Prospects for an integrated control of Loranthaceae species parasitizing Vitellaria paradoxa C. F. Gaertn in Burkina Faso

This study investigated the potential components of an integrated management of Loranthaceae species (mistletoes) which constitute a major constraint to the survival and fruit production of many trees such as Vitellaria paradoxa in West Africa. Three types of pruning, five doses of each of two herbicides and host resistance were evaluated in mistletoe-infested parklands. Natural enemies were surveyed with a view to biological control. Pruning of the host branch along with the parasite’s haustorium (endophytic system) led to the total elimination of the parasite. When the endophytic system was spared, the time of pruning and species of parasite significantly influenced the number of sprout stalks per tuff. Their interaction was also significant. Death of at least 80% of treated Loranthaceae tufts was recorded for doses of 15 g l-1 of glyphosate and 20 g l-1 of 2,4-D. The artificial infestation of stands with parasite seeds revealed the likely existence of genetic resistance to mistletoe in V. paradoxa. The agroforestry parkland survey showed that birds, chiefly Pogoniulus chrysonocus, and insects are potential natural enemies of Loranthaceae. Results showed that Loranthaceae control could be achieved with techniques already used to successfully manage weeds. However, there is need to improve control components and their integration to successfully manage mistletoes in Burkina Faso.Keywords: Vitellaria paradoxa, Loranthaceae, mechanical, herbicides, host resistance, bio-contro

Integrated control of Striga hermonthica (Del.) Benth. in Burkina Faso through host plant resistance, biocontrol and fertilizers

A two-year field study investigated integrated management of Striga hermonthica on sorghum through host crop resistance, biocontrol (Fusarium oxysporum isolate 34-FO), and fertilizer application. The experiment was conducted in a field with natural Striga infestation at Kouaré Research Station in Fada N’Gourma, Burkina Faso. Treatments combining sorghum resistance with Fusarium inoculum and N-fertilizer or manure significantly reduced emerged Striga plant number, plant vigour and dry biomass of Striga and the area under the Striga number progress curve (ASNPC) in 2002, as compared to the control. Integrated Striga Management (ISM) plots fertilized with urea, urea plus growth medium or urea plus manure associated with Fusarium inoculum resulted in improved sorghum grain yield of at least 15% in 2001 and of at least 97% in 2002. Economic analysis showed that the combination of sorghum resistance with fungal inoculum or urea at 200 kg ha-1 allowed for a significant financial profit in sorghum production. The results suggest that to reduce Striga infestation below economic threshold, ISM treatments should be consistently applied for several years without expecting very high returns.Keywords: Striga hermonthica, integrated control, Fusarium inoculum, Sorghum resistance, fertilization, Burkina Fas

Diagnostic moléculaire d’helicobacter pylori par PCR chez les patients en consultation gastroentérologique au Centre Médical Saint Camille de Ouagadougou

Introduction: L'infection par Helicobacter pylori constitue un problème de santé publique notamment dans les pays en développement. Elle entraine une gastrite pouvant évoluer vers des formes sévères d'ulcération et de transformation maligne. La présenté étude avait pour objectif de diagnostiquer H. pylori par des techniques sérologique et moléculaire au Burkina Faso. Méthodes: L'étude prospective a été conduite de mars à juin 2012 sur 70 patients venus en consultation dans le service de gastroentérologie au Centre Médical Saint Camille. Le diagnostic de H. pylori a été réalisé par le test ELISA Immunocomb (ORGENICS Ltd, Yavne, Israël) et la PCR sur des biopsies gastriques prélevées sur les patients. Résultats: Les pathologies gastroduodénales étaient plus fréquentes chez les patients de plus de 45 ans. Les prévalences de H. pylori étaient respectivement de 88,57% et de 91,43% par sérologie Immunocomb et par PCR. La différence entre les deux techniques n'était pas significative (P = 0,573). La performance de la PCR a été comparée à celle de la technique Immunocomb. Les résultats montrent une sensibilité et une spécificité de 92,2% et 50,0% pour la technique Immunocomb. Conclusion: Le diagnostic de H. pylori par PCR est plus spécifique que le test sérologique Immunocomb et devrait être introduit dans le diagnostic de routine de cette bactérie pathogène au Burkina Faso

Global survival trends for brain tumors, by histology: analysis of individual records for 556,237 adults diagnosed in 59 countries during 2000–2014 (CONCORD-3)

Background: Survival is a key metric of the effectiveness of a health system in managing cancer. We set out to provide a comprehensive examination of worldwide variation and trends in survival from brain tumors in adults, by histology. Methods: We analyzed individual data for adults (15–99 years) diagnosed with a brain tumor (ICD-O-3 topography code C71) during 2000–2014, regardless of tumor behavior. Data underwent a 3-phase quality control as part of CONCORD-3. We estimated net survival for 11 histology groups, using the unbiased nonparametric Pohar Perme estimator. Results: The study included 556,237 adults. In 2010–2014, the global range in age-standardized 5-year net survival for the most common sub-types was broad: in the range 20%–38% for diffuse and anaplastic astrocytoma, from 4% to 17% for glioblastoma, and between 32% and 69% for oligodendroglioma. For patients with glioblastoma, the largest gains in survival occurred between 2000–2004 and 2005–2009. These improvements were more noticeable among adults diagnosed aged 40–70 years than among younger adults. Conclusions: To the best of our knowledge, this study provides the largest account to date of global trends in population-based survival for brain tumors by histology in adults. We have highlighted remarkable gains in 5-year survival from glioblastoma since 2005, providing large-scale empirical evidence on the uptake of chemoradiation at population level. Worldwide, survival improvements have been extensive, but some countries still lag behind. Our findings may help clinicians involved in national and international tumor pathway boards to promote initiatives aimed at more extensive implementation of clinical guidelines

Long-term cellular immunity of vaccines for Zaire Ebola Virus Diseases

Recent Ebola outbreaks underscore the importance of continuous prevention and disease control efforts. Authorized vaccines include Merck’s Ervebo (rVSV-ZEBOV) and Johnson & Johnson’s two-dose combination (Ad26.ZEBOV/MVA-BN-Filo). Here, in a five-year follow-up of the PREVAC randomized trial (NCT02876328), we report the results of the immunology ancillary study of the trial. The primary endpoint is to evaluate long-term memory T-cell responses induced by three vaccine regimens: Ad26–MVA, rVSV, and rVSV–booster. Polyfunctional EBOV-specific CD4+ T-cell responses increase after Ad26 priming and are further boosted by MVA, whereas minimal responses are observed in the rVSV groups, declining after one year. In-vitro expansion for eight days show sustained EBOV-specific T-cell responses for up to 60 months post-prime vaccination with both Ad26-MVA and rVSV, with no decline. Cytokine production analysis identify shared biomarkers between the Ad26-MVA and rVSV groups. In secondary endpoint, we observed an elevation of pro-inflammatory cytokines at Day 7 in the rVSV group. Finally, we establish a correlation between EBOV-specific T-cell responses and anti-EBOV IgG responses. Our findings can guide booster vaccination recommendations and help identify populations likely to benefit from revaccination

Evaluation of waning of IgG antibody responses after rVSVΔG-ZEBOV-GP and Ad26.ZEBOV, MVA-BN-Filo Ebola virus disease vaccines: a modelling study from the PREVAC randomized trial.

rVSVΔG-ZEBOV-GP and Ad26.ZEBOV, MVA-BN-Filo are WHO-prequalified vaccination regimens against Ebola virus disease (EVD). Challenges associated with measuring long-term clinical protection warrant the evaluation of immune response kinetics after vaccination. Data from a large phase 2 randomized double-blind clinical trial (PREVAC) were used to evaluate waning of anti-Ebola virus (EBOV) glycoprotein (GP1,2) antibody concentrations after rVSVΔG-ZEBOV-GP or Ad26.ZEBOV, MVA-BN-Filo vaccination with linear mixed-effect regression models. After a post-vaccination peak, each vaccination strategy was associated with a decrease of anti-EBOV GP1,2 antibody concentrations with distinct kinetics, highlighting a less-rapid decline in antibody levels after vaccination by rVSVΔG-ZEBOV-GP. One year after administration of the vaccine, antibody concentrations were higher in children compared to adults for both vaccines, although with different effect sizes: 1.74-fold higher concentrations (95% confidence interval [CI] [1.48; 2.02]) for children 12-17 years old to 3.10-fold higher concentrations (95% CI [2.58; 3.69]) for those 1-4 years old compared to adults for Ad26.ZEBOV, MVA-BN-Filo versus 1.36-fold (95% CI [1.12; 1.61]) to 1.41-fold (95% CI [1.21; 1.62]) higher than these values for adults, with relatively small changes from one age category of children to another, for rVSVΔG-ZEBOV-GP. Antibody concentrations also differed according to geographical location, pre-vaccination antibody concentration, and sex. In combination with knowledge on memory response, characterization of the major determinants of immune response durability of both vaccinations may guide future EVD control protocols.Trial registration: ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT02876328

Etude de la dynamique de la macrofaune du sol en culture d’ognon sous usage de diverses pratiques agricoles

La dynamique de la macrofaune du sol en culture d’ognon (Alium cepa) a été étudiée huit semaines après le repiquage des plants. Les expérimentations ont été conduites en 2013 et 2014 au Centre de Recherches Environnementales et Agricoles et de Formation de Kamboinsé de l’Institut de l’Environnement et de Recherches Agricoles (INERA). L’objectif était d’étudier l’influence des différentes pratiques agricoles appliquées sur la faune du sol. La macrofaune a été échantillonnée par une méthode standard TSBF. Les termites ont été échantillonnés par la méthode des monolithes et par une fouille aléatoire sur un transect autour du monolithe. Les vers de terre et les autres groupes de la macrofaune du sol ont été échantillonnés uniquement par monolithes. Au total douze (12) espèces d’insectes et deux (02) espèces de vers de terre ont été enregistrées sous les dix (10) traitements appliqués sur le dispositif expérimental. Pour les insectes, ce sont : Cubitermes sp, Odontotermes akengeensis, Odontotermes silvaticus, Monomorium bicolor, Tetramorium sericciventre, Dorylus sp, Pachycondyla senaerensis, Componotus maculatus, Monomorium abyssinicum, Monomorium sp, Feronia sp, Nysius sp. Les vers de terre identifiés sont Milsonia inermis et Dichogaster affinis. Les traitements avec apport de fumure organique ont connu une macrofaune plus abondance en comparaison à ceux avec fumure minérale. L’application de l’herbicide de prélevé n’a pas eu d’effet sur les communautés de faune du sol étudiés. A l’intérieur des traitements, les groupes de faune du sol ont réagit différemment face aux traitements appliqués.Mots clés: ognon, macrofaune du sol, désherbage, pratiques agricolesEnglish Title: Study of the dynamics of soil macrofauna in onion by using various agricultural practicesEnglish AbstractThe dynamics of soil macrofauna in onion cultivation (Alium cepa) was studied eight weeks after transplanting the seedlings. The experiments were conducted in 2013 and 2014 at the Centre for Environmental and Agricultural Research and Training of the Institute of the Environment and Agricultural Research (INERA). The objective was to study the effect of different agricultural practices on soilfauna. Macrofauna was sampled by a standard method TSBF. Termites were sampled by monolith method and by a random search on a transect around the monolith. Earthworms and other soil macrofauna groups were sampled only by monoliths. In total eleven (12) and two species of insects (02) earthworm species have been recorded in the ten (10) treatments applied on experimental design. For insects, these are: Cubitermes sp, Odontotermes akengeensis, Odontotermes silvaticus, Monomorium bicolor, Tetramorium sericciventre, Dorylus sp Pachycondyla senaerensis, Componotus maculatus, Monomorium abyssinicum, Monomorium sp, Feronia sp, Nysius sp. Earthworms identified were Milsonia inermis and Dichogaster affinis. Treatments with organic manure were more abundant of soil macrofauna compared to those with added mineral fertilizers. The  application of herbicide removed had no effect on communities of soil fauna studied. Inside the treatment, soil fauna groups react differently to treatments applied.Keywords: onion, soil macrofauna, weeding, agricultural practice