Comparative study of the efficacy and tolerability of dihydroartemisinin-piperaquine-trimethoprim versus artemether-lumefantrine in the treatment of uncomplicated Plasmodium falciparum malaria in Cameroon, Ivory Coast and Senegal.

Background: The ACT recommended by WHO is very effective and well-tolerated. However, these combinations need to be administered for three days, which may limit adherence to treatment.The combination of dihydroartemisinin-piperaquine phosphate-trimethoprim (Artecom®, Odypharm Ltd), which involves treatment over two days, appears to be a good alternative, particularly in malaria-endemic areas.

Potential health implication of in vitro human low-density lipoprotein-vitamin E oxidation modulation by polyphenols derived from Côte d'Ivoire's oil palm species.

Antioxidant activities of polyphenolic compounds extracted (PPEs) from ripe fruits of oil palms are investigated by studying their in vitro effects on human low-density lipoprotein (LDL) oxidation. Four oil palm species ( Elaeis guineensis ) are issued from the National Centre of Agronomic Research of Côte d'Ivoire, of which two are parental varieties (HP1 and HP2), while the other two are crossing varieties (HP3 and HP4). The main identified compounds were rutin (HP3 and HP4) and caffeic and chlorogenic (5-caffeoyl quinic) acids (HP1, HP3, and HP4).

In vitro susceptibility of Plasmodium falciparum to monodesethylamodiaquine, quinine, mefloquine and halofantrine in Abidjan (Côte d'Ivoire).

Background: Malaria is the primary cause of hospitalization in Côte d'Ivoire. Early treatment is one of the strategies to control this illness. However, the spread of resistance of Plasmodium falciparum to antimalarial drugs can seriously compromise this strategy.

First Report of Southern Blight of Okra (Abelmoschus esculentus) Caused by Sclerotium rolfsii in Côte d'Ivoire.

Southern blight caused by Sclerotium rolfsii Sacc. was observed on okra (Abelmoschus esculentus) cv. Clemson Spineless in January 2010 during a survey of vegetable fields in Rubbino, Côte d'Ivoire, which is one of the most important areas for vegetable production.

Effect of sildenafil on erectile dysfunction in spinal cord injured patients.

Background: Erectile dysfunction is a preoccupying issue, just like motor and bladder disability, in spinal cord injured (SCI) patients. This is particularly so because of the increasing prevalence of paraplegic and tetraplegic subjects and the fact that these patients are younger, and sexually active.

Objective: To determine the effects of Sildenafil (Viagra((R))) on erectile dysfunction in SCI patients.

[Impact of anaemia on the prognosis of myocardial infarction in black Africans].

Objective: Anaemia is increasingly being described as a negative predictor of outcome after myocardial infarction. The objective of our study was to assess the prognosis post myocardial infarction in the short and medium term in black Africans with chronic anaemia.

Methods: We carried out a comparative case-control study on 272 patients (93 anaemic and 179 non-anaemic) hospitalised for myocardial infarction at the Cardiology Institute of Abidjan.

First Report of Black Leaf Spot of Banana Caused by Deightoniella torulosa in Georgia.

Black spots were observed on the leaves of bananas (Musa spp.) grown at the University of Georgia Bamboo Farm and Coastal Gardens in Savannah, GA in November 2007. Symptoms occurred on more than 60 plants, representing 16 of 34 cultivars of bananas investigated.

Comparative cephalometric study of three different ethnic groups of black Africa with normal occlusion.

Introduction: The aim of this study was to investigate if there are differences or not between African ethnic groups in order to determine any ethnic and regional differences in the facial morphology.

Material: Lateral cephalograms of 53 young Ivorians, 50 young Senegalese and 62 young Chadians, obtained under the same conditions in each country, were measured. Ten skeletal, eleven dento-skeletal and twelve soft tissue variables were investigated.

Locomotion and habitat use of Stampflii's putty-nosed monkey (Cercopithecus nictitans stampflii) in the Taï National Park, Ivory Coast.

Stampflii's putty-nosed monkeys Cercopithecus nictitans stampflii are large, rare, poorly known guenons with a discontinuous distribution in West Africa. Putty-nosed monkeys occur at low densities in Ivory Coast's Tai National Park where they are believed to have migrated from less forested regions north of the park (Eckardt and Zuberbühler: Behav Ecol 15 (2004) 400-411). In this article, we compare the positional behavior of Putty-nosed monkeys to that of three other guenon species in the Tai Forest and provide an additional test of the relationship among locomotion, body size, maintenance activity, and habitat use in generalized arboreal quadrupeds.

Effects of maternal thiamine deficiencies on the pyramidal and granule cells of the hippocampus of rat pups.

To understand the implication of thiamine deficiency in the neuronal atrophy and cell death we undertook to induce thiamine (B1 vitamine) deficiency during three essential periods of the ontogenesis of rat central nervous system (CNS). Female rats were fed with a thiamine deprived diet during the gestation and lactation, and the fetuses and pups were alternately exposed to prenatal, perinatal or postnatal thiamine deficiencies. On the 45th postnatal day, histological studies were done on the brains of the pups and the structure of the hippocampus was analyzed.

Psychosexual development among HIV-positive adolescents in Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire.

Some 84,000 children with HIV/AIDS live in Côte d'Ivoire, where very little therapeutic or psychological help is available to them. The Yopougon Child Programme of the "Agence Nationale de Recherche sur le Sida" was launched in Abidjan in October 2000. It provides services for HIV-infected children and psychological consultations for children and their parents.

Acceptability of tetanus toxoid vaccine by pregnant women in two health centres in Abidjan (Ivory Coast).

A study was conducted in two health centres in Abidjan, Ivory Coast (Abobo and Port Bouet) to compare the knowledge of pregnant women regarding tetanus and hepatitis B and to evaluate the acceptability of tetanus immunisation. A total of 124 women were interviewed. In spite of Information Education Communication (IEC) meetings held by midwives focusing on both diseases, knowledge about tetanus appeared to be substantially higher than that about hepatitis B.