The prevalence of ptsd and depression among Gaza children

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to investigate the prevalence of posttraumatic distress disorder (PTSD) and depression among children in Gaza, Palestine. Methodology: This study assessed the psychological effects of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict on children in the Gaza Strip. 286 children aged 9-14 years old, who were exposed to a wide range of war events, were selected from the Gaza Strip to participate in this study. All participants conducted the following scales: the child PTSD Reaction Index(CPTSD-RI), Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), and the Arabic version for PTSD and depression assessment. Finding: The results show that the mean number of participants witnessing home destroyed and people killed was (88%) and home invasion (76%). Approximately 70% of the participants reported that they witnessed war violence against at least one of their family members. Further, 44 % of the children have a least one death in their family due to the Israeli invasion. Using t-tests, we found that significantly more females have both PTSD and depression than males. Approximately 32.8% of the participants met the criteria for severe depression, and 42.6 % met the criteria for PTSD. Implications: Our results suggest that it is imperative to provide intervention programs to treat PTSD and depression symptoms among children in Gaza. These programs should take into account the cultural and religious background of the participants. Originality: This investigation of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict has led to an increase in PTSD and depression symptoms among children in the Gaza Strip. - Hamza et al.Scopu

Assessment of Selected Health Determinants among Almajiri Students in Gwadabawa Local Government, Sokoto State, Nigeria

Health determinants are factors that can influence our health either positively or negatively. This paper determined the factors that affect the health of Almajiri in their system of study in Gwadabawa local government of Sokoto state, Nigeria. Interview and visual observation were used to collect data, which was analyzed by thematic networks method. The result of this study was shown. Most (50.0%) of the Almajiri live in buildings own by school,whereas, 33.5% of them in donated buildings .There were three types of houses / classes where Almajiri live.Most (50.0%) were made of cement/modern style ,then (33.3%) the mud houses / classes, and (16.7%) were the ones from zinc .There were toilets for urination only ,no one was slated for defecation . In 75% of the schools there was no water, whereas 33.3% have water source from unprotected wells. In 33.3 % of the schools there was refuse dumps .In 33.3% there were no any source of risk. Whereas, in 16.7% there were gutters, and in 16.7% there were roads nearby. Personal hygiene was observed. 75.0% of Almajiri wore dirty garments.25.0% wore cleaned garments, 12.5% wore torn garments, and 87.5% wore untorn garments. 62.5% wore shoes and 37.5% have no shoes. 62.5% take bath weekly, 37.7% take bath daily. Interms of livelihood, most of them relied on begging for food; 25.0% do domestic work to get food and other needs. 70.0% of them eat twice in a day, 25.0% thrice, whereas, 5.0% once; in most cases. The result revealed many health determinants which can negatively affect the health of Almajiri.Keywords: health determinants, open defecation, overcrowding, begging, child labou

Diffusive propagation of wave packets in a fluctuating periodic potential

We consider the evolution of a tight binding wave packet propagating in a fluctuating periodic potential. If the fluctuations stem from a stationary Markov process satisfying certain technical criteria, we show that the square amplitude of the wave packet after diffusive rescaling converges to a superposition of solutions of a heat equation.Comment: 13 pages (v2: added a paragraph on the history of the problem, added some references, correct a few typos; v3 minor corrections, added keywords and subject classes

Biochemical and immunological characterization of haemolysin produced by Pseudomonas aeruginosa PAO1 isolated from burn wounds

Background: Infection of burn wounds by multidrug-resistant (MDR) Pseudomonas aeruginosa (P. aeruginosa) is a leading cause of morbidity and mortality and remains one of the most challenging concerns for the burns unit. The aim of this study is purify and characterize the haemolysin produced by multidrug resistant P. aeruginosa PAO1 isolated from burn wounds. Methods: Isolation and identification of P. aeruginosa from burns was done by standard bacteriological methods. P. aeruginosa PAO1 was identified by PCR amplification and sequencing of the 16S rRNA gene. The haemolysin of P. aeruginosa PAO1 was purified by 70% ammonium sulphate precipitation followed by gel filtration on Sephadex G-100, and separation by SDS-Poly Acrylamide Gel Electrophoresis. In vivo toxicity of the purified haemolysin was determined by intraperitoneal injection of Swiss albino mice, and in vitro toxin-antitoxin neutralization test was performed as previously described. Results: The pure haemolysin had a molecular weight of 37 kDa, with maximum activity at 25°C for 30 minutes and stable within pH range of 4-9 (maximum activity at pH 7). The haemolysin was activated by Ca2+, Fe3+ and Cu2+. Intraperitoneal injection of mice with 0.5ml of haemolysin (128 HU/ml) caused 100% mortality while 0.5 and 0.1 ml of haemolytic titer (64 HU/ml) of the heated haemolysin (toxoid) caused 50% and 0% mortality respectively. In vitro toxin-antitoxin neutralization test revealed that anti-haemolysin antitoxin was present in the serum of the mice that were previously vaccinated with heated toxin. Conclusion: This study concluded that haemolysin can be a potential vaccine component for prevention of haemolysis caused by multidrug resistant P. aeruginosa in burn patients.Keywords: haemolysin, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, multidrug resistant organis

Pyrimidine salvage in Toxoplasma gondii as a target for new treatment

Toxoplasmosis is a common protozoan infection that can have severe outcomes in the immunocompromised and during pregnancy, but treatment options are limited. Recently, nucleotide metabolism has received much attention as a target for new antiprotozoal agents and here we focus on pyrimidine salvage by Toxoplasma gondii as a drug target. Whereas uptake of [3H]-cytidine and particularly [3H]-thymidine was at most marginal, [3H]-uracil and [3H]-uridine were readily taken up. Kinetic analysis of uridine uptake was consistent with a single transporter with a Km of 3.3 ± 0.8 µM, which was inhibited by uracil with high affinity (Ki = 1.15 ± 0.07 µM) but not by thymidine or 5-methyluridine, showing that the 5-Me group is incompatible with uptake by T. gondii. Conversely, [3H]-uracil transport displayed a Km of 2.05 ± 0.40 µM, not significantly different from the uracil Ki on uridine transport, and was inhibited by uridine with a Ki of 2.44 ± 0.59 µM, also not significantly different from the experimental uridine Km. The reciprocal, complete inhibition, displaying Hill slopes of approximately -1, strongly suggest that uridine and uracil share a single transporter with similarly high affinity for both, and we designate it uridine/uracil transporter 1 (TgUUT1). While TgUUT1 excludes 5-methyl substitutions, the smaller 5F substitution was tolerated, as 5F-uracil inhibited uptake of [3H]-uracil with a Ki of 6.80 ± 2.12 µM (P > 0.05 compared to uracil Km). Indeed, we found that 5F-Uridine, 5F-uracil and 5F,2’-deoxyuridine were all potent antimetabolites against T. gondii with EC50 values well below that of the current first line treatment, sulfadiazine. In vivo evaluation also showed that 5F-uracil and 5F,2’-deoxyuridine were similarly effective as sulfadiazine against acute toxoplasmosis. Our preliminary conclusion is that TgUUT1 mediates potential new anti-toxoplasmosis drugs with activity superior to the current treatment

Collection and characterization of cassava germplasm in Comoros

Open Access ArticleIn Comoros, cassava plays a major food security role, however yields are low as few modern cultivars are grown. Prior to the introduction of new cultivars, and as a germplasm resource for breeders, germplasm collection missions were undertaken in the three largest islands; Ngazidja, Ndzouani and Mwali; and associated farmer knowledge documented. Cassava landraces were collected from 34 farms, and 17 key informant interviews conducted. Stakes of 79 collected landraces were planted for agro-morphological characterization. All landraces were genotyped using DaRTSeq technology and data analysed to identify duplicates. Genetic fingerprints of 46 unique landraces were co-analysed with 402 previously genotyped landraces and improved cultivars from Tanzania. From this set only one match was made with a very old cultivar, Aipin Valenca, from the Northern Zone in Tanzania. According to SNP data, germplasm from the three islands of Comoros were similarly related to one another, and more distantly related to germplasm from Tanzania. They were most closely related to germplasm from the Northern Zone in Tanzania, suggesting a possible historical introduction of germplasm from this area. Lower levels of diversity were observed on these islands, as well as the islands of Pemba and Zanzibar. This implies limited introduction and movement of cassava germplasm into the islands. Introductions of improved germplasm to Comoros is recommended with the simultaneous conservation of collected unique landraces. Two landraces with high market demand and reported tolerance to diseases were identified for further evaluation with a view to multiplication and distribution and incorporation into the breeding program

Epidemiological analysis of Cassava Mosaic and Brown Streak Diseases, and Bemisia tabaci in the Comoros Islands

first_pagesettingsOrder Article Reprints Open AccessArticle Epidemiological Analysis of Cassava Mosaic and Brown Streak Diseases, and Bemisia tabaci in the Comoros Islands by Rudolph Rufini Shirima 1,*ORCID,Everlyne Nafula Wosula 1ORCID,Abdou Azali Hamza 2,Nobataine Ali Mohammed 2,Hadji Mouigni 2,Salima Nouhou 2,Naima Mmadi Mchinda 2,Gloria Ceasar 1,Massoud Amour 1,Emmanuel Njukwe 3 andJames Peter Legg 1ORCID 1 International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA-Tanzania), P.O. Box 34441, Dar es Salaam 14112, Tanzania 2 Institut National de Recherche pour L’Agriculture, La Pêche et L’Environnement (INRAPE), Moroni BP 1406, Comoros 3 West and Central African Council for Agricultural Research and Development (CORAF), Dakar CP 18523, Senegal * Author to whom correspondence should be addressed. Viruses 2022, 14(10), 2165; https://doi.org/10.3390/v14102165 Received: 2 August 2022 / Revised: 15 September 2022 / Accepted: 28 September 2022 / Published: 30 September 2022 (This article belongs to the Special Issue Plant Virus Surveillance and Metagenomics) Download Browse Figures Review Reports Versions Notes Abstract A comprehensive assessment of cassava brown streak disease (CBSD) and cassava mosaic disease (CMD) was carried out in Comoros where cassava yield (5.7 t/ha) is significantly below the African average (8.6 t/ha) largely due to virus diseases. Observations from 66 sites across the Comoros Islands of Mwali, Ngazidja, and Ndzwani revealed that 83.3% of cassava fields had foliar symptoms of CBSD compared with 95.5% for CMD. Molecular diagnostics confirmed the presence of both cassava brown streak ipomoviruses (CBSIs) and cassava mosaic begomoviruses (CMBs). Although real-time RT-PCR only detected the presence of one CBSI species (Cassava brown streak virus, CBSV) the second species (Ugandan cassava brown streak virus, UCBSV) was identified using next-generation high-throughput sequencing. Both PCR and HTS detected the presence of East African cassava mosaic virus (EACMV). African cassava mosaic virus was not detected in any of the samples. Four whitefly species were identified from a sample of 131 specimens: Bemisia tabaci, B. afer, Aleurodicus dispersus, and Paraleyrodes bondari. Cassava B. tabaci comprised two mitotypes: SSA1-SG2 (89%) and SSA1-SG3 (11%). KASP SNP genotyping categorized 82% of cassava B. tabaci as haplogroup SSA-ESA. This knowledge will provide an important base for developing and deploying effective management strategies for cassava viruses and their vectors

The evolving SARS-CoV-2 epidemic in Africa: Insights from rapidly expanding genomic surveillance

INTRODUCTION Investment in Africa over the past year with regard to severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) sequencing has led to a massive increase in the number of sequences, which, to date, exceeds 100,000 sequences generated to track the pandemic on the continent. These sequences have profoundly affected how public health officials in Africa have navigated the COVID-19 pandemic. RATIONALE We demonstrate how the first 100,000 SARS-CoV-2 sequences from Africa have helped monitor the epidemic on the continent, how genomic surveillance expanded over the course of the pandemic, and how we adapted our sequencing methods to deal with an evolving virus. Finally, we also examine how viral lineages have spread across the continent in a phylogeographic framework to gain insights into the underlying temporal and spatial transmission dynamics for several variants of concern (VOCs). RESULTS Our results indicate that the number of countries in Africa that can sequence the virus within their own borders is growing and that this is coupled with a shorter turnaround time from the time of sampling to sequence submission. Ongoing evolution necessitated the continual updating of primer sets, and, as a result, eight primer sets were designed in tandem with viral evolution and used to ensure effective sequencing of the virus. The pandemic unfolded through multiple waves of infection that were each driven by distinct genetic lineages, with B.1-like ancestral strains associated with the first pandemic wave of infections in 2020. Successive waves on the continent were fueled by different VOCs, with Alpha and Beta cocirculating in distinct spatial patterns during the second wave and Delta and Omicron affecting the whole continent during the third and fourth waves, respectively. Phylogeographic reconstruction points toward distinct differences in viral importation and exportation patterns associated with the Alpha, Beta, Delta, and Omicron variants and subvariants, when considering both Africa versus the rest of the world and viral dissemination within the continent. Our epidemiological and phylogenetic inferences therefore underscore the heterogeneous nature of the pandemic on the continent and highlight key insights and challenges, for instance, recognizing the limitations of low testing proportions. We also highlight the early warning capacity that genomic surveillance in Africa has had for the rest of the world with the detection of new lineages and variants, the most recent being the characterization of various Omicron subvariants. CONCLUSION Sustained investment for diagnostics and genomic surveillance in Africa is needed as the virus continues to evolve. This is important not only to help combat SARS-CoV-2 on the continent but also because it can be used as a platform to help address the many emerging and reemerging infectious disease threats in Africa. In particular, capacity building for local sequencing within countries or within the continent should be prioritized because this is generally associated with shorter turnaround times, providing the most benefit to local public health authorities tasked with pandemic response and mitigation and allowing for the fastest reaction to localized outbreaks. These investments are crucial for pandemic preparedness and response and will serve the health of the continent well into the 21st century