Knowledge, attitudes, practices of teenagers on sexual health in the district of Ambohidratrimo

Background: Talking about sex, sexuality, sexual health in many countries, including Madagascar, is very difficult because of the sacred and taboos that surround these questions but especially because of certain puritanism. The objective of this study was to assess the knowledge, attitudes and practices of adolescents in matters of sexual health.Methods: A retrospective, descriptive cross-sectional study was carried out in adolescents aged 10 to 19 seen in Ambohidratrimo district. The data were collected during the month of June and July 2019 and relate to data for the twelve months before the survey.Results: A total of 210 adolescents were recruited whose average age was 15.82±2.75 years and the sex ratio was 1:04. Eighty-six percent of the adolescents surveyed had heard of sexual health. Nine out of 10 adolescents would go to a health worker if they contract an STI. Almost a quarter or 23.8% of respondents declared having already had sexual intercourse.Conclusions: At the end of this study on the knowledge, attitudes and practices of adolescents on sexual health, they certainly have knowledge but considered average. Therefore, there is a need for sexuality education, for improving knowledge and understanding of sexual development, human procreation, healthy and adapted sexual behavior and different means of contraception, on the part of adolescents, but also with the aim of improving communications between adolescents and their parent

The Prosthetic Obturator Appliance In The Treatment Of Cleft Lip And Palate In Newborns: Series Of Cases

Cleft lip and cleft palate are common defects in head and neck area. The treatment is mainly surgical but while waiting for the primary surgery which is not immediate, a pre-surgical management must be undertaken for the success of the diet and the surgery. In the present study, the use of the passive palatal obturator was chosen to demonstrate its efficacy in the pre-surgical management of cleft lip and/or palate in newborns.This is a serial case report of newborns with cleft lip and / or palate aged 2 to 27- day-old. Two suffered from BCLP (bilateral cleft palate), one from UCLP (unilateral cleft palate) and one IBCP (incomplete bilateral cleft palate). The conventional palatal obturator design-manufacturing stages was adopted. The impression was made with Polyvinyl siloxane impression material and flexible thermal-forming (ethylene vinyl acetate sheet) material was used for manufacturing the feeding obturator. A combined method (feeding obturator and lactation education) has been adopted for feeding success.As results, with palatal obturator in the mouth, each newborn exhibited good sucking-swallowing-breathing coordination at the time of suckling. During the 3-month follow-up period, weight gain was observed in the reported infants in which those affected by UCLP and CP gained more (1920g, 2200g) than others (700g, 1100g).The combined use of a palatal obturator and lactation education was associated with weight gain

More than just talk: the framing of transactional sex and its implications for vulnerability to HIV in Lesotho, Madagascar and South Africa

Background 'Transactional sex' was regarded by the mid-1990s as an important determinant of HIV transmission, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa. Little attention has been paid to what the terms used to denote transactional sex suggest about how it is understood. This study provides a nuanced set of descriptions of the meaning of transactional sex in three settings. Furthermore, we discuss how discourses around transactional sex suggest linkages to processes of globalization and hold implications for vulnerability to HIV. Methods The analysis in this article is based on three case studies conducted as part of a multi-country research project that investigated linkages between economic globalization and HIV. In this analysis, we contextualize and contrast the 'talk' about transactional sex through the following research methods in three study sites: descriptions revealed through semi-structured interviews with garment workers in Lesotho; focus groups with young women and men in Antananarivo, Madagascar; and focus groups and in-depth interviews with young women and men in Mbekweni, South Africa. Results Participants' talk about transactional sex reveals two themes: (1) 'The politics of differentiation' reflects how participants used language to demarcate identities, and distance themselves from contextually-based marginalized identities; and (2) 'Gender, agency and power' describes how participants frame gendered-power within the context of transactional sex practices, and reflects on the limitations to women's power as sexual agents in these exchanges. Talk about transactional sex in our study settings supports the assertion that emerging transactional sexual practices are linked with processes of globalization tied to consumerism. Conclusions By focusing on 'talk' about transactional sex, we locate definitions of transactional sex, and how terms used to describe transactional sex are morally framed for people within their local context. We take advantage of an opportunity to comparatively explore such talk across three different study sites, and contribute to a better understanding of both emerging sexual practices and their implications for HIV vulnerability. Our work underlines that transactional sex needs to be reflected as it is perceived: something very different from, but of at least equal concern to, formal sex work in the efforts to curb HIV transmission

Geography-dependent horizontal gene transfer from vertebrate predators to their prey

Horizontal transfer (HT) of genes between multicellular animals, once thought to be extremely rare, is being more commonly detected, but its global geographic trend and transfer mechanism have not been investigated. We discovered a unique HT pattern of Bovine-B (BovB) LINE retrotransposons in vertebrates, with a bizarre transfer direction from predators (snakes) to their prey (frogs). At least 54 instances of BovB HT were detected, which we estimate to have occurred across time between 85 and 1.3 Ma. Using comprehensive transcontinental sampling, our study demonstrates that BovB HT is highly prevalent in one geographical region, Madagascar, suggesting important regional differences in the occurrence of HTs. We discovered parasite vectors that may plausibly transmit BovB and found that the proportion of BovB-positive parasites is also high in Madagascar where BovB thus might be physically transported by parasites to diverse vertebrates, potentially including humans. Remarkably, in two frog lineages, BovB HT occurred after migration from a non-HT area (Africa) to the HT hotspot (Madagascar). These results provide a novel perspective on how the prevalence of parasites influences the occurrence of HT in a region, similar to pathogens and their vectors in some endemic diseases

Smallholder Zebu and Forage Production Development in Central Madagascar

Poverty in the Central Highlands of Madagascar is partly driven by inefficient exploitation of native forages and poor livestock nutrition. Zebus are of importance as cultural symbols, but this tradition has grown disconnected from agricultural policy. This project is working with three central highland communities near the protected areas of Itremo, Ibity and Ankafobe, to boost rangeland productivity and trial management methods which will support key forage grasses and improve livestock nutrition. A severe nitrogen deficiency compounded by extremely acidic soil conditions and low phosphorus is observed across the three sites. The lowest grazing capacity of an estimated 0.7 livestock unit per hectare and biomass production of 1600 kg/ha is observed at Ankafobe, the highest elevation windy site with fires that are almost annual. Low production is due to acidic soils with a lack of phosphorus as well as likely iron toxicity. The project works with 90 households owning a total 150 female zebu, 1-5 per household. The project initiated 3 demonstration farms to show the planting of sorghum for silage, harvesting of the native grasses for hay, and building a secure barn meeting at least minimum animal care standards, using local materials to protect the livestock from the weather and theft which is sadly perceived to be common. In the first year the project produced the highest yields in the most remote and fertile site of Itremo, with 365 kg of sorghum silage from 0.5 ha and 165 kg of Brachiaria hay from 0.5 ha. Five households based in the milk producing region of eastern Ibity have completed new barns. Fifty percent of households at Ibity successfully fed silage and hay to their zebu for the first time. Madagascar remains famous for subsistence farming and rural poverty with a long-term decline in livestock, but substantial opportunity nevertheless exists for integrated crop and livestock production, alongside the protection of biodiversity in nearby forests

Proanthocyanidin biosynthesis – still more questions than answers?

Article on proanthocyanidin biosynthesis

A comparison of the effectiveness of methods of deterring pteropodid bats from feeding on commercial fruit in Madagascar

We compared the effectiveness of methods of deterring Pteropus rufus from feeding on commercial fruit in east central and southeastern Madagascar in 2012–2013 during the Litchi chinensis harvest. Two of the three methods used, installing plastic flags and ringing bells in the trees, were derived from those used by litchi growers in the southeast.  We improved and standardized these methods and compared their effectiveness with an organic product made from dried blood and vegetable oil (Plantskydd®) with a taste and odour aimed at deterring mammal feeding.  The bats damaged from 440–7,040 g of litchi fruits per tree and two of the three methods reduced the fruit lost to bats: the plastic flags and the organic deterrent.  There were significant differences in the damage levels between the study sites and between our three methods of deterrence.  The plastic flags and bell ringing methods were significantly less effective in reducing the fruit bat damage compared to the taste deterrent.  The latter was most effective when it had enough time to dry and adhere to the fruits after spraying and before rain.  Its effectiveness was further demonstrated in flight cage experiments during which Rousettus madagascariensis avoided litchis treated with Plantskydd®.  Analysis of bat faecal samples revealed no feeding preference but the collected samples contained large numbers of Ficus seeds, suggesting that the bats feed extensively on Ficus fruits rather than on fruit of economic importance.  Apart from fruit ripeness, tree productivity or other phenological factors did not affect the amount of fruit eaten by the bats.   More fruits were damaged by birds than bats at both study sites. </div

Projet SATAN - Synergie entre ATténuation et AdaptatioN

National audiencePrésentation des résultats finaux du projet SATAN

Projet SATAN - Synergie entre ATténuation et AdaptatioN

National audiencePrésentation des résultats finaux du projet SATAN