Investigating molecular mechanisms of insecticide resistance in the Eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo.

BACKGROUND: Malaria vector control in the Democratic Republic of the Congo is plagued by several major challenges, including inadequate infrastructure, lack of access to health care systems and preventative measures, and more recently the widespread emergence of insecticide resistance among Anopheles mosquitoes. Across 26 provinces, insecticide resistance has been reported from multiple sentinel sites. However, to date, investigation of molecular resistance mechanisms among Anopheles vector populations in DRC has been more limited. METHODS: Adult Anopheles gambiae sensu lato (s.l.) and Anopheles funestus s.l. were collected from two sites in Sud-Kivu province and one site in Haut-Uélé province and PCR-screened for the presence of 11 resistance mutations, to provide additional information on frequency of resistance mechanisms in the eastern DRC, and to critically evaluate the utility of these markers for prospective country-wide resistance monitoring. RESULTS: L1014F-kdr and L1014S-kdr were present in 75.9% and 56.7% of An. gambiae s.l. screened, respectively, with some individuals harbouring both resistant alleles. Across the three study sites, L43F-CYP4J5 allele frequency ranged from 0.42 to 0.52, with evidence for ongoing selection. G119S-ace1 was also identified in all sites but at lower levels. A triple mutant haplotype (comprising the point mutation CYP6P4-I236M, the insertion of a partial Zanzibar-like transposable element and duplication of CYP6AA1) was present at high frequencies. In An. funestus s.l. cis-regulatory polymorphisms in CYP6P9a and CYP6P9b were detected, with allele frequencies ranging from 0.82 to 0.98 and 0.65 to 0.83, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: This study screened the most up-to-date panel of DNA-based resistance markers in An. gambiae s.l. and An. funestus s.l. from the eastern DRC, where resistance data is lacking. Several new candidate markers (CYP4J5, G119S-ace1, the triple mutant, CYP6P9a and CYP6P9b) were identified, which are diagnostic of resistance to major insecticide classes, and warrant future, larger-scale monitoring in the DRC to inform vector control decisions by the National Malaria Control Programme

Needs and Challenges in Modelling Malaria for Emergency Contexts

While modelling is an essential component for an understanding of the epidemiology of malaria, and for designing better control measures, it rarely considers the particular contexts encountered in emergency settings. By linking these situations with the transmission parameters our aim is to correct this bias and call for a better collaboration between relief actors

Prevalencia de la anticoagulación oral y calidad de su seguimiento en el ámbito de la atención primaria: estudio de la Red Centinela Sanitaria de la Comunitat Valenciana

Resumen: Objetivo: Estimar la prevalencia de pacientes con terapia anticoagulante oral (TAO) en la Comunitat Valenciana (CV) y evaluar la calidad del seguimiento de la TAO con antagonistas de la vitamina K (AVK) realizado en atención primaria. Diseño: Estudio observacional transversal realizado a través de la Red Centinela Sanitaria de la Comunitat Valenciana (RCSCV), que incluye una encuesta y el análisis retrospectivo del control de la TAO. Emplazamiento: Atención primaria (AP), Comunitat Valenciana (CV), España. Participantes: Todos los pacientes con â¥Â 18 años con TAO que consultaron durante el año 2014. La población cubierta por los 59 médicos de la RCSCV supone un 2,2% de la población adulta de la CV, y es representativa de esta. Mediciones principales: Datos demográficos, socioeconómicos, de salud y referentes a la TAO. La calidad del seguimiento de la TAO con AVK fue valorada mediante el porcentaje de tiempo dentro de rango terapéutico (TRT), calculado mediante el método Rosendaal. Resultados: Se registraron 1.144 pacientes (edad media 74,5 ± 11 años; 49,7% mujeres). La prevalencia de TAO en la CV es de 1,3 casos por 100 habitantes. El perfil característico de estos pacientes es una persona añosa, pluripatológica, con bajo nivel educativo, que vive acompañada. La fibrilación auricular es la indicación más habitual. El 82,8% de los pacientes con TAO con AVK llevaron seguimiento a través de AP. El TRT medio fue del 65,0%, y el 53,9% de pacientes presentaron un TRT â¥Â 65%. El 74,4% de los pacientes con un control inadecuado fueron percibidos como bien controlados por el médico de AP. Conclusiones: La prevalencia de la TAO es alta y se prevé que siga aumentando. El grado de control alcanzado cumple con el estándar de calidad generalmente aceptado (TRT medio â¥Â 65%) y es comparable al observado en otros estudios nacionales e internacionales. Sin embargo, hay un amplio margen de mejora. Es crucial optimizar la gestión de esta terapia de la manera más eficaz y coste-efectiva posible. Entre otras medidas, se debe mejorar el acceso de los facultativos a la información clínica de sus pacientes. Abstract: Objective: To estimate the prevalence of patients with oral anticoagulant therapy (OAT) in the Region of Valencia and to evaluate the quality of management of OAT with vitamin K antagonists (VKA) carried out in primary healthcare. Design: Observational cross-sectional study conducted through the Health Sentinel Network of the Region of Valencia, which includes a survey and the retrospective analysis of OAT monitoring. Setting: Primary healthcare, Region of Valencia, Spain. Subjects: All patients aged 18 years or older on OAT who consulted during the year 2014. The population covered by the 59 doctors of the Health Sentinel Network constitutes 2.2% of the adult population of the Region of Valencia, and it is representative of it. Key measurements: Demographic, socioeconomic and health data as well as information concerning OAT. Quality of OAT management with VKA was assessed by means of the percentage of time in therapeutic range (TTR), computed using the Rosendaal method. Results: A total of 1,144 patients were recorded (mean age 74.5 ± 11 years; 49.7% women). Prevalence of OAT in the Region of Valencia is 1.3 cases per 100 population. The characteristic profile of these patients is an old person, with several comorbidities and a low level of education, who lives accompanied. Atrial fibrillation is the most common indication. 82.8% of patients on OAT with VKA were monitored in primary healthcare. The average TTR was 65.0%, and 53.9% of patients had a TTR â¥Â 65%. Among inadequately controlled patients, 74.4% were perceived as well-controlled by their primary care doctor. Conclusions: Prevalence of OAT is high, and it is expected to increase. The degree of control achieved meets the generally accepted quality standard (mean TTR â¥Â 65%), and it is comparable to that observed in other national and international studies. However, there is wide scope for improvement. It is crucial to optimize the management of this therapy in the most effective and cost-effective way. Among other measures, access of physicians to their patientsâ clinical information should be improved. Palabras clave: Fármacos anticoagulantes, Prevalencia, Evaluación de la calidad de atención sanitaria, Vigilancia centinela, Atención primaria, Historia clínica electrónica, Keywords: Anticoagulant drugs, Prevalence, Healthcare quality assessment, Sentinel surveillance, Primary healthcare, Electronic health record

Temperature sensitivity of drought-induced tree mortality portends increased regional die-off under global-change-type drought

Large-scale biogeographical shifts in vegetation are predicted in response to the altered precipitation and temperature regimes associated with global climate change. Vegetation shifts have profound ecological impacts and are an important climate-ecosystem feedback through their alteration of carbon, water, and energy exchanges of the land surface. Of particular concern is the potential for warmer temperatures to compound the effects of increasingly severe droughts by triggering widespread vegetation shifts via woody plant mortality. The sensitivity of tree mortality to temperature is dependent on which of 2 non-mutually-exclusive mechanisms predominates—temperature-sensitive carbon starvation in response to a period of protracted water stress or temperature-insensitive sudden hydraulic failure under extreme water stress (cavitation). Here we show that experimentally induced warmer temperatures (≈4 °C) shortened the time to drought-induced mortality in Pinus edulis (piñon shortened pine) trees by nearly a third, with temperature-dependent differences in cumulative respiration costs implicating carbon starvation as the primary mechanism of mortality. Extrapolating this temperature effect to the historic frequency of water deficit in the southwestern United States predicts a 5-fold increase in the frequency of regional-scale tree die-off events for this species due to temperature alone. Projected increases in drought frequency due to changes in precipitation and increases in stress from biotic agents (e.g., bark beetles) would further exacerbate mortality. Our results demonstrate the mechanism by which warmer temperatures have exacerbated recent regional die-off events and background mortality rates. Because of pervasive projected increases in temperature, our results portend widespread increases in the extent and frequency of vegetation die-off

Environmental consequences of the demise in swidden cultivation in montane mainland southeast asia: Hydrology and geomorphology

10.1007/s10745-009-9258-xHuman Ecology373361-37

CoCoNet: Towards coast to coast networks of marine protected areas (From the shore to the high and deep sea), coupled with sea-based wind energy potential

This volume contains the main results of the EC FP7 "The Ocean of Tomorrow" Project CoCoNet, divided in two sections: 1) a set of guidelines to design networks of Marine Protected Areas in the Mediterranean and the Black Seas; 2) a smart wind chart that will allow evaluating the possibility of installing Offshore Wind Farms in both seas. The concept of Cells of Ecosystem Functioning, based on connectivity, is introduced to define natural units of management and conservation. The definition of Good Environmental Status, as defined in the Marine Strategy Framework Directive, is fully embraced to set the objectives of the project, by adopting a holistic approach that integrates a full set of disciplines, ranging from physics to bio-ecology, economics, engineering and many sub-disciplines. The CoCoNet Consortium involved scientist sfrom 22 states, based in Africa, Asia, and Europe, contributing to build a coherent scientific community

Editorial. A supplement of Scires-it on the COCONET european project

The Supplement to vol. 6, 2016 of SCIRES-IT contains the result of CoCoNet (Towards COast to COast NETworks of marine protected areas, coupled with sea-based wind energy potential), a project of the EU Oceans of Tomorrow programme (http://www.coconet-fp7.eu). The European Union requires Open Access to the results of the projects resulting from its support to scientific advancement. This is in full accordance with the policy of SCIRES-IT, an eco-sustainable open–access journal, which joins the main principles of the Berlin Declaration on Open Access with the aims of the International Convention on Biological Diversity. CoCoNet tackled two problems that are closely linked with each other: the protection of the marine environment and clean energy production. Hence, the Supplement is divided into two parts that, together, form a unicum