Impact of increased resolution on the representation of the Canary upwelling system in climate models

We investigate the representation of the Canary upwelling system (CUS) in six global coupled climate models operated at high and standard resolution as part of the High Resolution Model Intercomparison Project (HighResMIP). The models' performance in reproducing the observed CUS is assessed in terms of various upwelling indices based on sea surface temperature (SST), wind stress, and sea surface height, focusing on the effect of increasing model spatial resolution. Our analysis shows that possible improvement in upwelling representation due to the increased spatial resolution depends on the subdomain of the CUS considered. Strikingly, along the Iberian Peninsula region, which is the northernmost part of the CUS, the models show lower skill at higher resolution compared to their corresponding lower-resolution version in both components for all the indices analyzed in this study. In contrast, over the southernmost part of the CUS, from the north of Morocco to the Senegalese coast, the high-ocean- and high-atmosphere-resolution models simulate a more realistic upwelling than the standard-resolution models, which largely differ from the range of observational estimates. These results suggest that increasing resolution is not a sufficient condition to obtain a systematic improvement in the simulation of the upwelling phenomena as represented by the indices considered here, and other model improvements notably in terms of the physical parameterizations may also play a role.</p

Métastase orbitaire d’un ostéosarcome fémoral : à propos d’un cas: Orbital metastasis of a femoral osteosarcoma: case report

L’ostéosarcome est une tumeur maligne, les métastases peuvent être multiples et la localisation orbitaire est rare. Nous rapportons le cas d’un garçon de 9 ans qui présentait à l’examen physique une masse orbitaire, frontale et du genou gauche associés à un amaigrissement général. Les examens d’imagerie médicale à savoir la tomodensitométrie, la scintigraphie osseuse et l’imagerie par résonnance magnétique avaient mis en évidence plusieurs masses de localisation multiple notamment orbitaire. L’examen de la pièce opératoire avait mis en évidence un ostéosarcome. La prise en charge était pluridisciplinaire. L’évolution sous chimiothérapie a été défavorable. Osteosarcoma is a malignant tumor in which metastases may be multiple and orbital localization rare. We report the case of a 9-yearold boy who presented on physical examination an orbital, frontal and left knee mass associated with a general weight loss. Medical imaging examinations, namely computed tomography, bone scintigraphy and magnetic resonance imaging, had revealed several masses of multiple locations including orbital. Histopathological examination of the surgical specimen revealed osteosarcoma. The management was multidisciplinary. The course with chemotherapy was unfavorable

About a case of a specific complication of monoamniotic twin pregnancy: umbilical cord entanglement

Monoamniotic twin pregnancies are uncommon and often complicated by umbilical cord entanglement. It is important to investigate a umbilical cord entanglement during antenatal ultrasound examinations. The diagnosis is based on ultrasound with color and pulsed Doppler. Despite the high percentage of cord entanglement, the perinatal mortality rate remains very low. Rigorous ultrasound monitoring and recording of fetal heart rhythms can improve the prognosis. We report a case of umbilical cord entanglement in a monoamniotic twin pregnancy discovered during a caesarean section with a favorable outcome

Pouvoir antioxydant et teneurs en composés phénoliques de deux espèces du genre Albertisia: Albertisia cordifolia (Mangenot & J. Miège) Forman et Albertisia scandens (Mangenot & J. Miège) Forman (Menispermaceae)

Albertisia cordifolia and Albertisia scandens are medicinal plants of Menispermaceae family, used in traditional medicine in Côte d’Ivoire. Both species were evaluated in vitro for antioxidant activity and contents of total polyphenols, flavonoids and condensed tannins. In the present study, six extracts (aqueous, ethyl acetate and ethanolic) were prepared from the leaves of A. cordifolia and the whole plant of A. scandens. The antioxidant assays were performed using the DPPH free radical scavenging and FRAP tests. Total polyphenols, flavonoids and condensed tannins were determined by spectrophotocolorimetric method. The results revealed that the yields of extraction are between 4.69-12.27%. The percentages of DPPH inhibition European Scientific Journal October 2018 edition Vol.14, No.30 ISSN: 1857 – 7881 (Print) e - ISSN 1857- 7431 129 were between 33.84 and 69.21% while ascorbic acid and trolox gave 93.66% and 59.77% respectively. The IC50 values ranged from 20 to 280 μg ml-1 for DPPH. The ethyl acetate extract of A. cordifolia was the most active (IC50 = 20 μg ml-1 ) compared to the other extracts and trolox (28 μg ml-1 ). The antioxidant capacities (DPPH) varied between 1.90 and 7.18 mg ET g -1MS. For FRAP, the extracts showed a dose-dependent activity with antioxidant capacities between 0.80 and 2.71 mg ET g -1MS. The best iron reducing powers were obtained for the aqueous extract of A. scandens (2.71 ± 0.59 mg ET g -1MS) and ethanolic extract of A. cordifolia. These results show that these two species may play a role in the prevention of oxidative stress related diseases

Impact of day of delivery on obstetric and perinatal outcome: a 10 years retrospective descriptive and analytical study at the Phillipe Maguilen Senghor Health Centre, Dakar, Senegal

Background: For a lot of women, childbirth is still a feared moment. Despite considerable progress in the management of childbirth and its complications, maternal and neonatal morbidity and mortality are still a major problem even in developed countries. To evaluate the influence of day of delivery on obstetrical and perinatal outcome.Methods: Retrospective cohort study conducted at the Philippe Maguilen SENGHOR health center maternity ward from January 1, 2011 to June 30, 2019, on patients with a pregnancy of more than 22 weeks of amenorrhea who were received for delivery management. The deliveries periods were divided according to whether they occurred on a working day (deliveries from Monday to Friday, excluding public holidays) or on weekends and public holidays (deliveries on Saturdays, Sundays and days declared as public holidays according to the Gregorian and Senegalese event calendars). The data were extracted from our E-perinatal database and analysed in the Statistical Package for Social Science (SPSS 24, Mac version).Results: Over 102 months, we recorded 42 870 deliveries. The average age of the patients was 27 years with extremes of 13 and 50 years. Nearly one in three deliveries took place on a holiday or weekend (n=13566-31.6%). The rate of caesarean delivery on weekends/holidays (18.8%) was lower than that on weekdays (21%). The odds ratio of having/benefiting from a weekend/holiday caesarean section was 0.87 (CI 0.83-0.92, p<0.0001). Our results suggest that patients who deliver on weekdays are more likely to receive a caesarean section than those who deliver on weekends or holidays. Perineal injury, World Health Organization obstetric complications, and neonatal outcome showed no significant difference by day of delivery.Conclusions: Our results contradict the idea that deliveries on weekends and holidays are more risky for patients and their children

Dietary Intakes and Nutritional Status of Mother-Child (6-23 Months Old) Pair Targeted through the "Organic Residual Products for Biofortified Foods for Africa Project" in Rural Area in Senegal

Background: Despite micronutrient supplementation and food fortification strategies carried out for decades, micronutrient deficiencies remain prevalent among children under 5 years old in rural area in Senegal. The OR4FOOD project was implemented as a preventive and long-term approach to reduce malnutrition through biofortification. Objective: We aimed to assess the baseline dietary intakes and nutritional status of the mother-child (6-23 months old) pair in a rural community in Senegal. Methods: Dietary intakes were assessed using dietary recall questionnaires and weight food records. All foods and beverages consumed from waking to bedtime were quantified, and nutrient intakes were calculated. The nutritional status was measured by anthropometry. Results: Results showed that 77.2% of children had low dietary diversity score. Only 18% of them received an appropriate complementary feeding according to the minimum acceptable diet. Cereals and legumes were among the most consumed food groups, whereas orange-fleshed sweet potato (OFSP) and animal food products were rarely consumed. Median dietary intakes of iron, zinc, and vitamin A were lower than the recommended dietary allowances. Acute malnutrition and stunting affected 14.6% and 16.9% of children, respectively. Overall, 20.8% of mothers were underweighted, and overweight/obesity affected 23.1% of them. Conclusion: Malnutrition remains prevalent in rural areas of Senegal and affects both mothers and children. Furthermore, their nutrient requirements were not covered by the diet. Millet and cowpea being widely consumed, optimizing their iron and zinc content through biofortification and the introduction of OFSP might improve micronutrient intakes and would be promising strategies to prevent child malnutrition

Etude physico-chimique et minéralogique comparative des attapulgites de Mbodiène (Sénégal) et de Mormoiron (France)

La valorisation des ressources locales constitue un impératif afin d’atteindre des objectifs de développement durable. Cette étude a consisté à évaluer les caractéristiques physiques, chimiques et minéralogiques d’une argile provenant de Mbodiène (Sénégal), l’attapulgite, comparativement avec un médicament antidiarrhéique, constitué d’attapulgite, dénommé Actapulgite®. L’échantillon d’attapulgite brute a été purifié avec une solution de HNO3 1M. Une étude morphologique effectuée par visualisation à la Microscopie Electronique à Balayage a montré pour les deux argiles étudiées, une structure fibreuse caractéristique de la palygorskite, représentant le minéral dominant. L’analyse chimique par la spectrométrie à fluorescence X a donné pour l’attapulgite purifiée : 65,69% Si, 7,89% Al, 5,92% Fe, 17,90% Mg, 0,43% Ca et 0,93% K contre respectivement 63,98 % Si, 12,92% Al, 10,32% Fe, 6,20% Mg, 2,48% Ca et 2,25% K pour l’Actapulgite®. La diffraction aux rayons X a montré une présence de palygorskite, quartz et carbonates dans les échantillons étudiés. L’étude des isothermes d’adsorption a montré une surface spécifique nettement plus élevée pour l’attapulgite purifiée, 138,96 m2.g-1 contre 98,72 m2.g-1 pour l’Actapulgite®. Ces résultats ont montré que l’attapulgite de Mbodiène pourrait être utilisée comme antidiarrhéique orale après lavage à l’eau et séchage.© 2016 International Formulae Group. All rights reservedMots clés: Argile, attapulgite, antidiarrhéique, SénégalEnglish Title: Physico-chemical and mineralogical comparative study of attapulgites Mbodiène (Senegal) and Mormoiron (France)English AbstractThe development of local resources is imperative to achieve sustainable development goals. This study was to assess physical, chemical and mineralogical characteristics of a clay from Mbodiène (Senegal), named attapulgite, compared with Actapulgite® (antidiarrheal drug), composed of attapulgite. A sample of attapulgite from Mbodiène was purified with a 1M HNO3 solution to remove impurities including carbonates. A morphological study using Scanning Electron Microscopy showed for both types of clay studied, a fibrous structure characteristic of palygorskite which represent major mineral. Chemical analysis by XRF spectrometry gave for purified attapulgite: 65.69% Si, 7.89% Al, 5.92% Fe, 17.90% Mg, 0.43% Ca and 0.93% K against respectively 63.98% Si, 12.92% Al, 10.32% Fe, 6.20% Mg, 2.48% Ca and 2.25% K for Actapulgite®. X-ray diffraction showed the presence of palygorskite, quartz and carbonates for both samples studied. The study of adsorption isotherms showed a significantly higher surface area for purified attapulgite, 138.96 m2.g-1 versus 98.72 m2.g-1 for Actapulgite®. These results have shown that Mbodiène attapulgite compared to Actapulgite®, could be used as an oral antidiarrheal after washing with water and drying.© 2016 International Formulae Group. All rights reserved.Keywords: Clay, attapulgite, antidiarrheal, Senega

Uptake of plasmodium falciparum gametocytes during mosquito bloodmeal by direct and membrane feeding

Plasmodium falciparum remains one of the leading causes of child mortality, and nearly half of the world’s population is at risk of contracting malaria. While pathogenesis results from replication of asexual forms in human red blood cells, it is the sexually differentiated forms, gametocytes, which are responsible for the spread of the disease. For transmission to succeed, both mature male and female gametocytes must be taken up by a female Anopheles mosquito during its blood meal for subsequent differentiation into gametes and mating inside the mosquito gut. Observed circulating numbers of gametocytes in the human host are often surprisingly low. A pre-fertilization behavior, such as skin sequestration, has been hypothesized to explain the efficiency of human-to-mosquito transmission but has not been sufficiently tested due to a lack of appropriate tools. In this study, we describe the optimization of a qPCR tool that enables the relative quantification of gametocytes within very small input samples. Such a tool allows for the quantification of gametocytes in different compartments of the host and the vector that could potentially unravel mechanisms that enable highly efficient malaria transmission. We demonstrate the use of our gametocyte quantification method in mosquito blood meals from both direct skin feeding on Plasmodium gametocyte carriers and standard membrane feeding assay. Relative gametocyte abundance was not different between mosquitoes fed through a membrane or directly on the skin suggesting that there is no systematic enrichment of gametocytes picked up in the skin