The Trend of Tuberculosis Case Notification Rates from 1995 to 2022 by Country Income and World Health Organization Region.

Over the past 27 years, three major global TB control strategies have been implemented, and it is important at this stage to evaluate their impact on tuberculosis (TB) case notification rates (CNRs). This study, therefore, analyzed TB CNR trends from 1995 to 2022 across 208 countries and islands, using data from the WHO Global TB Programme database. Countries were classified by income level and population size based on World Bank criteria.

Epidemiology of alcohol use disorder in the general population of Togo and Benin: the ALCOTRANS study.

Introduction: Access to data concerning mental health, particularly alcohol use disorders (AUD), in sub-Saharan Africa is very limited. This study aimed to estimate AUD prevalence and identify the associated factors in Togo and Benin.

Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted between April and May 2022, targeting individuals aged 18 years and above in the Yoto commune of Togo and the Lalo commune of Benin.

Subtropical coastal microbiome variations due to massive river runoff after a cyclonic event.

Background: Coastal ecosystem variability at tropical latitudes is dependent on climatic conditions. During the wet, rainy season, extreme climatic events such as cyclones, precipitation, and winds can be intense over a short period and may have a significant impact on the entire land‒sea continuum. This study focused on the effect of river runoff across the southwest coral lagoon ecosystem of Grand Terre Island of New Caledonia (South Pacific) after a cyclonic event, which is considered a pulse disturbance at our study site.

Trace elements in the water column of high-altitude Pyrenean lakes: Impact of local weathering and long-range atmospheric input.

High altitude (alpine) lakes are efficient sentinels of environmental processes, including local pollution and long-range atmospheric transfer, because these lakes are highly vulnerable to ongoing climate changes and increasing anthropogenic pressure. Towards improving the knowledge of trace element geochemistry in the water column of alpine lakes, we assessed 64 physico-chemical parameters, including macro- and micronutrients, major and trace element concentrations in the water column of 18 lakes in the Pyrenees, located along the border between France and Spain. Lake depth, morphology, retention time and watershed rock lithology did not exhibit sizable impact on major and trace element concentrations in the water column.

and its associated rhizosphere microbiota: a comparison of the nutrient removal potential between different shrimp farm sediments in New Caledonia.

Shrimp rearing generate organic waste that is trapped in the pond sediment. In excess, these wastes may impair aquaculture ecosystem and shrimps' health. To promote the biological oxidation of accumulated organic waste, the pond is drained and dried at the end of each production cycle.

Dynamic of active microbial diversity in rhizosphere sediments of halophytes used for bioremediation of earthen shrimp ponds.

Background: In New-Caledonia, at the end of each shrimp production cycle, earthen ponds are drained and dried to enhance microbial decomposition of nutrient-rich waste trapped in the sediment during the rearing. However, excessive ponds drying may not be suitable for the decomposition activities of microorganisms. Halophytes, salt tolerant plants, naturally grow at vicinity of shrimp ponds; due to their specificity, we explored whether halophytes cultivation during the pond drying period may be suitable for pond bioremediation.

Metals and metalloids in high-altitude Pyrenean lakes: sources and distribution in pre-industrial and modern sediments.

High-altitude Pyrenean lakes are ecosystems far from local pollution sources, and thus they are particularly sensitive to the atmospheric deposition of metals and metalloids. This study aims to quantify the effect of human activity in 18 lakes located in both side of the France-Spain frontier. Sediment cores were collected in summer 2013, sampled at a 1cm resolution and the concentration of 24 elements was measured by ICP-MS.

Accurate Diagnosis of COVID-19 from Self-Collectable Biospecimens Using Synthetic Apolipoprotein H Peptide-Coated Nanoparticle Assay.

A high-throughput, accurate screening is crucial for the prevention and control of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). Current methods, which involve sampling from the nasopharyngeal (NP) area by medical staffs, constitute a fundamental bottleneck in expanding the testing capacity. To meet the scales required for population-level surveillance, self-collectable specimens can be used; however, its low viral load has hindered its clinical adoption.

Who Matters Most? Migrant Networks, Tie Strength, and First Rural-Urban Migration to Dakar.

Social networks' influence on migration has long been explored largely through the lenses of cumulative causation and social capital theory. This article aims to reconceptualize elements of these theories for the case of rural-urban migration and test their utility in explaining first-migration timing. We use a uniquely extensive social network survey linked to prospectively collected migration data in rural Senegal.

Is halophyte species growing in the vicinity of the shrimp ponds a promising agri-aquaculture system for shrimp ponds remediation in New Caledonia?

Plant culture integration within aquaculture activities is a topic of recent interest with economic and environmental benefits. Shrimp farming activities generate nutrient-rich waste trapped in the sediments of farming ponds or release in the mangrove area. Thus, we investigate if the halophytes species naturally growing around the pond can use nitrogen and carbon from shrimp farming for remediation purposes.

Can Artificial Intelligence Help in the Study of Vegetative Growth Patterns from Herbarium Collections? An Evaluation of the Tropical Flora of the French Guiana Forest.

A better knowledge of tree vegetative growth phenology and its relationship to environmental variables is crucial to understanding forest growth dynamics and how climate change may affect it. Less studied than reproductive structures, vegetative growth phenology focuses primarily on the analysis of growing shoots, from buds to leaf fall. In temperate regions, low winter temperatures impose a cessation of vegetative growth shoots and lead to a well-known annual growth cycle pattern for most species.

Machine Learning Undercounts Reproductive Organs on Herbarium Specimens but Accurately Derives Their Quantitative Phenological Status: A Case Study of .

Machine learning (ML) can accelerate the extraction of phenological data from herbarium specimens; however, no studies have assessed whether ML-derived phenological data can be used reliably to evaluate ecological patterns. In this study, 709 herbarium specimens representing a widespread annual herb, were scored both manually by human observers and by a mask R-CNN object detection model to (1) evaluate the concordance between ML and manually-derived phenological data and (2) determine whether ML-derived data can be used to reliably assess phenological patterns. The ML model generally underestimated the number of reproductive structures present on each specimen; however, when these counts were used to provide a quantitative estimate of the phenological stage of plants on a given sheet (i.

Serological evidence of Rift Valley fever virus infection among domestic ruminant herds in Uganda.

Background: Prior to the first recorded outbreak of Rift Valley fever (RVF) in Uganda, in March 2016, earlier studies done until the 1970's indicated the presence of the RVF virus (RVFV) in the country, without any recorded outbreaks in either man or animals. While severe outbreaks of RVF occurred in the neighboring countries, none were reported in Uganda despite forecasts that placed some parts of Uganda at similar risk. The Ministry of Agriculture, Animal Industry and Fisheries (MAAIF) undertook studies to determine the RVF sero-prevalence in risk prone areas.

Burden of Stroke in Nepal: Findings from Global Burden of Disease Dataset 2017.

Background Stroke is the second leading cause of death and disability worldwide including Asian countries, surpassing ischemic heart disease. Stroke accounts for 10% of global death, of which more than three fourth occur in low- and middle-income countries. An exact estimate of the burden of stroke in Nepal is not available.

Synchrony matters more than species richness in plant community stability at a global scale.

The stability of ecological communities is critical for the stable provisioning of ecosystem services, such as food and forage production, carbon sequestration, and soil fertility. Greater biodiversity is expected to enhance stability across years by decreasing synchrony among species, but the drivers of stability in nature remain poorly resolved. Our analysis of time series from 79 datasets across the world showed that stability was associated more strongly with the degree of synchrony among dominant species than with species richness.

Policy dialogue as a collaborative tool for multistakeholder health governance: a scoping study.

Introduction: Health system governance is the cornerstone of performant, equitable and sustainable health systems aiming towards universal health coverage. Global health actors have increasingly been using policy dialogue (PD) as a governance tool to engage with both state and non-state stakeholders. Despite attempts to frame PD practices, it remains a catch-all term for both health systems professionals and researchers.

Varietal susceptibility of maize to larger grain borer, Prostephanus truncatus (Horn) (Coleoptera; Bostrichidae), based on grain physicochemical parameters.

Maize (Zea mays L) is one of main nutrients sources for humans and animals worldwide. In Africa, storage of maize ensures food resources availability throughout the year. However, it often suffers losses exceeding 20% due to insects such as the larger grain borer, Prostephanus truncatus (Horn) (Coleoptera; Bostrichidae), major pest of stored maize in the tropical countries.

Competing Vegetation Structure Indices for Estimating Spatial Constrains in Carabid Abundance Patterns in Chinese Grasslands Reveal Complex Scale and Habitat Patterns.

Carabid communities are influenced by landscape features. Chinese steppes are subject to increasing desertification processes that are changing land-cover characteristics with negative impacts on insect communities. Despite those warnings, how land-cover characteristics influence carabid communities in steppe ecosystems remains unknown.

Assessing Dietary Diversity in Pregnant Women: Relative Validity of the List-Based and Open Recall Methods.

Background: The Minimum Dietary Diversity for Women (MMD-W) was validated as a proxy of micronutrient adequacy for nonpregnant women, with proposed data collection being either a list-based or a qualitative open recall method. Few studies have compared the performance of these 2 methods.

Objectives: We compared performance in predicting micronutrient adequacy of food group indicators (FGIs) measured by the list-based and the quantitative open recall methods using varying quantity cut-offs.

Blood cell disruption to significantly improve the Borrelia PCR detection sensitivity in borreliosis in humans.

Lyme disease is the most frequently reported zoonotic tick-borne disease worldwide, and the number of infected humans is increasing. Lyme disease (or Lyme borreliosis) is an affection caused by the spirochete Borrelia burgdorferi, sensu lato. Lyme disease is also reported as a variety of misleading clinical symptomatologies.

Performance-based financing in low-income and middle-income countries: isn't it time for a rethink?

This paper questions the view that performance-based financing (PBF) in the health sector is an effective, efficient and equitable approach to improving the performance of health systems in low-income and middle-income countries (LMICs). PBF was conceived as an open approach adapted to specific country needs, having the potential to foster system-wide reforms. However, as with many strategies and tools, there is a gap between what was planned and what is actually implemented.