Étude physico-chimique des cendres de quelques végétaux du Benin utilisées dans la fabrication du savon «ACOTO»

Elaeis guineensis, Grossypium arborium, Anogeissus leiocarpus et Acacia sieberiana sont des matériaux végétaux dont incinérées, certaines parties sont utilisées dans la préparation du savon artisanal «ACOTO» au Bénin. Notre travail a pour objectif de déterminer la durée optimale de conservation du substrat de cendres de ces matériaux végétaux utilisés pour l’obtention d’une meilleure qualité de savon puis de faire une caractérisation physico-chimique des cendres de ces matériaux végétaux. Les analyses physico-chimiques ont montré que tous les substrats de cendres issues de ces matériaux végétaux sont alcalins (7,35< pH <10,02) et contiennent pour la plupart une concentration élevée en K+, ce qui confirme leur alcalinité. Les analyses révèlent également que la durée optimale de conservation de tous les substrats sauf ceux de la cendre des tiges de Acacia sieberiana et de la cendre du tronc de Elaeis guineensis est environ d’une (1) heure avant la préparation du savon.Mots clés: Savon «ACOTO», Elaeis guineensis, Grossypium arborium, Anogeissus leiocarpus, Acacia sieberiana, Béni

Elimination du fer et du manganèse d’une eau de surface par les graines de Moringa oleifera

Dans cette étude, les échantillons d’eau de la retenue d’Okpara à Parakou ont été traités par les extraits aqueux des graines de Moringa oleifera en vue de réduire les concentrations de fer et de manganèse qu’ils contenaient. Dans deux échantillons d’eau de la retenue dont les concentrations en fer sont 8,20 mg/L et 21,10 mg/L puis 0,90 mg/L et 1,60 mg/L de manganèse, les taux d’abattement aux doses optimales 64 mg/L et 48 mg/L de Moringa oleifera sont respectivement de 80% et 42% pour le fer et 77% et 45% pour le manganèse. Lorsque Moringa a été utilisé comme adjuvant de coagulation au sulfate d’aluminium, 94% de fer et 90% de manganèse ont été éliminés. Ces résultats montrent que la combinaison de Moringa oleifera avec le sulfate d’aluminium conduit à des taux d’abattement de fer et de manganèse meilleurs que ceux obtenus avec le sulfate d’aluminium ou le Moringa oleifera utilisé chacun comme coagulant primaire ; en outre, cette combinaison a l’avantage de réduire la quantité d’alun nécessaire et par conséquent le coût du traitement de l’eau brute diminue.Mot clés: Moringa oleifera - fer - manganèse adjuvant de coagulation - jar-test

The association between iliocostal distance and the number of vertebral and non-vertebral fractures in women and men registered in the Canadian Database For Osteoporosis and Osteopenia (CANDOO)

BACKGROUND: The identification of new methods of evaluating patients with osteoporotic fracture should focus on their usefulness in clinical situations such that they are easily measured and applicable to all patients. Thus, the purpose of this study was to examine the association between iliocostal distance and vertebral and non-vertebral fractures in patients seen in a clinical setting. METHODS: Patient data were obtained from the Canadian Database of Osteoporosis and Osteopenia (CANDOO). A total of 549 patients including 508 women and 41 men participated in this cross-sectional study. There were 142 women and 18 men with prevalent vertebral fractures, and 185 women and 21 men with prevalent non-vertebral fractures. RESULTS: In women multivariable regression analysis showed that iliocostal distance was negatively associated with the number of vertebral fractures (-0.18, CI: -0.27, -0.09; adjusted for bone mineral density at the Ward's triangle, epilepsy, cerebrovascular disease, inflammatory bowel disease, etidronate use, and calcium supplement use) and for the number of non-vertebral fractures (-0.09, CI: -0.15, -0.03; adjusted for bone mineral density at the trochanter, cerebrovascular disease, inflammatory bowel disease, and etidronate use). However, in men, multivariable regression analysis did not demonstrate a significant association between iliocostal distance and the number of vertebral and non-vertebral fractures. CONCLUSIONS: The examination of iliocostal distance may be a useful clinical tool for assessment of the possibility of vertebral fractures. The identification of high-risk patients is important to effectively use the growing number of available osteoporosis therapies

Bisphosphonate prescribing, persistence and cumulative exposure in Ontario, Canada

Summary: We studied new users of oral bisphosphonates and found that less than half persisted with therapy for 2 years, and interruptions in use were common. During a median observation period of 4.7 years, 10% of patients filled only a single prescription, 37% switched therapies and median cumulative exposure was 2.2 years. Introduction: We sought to describe bisphosphonate prescribing, persistence and cumulative exposure among seniors in Ontario, Canada. Methods: We used Ontario Drug Benefit pharmacy claims to identify residents aged $\geq$ 66 years who initiated oral bisphosphonate therapy between April 1996 and March 2009. The first date of bisphosphonate dispensing was considered the index date. Persistence with therapy was defined as continuous treatment with no interruption exceeding 60 days. We examined persistence with therapy and the number of extended gaps (>60 days) between prescriptions over time periods ranging from 1 to 9 years. We also identified the proportion of patients filling only a single prescription and switching to a different bisphosphonate, and calculated the median days of exposure irrespective of gaps in therapy. Results: A total of 451,113 eligible new bisphosphonate users were identified: mean age = 75.6 years (SD = 6.9), 84% female, and median follow-up length = 4.7 years. Persistence with therapy declined from 63% at 1 year to 46% at 2 years and 12% at 9 years. Among those with at least 5 years of follow-up (n = 213,029), 61% had one or more extended gaps in bisphosphonate therapy. Overall, 10% of patients filled only a single prescription, 37% switched to a different bisphosphonate and the median exposure was 2.2 years. Conclusion: Less than half of patients persisted with bisphosphonate therapy for 2 years and interruptions in therapy were common, with most patients experiencing two or more >60-day gaps in therapy. Interventions are needed to improve persistence with bisphosphonate therapy and reduce the frequency of gaps in treatment

Prevention of type 2 diabetes and its complications in developing countries: a review.

BACKGROUND: Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) is a significant global public health problem affecting more than 285 million people worldwide. Over 70% of those with T2DM live in developing countries, and this proportion is increasing annually. Evidence suggests that lifestyle and other nonpharmacological interventions can delay and even prevent the development of T2DM and its complications; however, to date, programs that have been specifically adapted to the needs and circumstances of developing countries have not been well developed or evaluated. PURPOSE: The purpose of this article is to review published studies that evaluate lifestyle and other non-pharmacological interventions aimed at preventing T2DM and its complications in developing countries. METHODS: We undertook an electronic search of MEDLINE, PubMed, and EMBASE with the English language restriction and published until 30 September 2009. RESULTS: Nine relevant publications from seven studies were identified. The reported interventions predominantly used counseling and educational methods to improve diet and physical activity levels. Each intervention was found to be effective in reducing the risk of developing T2DM in people with impaired glucose tolerance, and improving glycemic control in people with T2DM. CONCLUSIONS: The current evidence concerning the prevention of T2DM and its complications in developing countries has shown reasonably consistent and positive results; however, the small number of studies creates some significant limitations. More research is needed to evaluate the benefits of low-cost screening tools, as well as the efficacy, cost-effectiveness, and sustainability of culturally appropriate interventions in such countries

Developmental malformation of the corpus callosum: a review of typical callosal development and examples of developmental disorders with callosal involvement

This review provides an overview of the involvement of the corpus callosum (CC) in a variety of developmental disorders that are currently defined exclusively by genetics, developmental insult, and/or behavior. I begin with a general review of CC development, connectivity, and function, followed by discussion of the research methods typically utilized to study the callosum. The bulk of the review concentrates on specific developmental disorders, beginning with agenesis of the corpus callosum (AgCC)—the only condition diagnosed exclusively by callosal anatomy. This is followed by a review of several genetic disorders that commonly result in social impairments and/or psychopathology similar to AgCC (neurofibromatosis-1, Turner syndrome, 22q11.2 deletion syndrome, Williams yndrome, and fragile X) and two forms of prenatal injury (premature birth, fetal alcohol syndrome) known to impact callosal development. Finally, I examine callosal involvement in several common developmental disorders defined exclusively by behavioral patterns (developmental language delay, dyslexia, attention-deficit hyperactive disorder, autism spectrum disorders, and Tourette syndrome)

Effect of sitagliptin on cardiovascular outcomes in type 2 diabetes

BACKGROUND: Data are lacking on the long-term effect on cardiovascular events of adding sitagliptin, a dipeptidyl peptidase 4 inhibitor, to usual care in patients with type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease. METHODS: In this randomized, double-blind study, we assigned 14,671 patients to add either sitagliptin or placebo to their existing therapy. Open-label use of antihyperglycemic therapy was encouraged as required, aimed at reaching individually appropriate glycemic targets in all patients. To determine whether sitagliptin was noninferior to placebo, we used a relative risk of 1.3 as the marginal upper boundary. The primary cardiovascular outcome was a composite of cardiovascular death, nonfatal myocardial infarction, nonfatal stroke, or hospitalization for unstable angina. RESULTS: During a median follow-up of 3.0 years, there was a small difference in glycated hemoglobin levels (least-squares mean difference for sitagliptin vs. placebo, -0.29 percentage points; 95% confidence interval [CI], -0.32 to -0.27). Overall, the primary outcome occurred in 839 patients in the sitagliptin group (11.4%; 4.06 per 100 person-years) and 851 patients in the placebo group (11.6%; 4.17 per 100 person-years). Sitagliptin was noninferior to placebo for the primary composite cardiovascular outcome (hazard ratio, 0.98; 95% CI, 0.88 to 1.09; P<0.001). Rates of hospitalization for heart failure did not differ between the two groups (hazard ratio, 1.00; 95% CI, 0.83 to 1.20; P = 0.98). There were no significant between-group differences in rates of acute pancreatitis (P = 0.07) or pancreatic cancer (P = 0.32). CONCLUSIONS: Among patients with type 2 diabetes and established cardiovascular disease, adding sitagliptin to usual care did not appear to increase the risk of major adverse cardiovascular events, hospitalization for heart failure, or other adverse events

Large expert-curated database for benchmarking document similarity detection in biomedical literature search

Document recommendation systems for locating relevant literature have mostly relied on methods developed a decade ago. This is largely due to the lack of a large offline gold-standard benchmark of relevant documents that cover a variety of research fields such that newly developed literature search techniques can be compared, improved and translated into practice. To overcome this bottleneck, we have established the RElevant LIterature SearcH consortium consisting of more than 1500 scientists from 84 countries, who have collectively annotated the relevance of over 180 000 PubMed-listed articles with regard to their respective seed (input) article/s. The majority of annotations were contributed by highly experienced, original authors of the seed articles. The collected data cover 76% of all unique PubMed Medical Subject Headings descriptors. No systematic biases were observed across different experience levels, research fields or time spent on annotations. More importantly, annotations of the same document pairs contributed by different scientists were highly concordant. We further show that the three representative baseline methods used to generate recommended articles for evaluation (Okapi Best Matching 25, Term Frequency–Inverse Document Frequency and PubMed Related Articles) had similar overall performances. Additionally, we found that these methods each tend to produce distinct collections of recommended articles, suggesting that a hybrid method may be required to completely capture all relevant articles. The established database server located at https://relishdb.ict.griffith.edu.au is freely available for the downloading of annotation data and the blind testing of new methods. We expect that this benchmark will be useful for stimulating the development of new powerful techniques for title and title/abstract-based search engines for relevant articles in biomedical research