Functionality, in Vitro Digestibility and Physicochemical Properties of Two Varieties of Defatted Foxtail Millet Protein Concentrates

Two varieties of foxtail millet protein concentrates (white and yellow) were characterized for in vitro trypsin digestibility, functional and physicochemical properties. Millet protein concentrate was easily digested by trypsin in vitro. Essential amino acids were above the amounts recommended by the Food Agricultural Organization/World Health Organization (FAO/WHO/UNU) for humans. Yellow millet protein concentrate (YMPC) possessed the highest differential scanning calorimetry result (peak temperature of 88.98 °C, delta H = 0.01 J/g), white millet protein concentrate (WMPC) had the lowest (peak temperature 84.06 °C, delta H = 0.10 J/g). The millet protein concentrates had molecular sizes around 14.4 and 97.4 kDa. They have U-shape solubility curves. Water-binding capacity was in the range of 5.0 and 7.0 g/g, while oil absorption capacity ranged between 4.8 and 5.9 g/g. WMPC had higher bulk density (0.22 g/mL) and emulsifying capacity than YMPC and Soy Protein Concentrate (SPC). Foam capacity and foam stability ranged from 137 to 73 g/mL for WMPC, from 124 to 61 g/mL SPC and from 124 to 46 g/mL for YMPC. Millet protein concentrates are potential functional food ingredients

Isolation of Angola-like Marburg virus from Egyptian rousette bats from West Africa.

Marburg virus (MARV) causes sporadic outbreaks of severe Marburg virus disease (MVD). Most MVD outbreaks originated in East Africa and field studies in East Africa, South Africa, Zambia, and Gabon identified the Egyptian rousette bat (ERB; Rousettus aegyptiacus) as a natural reservoir. However, the largest recorded MVD outbreak with the highest case-fatality ratio happened in 2005 in Angola, where direct spillover from bats was not  shown. Here, collaborative studies by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Njala University, University of California, Davis USAID-PREDICT, and the University of Makeni identify MARV circulating in ERBs in Sierra Leone. PCR, antibody and virus isolation data from 1755 bats of 42 species shows active MARV infection in approximately 2.5% of ERBs. Phylogenetic analysis identifies MARVs that are similar to the Angola strain. These results provide evidence of MARV circulation in West Africa and demonstrate the value of pathogen surveillance to identify previously undetected threats

An Update on the Surveillance of Livestock Diseases and Antimicrobial Use in Sierra Leone in 2021-An Operational Research Study.

In Sierra Leone, in 2020, a study by the Livestock and Veterinary Services Division (Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry) on the surveillance system of animal diseases and antimicrobial use found poor reporting. Of the expected weekly districts reports, <1% were received and only three of the 15 districts had submitted reports occasionally between 2016 and 2019. Following this, staff-capacity-building on reporting was undertaken. In 2021, we reassessed the improvement in reporting and used the reports to describe livestock diseases and antimicrobials utilized in their treatment. Between March and October 2021, 88% of expected weekly reports from all 15 districts were received. There were minor deficiencies in completeness and consistency in the terminology used for reporting animal disease and antimicrobials. Available reports showed that 25% of the livestock had an infectious disease, and a quarter of the sick animals had received an antimicrobial drug. Most animals received antimicrobials belonging to World Organization for Animal Health's "veterinary critically important" category (77%) and World Health Organization's "critically" (17%) and "highly important" (60%) categories for human health. These indicate a significant improvement in the animal health surveillance system and highlight the need for enhanced antimicrobial stewardship to prevent misuse of antimicrobials that are significant in animal and human health

Exploring the effect of implementation and context on a stepped-wedge randomised controlled trial of a vital sign triage device in routine maternity care in low-resource settings

© 2019 The Author(s). Background: Interventions aimed at reducing maternal mortality are increasingly complex. Understanding how complex interventions are delivered, to whom, and how they work is key in ensuring their rapid scale-up. We delivered a vital signs triage intervention into routine maternity care in eight low- and middle-income countries with the aim of reducing a composite outcome of morbidity and mortality. This was a pragmatic, hybrid effectiveness-implementation stepped-wedge randomised controlled trial. In this study, we present the results of the mixed-methods process evaluation. The aim was to describe implementation and local context and integrate results to determine whether differences in the effect of the intervention across sites could be explained. Methods: The duration and content of implementation, uptake of the intervention and its impact on clinical management were recorded. These were integrated with interviews (n = 36) and focus groups (n = 19) at 3 months and 6-9 months after implementation. In order to determine the effect of implementation on effectiveness, measures were ranked and averaged across implementation domains to create a composite implementation strength score and then correlated with the primary outcome. Results: Overall, 61.1% (n = 2747) of health care providers were trained in the intervention (range 16.5% to 89.2%) over a mean of 10.8 days. Uptake and acceptability of the intervention was good. All clusters demonstrated improved availability of vital signs equipment. There was an increase in the proportion of women having their blood pressure measured in pregnancy following the intervention (79.2% vs. 97.6%; OR 1.30 (1.29-1.31)) and no significant change in referral rates (3.7% vs. 4.4% OR 0.89; (0.39-2.05)). Availability of resources and acceptable, effective referral systems influenced health care provider interaction with the intervention. There was no correlation between process measures within or between domains, or between the composite score and the primary outcome. Conclusions: This process evaluation has successfully described the quantity and quality of implementation. Variation in implementation and context did not explain differences in the effectiveness of the intervention on maternal mortality and morbidity. We suggest future trials should prioritise in-depth evaluation of local context and clinical pathways. Trial registration: Trial registration: ISRCTN41244132. Registered on 2 Feb 2016

The preschool of possibilities : A qualitative study of the preschool work with the compensating mandate by an equality perspective.

BakgrundSamhällsutvecklingen har gett upphov till en rad förändringar inom utbildningssystemet, där vi gått från ett industrisamhälle till ett kunskapssamhälle. Det har sedan 1900-talet skett ett flertal förändringar inom skolväsendet angående styrningen av skolan. Från en centralstyrd skola har ansvaret förskjutits till kommunen. Införandet av skolpengen och fria skolvalet har även öppnat upp för marknaden att inrätta skolor drivna av privata aktörer. Det fanns även en tro på att dessa reformer skulle bidra till en ökad integration. Resultatet blev istället det motsatta, det vill säga en ökad segregation som idag är större än någonsin, och där socioekonomiska grupper idag är uppdelade. Likvärdigheten har i relation till denna problematik försämrats då kvaliteten varierar mellan skolformerna. Ett verktyg för att stävja denna utveckling och som är ett intressant koncept för att verka kompensatoriskt är den mobila förskolan som har en buss som resurs för att erbjuda barn ökade samhälls- och kulturupplevelser.SyfteSyftet är att undersöka hur pedagogisk personal på mobila förskolor anser att de arbetar med det kompensatoriska uppdraget ur ett likvärdighetsperspektiv.MetodI vår studie har vi använt oss av en kvalitativ forskningsansats med halvstrukturerade intervjuer som undersökningsredskap. Sammantaget har fem intervjuer genomförts. Det teoretiska ramverket utgörs av klassteori.ResultatMobila förskolan utmärker sig som en plattform där ökade möjligheter för integration kan uppnås genom det upplevelsebaserade lärandet. Mobila förskolan är särskilt prioriterad i utsatta områden, då det har visat sig att dessa områden är mer resurskrävande. Detta innebär ökade krav på en kompensatorisk verksamhet där resultatet visar att mobila förskolan är ett sätt att motverka sociala klyftor, samt ge ökade förutsättningar för barn i socialt utsatta områden. Det bör även tilläggas att mobila förskolan inte bara är ett verktyg för socialt utsatta områden utan kan användas i andra syften för att öka barns möjligheter till upplevelser och möten med sin omvärld, vilket kan vara starten i det livslånga lärandet

Urbanization increases Aedes albopictus larval habitats and accelerates mosquito development and survivorship.

IntroductionAedes albopictus is a very invasive and aggressive insect vector that causes outbreaks of dengue fever, chikungunya disease, and yellow fever in many countries. Vector ecology and disease epidemiology are strongly affected by environmental changes. Urbanization is a worldwide trend and is one of the most ecologically modifying phenomena. The purpose of this study is to determine how environmental changes due to urbanization affect the ecology of Aedes albopictus.MethodsAquatic habitats and Aedes albopictus larval population surveys were conducted from May to November 2013 in three areas representing rural, suburban, and urban settings in Guangzhou, China. Ae. albopictus adults were collected monthly using BG-Sentinel traps. Ae. albopictus larva and adult life-table experiments were conducted with 20 replicates in each of the three study areas.ResultsThe urban area had the highest and the rural area had the lowest number of aquatic habitats that tested positive for Ae. albopictus larvae. Densities in the larval stages varied among the areas, but the urban area had almost two-fold higher densities in pupae and three-fold higher in adult populations compared with the suburban and rural areas. Larvae developed faster and the adult emergence rate was higher in the urban area than in suburban and rural areas. The survival time of adult mosquitoes was also longer in the urban area than it was in suburban and rural areas. Study regions, surface area, water depth, water clearance, surface type, and canopy coverage were important factors associated with the presence of Ae. albopictus larvae.ConclusionsUrbanization substantially increased the density, larval development rate, and adult survival time of Ae. albopictus, which in turn potentially increased the vector capacity, and therefore, disease transmissibility. Mosquito ecology and its correlation with dengue virus transmission should be compared in different environmental settings

Urbanization increases Aedes albopictus larval habitats and accelerates mosquito development and survivorship.

IntroductionAedes albopictus is a very invasive and aggressive insect vector that causes outbreaks of dengue fever, chikungunya disease, and yellow fever in many countries. Vector ecology and disease epidemiology are strongly affected by environmental changes. Urbanization is a worldwide trend and is one of the most ecologically modifying phenomena. The purpose of this study is to determine how environmental changes due to urbanization affect the ecology of Aedes albopictus.MethodsAquatic habitats and Aedes albopictus larval population surveys were conducted from May to November 2013 in three areas representing rural, suburban, and urban settings in Guangzhou, China. Ae. albopictus adults were collected monthly using BG-Sentinel traps. Ae. albopictus larva and adult life-table experiments were conducted with 20 replicates in each of the three study areas.ResultsThe urban area had the highest and the rural area had the lowest number of aquatic habitats that tested positive for Ae. albopictus larvae. Densities in the larval stages varied among the areas, but the urban area had almost two-fold higher densities in pupae and three-fold higher in adult populations compared with the suburban and rural areas. Larvae developed faster and the adult emergence rate was higher in the urban area than in suburban and rural areas. The survival time of adult mosquitoes was also longer in the urban area than it was in suburban and rural areas. Study regions, surface area, water depth, water clearance, surface type, and canopy coverage were important factors associated with the presence of Ae. albopictus larvae.ConclusionsUrbanization substantially increased the density, larval development rate, and adult survival time of Ae. albopictus, which in turn potentially increased the vector capacity, and therefore, disease transmissibility. Mosquito ecology and its correlation with dengue virus transmission should be compared in different environmental settings