimalarial combinations in the treatment of uncomplicated falciparum malaria using the 2002 WHO protocol.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>All drug combinations demonstrated good efficacy. On day 28, all combinations resulted in an excellent clinical and parasitological response rate of 100% after correction for PCR results, except for the four-dose artemether-lumefantrine regimen (96.4%). Follow-up of approximately 10% of each treatment group on day 42 demonstrated an efficacy of 100%.</p> <p>The combinations were well tolerated clinically and biologically. No unexpected side-effect was observed and all side-effects disappeared at the end of treatment. No serious side-effect requiring premature termination of treatment was observed.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>The four combinations are effective and well-tolerated.</p

A follow-up on psychiatric symptoms and post-traumatic stress disorders in Tuareg refugees in Burkina Faso

Introduction: The aim of this study was to carry out a 2-year follow-up of refugees in a camp in Burkina Faso who had been interviewed previously. We also aimed to verify whether the general conditions in which they lived (e.g., protection by international organizations and the conclusion of negotiations and new hope of returning to Mali and reunification with surviving family members) would affect their mental health state. Methods: This is a cross-sectional study repeated over time on a cohort of refugees. People living in the Subgandé camp who had participated in the first survey in 2012 were identified using informational chains and approached for follow-up. Those who agreed were interviewed using the Short Screening Scale for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and the K6 scale, French versions, to measure general psychopathology and the level of impairment. Results: The second survey shows a dramatic decrease in psychopathological symptoms (positivity at K6 scale). Improvement was also conspicuous in the frequency of people with stress symptoms (positivity at Short Screening Scale for PTSD and simultaneous positivity to K6 scale). The frequency of people screened positive at the Short Screening Scale for PTSD had also decreased, but the level of improvement was not pronounced. Conclusion: Our findings confirm that when physical conditions improve, psychological symptoms can also improve. Although in the studied sample psychological factors, such as the hope of returning to their own land and thus the possibility of maintaining ethnic cohesion, may have played a role, future research carried out with a proper methodology and sufficient resources to identify protective factors is needed

Uvéite antérieure tuberculeuse chez un enfant au Centre de Santé de Référence de la Commune V du District de Bamako

Introduction : La sphère oculaire est une localisation rare de la tuberculose. Nous rapportons un cas de cette infection à localisation oculaire chez une jeune fille malienne. Décrire les lésions oculaires au cours d’une infection tuberculeuse. Observation :Il s’agit d’une étude de cas clinique descriptive concernant une fillette de 13 ans, reçue en consultation dans notre service pour rougeur et baisse de l’acuité à l’œil droit évoluant progressivement depuis quelques mois. Malgré les multiples consultations et traitements reçus, les symptômes persistaient et s’aggravaient insidieusement. Dans ses antécédents, nous n’avons pas trouvé de notion de traumatisme oculaire, ni de contage tuberculeux. L’examen ophtalmologique révèle une uvéite antérieure granulomatose avec baisse importante de l’acuité visuelle. L’examen des crachats est négatif, en revanche, l’IDR à la tuberculine est phlycténulaire avec un diamètre d’induration > 35mm. Le traitement anti tuberculeux selon le protocole du Programme Nationale de Lutte contre la Tuberculose (PNLT) a permis une amélioration clinique et fonctionnelle rapide, puis la guérison de la patiente. Conclusion : Le diagnostic de la tuberculose oculaire est difficile dans les pays en voie de développement. Il nécessite la mise à disposition de nouveaux outils diagnostics et une collaboration multidisciplinair

Assessing and Strengthening African Universities' Capacity for Doctoral Programmes

Imelda Bates and colleagues developed and validated an evidence-based tool for evaluating doctoral programmes in African universities

Utilisation des facteurs climatiques pour la surveillance de la fréquence des occurrences de méningite/ paludisme à Bamako

Objectif : Notre travail consiste à : Déterminer les périodes de risque pour la méningite et le paludisme à Bamako; Etablir une corrélation entre : - d’une part les paramètres météorologiques (température de l’air, humidité relative de l’air, pluviométrie, insolation et vitesse du vent) et la fréquence des occurrences de paludisme ; - d’autre part les mêmes paramètres pour la méningite. Méthode : Nous avons fait une étude rétrospective de l’évolution du paludisme et de la méningite en fonction de la variation des paramètres météorologiques (température de l’air, humidité relative de l’air, pluviométrie, insolation et vitesse du vent) à Bamako. Résultats : Le paludisme, rare au 1er et 2èm trimestres, est très fréquent au 3è trimestre et au 4è trimestre. Quant à la méningite elle est fréquente au premier semestre et rare pendant le reste de l’année. La fréquence du paludisme est liée à la température moyenne de l’air, à la grande humidité de l’air, à la pluviométrie abondante, à la faible insolation et à la faible vitesse du vent. La fréquente de la méningite est liée à la haute température de l’air, à la faible humidité de l’air, à la faible pluviométrie, à la forte insolation et à la grande vitesse du vent. Conclusion : La fréquence du paludisme est liée à la grande humidité, et à la faible insolation. Quant à la méningite, sa fréquence est liée à la haute température, à la grande vitesse du vent et à la forte insolation

Epidemiological Interactions between Urogenital and Intestinal Human Schistosomiasis in the Context of Praziquantel Treatment across Three West African Countries

© 2015 Knowles et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited. The attached file is the published version of the article

Rapid Molecular Detection of Zika Virus in Acute-Phase Urine Samples Using the Recombinase Polymerase Amplification Assay

Background: Currently the detection of Zika virus (ZIKV) in patient samples is done by real-time RT-PCR. Samples collected from rural area are sent to highly equipped laboratories for screening. A rapid point-ofcare test is needed to detect the virus, especially at low resource settings.  Methodology/Principal Findings: In this report, we describe the development of a reverse transcription isothermal recombinase polymerase amplification (RT-RPA) assay for the identification of ZIKV. RT-RPA assay was portable, sensitive (21 RNA molecules), and rapid (3-15 minutes). No cross-reactivity was detected to other flaviviruses, alphaviruses and arboviruses. Compared to real-time RT-PCR, the diagnostic sensitivity was 92%, while the specificity was 100%.  Conclusions/Significance: The developed assay is a promising platform for rapid point of need detection of ZIKV in low resource settings and elsewhere (e.g. during mass gathering)