Measles outbreak in Northern Central African Republic 3 years after the last national immunization campaign

Despite huge efforts to promote widespread vaccination, measles remains an important cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide, especially in African children. In March 2011, an abnormally high number of cases were reported from the Ouham Prefecture, Central African Republic to the national measles case-based surveillance system. In response, reactive vaccination activities were implemented. The aims of this study were to investigate this outbreak and describe the response

Transposition des gros vaisseaux associée aux communications interventriculaire et interauriculaire: à propos d’un cas et revue de la littérature

Nous rapportons une observation d'un nourrisson de 5 mois présentant une transposition des gros vaisseaux associée aux communications interventriculaire et interauriculaire. Il est né à terme sans aucun facteur de risque retrouvé dans les antécédents maternels. Le diagnostic est posé, grâce à une échocardiographie, à 5 mois après sa naissance lors de la survenue d'une cyanose et d'un malaise anoxique. Une prise en charge symptomatique a permis de stabiliser l'état du patient mais suite à l'absence d'un traitement chirurgical, il est décédé à domicile 3 semaines après sa sortie de l'hôpital. Dans les pays en développement, le diagnostic de la transposition des gros vaisseaux est souvent fait en période postnatale et son pronostic reste fatal par manque des centres médico-chirurgicaux spécialisés.Key words: Transposition des gros vaisseaux, Communication interventriculaire, Communication interauriculaire, Malformation cardiaqu

Dynamic stability of wind power flow and network frequency for a high penetration wind‐based energy storage system using fuzzy logic controller

Major changes in the technologies of power generation and distribution systems have been introduced in recent years due to concern over rapid climate change. Therefore, disturbances in the large‐scale generation, transmission, and distribution of energy are expected to occur in the near future. This is due to the difficulty in controlling the transmission and distribution of energy produced from renewable energy sources (RESs), caused by the instability of these sources and the intermittent nature of their energy. As a result, maintaining the dynamic stability of wind power flow and control of the network frequency is becoming more challenging due to the high penetration impacts of RESs. In this paper, a control algorithm using the power‐sharing method is proposed for a wind‐based energy storage system to maintain the dynamic stability of wind power flow and control of frequency in the power network. To maintain the network stability, a storage system (battery) was installed to store the excess wind power without throwing it into the Secondary/Dump Load (SL) and minimize losses in power generated by the wind turbine. The results show, the transient time of wind power flow and the fluctuation rate of frequency are reduced significantly using a Fuzzy Logic (FL) controller compared to the Proportional Integral Derivative (PID) controller. © 2021 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland

The association between child Schistosoma spp. infections and morbidity in an irrigated rice region in Mali: a localized study

Schistosomiasis is one of the neglected tropical diseases endemic to Mali. There has been insufficient investigation of the morbidity burden in highly endemic irrigated rice areas with the ongoing mass drug administration with praziquantel. In February 2005, a year after an initial mass drug administration in 2004, we performed the first cross-sectional survey of schistosomiasis in the Kokry-Bozo village in the Office du Niger rice irrigation region. In the fourteen years since this survey, there has been almost no research into schistosomiasis morbidity in Mali due to lack of funding. Therefore, the 2005 survey supplies near-baseline data for any future research into the treatment impacts in the area

Panorama des dermatoses infectieuses aux Cliniques Universitaires de Kinshasa, en République Démocratique du Congo: Spectrum of infectious dermatoses in Kinshasa University Hospital, in the Democratic Republic of the Congo

Context and objectives: Little is known about the burden of infectious dermatoses in Sub-Saharan Africa. This study aimed to describe the pattern of these diseases at the University Hospital of Kinshasa (UHK). Methods: A retrospective analysis of data from patients attending the UHK for dermatosis has covered the period of 2nd January 2008 to 31st August 2017. Sociodemographic and clinical of the patients, along with dematologic diagnosis were registred. Results: Patients with infectious dermatoses, median age 23 years (IQR 20-27), represented 9.8% of the total of attenders; of which 55.7% were women. Parasitoses ranked first among all diseases (43%) dominated by scabiosis (41.9%). Viral (8.2%) and bacterial (6.6%) infections were paradoxically less observed. According to seasons, scabies appeared well associated with the raining, while impetigo and tinea capitis seemed more frequent during dry season (p ˂ 0.05). There was a clear correlation between the age and type of dermatosis, with fungal infectious predominant in the 6-12 years aged subjects (29.6%). Bacterial; parasitic, and viral infections were more encountered respectively in 0-2 (41.3%); 19-30 (51.9%), and 6-12 (28.4%) aged groups. Male sex and age ranges of 0-5 years and 6-12 years emerged as independent determinants of infectious dermatosis through logistic regression analysis. Conclusion: Infectious dermatosis, particularly parasitic dermatosis, mainly affects children (<12 years old). Targeted measures to strengthen personal hygiene should be encouraged in our environment. Contexte et objectifs. En Afrique-subsaharienne, l’ampleur des dermatoses infectieuses est peu connue. L’objectif de la présente étude était de décrire les différentes dermatoses infectieuses rencontrées en consultation externe. Méthodes : Dans une étude documentaire, les données des patients avec dermatoses infectieuses suivis dans le Service de Dermatologie des Cliniques Universitaires de Kinshasa entre les 2 janvier 2008 et 31 août 2017, étaient colligées. Les paramètres d’intérêts comprenaient les caractéristiques sociodémographiques, cliniques et le diagnostic dermatologique. Résultats : La fréquence hospitalière de la dermatose infectieuse était de 9,87 % (918/9396). Leur âge médian était de 23 ans (IQ 20-27) avec une prépondérance féminine (55,7% ; sexe ratio de 1,2/1). Les parasitoses ont constitué les causes les plus fréquentes (43%), en particulier la scabiose (41,9%). En revanche, le pityriasis rosé de Gibert (cause virale) et l’impétigo (cause bactérienne) rendaient compte respectivement de 8,2% et 6,6% des cas. La saison de pluie était significativement associée à la scabiose tandis que la saison sèche était associée à la survenue de l’impétigo et de tinea capitis (p˂0,05). L’âge était aussi associé au type de dermatose infectieuse (p˂0,001). Si les dermatoses fongiques étaient rencontrées plus fréquemment dans la tranche d’âge de 6-12 ans (29,6%), les dermatoses bactériennes, parasitaires et virales étaient respectivement plus observées dans la tranche d’âge de 0-2 ans (41,3%), 19-30 ans (51,9%) et 6-12 ans (28,4%). En analyse de régression multivariée, seuls le sexe masculin et les tranches d’âges (0-5 ans et 6-12 ans) ont émergé comme principaux déterminants indépendants de la dermatose infectieuse. Conclusion : La dermatose infectieuse, en particulier parasitaire, affecte surtout l’enfant ( 12 ans). Des mesures ciblées visant le renforcement de l’hygiène corporelle sont à encourager dans notre milieu

Effectiveness of Nifurtimox Eflornithine Combination Therapy (NECT) in T. b. gambiense second stage sleeping sickness patients in the Democratic Republic of Congo: report from a field study

BACKGROUND: Nifurtimox-eflornithine combination therapy (NECT) for the treatment of second stage gambiense human African trypanosomiasis (HAT) was added to the World Health Organization's Essential Medicines List in 2009 after demonstration of its non-inferior efficacy compared to eflornithine therapy. A study of NECT use in the field showed acceptable safety and high efficacy until hospital discharge in a wide population, including children, pregnant and breastfeeding women, and patients with a HAT treatment history. We present here the effectiveness results after the 24-month follow-up visit. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: In a multicenter, open label, single arm phase IIIb study, second stage gambiense HAT patients were treated with NECT in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Clinical cure was defined 24 months after treatment as survival without clinical and/or parasitological signs of HAT. Of the 629 included patients, 619 (98.4%) were discharged alive after treatment and were examined for the presence of trypanosomes, white blood cell count in cerebro-spinal fluid, and disease symptoms. The clinical cure rate of 94.1% was comparable for all subpopulations analyzed at the 24-month follow-up visit. Self-reported adverse events during follow-up were few and concerned mainly nervous system disorders, infections, and gastro-intestinal disorders. Overall, 28 patients (4.3%) died during the course of the trial. The death of 16 of the 18 patients who died during the follow-up period was assessed as unlikely or not related to NECT. Within 24 months, eight patients (1.3%) relapsed and received rescue treatment. Sixteen patients were completely lost to follow-up. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: NECT treatment administered under field conditions was effective and sufficiently well tolerated, no major concern arose for children or pregnant or breastfeeding women. Patients with a previous HAT treatment history had the same response as those who were naive. In conclusion, NECT was confirmed as effective and appropriate for use in a broad population, including vulnerable subpopulations. TRIAL REGISTRATION: The trial is registered at ClinicalTrials.gov, number NCT00906880

In-hospital safety in field conditions of Nifurtimox Eflornithine Combination Therapy (NECT) for T. B. Gambiense Sleeping Sickness

Trypanosoma brucei (T.b.) gambiense Human African trypanosomiasis (HAT; sleeping sickness) is a fatal disease. Until 2009, available treatments for 2(nd) stage HAT were complicated to use, expensive (eflornithine monotherapy), or toxic, and insufficiently effective in certain areas (melarsoprol). Recently, nifurtimox-eflornithine combination therapy (NECT) demonstrated good safety and efficacy in a randomised controlled trial (RCT) and was added to the World Health Organisation (WHO) essential medicines list (EML). Documentation of its safety profile in field conditions will support its wider use

Significance of nuclear quantum effects in hydrogen bonded molecular chains

In hydrogen bonded systems, nuclear quantum effects such as zero-point motion and tunneling can significantly affect their material properties through underlying physical and chemical processes. Presently, direct observation of the influence of nuclear quantum effects on the strength of hydrogen bonds with resulting structural and electronic implications remains elusive, leaving opportunities for deeper understanding to harness their fascinating properties. We studied hydrogen-bonded one-dimensional quinonediimine molecular networks which may adopt two isomeric electronic configurations via proton transfer. Herein, we demonstrate that concerted proton transfer promotes a delocalization of {\pi}-electrons along the molecular chain, which enhances the cohesive energy between molecular units, increasing the mechanical stability of the chain and giving rise to new electronic in-gap states localized at the ends. These findings demonstrate the identification of a new class of isomeric hydrogen bonded molecular systems where nuclear quantum effects play a dominant role in establishing their chemical and physical properties. We anticipate that this work will open new research directions towards the control of mechanical and electronic properties of low-dimensional molecular materials via concerted proton tunneling

On-surface synthesis of a dicationic diazahexabenzocoronene derivative on the Au(111) surface

The atomically precise control over the size, shape and structure of nanographenes (NGs) or the introduction of heteroatom dopants into their sp2-carbon lattice confer them valuable electronic, optical and magnetic properties. Herein, we report on the design and synthesis of a hexabenzocoronene derivative embedded with graphitic nitrogen in its honeycomb lattice, achieved via on-surface assisted cyclodehydrogenation on the Au(111) surface. Combined scanning tunnelling microscopy/spectroscopy and non-contact atomic force microscopy investigations unveil the chemical and electronic structures of the obtained dicationic NG. Kelvin probe force microscopy measurements reveal a considerable variation of the local contact potential difference toward lower values with respect to the gold surface, indicative of its positive net charge. Altogether, we introduce the concept of cationic nitrogen doping of NGs on surfaces, opening new avenues for the design of novel carbon nanostructure