Alteration of post harvest diseases of mango Mangifera indica through production practices and climatic factors

Mango production in Senegal takes place over the two seasons of dry and humid conditions between April and November. The increasing demand for fresh mangoes has led to an increase in land areaallocated to that crop. Mango production suffers, however, from fruit rotting due to post-harvest diseases during ripening. These diseases reduce the fruit quality and cause severe losses. A surveywas carried out in 2004 to detect fungi involved in post-harvest rot of mangoes (cv. Kent) produced in the Niayes area of Senegal in relation with the production practices and the climatic conditions. Theresults showed that at first harvest during the dry season, a broader species range of fungi including Alternaria sp., Botryodiplodia theobromae, Dothiorella sp., Aspergillus niger and non-identified fungiwere responsible for mango rotting. The fruits harvested during the humid season, however, were more heavily infested but a smaller number of fungal agents were involved; Colletotrichum gloeosporioidesand secondarily Phoma mangiferae played the main role. The cultural practices played an important role on mango infection whereby orchard sanitation and particularly cleaning and pruning reduced theinfection rates. Orchards with no care, in contrast, yielded the most heavily infested mango samples. In addition, the harvest practice of inversion of fruits in soil for sap elimination increases contaminationwith pathogenic fungi

Composition chimique et propriétés antibactériennes des huiles essentielles d’Ocimum basilicum et d’Hyptis suaveolens (L.) Poit récoltés dans la région de Dakar au Sénégal

Les huiles essentielles des feuilles d’Ocimum basilicumet d’Hyptis suaveolens, récoltées dans la région de Dakar au Sénégal ont été extraites par entraînement à la vapeur et analysées en CPG et CPG-SM. Les monoterpènes oxygénés dont l’estragol (38,78 %), le linalol (19,45 %) et le méthyl-eugénol (9,98 %) sont majoritaires dans l’huile essentielle d’O. basilicum. Ils sont suivis d’un sesquiterpène hydrocarboné: le bergamotène (8,48 %). Par contre, l’huile essentielle de H. suaveolensest essentiellement constituée de composés hydrocarbonés: le β-caryophyllène (16,63 %), le sabinène (11,30 %), le terpinolène (8,58 %), le limonène (8,45 %) et le bergamotène (5,26 %). Les propriétés antimicrobiennes des huiles essentielles de ces plantes ont été testées in vitro sur cinq souches bactériennes (Staphylococcus aureus, Bacillus sp.,Salmonella sp., Escherichia coli, Streptococcus sp.). Une activité inhibitrice des huiles sur les souches étudiées a été observée. Toutefois, celle d’O.basilicums’est révélée plus active, particulièrement contre Bacillus sp., Salmonella sp., et Escherichia coli.Mots-clés: Ocimum basilicum, Hyptis suaveolens, huiles essentielles, composition chimique, propriétés antimicrobiennes. Chemical composition and antimicrobial properties of the essential oils of Ocimum basilicum andHyptis suaveolensharvested from Dakar region in SenegalEssential oils of leaves from Ocimum basilicum and Hyptis suaveolens collected in the region of Dakar in Senegal have been extracted by steam distillation and analyzed by GC and GC-MS. The oxygenated monoterpenes which estragol (38.78%), linalool (19.45%) and methyl-eugenol (9.98%) constitute the major portion of the essential oils of O. basilicum followed by bergamotene (8.48%) which is a sesquiterpene hydrocarbon. Principal compounds of H.suaveolens essential oilsare: β-caryophyllene (16.63%), sabinene (11.30%), terpinolene (8.58%), limonene (8.45%) and bergamotene (5.26%).The antimicrobial properties of essential oils of these plants were tested in vitro against five bacterial strains (Staphylococcus aureus, Bacillussp, Salmonella sp., Escherichia coli, Streptococcus sp.). The inhibitory activity of the oils on the strains studied was observed. However, the essential oil of O. basilicum was more active, especially against Bacillus sp., Salmonella sp. and Escherichia coli.Keywords: Ocimum basilicum, Hyptis suaveolens, essential oils, chemical composition, antimicrobial properties

Activité anti-inflammatoire du décocté aqueux des écorces de racines de Morinda geminata DC (Rubiaceae)

La présente étude a pour but d’évaluer l’activité anti-inflammatoire de Morinda geminata DC, plante de la famille des Rubiaceae largement répandue dans la sous-région d’Afrique de l’Ouest. Des rats de souche wistar ont été répartis en 2 lots de 5 puis gavés aux extraits aqueux de racines de Morinda geminata DC aux doses de 100 mg/kg (n=5) et 300 mg/kg (n=5). Ils ont ensuite été soumis à l’épreuve d’oedème induit par la carragénine. Au bout de 3 heures, les effets de la plante ont été comparés avec ceux d’animaux témoins recevant de l’eau distillée (n=5) et à ceux recevant de l’aspirine 10 mg/kg (n=5) comme anti-inflammatoire de référence. 3 heures après traitement, les pourcentages d’inhibition de l’oedème sont de 46,23%, 37,49% et 44,13% respectivement pour les lots Aspirine, Morinda 100 mg et Morinda 300 mg. Les résultats des mesures dans tous les lots, l’effet maximal est obtenu au bout de 2 heures. Ces résultats permettent d’affirmer que les extraits aqueux de Morinda geminata DC expriment une activité antiinflammatoire. Mots clés: Morinda geminata DC, anti-inflammatoire, rat

Attenuation of allergic airways inflammation by an extract of Hymenocardia acida

Tracheal hyperresponsiveness, airway mucus production and bronchoalveolar inflammation are the major components of asthma. Here, we aim to investigate the role in the control of asthma of a bioactive plant extracted from Hymenocardia acida in a physiological and pathophysiological model. The effect of H. acida crude extract (HACE) on total cellular components of bronchoalveolar (BAL) fluids was performed on ovalbumin (OVA) and lipopolysaccaride (LPS)-challenged Swiss mice for induction of allergic asthma and airways inflammation, respectively. Mice were pretreated with 0.9% sodium chloride (NaCl), HACE (oral doses at 100 mg/kg/body weight) for a week and then by intranasal instillation with OVA (0.5 mg/ml) + aluminium hydroxyde (20 mg/ml), during three days after intraperitoneally sensitization or with LPS (0.4 mg/ml) for a day (OVA or LPS + HACE). The BAL cells were collected in a mixed solution (0.9% NaCl and 2.6 mm Ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid EDTA) one day after the last challenge and total cells were numbered in a Neubauer chamber. The HACE: (i) significantly inhibited the airways inflammation induced by a single intranasal instillation of LPS or allergic asthma on mice challenged with 3 consecutive days intranasal instillation of OVA in comparison to control mice only instilled with 0.9% sterile. NaCl : (ii) significantly impaired the increased levels of total cells in OVA and LPS-treated mice, without changing the basal cellularity after NaCl or HACE treatment; (iii) and significantly inhibitshydroxyl radicalsandsuperoxideanions production. Taken together, these results suggest that HACE exposure induces a marked reduction of cellular component in the BAL fluid, which is only partially lymphocytes dependent

Test phytochimique et insecticide de trois extraits organiques de feuilles de Ficus thonningii sur Callosobruchus maculatus Fabricius

Pour trouver des alternatifs aux insecticides de synthèse, les extraits de plantes sont de plus en plus utilisés par les paysans pour protéger les stocks de récolte contre les insectes ravageurs. Ainsi, des tests phytochimiques et insecticides respectivement par chromatographie sur couche mince et par contact sont effectués sur trois extraits organiques (cyclohexanique, chloroformique et méthanolique) de Ficus thonningii. Les données ont été analysées par la procédure General Linear Model à l’aide du logiciel Minitab 17. Les facteurs étudiés sont : le temps, le nombre d’insectes morts et le nombre d’insectes émergés, ainsi que leurs interactions. Les résultats de l’analyse statistique ont montré que l’extrait méthanolique donne un meilleur taux de mortalité sur Callosobruchus maculatus aux dates 3eme jour, 5e jour, 6e jour, 7e jour et 8eme jour. Ces résultats sont corroborés par les tests phytochimiques avec l’identification de molécules (alcaloïdes, flavanoïdes, tanins, polyphénols et saponosides…) susceptibles d’être responsables de cette activité insecticide.Mots clés: Extraits, Ficus thonningii, Callosobruchus maculatus, niébé

Consensus and contention in the priority setting process: examining the health sector in Uganda.

Health priority setting is a critical and contentious issue in low-income countries because of the high burden of disease relative to the limited resource envelope. Many sophisticated quantitative tools and policy frameworks have been developed to promote transparent priority setting processes and allocative efficiency. However, low-income countries frequently lack effective governance systems or implementation capacity, so high-level priorities are not determined through evidence-based decision-making processes. This study uses qualitative research methods to explore how key actors' priorities differ in low-income countries, using Uganda as a case study. Human resources for health, disease prevention and family planning emerge as the common priorities among actors in the health sector (although the last of these is particularly emphasized by international agencies) because of their contribution to the long-term sustainability of health-care provision. Financing health-care services is the most disputed issue. Participants from the Ugandan Ministry of Health preferentially sought to increase net health expenditure and government ownership of the health sector, while non-state actors prioritized improving the efficiency of resource use. Ultimately it is apparent that the power to influence national health outcomes lies with only a handful of decision-makers within key institutions in the health sector, such as the Ministries of Health, the largest bilateral donors and the multilateral development agencies. These power relations reinforce the need for ongoing research into the paradigms and strategic interests of these actors

The Midwives Service Scheme in Nigeria

Seye Abimbola and colleagues describe and evaluate their programme in Nigeria of recruiting midwives to rural areas to provide skilled attendance at birth, which is much poorer than in urban areas

Development and application of a microplate method to evaluate the efficacy of essential oils against Penicillium italicum Wehmer, Penicillium digitatum Sacc. and Colletotrichum musea (Berk. M.A. Curtis) Arx, three postharvest fungal pathogens of fruits

A microbioassay was developed for evaluating the in vitro antifungal activity of 30 preselected essential oils. A template based on 10 serial dilutions with eight replicates per dilution arranged on two 96-well ELISA plates was used as a reproducible and standardized design to identify the in vitro effectiveness of these essential oils against Penicillium italicum Wehmer, Penicillium digitatum Sacc. and Colletotrichum musea (Berk. M.A. Curtis) Arx, three postharvest fungal pathogens, on fruits. Growth of mycelium was monitored by measuring optical density (492 nm). Cinnamomum zeylanicum, Cinnamomum verum and Eugenia caryophyllus were found to be still active against all the three pathogens even at 100 ppm. Compared to other methods, this microbioassay proved to be a rapid, reproducible, and efficient method for testing the efficacy of essential oils that inhibit spore germination in P. italicum, P. digitatum and C. musea. The assay requires relatively small amounts of essential oils