Schistosomiasis and soil-transmitted helminth infections in schoolchildren in north-eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo

BACKGROUND: There is a paucity of epidemiological data pertaining to schistosomiasis and soil-transmitted helminth (STH) infections in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). METHODS: A cross-sectional survey was carried out in the north-eastern part of DRC enrolling 400 schoolchildren aged 9-14 years. Stool and urine samples were subjected to standard diagnostic methods and examined under a microscope for helminth eggs. RESULTS: Four out of five children were infected with at least one helminth species. Schistosoma mansoni was the predominant species (57.8%). Urine examinations were all negative for S. haematobium. CONCLUSIONS: S. mansoni and STH infections are highly endemic in the surveyed part of the DRC, calling for interventions in school-aged children

Identifying risk factors for Plasmodium infection and anaemia in Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo

There is little data on the risk factors for malaria infection in large cities in central Africa and in all age groups. There may be different associations with the risk factors for areas with different malaria transmission intensities such as the effect of fever or age. This study aimed at identifying risk factors associated with Plasmodium infection and anaemia among children 6-59 months and individuals aged older than 5 years in Kinshasa, a large city with heterogeneity in malaria prevalence.; This study analysed data from 3342 children aged 6-59 months from 25 non-rural health zones (HZs) and for 816 individuals aged older than 5 years from two HZs in Kinshasa (non-rural), collected during a cross sectional malaria survey in 2011. Logistic regression with random effects was used to investigate predictors for malaria and anaemia. Differences in risk factors in areas with a prevalence of less than 10 and 10 % or greater were investigated.; There was evidence of a different age-pattern in the two transmission settings. For children under 5 years, the highest prevalence of malaria was observed in the 48-59 months group in both transmission settings, but it increased more gently for the lower transmission HZs (p = 0.009). In a separate analysis in children over 5 years in two selected HZs, the peak prevalence was in 5-9 years old in the higher transmission setting and in 15-19 years old in the lower transmission setting. Reported fever was associated with malaria in both transmission strata, with no evidence of a difference in these associations (p = 0.71); however in children older than 5 years there was a significant interaction with a stronger association in the low transmission HZ. Insecticide-treated net (ITN) use was associated with a lower risk of malaria infection in children 6-59 months in the high transmission HZs. Similar estimates were found in children over 5 years and the lower transmission HZ but the associations there were not significant. There was no evidence of a difference in these associations by strata. The risk of anaemia decreased with increasing age in all strata, whereas it increased with malaria infection and reported fever. ITN use did not show evidence of protection against anaemia. Low socio-economic status was associated with malaria in high transmission setting in children 6-59 months and anaemia in low transmission setting.; This study shows that in areas of low transmission in Kinshasa, the peak prevalence occurs in older age groups however ITN use was highest in children under 5 years. Targeted distribution of ITN to all age groups should be continued. For most risk factors, there was no evidence of an interaction with transmission intensity however the associations with age and with fever in the last 2 weeks did vary significantly

Hierarchical contribution of individual lifestyle factors and their interactions on adenomatous and serrated polyp risk.

BACKGROUND Individual colorectal polyp risk factors are well characterized; however, insights into their pathway-specific interactions are scarce. We aimed to identify the impact of individual risk factors and their joint effects on adenomatous (AP) and serrated polyp (SP) risk. METHODS We collected information on 363 lifestyle and metabolic parameters from 1597 colonoscopy participants, resulting in over 521,000 data points. We used multivariate statistics and machine-learning approaches to assess associations of single variables and their interactions with AP and SP risk. RESULTS Individual factors and their interactions showed common and polyp subtype-specific effects. Abdominal obesity, high body mass index (BMI), metabolic syndrome, and red meat consumption globally increased polyp risk. Age, gender, and western diet associated with AP risk, while smoking was associated with SP risk. CRC family history was associated with advanced adenomas and diabetes with sessile serrated lesions. Regarding lifestyle factor interactions, no lifestyle or dietary adjustments mitigated the adverse smoking effect on SP risk, whereas its negative effect was exacerbated by alcohol in the conventional pathway. The adverse effect of red meat on SP risk was not ameliorated by any factor, but was further exacerbated by western diet along the conventional pathway. No modification of any factor reduced the negative impact of metabolic syndrome on AP risk, whereas increased fatless fish or meat substitutes' intake mitigated its effect on SP risk. CONCLUSIONS Individual risk factors and their interactions for polyp formation along the adenomatous and serrated pathways are strongly heterogeneous. Our findings may facilitate tailored lifestyle recommendations and contribute to a better understanding of how risk factor combinations impact colorectal carcinogenesis

Schistosomiasis and soil-transmitted helminth infections in schoolchildren in north-eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo

Abstract Background There is a paucity of epidemiological data pertaining to schistosomiasis and soil-transmitted helminth (STH) infections in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). Methods A cross-sectional survey was carried out in the north-eastern part of DRC enrolling 400 schoolchildren aged 9-14 years. Stool and urine samples were subjected to standard diagnostic methods and examined under a microscope for helminth eggs. Results Four out of five children were infected with at least one helminth species. Schistosoma mansoni was the predominant species (57.8%). Urine examinations were all negative for S. haematobium . Conclusions S. mansoni and STH infections are highly endemic in the surveyed part of the DRC, calling for interventions in school-aged children

Die erste Schwall-Sanierung der Schweiz : die Hasliaare als Fallbeispiel

Im Rahmen eines Ausbauprojekts wird die heute maximal mögliche Wasserrückgabe in die Hasliaare von 70 m³/s auf künftig 95 m³/s erhöht. Damit werden die Effekte der künstlichen Pegelschwankungen verschärft. Im Vorfeld wurde daher die gewässerökologische Situation eingehend untersucht und eine ökologische Beurteilung des heutigen Zustands und für künftige Zustände (Ausbau mit verschiedenen Schwalldämpfungsmaßnahmen) durchgeführt. Seit 2013 wird zwischen Kraftwerk und Wasserrückgabe ein Zwischenspeicher (Beruhigungsbecken und Stollen) mit 80 000 m³ Volumen realisiert