: The impact of war on the evolution of sleeping sickness in west-central Cote d'Ivoire

International audienceTo evaluate the situation of sleeping sickness in west-central Cote d'Ivoire from 2000 to 2003, in view of the war which broke out in September 2002. Active surveys by medical teams and passive case detection. Between 2000 and 2003, 250 patients were diagnosed with sleeping sickness. At first it appeared that sleeping sickness prevalence had fallen since the beginning of political troubles. But this apparent drop was due to poor population coverage. Participation in medical surveys differed according to ethnic group, reflecting land use conflicts between ethnic communities. Such conflicts are common in this area, but have been exacerbated by the war. In war, assessing the importance of sleeping sickness by medical surveys only is very difficult. But detection of sleeping sickness cases by passive surveillance increased.Evaluer la situation de la maladie du sommeil dans le centre-ouest de la Cote d'Ivoire de 2000 a 2003, en tenant compte des evenements survenus depuis en septembre 2002. Enquete active realisee par des equipes medicales et detection passive des cas. Entre 2000 et 2003, 250 patients ont ete diagnostiques pour la maladie du sommeil. De prime abord la prevalence de la maladie du sommeil semblait avoir baisse depuis le debut de la guerre. Mais cette baisse apparente etait due a une faible couverture de la population. La participation dans l'enquete medicale etait differente selon le groupe ethnique, refletant les conflits entre les differentes communautes pour les terres. De tels conflits sont courants dans la zone mais ont ete exacerbes par la guerre. L'evaluation de l'importance de la maladie du sommeil durant la guerre par enquete medicale seule est tres difficile. Mais la detection de la maladie du sommeil par surveillance passive a augmente

Large Deformation Effects in the N = Z 44Ti Compound Nucleus

The N = Z 44Ti* nucleus has been populated in Fusion Evaporation process at very high excitation energies and angular momenta using two entrance channels with different mass-asymmetry. The deformation effects in the rapidly rotating nuclei have been investigated through the energy distribution of the alpha-particle combined to statistical-model calculations. In the case of low-multiplicity events, the ratio between first particle emitted has been measured and shows significant disagreement with the predictions of the statistical-model. This may explain The large discrepancies observed in proton energy spectra measured in previous experiments performed in the same mass region.Comment: Proceeding of the 10th International Conference on Nuclear Reaction Mechanisms, Varenna Italy, June 9-13 2003. 10 pages, 6 figures, 1 tabl

Formation of Galaxy Clusters

In this review, we describe our current understanding of cluster formation: from the general picture of collapse from initial density fluctuations in an expanding Universe to detailed simulations of cluster formation including the effects of galaxy formation. We outline both the areas in which highly accurate predictions of theoretical models can be obtained and areas where predictions are uncertain due to uncertain physics of galaxy formation and feedback. The former includes the description of the structural properties of the dark matter halos hosting cluster, their mass function and clustering properties. Their study provides a foundation for cosmological applications of clusters and for testing the fundamental assumptions of the standard model of structure formation. The latter includes the description of the total gas and stellar fractions, the thermodynamical and non-thermal processes in the intracluster plasma. Their study serves as a testing ground for galaxy formation models and plasma physics. In this context, we identify a suitable radial range where the observed thermal properties of the intra-cluster plasma exhibit the most regular behavior and thus can be used to define robust observational proxies for the total cluster mass. We put particular emphasis on examining assumptions and limitations of the widely used self-similar model of clusters. Finally, we discuss the formation of clusters in non-standard cosmological models, such as non-Gaussian models for the initial density field and models with modified gravity, along with prospects for testing these alternative scenarios with large cluster surveys in the near future.Comment: 66 pages, 17 figures, review to be published in 2012 Annual Reviews of Astronomy & Astrophysic

Delayed gastric emptying and reduced postprandial small bowel water content of equicaloric whole meal bread versus rice meals in healthy subjects: novel MRI insights

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: Postprandial bloating is a common symptom in patients with functional gastrointestinal (GI) diseases. Whole meal bread (WMB) often aggravates such symptoms though the mechanisms are unclear. We used magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to monitor the intragastric fate of a WMB meal (11% bran) compared to a rice pudding (RP) meal. SUBJECTS/METHODS: 12 healthy volunteers completed this randomised crossover study. They fasted overnight and after an initial MRI scan consumed a glass of orange juice with a 2267 kJ WMB or an equicaloric RP meal. Subjects underwent serial MRI scans every 45 min up to 270 min to assess gastric volumes and small bowel water content and completed a GI symptom questionnaire. RESULTS: The MRI intragastric appearance of the two meals was markedly different. The WMB meal formed a homogeneous dark bolus with brighter liquid signal surrounding it. The RP meal separated into an upper, liquid layer and a lower particulate layer allowing more rapid emptying of the liquid compared to solid phase (sieving). The WMB meal had longer gastric half emptying times (132±8 min) compared to the RP meal (104±7 min), P<0.008. The WMB meal was associated with markedly reduced MRI-visible small bowel free mobile water content compared to the RP meal, P<0.0001. CONCLUSIONS: WMB bread forms a homogeneous bolus in the stomach which inhibits gastric sieving and hence empties slower than the equicaloric rice meal. These properties may explain why wheat causes postprandial bloating and could be exploited to design foods which prolong satiation

Evolution of the levels of human leukocyte antigen G (HLA-G) in Beninese infant during the first year of life in a malaria endemic area : using latent class analysis

Background: HLA-G, a non-classical HLA class I antigen, is of crucial interest during pregnancy by inhibiting maternal immune response. Its role during infections is discussed, and it has been described that high levels of soluble HLA-G during childhood increase the risk of malaria. To explore more precisely interactions between soluble HLA-G and malaria, latent class analysis was used to test whether distinct sub-populations of children, each with distinctive soluble HLA-G evolutions may suggest the existence of groups presenting variable malaria susceptibility. Method: A study was conducted in Benin from 2010 to 2013 and 165 children were followed from birth to 12 months. Evolution of soluble HLA-G was studied by the latent class method. Results: Three groups of children were identified: one with consistently low levels of soluble HLA-G during follow-up, a second with very high levels and a last intermediate group. In all groups, low birth weight, high number of malaria infections and high exposure to malaria transmission were associated with high level of soluble HLA-G. Placental malaria was not. Presence of soluble HLA-G in cord blood increased the probability of belonging to the highest trajectory. Conclusion: These results, together with previous ones, confirm the important role of HLA-G in the individual susceptibility to malaria. Assaying soluble HLA-G at birth could be a good indicator of newborns more fragile and at risk of infections during childhood

Baited-boats : an innovative way to control riverine tsetse, vectors of sleeping sickness in West Africa

Background: Human African Trypanosomiasis (HAT) is an important neglected tropical disease caused by Trypanosoma spp. parasites transmitted by species of tsetse fly (Glossina spp). The most important vectors of HAT are riverine tsetse and these can be controlled by attracting them to stationary baits such as insecticide-impregnated traps or targets deployed along the banks of rivers. However, the geographical nature of some riverine habitats, particularly mangroves but also extensive lake and river networks, makes deployment of baits difficult and limits their efficacy. It is known that tsetse are attracted by the movement of their hosts. Our hypothesis was that mounting a target on canoes typically used in Africa ('pirogues') would produce an effective means of attracting-and-killing riverine tsetse in extensive wetland habitats. Methods: In Folonzo, southern Burkina Faso, studies were made of the numbers of tsetse attracted to a target (75 x 50 cm) of blue cloth and netting mounted on a pirogue moving along a river, versus the same target placed on the riverbank. The targets were covered with a sticky film which caught tsetse as they contacted the target. Results: The pirogue-mounted target caught twice as many G. tachinoides and G. p. gambiensis, and 8 times more G. morsitans submorsitans than the stationary one (P < 0.001). Conclusion: Pirogues are common vehicle for navigating the rivers, lakes and swamps of West Africa. The demonstration that tsetse can be attracted to targets mounted on such boats suggests that pirogues might provide a cost-effective and convenient platform for deploying targets to control tsetse in the mangrove systems of West Africa where HAT persists. Further studies to assess the impact of pirogue-mounted targets on tsetse populations in HAT foci and the protective value of targets for pirogue passengers are recommended

Deformation of the N=Z nucleus 76Sr using beta-decay studies

A novel method of deducing the deformation of the N=Z nucleus 76Sr is presented. It is based on the comparison of the experimental Gamow-Teller strength distribution B(GT) from its beta decay with the results of QRPA calculations. This method confirms previous indications of the strong prolate deformation of this nucleus in a totally independent way. The measurement has been carried out with a large Total Absorption gamma Spectrometer, "Lucrecia", newly installed at CERN-ISOLDE.Comment: Accepted in Phys. Rev. Letter

Rochechouart 2017-Drilling Campaign: First Results

No abstract available