How does explicit knowledge inform policy shaping? The case of Burkina Faso's national social protection policy.

In 2009, Burkina Faso embarked on a process leading to the development of a national social protection policy (politique nationale de protection sociale-PNPS) in 2012. The objective of this study was to analyze the circumstances under which explicit knowledge was used to inform the process of emergence and formulation PNPS. The term explicit knowledge excludes tacit and experiential knowledge, taking into account research data, grey literature, and monitoring data.

Prostate malignant tumor and benign prostatic hyperplasia microenvironments in black African men: Limited infiltration of CD8+ T lymphocytes, NK-cells, and high frequency of CD73+ stromal cells.

Background: Anti-cancerous immunology has yet to be investigated in the African black population, despite being the dawn of precision medicine.

Aim: Here we investigated the tumor microenvironment of prostate cancer and benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) in black Africans.

Methods: Through immunohistochemistry analysis of prostate cancer and BPH patients' biopsies, we investigated the expression and distribution of CD73, CCD8 T-lymphocytes, and natural killer cells.

Small hydropower generation using pump as turbine; a smart solution for the development of Pakistan's energy.

Energy supply that is sustainable, effective, and economical has a strong association with socio-economic growth, particularly in developing countries such as Pakistan. Due to the ever-increasing gap between supply and demand, Pakistan has become an energy-deficient nation, with most people having no-to-limited access to power. Pakistan has been suffering from power shortages and an energy crisis because of its strong reliance on fossil-fuels to provide expensive electricity.

Stress and coping in the face of COVID-19: a qualitative inquiry into early pandemic experiences and psychological well-being of health workers in Burkina Faso, Senegal and The Gambia.

COVID-19 represented an unprecedented challenge for health workers around the world, resulting in strong concerns about impacts on their psychological well-being. To inform on-going support and future preparedness activities, this study documented health workers' experiences, well-being and coping throughout the first wave of the pandemic, in Burkina Faso, Senegal and The Gambia. We collected data from 68 primarily clinical staff from the COVID-19 treatment, maternity and emergency departments in 13 purposely hospitals and laboratories across the three countries.

Fine-scale mapping of urban malaria exposure under data scarcity: an approach centred on vector ecology.

Background: Although malaria transmission has experienced an overall decline in sub-Saharan Africa, urban malaria is now considered an emerging health issue due to rapid and uncontrolled urbanization and the adaptation of vectors to urban environments. Fine-scale hazard and exposure maps are required to support evidence-based policies and targeted interventions, but data-driven predictive spatial modelling is hindered by gaps in epidemiological and entomological data. A knowledge-based geospatial framework is proposed for mapping the heterogeneity of urban malaria hazard and exposure under data scarcity.

Residual malaria transmission: Magnitude and drivers of persistent Plasmodium infections despite high coverage of control interventions in Burkina Faso, West Africa.

This study collected baseline data on malaria vectors to characterize the drivers and the factors of persistent malaria transmission in two villages in the western part of Burkina Faso. Mosquitoes were collected in each village using the Human landing catch and pyrethrum spray catch and identified using the morphological keys. Molecular analyses were performed for the identification of An.

Caregivers' perception of risk for malaria, helminth infection and malaria-helminth co-infection among children living in urban and rural settings of Senegal: A qualitative study.

The parasites causing malaria, soil-transmitted helminthiasis and schistosomiasis frequently co-exist in children living in low-and middle-income countries, where existing vertical control programmes for the control of these diseases are not operating at optimal levels. This gap necessitates the development and implementation of strategic interventions to achieve effective control and eventual elimination of these co-infections. Central to the successful implementation of any intervention is its acceptance and uptake by caregivers whose perception about the risk for malaria-helminth co-infection has been little documented.

Acceptability of government measures against COVID-19 pandemic in Senegal: A mixed methods study.

While the first case of COVID-19 was declared on March 2 2020 in Senegal, the government banned the attendance of places of worship on 14 March, as a first measure. On March 23, it introduced a curfew, a ban on movement between regions, and the closure of markets. The objective of this study is to measure and understand the acceptability of these four governmental measures as well as the level of public trust in the state to fight the pandemic.

[Epidemiology and response strategies against COVID-19: the Senegalese experience from 2020 to 2021].

Introduction: in response to the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic that reached Senegal in March 2020, the country has put in place several strategies to contain its spread. The purpose of this study was to describe the epidemiology and the strategies adopted.

MÉthods: we conducted a descriptive cross-sectional study of confirmed cases of COVID-19 using RT-PCR test in Senegal from March 2, 2020 to September 30, 2021.

Prevalence of malaria-helminth co-infections among children living in a setting of high coverage of standard interventions for malaria and helminths: Two population-based studies in Senegal.

Background: Concurrent infections of with Soil Transmitted Helminths (STH) and are still a major public health problem among children living in Sub-Saharan Africa. We conducted two prospective studies among children living in urban and rural settings of Senegal, where control programmes for malaria, STH and schistosomiasis have been sustained, to determine the prevalence of malaria-helminth co-infection.

Methods: We enrolled 910 children aged 1-14 years from Saraya and Diourbel districts of Senegal in June and November 2021, respectively.

Residual malaria transmission and the role of Anopheles arabiensis and Anopheles melas in central Senegal.

Understanding the behavior and ecology of local malaria vectors is essential for the effectiveness of the commonly used vector-targeted malaria control tools in areas of low malaria transmission. This study was conducted to determine species composition, biting behavior and infectivity of the major Anopheles vectors of Plasmodium falciparum in low transmission settings in central Senegal. Adult mosquitoes were collected using human landing catches during 2 consecutive nights and Pyrethrum Spray Catches in 30-40 randomly selected rooms, from July 2017 to December 2018 in 3 villages.

Innovations in mutuality: challenges and learnings for the Universal Health Insurance Plan in Mali.

Background: Many Sahel countries in Africa are looking for solutions for universal health coverage (UHC). Mali is in the process of adopting the Universal Health Insurance Plan, which allows for the mutualisation of existing schemes. Its operationalisation requires numerous adjustments to the current mutualist proposal and innovations in the system.

Pf7: an open dataset of genome variation in 20,000 worldwide samples.

We describe the MalariaGEN Pf7 data resource, the seventh release of genome variation data from the MalariaGEN network.  It comprises over 20,000 samples from 82 partner studies in 33 countries, including several malaria endemic regions that were previously underrepresented.  For the first time we include dried blood spot samples that were sequenced after selective whole genome amplification, necessitating new methods to genotype copy number variations.

Traces of Introgression from cAus into Tropical Japonica Observed in African Upland Rice Varieties.

Background: Asian rice Oryza sativa, first domesticated in East Asia, has considerable success in African fields. When and where this introduction occurred is unclear. Rice varieties of Asian origin may have evolved locally during and after migration to Africa, resulting in unique adaptations, particularly in relation to upland cultivation as frequently practiced in Africa.

Whole Genome Sequencing Analysis of African Orthobunyavirus Isolates Reveals Naturally Interspecies Segments Recombinations between Bunyamwera and Ngari Viruses.

Bunyamwera virus is the prototype of the Bunyamwera serogroup, which belongs to the order of the genus in the Peribunyaviridae family. Bunyamwera is a negative-sense RNA virus composed of three segments S, M, and L. Genetic recombination is possible between members of this order as it is already documented.

ATP2B4 regulatory genetic variants are associated with mild malaria.

Background: Genome-wide association studies have identified ATP2B4 as a severe malaria resistance gene. Recently, 8 potential causal regulatory variants have been shown to be associated with severe malaria.

Methods: Genotyping of rs10900585, rs11240734, rs1541252, rs1541253, rs1541254, rs1541255, rs10751450, rs10751451 and rs10751452 was performed in 154 unrelated individuals (79 controls and 75 mild malaria patients).

Human and Livestock Surveillance Revealed the Circulation of Rift Valley Fever Virus in Agnam, Northern Senegal, 2021.

The mosquito-borne disease caused by the Rift Valley Fever Virus (RVFV) is a viral hemorrhagic fever that affects humans and animals. In 1987, RVFV emerged in Mauritania, which caused the first RVFV outbreak in West Africa. This outbreak was shortly followed by reported cases in humans and livestock in Senegal.

Synthesis and topology analysis of chlorido-triphen-yl(triphenyl phosphate-κ)tin(IV).

The title Sn complex, [Sn(CH)Cl(CHOP)], is a formal adduct between triphenyl phosphate (PhO)P=O and the stannane derivative chlorido-tri-phenyl-tin, SnPhCl. The structure refinement reveals that this mol-ecule displays the largest Sn-O bond length for compounds including the =O→SnPhCl fragment ( = P, S, C, or V), 2.6644 (17) Å.

Syntheses and crystal structure of 4-[(pyridin-3-yl)diazen-yl]morpholine and 1-[(pyridin-3-yl)diazen-yl]-1,2,3,4-tetra-hydro-quinoline.

Two new heterocyclic 1,2,3-triazenes were synthesized by diazo-tation of 3-amino-pyridine following respectively by coupling with morpholine or 1,2,3,4-tetra-hydro-quinoline. 4-[(Pyridin-3-yl)diazen-yl]morpholine (), CHNO, has monoclinic 2/ symmetry at 100 K, while 1-[(pyridin-3-yl)diazen-yl]-1,2,3,4-tetra-hydro-quinoline (), CHN, has monoclinic 2/ symmetry at 100 K. These 1,2,3-triazene derivatives were synthesized by the organic medium method by coupling reactions of 3-amino-pyridine with morpholine and 1,2,3,4-tetra-hydro-quinoline, respectively, and characterized by H NMR, C NMR, IR, mass spectrometry, and single-crystal X-ray diffraction.

Exclusive Breastfeeding Measured by Deuterium-Oxide Turnover Method is Associated with Motor Development in Rural Senegalese Infants.

Background: The findings on the relationship between breastfeeding and children's motor development are very poor, particularly in low and middle income countries, because of the use of inadequate measures of breastfeeding practices.

Objectives: To assess the relationship between exclusive breastfeeding, measured by the deuterium-oxide turnover method (DTM), and the acquisition of motor development in a cohort of Senegalese children.

Methods: One hundred forty mother-infant (4-5 mo) pairs were recruited and monitored up to 18 mo.

Use of Envelope Domain III Protein for the Detection of IgG Type Antibodies Specific to Zika Virus by Indirect ELISA.

Zika virus (ZIKV) diagnostics are crucial for proper antenatal and postnatal care and also for surveillance and serosurvey studies. Since the viremia during ZIKV infection is fleeting, serological testing is highly valuable to inform diagnosis. However, current serology tests using whole virus antigens frequently suffer from cross reactivity issues, delays, and technical complexity, especially in low and middle income countries (LMICs) and endemic countries.

gen. nov., sp. nov., a novel thermophilic spirochete isolated from a Tunisian hot spring, and description of the novel family .

A novel thermophilic, anaerobic bacterium, strain F1F22, was isolated from hot spring water collected in northern Tunisia. The cells were non-motile, Gram-negative and helical with hooked ends, 0.5×10-32 µm in size.

Factors associated with mortality in congenital malformations of the gastrointestinal tract in a tertiary center in Senegal.

Objective: Patients with congenital malformations (CMs) of the gastrointestinal tract (GIT) have a very high mortality. However, the literature on the factors associated with mortality in these patients is scarce in sub-Saharan Africa. The aim of this study is to identify independent risk factors for mortality in patients with CMs of the GIT at our pediatric surgical department.

Improved knowledge on substandard and falsified (SF) medical products through a dedicated course for pharmacy students at three universities in sub-Saharan Africa.

Background: Too few pharmacists receive formal training on substandard and falsified (SF) medical products. Strengthening knowledge across pharmacists is considered a moral and ethical duty of academia, that is, to build the health systems' capacities to combat this global health threat these poor-quality products represent. This study therefore aimed to evaluate whether a dedicated educational course for undergraduate pharmacy students can improve their knowledge on these products.