Adding Virome Capture Metagenomic Sequencing to Conventional Laboratory Testing Increases Unknown Fever Etiology Determination in Bamako, Mali.

Unexplained fever poses significant diagnostic challenges in resource-limited settings like Bamako, Mali, where overlapping endemic diseases include malaria, HIV/AIDS, yellow fever, typhoid, and others. This study aimed to elucidate the infectious etiologies of acute febrile illnesses in this context. Acute febrile patients of any age were enrolled after informed consent or assent.

Biological Insights and Radiation-Immuno-Oncology Developments in Primary and Secondary Brain Tumors.

Malignant central nervous system (CNS) cancers include a group of heterogeneous dis-eases characterized by a relative resistance to treatments and distinguished as either primary tumors arising in the CNS or secondary tumors that spread from other organs into the brain. Despite therapeutic efforts, they often cause significant mortality and morbidity across all ages. Radiotherapy (RT) remains the main treatment for brain cancers, improving associated symptoms, improving tumor control, and inducing a cure in some.

Malaria prevalence and use of control measures in an area with persistent transmission in Senegal.

Introduction: In Senegal, the widespread use of vector control measures has resulted in a significant reduction in the malaria burden and led the country to consider the possibility of elimination. Given this shift and changing context, it is important to characterize the malaria burden across all age groups to guide decision-making on programmatic interventions to interrupt transmission and ultimately eradicate the disease. In Senegal, there is a lack of information on malaria prevalence among certain populations, particularly among adolescents and adults.

DOTATATE PET/MR Imaging Differentiates Secondary-Progressive from de Novo World Health Organization Grade 3 Meningiomas.

Background And Purpose: WHO grade 3 meningiomas are rare and poorly understood and have a higher propensity for recurrence, metastasis, and worsened clinical outcomes compared with lower-grade meningiomas. The purpose of our study was to prospectively evaluate the molecular profile, PET characteristics, and outcomes of patients with World Health Organization grade 3 meningiomas who were imaged with gallium 68 (Ga) DOTATATE PET/MR imaging.

Materials And Methods: Patients with World Health Organization grade 3 meningiomas enrolled in our prospective observational cohort evaluating the utility of (Ga) DOTATATE PET/MR imaging in somatostatin receptor positive brain tumors were included.

[Ga68] DOTATATE PET/MRI-guided radiosurgical treatment planning and response assessment in meningiomas.

Background: Our purpose was to determine the utility of [68Ga]-DOTATATE PET/MRI in meningioma response assessment following radiosurgery.

Methods: Patients with meningioma prospectively underwent postoperative DOTATATE PET/MRI. Co-registered PET and gadolinium-enhanced T1-weighted MRI were employed for radiosurgery planning.

Spatial and Socioeconomic Inequalities in Cesarean Section Deliveries in Urban Settings in Dakar, Senegal.

As part of an initiative aimed at reducing maternal and child mortality, Senegal implemented a policy of free Cesarean section (C-section) since 2005. Despite the implementation, C-section rates have remained low and significant large disparities in access, particularly in major cities such as Dakar. This paper aims to assess C-section rates and examines socioeconomic inequalities in C-section use in the Dakar region between 2005 and 2019.

Modeling West Nile Virus transmission in birds and humans: Advantages of using a cellular automata approach.

In Canada, the periodic circulation of West Nile Virus (WNV) is difficult to predict and, beyond climatic factors, appears to be related to the migratory movements of infected birds from the southern United States. This hypothesis has not yet been explored in a spatially distributed model. The main objective of this work was to develop a spatially explicit dynamic model for the transmission of WNV in Canada, that allows us to explore non-climate related hypotheses associated with WNV transmission.

Antimalarial artesunate-mefloquine versus praziquantel in African children with schistosomiasis: an open-label, randomized controlled trial.

Schistosomiasis treatment entirely relies on a single drug, praziquantel, prompting research into alternative therapeutics. Here we evaluated the efficacy and safety of the antimalarial combination artesunate-mefloquine for the treatment of schistosomiasis in a proof-of-concept, pragmatic, open-label, randomized controlled trial in primary schools of six villages endemic for schistosomiasis in northern Senegal. Children (6-14 years) were eligible if Schistosoma eggs were detected by microscopy in urine and/or stool.

An emerging clade of Chikungunya West African genotype discovered in real-time during 2023 outbreak in Senegal.

Chikungunya (CHIKV) is a re-emerging endemic arbovirus in West Africa. Since July 2023, Senegal and Burkina Faso have been experiencing an ongoing outbreak, with over 300 confirmed cases detected so far in the regions of Kédougou and Tambacounda in Senegal, the largest recorded outbreak yet. CHIKV is typically maintained in a sylvatic cycle in Senegal but its evolution and factors contributing to re-emergence are so far unknown in West Africa, leaving a gap in understanding and responding to recurrent epidemics.

Combined surgical repair and venous sinus stenting for patients with skull base encephaloceles secondary to dural venous sinus stenosis.

Background: Chronically elevated intracranial pressure (ICP) seen in idiopathic intracranial hypertension (IIH) can cause the development of skull base encephaloceles and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) leaks. Surgical repair and ventriculoperitoneal shunt (VPS) placement are mainstays of treatment. Venous sinus stenting (VSS) is a newly accepted treatment modality.

TCF12 Deficiency Impairs the Proliferation of Glioblastoma Tumor Cells and Improves Survival.

Isocitrate dehydrogenase (IDH)-wild-type glioblastoma (GBM) is the most common and aggressive primary brain tumor which carries a very poor overall prognosis and is universally fatal. Understanding the transcriptional regulation of the proliferation of GBM tumor cells is critical for developing novel and effective treatments. In this study, we investigate the role of the transcription factor TCF12 in the regulation of GBM proliferation using human and murine GBM cell lines and an in vivo GBM xenograft model.

Posterior hypothalamic involvement on pre-operative MRI predicts hypothalamic obesity in craniopharyngiomas.

Purpose: Hypothalamic obesity (HO) is a complication associated with craniopharyngioma (CP). Attempts have been made to perioperatively predict the development of this complication, which can be severe and difficult to treat.

Methods: Patients who underwent first transsphenoidal surgical resection in a single center between February 2005 and March 2019 were screened; those who have had prior surgery or radiation, were aged below 18 years, or did not have follow up body mass index (BMI) after surgery were excluded.

[Monitoring of glycemic balance by glycated hemoglobin assay on D-10® (Biorad) and Minicap Flex Piercing® (Sebia) biochemical systems at the Rodolph-Mérieux Laboratory in Bamako].

This study aims to determine the concordance of results between D-10® and Minicap Flex Piercing® and the impact of the presence of hemoglobin variants in the glycated hemoglobin assay. All the samples were assayed in parallel. The agreement between these methods was assessed using the Bland and Altman plot.

Heat waves and health risks in the northern part of Senegal: analysing the distribution of temperature-related diseases and associated risk factors.

The Sahelian zone of Senegal experienced heat waves in the previous decades, such as 2013, 2016 and 2018 that were characterised by temperatures exceeding 45°C for up to 3 successive days. The health impacts of these heat waves are not yet analysed in Senegal although their negative effects have been shown in many countries. This study analyses the health impacts of observed extreme temperatures in the Sahelian zone of the country, focusing on morbidity and mortality by combining data from station observation, climate model projections, and household survey to investigate heat wave detection, occurrence of climate-sensitive diseases and risk factors for exposure.

Heterogeneity of the Omicron variant in Senegal.

•Omicron variant continues to progress in Senegal with the appearance of new contaminations.•IRESSEF detected the first positive case of the Omicron variant on Friday, December 3, 2021.•Since this date, the number of Omicron variant infections has increased over the weeks.

Corrigendum to: Meningovascular Syphilis Presenting as a Brain Mass in an Immunocompetent Male.

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1093/ofid/ofab455.].

Perspectives on Microglia-Based Immune Therapies Against Glioblastoma.

Glioblastoma (GBM) is the most aggressive primary tumor of the central nervous system. Despite aggressive multimodal therapy, it has a dismal prognosis. Over the last 20 years, the approach to GBM research and therapy has involved viewing the pathologic condition as a complex organ system with multiple nonneoplastic cells supporting tumor growth directly or through enhancement of the tumor microenvironment.

Regulation of Microglia for the Treatment of Glioma.

Microglia are the resident macrophages of the central nervous system (CNS). They are derived from the erythromyeloid progenitors in the embryonic yolk sac, and they are maintained postnatally by limited self-renewal and longevity. As the most abundant immune cells in the CNS, they play critical roles in homeostasis and various CNS pathologies, including tumor, stroke, and neurodegenerative disease.

The Benedict Arnold of the Central Nervous System Tumor Microenvironment? The Role of Microglia/Macrophages in Glioma.

The glioma microenvironment is heavily infiltrated by non-neoplastic myeloid cells, including bone marrow-derived macrophages and central nervous system-resident microglia. As opposed to executing the antitumor functions of immune surveillance, antigen presentation, and phagocytosis, these tumor-associated myeloid cells are co-opted to promote an immunosuppressive milieu and support tumor invasion and angiogenesis. This review explores evolving evidence and the research paradigms used to determine the interplay of tumor genetics, immune cell composition, and immune function in gliomas.

Meningovascular Syphilis Presenting as a Brain Mass in an Immunocompetent Male.

We present a case of a human immunodeficiency virus-negative man with syphilitic meningovascular disease with subjacent involvement of brain parenchyma leading to a mass-forming inflammatory lesion that was pathologically distinct from a typical gumma. Syphilis was diagnosed after tissue obtained from a brain biopsy demonstrated spirochetes consistent with and confirmed by 16S ribosomal RNA sequencing.