Ready-to-Use Supplementary-Food Biscuit Production with Low-Cost Ingredients for Malnourished Children in Sub-Saharan Africa.

In Africa, the number of children under 5 years old who suffer from stunting and wasting are, respectively, 61.4 and 12.1 million, and to manage situations like these, emergency food products like RUTF and RUSF (ready-to-use therapeutic/supplementary food) are very useful.

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We report a case of fatal myocardial infarction (MI) after electrocution in a 26-year-old male patient without cardiovascular risk factors. The patient was admitted to the Emergency Department of the University Clinics of Lubumbashi for management of accidental electrocution on a high-voltage power line. The admission ECG showed lesions consistent with myocardial infarction.

Individual and collective factors influencing consumer attitudes and behaviour towards edible insects in Kinshasa: a pilot study.

More than 300 peoples in the world consume edible insects either as a component of the traditional diet, or in the event of famine. Despite the benefits of insects, their acceptance by some consumers as a source of human food remains the main obstacle to their consumption. The present study focuses on the consumption of edible insects in the Kinshasa city (DRCongo) in a context of food crisis and shortage.

Adaptive Mechanisms of Health Zones to Chronic Traumatic Events in Eastern DRC: A Multiple Case Study.

Background: The Eastern part of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) has been affected by armed conflict for several years. Despite the growing interest in the impact of these conflicts on health service utilisation, few studies have addressed the coping mechanisms of the health system. The purpose of this study is to describe the traumatic events and coping mechanisms used by the health zones (HZs) in conflict settings to maintain good performance.

Molecular genetic characterization of Congolese patients with oculocutaneous albinism.

Background: Oculocutaneous albinism (OCA) is an autosomal recessive genetic disorder associated with reduced or absent pigmentation in the skin, hair and eyes. OCA type 2 (OCA2) is the most common type in Sub-Saharan Africa, related to a recurrent 2.7 kb intragenic deletion.

Impact of rural versus urban setting on kidney markers: a cross-sectional study in South-Kivu, DRCongo.

Background: Most studies of chronic kidney disease (CKD) in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) have been conducted in urban settings. They relied on GFR estimated from serum creatinine alone and on the inexpensive, convenient urinary dipstick to assess proteinuria. The dipstick for proteinuria has not been directly compared with the gold standard albumin-to-creatinine ratio (ACR) in a large-sized study in SSA.

Burn to kill: Wood ash a silent killer in Africa.

Aside the emissions, burning of wood in traditional cookstoves (TCs) also generates substantial amount of ash containing hazardous pollutants such as polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and toxic metals. But, their concentrations in the ash, particularly in Africa where over 70% of the population utilize TCs, remain unknown. Here, we determined concentrations of sixteen PAHs and eleven heavy metals in ashes from twelve different African TCs, comprising six three-stone fires (TSFs) and six built-in-place cookstoves (BIPCs), burning common African wood species under real world situation.

Performance of SD Bioline Malaria Ag Pf/Pan rapid test in the diagnosis of malaria in South-Kivu, DR Congo.

Introduction: Use of malaria rapid diagnostic tests (RDTs) has improved the management of this disease. We evaluated the validity of the SD-Bioline Malaria-Ag-Pf/Pan™ (Batch 60952) RDT supplied by the Malaria Control Program of the DRCongo.

Methods: cChildren (n = 460) aged below 5 years seen in curative care (CC) for suspected malaria and in pre-school consultation (PSC) in two rural centers underwent clinical evaluation and capillary blood collection for microscopic reading of thick smear (TS) and thin film (BF), and for RDT.

Molecular Analysis of Influenza A(H3N2) and A(H1N1)pdm09 Viruses circulating in the Democratic Republic of Congo, 2014.

Background: Very little is known about influenza viruses circulating in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). We aim to characterize genetically and antigenically Influenza A(H3N2) and A(H1N1)pdm09 viruses circulating in the country.

Methods: From August to December 2014, specimens were collected from patients with influenza like-illness (ILI) or severe acute respiratory infection (SARI) in various surveillance sites.

Psychotherapeutic Intervention in the Demobilization Process: Addressing Combat-related Mental Injuries with Narrative Exposure in a First and Second Dissemination Stage.

Background: Depending on the exposure to traumatic stressors and combat, 20% to 50% of ex-combatants present with trauma-related disorders, and more than half of the members of armed groups have a proclivity to violence. Therefore, psychotherapeutic assistance should address both, trauma-related suffering and the lowered threshold for aggressive behaviour.

Objective: Supporting the demobilization process of ex-combatants in the eastern DR-Congo, we implemented a version of Narrative Exposure Therapy adapted for Forensic Offender Rehabilitation (FORNET).

Polymorphisms in Plasmodium falciparum K13-propeller in Angola and Mozambique after the introduction of the ACTs.

We report the presence of SNPs in Plasmodium falciparum K13-propeller gene in two African countries, Angola and Mozambique, where malaria is a serious public health problem. Samples were collected before and after ACT introduction as first-line treatment. In each country 50 samples collected before and 50 after ACT introduction were analysed.

Intermittent preventive treatment: efficacy and safety of sulfadoxine-pyrimethamine and sulfadoxine-pyrimethamine plus piperaquine regimens in schoolchildren of the Democratic Republic of Congo: a study protocol for a randomized controlled trial.

Background: In malaria endemic areas, schoolchildren usually have asymptomatic malaria infections and consequently remain untreated. Therefore, intermittent preventive treatment with sulfadoxine-pyrimethamine in schoolchildren would be a plausible strategy in malaria stable transmission areas to prevent anaemia and malnutrition. However, in contrast to infancy and pregnancy, antimalaria intermittent preventive treatment in children has been barely investigated.

Contributing determinants of overall and wealth-related inequality in under-5 mortality in 13 African countries.

Objective: To investigate and compare the main determinants of overall inequality and wealth-related inequality in under-5 mortality in 13 African countries.

Methods: Data from Demographic and Health Surveys conducted in 2007-2010 in African countries were used. The study assessed the contribution of determinants to (1) overall inequality in under-5 mortality measured by the Gini index and (2) wealth-related inequality in under-5 mortality measured by the concentration index.

Comparative soil metal analyses in Sudbury (Ontario, Canada) and Lubumbashi (Katanga, DR-Congo).

DR-Congo is a main world producer of copper (Cu) and cobalt (Co). Several hydrometallurgical plants and smelters also produced zinc, arsenic, and cadmium as by-products. In Sudbury (Canada), the production of nickel, copper and other metals has been maintained at high levels while industrial SO(2) emissions have been reduced by approximately 90% through combination of industrial technological developments and legislated controls.

Eating from the wild: Turumbu indigenous knowledge on noncultivated edible plants, Tshopo District, DRCongo.

Documenting and revalorizing the rapidly disappearing indigenous knowledge on wild edible plants is essential to promote health and preserve diversity. Focus group discussions were organized within three Turumbu villages to document wild foods known, availability, preparation methods, and uses. Preferences in taste and commercial, nutritional, and cultural value were discussed during participatory ranking exercises.

[Is HIV/AIDS an independent risk factor of chronic rhinosinusitis among central African patients?].

Objectives: To investigate the independent effect of HIV/ AIDS in the genesis of acute or chronic rhinosinusitis.

Methods: This case-control study was performed among patients managed for chronic rhinosinusitis between January and April 2009 the ENT and Head and Neck Department General Hospital of Kinshasa, DRCongo. Cases were matched with controls according to gender and age.