Feasibility and performance of in-house red blood cell reagents to detect unexpected antibodies in immunized patients in Burkina Faso.

In sub-Saharan Africa, antibody detection tests remain inaccessible because of the high cost and limited shelf life of red blood cell (RBC) reagents. This study aimed at investigating the feasibility and performance of locally prepared RBC reagents for antibody detection in Burkina Faso. We conducted an experimental study comparing commercial RBC panels and a local panel prepared from phenotyped blood donors in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso.

Establishment of reference values for prothrombin time, activated partial thromboplastin time and fibrinogen in adults in Burkina Faso.

The ordering of clinical haemostasis tests is increasing in Burkina Faso due to the newly emergence of cardiovascular and metabolic diseases. However, appropriate local reference values (RV) are lacking. Our study aimed to establish RV for prothrombin time (PT), activated partial thromboplastin time (aPTT) and fibrinogen assays.

[Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) infections in the pediatric teaching hospital Charles de Gaulle of Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso].

Human respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) infections are little known in Burkina Faso. The objective of our work is to study the epidemiological and clinical aspects of RSV infections in infants in the Pediatric Teaching Hospital Charles de Gaulle of Ouagadougou. Between July 1(st) 2010 and June 30(th) 2011, we analyzed by direct immunofluorescence and PCR nasopharyngeal swabs from children from 0 to 36 months old.

Viral etiology of respiratory tract infections in children at the pediatric hospital in Ouagadougou (Burkina Faso).

Background: Acute respiratory infections (ARIs) are a major cause of morbidity and mortality in children in Africa. The circulation of viruses classically implicated in ARIs is poorly known in Burkina Faso. The aim of this study was to identify the respiratory viruses present in children admitted to or consulting at the pediatric hospital in Ouagadougou.

Indole-3-carbinol and ultraviolet B induce apoptosis of human melanoma cells via down-regulation of MITF.

We investigated the mechanism of indole-3-carbinol (13C)/ultraviolet B (UVB)-induced apoptosis using SK-MEL-2 and SK-MEL-5 human melanoma cells. 13C/UVB significantly reduced the viability of SK-MEL-2 cells, whereas it had little influence on SK-MEL-5 cells. Correspondingly, cell cycle analysis showed that 13C/UVB induced a clear increase in the sub-G0/G1 phase in SK-MEL-2 cells.