Open access publication of public health research in African journals

There are many claims to the benefits of open access publishing in general and for Africa in particular. This study aimed to describe the characteristics of scholarly journals expected to publish articles on public health from a number of African countries. Using African Journals Online and African Index Medicus, 174 journals from 13 African countries were identified. The six countries above the group’s median gross domestic product (GDP) published 145 journals, while the seven countries at or below the median GDP published 29 journals. Two thirds of the journals were freely available to download, but only a third had a Creative Commons licence, and most were not indexed. Around half of the journals levied full article processing charges (APCs) – journals from countries at median GDP or below were less likely to charge APCs than those from countries above the median GDP. One of the key findings is that only a few journals were indexed, limiting the ability of potential readers to find the results of research performed in local settings. The results suggest a need to assist journals and researchers to make the work they publish more accessible to the audience who might want to use the results

Health facility-based prevalence and potential risk factors of autism spectrum disorders in Mali

Background: The prevalence of autism spectrum disorders (ASD) is 1-2% worldwide, 1 in 68 in the U.S, and unknown in Africa. ASD is under-diagnosed in Mali due to stigma and the lack of appropriate human resources and infrastructure.Objective: To determine the ASD frequency and potential risk factors in Mali.Methods: We identified all the health facilities and community-based organizations involved in the ASD diagnosis and management in Bamako. We established an ASD research and awareness platform in Mali, which encompasses community-based organizations and a multidisciplinary team including psychiatrists, psychologists, pediatricians, geneticists, and public health and social science specialists. Through this platform, we performed a survey in health facilities and organizations where patients with ASD are likely to seek care in Bamako. We reviewed the psychiatric patient registry to obtain basic epidemiological profiles of children with ASD, epilepsy and other psychiatric disorders.Results: We found a health facility-based prevalence of ASD of 4.5% (105/2,343) in Bamako. The mean age at the first outpatient visit was 7.64 ± 3.85 years old. First degree consanguinity of 29.5% (31/105) was more frequent in parents of ASD children versus age and sex matched controls OR= 4.37 [1.96-9.76] p=0.0001.Conclusion: Our data suggest that ASD is more common than expected in Mali. The established ASD awareness and research platform may improve the diagnosis and management of ASD by raising ASD awareness, training of Malian clinicians and researchers in early ASD screening and diagnosis, and strengthening research capacity in genomics of ASD and other mental disorders.Keywords: ASD, prevalence, consanguinity, health facilit

Dynamics of antigenemia and transmission intensity of Wuchereria bancrofti following cessation of mass drug administration in a formerly highly endemic region of Mali

Background After seven annual rounds of mass drug administration (MDA) in six Malian villages highly endemic for Wuchereria bancrofti (overall prevalence rate of 42.7%), treatment was discontinued in 2008. Surveillance was performed over the ensuing 5 years to detect recrudescence. Methods Circulating filarial antigen (CFA) was measured using immunochromatographic card tests (ICT) and Og4C3 ELISA in 6–7 year-olds. Antibody to the W. bancrofti infective larval stage (L3) antigen, Wb123, was tested in the same population in 2012. Microfilaraemia was assessed in ICT-positive subjects. Anopheles gambiae complex specimens were collected monthly using human landing catch (HLC) and pyrethrum spray catch (PSC). Anopheles gambiae complex infection with W. bancrofti was determined by dissection and reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) of mosquito pools. Results Annual CFA prevalence rates using ICT in children increased over time from 0% (0/289) in 2009 to 2.7% (8/301) in 2011, 3.9% (11/285) in 2012 and 4.5% (14/309) in 2013 (trend χ 2  = 11.85, df =3, P = 0.0006). Wb123 antibody positivity rates in 2013 were similar to the CFA prevalence by ELISA (5/285). Although two W. bancrofti-infected Anopheles were observed by dissection among 12,951 mosquitoes collected by HLC, none had L3 larvae when tested by L3-specific RT-PCR. No positive pools were detected among the mosquitoes collected by pyrethrum spray catch. Whereas ICT in 6–7 year-olds was the major surveillance tool, ICT positivity was also assessed in older children and adults (8–65 years old). CFA prevalence decreased in this group from 4.9% (39/800) to 3.5% (28/795) and 2.8% (50/1,812) in 2009, 2011 and 2012, respectively (trend χ 2  = 7.361, df =2, P = 0.0067). Some ICT-positive individuals were microfilaraemic in 2009 [2.6% (1/39)] and 2011 [8.3% (3/36)], but none were positive in 2012 or 2013. Conclusion Although ICT rates in children increased over the 5-year surveillance period, the decrease in ICT prevalence in the older group suggests a reduction in transmission intensity. This was consistent with the failure to detect infective mosquitoes or microfilaraemia. The threshold of ICT positivity in children may need to be re-assessed and other adjunct surveillance tools considered

Expanding Research Capacity in Sub-Saharan Africa Through Informatics, Bioinformatics, and Data Science Training Programs in Mali

Bioinformatics and data science research have boundless potential across Africa due to its high levels of genetic diversity and disproportionate burden of infectious diseases, including malaria, tuberculosis, HIV and AIDS, Ebola virus disease, and Lassa fever. This work lays out an incremental approach for reaching underserved countries in bioinformatics and data science research through a progression of capacity building, training, and research efforts. Two global health informatics training programs sponsored by the Fogarty International Center (FIC) were carried out at the University of Sciences, Techniques and Technologies of Bamako, Mali (USTTB) between 1999 and 2011. Together with capacity building efforts through the West Africa International Centers of Excellence in Malaria Research (ICEMR), this progress laid the groundwork for a bioinformatics and data science training program launched at USTTB as part of the Human Heredity and Health in Africa (H3Africa) initiative. Prior to the global health informatics training, its trainees published first or second authorship and third or higher authorship manuscripts at rates of 0.40 and 0.10 per year, respectively. Following the training, these rates increased to 0.70 and 1.23 per year, respectively, which was a statistically significant increase (p < 0.001). The bioinformatics and data science training program at USTTB commenced in 2017 focusing on student, faculty, and curriculum tiers of enhancement. The program’s sustainable measures included institutional support for core elements, university tuition and fees, resource sharing and coordination with local research projects and companion training programs, increased student and faculty publication rates, and increased research proposal submissions. Challenges reliance of high-speed bandwidth availability on short-term funding, lack of a discounted software portal for basic software applications, protracted application processes for United States visas, lack of industry job positions, and low publication rates in the areas of bioinformatics and data science. Long-term, incremental processes are necessary for engaging historically underserved countries in bioinformatics and data science research. The multi-tiered enhancement approach laid out here provides a platform for generating bioinformatics and data science technicians, teachers, researchers, and program managers. Increased literature on bioinformatics and data science training approaches and progress is needed to provide a framework for establishing benchmarks on the topics

KAP HIV self testing in High school and University students

KAP study HIV Data</p

Solidarity-based Financing of Health Care Access for the Poor Patients at the University Hospital Point G, Bamako, Mali

Introduction: Almost half of the world's populations do not have access to basic health care. This exclusion mainly affects people living in rural areas, who are nevertheless the most susceptible to diseases. The Medical Assistance Plan allows a marked improvement in access to healthcare by poor patients. It eliminates out of pocket healthcare cost, which normally prevents most of them from accessing health care. Materials and methods: This study was aimed to investigate the accessibility to healthcare for poor patients at the University Hospital Point G. We conducted a 12-month descriptive cross-sectional study from March 2018 to April 2019. Data entry and analysis were performed using SPSS version 21.0. Results: Our study participants we interviewed were aged 30-44 years old in 30.7%, female in 60.7%, and housewives in 46.7%. Our interviewees consulted for consulted for chronic diseases in 79.3%, had no monthly income in 78.7% and obtained the healthcare benefits at no cost to them in 60.7%. The prescriptions costed between 5,000 and 15,000 FCFA in 51.1%, 20252 FCFA on average with a standard deviation of 1340 FCFA. In sum, 59 out of our 150 patients who were eligible for free healthcare had to pay for a contribution either a subsidized cost in 84.7% or a partial purchase in in 15.3%.&nbsp; Conclusion: The main barriers to healthcare were the chronicity of their diseases and the expensiveness of the healthcare due the level of poverty in the country. Keywords: Solidarity financing, Access to healthcare, poor, CHU Point G / Mal

Assessment of the Physico-Chemical Conformity of an Antiseptic Solution: Case of Polyvidone - Iodine 10%

Introduction: Antiseptics have been used for many years in human and veterinary medicine. Over the years, the lengthening of surgical procedures in human surgery and the increasingly frequent use of inert material has increased the risk of infections. This was why skin antisepsis has become very important in the prevention of infections of the surgical wound and resulting complications. In Mali, at the Gabriel Touré University Hospital, the most prescribed family of antiseptics was the halogenated ones, in particular 10% povidone iodine for wound and surgical site antisepsis. This study was aimed to control the quality of 10% povidone iodine used in the hospital. Methodology: We conducted at the Medicines Quality Control Service of the National Health Laboratory of Mali (LNS) a retrospective analytical study on the quality control of 10% povidone iodine. We obtained 10% povidone iodine samples from the Pharmacie Populaire du Mali (PPM). We analyzed 48 batches of samples in regards of visual inspection, average volume, titrimetry, colorimetric test and pH control. Results: All 48 analyzed batches were compliant, i.e. contained the active ingredient and could be used in health facilities or at home as an antiseptic. Conclusion: All analyzed batches of 10% povidone iodine samples did not show any cases of inconsistency and therefore could be used in the management of wound dressings. Future Direction: Use other analytical methods like HPLC to test the quality control of povidone and other types of antiseptics. Keywords: antiseptic, povidone-iodine 10%, compliance, quality contro

Effects of Concomitant Schistosoma haematobium Infection on the Serum Cytokine Levels Elicited by Acute Plasmodium falciparum Malaria Infection in Malian Children

Polyparasitism is common in the developing world, and interactions that alter disease severity may occur. We previously demonstrated that infection with Schistosoma hematobium was associated with protection against Plasmodium falciparum infection in children who were 4 to 8 years old. In this study, we determined whether underlying helminth infections affected the cytokine responses to acute falciparum malaria. A total of 338 schistosomiasis-positive [Sch(+)] children who were 4 to 14 years old were matched by age, residence, and sex with 338 schistosomiasis-negative [Sch(−)] children and monitored for a malaria transmission season (25 weeks). Serologic cytokine levels were measured at the time of the first clinical malaria episode and in children who did not contract malaria. Elevated background levels of interleukin-6 (IL-6) (37.1 pg/ml versus 10.9 pg/ml [P = 0.04]), IL-4 (27.7 pg/ml versus 6.9 pg/ml [P = 0.02]), IL-10 (18.2 pg/ml versus 7.2 pg/ml [P < 0.001]), and gamma interferon (18.2 pg/ml versus 4.7 pg/ml [P = 0.006]) were noted in Sch(+) children compared to Sch(−) children without malaria. IL-6 and IL-10 levels were elevated in association with acute malaria, but the levels appeared to be blunted in Sch(+) children compared to Sch(−) children who were 4 to 8 years old (for IL-6, 96.2 pg/ml versus 137.2 pg/ml [P = 0.08]; for IL-10, 195.9 pg/ml versus 282.2 pg/ml [P = 0.06]). The level of IL-10 was similarly lower in Sch(+) children than in Sch(−) children who were 9 to 14 years old (91.2 pg/ml versus 141.2 pg/ml [P = 0.03]). IL-4 levels were inversely correlated with the time until the first malaria infection in both the Sch(+) children (P < 0.001) and the Sch(−) children (P < 0.001) who were 4 to 8 years old. We postulate that the Th2-enriched environment induced by schistosomiasis protects against malaria and alters the cytokine milieu during an actual infection