Phenolic content and heritability of resistance in four hybrid populations of Theobroma cacao L. after leaves inoculation with Phytophthora megakarya Bras. et Grif

Cocoa is cultivated in Cameroon for its broad beans. The commercialization of cocoa seeds constitutes a major source of income to farmers. Nevertheless, cacao black pod disease caused by Phytophthora megakarya is responsible of about 80% of cocoa production loss in Cameroon without any protection method. To assess the resistance of cocoa plants against this pathogen, necrotic lesions and phenolic content were conducted on 3 clones (SNK16, ICS40, Sca12) and their progenies (families F40, F12, F20 and F25) after leaves inoculation. The existence of strong hybrid vigour has been shown. All hybrid genotypes manifested a positive heterosis effect for this symptom suggesting the existence of hybrid vigour. Some hybrids like F40.6, F40.7, F40.8, F40.9, F40.10, F12.10, F12.15, F20.7, F20.10, F25.2, F25.5 and F25.7 were characterized by localized lesions. A negative correlation between the size of necrotic lesions and the total phenolic compound was demonstrated. Three genotypes of the F40 family (F40.8, F40.9 and F40.13), one of the F12 (F12.15) and two of the F25 (F25.2 and F25.8) had small lesions and high concentrations of phenols. These six genotypes can be considered as elite clones with high tolerance to P. megakarya. The values of the heritability of lesion size and the total phenolic content in offsprings don’t show the maternal effect.Keywords: Cocoa, Phytophthora megakarya, heterosis, heritability, necrosis, phenol

Quality of life of patients with kidney failure in sub-Saharan Africa: protocol for a systematic review of quantitative studies

Introduction: The burden of chronic kidney disease (CKD) is rising in sub-Saharan Africa. Access to kidney replacement therapy (KRT) remains limited and modelling suggests a significant hidden burden of kidney failure managed without KRT. Kidney failure is contributing to serious health-related suffering (SHS) at a global level. Despite this, access to palliative care remains extremely disparate. There is an urgent need for greater palliative care provision for patients with kidney failure in sub-Saharan Africa. To inform this, it is important to understand their current quality of life. This article outlines our review protocol, ensuring transparency of our planned methods and reporting. Methods and analysis: A comprehensive search will be conducted of MEDLINE (Ovid), EMBASE, CINAHL, African Index Medicus and Africa Journals Online. ProQuest Dissertations & Theses Global will be searched for grey literature. Eligible sources will be quantitative observational studies, conducted in sub-Saharan Africa, and published in English or French. The primary outcome measure will be quality of life of those with kidney failure, measured using a validated quality of life tool. Abstract screening, data extraction and risk of bias assessments will be conducted independently by two reviewers. Meta-analysis will be performed on study subgroups, if appropriate, based on heterogeneity of included studies; otherwise results will be summarised narratively. This protocol is structured according to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis Protocols (PRISMA-P) guidance. Ethics and dissemination: Ethical approval is not required because this review will synthesise published data. Findings will be disseminated in a peer-reviewed journal. PROSPERO registration ID: 27543

Booster Dose of Bacille Calmette-Guérin Vaccine for Tuberculosis in Low and Middle-Income Countries: A Systematic Review

Background: The Bacille Calmette-Guérin (BCG) vaccine, given as a single dose, offers variable protection against Tuberculosis (TB). It is plausible that repeat doses could improve the effectiveness of the BCG vaccine in settings where the population remain at risk of the disease. Objective: To assess the effectiveness of BCG revaccination as a booster dose in preventing TB in Low- and Middle- Income Countries (LMICs). Methods: We searched the electronic databases without language or publication restrictions and followed the procedures for preparing systematic reviews, including assessing the risk of bias as outlined in the Cochrane handbook. We included randomised controlled trials (RCTs) conducted in LMICs involving children and adults receiving one or more BCG vaccine doses after the primary BCG vaccination. The incidence of severe forms of TB, active TB and adverse events were the primary outcomes. Results: Five RCTs were included in this systematic review. Revaccination with BCG probably makes little or no difference to the risk of active TB measured after five years (Relative risk (RR) 1.16, 95% CI 0.88 to 1.51; 348,083 participants; one study, moderate certainty evidence) or nine years post-revaccination (RR 0.96, 95% CI 0.82 to 1.12; 348,083 participants; one study, moderate certainty evidence). In populations with HIV co-infection, revaccination probably increases the risk of pulmonary tuberculosis compared to placebo (RR 1.74, 95% CI 1.00 to 3.01; 46,764 participants; one study, moderate certainty evidence). Conclusion: The available evidence suggests that BCG revaccination probably makes little or no difference in preventing tuberculosis disease in LMICs

Microfluidic Microcirculation Mimetic as a Tool for the Study of Rheological Characteristics of Red Blood Cells in Patients with Sickle Cell Anemia

Sickle cell disorder (SCD) is a multisystem disease with heterogeneous phenotypes. Al- though all patients have the mutated hemoglobin (Hb) in the SS phenotype, the severity and frequency of complications are variable. When exposed to low oxygen tension, the Hb molecule becomes dense and forms tactoids, which lead to the peculiar sickled shapes of the affected red blood cells, giving the disorder its name. This sickle cell morphology is responsible for the profound and widespread pathologies associated with this disorder, such as vaso-occlusive crisis (VOC). How much of the clinical manifestation is due to sickled erythrocytes and what is due to the relative contributions of other elements in the blood, especially in the microcapillary circulation, is usually not visualized and quantified for each patient during clinical management. Here, we used a microfluidic microcirculation mimetic (MMM), which has 187 capillary-like constrictions, to impose deformations on erythrocytes of 25 SCD patients, visualizing and characterizing the morpho-rheological properties of the cells in normoxic, hypoxic (using sodium meta-bisulfite) and treatment conditions (using hydroxyurea). The MMM enabled a patient-specific quantification of shape descriptors (circularity and roundness) and transit time through the capillary constrictions, which are readouts for morpho-rheological proper- ties implicated in VOC. Transit times varied significantly (p < 0.001) between patients. Our results demonstrate the feasibility of microfluidics-based monitoring of individual patients for personalized care in the context of SCD complications such as VOC, even in resource-constrained setting

Understanding and retention of the informed consent process among parents in rural northern Ghana

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>The individual informed consent model remains critical to the ethical conduct and regulation of research involving human beings. Parental informed consent process in a rural setting of northern Ghana was studied to describe comprehension and retention among parents as part of the evaluation of the existing informed consent process.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>The study involved 270 female parents who gave consent for their children to participate in a prospective cohort study that evaluated immune correlates of protection against childhood malaria in northern Ghana. A semi-structured interview with questions based on the informed consent themes was administered. Parents were interviewed on their comprehension and retention of the process and also on ways to improve upon the existing process.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>The average parental age was 33.3 years (range 18–62), married women constituted a majority (91.9%), Christians (71.9%), farmers (62.2%) and those with no formal education (53.7%). Only 3% had ever taken part in a research and 54% had at least one relation ever participate in a research. About 90% of parents knew their children were involved in a research study that was not related to medical care, and 66% said the study procedures were thoroughly explained to them. Approximately, 70% recalled the study involved direct benefits compared with 20% for direct risks. The majority (95%) understood study participation was completely voluntary but only 21% recalled they could withdraw from the study without giving reasons. Younger parents had more consistent comprehension than older ones. Maternal reasons for allowing their children to take part in the research were free medical care (36.5%), better medical care (18.8%), general benefits (29.4%), contribution to research in the area (8.8%) and benefit to the community (1.8%). Parental suggestions for improving the consent process included devoting more time for explanations (46.9%), use of the local languages (15.9%) and obtaining consent at home (10.3%).</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Significant but varied comprehension of the informed consent process exists among parents who participate in research activities in northern Ghana and it appears the existing practices are fairly effective in informing research participants in the study area.</p

Embedded Software of the KM3NeT Central Logic Board

The KM3NeT Collaboration is building and operating two deep sea neutrino telescopes at the bottom of the Mediterranean Sea. The telescopes consist of latices of photomultiplier tubes housed in pressure-resistant glass spheres, called digital optical modules and arranged in vertical detection units. The two main scientific goals are the determination of the neutrino mass ordering and the discovery and observation of high-energy neutrino sources in the Universe. Neutrinos are detected via the Cherenkov light, which is induced by charged particles originated in neutrino interactions. The photomultiplier tubes convert the Cherenkov light into electrical signals that are acquired and timestamped by the acquisition electronics. Each optical module houses the acquisition electronics for collecting and timestamping the photomultiplier signals with one nanosecond accuracy. Once finished, the two telescopes will have installed more than six thousand optical acquisition nodes, completing one of the more complex networks in the world in terms of operation and synchronization. The embedded software running in the acquisition nodes has been designed to provide a framework that will operate with different hardware versions and functionalities. The hardware will not be accessible once in operation, which complicates the embedded software architecture. The embedded software provides a set of tools to facilitate remote manageability of the deployed hardware, including safe reconfiguration of the firmware. This paper presents the architecture and the techniques, methods and implementation of the embedded software running in the acquisition nodes of the KM3NeT neutrino telescopes

A Novel Virtual Button User Interface for Determining the Characteristics of an Impulse Input Based on MEMS Inertial Sensors

This paper introduces a novel application of MEMS accelerometers in consumer electronics for ‘Virtual Button’ technology. The MEMS accelerometer is designed to measure low-g acceleration and sense tapping motion on a cell phone, consumer electronic, medical user interface, or harsh environment user interface. In this paper we outline this patent pending application and discuss the modeling and analysis of the accelerometer designed for this purpose. Prior art in impulse localization with inertial sensors is discussed. The features of the Virtual Button user interface are presented and applications of Virtual Buttons to medical, touch screen, and hand-held electronic devices are discussed. The initial considerations for the design of an accelerometer with an operating range of 0.5-20 and noise levels of less than 0.124 mg (Hz)^0.5 are also presented