In vitro evaluation of the effect of aqueous extracts of Agave sisalana and Cymbopogon citratus on mycelial growth and conidia production of Pyricularia oryzae, causal agent of rice blast

Objectives: To evaluate the effects of aqueous extracts of Agave sisalana (sisal) and Cymbopogon citratus (lemon grass) on mycelial growth and conidia production of Pyricularia oryzae, causal agent of Rice Blast.Methodology and Results: The plants aqueous extracts were used at concentrations 0.1; 0.2; 0.3; 0.4; 0.5;1; 2; 3; 4; 5; 10; 20; 30% concentrations for Agave sisalana extracts and 0.5; 3; 5; 10; 15; 20% for C. citratus extracts. Fisher randomized block design with five (5) replicates was used to test the two extracts. All the two extracts tested had an inhibitory effect on the growth and spore production of the fungus. The Minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of Agave sisalana extracts was 3% (PI = 97%).For the C. citratus extract, the MIC was 20% and the concentration less than 20% had a mild effect on mycelial growth.Conclusion and application potential of the results: The use of pesticides of plant origin has been suggested by some researchers as alternatives to synthetic chemicals, in order to counter the potential hazards and pollution problems associated with the use of synthetic chemicals. The plants extracts tested showed antifungal activity. This result should enable use of aqueous extract of Agave sisalana to control blast diseases.Key words: In vitro, plant extracts, mycelial growth, spore production, rice blast, Pyricularia oryzae

Latitude gradient influences the age of onset of rheumatoid arthritis : a worldwide survey

The age of onset of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is an important outcome predictor. Northern countries report an age of RA onset of around 50 years, but apparently, variability exists across different geographical regions. The objective of the present study is to assess whether the age of onset of RA varies across latitudes worldwide. In a proof-of-concept cross-sectional worldwide survey, rheumatologists from preselected cities interviewed 20 consecutive RA patients regarding the date of RA onset (RAO, when the patient first noted a swollen joint). Other studied variables included location of each city, rheumatologist settings, latitudes (10A degrees increments, south to north), longitudes (three regions), intracountry consistency, and countries' Inequality-adjusted Human Development Index (IHDI). Data from 2481 patients (82% females) were obtained from 126 rheumatologists in 77 cities of 41 countries. Worldwide mean age of RAO was 44 +/- 14 years (95% CI 44-45). In 28% of patients, RA began before age 36 years and before age 46 years in 50% of patients. RAO was 8 years earlier around the Tropic of Cancer when compared with northern latitudes (p <0.001, 95% CI 3.5-13). Multivariate analysis showed that females, western cities, and latitudes around the Tropic of Cancer are associated with younger age of RAO (R (2) 0.045, p <0.001). A positive correlation was found between the age of RAO and IHDI (r = 0.7, p <0.01, R (2) 0.5). RA often begins at an early age and onset varies across latitudes worldwide. We postulate that countries' developmental status and their geographical and geomagnetic location influence the age of RAO.Peer reviewe

Determinants and causes of mortality in HIV-infected patients receiving antiretroviral therapy in Burkina Faso: a five-year retrospective cohort study.

In this study, we investigated the causes of death and the factors associated with mortality in a cohort of patients receiving highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) in Burkina Faso, an African country with limited resources. This retrospective cohort study included patients aged 15 years and older who started HAART for the first time between January 2003 and December 2008 in 14 health districts. We used survival analyses, including the Kaplan-Meier method, to examine potential predictors of death and two Cox proportional hazard models to estimate hazard ratios for death, first from baseline covariates and then from time-dependent covariates. A total of 6641 patients initiated HAART during this period; of these, 5608 were included in the analysis. By the end of the study period, 4310 of those patients were still receiving HAART, 690 had died, 207 had been transferred and 401 were lost to follow-up. The median duration of follow-up was 23.2 months [interquartile range (IQR): 12.4-36.9], and the overall incidence of mortality was 6 per 100 person-years. The clinical stage, CD4 count, body mass index (BMI), haemoglobin level, HAART regimen, gender, age, profession and year of initiation were the primary risk factors associated with death. In the multivariate analysis, BMI, clinical stage, treatment regimen and CD4 count remained significantly associated with death. The most frequent causes of death were wasting syndrome, tuberculosis and anaemia. This result highlights the already advanced stage of immunodeficiency among patients in Burkina Faso when they start HAART. Testing patients for HIV and starting antiretroviral therapy earlier are necessary to further reduce the mortality of patients living with HIV. This study provides a solid evidence base with which future evaluations of HAART in Burkina Faso can be compared.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishe

Réduction de la fertilité chez les femmes infectées par le VIH-1 : implications pour la sérosurveillance sentinelle

Position du problème : En raison de l'influence de l'infection à VIH sur la fertilité, sa prévalence estimée dans les dispensaires prénatals par la surveillance sentinelle peut ne pas refléter la réalité de l'infection dans la population générale. L'objectif de notre travail était d'évaluer l'impact de l'infection à VIH sur la fertilité chez des femmes enceintes à Bobo-Dioulasso (Burkina Faso) afin de discuter des implications possibles sur la surveillance sentinelle. Méthodes : Dans le cadre d'un essai thérapeutique de réduction de la transmission mère-enfant du VIH par la zidovudine (essai ANRS 049), nous avons proposé le test VIH à 1 349 femmes âgées de 18 ans et plus, enceintes d'au moins 7 mois et résidant dans les limites territoriales de Bobo-Dioulasso. A l'occasion de la séance individuelle de conseil pré-test, un questionnaire standardisé leur a été administré pour receuillir des informations détaillées sur leur histoire obstétricale et leurs caractéristiques démographiques. Des échantillons de sang ont été collectés et testés pour le VIH après obtention d'un consentement écrit. Résultats : L'âge moyen (+ ou - ecart-type) au moment des premiers rapports sexuels était similaire chez les femmes infectées par le VIH-1 (VIH+) (16,7 ans + ou - 2, n = 83) et chez celles non-infectées (VIH-) (16,9 ans + ou - 2, n = 1 136) que celles VIH- (5,0 + ou - 2,3, n = 35) que celles VIH- (3,7 + ou - 2, n = 555), p = 0.02. Les 2 groupes de femmes étaient comparables pour les autres caractéristiques de leur histoire obstétricale, à savoir l'âge à la grossesse actuelle, la proportion de primigestes, le nombre moyen de mort-nés et celui d'avortement spontanés. Conclusions : Nos données suggèrent que le niveau de fertilité des femmes VIH+ âgées de 25 ans et plus est inférieur à celui des femmes VIH-... (D'après résumé d'auteur

Réduction de la fertilité chez les femmes infectées par le VIH-1 : implications pour la sérosurveillance sentinelle

Position du problème : En raison de l'influence de l'infection à VIH sur la fertilité, sa prévalence estimée dans les dispensaires prénatals par la surveillance sentinelle peut ne pas refléter la réalité de l'infection dans la population générale. L'objectif de notre travail était d'évaluer l'impact de l'infection à VIH sur la fertilité chez des femmes enceintes à Bobo-Dioulasso (Burkina Faso) afin de discuter des implications possibles sur la surveillance sentinelle. Méthodes : Dans le cadre d'un essai thérapeutique de réduction de la transmission mère-enfant du VIH par la zidovudine (essai ANRS 049), nous avons proposé le test VIH à 1 349 femmes âgées de 18 ans et plus, enceintes d'au moins 7 mois et résidant dans les limites territoriales de Bobo-Dioulasso. A l'occasion de la séance individuelle de conseil pré-test, un questionnaire standardisé leur a été administré pour receuillir des informations détaillées sur leur histoire obstétricale et leurs caractéristiques démographiques. Des échantillons de sang ont été collectés et testés pour le VIH après obtention d'un consentement écrit. Résultats : L'âge moyen (+ ou - ecart-type) au moment des premiers rapports sexuels était similaire chez les femmes infectées par le VIH-1 (VIH+) (16,7 ans + ou - 2, n = 83) et chez celles non-infectées (VIH-) (16,9 ans + ou - 2, n = 1 136) que celles VIH- (5,0 + ou - 2,3, n = 35) que celles VIH- (3,7 + ou - 2, n = 555), p = 0.02. Les 2 groupes de femmes étaient comparables pour les autres caractéristiques de leur histoire obstétricale, à savoir l'âge à la grossesse actuelle, la proportion de primigestes, le nombre moyen de mort-nés et celui d'avortement spontanés. Conclusions : Nos données suggèrent que le niveau de fertilité des femmes VIH+ âgées de 25 ans et plus est inférieur à celui des femmes VIH-... (D'après résumé d'auteur

The Candidate Blood-stage Malaria Vaccine P27A Induces a Robust Humoral Response in a Fast Track to the Field Phase 1 Trial in Exposed and Nonexposed Volunteers.

P27A is an unstructured 104mer synthetic peptide from Plasmodium falciparum trophozoite exported protein 1 (TEX1), the target of human antibodies inhibiting parasite growth. The present project aimed at evaluating the safety and immunogenicity of P27A peptide vaccine in malaria-nonexposed European and malaria-exposed African adults. This study was designed as a staggered, fast-track, randomized, antigen and adjuvant dose-finding, multicenter phase 1a/1b trial, conducted in Switzerland and Tanzania. P27A antigen (10 or 50 μg), adjuvanted with Alhydrogel or glucopyranosil lipid adjuvant stable emulsion (GLA-SE; 2.5 or 5 μg), or control rabies vaccine (Verorab) were administered intramuscularly to 16 malaria-nonexposed and 40 malaria-exposed subjects on days 0, 28, and 56. Local and systemic adverse events (AEs) as well as humoral and cellular immune responses were assessed after each injection and during the 34-week follow-up. Most AEs were mild to moderate and resolved completely within 48 hours. Systemic AEs were more frequent in the formulation with alum as compared to GLA-SE, whereas local AEs were more frequent after GLA-SE. No serious AEs occurred. Supported by a mixed Th1/Th2 cell-mediated immunity, P27A induced a marked specific antibody response able to recognize TEX1 in infected erythrocytes and to inhibit parasite growth through an antibody-dependent cellular inhibition mechanism. Incidence of AEs and antibody responses were significantly lower in malaria-exposed Tanzanian subjects than in nonexposed European subjects. The candidate vaccine P27A was safe and induced a particularly robust immunogenic response in combination with GLA-SE. This formulation should be considered for future efficacy trials. NCT01949909, PACTR201310000683408