The effect of pesticides and aqueous extracts of Azadirachta indica (A. Juss) and Jatropha carcus L. on Bemisia tabaci (Gennadius) (Homoptera: Aleyrididae) and Helicoverpa armigera (Hübner)(Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) found on tomato plants in Côte d’Ivoire.

Objective: The objective was to evaluate the effects of foliar application of Jatropha and neem aqueous extracts compared to a conventional insecticide treatment on the number of whitefly Bemisia tabaci (Gennadius) and bollworm Helicoverpa armigera (Hübner), yield of tomatoes in plots and the potentials of using any of these aqueous extracts to control these insect pests.Methodology and results: the study was conducted in the region of Moronou (Bongouanou, Koffikro, CBC Kangandissou). The insecticides Décis 12 EC® and Cypercal 50 EC®, and neem and jatropha aqueous extract were used for tomato foliar treatment (neem and jatropha seeds 80 and 50g/L, neem leaves 67 g/L). The treatments of tomato plant plots with pesticides Decis® and Cypercal® showed similar yields of biopestcide made of neem and jatropha in Ahorosso (P=0.00), Bongouanou (P=0.07) and CBC Kangandissou (P=0.01) plots. All of these treatments reduced the number of Bemisia tabaci adults, reduced the number of Helicoverpa armigera larvae on tomato plants and increased number of fruits per plant, the fruit weight per plant and the yield.Conclusion and application of findings: Statistical analysis shows that aqueous extract of jatropha and neem seed 80 g/L and 50 g/L, and of neem leaves 67 g/L are as effective as pesticides Décis® and Cypercal® on Bemisia tabaci and Helicoverpa armigera. Consequently, these biopesticides increased the number of fruits per plant and yield. This result should enable use of aqueous extract of neem and jatropha seed and of neem leaves to protect tomato plants against Bemisia tabaci and  Helicoverpa armigera at farm.Keywords: Bemisia tabaci; Helicoverpa armigera; tomato crop; aqueous extract; biocontro

Caractérisation des isolats de Phytophthora spp du verger cacaoyers de Côte d’Ivoire

Objectifs : La pourriture brune des cabosses due à Phytophthora spp. est l’affection la plus répandue et la plus importante dans la cacaoculture ivoirienne. Cette étude a été réalisée pour caractériser et identifier les isolats de Phytophthora spp à partir des caractères morphologiques et moléculaires.Méthodologie et résultats : Cinquante isolats provenant des principales zones (Est, Centre-Ouest, et Sudouest) du verger cacaoyers de la Côte d’ivoire ont été isolés à partir de cabosses immatures atteintes de pourriture brune. Les caractères phénotypiques asexués et moléculaires à savoir : la longueur, la largeur, le rapport longueur/largeur des sporocystes, la longueur du pédicelle, la forme et la caducité des sporocystes, le type de colonie et l’analyse des fragments de restriction de l’ADN des régions ITS (Espaceur Interne Transcrit) ont été évalués. Les sporocystes des isolats étudiés apparaissaient très variables dans leur forme d’un isolat à un autre. Ils étaient de forme ovoïde, ellipsoïde, obpyriforme, ovoïde-obpyriforme et arrondis à leur base. Les sporanges des isolats observés étaient caducs donc éparpillés avec un pédicelle court (2,92 ± 1,18 Gm). Les sporanges étaient également variables par leur taille, variant entre 33,25 à 55,00 Gm en longueur et entre 21,99 à 34,37 Gm en largeur avec un rapport longueur/largeur variant de 1,23 à 1,94. Les colonies sur culture carotte-agar brut étaient radiées, striés et/ou stellées, et pétaloïdes. L’amplification par ITS-PCR de l’ADN a généré un fragment spécifique de 900 bp. L’analyse des fragments de restriction obtenus après digestion par les endonucléases (AluI ; PvuII ; HaeIII ;HinfI et MspI) a montré que tous les isolats étudiés appartenaient à l’espèce Phytophthora palmivora.Conclusion et application de résultats : Il ressort de notre étude que la technique PCR-RFLP a été plus discriminante par rapport aux méthodes traditionnelles pour caractériser et identifier les isolats de Phytophthora spp. Les résultats montrent également que la technique PCR-RFLP est un moyen rapide sélectif et fiable dans l’identification des Phytophthora spp. En outre, cette méthode peut être utilisée comme outil de prévention et de gestion dans la lutte contre la pourriture brune des cabosses. Cette étude a confirmé la présence de Phytophthora palmivora comme l’espèce la plus prédominante bien que Phytophthora megakarya ait été récemment découverte dans l’Est du verger cacaoyers.Mots clés : pourriture brune ; sporange ; pédicelle ; papille ; Phytophthora spp ; région ITS ; PCR-RFL

Social autopsy for maternal and child deaths: a comprehensive literature review to examine the concept and the development of the method

"Social autopsy" refers to an interview process aimed at identifying social, behavioral, and health systems contributors to maternal and child deaths. It is often combined with a verbal autopsy interview to establish the biological cause of death. Two complementary purposes of social autopsy include providing population-level data to health care programmers and policymakers to utilize in developing more effective strategies for delivering maternal and child health care technologies, and increasing awareness of maternal and child death as preventable problems in order to empower communities to participate and engage health programs to increase their responsiveness and accountability

Analysis of caesarean rate and indications of university hospitals in sub-Saharan African developing countries using Robson classification system: the case of Cocody’s hospital center, Abidjan-Cote d’Ivoire

Background: According to the World Health Organization (WHO), it has become imperative to monitor caesarean rates in hospitals since these rates continue to increase; WHO recommends this monitoring by the Robson’s system. The study objective was  to describe caesarean rates in a level 3 maternity of developing country using this system, to identify the groups likely increase overall rate of caesarean.Methods: A retrospective and comparative study made in Cocody University Hospital Center (Abidjan-Cote d’Ivoire) over a period of twelve years.  A total of 21,067 women who delivered during this period by caesarean were included.Results: The overall rate of caesarean during the study period was 38.7% with a significant increase from Period I to Period II (34.8 vs. 41.7%; p ˂0.000). The subgroup 2 (nulliparas, single cephalic term pregnancy, caesarean before labor) made the greatest contribution to the overall CS rate with an increase of +5% (10.1 vs. 15.1%; p˂0,000). Women with previous CS (groups 5, 7, 8, 9, 10) increased the caesarean rate of +3.4% (7 vs. 10.4%; p˂0.000). The group 6 increased it of +2.9% (4.7 vs 7.6%; p˂0.000). Caesarean indications were dominated by fetal acute distress (24.5 vs. 22.6%; p˂0,000), then followed by fetal-pelvic disproportion (21.8 vs. 10.7%), severe preeclampsia/eclampsia (13.5 vs. 17.5%; p˂0.000), scarred uterus and breech presentation.Conclusions: Robson classification has identified the groups led to a significant increase in caesarean rates in our service and therefore has good focus our preventive actions.

Influence of UV irradiation on mechanical properties and drop-weight impact performance of polypropylene biocomposites reinforced with short flax and pine fibers

The design of biocomposite structures for outdoor applications should consider the influence of ultraviolet (UV) irradiation on the mechanical performances to more accurately determine their durability characteristics and prevent significant damage. Ultraviolet radiation causes the discoloration, surface roughness, mass loss, and degradation of the mechanical properties of biocomposites. In this study, the flexural strength and low-velocity impact response of polypropylene reinforced with short flax or pine fibers, which differed with respect to their physical and chemical properties, were investigated. Flax fibers are twice the length of pine fibers, and exhibit higher cellulose contents. Moreover, flax fibers have been demonstrated to increase the flexural strength and impact resistance of biocomposites. However, under UV irradiation, pine fibers containing more lignin dampened the degradation. Under photo-oxidative conditions, lignin is degraded to protect crystalline cellulose by acting as a light-absorbing compound. Non-destructive techniques such as Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), colorimetry, confocal imaging, acoustic emission, and CT scanning were therefore used to evaluate the effect of UV radiation on the chemical properties, color change, surface roughness, bending behavior, and drop-impact damage

Efficacy and Safety of Mefloquine, Artesunate, Mefloquine-Artesunate, and Praziquantel against Schistosoma haematobium: Randomized, Exploratory Open-Label Trial

Background. Morbidity control of schistosomiasis relies on a single drug, praziquantel. The antimalarial drug mefloquine possesses interesting antischistosomal properties, yet no clinical studies have been performed. Methods. We conducted a randomized, exploratory open-label trial to assess the efficacy and safety of mefloquine (25 mg/kg), artesunate (3 doses of 4 mg/kg), mefloquine-artesunate (3 doses of 100 mg artesunate plus 250 mg mefloquine), and praziquantel (40 mg/kg) against Schistosoma haematobium. The effects on Schistosoma mansoni, malaria parasitemia, soil-transmitted helminths, and intestinal protozoa were also determined. Results. A total of 83 S. haematobium-infected schoolchildren were included in the study. Cure rates of mefloquine, artesunate, mefloquine-artesunate, and praziquantel against S. haematobium at day 26 after treatment were 21%, 25%, 61%, and 88%, respectively. Both mefloquine-artesunate and praziquantel resulted in egg reduction rates >95%. Significantly lower egg reduction rates were seen in the artesunate (85%) and mefloquine groups (74%). In children coinfected with S. mansoni, praziquantel and mefloquine-artesunate, but not mefloquine and artesunate alone, resulted in high cure rates and egg reduction rates. Mefloquine, artesunate, and mefloquine-artesunate completely cured infections due to Plasmodium falciparum. No effects were found against soil-transmitted helminths and intestinal protozoa. Abdominal pain was the most frequent adverse event, with a higher incidence among children treated with mefloquine (89%), mefloquine-artesunate (83%), and artesunate (60%) than among children treated with praziquantel (46%). Conclusions. The high efficacy of mefloquine-artesunate against S. haematobium warrants further investigation. Individuals coinfected with Plasmodium and Schistosoma who were treated with a mefloquine-artesunate combination against malaria might have a dual benefit: clearance of malaria parasitemia and reduction of schistosomiasisrelated morbidity. Clinical trials registration. Current Controlled Trials identifier: ISRCTN0649876

L’automutilation génitale : intérêt d’un avis psychiatrique dans la prise en charge urologique

Les automutilations sont des conduites fréquentes, souvent associées à une morbidité psychiatrique. Les auteurs rapportent trois observations de sujets admis dans le service d’urologie du CHU de Cocody d’Abidjan, pour des automutilations génitales. Au cours de la prise en charge chirurgicale, l’avis psychiatrique demandé chez ces patients a conclu au diagnostic de schizophrénie paranoïde. Les frustrations survenues dans l’accomplissement de leur sexualité ontconstitué les motifs évoqués par les patients pour réaliser l’automutilation génitale. La blessure auto-infligée a eu pour fonctions de communiquer à l’entourage la souffrance psychique, exprimerla dissociation psychique caractéristique de la schizophrénie. Le traitement chirurgical débuté avant la prise en charge psychiatrique ou de façon concomitante, a consisté en une suture des corps caverneux chez le 3ème patient; suture des corps caverneux et urétrorraphie chez le 2ème, puis à une urétrostomie définitive chez le premier. Ces observations soulignent l’intérêt de la collaboration entre chirurgiens et psychiatres dans la prise en charge des automutilations

Synthèse des travaux effectués au CRO sur les végétations envahissantes flottantes (1985-1990). Propositions et recommandations

The present document represents a synthesis of the scientific knowledge gathered by the CRO in the years 1985-1990, and related to the proliferation of aquatic macrophytes, commonly called floating aquatic weeds, in the Ebrié lagoon

Healthy aging: comparative analysis of local perception and diet in two health districts of Côte d'Ivoire and Japan

Context: Good health and longevity depend on dynamic interactions between biological, social, psychological, and environmental factors. Aging is globally a big challenge, particularly with the demographic transition, including population growth, and an emerging burden to society. Knowledge, behavior, diet, and consumption of animal source food were related to aging and emerged as the key factors modulating healthy aging. Objective: The study was designed to understand the main healthy aging factors, such as knowledge, social network, and diet of elders, and to derive mutual learning from it for healthy aging. Methods: A qualitative approach has been applied to explore health-related knowledge, attitude, and diet of elders from Ebetsu (Japan) and Tiassale (Cote d'Ivoire) health districts, using focus group discussions and comparative context analysis between high- and low-income countries. Results: The study shows that living longer is a common feature of people in Japan compared to Cote d'Ivoire, where the life expectancy is still low. Both groups of elders have social networks that support them, and both offer their gained experience to society. While Japanese elders depend on pension and insurance for income and medical treatments, Ivorians depend mostly on their children and social network in old age. The worries of elders differ between the two regions. In Ebetsu, elder members of the community are concerned about the future burden they pose for the younger generation if they develop ill-health, making them more resilient to aging. In Taabo, elders are considered to be culturally and socially useful to the society. Elders in Ebetsu pointed out that for healthy aging, education on diet at a younger age, physical activities, and access to basic social services are the key aspects. This was not observed in Taabo's context. Being inactive and dependent on others were described as the most worrying situations for elders in Ebetsu, as it is perceived to increase the risk of non-communicable diseases and anxiety. Elders in Ebetsu have good knowledge on what constitutes a healthy diet, and they believe that diversifying their diet, reducing portions, and substituting red meat with good animal and vegetable proteins are best eating practices to maintain good health. In Cote d'Ivoire, the diet is imbalanced and the whole family consumes the same meal made mainly with high-energy staples and little protein. However, it is observed in both societies that adopting a good diet is very expensive. Conclusion: The consciousness of aging is universal, but healthy aging varies according to the social systems, education, and knowledge on diet transition. Physical activities, protein-energy balance in diet, and social networks are the key for healthy aging in both contexts. The challenge is to find ways to increase knowledge regarding healthy aging and to strengthen the support system so that healthy aging becomes affordable

Prevalence of Schistosoma mono- and co-infections with multiple common parasites and associated risk factors and morbidity profile among adults in the Taabo health and demographic surveillance system, South-Central Côte d'Ivoire

BACKGROUND: Schistosomiasis remains an important public health problem, also among adults, and infected individuals not treated serve as a reservoir for continued transmission. Despite this fact, evidence on the epidemiology of schistosomiasis in adults in Cote d'Ivoire is scanty. This study aimed to determine the prevalence and risk factors of Schistosoma infection and co-infection with other helminth species and Plasmodium among adults in the Taabo region in the south-central part of Cote d'Ivoire. METHODS: A cross-sectional survey was carried out in April and May 2017 in the frame of the "Cote d'Ivoire Dual Burden of Disease Study" (CoDuBu). A total of 901 randomly selected individuals, aged 18-90 years, provided blood, stool and urine samples for the diagnosis of malaria and helminth infections. Stool samples were subjected to the Kato-Katz technique for detection of Schistosoma mansoni and soil-transmitted helminth eggs, while urine samples were examined for eggs of Schistosoma haematobium and circulating cathodic antigen of S. mansoni. Risk factors and morbidity profiles were assessed using health examination and questionnaires. Multinomial logistic regressions were employed to identify risk factors and morbidity patterns associated with S. mansoni mono- and co-infections. RESULTS: The prevalence of S. mansoni and S. haematobium was 23.2% and 1.0%, respectively. Most S. mansoni were mono-infections (81.3%). Independent determinants of S. mansoni infection were young age, low socioeconomic status (mono- and co-infection) and poor hygiene practices (co-infection) (P < 0.05). S. mansoni infection was independently associated with higher pain and symptom scores (mono-infection), poor self-rated health and low healthcare use (co-infection) (P < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: This study showed that adults represent a substantial reservoir of S. mansoni. To sustain schistosomiasis control and improve people's wellbeing, it is important to expand preventive chemotherapy from school-aged children to adults, coupled with hygiene and health education