Environmental Heat Stress Among Young Working Women: A Pilot Study

BackgroundHeat waves are increasing significantly in frequency and severity and threaten the health and income of outdoor workers. Pregnant women workers are particularly at risk due to their delicate physiological systems and accountabilities to future generations. Animal and human studies propose that elevated body temperatures during pregnancy can induce adverse pregnancy outcomes.ObjectiveTo measure the change in internal body temperature (Tcore) in young working women before, after, and during work (both outdoor and indoor) on hot humid days and relate threshold temperature to the upshot adverse effects of pregnancy (teratogenicity and related miscarriage).MethodsTympanic temperatures were measured using infrared ear thermometers and workplace temperatures were collected using Lascar Data Logger. Brief exploratory interviews were conducted to gather qualitative data, and content analysis was also carried out.FindingsBody temperatures were found elevated among outdoor women workers compared with that of indoor women workers.ConclusionsThe present study found that outdoor work during pregnancy in hot, humid days might increase body temperature up to levels that could induce fetal destruction or anomaly

Conclusions and recommendations of a who expert consultation meeting on iron supplementation for infants and young children in malaria endemic areas [Conclusions et recommandations à l\u27issue de la consultation de l\u27oms sur la lutte contre la carence martiale chez le nourrisson et le jeune enfant dans les pays d\u27endémie palustre]

This article presents the results of an expert consultation meeting aimed at evaluating the safety and public health implications of administering supplemental iron to infants and young children in malaria-endemic areas. Participants at this meeting that took place in Lyon, France on June 12-14, 2006 reached consensus on several important issues related to iron supplementation for infants and young children in malaria-endemic areas. The conclusions in this report apply specifically to regions where malaria is endemic

The evolving SARS-CoV-2 epidemic in Africa: Insights from rapidly expanding genomic surveillance

INTRODUCTION Investment in Africa over the past year with regard to severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) sequencing has led to a massive increase in the number of sequences, which, to date, exceeds 100,000 sequences generated to track the pandemic on the continent. These sequences have profoundly affected how public health officials in Africa have navigated the COVID-19 pandemic. RATIONALE We demonstrate how the first 100,000 SARS-CoV-2 sequences from Africa have helped monitor the epidemic on the continent, how genomic surveillance expanded over the course of the pandemic, and how we adapted our sequencing methods to deal with an evolving virus. Finally, we also examine how viral lineages have spread across the continent in a phylogeographic framework to gain insights into the underlying temporal and spatial transmission dynamics for several variants of concern (VOCs). RESULTS Our results indicate that the number of countries in Africa that can sequence the virus within their own borders is growing and that this is coupled with a shorter turnaround time from the time of sampling to sequence submission. Ongoing evolution necessitated the continual updating of primer sets, and, as a result, eight primer sets were designed in tandem with viral evolution and used to ensure effective sequencing of the virus. The pandemic unfolded through multiple waves of infection that were each driven by distinct genetic lineages, with B.1-like ancestral strains associated with the first pandemic wave of infections in 2020. Successive waves on the continent were fueled by different VOCs, with Alpha and Beta cocirculating in distinct spatial patterns during the second wave and Delta and Omicron affecting the whole continent during the third and fourth waves, respectively. Phylogeographic reconstruction points toward distinct differences in viral importation and exportation patterns associated with the Alpha, Beta, Delta, and Omicron variants and subvariants, when considering both Africa versus the rest of the world and viral dissemination within the continent. Our epidemiological and phylogenetic inferences therefore underscore the heterogeneous nature of the pandemic on the continent and highlight key insights and challenges, for instance, recognizing the limitations of low testing proportions. We also highlight the early warning capacity that genomic surveillance in Africa has had for the rest of the world with the detection of new lineages and variants, the most recent being the characterization of various Omicron subvariants. CONCLUSION Sustained investment for diagnostics and genomic surveillance in Africa is needed as the virus continues to evolve. This is important not only to help combat SARS-CoV-2 on the continent but also because it can be used as a platform to help address the many emerging and reemerging infectious disease threats in Africa. In particular, capacity building for local sequencing within countries or within the continent should be prioritized because this is generally associated with shorter turnaround times, providing the most benefit to local public health authorities tasked with pandemic response and mitigation and allowing for the fastest reaction to localized outbreaks. These investments are crucial for pandemic preparedness and response and will serve the health of the continent well into the 21st century

The effects of environmental stress on coconut ('Cocod nucifera L.') growth in Zanzibar

SIGLEAvailable from British Library Document Supply Centre-DSC:DXN017748 / BLDSC - British Library Document Supply CentreGBUnited Kingdo

Resposta à inoculação de fungo solubilizador de fósforo em milho Maize response to inoculation with P-solubilizing fungus

Este trabalho procurou verificar o efeito da adição de duas fontes de fosfato prontamente disponíveis, superfosfato triplo e fosfato solubilizado obtido por via microbiológica e uma fonte não prontamente disponível, apatita de Araxá, na cultura do milho. Em adição, foi verificado o efeito da inoculação do fungo Aspergillus niger, solubilizador de fosfato de rocha e da adição de matéria orgânica. Nos tratamentos em que se usou matéria orgânica, houve um aumento de população microbiana total do solo, mas nenhum efeito foi observado na produção e absorção de fósforo pela cultura do milho. Tanto o superfosfato triplo como a apatita de Araxá permitiram resultados mais favoráveis em termos de produção de massa seca e absorção de fósforo pelo milho em relação ao controle (sem fósforo) e à utilização de fosfato solubilizado. Também não se constatou efeito da inoculação de A. niger sobre a solubilização do fosfato de rocha, possivelmente devido à interferência dos microrganismos naturais do solo. O numero de microrganismos e a atividade da fosfatase ácida foram menores no solo fertilizado com superfosfato triplo que com apatita de Araxá.<br>This paper examined the effect of the addition of two sources of readily available phosphate, triple superphosphate and microbiologically solubilized phosphate, and of a not readily available source, Araxá apatite, on maize crop. In addition, the effects of inoculation of Aspergillus niger, a fungus that solubilizes rock phosphate, and of the addition of organic matter were examined. When organic matter was used, the total microbial population increased, but no effect was observed on phosphorus production or uptake by the maize crop. Both the triple superphosphate and Araxá apatite enhanced the production of dry matter and phosphorus uptake by maize as compared to the control (no phosphorus) and to microbiologically solubilized phosphate. Also, inoculation of A. niger had no effect on rock phosphate solubilization, possibly due to the interference of the natural microorganisms of the soil. The number of microorganisms and acid phosphatase activity were lower in the soil fertilized with triple superphosphate than in the soil fertilized with rock phosphate