Combining different "omics" approaches, such as genomics and proteomics, is necessary to generate a detailed and complete insight into microbiome comprehension. Proper sample collection and processing and accurate analytical methods are crucial in generating reliable data. We previously developed the ChipFilter device for proteomic analysis of microbial samples.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAmong the large family of spin-crossover (SCO) solids, recent investigations focused on polynuclear SCO materials, whose specific molecular configurations allow the presence of multi-step transitions and elastic frustration. In this contribution, we develop the first elastic modeling of thermal and dynamical properties of trinuclear SCO solids. For that, we study a finite SCO open chain constituted of successive elastically coupled trinuclear (A=B=C) blocks, in which each site (A, B, and C) may occupy two electronic configurations, namely, low-spin (LS) and high-spin (HS) states, accompanied with structural changes.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPurpose: The objective of our study was to examine the knowledge of male infertility and the acceptance of assisted reproductive technology (ART) methods.
Patients And Methods: We conducted a descriptive, comparative, cross-sectional study from April 2023 to August 2023 in a center in Dakar. Included in the study were male patients aged 18 and older followed for male infertility (group 1) and fertile patients of the same age as those in group 1 (group 2).
The Africa Health Collaborative (AHC) initiative embarked on a transformative ten-year collaboration with Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) and the University of Toronto (U of T) to co-create continuing education programs geared toward augmenting the proficiency of primary care practitioners in Ghana. While upholding core principles within the AHC framework, emphasizing respect, inclusivity, equity, reciprocity, ethics, dynamism, and stewardship, seven teams of U of T and KNUST faculty engaged in collaborative efforts to design, administer, and evaluate five in-person "short courses" in Ghana on Palliative Care, Quality Improvement for Health Professionals, Prehospital Emergency Care, Community Emergency Care, and Emergency Preparedness and Response to Epidemic-Prone Diseases to approximately 100 Ghanaian primary care professionals. This paper describes a model of co-creation, highlights lessons learned from a robust evaluation process, and proposes that this co-creation model can strengthen primary health care in Ghana and ultimately transform health systems in Africa.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAnn Dermatol Venereol
December 2024
Background: The COVID-19 pandemic highlights the importance of strong surveillance systems in detecting and responding to public health threats. We sought to evaluate attributes of Keur Massar district's existing COVID-19 surveillance system.
Method: A descriptive, cross-sectional study was conducted in June 2022; desk review covered data collected from March 03, 2020 to May 31, 2022 in 18 health posts.
A cross-sectional survey was conducted at Polytechnic High School (PHS) to assess the spread of COVID-19 infection among students and staff. A random cluster sampling was conducted between May 19 and August 18, 2022, after the fourth wave of COVID-19 in Senegal. IgM and IgG SARS-CoV-2 antibodies were screened using WANTAI SARS-CoV-2 ELISA assays.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFIntroduction: In-hospital mortality is a critical indicator of healthcare quality, although most hospital deaths result from unavoidable morbid processes.
Objectives: This study aimed to examine cardiovascular mortality in working-age patients by analysing epidemiological, clinical, and paraclinical characteristics and identifying the key etiological factors associated with mortality.
Methodology: A descriptive and analytical retrospective study was conducted from September 2019 to August 2022 at the General Hospital Idrissa POUYE in Dakar.
Background: Low-and middle-income countries (LMICs) face many challenges regarding the timely management of STEMI, and the COVID-19 pandemic has impacted our already fragile health systems.
Objectives: To assess the delays in managing STEMI during COVID-19 and evaluate the 6-month mortality rates related to these delays.
Methods: A retrospective cross-sectional study was conducted over two years at a tertiary center in Dakar, Senegal.
Introduction: Abdominal surgical emergencies have a high mortality rate. Effective management primarily relies on the early identification of patients at high risk of postoperative complications. The objective of our study was to determine the prognostic factors associated with poor outcomes from abdominal surgical emergencies in Senegal and to establish a predictive score for mortality for preoperative risk evaluation (NDAR (New Death Assessment Risk) score).
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe exponential increase in sequencing data calls for conceptual and computational advances to extract useful biological insights. One such advance, minimizers, allows for reducing the quantity of data handled while maintaining some of its key properties. We provide a basic introduction to minimizers, cover recent methodological developments, and review the diverse applications of minimizers to analyze genomic data, including de novo genome assembly, metagenomics, read alignment, read correction, and pangenomes.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFIntroduction: Soil fertility is a major constraint to agricultural development in the Sahel region of Africa. One alternative to reducing the use of mineral fertilizers is to partially replace them with microbes that promote nutrition and growth, such as arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF). Mineral fertilizer microdosing is a technique developed to enhance fertilizer efficiency and encourage smallholder farmers to adopt higher mineral fertilizer applications.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPurpose: Biallelic INPP4A variants have recently been associated with severe neurodevelopmental disease in single-case reports. Here, we expand and elucidate the clinical-genetic spectrum and provide a pathomechanistic explanation for genotype-phenotype correlations.
Methods: Clinical and genomic investigations of 30 individuals were undertaken alongside molecular and in silico modelling and translation reinitiation studies.
Introduction: Many aspects of tooth development have been documented, particularly in Caucasian populations. However, dental development has not been extensively studied in West Africa.
Objective: The present study was designed to provide information on the sequences of tooth calcification in West African black Senegalese children and to compare the results with those of other populations, notably the London Atlas.
Training health workers is one of the biggest challenges and cost drivers when introducing a new contraceptive method or service delivery innovation. PATH developed a digital training curriculum for family planning providers who are learning to offer subcutaneous DMPA (DMPA-SC), including through self-injection, as an option among a range of contraceptive methods. The DMPA-SC eLearning course for health workers includes 10 lessons with an emphasis on informed choice counseling and training clients to self-inject.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFCrimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever (CCHF) and Rift Valley fever (RVF) are among the list of emerging zoonotic diseases that require special attention and priority. RVF is one of the six priority diseases selected by the Senegalese government. Repeated epidemic episodes and sporadic cases of CCHF and RVF in Senegal motivated this study, involving a national cross-sectional serological survey to assess the distribution of the two diseases in this country throughout the small ruminant population.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFRift Valley fever (RVF) is a re-emerging vector-borne zoonosis with a high public health and veterinary impact. In West Africa, many lineages were previously detected, but since 2020, lineage H from South Africa has been the main cause of the outbreaks. In this study, clinical samples collected through national surveillance were screened for RVF virus (RVFV) acute infection by RT-PCR and IgM ELISA tests.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFArtemisinin Combination Therapies (ACT) stand as the most potent antimalarial treatments. In response to the emergence of ACT-resistant malaria parasites in Southeast Asia, the World Health Organization (WHO) has recommended continuous monitoring of the effectiveness of ACT and other antimalarials. To address this need, we collected dried blood spots from malaria patients during a 42-days drug efficacy trial evaluating the efficacy of Artesunate plus Amodiaquine (ASAQ), Artemether Plus Lumefantrine (AL) and Dihydroarthemisinine plus Piperaquine (DHAPQ) on simple malaria in 2017.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Drug resistance in Plasmodium falciparum is a major threat to malaria control efforts. Pathogen genomic surveillance could be invaluable for monitoring current and emerging parasite drug resistance.
Methods: Data from two decades (2000-2020) of continuous molecular surveillance of P.