Efficacy of prebiotic, probiotic, and synbiotics in improving growth in children under age five years in Africa: A protocol for a systematic review.

Stunting is among the main obstacles to human development affecting millions of children worldwide, particularly in the sub-Saharan Africa region. Randomized clinical trials have shown the positive effects of prebiotics, probiotics, and synbiotics in improving growth in children and toddlers. However, although the global mobilization to tackle its challenges in their different aspects is visible, it remains to define effective large-scale up interventions and strategies to obtain long-lasting impacts.

Freshwater snail-borne parasitic diseases in Africa.

Background: Freshwater snails are the first obligatory intermediate hosts in the trematode life cycle. Several parasitic diseases transmitted by these snails are endemic in Africa, and their distribution closely follows that of the intermediate hosts. These diseases represent a major public health problem and cause significant socio-economic losses in Africa, particularly schistosomiasis and fascioliasis.

Circulation of Non- Species in Niger: Implications for Malaria Diagnosis.

Background: Niger's National Malaria Control Programme and its partners use histidine-rich protein 2-based RDTs, which are specific to diagnosis. This study aimed to screen for the circulation of non- species in Zinder, a region of Niger, West Africa.

Methods: A cross-sectional study was carried out from July to December 2022 at the district hospital of the Zinder region of Niger.

Two decades of molecular surveillance in Senegal reveal rapid changes in known drug resistance mutations over time.

Background: 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.

Prevalence and associated factors of schistosomiasis among pregnant women in northern Senegal.

Background: Schistosomiasis remains a public health concern worldwide. It is responsible for more than 240 million cases in 78 countries, 40 million of whom are women of childbearing age. In the Senegal River basin, both Schistosoma haematobium and Schistosoma mansoni are very prevalent in school-age children.

Exploring the Adaptation of and to the Dry and Rainy Season in Ephemeral Pond in Niakhar (Senegal), an Area of Seasonal Transmission of Urogenital Schistosomiasis.

snails surviving drought play a key role in the seasonal transmission of urogenital schistosomiasis, although our knowledge of their adaptation to dry season is still limited. We investigated the survival dynamic and infestation by the of snails during the dry and rainy seasons in a single pond in an area of seasonal schistosomiasis transmission in Senegal. During the rainy season, 98 (94.

Quality assessment of malaria microscopic diagnosis at the Aristide Le Dantec University Hospital of Dakar, Senegal, in 2020.

Background: Following WHO guidelines, microscopy is the gold standard for malaria diagnosis in endemic countries. The Parasitology-Mycology laboratory (LPM) is the National Reference Laboratory and is currently undergoing ISO 15189 accreditation. In this context, we assessed the performance of the laboratory by confirming the reliability and the accuracy of results obtained in accordance with the requirements of the ISO 15189 standards.

Assessment of the role of gut health in childhood stunting in a multisite, longitudinal study in India, Indonesia and Senegal: a UKRI GCRF Action Against Stunting Hub protocol.

Introduction: Childhood stunting has a complex aetiology, with poor gut health being an important contributor. This study will assess inter-relationships between maternal and infant gut health indices and infant linear growth. Inter-relationships between gut health indices, systemic inflammation and growth hormones in early childhood will also be assessed.

Improving gut health and growth in early life: a protocol for an individually randomised, two-arm, open-label, controlled trial of a synbiotic in infants in Kaffrine District, Senegal.

Introduction: Infants exposed to enteropathogens through poor sanitation and hygiene can develop a subclinical disorder of the gut called environmental enteric dysfunction (EED), characterised by abnormal intestinal histology and permeability. EED can contribute to stunting through reduced digestion and absorption of nutrients, increased susceptibility to infections, increased systemic inflammation and inhibition of growth hormones. EED can be apparent by age 12 weeks, highlighting the need for early intervention.

Matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry traces the geographical source of Biomphalaria pfeifferi and Bulinus forskalii, involved in schistosomiasis transmission.

Background: Freshwater snails of the genera Bulinus spp., Biomphalaria spp., and Oncomelania spp.

Evaluating the performance of Plasmodium falciparum genetics for inferring National Malaria Control Program reported incidence in Senegal.

Genetic surveillance of the parasite shows great promise for helping National Malaria Control Programs (NMCPs) assess parasite transmission. Genetic metrics such as the frequency of polygenomic (multiple strain) infections, genetic clones, and the complexity of infection (COI, number of strains per infection) are correlated with transmission intensity. However, despite these correlations, it is unclear whether genetic metrics alone are sufficient to estimate clinical incidence.

Feasibility and safety of integrating mass drug administration for helminth control with seasonal malaria chemoprevention among Senegalese children: a randomized controlled, observer-blind trial.

Background: The overlap in the epidemiology of malaria and helminths has been identified as a potential area to exploit for the development of an integrated control strategy that may help to achieve elimination of malaria and helminths. A randomized, controlled, observer-blind trial was conducted to assess the feasibility and safety of combining mass drug administration (MDA) for schistosomiasis and soil transmitted helminths (STH) with seasonal malaria chemoprevention (SMC) among children living in Senegal.

Methods: Female and male children aged 1-14 years were randomized 1:1:1, to receive Vitamin A and Zinc on Day 0, followed by SMC drugs (sulfadoxine-pyrimethamine and amodiaquine) on Days 1-3 (control group); or praziquantel and Vitamin A on Day 0, followed by SMC drugs on Days 1-3 (treatment group 1); or albendazole and praziquantel on Day 0, followed by SMC drugs on Days 1-3 (treatment group 2).

Malaria surveillance reveals parasite relatedness, signatures of selection, and correlates of transmission across Senegal.

We here analyze data from the first year of an ongoing nationwide program of genetic surveillance of Plasmodium falciparum parasites in Senegal. The analysis is based on 1097 samples collected at health facilities during passive malaria case detection in 2019; it provides a baseline for analyzing parasite genetic metrics as they vary over time and geographic space. The study's goal was to identify genetic metrics that were informative about transmission intensity and other aspects of transmission dynamics, focusing on measures of genetic relatedness between parasites.

Cytobrush and cotton swab as sampling tools for molecular diagnosis of female genital schistosomiasis in the uterine cervix.

Female genital schistosomiasis (FGS) caused by is a neglected chronic parasitic disease. Diagnosis relies mainly on a colposcopy, which reveals non-specific lesions. This study aimed to assess the performance of two sampling methods for the molecular diagnosis of FGS in the uterine cervix.

Provider and User Acceptability of Integrated Treatment for the Control of Malaria and Helminths in Saraya, South-Eastern Senegal.

Integration of vertical programs for the control of malaria, schistosomiasis, and soil-transmitted helminthiasis has been recommended to achieve elimination of malaria and neglected tropical diseases (NTD) by 2030. This qualitative study was conducted within the context of a randomized controlled trial to explore the perceptions and views of parents/caregivers of at-risk children and healthcare providers to determine their acceptability of the integrated malaria-helminth treatment approach. Randomly selected parents/caregivers of children enrolled in the trial, healthcare providers, trial staff, malaria, and NTD program managers were interviewed using purpose-designed topic guides.

A Case of Visceral Leishmaniasis in a 4-Year-Old Child Living in Nonendemic Area Located in Suburbs of Dakar, Senegal.

Visceral leishmaniasis (VL) is an infectious disease caused by protozoa of the genus . Sporadic cases are observed in nonendemic areas and often associated with limited foci; therefore, the disease is easily overlooked. In addition, other diseases have similar clinical symptoms, which make it difficult for clinicians to make an accurate diagnosis and to provide effective treatment.

Computer-Assisted Visual Training in Children and Adolescents with Developmental Visual Disorders.

Background: In this systematic review, we address the question whether children and adolescents with developmental visual disorders benefit from computer-assisted visual training.

Methods: Systematic literature searches were carried out in three bibliographic databases (initial search in October 2021) and trial registries. Included were randomized controlled trials that evaluated the efficacy of computer-assisted visual training in children and adolescents with developmental visual disorders in comparison to no training, sham training, or conservative treatment.

Malaria parasite carriage before and two years after the implementation of seasonal malaria chemoprevention: a case study of the Saraya health district, southern Senegal.

Seasonal malaria chemoprevention (SMC) has been adopted and implemented in the southern regions of Senegal in children aged between three and 120 months since 2013. Scaling up this strategy requires its evaluation to assess the impact. This study was carried out to determine the dynamics of carriage before and after two years of SMC implementation.

Metabolic Profile of Individuals with and without Type 2 Diabetes from Sub-Saharan Africa.

Epidemiological data predicts that sub-Saharan Africa will have the largest increase in type 2 diabetes (T2D) prevalence over the next two decades. Metabolomics studies have identified biomarkers that could improve T2D diagnosis and follow-up. However, no studies have characterized the metabolome of people from sub-Saharan Africa.

Modulating the early-life gut microbiota using pro-, pre-, and synbiotics to improve gut health, child development, and growth.

In children exposed to poor hygiene and sanitation, invasion of the gut by pathogenic microbes can result in a subclinical enteropathy termed "environmental enteric dysfunction" (EED) that contributes to undernutrition, growth faltering, and impaired organ development. EED may already be present by age 6-12 weeks; therefore, interventions that can be started early in life, and used alongside breastfeeding, are needed to prevent or ameliorate EED. A healthy gut microbiota is critical for intestinal development and repair, nutrient digestion and absorption, and resisting colonization or overgrowth by pathogens.

Identification of Bulinus forskalii as a potential intermediate host of Schistosoma hæmatobium in Senegal.

Understanding the transmission of Schistosoma hæmatobium in the Senegal River Delta requires knowledge of the snails serving as intermediate hosts. Accurate identification of both the snails and the infecting Schistosoma species is therefore essential. Cercarial emission tests and multi-locus (COX1 and ITS) genetic analysis were performed on Bulinus forskalii snails to confirm their susceptibility to S.

Effectiveness of seasonal malaria chemoprevention administered in a mass campaign in the Kedougou region of Senegal in 2016: a case-control study.

Seasonal malaria chemoprevention (SMC) with sulfadoxine-pyrimethamine plus amodiaquine (SPAQ) is a malaria prevention strategy recommended since 2012 by the World Health Organization (WHO) for children under 5 years. In Senegal, the scaling up of SMC started in 2013 in the south-eastern regions of the country with an extension of the target to 10 years old children. The scaling up of SMC requires regular evaluation of the strategy as recommended by the WHO.