Epidemiological and virological characteristics of people living with HIV on antiretroviral treatment for more than 6 months in virological failure in Brazzaville, Republic of Congo.

Virological failure is one of the main causes of failing to treat, and better management of HIV infection requires understanding and controlling the factors that contribute to this phenomenon. The main objective was to characterize the patients of the active file of the Brazzaville Outpatient Treatment Center in virological failure to identify predictive factors leading to virological failure. Conducted between June and December 2020, this was a cross-sectional study.

Assessment of heavy metal concentrations, environmental risks and human health implications in marine sediments along the coastal ecosystems of the Republic of Congo.

The aim of this study is to assess the level of heavy metals (HMs) in surface sediments along the coastal estuaries of the Republic of Congo. A variety of approaches were employed, integrating elemental analysis (Atomique Absorption Spectroscopy), environmental, ecological, health risk assessment, and source identification techniques to evaluate the distribution, origin, environmental, ecological and health risks of potentially toxic element (PTE) contamination in sediments. The ascending mean concentration (mg/kg) of Cd (0.

Assessing the influence of land use, agricultural, industrialization, CO2 emissions, and energy intensity on cereal production.

In light of the growing global demand for food and the urgent need to address environmental challenges, it is essential to understand the factors that influence cereal production. This research set out to examine the intricate relationships between land use practices, agricultural methods, industrialization, energy intensity, carbon emissions, urban population growth, gross domestic savings, and cereal production across fifteen key cereal-producing states in the Americas. The study employs a Panel VAR/GMM model with data spanning from 2000 to 2021.

May Measurement Month 2021: an analysis of blood pressure screening results from Republic of the Congo, in the context of COVID-19 pandemic.

To determine the proportion of hypertension among opportunistic screenees in the Republic of the Congo, and the relationships between, blood pressure (BP), alcohol intake, and history of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). Screening was carried out in July and August 2021 in Brazzaville, Pointe-Noire, and Pokola, after ethical clearance had been obtained. The campaign followed the guidelines outlined in the MMM21 protocol, collecting ideally three BP readings for each participant.

Dyadic inter-group cooperation in shotgun hunting activities in a Congo Basin village.

Understanding the dynamics of inter-group cooperation in human adaptation has been the subject of recent empirical and theoretical studies in evolutionary anthropology, beginning to fill gaps in our knowledge of how interactions across political, economic and social domains can - and often do - lead to stable, large-scale cooperation. Here we investigate dyadic intergroup cooperation in shotgun hunting in the Republic of the Congo. In the Congo Basin, inter-group cooperation between foragers and farmers is at the centre of an exchange system maintained by traditional norms and institutions such as fictive kinship.

Environmental taxation and inclusive green growth in developing countries: does the quality of institutions matter?

The promotion of inclusive green growth is one of the most debated topics in international forums and is considered a major concern by all countries in the world. Although the existing literature has examined several determinants of inclusive green growth, the impact of environmental taxation on inclusive green growth is relatively little explored. This study is therefore the first attempt to examine the impact of the environmental tax on inclusive green growth for developing countries from 2000 to 2021.

Effect of financial innovation and stakeholders' satisfaction on investment decisions: Does internet security matter?

This research suggests a study model of determinants of investment decisions in the context of financial innovation. The paper considers the technology innovation dimension, which influences stakeholders' (customer and employee) satisfaction, bank performance, and investment decisions. This research aims to bridge the gap by analyzing the effect of the innovation component, financial innovation on investment decisions and considering the mediated link via stakeholders' satisfaction and the bank's performance as well as the moderating role of Internet security (IS) and utilizing data gathered from 575 banks' employees and customers in Congo.

Histomolecular profile of strains circulating in Brazzaville (Congo).

Background And Aim: (Hp) infection is a real public health problem in the Congo. We aimed study the histomolecular profile of Hp strains circulating in Brazzaville, Congo, in order to contribute to the improvement of Hp-infected patients in the country.

Methods: This was an analytical-transversal study carried out from January to November 2020 (i.

Women's subsistence strategies predict fertility across cultures, but context matters.

While it is commonly assumed that farmers have higher, and foragers lower, fertility compared to populations practicing other forms of subsistence, robust supportive evidence is lacking. We tested whether subsistence activities-incorporating market integration-are associated with fertility in 10,250 women from 27 small-scale societies and found considerable variation in fertility. This variation did not align with group-level subsistence typologies.

Simultaneous measurements of radon, thoron and thoron progeny and induced cancer risk assessment in Djeno, Pointe-Noire, Republic of Congo.

In this study, the activity concentrations of radon (222Rn), thoron (220Rn) and thoron progeny were measured simultaneously in Djeno (Pointe-Noire, Republic of Congo) using RADUET detectors to evaluate the air quality and the radiological risks due to the inhalation of these radionuclides. Activity concentrations of radon progeny were calculated from those of radon. Indoor radon, thoron and progenies followed a lognormal distribution ranging between 20 and 40, 6 and 62, 8 and 17.

Prevalence of Iron Deficiency, Anemia, and Associated Factors in a Blood Donor Population in Brazzaville, Congo.

Introduction: Blood donation is not without risk to the donor. It results in a substantial loss of iron and decreased hemoglobin. In our country, no predonation assessment is carried out and the selection of blood donors is only clinical.

Africa Guidelines for Hepatocellular Carcinoma Buildup Process.

Purpose: Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), the fourth most common cancer in Africa, has a dismal overall survival of only 3 months like in sub-Saharan Africa. This is affected by the low gross domestic product and human development index, absence of coherent guidelines, and other factors.

Methods: An open forum for HCC-experienced health care workers from Africa and the rest of the world was held in October 2021.

Seroprevalence of SARS-CoV-2 antibodies in Republic of Congo, February 2022.

In resource-limited countries, the lack of widespread screening masks the true situation of COVID-19. We conducted this study to assess SARS-CoV-2 spread by detection of specific antibodies and to determine associated factors. A population-based cross-sectional study was conducted.

Associated Factors of Cholelithiasis among Younger Children with Sickle Cell Disease at the National Reference Center for Sickle Cell Disease in Brazzaville, Congo.

Introduction: Chronic hemolysis predisposes sickle cell patients to the development of gallstones. Their frequency increases with age, but they may appear early in young children. In the absence of management, they expose the patient to complications that can hinder the quality of life and sometimes even death.

Mutualistic interactions between ants and fungi: A review.

The large amount of dead plant biomass caused by the final extinction events triggered a fungi proliferation that mostly differentiated into saprophytes degrading organic matter; others became parasites, predators, likely commensals, and mutualists. Among the last, many have relationships with ants, the most emblematic seen in the Neotropical myrmicine Attina that cultivate Basidiomycota for food. Among them, leaf-cutting, fungus-growing species illustrate an ecological innovation because they grow fungal gardens from fresh plant material rather than arthropod frass and plant debris.

Intergroup Cooperation in Shotgun Hunting Among BaYaka Foragers and Yambe Farmers from the Republic of the Congo.

Whereas many evolutionary models emphasize within-group cooperation or between-group competition in explaining human large-scale cooperation, recent work highlights a critical role for intergroup cooperation in human adaptation. Here we investigate intergroup cooperation in the domain of shotgun hunting in northern Republic of the Congo. In the Congo Basin broadly, forest foragers maintain relationships with neighboring farmers based on systems of exchange regulated by norms and institutions such as fictive kinship.

Diagnostic options for pulmonary fungal diseases in Africa.

Background: Fungal lung diseases are global in distribution and require specific tests for diagnosis. We report a survey of diagnostic service provision in Africa.

Methods: A written questionnaire was followed by a video conference call with each respondent(s) and external validation.

Pathogenic Variant in Lynch Syndrome-Associated Colorectal Cancer with Polyps.

 Lynch syndrome (LS) is an autosomal dominant condition due to the germline mutation in the mismatch repair (MMR) genes including , , and (post-meiotic segregation increased 2). The MMR mutation carriers have high risk for cancers. Pathogenic variants are rarely reported in LS-associated colorectal cancer (CRC) with colorectal polyps.

Spatial distribution and insecticide resistance profile of Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus in Douala, the most important city of Cameroon.

Prevention and control of Aedes-borne viral diseases such as dengue rely on vector control, including the use of insecticides and reduction of larval sources. However, this is threatened by the emergence of insecticide resistance. This study aimed to update the spatial distribution, the insecticide resistance profile of A.

RETRACTED: Gradual emergence followed by exponential spread of the SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant in Africa.

The geographic and evolutionary origins of the SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant (BA.1), which was first detected mid-November 2021 in Southern Africa, remain unknown. We tested 13,097 COVID-19 patients sampled between mid-2021 to early 2022 from 22 African countries for BA.