Declines in Pediatric Bacterial Meningitis in the Republic of Benin Following Introduction of Pneumococcal Conjugate Vaccine: Epidemiological and Etiological Findings, 2011-2016.

BACKGROUND: Pediatric bacterial meningitis (PBM) remains an important cause of disease in children in Africa. We describe findings from sentinel site bacterial meningitis surveillance in children <5 years of age in the Republic of Benin, 2011-2016. METHODS: Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) was collected from children admitted to Parakou, Natitingou, and Tanguieta sentinel hospitals with suspected meningitis. Identification of Streptococcus pneumoniae (pneumococcus), Haemophilus influenzae, and Neisseria meningitidis (meningococcus) was performed by rapid diagnostic tests, microbiological culture, and/or polymerase chain reaction; where possible, serotyping/grouping was performed. RESULTS: A total of 10 919 suspected cases of meningitis were admitted to the sentinel hospitals. Most patients were 0-11 months old (4863 [44.5%]) and there were 542 (5.0%) in-hospital deaths. Overall, 4168 CSF samples were screened for pathogens and a total of 194 (4.7%) PBM cases were confirmed, predominantly caused by pneumococcus (98 [50.5%]). Following pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV) introduction in 2011, annual suspected meningitis cases and deaths (case fatality rate) progressively declined from 2534 to 1359 and from 164 (6.5%) to 14 (1.0%) in 2012 and 2016, respectively (P < .001). Additionally, there was a gradual decline in the proportion of meningitis cases caused by pneumococcus, from 77.3% (17/22) in 2011 to 32.4% (11/34) in 2016 (odds ratio, 7.11 [95% confidence interval, 2.08-24.30]). Haemophilus influenzae meningitis fluctuated over the surveillance period and was the predominant pathogen (16/34 [47.1%]) by 2016. CONCLUSIONS: The observed decrease in pneumococcal meningitis after PCV introduction may be indicative of changing patterns of PBM etiology in Benin. Maintaining vigilant and effective surveillance is critical for understanding these changes and their wider public health implications

Stability and kinetics of G-quadruplex structures

In this review, we give an overview of recent literature on the structure and stability of unimolecular G-rich quadruplex structures that are relevant to drug design and for in vivo function. The unifying theme in this review is energetics. The thermodynamic stability of quadruplexes has not been studied in the same detail as DNA and RNA duplexes, and there are important differences in the balance of forces between these classes of folded oligonucleotides. We provide an overview of the principles of stability and where available the experimental data that report on these principles. Significant gaps in the literature have been identified, that should be filled by a systematic study of well-defined quadruplexes not only to provide the basic understanding of stability both for design purposes, but also as it relates to in vivo occurrence of quadruplexes. Techniques that are commonly applied to the determination of the structure, stability and folding are discussed in terms of information content and limitations. Quadruplex structures fold and unfold comparatively slowly, and DNA unwinding events associated with transcription and replication may be operating far from equilibrium. The kinetics of formation and resolution of quadruplexes, and methodologies are discussed in the context of stability and their possible biological occurrence

Aspects épidémiologiques, cliniques, para cliniques et évolutifs des patients en retraitement de tuberculose

Introduction-objectifs : Décrire les aspects épidémiologiques, cliniques, para cliniques et évolutifs des patients en retraitement de tuberculose et déterminer leur devenir. Méthodologie : Etude rétrospective descriptive et analytique portant sur les patients en retraitement de tuberculose du 1er janvier 2008 au 30 avril 2012. Résultats : Cinquante et un patients ont été inclus représentant 3,86% des patients sous antituberculeux. Le sexe masculin était prédominant avec 69% d’hommes et 31% de femmes. L’âge moyen était de 40,2 ans ± 12,6 ans. La rechute était la première circonstance de mise en retraitement (49%), suivie des reprises après abandon (33%), puis des échecs (16%). Sur le plan paraclinique, la recherche de bacilles acido-alcoolo-résistant est revenue positive chez 64,7% des patients. La culture a permis d’identifier 4 souches de Mycobacterium tuberculosis dont 2 résistantes et un cas de mycobactérie atypique. Nos patients étaient coinfectés au VIH dans 57% des cas avec un taux moyen de lymphocytes TCD4+ de 240/mm3 ± 256/mm3.A l’issue du retraitement, les décès prédominaient (35,3%); suivis des guérisons (29,4%), des transferts (15,7%), des échecs (9,8%). Conclusion : Les résultats du régime thérapeutique standardisé de retraitement sont mitigés. Les patients en retraitement doivent bénéficier d’une sensibilisation et d’une éducation thérapeutique renforcée. Il conviendrait également de promouvoir la réalisation systématique de la culture et de l’antibiogramme pour détecter plus précocement les résistances

Porting the Pay with a (Group) Selfie (PGS) Payment System to Crypto Currency

Pay with a (Group) Selfie (PGS) is a novel payment system developed at Khalifa University in the UAE, and currently under test at the Institut de Math\uc3\ua9matiques et Science Physique (IMSP) in Benin. The PGS system uses a group selfie to gather all information items needed to encode a purchase: the seller, the buyer, the service/product and the agreed price. Using Visual Cryptography (VC), the photo is then \ue2\u80\u9cdigitally ripped\ue2\u80\u9d into two shares, one for the buyer and one for the seller. In the current version of PGS, these shares are eventually and independently sent to a Bank that cooperates to offer the digital payment service to population living in rural areas. When the purchases of a buyer at a given seller pass a pre-set threshold, the Bank executes a traditional fund transfer between the two. This way, PGS spreads the Bank\ue2\u80\u99s transfer fee over multiple purchases, decreasing the financial cost of each purchase. This paper discusses the challenges of transparently coupling the PGS payment system with digital wallets holding a crypto currency, bringing the financial cost of each purchase to zero

Learning computer networking on open paravirtual laboratories

Learning practical information communication technology skills such as network configuration and security planning requires hands-on experience with a number of different devices which may be unavailable or too costly to provide, especially for institutions under tight budget constraints. This paper describes how a specific open software technology, paravirtualization, can be used to set up open source virtual networking labs (VNLs) easily and at virtually no cost. The paper highlights how paravirtual labs can be adopted jointly by partner organizations, e.g., when the institution hosting the virtual lab provides hands-on training and students' skill evaluation as a service to partner institutions overseas. A practical VNL implementation, the open virtual lab (OVL), is used to describe the added value that open source VNLs can give to e-Learning frameworks, achieving a level of students' performance comparable or better than the one obtained when students directly interact with physical networking equipment

Effects of Oyster Shell Powder on the Microbial and Physicochemical Quality of Afitin, a Traditional Fermented Condiment

Aims: Afitin is a perishable condiment due to its high water content. Various preservatives are used to extend its shelf life, and among them, salt (NaCl) has generated controversy due to potential health risks associated to exposure to elevated concentrations of salt. The present study aims at assessing the effect of oyster shell powder on the quality changes of Afitin during storage at 30°C. Methodology: Oyster shell powder was added to the condiment just before the natural fermentation at concentrations of 0.5%, 1% and 2%. At the end of the 24 h natural fermentation, the product was stored at 30°C. Afitin samples which did not receive the oyster shell powder served as controls. Samples were taken for microbiological, pH, water activity, and sensory analyses just before the fermentation, at the end of the fermentation, and at days 2 and 4 during storage. Results: Oyster shell powder had a significant effect on the growth of microorganisms, on pH and water activity during the storage of Afitin. The average Total Viable Count (TVC) in the control samples was 8.9 Log CFU/g, whereas in the Afitin with 2% oyster shell powder, this load was 6.9 Log CFU/g after 2 days of storage. At the same time, the enterobacteria load in the control Afitin was 7.7 Log CFU/g, whereas in the Afitin with 2% oyster shell powder, it was below the detection limit. There was also a significant difference between the samples inoculated with 1% oyster shell powder and the control. From the sensory analysis, the control Afitin was rejected by the panellists after 48 h of storage, whereas the Afitin with 1% or 2% oyster shell powder was not rejected until the end of storage (4th day), indicating a notable prolongation of the product's shelf life by at least 100%. Conclusion: The results show that oyster shell powder can potentially be used to improve the preservation of Afitin

Handling practices, quality and loss estimation along the value chain of waragashi, a soft cheese from Benin

Waragashi is a soft cheese made from cow milk, widely marketed and consumed in Benin and in other African countries (Nigeria, Ghana, Togo). However, the product is prone to deterioration, especially at ambient temperature (28–32°C) because of its high water activity, nutrients and neutral pH. The present study aimed at getting insight into the factors affecting the quality of waragashi and estimating losses along the value chain. The entire value chain was investigated (i) to determine the product handling conditions, and (ii) to determine stakeholders’ perceptions of related quality, and (iii) to estimate the product proportion and quality loss along the value chain. One hundred and ninety-nine (199) producers, 100 collectors, 156 wholesalers/retailers, and 326 consumers were randomly interviewed in the main Departments of Benin involved in this soft cheese value chain. Descriptive statistics and chi-square tests were used as statistic tools for highlighting the relationships between variables. Significance was accepted at a P value of 0.05. The results showed that waragashi, produced and sold essentially by women (≥ 97%), is packed in bowls (78.9% of respondents) and plastic boxes (16.1% of respondents) as containers at the production stage and marketing. Daily boiling and soaking in water extract of dye sorghum panicle (traditional red biocolorant used to colour the product) were used as the main preservation methods. Waragashi was held mainly at ambient temperature (28–32°C) along the value chain. The priority quality attributes of the product were texture, colour, and taste for producers, whereas texture, odour and appearance were the desirable attributes for consumers. The quality deterioration linked to inappropriate handling conditions occurred mostly at wholesalers/retailers’ level. This leads to important financial losses on the product varying from partial (reduction of approximately 30% of the sale price in comparison to that of the fresh product) to total loss of sale price, meaning that the product cannot be sold. Therefore, there is a need to find appropriate solutions to ensure a better-quality management of waragashi along the value chain