MEETING REPORT: UNESCO-MERCK AFRICA RESEARCH SUMMIT 2015- ACCELERATING ACCESS AND SUSTAINING INNOVATION 'FROM AFRICA FOR AFRICA'.

Background: The Ebola virus disease outbreak of 2014 was the largest, longest and most devastating in the history of the disease. It demonstrated the social and economic impact an emerging infectious disease can have in a globalized world. Health systems in affected countries were stretched to the point of near collapse, while social relations and traditional practices were negatively impacted. Heads of African research institutions, African government representatives, leaders of global pharmaceutical companies, global infectious disease experts and close to 100 young African researchers from 25 countries; Assembled in Geneva on 19 and 20th October 2015, for the inaugural UNESCO-Merck Africa Summit sponsored by the United Nations Educational, Science and Culture Organization and Merck KGA Goal of Summit: The primary goal of the summit was to develop strategies to increase health research capacity in Africa, with special focus on Ebola and enhancing pandemic preparation for emerging infectious diseases. The summit was also provide a forum to showcase the research taking place in Africa, and provided platform for African researchers to network. Some of the key issues discussed included; strategies for enhancing policy frameworks to promote knowledge translation, strengthening of health systems, enhancing knowledge and data sharing, and increasing innovation in Africa. Conclusions: Summit attendees recognized that Africa still bore the heaviest burden of infectious disease, and increased commitment by African governments to fund health research, offered the best hope for developing health solutions and interventions to improve the health of Africans. Improved health in turn would enhance the productivity of Africans, further supporting the socio-economic transformation currently taking place on the contine

Hematological profile of East African short-horn zebu calves from birth to 51 weeks of age

This paper is the first attempt to accurately describe the hematological parameters for any African breed of cattle, by capturing the changes in these parameters over the first 12 months of an animal’s life using a population-based sample of calves reared under field conditions and natural disease challenge. Using a longitudinal study design, a stratified clustered random sample of newborn calves was recruited into the IDEAL study and monitored at 5-weekly intervals until 51 weeks of age. The blood cell analysis performed at each visit included: packed cell volume; red cell count; red cell distribution width; mean corpuscular volume; mean corpuscular hemoglobin concentration; hemoglobin concentration; white cell count; absolute lymphocyte, eosinophil, monocyte, and neutrophil counts; platelet count; mean platelet volume; and total serum protein. The most significant age-related change in the red cell parameters was a rise in red cell count and hemoglobin concentration during the neonatal period. This is in contrast to what is reported for other ruminants, including European cattle breeds where the neonatal period is marked by a fall in the red cell parameters. There is a need to establish breed-specific reference ranges for blood parameters for indigenous cattle breeds. The possible role of the postnatal rise in the red cell parameters in the adaptability to environmental constraints and innate disease resistance warrants further research into the dynamics of blood cell parameters of these breeds.Wellcome Trust (project no.079445).http://link.springer.com/journal/580hb2013ab201

Human subcortical brain asymmetries in 15,847 people worldwide reveal effects of age and sex

The two hemispheres of the human brain differ functionally and structurally. Despite over a century of research, the extent to which brain asymmetry is influenced by sex, handedness, age, and genetic factors is still controversial. Here we present the largest ever analysis of subcortical brain asymmetries, in a harmonized multi-site study using meta-analysis methods. Volumetric asymmetry of seven subcortical structures was assessed in 15,847 MRI scans from 52 datasets worldwide. There were sex differences in the asymmetry of the globus pallidus and putamen. Heritability estimates, derived from 1170 subjects belonging to 71 extended pedigrees, revealed that additive genetic factors influenced the asymmetry of these two structures and that of the hippocampus and thalamus. Handedness had no detectable effect on subcortical asymmetries, even in this unprecedented sample size, but the asymmetry of the putamen varied with age. Genetic drivers of asymmetry in the hippocampus, thalamus and basal ganglia may affect variability in human cognition, including susceptibility to psychiatric disorders

Brain-based classification of youth with anxiety disorders: transdiagnostic examinations within the ENIGMA-Anxiety database using machine learning

Neuroanatomical findings on youth anxiety disorders are notoriously difficult to replicate, small in effect size and have limited clinical relevance. These concerns have prompted a paradigm shift toward highly powered (that is, big data) individual-level inferences, which are data driven, transdiagnostic and neurobiologically informed. Here we built and validated supervised neuroanatomical machine learning models for individual-level inferences, using a case–control design and the largest known neuroimaging database on youth anxiety disorders: the ENIGMA-Anxiety Consortium (N = 3,343; age = 10–25 years; global sites = 32). Modest, yet robust, brain-based classifications were achieved for specific anxiety disorders (panic disorder), but also transdiagnostically for all anxiety disorders when patients were subgrouped according to their sex, medication status and symptom severity (area under the receiver operating characteristic curve, 0.59–0.63). Classifications were driven by neuroanatomical features (cortical thickness, cortical surface area and subcortical volumes) in fronto-striato-limbic and temporoparietal regions. This benchmark study within a large, heterogeneous and multisite sample of youth with anxiety disorders reveals that only modest classification performances can be realistically achieved with machine learning using neuroanatomical data.NWORubicon 019.201SG.022Advanced Behavioural Research MethodsHealth and Well-bein

Effects of epidural xylazine, lidocaine and their combination on body temperature in acepromazine-sedated dogs

A prospective randomized and blinded study was carried out to compare the effects of epidural xylazine, lidocaine and their combination on body temperature in dogs. Fifteen healthy dogs were used in this study. The dogs were randomly assigned to three groups of five animals each. The first group was injected with 2% lidocaine at 4 mg/kg body weight, the second with 2% xylazine at 0.6 mg/kg body weight while the third group was injected with the drug combination of lidocaine and xylazine at 2 mg/kg body weight and 0.3 mg/kg body weight, respectively, in the same syringe. All injections were made into the lumbosacral space. Changes in rectal temperature were recorded over a 4-hour monitoring period. A significant (p<0.05) decline in the mean rectal temperature was observed in all three groups. Lidocaine caused a decrease in mean rectal temperature of 1.0 °C, xylazine 1.6 °C and lidocaine-xylazine 2.0 °C. At the end of the 4- hour monitoring period, the mean rectal temperature of the dogs in the lidocaine group remained significantly lower as compared to baseline values. Dogs injected with lidocaine had significantly higher mean temperature when compared to dogs injected with xylazine (p=0.02) and lidocaine-xylazine (p=0.003). Shivering was observed in 20% of the dogs in lidocaine group, 60% in xylazine group and 80% in lidocaine-xylazine group. It was concluded that epidural xylazine, lidocaine, and their combination caused significant change in mean rectal temperature even in the absence of any surgery. In clinical setting, this has both morbidity and mortality implications in the post-operative period.Keywords: Dogs, Epidural, Lidocaine, Xylazine, Temperatur

A multicenter study comparing the accuracy of MRI to arthroscopy for the diagnosis of glenohumeral joint pathologies

Background: The number of patients with shoulder pathology who seek medical treatment is on the increase. It affects  approximately18-26% of adult population. The symptoms can sometimes be debilitating affecting not only the person’s occupation but also activities of daily living. Among the diagnostic modalities for glenohumeral pathologies, clinical examination remains the key but MRI and arthroscopy are more accurate and can play a complimentary role. The MRI is highly sensitive, specific, non-invasive with no radiation. On the contrary, shoulder arthroscopy is considered to be the “Gold Standard” for diagnosis and treatment of glenohumeral joint pathologies. It is accurate and less invasiveness compared to open shoulder surgery. However, it is expensive. Objective: The aim was to determine the degree of accuracy of MRI compared to arthroscopy in the diagnosis of glenohumeral joint pathologies. Design: A multicenter prospective consecutive cross-sectional study. The sites included: The Nairobi, Aga Khan University, Mater, Kikuyu, Kijabe, Coptic and MP Shah hospitals. Methodology: The patients with traumatic soft tissue injury or degenerative syndromes of the glenohumeral joint were recruited over a period of 8 months. Clinical examinations were done followed by MRI and then arthroscopy. The SPSS version 25 computer software was used to code the collected data. The final results were presented in charts, tables and graphical forms. The Sensitivity, Specificity, PPV, and NPV were calculated to determine the accuracy of the MRI and clinical examination. This were compared to the findings of arthroscopy. For the categorical variables, chisquare test was used. The P value < 0.05 was considered significant. Results: The sample size was 74 participants. The age range was 16 to 73 years with an average of 48 years. The male to female ratio was 1:1. Majority 46 (62%) of the patients had joint pathology on the right side while 28(37.8%) was on the left. This might be related to hand dominance. The three modalities of investigations found the frequencies of the glenohumeral joint pathologies are as follows. The Rotator Cuff Tears ranged from 35 to 42 (47.3% to 56.8%), Subacromial Impingement Syndrome ranged from 21-24 (28.4 % to 32.4%), and Bankart lesions ranged from 9-10 (12.2 % to 13.5%). The result revealed a strong positive relationship between MRI and arthroscopic finding for Rotator Cuff Tear (r = 0.663, p<0.05), Subacromial Impingement Syndrome (r = 0.652, p<0.05) and Bankart lesion (r = 0.699). However, the clinical examination showed a moderate positive relationship for Rotator Cuff Tear (r =0.46, p<0.05) and Subacromial Impingement Syndrome (r = 0.445, p<0.05). The sensitivity for MRI ranges from 0.7 for Bankart lesions to 0.914 for Rotator Cuff Tears. Furthermore, the positive predictive value was 0.762 (76%) for Rotator cuff tear and 0.8 (80%) for Subacromial Impingement Syndrome. Conclusion: The study revealed a significant correlation between clinical examination, MRI and arthroscopy for the diagnosis of glenohumeral pathologies. Both MRI and clinical examination are complimentary to each other. Consequently, in low income countries, arthroscopy can be done after thorough clinical examination without preliminary MRI in resources limited situations based on theresolution of the surgeon. Key words: Glenohumeral, MRI, Arthroscopy, Clinical examination, Rotator Cuff Tear

Seasonal abundance of Plutella xylostella (Lepidoptera: Plutellidae) and diversity of its parasitoids along altitudinal gradients of the eastern Afromontane

Published online: 25 June 2019Monthly field surveys of diamondback moth (DBM), Plutella xylostella (L.) and its parasitoids were conducted to assess seasonal abundance and diversity under changing altitude. Twenty-four crucifer farms spread across three altitudinal zones of Mount Kilimanjaro and Taita hills were sampled for the insects at monthly interval from 2013 to 2014. Diamondback moth abundance differed significantly between seasons (F3, 21 = 3.883, p = 0.024) in the high zone of Taita hills. The abundance among altitudinal zones of the two transects was not significantly different (Mt. Kilimanjaro: F2, 98 = 0.415, p = 0.661; Taita hills: F2, 116 = 0.303, p = 0.739). Eight parasitoid species emerged in the laboratory from collected DBM larvae and pupae. Cotesia vestalis (Haliday) provided the most DBM parasitism in the low zone and Diadegma semiclausum (Hellen) in the medium and high zones. Parasitism by D. semiclausum increased by 32.5% between the low and medium zones (p = 0.001) of Taita hills. Diversity of parasitoid species declined considerably from the low to medium zones of Taita hills. The diversity of wild crucifer species increased with altitude but was twice as diverse in the high zone of Mt. Kilimanjaro than the high zone of Taita hills. Ecological complexity of the cropping system contributed greatly to a wider parasitoid diversity along Mt. Kilimanjaro. The introduced C. vestalis has successfully established in East Africa and adapted to the warmer areas in the low altitudes

Field margin floral enhancements increase pollinator diversity at the field edge but show no consistent spillover into the crop field: a meta‐analysis

Conventional intensification of agriculture has reduced the availability of resources for pollinators, reducing their diversity and affecting plant pollination, both in natural habitats and croplands. Field margin floral enhancements such as flower strips or restored field margins could counteract these negative effects. The approaches to assess the success of these management measures generally evaluate separately the pollinator response at the edge and within the crop, as proxies for pollinator conservation and pollination services, respectively. We performed a meta-analysis to understand the influence of field margin floral enhancements on the abundance and richness of pollinators at the edge and within the field, and on crop yield. We estimated 137 effect sizes from 40 studies, all from the northern hemisphere. Overall, the field margin floral enhancements increased the abundance and richness of pollinators at the field edge but had no consistent effect in the interior of the crop fields. Few studies evaluated crop yield, and in these studies no effects were observed. These results suggest that field margin floral enhancements can constitute a positive conservation action for pollinators but not necessarily associated with pollination ecosystem service.Fil: Zamorano, Jorge. Universidad de Chile.; ChileFil: Bartomeus, Ignasi. Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas. Estación Biológica de Doñana; EspañaFil: Grez, Audrey A.. Universidad de Chile.; ChileFil: Garibaldi, Lucas Alejandro. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Patagonia Norte. Instituto de Investigaciones en Recursos Naturales, Agroecología y Desarrollo Rural. - Universidad Nacional de Rio Negro. Instituto de Investigaciones en Recursos Naturales, Agroecología y Desarrollo Rural; Argentin