Soil quality improvement for crop production in semi-arid West Africa

Soil quality maintenance and crop production improvement in semi-arid West Africa require appropriate cropping technologies, which are ecologically sound and economically viable. Thus, on-farm and on-station experiments have been carried out on the central plateau and in the south of Burkina Faso The results show that adoption of improved soil fertility technologies such as composting by farmers is determined by soil fertility status, access to the market and social reasons. Organic amendments increase crop production but its effects on soil carbon depend on its quality. Soil tillage improves crop performance as a result of enhanced crop nutrient uptake and water use efficiency but decrease soil carbon with fertilisation. Combination of crop residues and urea may reverse this negative effect. Soil fauna accounted for 50 % of crop production. Termites mediated the disappearance of low-quality organic amendments. Soil carbon build-up in the presence of soil fauna requires the use of easily decomposable organic material or combined low quality organic material with nitrogen fertiliser. Phosphate rock-derived phosphorus availability is 4 times higher in earthworm casts than in surrounding soil. Single use of nitrogen fertiliser leads to low use efficiency by crop and induces low to negative economic benefit. Combination of organic resource and fertiliser significantly increases crop performance and economic benefit of N fertilisers. Without both organic and mineral external inputs, soil quality maintenance and crop production improvement cannot be achieved at the same time in semi-arid West-Africa. Improving soil quality and crop performance in semi-arid West-Africa is best achieved with an integrated soil fertility management including external inputs (organic and mineral), the contribution of soil fauna and soil and water conservation measures and in some cases with tillag

Hepatoprotective activity of aqueous extract of Balanites aegyptiaca L. Delile (Balanitaceae) roots bark

Balanites aegyptiaca (L.) Del (Balanitaceae) is traditionally used for the treatment of various ailments such as syphilis, jaundice and liver disorders, epilepsy, ... This study was designed to evaluate acute toxicity and hepatoprotective effect of aqueous extract of Balanites aegyptiaca on CCl4 induced hepatotoxicity in rats.Methods: Acute toxicity was assessed with the extract at a dose of 2000 mg / kg bw. The extract at doses of 25, 50 and 100 mg / kg b.w. was orally administered respectively to CC14-induced hepatotoxicity (0.5 ml / kg) animals. Silymarin (100 mg / kg) was given as a reference. Biochemical parameters such as ALT, AST, PT, ALB and ALP were assayed as well as enzymatic antioxidant activities SOD, CAT and MDA. Nitrogen monoxide (NO) involved in inflammation was also measured.Results: Activities of liver marker enzymes, ALT, AST and ALP, total protein, albumin and showed a significant hepatoprotective effect. Regarding antioxidant enzymatic activities in vivo (SOD, CAT and MDA) of aqueous extract exhibited a significant effect showing increasing levels of SOD, CAT and reducing malondialdehyde (MDA) levels. The production of NO is significantly reduced compared to the batch intoxicated by CCl4.Conclusion: Balanites aegyptiaca is endowed with hepatoprotective properties that can be attributed to antioxidant potential which could justify its use in traditional medicine in liver disorders

Evaluation de la protection personnelle contre les Anophelinae par utilisation de moustiquaires détériorées imprégnées de répulsifs

L’efficacité de moustiquaires détériorées imprégnées avec des répulsifs (DEET et KBR 3023) ou avec la perméthrine a été évaluée dans la protection contre Anopheles gambiae s.l. L’étude a été conduite dans le village de Goden près de Ouagadougou. Les moustiquaires ont été installées dans des cases sélectionnées dans le village et les moustiques ont été échantillonnés à l’aide de pièges lumineux CDC, de captures manuelles et de pièges à sortie. Les résultats montrent que le nombre de moustiques capturé ainsi que leur état physiologique varie selon le traitement et le degré de détérioration de la moustiquaire. La réduction de l’agressivité exprimée par les moustiques gorgés est plus importante avec le DEET et le KBR 3023 qu’avec la perméthrine (57%, 76% et 43% respectivement). Ce résultat est observé pour une surface de détérioration égale à 0,1% et une tendance similaire est observée à 1% de surface de détérioration. L’efficacité des moustiquaires varie en fonction de la case, de la surface de détérioration et du temps après imprégnation de la moustiquaire. Le KBR 3023 procure la meilleure protection par rapport aux autres traitements et même par rapport à la moustiquaire intacte lorsque la surface de détérioration est faible (0,1%). L’utilisation des répulsifs en imprégnation pourrait accroître l’efficacité des moustiquaires usagées.Mots clés: DEET, KBR 3023, Perméthrine, fraction agressive, rémanence, moustiquaires endommagées &#160

Knowledge, practices and beliefs of students regarding health effects of shisha use in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso: A cross‐sectional study

Background. The tobacco epidemic is one of the biggest public health threats the world has ever faced. Shisha use has recently been gaining increased popularity in many developed and developing countries. Objective. To determine the prevalence of shisha use among students in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso, and associated knowledge, smoking practices and beliefs about health effects. Method. A total of 443 students were selected for this cross-sectional study, using a stratified sampling method. Data on shisha use, knowledge about shisha, shisha smoking practices, and factors associated with use of shisha were collected via a questionnaire. The association between the independent variables and shisha use was assessed using a χ2 test (p<0.05). Binary logistic regression analysis was used to determine variables that were independently associated with shisha smoking. Results. Of the 421 respondents, 162 (38.5%) indicated that they had smoked shisha; 14.0% were regular smokers. We found that 183 students (43.5%) had poor knowledge about the health effects of shisha. The main reasons for shisha smoking were being in the company of friends who were users (57.4%), the pleasant flavour and fragrance of shisha (25.9%), and fashion (22.2%). Ninety-nine shisha smokers (61.1%) also consumed alcohol. Factors associated with shisha smoking included age <20 years (p<0.001), gender (p=0.034), and educational level of the respondent’s father (p=0.0001) and mother (p=0.0004). Conclusion. We found a relatively high prevalence of shisha smoking among the students, and that 43.5% of them had poor knowledge about its effects on health. Developing surveillance, intervention and regulatory/policy frameworks specific to shisha has become a public health priority

Key traveller groups of relevance to spatial malaria transmission: a survey of movement patterns in four sub-Saharan African countries

Background: As malaria prevalence declines in many parts of the world due to widescale control efforts and as drug-resistant parasites begin to emerge, a quantitative understanding of human movement is becoming increasingly relevant to malaria control. However, despite its importance, significant knowledge gaps remain regarding human movement, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa. Methods: A quantitative survey of human movement patterns was conducted in four countries in sub-Saharan Africa: Mali, Burkina Faso, Zambia, and Tanzania, with three to five survey locations chosen in each country. Questions were included on demographic and trip details, malaria risk behaviour, children accompanying travellers, and mobile phone usage to enable phone signal data to be better correlated with movement. A total of 4352 individuals were interviewed and 6411 trips recorded. Results: A cluster analysis of trips highlighted two distinct traveller groups of relevance to malaria transmission: women travelling with children (in all four countries) and youth workers (in Mali). Women travelling with children were more likely to travel to areas of relatively high malaria prevalence in Mali (OR = 4.46, 95 % CI = 3.42–5.83), Burkina Faso (OR = 1.58, 95 % CI = 1.23–1.58), Zambia (OR = 1.50, 95 % CI = 1.20–1.89), and Tanzania (OR = 2.28, 95 % CI = 1.71–3.05) compared to other travellers. They were also more likely to own bed nets in Burkina Faso (OR = 1.77, 95 % CI = 1.25–2.53) and Zambia (OR = 1.74, 95 % CI = 1.34 2.27), and less likely to own a mobile phone in Mali (OR = 0.50, 95 % CI = 0.39–0.65), Burkina Faso (OR = 0.39, 95 % CI = 0.30–0.52), and Zambia (OR = 0.60, 95 % CI = 0.47–0.76). Malian youth workers were more likely to travel to areas of relatively high malaria prevalence (OR = 23, 95 % CI = 17–31) and for longer durations (mean of 70 days cf 21 days, p < 0.001) compared to other travellers. Conclusions: Women travelling with children were a remarkably consistent traveller group across all four countries surveyed. They are expected to contribute greatly towards spatial malaria transmission because the children they travel with tend to have high parasite prevalence. Youth workers were a significant traveller group in Mali and are expected to contribute greatly to spatial malaria transmission because their movements correlate with seasonal rains and hence peak mosquito densities. Interventions aimed at interrupting spatial transmission of parasites should consider these traveller groups

Soil fauna and organic amendment interactions affect soil carbon and crop performance in semi-arid West Africa

A field experiment was conducted at Kaibo in southern Burkina Faso on an Eutric Cambisol during the 2000 rainy season to assess the interaction of organic amendment quality and soil fauna, affecting soil organic carbon and sorghum ( Sorghum bicolor L. Moench) performance. Plots were treated with the pesticides Dursban and Endosulfan to exclude soil fauna or left untreated. Sub-treatments consisted of surface-placed maize straw ( C/N ratio= 58), Andropogon straw ( C/N ratio= 153), cattle dung ( C/N ratio= 40), sheep dung ( C/N ratio= 17) or compost ( C/N ratio= 10) and the control. Organic amendments were applied at a dose equivalent to the application of 40 kg N ha(-1). The presence of soil fauna increased soil total carbon by 32% and grain yield production by 50%. The interaction between high C/N ratio organic amendment, Andropogon straw ( SA), and soil fauna reduced soil carbon build-up. We suggest that this is due to a priming effect of SA on soil organic matter in the presence of soil fauna. We also suggest that the interaction between soil fauna and easily decomposable organic amendment led to the smallest decrease in soil carbon build-up. It is concluded that in semi-arid West Africa, in the presence of soil fauna, soil carbon build-up is more affected by the quality of organic amendments than the quantity of carbon inputs. Sorghum grain yield production was significantly reduced in the absence of soil fauna. High C/N ratio organic amendment interacted negatively with soil fauna in its effects on crop performance. We propose that the effect of soil fauna on soil carbon build-up and crop performance can be optimised by using high quality organic matter of supplementing low-quality organic matter with inorganic nitrogen in semi-arid West Africa

Organic resources and earthworms affect phosphorus availability to sorghum after phosphate rock addition in semi-arid West Africa

A field experiment was laid out in Burkina Faso (West Africa) on an Eutric Cambisol to investigate the interaction of organic resource quality and phosphate rock on crop yield and to assess the contribution of earthworms (Millsonia inermis Michaelsen) to P availability after phosphate rock application. Organic resources of different quality were applied at a dose equivalent to 40 kg N ha¿1 with or without phosphate rock from Kodjari (Burkina Faso) at a dose equivalent to 25 kg P ha¿1, and were compared with control and single phosphate rock treatments in a factorial complete block design with four replicates. Sorghum (Sorghum bicolor L. Moench) variety SARIASSO 14 was grown. Sheep dung had the highest impact on earthworm casting intensity followed by maize straw. Combining organic resources with phosphate rock reduced earthworm casting activities compared to a single application of organic resources or phosphate rock. Addition of phosphate rock to maize straw reduced P availability in earthworm casts whereas combining sheep dung or compost with phosphate rock increased P availability. The contribution of earthworms to Kodjari phosphate rock solubilisation mainly occurred through their casts, as the available P content of casts was 4 times higher than that of the surrounding soi

Caregiver Recognition of Childhood Diarrhea, Care Seeking Behaviors and Home Treatment Practices in Rural Burkina Faso: A Cross-Sectional Survey

Introduction: To design effective national diarrhea control programs, including oral rehydration solution (ORS) and therapeutic zinc supplementation, information is needed on local perceptions of illness, external care seeking behaviors, and home treatment practices. Methods: A cross-sectional, community-based household survey was conducted in the Orodara Health District, Burkina Faso. Caregivers of 10,490 children,27 months were interviewed to assess child diarrhea prevalence and related car

Characterization of rectum-colon cancer in Cienfuegos province from 1995 to 2000.

Background: In spite of the recent advances in the medicine field which permit a better diagnosis and to establish treatments in early stages of the diseases, the colon and rectum cancer have shown an ascendant curve line in terms of incidence and mortality worldwide. There is an incidence around 11 000 new cases per year in Cuba, and it constituted the third cause of death in Cienfuegos province from 1988 to 1997. Objectives: To characterize the colon and rectum cancer in Cienfuegos province from 1995 to 2000. Methods: a descriptive, retrospective study carried out at the University Hospital ¨Dr. Gustavo Aldereguía Lima¨ in Cienfuegos city, Cuba in order to characterize these kinds of cancer from 1995 to 2000. 221 patients were under studied after being surgically treated in the General and Colon Proctology Service with a diagnosis of colon and rectum neoplasia during those years. Data were obtained from the clinical records and biopsy reports. This work is just the first parte of the investigation, that's the reason complications and mortality are not mentioned at all. Results: there is a higher frequency of occurrence in the female patients and in patients older than 60 years although a 5 % of the cases were 40 years old or younger. The most frequent site was the rectum and hemorrhage was the most predominant clinical manifestation. The adenocarcinoma was presented in 90.5% and the highest per cent of the cases were diagnosed in B and C Duke's stage. Surgery was applied with curative intention in the majority of the patients meanwhile palliative surgery was predominant in the cases with occlusive clinical form. There were patients in C Duke´s stage that did not received chemotherapy treatment

Evaluating the association between extreme heat and mortality in urban Southwestern Ontario using different temperature data sources

Urban areas have complex thermal distribution. We examined the association between extreme temperature and mortality in urban Ontario, using two temperature data sources: high-resolution and weather station data. We used distributed lag non-linear Poisson models to examine census division-specific temperature–mortality associations between May and September 2005–2012. We used random-effect multivariate meta-analysis to pool results, adjusted for air pollution and temporal trends, and presented risks at the 99th percentile compared to minimum mortality temperature. As additional analyses, we varied knots, examined associations using different temperature metrics (humidex and minimum temperature), and explored relationships using different referent values (most frequent temperature, 75th percentile of temperature distribution). Weather stations yielded lower temperatures across study months. U-shaped associations between temperature and mortality were observed using both high-resolution and weather station data. Temperature–mortality relationships were not statistically significant; however, weather stations yielded estimates with wider confidence intervals. Similar findings were noted in additional analyses. In urban environmental health studies, high-resolution temperature data is ideal where station observations do not fully capture population exposure or where the magnitude of exposure at a local level is important. If focused upon temperature–mortality associations using time series, either source produces similar temperature–mortality relationships