Airway smooth muscle cells from severe asthma patients with fixed airflow obstruction are responsive to steroid and bronchodilator treatment in vitro

Asthma is characterised by recurrent symptoms associated with variable airflow obstruction and airway hyperresponsiveness, all of which are improved with combination inhaled corticosteroid (ICS)/long-acting β-agonist (LABA) treatment in mild-to-moderate asthma [1]. A proportion of patients however develop fixed airflow obstruction (FAO), despite optimised treatment. FAO is prevalent in up to 60% of patients with severe asthma and is associated with a more rapid decline in lung function and increased symptoms [2]. The underlying mechanisms of FAO in asthma are poorly understood; therefore, development of novel treatment strategies remains a challenge. Airway smooth muscle cells (ASMCs) are the major effector cells of bronchoconstriction in asthma and also contribute to the inflammatory process by secreting pro-inflammatory cytokines and chemokines. Therefore, ASMCs are a major target of both β2-agonist and ICS treatment [3]. Although several studies have suggested that steroid signalling [4] or β2-adrenoceptor (β2AR) signalling may be abnormally regulated in severe asthma [5], it remains unknown whether impaired airway smooth muscle corticosteroid and/or β2-agonist response may contribute to the development of FAO. The aim of this study was to investigate whether primary human ASMCs obtained from severe asthma patients with FAO differ in their response to β2-agonists and corticosteroids compared with asthma patients without FAO and healthy controls. We hypothesised that ASMCs from asthma patients with FAO are less responsive to corticosteroid and β2-agonist treatment than those from patients without FA

Supplementation of Moringa (Moringa Oliefera) Powder Into Ration in Increasing the Quality of Broiler's Meat

Guaranteed broiler meat in term of health aspect is necessary currently. Fat and cholesterol contents on broilers are one of quality aspects that should be considered, in which high fat and cholesterol levels would give direct impact on the health of the consumer. Therefore efforts to reduce fat and cholesterol levels of broiler meat are considered to be important. One of the alternatives that could be carried is by supplementing Moringa leaves powder to the chicken ration. Active substances contained by Moringa leaves are expected reduce the fat and cholesterol levels. This research aimed to measure carcass weight, carcass percentage, sub-cutaneous fat and cholesterol contents of the broiler meats, which feed by the supplemented ration. The research used 60 strain CP 707 broiler chickens at an age of 2 weeks, for 5 weeks. The research applied Completely Randomized Design (CRD) method with 5 treatments and 4 repetitions. Those treatments are feeding chickens without Moringa leaves powder supplementation (P0), feeding with 3% Moringa leaves powder supplementation (P1), feeding with 6%  Moringa leaves  powder supplementation (P2), feeding with 9%  Moringa leaves powder supplementation (P3) and with 12%  moringa leaves powder supplementation (P4). Each treatment was repeated 4 times, in which each repetition consisted of 3 broiler chickens

CoForTips Congo basin forests: tipping points for biodiversity conservation and resilience. Final Report (La modélisation des changements d’utilisation des terres dans les pays d’Afrique Centrale 2000-2030)

L'utilisation des terres est un facteur crucial pour le développement économique et l'environnement. Ainsi une terre dédiée à l’agriculture permettra une production régulière qui sera bénéfique pour satisfaire les besoins alimentaires des populations alentour et potentiellement, pour l’économie dans son ensemble. Par contre, les terres agricoles ont un contenu carbone bien inférieur à une terre forestière et sont généralement pauvres en biodiversité. Les terres peuvent être utilisées de différentes manières afin de répondre à différents objectifs et il peut être potentiellement difficile de satisfaire tous ces objectifs à la fois, donnant lieu à des choix difficiles lors de la conception des politiques. Les pays membres de la Commission des forêts d'Afrique centrale (COMIFAC) ont identifié l’initiative pour la réduction des émissions issues de la déforestation et de la dégradation forestière et l'amélioration des stocks de carbone (REDD+) comme un enjeu majeur dans la dernière revision du Plan de Convergence pour la Gestion Durable des Forêts, aux côtés de la conservation et de l’utilisation durable de la diversité biologique et de la réduction des impacts du changement climatique. Cette étude a pour objectif d’identifier les zones soumises aux pressions de conversion les plus fortes dans le futur et les conséquences en termes de production agricole, d’émissions de gaz à effet de serre (GES) et de risque de perte de biodiversité, avec pour but d’accompagner les institutions impliquées dans la REDD+ ainsi que dans la planification des Stratégies Nationales et Plans d’Action pour la Biodiversité dans les pays de la COMIFAC

Malaria infection and anaemia in HIV-infected children in Mutengene, Southwest Cameroon: a cross sectional study

BACKGROUND: Malaria is one of the leading causes of morbidity and mortality in children and HIV infection as well as other factors may worsen the situation. This study was aimed at determining the factors influencing malaria parasite prevalence and density as well as anaemia in HIV-infected children in Mutengene, Cameroon from November, 2012 to April, 2013. METHODS: A semi-structured questionnaire was used to record information on socio-demographic factors and use of preventive measures by caregivers of HIV-infected children aged 1–15 years and of both sexes. Venous blood was collected; blood films were prepared and Giemsa-stained for parasite detection and speciation. Haemoglobin concentration was measured and the anaemic status determined. Data was analysed using Epi Info 7 software. RESULTS: A total of 234 children were studied. The overall malaria parasite prevalence was 24.8 % (58) and was significantly higher (31.9 %, P = 0 .004) in females, those who did not implement any preventive measure at all (66.7 %, P = 0.03) and children who used antiretroviral therapy (ART) (28.6 %, P = 0.02) when compared with their respective counterparts. Geometric mean parasite density (GMPD) was significantly higher (3098.4, P = 0.02) in children who presented with fever, had CD4 T cells ≥500 cells/μL (491.3, P = 0.003) and those with moderate anaemia (1658.8, P = 0.03) than their respective counterparts. Although there was no significant difference, GMPD was however higher in males (549.0); those not on ART (635.0) and highest in children <5 years old (633.0) than their respective counterparts. The overall prevalence of anaemia was 49.6 % (116). The value was significantly highest (58.3 %, P = 0.01) in the 11–15 years age group; those with CD4 T cell level 200–499 (72.7 %, P = 0.001) and children with fever (85.7 %, P = 0.01). CONCLUSION: Implementation of proper and integrated malaria preventive measures as well as frequent monitoring of anaemia on prescription of ART could likely improve the health conditions of HIV-infected children thus avoiding malaria-related morbidity and mortality

Modelling Land Use Changes in the Republic of Congo 2000-2030 . A report by the REDD-PAC project.

This study is intended to assist institutions involved in REDD+ and the planning of National Strategies and Action plans for Biodiversity in the Republic of Congo by attempting to identify the areas under the greatest conversion pressures in the future and the consequences in terms of agricultural production, greenhouse gas emissions and biodiversity loss.Cette étude essaye d’identifier les zones soumises aux pressions de conversion les plus fortes dans le futur et les conséquences en termes de production agricole, d’émissions de gaz à effet de serre et de risque de perte de biodiversité. L’objectif du projet REDD-PAC est d’accompagner les institutions impliquées dans la REDD+ ainsi que dans la planification de la Stratégie Nationale et du Plan d’Action pour la Biodiversité en République du Congo

Psychometric and cross-cultural validity of the measure of activity performance of the hand (map-hand) across three European countries (Switzerland, Turkey and the UK)

Background: The MAP-Hand scale comprises 18 patient-generated items which assess hand activity among people with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). All items are scored on a 0–3 scale and are summed into a total score (0 to 54).Objectives: The MAP-Hand is already fully validated within a UK population [1], and this study aims to assess the validity, stability and comparability across German-speaking Swiss and Turkish RA samples.Methods: The MAP-Hand was assessed using Rasch model psychometric assessment methodology. Within the original UK validation, all items were assessed individually, then combined into four testlets (super-items) in order to account for observed local dependency among the items. This analytic strategywas replicated, where the psychometric properties of the scale items were assessed separately within each country-specific samples, and then across a merged sample of all three countries. A differential item function (DIF) analysis was used to assess scale stability across countries.Results: When the countries are considered separately, although slight differences are apparent, the operation of the instrument appears to be very similar across Switzerland, Turkey, and the UK. Although there is a degree of scale misfit in all countries, the scale-sample targeting and the scale reliability are both excellent(Person Separation Index = 0.93-0.95; Cronbach’s Alpha = 0.96-0.97), and the response categories function well across all items. However, there is a large degree of inter-item dependency present, and the MAP-Hand displays apparent multidimensionality within all three countries. Additionally, some individual items display Rasch model misfit to some extent, although these items are variableacross the three countries. When the items were re-configured into four testlets, this accounted for the inter-item dependency, also improving the model fit and unidimensionality of the scale within all three countries separately, as well as when the data is merged into a single dataset. Some significant country-DIF was observedon the ‘Dressing’ testlet (comprised of items 1-3), but this was found to have no significant effect on total person score estimates. Despite the testlet re-structuring creating a narrower scale range, the scale-sample targeting and scale reliability remain high (Person Separation Index = 0.86-0.91; Cronbach’s Alpha = 0.93).Conclusion: It is recommended that the four-testlet structure is implemented across all three countries, as this offers a pragmatic approach to the utility and comparative scoring of the MAPHAND across the UK, Switzerland and Turkey. Although the re-structuring creates a narrower scale range and apparent reduction in the reliability, this is indicative of the initial dependency that is present, and suggests that the original reliability values are over-inflated.REFERENCE:[1] Prior, Y., Tennant, A., Tyson, S. et al. Measure of activity performance of the hand (MAP-Hand) questionnaire: linguistic validation, cultural adaptation and psychometric testing in people with rheumatoid arthritis in the UK. BMC Musculoskelet Disord 19, 275 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12891-018-2177-