The effects of aqueous root extract of Senna italica subsp. arachoides on the feeding performance of Hyalomma marginatum rufipes adults

The effects of aqueous root extracts of Senna italica subsp. arachoides on the feeding performance of adults of Hyalomma marginatum rufipes in three consecutive infestations of rabbits were studied under laboratory conditions. Rabbits were divided into treatment group (n = 3), fed aqueous root extracts and rabbit pellets while the control group (n = 3) was fed with rabbit pellets and given distilled water only. Ticks that infested the treatment rabbits fed poorly, taking significantly longer feeding periods (P < 0.05) to acquire the bloodmeal, and having significantly reduced engorgement weights (P < 0.05) compared to those that fed on the control rabbits during the first and second infestations. These results suggest that aqueous root extracts of S. italica subsp. arachoides reduced the feeding performance of H. marginatumrufipes adults

Effect of pole size on preservative penetration and retention in air-dried ugandan grown eucalypt utility poles

Treated wooden utility poles, from trees such as eucalypts, are the most commonly used for telephone and electricity transmission lines in Uganda. In the last decade, however, frequent failure of wooden poles in service has been reported, likely due to the preservative chemical, wood used or the treatment process. The objective of this study was to assess the creosote preservative penetration and retention in eucalypt wood. A total of 126 Eucalyptus grandis poles i.e. 42 poles for each size category, with an average moisture content of below fibre saturation point (28%) were treated in different charges depending on their size. In length, poles used were   9, 11 and 14m.  Every charge consisted of poles within the same size category. The Full Cell pressure method was used to treat the different charges with creosote preservative. For all the charges the same treatment schedule was maintained. Creosote penetration was highest in 14m poles (20.5mm) and lowest in 9m poles (18.4mm), Creosote retention was also highest in 14m poles (193kgm-3), but lowest in 11m poles (162kgm-3). Irrespective of differences in level of penetration and retention among the various pole sizes, all the poles acquired more than the required standard minimum level of penetration and retention i.e. 15mm and 115kgm-3 respectively. However, for all the pole sizes, creosote penetration was less than the sapwood depth.  The current treatment schedule seems better suited for the larger poles of 14m than the 9 and 11m. For better treatment, it is recommended that smaller poles i.e. 9m and 11m should be treated for a longer period than 14m poles since they tend to have lager sapwood. The minimum basis of 15mm penetration should be increased to at least cover the entire pole sapwood depth

Trends in maternal mental health during the COVID-19 pandemic-evidence from Zambia

The COVID-19 pandemic has increased social and emotional stressors globally, increasing mental health concerns and the risk of psychiatric illness worldwide. To date, relatively little is known about the impact of the pandemic on vulnerable groups such as women and children in low-resourced settings who generally have limited access to mental health care. We explore two rounds of data collected as part of an ongoing trial of early childhood development to assess mental health distress among mothers of children under 5-years-old living in two rural areas of Zambia during the COVID-19 pandemic. We examined the prevalence of mental health distress among a cohort of 1105 mothers using the World Health Organization's Self-Reporting Questionnaire (SRQ-20) before the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in August 2019 and after the first two infection waves in October-November 2021. Our primary outcome was mental health distress, defined as SRQ-20 score above 7. We analyzed social, economic and family level characteristics as factors modifying to the COVID-19 induced changes in the mental health status. At baseline, 22.5% of women were in mental health distress. The odds of mental health distress among women increased marginally over the first two waves of the pandemic (aOR1.22, CI 0.99-1.49). Women under age 30, with lower educational background, with less than three children, and those living in Eastern Province (compared to Southern Province) of Zambia, were found to be at highest risk of mental health deterioration during the pandemic. Our findings suggest that the prevalence of mental health distress is high in this population and has further worsened during COVID-19 pandemic. Public health interventions targeting mothers' mental health in low resource settings may want to particularly focus on young mothers with limited educational attainment

Incidence and predictors of hospital readmission in children presenting with severe anaemia in Uganda and Malawi: a secondary analysis of TRACT trial data

Background: Severe anaemia (haemoglobin < 6 g/dL) is a leading cause of recurrent hospitalisation in African children. We investigated predictors of readmission in children hospitalised with severe anaemia in the TRACT trial (ISRCTN84086586) in order to identify potential future interventions. Methods: Secondary analyses of the trial examined 3894 children from Uganda and Malawi surviving a hospital episode of severe anaemia. Predictors of all-cause readmission within 180 days of discharge were identified using multivariable regression with death as a competing risk. Groups of children with similar characteristics were identified using hierarchical clustering. Results: Of the 3894 survivors 682 (18%) were readmitted; 403 (10%) had ≥2 re-admissions over 180 days. Three main causes of readmission were identified: severe anaemia (n = 456), malaria (n = 252) and haemoglobinuria/dark urine syndrome (n = 165). Overall, factors increasing risk of readmission included HIV-infection (hazard ratio 2.48 (95% CI 1.63–3.78), p < 0.001); ≥2 hospital admissions in the preceding 12 months (1.44(1.19–1.74), p < 0.001); history of transfusion (1.48(1.13–1.93), p = 0.005); and missing ≥1 trial medication dose (proxy for care quality) (1.43 (1.21–1.69), p < 0.001). Children with uncomplicated severe anaemia (Hb 4-6 g/dL and no severity features), who never received a transfusion (per trial protocol) during the initial admission had a substantially lower risk of readmission (0.67(0.47–0.96), p = 0.04). Malaria (among children with no prior history of transfusion) (0.60(0.47–0.76), p < 0.001); younger-age (1.07 (1.03–1.10) per 1 year younger, p < 0.001) and known sickle cell disease (0.62(0.46–0.82), p = 0.001) also decreased risk of readmission. For anaemia re-admissions, gross splenomegaly and enlarged spleen increased risk by 1.73(1.23–2.44) and 1.46(1.18–1.82) respectively compared to no splenomegaly. Clustering identified four groups of children with readmission rates from 14 to 20%. The cluster with the highest readmission rate was characterised by very low haemoglobin (mean 3.6 g/dL). Sickle Cell Disease (SCD) predominated in two clusters associated with chronic repeated admissions or severe, acute presentations in largely undiagnosed SCD. The final cluster had high rates of malaria (78%), severity signs and very low platelet count, consistent with acute severe malaria. Conclusions: Younger age, HIV infection and history of previous hospital admissions predicted increased risk of readmission. However, no obvious clinical factors for intervention were identified. As missing medication doses was highly predictive, attention to care related factors may be important. Trial registration: ISRCTN ISRCTN84086586. Keywords: Severe anaemia, Readmissio

Effect of pole size on preservative penetration and retention in air-dried ugandan grown eucalypt utility poles

Treated wooden utility poles, from trees such as eucalypts, are the most commonly used for telephone and electricity transmission lines in Uganda. In the last decade, however, frequent failure of wooden poles in service has been reported, likely due to the preservative chemical, wood used or the treatment process. The objective of this study was to assess the creosote preservative penetration and retention in eucalypt wood. A total of 126 Eucalyptus grandis poles i.e. 42 poles for each size category, with an average moisture content of below fibre saturation point (28%) were treated in different charges depending on their size. In length, poles used were   9, 11 and 14m.  Every charge consisted of poles within the same size category. The Full Cell pressure method was used to treat the different charges with creosote preservative. For all the charges the same treatment schedule was maintained. Creosote penetration was highest in 14m poles (20.5mm) and lowest in 9m poles (18.4mm), Creosote retention was also highest in 14m poles (193kgm-3), but lowest in 11m poles (162kgm-3). Irrespective of differences in level of penetration and retention among the various pole sizes, all the poles acquired more than the required standard minimum level of penetration and retention i.e. 15mm and 115kgm-3 respectively. However, for all the pole sizes, creosote penetration was less than the sapwood depth.  The current treatment schedule seems better suited for the larger poles of 14m than the 9 and 11m. For better treatment, it is recommended that smaller poles i.e. 9m and 11m should be treated for a longer period than 14m poles since they tend to have lager sapwood. The minimum basis of 15mm penetration should be increased to at least cover the entire pole sapwood depth

The anti-tick properties of the root extracts of Senna italica subsp. arachoides

This study examined the anti-tick properties of the root extracts of Senna italica subsp. arachoides against adults of Hyalomma marginatum rufipes. Of the hexane, chloroform, dichloromethane, ethyl acetate and methanol extracts tested, only ethyl acetate extracts proved to be potent against adults of H. marginatum rufipes. The acaricidal activity of the ethyl acetate root extract of S. italica subsp. arachoides increased significantly (P < 0.05) with concentration when tested against H. marginatum rufipes. The potency of the extract persisted to the second day. The LC50 of the ethyl acetate root extract of S. italica subsp. arachoides in 24 h was 8.66% (w/v) while in 48 h was 3.59% (w/v). Chemical characterization of the extracts revealed  ,2-benzenedicarboxylic acid, dibutyl ester, 1,8-dihydroxy-3-methylanthraquinone, 1,2-benzenedicarboxylic acid, bis(2-ethylhexyl) ester, hexadecanoic acid, 9-hexadecanoic acid as components

Antifungal activity of four weedy plant extracts against selected mycotoxigenic fungi

Aims: To investigate the antifungal activity of aqueous and organic extracts of four weedy plant species viz. Tagetes minuta, Lippia javanica, Amaranthus spinosus and Vigna unguiculata against isolates of four agriculturally important fungi, i.e. Fusarium verticillioides, F. proliferatum, Aspergillus flavus and A. parasiticus. Methods and Results: Dried powdered aerial parts of the plants were extracted sequentially with hexane, dichloromethane, methanol and water and tested for activity using a serial microdilution assay. Results were read every day over 120 h. All extracts except for the water extracts showed growth inhibitory activity against most isolates of the Fusarium spp. The most active were the methanol and hexane extracts of V. unguiculata and A. spinosus with minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) values of &lt;0·5 mg ml-1 after 48 h against Fusarium spp. No inhibition of the Aspergillus spp. tested was observed, but conidium formation was stimulated on plates treated with plant extracts when visually compared to the growth controls. Conclusions: The results obtained from this study indicated that chemical constituents from these plant species may be developed as potential agrochemical fungicides. Significance and Impact of the Research: Food and feed are subject to infection by a variety of micro-organisms that can induce spoilage andor produce metabolites that are toxic to humans and animals. Extracts of V. unguiculata and A. spinosus were most active and maybe developed into environmentally friendly fungicides, which are affordable to rural farmers in developing countries. © 2010 The Society for Applied Microbiology.Articl

Antioxidant activity of some medicinal and dietary African vegetables

Seven medicinal and dietary plant species from Southern Africa were analysed for their antioxidant and total phenolic content. These were Lippia javanica, Tagetes minuta, Bidens pilosa, Vigna unguiculata, Amaranthus spinosus, Telfairia occidentalis and Corchorus olitarius. Aqueous methanol extracts were tested for free radical scavenging and anti-oxidant activity using three standard assays including 2,2′azinobis-(3-ethylbenzthiazoline-6-sulphonic acid) (ABTS), 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) and ferric reducing antioxidant potential (FRAP). The Folin-Ciocalteu assay was used to determine the total phenolic content with gallic acid as a standard. The antioxidant activity of the plants ranged from 0.76 to 5.77 mmol TEAC/100 g (ABTS), 16.29 to 1711.22 mmol TEAC/100 g (DPPH) and 0.58 to 6.12 mmol TEAC/100 g (FRAP). B. pilosa and C. olitarius had the best activity in all assays, while V. unguiculata and A. spinosus were the least active. The total phenolic content ranged from 19.79 to 333.56 mg gallic acid equivalent (GAE)/100 g. In general, there was a good correlation between antioxidant activity and total phenolic content. These results imply that these plant species may possess health promoting effects and might be potential sources of potent natural antioxidants