Long-term morbidity from severe pneumonia in early childhood in The Gambia, West Africa: a follow-up study

OBJECTIVE: To assess long-term outcomes in severe early childhood pneumonia in The Gambia. DESIGN: Observational cohort study of children hospitalised with severe pneumonia between 1992 and 1 04 compared to age, sex, and neigh bourhood-marched controls on measures of current general and pulmonary health. RESULTS: Of 83 children successfully traced, 68 of the 69 alive at follow-up agreed to participate. Thirteen per Cent of cases and 4% of controls had lung disease clinically or on spirometry. Another 16 (13%) participants had abnormal spirometry but did not meet the American Thoracic Society technical criteria (formally 'inconclusive'). Odds ratios of lung disease among childhood pneumonia cases were 2.93 (95 %CI 0.69-12.48, P = 0.1468) with incon-clusives omitted; 2.53 (95 %CI 0.61-10.59, P = 0.2033) with inconclusives included as normal; and 2.83 (95%CI 1.09-7.36, P = 0.0334) with inconclusives included as lung disease. Among deceased cases, most deaths were reported within weeks of discharge, suggesting a possible connection between admission and subsequent death. CONCLUSION: These African data, while not conclusive, add to previous data suggesting a link between severe early, childhood pneumonia and later chronic lung disease. While larger-scale research is needed, increased awareness of possible long-term morbidity in children with severe pneumonia is warranted to limit its impact and optimise long-term health

Gendered Impact of Irrigated Rice Schemes’ Governance on Farmers’ Income, Productivity and Technical Efficiency in Benin

Collective actions groups have many advantages and are sometimes essential, yet they can reinforce or perpetuate inter-and intra-gender inequalities when their functioning is left entirely subject to internal community dynamics and they are not well managed. This is well illustrated by the case of Koussin-Lélé rice scheme in the central Benin. This paper apply inequality indices and frontier production function to data from a sample of male and women rice farmers to analyze the gender inequalities in access to land and the governance of the groups, and their gender-differentiated impacts on farmers' productivity, technical efficiency and income. The results show that women are particularly discriminated against with regards to access to land, with significant negative impacts on their productivities and incomes. However, this discrimination did not have a significant impact on technical efficiency.Gender, land distribution, Rice, technical efficiency, productivity, income, Agricultural and Food Policy, Consumer/Household Economics, Demand and Price Analysis, Farm Management, Food Consumption/Nutrition/Food Safety, Food Security and Poverty, International Relations/Trade, Marketing, Productivity Analysis, Research and Development/Tech Change/Emerging Technologies,

Impact of infestation by parasitic weeds on rice farmers' productivity and technical efficiency in sub-Saharan Africa

Rice production is crucial for food security and income generation in sub-Saharan Africa. However, productivity and technical efficiency levels in rice production systems are severely constrained by biotic constraints such as parasitic weeds. This paper assesses the impact of infestation by parasitic weeds on rice farmers’ technical efficiency and examines the potential role of managerial factors in improving technical efficiency. Household and field survey data were collected from rice farmers in Cote d’Ivoire and Benin in West Africa. A stochastic frontier production function was estimated, which allows for identifying the levels of exogenous factors that prevent farmers from improving technical efficiency levels. The results suggest that farmers cope with parasitic weeds through learning from experiencing infestations by parasitic weed. The results will assist national extension in designing segmented training programmes that are better tailored to rice farmers’ needs and preventing food security from being jeopardized by parasitic weeds

Genome analysis of a highly virulent serotype 1 strain of streptococcus pneumoniae from West Africa

Streptococcus pneumoniae is a leading cause of pneumonia, meningitis, and bacteremia, estimated to cause 2 million deaths annually. The majority of pneumococcal mortality occurs in developing countries, with serotype 1 a leading cause in these areas. To begin to better understand the larger impact that serotype 1 strains have in developing countries, we characterized virulence and genetic content of PNI0373, a serotype 1 strain from a diseased patient in The Gambia. PNI0373 and another African serotype 1 strain showed high virulence in a mouse intraperitoneal challenge model, with 20% survival at a dose of 1 cfu. The PNI0373 genome sequence was similar in structure to other pneumococci, with the exception of a 100 kb inversion. PNI0373 showed only15 lineage specific CDS when compared to the pan-genome of pneumococcus. However analysis of non-core orthologs of pneumococcal genomes, showed serotype 1 strains to be closely related. Three regions were found to be serotype 1 associated and likely products of horizontal gene transfer. A detailed inventory of known virulence factors showed that some functions associated with colonization were absent, consistent with the observation that carriage of this highly virulent serotype is unusual. The African serotype 1 strains thus appear to be closely related to each other and different from other pneumococci despite similar genetic content

Effect of varying levels and sources of dietary fat on growth performance and nutrient gigestibility in rabbits

The effects of dietary fat sources and levels on growth performance and nutrient digestibility were investigated in cross-breed Lopx New Zealand rabbits. Fifty weaned rabbits were randomly allotted to five dietary treatments consisting of a control (no fat) and four others with fat, either from plant (groundnut oil) or animal (butter) sources, each at two levels (3% and 6%) of inclusion. There were ten rabbits per diet. Rabbits on 6% animal fat-based diet recorded the highest (P<O.Ol) better in rabbits on 6% animal diet. Organic matter intake (OMI) was observed to be similar between rabbits fed control and 3% animal fat diets. However, the 6% butter fat diet recorded the lowest. Crude protein digestibility (CPD) was similar in rabbit fed 3% and 6% level of animal fat which were the highest while 6% level of plant fat diet had the lowest CPD. These findings show that the inclusion of animal fat at 6% level improved the weight gain and efficiency of feed utilization in rabbits

An appraisal of blood pressure control and its determinants among patients with primary hypertension seen in a primary care setting in Western Nigeria

Background: Achieving guideline-recommended blood pressure is imperative in reducing the rising tide of uncontrolled hypertension and its attendant sequelae, which are major causes of morbidity and mortality globally. The aim of the study was to describe the pattern of blood pressure control and identify the factors influencing blood pressure control among patients with primary hypertension seen at family medicine clinics of FMC, Abeokuta.Methods: This was a descriptive cross-sectional hospital-based study. A systematic random sampling technique was used in selecting 360 hypertensive respondents over four months. Data were collected through a pre-tested interviewer-administered questionnaire. The Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) version 17.0 was used to analyse data.Results: Blood pressure was controlled in 167 (46.4%) of the respondents. The independent predictors of blood pressure control were female gender (p = 0.001, OR = 2.494, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 1.477–4.214), regular use of medication (p = 0.001, OR = 2.900, 95% CI = 1.508–5.577), regular clinic attendance (p &lt; 0.001, OR = 3.512, 95% CI = 1.772–6.960), and absence of diabetes mellitus (p &lt; 0.001, OR = 7.357, 95% CI = 3.190–16.966).Conclusions: The rate of blood pressure control among the hypertensive respondents was low. Multiple independent predictors of controlled blood pressure call for a team-based approach as well as multiple approaches including education of patients, expansion of a community-based health insurance programme and intensification of treatment efforts when managing hypertensive patients.Keywords: blood pressure control, family medicine clinics, primary hypertensio

Analyse de l’evolution de la typologie des exploitations cotonnieres engagees dans la transition agroecologique au Benin et pratiques agroecologiques

L’analyse socioéconomique de la transition agroécologique est entreprise au Bénin pour améliorer les connaissances sur ce processus en cours dans les zones cotonnières du pays. Cette étude permet de catégoriser les exploitants et d’identifier les pratiques agroécologiques susceptibles d’adoption. Les enquêtes ont porté sur 509 exploitants agricoles dans 5 communes : Banikoara, Kandi, Ouassa-Péhunco, Parakou et Savalou. Les données recueillies sont relatives aux caractéristiques socioéconomiques des exploitations et aux technologies agroécologiques. L’Analyse Factorielle des Données Mixtes est réalisée suivie d’une Classification Ascendante Hiérarchique pour déterminer les différents types d’exploitations. Une analyse comparative des contraintes d’adoption desdites technologies avec les caractéristiques des exploitations est faite. Cinq types d’exploitation ont été identifiés : exploitations cotonnières des agro éleveurs (34,18 %) ; exploitations cotonnières des petits producteurs (28,88 %) ; exploitations cotonnières des producteurs moyens (11,79 %) ; exploitations cotonnières des grands producteurs (21,22 %) et exploitations cotonnières mécanisées (3,93%). Les technologies agroécologiques susceptibles d’être adoptées par type d’exploitation ont été identifiées. Cette recherche sert de base aux études ultérieures sur la caractérisation des exploitations dans les zones cotonnières du Bénin. Elle est aussi utile pour le choix des pratiques agricoles à vulgariser selon les types d’exploitants en vue de booster les performances agroécologiques des exploitations bénéficiaires. English title: Typology evolution analysis of cotton farms involved in agroecological transition in Benin /analysis of the typology evolution of cotton farms involved in agroecological transition in Benin Abstract A socio-economic assessment of agroecological transition is undertaken in Benin to improve knowledge on the process promoted in cotton areas. This study enables to categorize farmers and to identify the agroecological practices likely to be adopted. Surveys carried out covered 509 farmers in 5 municipalities: Banikoara, Kandi, Ouassa-Péhunco, Parakou and Savalou. Data collected is related to socio-economic characteristics of farms and agroecological technologies. Factorial Analysis of Mixed Data was carried out followed by an Ascending Hierarchical Classification to determine types of farms. Correspondence analysis of constraints of adoption of agroecological technologies resulting from previous work with characteristics of farms types was made. Five types of farms have been identified: cotton farms of agro-pastoralists (34.18%); cotton farms of small producers (28.88%); cotton farms of medium producers (11.79%); cotton farms of large producers (21.22%) and mechanized cotton farms (3.93%). Agroecological technologies likely to be adopted by type of farm have been identified. This research serves as basis for subsequent studies on characterization of farms. It is also useful for choosing of agricultural practices to particular types of farmers in order to boost agroecological performance. Keywords: agroecological transition, agroecological technology, typology, AFDM, stability of types

PERFORMANCE EVALUATION OF ENERGY-SAVING BULBS IN SELECTED NIGERIAN LOCATIONS WITH ARTIFICIAL NEURAL NETWORK MODELLING

The performance evaluation of energy-saving bulbs in the Nigerian market is crucial in assisting energy auditing, which is beneficial to producers and consumers of electricity. Specifically, the high-power bills issued monthly by Electricity Distribution Company in most parts of Nigeria have made Nigerians in our various domestic homes embrace the latest lighting technology that consumes less energy.In this study, lighting system data were obtained from twenty-four households from different geographical zones in Nigeria. The performance evaluation of compact fluorescent light(CFL) bulbs was investigated and the observation was predicted with artificial neural networks (ANN) to enhance informed policy formulation and decision-makingResults showed that CFL bulbs givehigh-quality light that is cost-effective and environmentally friendly. ANN predicted the observation with high accuracie

Effect of age and vaccination with a pneumococcal conjugate vaccine on the density of pneumococcal nasopharyngeal carriage.

BACKGROUND: This study evaluated the impact of age and pneumococcal vaccination on the density of pneumococcal nasopharyngeal carriage. METHODS: A cluster-randomized trial was conducted in rural Gambia. In 11 villages (the vaccine group), all residents received 7-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV-7), while in another 10 villages (the control group), only children <30 months old or born during the study period received PCV-7. Cross-sectional surveys (CSSs) were conducted to collect nasopharyngeal swabs before vaccination (baseline CSS) and 4, 12, and 22 months after vaccination. Pneumococcal density was defined using a semiquantitative classification (range, 1-4) among colonized individuals. An age-trend analysis of density was conducted using data from the baseline CSS. Mean pneumococcal density was compared in CSSs conducted before and after vaccination. RESULTS: Mean bacterial density among colonized individuals in the baseline CSS was 2.57 for vaccine-type (VT) and non-vaccine-type (NVT) pneumococci; it decreased with age (P < .001 for VT and NVT). There was a decrease in the density of VT carriage following vaccination in individuals older than 5 years (from 2.44 to 1.88; P = .001) and in younger individuals (from 2.57 to 2.11; P = .070) in the vaccinated villages. Similar decreases in density were observed with NVT within vaccinated and control villages. No significant differences were found between vaccinated and control villages in the postvaccination comparisons for either VT or NVT. CONCLUSIONS: A high density of carriage among young subjects might partly explain why children are more efficient than adults in pneumococcal transmission. PCV-7 vaccination lowered the density of VT and of NVT pneumococcal carriage in the before-after vaccination analysis. CLINICAL TRIALS REGISTRATION: ISRCTN51695599