The fight against lymphatic filariasis: perceptions of community drug distributors during mass drug administration in coastal Kenya

Lymphatic filariasis (LF), a neglected tropical disease (NTD) and leading cause of global disability, is endemic in 32 countries in Africa with almost 350 million people requiring regular drug administration, and only 16 countries achieving target coverage. Community Drug Distributors (CDDs) are critical for the success of NTD programs, and the distribution of medicines during mass drug administration (MDA) in Africa; however they could also be a weak link. The primary aim of this study is to explore and describe perceptions of CDDs during MDA for LF in Mvita sub-county in Mombasa county and Kaloleni sub-county in Kilifi county, Kenya; and provide recommendations for the effective engagement of communities and CDDs in low-resource settings.; In September 2018, we conducted six focus group discussions with community members in each sub-county, three with men aged 18-30, 31-50, and 51 years and above and three with women stratified into the same age groups. In each sub-county, we also conducted semi-structured interviews with nine community health extension workers (CHEWs), the national LF focal point, the county NTD focal points, and seven community leaders. Content analysis of the data was conducted, involving a process of reading, coding, and displaying data in order to develop a codebook.; We found that several barriers and facilitators impact the engagement between CDDs and community members during MDA. These barriers include poor communication and trust between CDDs and communities; community distrust of the federal government; low community knowledge and perceived risk of LF, poor timing of MDA, fragmented supervision of CDDs during MDA; and CDD bias when distributing medicines. We also found that CDD motivation was a critical factor in their ability to successfully meet MDA targets. It was acknowledged that directly observed treatment and adequate health education were often not executed by CDDs. The involvement of community leaders as informal supervisors of CDDs and community members improves MDA.; In order to achieve global targets around the elimination of LF, CDDs and communities must be effectively engaged by improving planning and implementation of MDA

Naturally occurring bisphenol F in plants used in traditional medicine

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Handbuch methodischer Grundfragen zur Masterplan-Erstellung - Kommunale Masterpläne für 100 % Klimaschutz

Masterplan-Kommunen sind die Vorreiter unter den Klimaschutzkommunen und müssen über das bisher in der Breite bereits Begonnene hinausgehen. Sie stehen vor großen strukturellen und finanziellen Herausforderungen, aber auch vor großen Chancen. Die Chancen ergeben sich insbesondere für ein verbessertes und lebenswerteres Umfeld in der Kommune und damit auch für eine gesteigerte Lebensqualität. Die Einbindung aller Akteure in der Kommune, innerhalb und außerhalb der Verwaltung, ist ein wichtiger Baustein auf dem Weg zum Ziel „Null Emissionen“. Vor allem die Einbindung der Wirtschaft vor Ort und der Bürgerinnen und Bürger ist essenziell, wenn eine Transformation angestoßen und umgesetzt werden soll. Das Handbuch unterstützt die Masterplan-Kommunen mit der vorliegenden methodischen Herangehensweise auf ihrem Weg

Chemokine receptor trafficking coordinates neutrophil clustering and dispersal at wounds in zebrafish

Abstract: Immune cells congregate at specific loci to fight infections during inflammatory responses, a process that must be transient and self-resolving. Cell dispersal promotes resolution, but it remains unclear how transition from clustering to dispersal is regulated. Here we show, using quantitative live imaging in zebrafish, that differential ligand-induced trafficking of chemokine receptors such as Cxcr1 and Cxcr2 orchestrates the state of neutrophil congregation at sites of tissue damage. Through receptor mutagenesis and biosensors, we show that Cxcr1 promotes clustering at wound sites, but is promptly desensitized and internalized, which prevents excess congregation. By contrast, Cxcr2 promotes bidirectional motility and is sustained at the plasma membrane. Persistent plasma membrane residence of Cxcr2 prolongs downstream signaling and is required for sustained exploratory motion conducive to dispersal. Thus, differential trafficking of two chemokine receptors allows coordination of antagonistic cell behaviors, promoting a self-resolving migratory response

Author Correction: Chemokine receptor trafficking coordinates neutrophil clustering and dispersal at wounds in zebrafish.

An amendment to this paper has been published and can be accessed via a link at the top of the paper

Weighing evidence and assessing uncertainties

Methodologies for integrating (weighing) evidence and assessing uncertainties are of utmost importance to ensure that scientific assessments are transparent, robust and fit for purpose to support decision-makers. One of the key challenges remains the development of harmonised methodologies for both weighing scientific evidence and assessing uncertainties in the food safety area mainly because of the multidisciplinary and complex nature of the topics involved. The breakout session 'Weighing evidence and assessing uncertainties' was held at the EFSA 2nd Scientific Conference 'Shaping the Future of Food Safety, Together'. This paper aims at summarising the contributions of this breakout session and formulates recommendations to further support the development of harmonised methodologies and practical applications for weighing evidence and analysing uncertainty in key areas of food safety, including chemical risk assessment, microbiological risk assessment and environmental risk assessment

Présentation du projet eCoLoMedia

Réception du prix de la créativité et de l'innovation (Liège, BE)info:eu-repo/semantics/nonPublishe

International closing conference of the eCoLoMedia project

info:eu-repo/semantics/nonPublishe