Factors Associated with Coverage and Usage of Long-Lasting Insecticidal Nets in Madagascar

In October 2007, long-lasting insecticidal nets (LLINs) were distributed in 59 of the 111 districts in Madagascar as part of a nationwide child survival campaign. A community-based cross-sectional survey was conducted six months post-campaign to evaluate net ownership, use and equity. Here, we examined the effects of socioeconomic factors on LLIN ownership and usage in districts with and without net distribution during the campaign. Our data demonstrated that in districts with LLIN distribution, LLIN ownership was similar across all wealth groups in households with at least one child under the age of five years (90.5% versus 88.6%); in districts without net distribution, 57.8% of households in the poorest tertile compared to 90.1% of households in the least poor tertile owned at least one LLIN. In contrast, in LLIN-owning households, both in districts with and without net distribution, higher socio-economic status was not associated with use among children under five years. These findings suggest that socio-economic status contributes to the household net ownership but once a household owns a net, socio-economic status is not associated with net use

Graphene: a game changer in prosthodontics and implant dentistry

Graphene family nonmaterial, with supercilious mechanical, chemical, and biological properties, have grabbed attention on the path of researches seeking newer materials for future biomedical applications. Although potential applications of graphene had been highly reviewed in other fields of medicine, especially for their antibacterial properties and tissue regenerative capacities, in vivo and in vitro studies related to prosthodontics are very limited. Therefore, based on current knowledge and latest progress, this article aimed to present the recent achievements and provide a literature review on potential uses and applications of graphene that could be converted into clinical reality in prosthodontics

Association of maternal serum homocysteine level with severity of preeclampsia: a case control study

Background: The objective of the study was to investigate plasma levels of homocysteine in women with preeclampsia and eclampsia, and to assess whether there is any association between hyperhomocysteinemia and the severity of preeclampsia.Methods: In this case control study, 120 women were recruited in the study in which 40 cases of preeclampsia, 40 cases of eclampsia and 40 healthy normotensive women were taken as controls between the study period September 2013 to August 2015. Assessment of homocysteine level was done in cases and controls. Association was studied between maternal homocysteine level and preeclampsia and eclampsia and also with the severity of pre-eclampsia.Results: There was a significant association between pre-eclampsia and eclampsia and maternal serum homocysteine levels (median homocysteine level 16.25moμl/lit with P-value being less than 0.001 for preeclampsia ; median homocysteine level-31.34 μmol/lit with p value being less than 0.001 for eclampsia). There was also a significant association between severity of preeclampsia and maternal homocysteine level (mean serum homocysteine level in nonsevere preeclampsia 14.99±3.47 μmol/lit with p value being 0.35; in severe preeclampsia 19.90±6.17 μmol/lit with p value less than 0.001 and 30.44±4.75 μmol/lit with p value less than 0.001.Conclusions: In the present study a positive association was found between pre-eclampsia and maternal serum homocysteine levels and it was found to be statistically significant. Also the levels were higher as the severity of preeclampsia increased.

Formononetin Treatment in Type 2 Diabetic Rats Reduces Insulin Resistance and Hyperglycemia

Type 2 diabetic mellitus is a multifactorial metabolic disorder affecting huge population around the world. This indicates that there is an urgent unmet need of cost effective, new treatment strategies for type 2 diabetes mellitus with no or less side effects. Phenolic compounds including isoflavones are known for their beneficial effect in metabolic disorders. The present work was intended to find out efficacy of formononetin, an isoflavone treatment in experimental model of type 2 diabetes. Type 2 diabetes mellitus was induced by feeding high fat diet for 2 weeks prior to streptozotocin administration in Sprague Dawley rats. Diabetic animals were treated with formononetin for 28 days at three dose level, i.e., 10, 20, and 40 mg/kg body weight orally. The effect of formononetin treatment on various parameters such as plasma glucose, glucose tolerance, insulin, HOMA-IR, lipid profile, hepatic glycogen content, glycohaemoglobin and SIRT1 expression in pancreatic tissue was measured. Histopathological changes in pancreatic tissue were also studied. Results of the study demonstrate that formononetin treatment reduces blood glucose level significantly (p < 0.001) at all the three dose level. It also improved glucose tolerance, insulin sensitivity and lipid profile along with reduction in glycohaemoglobin content in blood. Formononetin treatment also improved hepatic glycogen level profoundly in diabetic rats. Determination of SIRT1 expression in pancreatic tissue by immunohistochemical analysis showed that formononetin treatment increases the expression of SIRT1 in pancreatic tissue. Histopathological study showed that treatment with formononetin protects pancreatic beta cells from necro-degeneration and atrophic effect. It can be concluded that formononetin treatment reduces insulin resistance and attenuate hyperglycemia in type 2 diabetes which may be due to increasing expression of SIRT1 in pancreatic tissues

Gastric duplication cyst: A rare congenital anomaly

Gastrointestinal (GI) duplication is defined as a spherical structure, with a muscular coat lined by a mucous membrane in the alimentary tract is a rare congenital anomaly. In this report, we present a case of a 14-year-old male child with complaints of epigastric pain for 1 month. Computed tomography scan of the abdomen was suggestive of two cystic lesions in the stomach. Exploratory laparotomy was performed with excision of cysts. Histopathology of both cysts was suggestive of gastric duplication cyst

Capture it on video: Implementing a novel knowledge translation strategy as part of the Safe Motherhood Project, Jimma Zone, Ethiopia

This short report addresses videography as a novel knowledge translation tool in maternal, newborn and child health (MNCH) research, detailing the experiences of the Safe Motherhood Research Project in Ethiopia. The Safe Motherhood Research Project (2015-2020) studied the implementation and scale up of MNCH interventions in rural communities of Jimma Zone, Ethiopia. In 2018, a videography component was integrated into the project, including three major activities: producing a video documentary; delivering capacity building workshops for university students and staff; and donating video equipment to the Jimma University Institute of Health. These activities have increased the exposure of the research project to a broader audience and enabled university students and staff to undertake new videography projects. Challenges, lessons learned, and future opportunities are detailed in the hopes that other research teams can adopt videography to increase the exposure and impact of their research.   Ce court rapport aborde la vidéographie comme un nouvel outil d'application des connaissances dans la recherche sur la santé des mères et des enfants (SME), détaillant les expériences du Safe Motherhood Research Project en Éthiopie. Le projet de recherche (2015-2020) a étudié la mise en oeuvre et l'intensification des interventions de SME dans les communautés rurales de la zone de Jimma, en Éthiopie. En 2018, un élément vidéographie a été intégré au projet, comprenant trois activités majeures : la production d'un documentaire vidéo; organiser des ateliers de renforcement des capacités pour les étudiants et le personnel universitaires ; et en faisant don d'équipement vidéo à institut de la santé à l'Université Jimma. Ces activités ont accru l'exposition du projet de recherche à un public plus large et ont permis aux étudiants et au personnel universitaire d'entreprendre de nouveaux projets de vidéographie. Les défis, les leçons apprises et les opportunités futures sont détaillés dans l'espoir que d'autres équipes de recherche puissent utiliser la vidéographie pour augmenter la visibilité et l'impact de leur recherch

Modelling the impact of antibody-dependent enhancement on disease severity of Zika virus and dengue virus sequential and co-infection

Human infections with viruses of the genus Flavivirus, including dengue virus (DENV) and Zika virus (ZIKV), are of increasing global importance. Owing to antibody-dependent enhancement (ADE), secondary infection with one Flavivirus following primary infection with another Flavivirus can result in a significantly larger peak viral load with a much higher risk of severe disease. Although several mathematical models have been developed to quantify the virus dynamics in the primary and secondary infections of DENV, little progress has been made regarding secondary infection of DENV after a primary infection of ZIKV, or DENV-ZIKV co-infection. Here, we address this critical gap by developing compartmental models of virus dynamics. We first fitted the models to published data on dengue viral loads of the primary and secondary infections with the observation that the primary infection reaches its peak much more gradually than the secondary infection. We then quantitatively show that ADE is the key factor determining a sharp increase/decrease of viral load near the peak time in the secondary infection. In comparison, our simulations of DENV and ZIKV co-infection (simultaneous rather than sequential) show that ADE has very limited influence on the peak DENV viral load. This indicates pre-existing immunity to ZIKV is the determinant of a high level of ADE effect. Our numerical simulations show that (i) in the absence of ADE effect, a subsequent co-infection is beneficial to the second virus; and (ii) if ADE is feasible, then a subsequent co-infection can induce greater damage to the host with a higher peak viral load and a much earlier peak time for the second virus, and for the second peak for the first virus.Fil: Tang, Biao. University of York; Reino Unido. University of Toronto; CanadáFil: Xiao, Yanni. Xi'an Jiaotong University; ChinaFil: Sander, Beate. University of Toronto; CanadáFil: Kulkarni, Manisha A.. University of Ottawa; CanadáFil: Wu, Jianhong. University of York; Reino UnidoFil: Miretti, Marcos Mateo. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Nordeste. Instituto de Biología Subtropical. Instituto de Biología Subtropical - Nodo Posadas | Universidad Nacional de Misiones. Instituto de Biología Subtropical. Instituto de Biología Subtropical - Nodo Posadas; Argentin

Comparison of Different Reconstruction Flap for Maxillofacial Region: An Original Research.

INTRODUCTION: Large chunks of the tissue are sacrificed during the surgical procedures for the treatment if oral cancers. Our goal was to assess the viability of MATERIAL AND METHODS: Sixty subjects were included in this investigation, and they were divided into 3 groups. The follow-up as accompanied for six months. Comparisons were made for the time for the operations, reduction in the width of the mouth opening and the survival rates of the flaps. The data that was collected for the above two parameters and compared for the significance using the RESULTS: In the subjects with the PM, the width of the mouth opening reduced comparatively greater than that of the subjects who received other two flaps. The reduction in the mouth opening in the PM was significantly greater compared to that of the ALT and RFF. Survival was greater for the groups ALT and RFF compared to PM. Time of the surgery was the greatest for the ALT and least for the PF. CONCLUSION: The observations point to the fact that the PF requires more time than that of the other two flaps. The survival was however better for the ALT and RFF. Further research is suggested for suggesting an appropriative flap design