Géomorphologie structurale et risque naturel dans une portion de zone mobile du complexe du Nyong au SW Cameroun : cas de la région Lolodorf-Mvengue

Au cours des trente dernières années, les risques et les catastrophes naturels ont été identifiés et étudiés principalement dans la zone volcano-sédimentaire tertiaire à actuelle. Une analyse de la géomorphologique la région de Lolodorf-Mvengué qui est une portion de la zone mobile éburnéenne appartenant au complexe du Nyong d’âge paléo-protérozoïque au Cameroun montre qu’elle présente aussi bien des risques potentiels pour les populations riveraines et leur bien.Mots-clés: géomorphologie structurale, risques naturels, Lolodorf-Mvengué, complexe du Nyong, SW Cameroun. Structural geomorphology and natural hazard of a portion of mobile belt in the nyong complex, sw cameroon: case of the lolodorf region Natural hazard and disaster identified and studied these last thirty years principally in the regions of tertiary to actual volcano-sedimentary formations. A geomorphological study of Lolodorf-Mvengué region which is a portion of the movable area Eburnean owned by the Nyong comlex of Paleoproterozoic age in Cameroon showing that it equally presents potential risks for the population living near rivers and equally for their goods.Keywords: structural geomorphology, natural hazard, Lolodorf-Mvengué, Nyong complex, SW Cameroon

Les plantes à alcaloïdes utilisées par les populations de la ville de Douala (Cameroun)

Objective: An ethnobotanical survey was conducted from January to February 2013 in Douala town relating to the various uses of alkaloids plants species by the people. Methodology and results: Ten districts were surveyed for the census alkaloid plants. These surveys helped conduct semi-structured surveys based on direct questions concerning the therapeutic uses of these plants by the targeted populations. A total of 73 alkaloid plant species were identified of which 21 were herbaceous and 52 woody. Among these species, 30 are indigenous and 43 exotic. They were distributed in 62 genera belonging to 40 families. The supply is provided from farms, secondary forests, gardens, fallows and markets. Solanaceae, Apocynaceae and Rubiaceae are rich in various alkaloids. Leaves, barks and roots are the plant parts mostly used in recipes for the treatment of various diseases. Drugs are mainly administered through the oral root. Secondary metabolites, including alkaloids are unevenly distributed in plants. They are produced at particular stages of development of the flower, fruit, seed or seedling in a specific organ, tissue or cell. Alkaloid plant species are used as major analgesics, antimalarial and to fight against excess uric acid. They are also used as drugs, laxatives, aphrodisiac and as cholinergic or as anticancer agents. They increased heart rate and stimulate the central nervous system with increased vigilance. Conclusion and application of results: All these properties can justify the inclusion of these non timber forest products in forest management programs for their sustainable exploitation.Keywords : Solanaceae; Apocynaceae; Rubiaceae; alkaloids; exploitatio

Sarilumab plus standard of care vs standard of care for the treatment of severe COVID-19: a phase 3, randomized, open-labeled, multi-center study (ESCAPE study)

Background Among interleukin-6 inhibitors suggested for use in COVID-19, there are few robust evidences for the efficacy of sarilumab. Herein, we evaluated the efficacy and safety of sarilumab in severe COVID-19.Methods In this phase 3, open-labeled, randomized clinical trial, conducted at 5 Italian hospitals, adults with severe COVID-19 pneumonia (excluding mechanically ventilated) were randomized 2:1 to receive intravenous sarilumab (400 mg, repeatable after 12 h) plus standard of care (SOC) (arm A) or to continue SOC (arm B). Randomization was web-based. As post-hoc analyses, the participants were stratified according to baseline inflammatory parameters. The primary endpoint was analysed on the modified Intention-To-Treat population, including all the randomized patients who received any study treatment (sarilumab or SOC). It was time to clinical improvement of 2 points on a 7-points ordinal scale, from baseline to day 30. We used Kaplan Meier method and log-rank test to compare the primary outcome between two arms, and Cox regression stratified by clinical center and adjusted for severity of illness, to estimate the hazard ratio (HR). The trial was registered with EudraCT (2020-001390-76).Findings Between May 2020 and May 2021, 191 patients were assessed for eligibility, of whom, excluding nine dropouts, 176 were assigned to arm A (121) and B (55). At day 30, no significant differences in the primary endpoint were found (88% [95% CI 81-94] in arm A vs 85% [74-93], HR 1.07 [0.8-1.5] in arm B; log-rank p = 0.50). After stratifying for inflammatory parameters, arm A showed higher probability of improvement than B without statistical significance in the strata with C reactive protein (CRP) < 7 mg/dL (88% [77-96] vs 79% [63-91], HR 1.55 [0.9-2.6]; log-rank p = 0.049) and in the strata with lymphocytes <870/mmc (90% [79-96]) vs (73% [55-89], HR 1.53 [0.9-2.7]; log-rank p = 0.058). Overall, 39/121 (32%) AEs were reported in arm A and 14/55 (23%) in B (p = 0.195), while serious AEs were 22/121 (18%) and 7/55 (11%), respectively (p = 0.244). There were no treatment-related deaths.Interpretation The efficacy of sarilumab in severe COVID-19 was not demonstrated both in the overall and in the stratified for severity analysis population. Exploratory analyses suggested that subsets of patients with lower CRP values or lower lymphocyte counts might have had benefit with sarilumab treatment, but this finding would require replication in other studies. The relatively low rate of concomitant corticosteroid use, could partially explain our results.Funding This study was supported by INMI "Lazzaro Spallanzani" Ricerca Corrente Linea 1 on emerging and ree-merging infections, funded by Italian Ministry of Health.Copyright (c) 2023 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/)

HIV-1 transmitted drug resistance in newly diagnosed individuals in Italy over the period 2015–21

Background: Transmitted drug resistance (TDR) is still a critical aspect for the management of individuals living with HIV-1. Thus, its evaluation is crucial to optimize HIV care. Methods: Overall, 2386 HIV-1 protease/reverse transcriptase and 1831 integrase sequences from drug-naïve individuals diagnosed in north and central Italy between 2015 and 2021 were analysed. TDR was evaluated over time. Phylogeny was generated by maximum likelihood. Factors associated with TDR were evaluated by logistic regression. Results: Individuals were mainly male (79.1%) and Italian (56.2%), with a median (IQR) age of 38 (30-48). Non-B infected individuals accounted for 44.6% (N = 1065) of the overall population and increased over time (2015-2021, from 42.1% to 51.0%, P = 0.002). TDR prevalence to any class was 8.0% (B subtype 9.5% versus non-B subtypes 6.1%, P = 0.002) and remained almost constant over time. Overall, 300 transmission clusters (TCs) involving 1155 (48.4%) individuals were identified, with a similar proportion in B and non-infected individuals (49.7% versus 46.8%, P = 0.148). A similar prevalence of TDR among individuals in TCs and those out of TCs was found (8.2% versus 7.8%, P = 0.707).By multivariable analysis, subtypes A, F, and CFR02_AG were negatively associated with TDR. No other factors, including being part of TCs, were significantly associated with TDR. Conclusions: Between 2015 and 2021, TDR prevalence in Italy was 8% and remained almost stable over time. Resistant strains were found circulating regardless of being in TCs, but less likely in non-B subtypes. These results highlight the importance of a continuous surveillance of newly diagnosed individuals for evidence of TDR to inform clinical practice

The Public Repository of Xenografts enables discovery and randomized phase II-like trials in mice

More than 90% of drugs with preclinical activity fail in human trials, largely due to insufficient efficacy. We hypothesized that adequately powered trials of patient-derived xenografts (PDX) in mice could efficiently define therapeutic activity across heterogeneous tumors. To address this hypothesis, we established a large, publicly available repository of well-characterized leukemia and lymphoma PDXs that undergo orthotopic engraftment, called the Public Repository of Xenografts (PRoXe). PRoXe includes all de-identified information relevant to the primary specimens and the PDXs derived from them. Using this repository, we demonstrate that large studies of acute leukemia PDXs that mimic human randomized clinical trials can characterize drug efficacy and generate transcriptional, functional, and proteomic biomarkers in both treatment-naive and relapsed/refractory disease

Barriers to cocoa replanting in Western-Ghana

<p>The ageing of cocoa trees and the spread of Cocoa Swollen Shoot Virus Disease (CSSVD) threaten cocoa production and the livelihoods of smallholder farmers in West Africa. To protect future cocoa production, upgrade smallholders into more productive and sustainable production systems and secure their future livelihoods, large-scale replanting of overaged and diseased cocoa plots is essential. In Ghana, an estimated 738,542 hectares, about 39% of land under cocoa, requires replanting. For many smallholders, replanting is very expensive given the significant costs of planting material and other inputs, the labor demands, and the drop in income in the first 3-5 years after replanting, before the young trees come into production. Despite sometimes generous compensation packages, farmers are reluctant to join replanting programs, which indicates additional personal, social-cultural, or institutional barriers. Understanding smallholders' barriers to replanting is vital to reaching the required scale to effectively combat CSSVD and protect smallholders' future livelihoods.</p><p>This research takes a case-study approach to analyze the factors that influence smallholders' ability and willingness to enroll in an NGO-led replanting program implemented in 2016-2018 in the Western North Region of Ghana. We constructed a counterfactual group of comparable households that did not enroll in the program and used survey data (n=250) and multi-variate techniques to analyze the household characteristics associated with self-selection into cocoa replanting. Furthermore, we conducted broader stakeholder consultation to analyze social and institutional barriers to replanting. </p><p>Results show that smallholders with more household labor, multiple cocoa plots, other livelihood activities and knowledge of replanting are more likely to self-select into cocoa replanting programs. Moreover, social and institutional factors such as cultural attachment to the crop, tenure insecurity and bad experiences with previous replanting programs are important barriers to replanting. This demonstrates the need for an integrated approach to address not only the labor costs and income loss associated with cocoa replanting, but also the social and institutional barriers through extensive community engagement and negotiation.</p><p><strong>Keywords</strong>: Cocoa replanting, Ghana, smallholders, self-selection, socio-institutional barriers</p&gt