African Global Representation in Biomedical Sciences

2021 ◽  
Vol 4 (1) ◽  
pp. 57-81
Author(s):  
Nicola Mulder ◽  
Lyndon Zass ◽  
Yosr Hamdi ◽  
Houcemeddine Othman ◽  
Sumir Panji ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Relative Abundance ◽  
Biomedical Data ◽  
Single Group ◽  
Biomedical Sciences ◽  
African Countries ◽  
Relative Lack ◽  
African Populations ◽  
Global Representation ◽  
Population Origin ◽  
Public Repositories

African populations are diverse in their ethnicity, language, culture, and genetics. Although plagued by high disease burdens, until recently the continent has largely been excluded from biomedical studies. Along with limitations in research and clinical infrastructure, human capacity, and funding, this omission has resulted in an underrepresentation of African data and disadvantaged African scientists. This review interrogates the relative abundance of biomedical data from Africa, primarily in genomics and other omics. The visibility of African science through publications is also discussed. A challenge encountered in this review is the relative lack of annotation of data on their geographical or population origin, with African countries represented as a single group. In addition to the abovementioned limitations,the global representation of African data may also be attributed to the hesitation to deposit data in public repositories. Whatever the reason, the disparity should be addressed, as African data have enormous value for scientists in Africa and globally.

scholarly journals Genetic Polymorphism of Head and Neck Cancers in African Populations: A Systematic Review

OTO Open ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 4 (3) ◽  
pp. 2473974X2094220
Author(s):  
Eyituoyo Okoturo ◽  
Anslem Osasuyi ◽  
Taofiq Opaleye
Keyword(s):  
Systematic Review ◽  
Head And Neck ◽  
Candidate Genes ◽  
Head And Neck Cancers ◽  
Current Evidence ◽  
African Countries ◽  
Study Objective ◽  
Mesh Terms ◽  
Incidence And Mortality ◽  
African Populations

Objective Head and neck cancers are mostly composed of head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC). The incidence and mortality of HNSCC are higher in countries with emerging health care systems, particularly Africa. Given that they are more genetically diverse, characterization of polymorphism in African HNSCC may result in the identification of distinct molecular targets as compared with the known HNSCC candidate genes. This study objective is to review the current evidence of genetic data on HNSCC among African populations as well as to demonstrate any distinctions as compared with known candidate genes and to appraise any research gaps. Data Sources Publications that interrogated susceptible gene polymorphisms to African-based populations with cancer were reviewed for this study. Review Methods Our search methodology was modeled after the Cochrane systematic review protocol, which included MeSH terms and keywords related to cancer, polymorphisms, and African countries. Results Seven articles studying 2 HNSCC cancer types in 3 of 54 African countries met the inclusion criteria. Thirteen polymorphisms from 10 genes were screened ( NOS3, CYP1A1, CYP2D6, NAT1, NAT2, NQO1, IL-10, IL-12, IL-8, COX2). All articles were screened for polymorphisms based on a polymerase chain reaction–based technique. All polymorphs suggested association to HNSCC, with 10 of 13 polymorphs demonstrating a statistically significant association. Conclusion Studies on known HNSCC candidate genes should be undertaken in Africa, particularly among sub-Saharan Africans. Importantly, these studies should be large scale with multiple HNC sites and with use of high-throughput methods.

scholarly journals Religion and Politics in Africa: The Future of “The Secular”

2014 ◽  
Vol 49 (3) ◽  
pp. 83-106 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jon Abbink
Keyword(s):  
Identity Politics ◽  
Religion And Politics ◽  
Philosophical Argument ◽  
African Countries ◽  
Public Spheres ◽  
The Public ◽  
African Populations ◽  
The Future ◽  
The Public Sphere ◽  
Secular State

This essay discusses the continued importance that religion holds in African life, not only in terms of numbers of believers, but also regarding the varieties of religious experience and its links with politics and the “public sphere(s)”. Coinciding with the wave of democratization and economic liberalization efforts since about 1990, a notable growth of the public presence of religion and its political referents in Africa has been witnessed; alongside “development”, religion will remain a hot issue in the future political trajectory of the continent. Its renewed presence in public spheres has also led to new understandings of what religion means and how it figures into both “world-making” and identity politics. This will prolong the challenges associated with the role and status of religion in the “secular state model” found in most African countries. Can these states, while “besieged” by believers, maintain neutrality among diverse worldviews, and if so, how? The paper discusses these issues in a general manner with reference to African examples, some taken from fieldwork by the author, and makes a philosophical argument for the development of a new kind of “secular state” that can respect the religious commitments of African populations.

scholarly journals Modelling potential β-carotene intake and cyanide exposure from consumption of biofortified cassava

2013 ◽  
Vol 2 ◽  
Author(s):  
Josh M. Katz ◽  
Michael R. La Frano ◽  
Carl K. Winter ◽  
Betty J. Burri
Keyword(s):  
Central African Republic ◽  
African Women ◽  
African Countries ◽  
Chronic Disability ◽  
Feeding Study ◽  
Consumption Data ◽  
African Populations ◽  
The World ◽  
Staple Crop ◽  
Β Carotene

AbstractVitamin A (VA) deficiency causes disability and mortality. Cassava can be crossbred to improve its β-carotene (BC) content; typical white cassava contains negligible amounts of BC. However, cassava contains cyanide and its continued consumption may lead to chronic disability. Our objective was to estimate the risk–benefit of consuming BC-enhanced cassava to increase VA intake. A total of ten American women were fed white and BC-enhanced cassava. BC and cyanide data from the feeding study were combined with African cassava consumption data to model the potential daily BC, VA and cyanide intakes of African women. If BC-enhanced cassava replaced white cassava in the diets, it could theoretically meet recommended VA intakes for the following percentages of individuals from six African countries that consume cassava as a staple crop: Angola (95 %), Central African Republic (95 %), Congo (about 100 %), Ghana (99 %), Mozambique (99 %) and Nigeria (92 %). Cyanide intake after minimal preparation of cassava could be thirteen to thirty-two times the reference dose (RfD), a toxicological exposure reference, but could be completely removed by extensive soaking. This study demonstrates that consumption of BC-enhanced cassava, processed to maintain BC and remove cyanide, theoretically increases VA intakes for African populations and other areas of the world where cassava is a staple crop.

Information Services to Biomedical Science Through Mobile Technology Applications

2018 ◽  
pp. 679-689
Author(s):  
John Paul Anbu
Keyword(s):  
Information Literacy ◽  
Mobile Technology ◽  
Biomedical Science ◽  
The Internet ◽  
Biomedical Data ◽  
Biomedical Sciences ◽  
Technology Applications ◽  
Fast Network ◽  
Information Professionals ◽  
Access Information

Biomedical science is one filed where huge amount of information is generated, distributed over the internet and a number of software tools are also developed to generate information. The quantum of biomedical data along with the proliferation of new data integration technologies have made it important to adopt smart and fast network tools to access information in bioinformatics. It is important to make researchers in biomedical science aware of systematic approaches to access these information. One avenue to implement this approach is to make the biomedical information available through mobile technology which is still missing. It is heartening to see that there are some mobile initiatives taking place in biomedical sciences which provide handy tools for bioinformatics information seekers to access information. This paper is a review of such tools which will aid the library and information professionals to create information literacy in this field in future.

scholarly journals Data Analysis and Data Mining: Current Issues in Biomedical Informatics

2011 ◽  
Vol 50 (06) ◽  
pp. 536-544 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. Diomidous ◽  
I. N. Sarkar ◽  
K. Takabayashi ◽  
A. Ziegler ◽  
A. T. McCray ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Data Mining ◽  
Decision Making ◽  
Data Analysis ◽  
Knowledge Integration ◽  
Biomedical Informatics ◽  
Data Driven ◽  
Biomedical Data ◽  
Translational Bioinformatics ◽  
Biomedical Sciences ◽  
Mining Methods

SummaryBackground: Medicine and biomedical sciences have become data-intensive fields, which, at the same time, enable the application of data-driven approaches and require sophisticated data analysis and data mining methods. Biomedical informatics provides a proper interdisciplinary context to integrate data and knowledge when processing available information, with the aim of giving effective decision-making support in clinics and translational research.Objectives: To reflect on different perspectives related to the role of data analysis and data mining in biomedical informatics. Methods: On the occasion of the 50th year of Methods of Information in Medicine a symposium was organized, which reflected on opportunities, challenges and priorities of organizing, representing and analysing data, information and knowledge in biomedicine and health care. The contributions of experts with a variety of backgrounds in the area of biomedical data analysis have been collected as one outcome of this symposium, in order to provide a broad, though coherent, overview of some of the most interesting aspects of the field.Results: The paper presents sections on data accumulation and data-driven approaches in medical informatics, data and knowledge integration, statistical issues for the evaluation of data mining models, translational bioinformatics and bioinformatics aspects of genetic epidemiology.Conclusions: Biomedical informatics represents a natural framework to properly and effectively apply data analysis and data mining methods in a decision-making context. In the future, it will be necessary to preserve the inclusive nature of the field and to foster an increasing sharing of data and methods between researchers.

scholarly journals Prevalence, patterns and predictors of self-medication with anti-malarial drugs among Cameroonian mothers during a recent illness episode

2018 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
pp. 29-39
Author(s):  
L. P. F. Kojom ◽  
A. A. Ntoumba ◽  
H. Nyabeyeu Nyabeyeu ◽  
G. Bunda Wepnje ◽  
C. Tonga ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Cross Sectional Study ◽  
Combination Therapies ◽  
Sectional Study ◽  
Biomedical Sciences ◽  
Self Medication ◽  
Illness Episode ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
African Populations ◽  
The Town ◽  
Recent Illness

Artemisinin-based combination therapies (ACTs) are recommended as treatment of choice for malaria. Although the resistance to artemisinin and its derivatives has not yet been officially reported in Africa, there is growing concern that it may reach the continent. Self-medication is common among African populations and may explained drug resistance. Unfortunately, a few studies have addressed this issue in Cameroon. This study seeks to appraise the prevalence, patterns and predictors of antimalarial self-medication. A household-based cross-sectional study was conducted in 2016 in the town of Douala. Interviews and pretested semi-structured questionnaires were administered for collecting information from 213 mothers of under-fives. The prevalence of self-medication was 49.30%. The main reasons were “habit” (38.75%), “Lack of money” (22.48%) and “Lightness of symptoms” (13.18 %). Pharmacy (47.80%) and street medicine stores (30.19%) were the commonest drug providers. Nearly 20% of women had not respected posology although treatment was right and taken promptly. Age, level of education and curiosity on treatment were risk factors of self-medication. Our study confirms that malaria self-medication is common among women and the influence of some factors. Hence, strategies for information, education and communication should be scaled up to efficiently address self-medication in the area.Journal of Medical and Biomedical Sciences (2018) 7(1), 29 - 39

scholarly journals The Ophthalmic status manifestations of nutritional and lifestyle disorders of men in a peri urban community in Ghana

2017 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-7
Author(s):  
F. Vuvor ◽  
M. Steiner-Asiedu ◽  
F.K. Saalia
Keyword(s):  
Vitamin A ◽  
Urban Community ◽  
Alcoholic Beverages ◽  
Strongly Correlated ◽  
Dietary Intakes ◽  
Biomedical Sciences ◽  
African Countries ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Bitot’S Spot ◽  
Alcohol Users

Unhealthy conditions of eye/sight in poor communities in South-Saharan African countries are many and becoming a global concern. The aim of the study is to determine the lifestyle variables and their associations with unhealthy ophthalmic conditions of men in a peri-urban community in Ghana. The study was a cross-sectional; involving men aged ≥18 years of age. Data were gathered using WHO Stepwise questionnaires. Analyses included frequencies, Chi-squares, correlations and regressions. The participants were made up of 1449 men. The dietary intakes of vitamin A rich food were so low that they could not be represented quantitatively. About 71.0% of the men were habitual users of alcoholic beverages and 22.0% smoked tobacco. About 21.7% of men had Bitot’s spot while 4.3% had keratomalacia. The logistic regression analysis predicted that alcohol users were about twice more likely to suffer Bitot’s spot (p=0.20) while tobacco smokers were about 3 times and 13 times more likely to suffer from Bitot’s spot (p<0.01) and Keratomalacia (p<0.01) respectively, compared with nonsmokers in the study group. The prevalence of ophthalmic was considerable high. The lifestyle behaviours such as smoking were strongly correlated with Bitot’s spots and keratomalacia among the participating men.Journal of Medical and Biomedical Sciences (2017) 6(1), 1-7Keywords: Bitot’s spot, keratomalacia, Vitamin-A, Xerophthalmia

Consanguinity and Inbreeding in Health and Disease in North African Populations

2019 ◽  
Vol 20 (1) ◽  
pp. 155-179 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lilia Romdhane ◽  
Nessrine Mezzi ◽  
Yosr Hamdi ◽  
Ghada El-Kamah ◽  
Abdelhamid Barakat ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Autosomal Recessive ◽  
Genetic Diseases ◽  
Substantial Improvement ◽  
North African ◽  
Founder Mutations ◽  
African Countries ◽  
Multifactorial Diseases ◽  
African Populations ◽  
North African Countries ◽  
The Impact

North Africa is defined as the geographical region separated from the rest of the continent by the Sahara and from Europe by the Mediterranean Sea. The main demographic features of North African populations are their familial structure and high rates of familial and geographic endogamy, which have a proven impact on health, particularly the occurrence of genetic diseases, with a greater effect on the frequency and spectrum of the rarest forms of autosomal recessive genetic diseases. More than 500 different genetic diseases have been reported in this region, most of which are autosomal recessive. During the last few decades, there has been great interest in the molecular investigation of large consanguineous North African families. The development of local capacities has brought a substantial improvement in the molecular characterization of these diseases, but the genetic bases of half of them remain unknown. Diseases of known molecular etiology are characterized by their genetic and mutational heterogeneity, although some founder mutations are encountered relatively frequently. Some founder mutations are specific to a single country or a specific ethnic or geographic group, and others are shared by all North African countries or worldwide. The impact of consanguinity on common multifactorial diseases is less evident.

Allelic diversity of natural oil palm (Elaeis guineensis Jacq.) populations detected by microsatellite markers: implications for conservation

2007 ◽  
Vol 5 (02) ◽  
pp. 104-107 ◽  
Author(s):  
Claude Bakoumé ◽  
Ratnam Wickneswari ◽  
Nookiah Rajanaidu ◽  
Ahmad Kushairi ◽  
Philippe Amblard ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Microsatellite Markers ◽  
Oil Palm ◽  
Elaeis Guineensis ◽  
Allelic Diversity ◽  
African Countries ◽  
Breeding Populations ◽  
African Populations ◽  
Natural Oil ◽  
The Mean ◽  
Range Test

The allelic diversity within oil palm populations (45 native ones from 10 African countries, three breeding populations and one collection of semi-wild material) was determined using 16 microsatellite markers. A total of 209 alleles were detected, with a mean number of 13.1 alleles per locus. The mean effective number of alleles per locus (Ae) was 3.3 ± 1.3. Although the Duncan's multiple range test only separated the group of populations from Madagascar from the rest on the basis ofAe, the presence of unique and rare alleles and high values ofAesuggest that 23 of the African populations should be conserved to secure allelic diversity.

scholarly journals Recruiting students for the COVID-19 emergency response: lessons from eight African countries

2020 ◽  
Vol 3 ◽  
pp. 42 ◽  
Author(s):  
Vera Mkenda ◽  
Mark Woolhouse ◽  
Francisca Mutapi ◽  
Geoffrey Banda
Keyword(s):  
Undergraduate Students ◽  
Emergency Response ◽  
Clinical Laboratory ◽  
Medical Emergency ◽  
Biomedical Sciences ◽  
African Countries ◽  
Online Questionnaire ◽  
Postgraduate Students ◽  
Emergency Situations ◽  
The Government

Background: This paper examines how African countries can innovatively use pre-qualified undergraduate and postgraduate students, as well as retired clinical, laboratory and epidemiological technocrats in dealing with medical emergency situations, such as the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods: An online questionnaire was sent to key informants in six universities and two research institutions working with the Tackling Infections to Benefit Africa (TIBA) program eight African countries.  The return rate was 88.9% and data was analysed using the framework method. Results: Students and other personnel trained in the medical and health professions are a valuable resource that can be mobilised by African governments during medical emergency situations. These are found in research, academia, non-governmental organisations, and government.  However, without clear plans and mechanisms for recruiting, supervising and remunerating or reimbursing the costs of engaging someone not employed by the government, the legitimation and authority for such recruitment becomes a challenge. Currently, postgraduate students in the biomedical sciences are the most preferred because of their level of experience and exposure to medical techniques. They also have a degree certificate, which serves as a quality and competence assurance tool. Engagement of postgraduate medical students undergoing their residence programmes also seems a lot easier. While on the other hand, undergraduate students, who are the majority, are considered underexposed and with low technological capabilities. They also lack certificates needed to ensure competence, although we argue that not all tasks during pandemics require specialized skills. Conclusion: As a step towards strengthening national disaster preparedness capacities, African governments need to develop plans that clarify protocols for engaging, training, supervising and protecting students, especially undergraduates and those taking non-biomedical courses. Such plans may form part of the National Pandemic Response Plan, while considering both specialised and non-specialized roles of emergency response.

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