Assessment of the Public Health Laboratory Capacity - Sierra Leone, 2021.

What Is Already Known About This Topic?: Public health laboratories (PHLs) are critical for effectively identifying, detecting, preventing, and responding to emerging and reemerging infectious diseases. Following the 2014 Ebola outbreak, Sierra Leone implemented a national laboratory strategic plan (2015-2020) aimed at creating, strengthening, and maintaining laboratory capacities for detecting, assessing, notifying, and reporting incidents, with a requirement to review PHL capabilities every five years.

What Is Added By This Report?: This study assessed the comprehensive capacity and personnel status of PHLs in Sierra Leone using a standardized assessment tool following the implementation of the 2015 National Laboratory Strategic Plan.

A recurrent loss-of-function variant in DRC1 causes non-syndromic severe asthenozoospermia with favorable intracytoplasmic sperm injection and pregnancy outcomes.

Background: Asthenozoospermia, characterized by reduced sperm motility, is a common cause of male infertility. Multiple morphological abnormalities of the sperm flagella (MMAF) represent a severe and genetically heterogeneous form of asthenozoospermia. Over 50 genes have been associated, but approximately half of MMAF cases remain unexplained.

Homozygous deleterious variants in MYCBPAP induce asthenoteratozoospermia involving abnormal acrosome biogenesis, manchette structure and sperm tail assembly in humans and mice.

Asthenoteratozoospermia is a common cause of male infertility. To further define the genetic causes underlying asthenoteratozoospermia, we performed whole-exome sequencing in a cohort of Han Chinese men with asthenoteratozoospermia. Homozygous deleterious variants of MYCBPAP were first identified in two unrelated Chinese cases.

The Mediation Effect of Academic Self-Efficacy on Academic Procrastination, Performance, and Satisfaction of Chinese Local Technology University Undergraduates.

Purpose: To identify the relationship between academic procrastination, performance, self-efficacy, and satisfaction, we investigate the mediational role of academic self-efficacy between academic procrastination and satisfaction, and between academic performance and satisfaction, respectively, among undergraduate students of local technology universities in China.

Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted involving 388 undergraduate students from 22 local technology universities in Hubei, China. Data was collected through an online questionnaire measuring academic procrastination, performance, self-efficacy, and satisfaction.

Antioxidant Capacity of Thyme (Thymus vulgaris) Essential Oil and Its Effect on In Vivo Fertility of Rams Subjected to Testicle Heat Stress.

The detrimental effects of hyperthermia on the testes and the protective effect of thyme essential oil against testicular damage induced by this stress in rams were studied. Twenty-four rams of the Barbarine breed with an average weight of 62.5 ± 0.

Methicillin resistant staphylococcus aureus infection in neonates- a major concern and a call for action.

Background: Methicillin-Resistant (MRSA) is both a human commensal and a pathogen that causes neonatal infection which is associated with significant morbidity and mortality. Its genetic flexibility and versatility have equipped it with the ability to develop resistance to numerous antibiotics. Outbreaks of infections in neonatal intensive care units as well as community infections have been reported mostly in developed countries.

Enhancing early warning: A DNA biosensor with polyaniline/graphene nanocomposite for label-free voltammetric detection of saxitoxin-producing harmful algae.

Yearly reports of detrimental effects resulting from harmful algal blooms (HAB) are still received in Malaysia and other countries, particularly concerning fish mortality and seafood contamination, both of which bear consequences for the fisheries industry. The underlying reason is the absence of a dependable early warning system. Hence, this research aims to develop a single DNA biosensor that can detect a group of HAB species known for producing saxitoxin (SXT), which is commonly found in Malaysian waters.

Neuroprotective roles of flavonoid "hispidulin" in the central nervous system: A review.

Interest in naturally occurring phytochemicals has been on the increase, they are believed to reduce the risk of brain disorders. Hispidulin (HN) is a phenolic flavonoid compound with various pharmacological and biological effects on the central nervous system. It belongs to the flavone class of flavonoids.

Various Morphologies of Graphitic Carbon Nitride (g-CN) and Their Effect on the Thermomechanical Properties of Thermoset Epoxy Resin Composites.

This research aims to highlight the importance of diverse forms of graphitic carbon nitride (g-CN) as strengthening elements in epoxy composites. It explores the influence of three different forms of g-CN and their concentrations on the mechanical properties of the epoxy composites. Various characterization techniques, such as scanning electron microscopy (SEM), dynamic light scattering (DLS), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), and Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), were utilized to comprehend the effects of g-CN morphology and particle size on the physical and chemical characteristics of epoxy resin.

[The use of medical imaging as a therapeutic patient education tool in radiotherapy : a feasibility study].

Because of its prevalence and high mortality rate, cancer is a major public health challenge. Radiotherapy is an important treatment option, and makes extensive use of medical imaging. Until now, this type of tool has been reserved to professionals, but it is now opening up to wider use, including by patients themselves for educational purposes.

orbital ordering patterns in KBF (B = Sc, Ti, Fe, Co) perovskites.

The orbital ordering (OO) resulting from the partial occupancy of the subshell of the transition metals in KBF (B = Sc, Ti, Ffe, Co) perovskites, and the many possible patterns arising from the coupling between the B sites, have been investigated at the quantum mechanical level ( Gaussian type basis set, B3LYP hybrid functional) in a 40 atoms supercell. The numerous patterns are distributed into 162 classes of equivalent configurations. For each fluoroperovskite, one representative per class has been calculated.

Self-(in)compatibility in Tunisian apple accessions [Malus domestica. Borkh]: S-genotypes identification and pollen tube growth analysis.

Self-incompatibility studies have revealed a potential use of Tunisian apple resources for crop improvement and modern breeding programs and a likely correlation between the pollen tube growth and flowering period. Apples [Malus domestica. Borkh] exhibit an S-RNase-based gametophytic self-incompatibility (GSI) system.

The Novel Telomere Phage vB_YenS_P840 Is Closely Related to PY54, but Reveals Some Striking Differences.

Telomere phages are a small group of temperate phages, whose prophages replicate as a linear plasmid with covalently closed ends. They have been isolated from some and from bacterial species living in aquatic environments. Phage PY54 was the first () telomere phage isolated from a nonpathogenic O:5 strain, but recently a second telomeric phage (vB_YenS_P840) was isolated from a tonsil of a wild boar in Germany.

Effective removal of malachite green from local dyeing wastewater using zinc-tungstate based materials.

The frequent use of an industrial dye such as malachite green (MG) has caused major water body deterioration and is one of the most pressing global challenges, demanding effective treatment techniques. To solve these issues, a simplistic method was developed to synthesize zinc-tungstate (ZnWO) nanoparticles and also dope the surface matrix of the ZnWO nanoparticles using nonmetals of boron (B), carbon (C), and nitrogen (N) at different ratios for enhanced MG removal from wastewater. The prepared nanomaterials were characterized by different methods for crystal structure composition, surface properties, surface morphology, microstructures, functional groups, and elemental oxidation states.

Cure & Care 1Malaysia Clinics: Measuring the Effectiveness via Dyads Lens Involving Receivers and Providers.

Drug treatment and rehabilitation programs are one of the initiatives to alleviate the global epidemic of drug addiction. The efforts were undertaken by everyone, particularly the government. However, the rising number of drug relapses among patients or clients ponders the effectiveness of the drug treatment and rehabilitation programs implemented in the country.

Incorporation of fresh leaves of wormwood () and/or rosemary () in the diet of rams: Effect on testicular function, sexual behavior, and blood parameters.

This study aimed to investigate the effect of wormwood and rosemary supplementation on some reproductive traits of Barbarine rams. The experiment lasted 2 months. Twenty-four adult rams were divided into four groups ( = 6) balanced for the weight (53.