scholarly journals Arthritogenic Alphaviruses: A Worldwide Emerging Threat?

2019 ◽  
Vol 7 (5) ◽  
pp. 133 ◽  
Author(s):  
Laura I. Levi ◽  
Marco Vignuzzi
Keyword(s):  
Chikungunya Virus ◽  
Neglected Tropical Diseases ◽  
Current Knowledge ◽  
Life Quality ◽  
Sub Saharan Africa ◽  
Ross River Virus ◽  
Pacific Island ◽  
The Pacific ◽  
Sub Saharan ◽  
Mayaro Virus

Arthritogenic alphaviruses are responsible for a dengue-like syndrome associated with severe debilitating polyarthralgia that can persist for months or years and impact life quality. Chikungunya virus is the most well-known member of this family since it was responsible for two worldwide epidemics with millions of cases in the last 15 years. However, other arthritogenic alphaviruses that are as of yet restrained to specific territories are the cause of neglected tropical diseases: O’nyong’nyong virus in Sub-Saharan Africa, Mayaro virus in Latin America, and Ross River virus in Australia and the Pacific island countries and territories. This review evaluates their emerging potential in light of the current knowledge for each of them and in comparison to chikungunya virus.

scholarly journals Long-Run and Short-Run Effects of Trade Openness on Life Quality in Sub-Saharan Africa

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (8) ◽  
pp. 72-83
Author(s):  
Guivis Zeufack Nkemgha ◽  
Aimée Viviane Mbita ◽  
Symphorin Engone Mve ◽  
Rodrigue Tchoffo
Keyword(s):  
Trade Openness ◽  
Life Quality ◽  
Sub Saharan Africa ◽  
African Countries ◽  
Pooled Mean Group ◽  
Long Run ◽  
Short Run ◽  
French Colonies ◽  
Sub Saharan ◽  
British Colonies

This paper contributes to the understanding of the other neglected effects of trade openness by analysing how it affects life quality in sub-Saharan African countries over the period 2000–2016. We used two trade openness indicators, namely: Squalli and Wilson index and the rate of trade. The empirical evidence is based on a pooled mean group approach. With two panels differentiated by their colonial origin, the following findings are established: the trade openness variable measured by Squalli and Wilson index has no effect on life quality in the both groups of countries in the short-run. However, it has a positive and significant effect on life quality in the both group of countries in the long-run. The use of the rate of trade confirms the results in the both groups of countries in the long-run. The contribution of trade openness to life quality is 3.27 and 5.19 times higher in the Former British Colonies than that recorded in the Former French Colonies of SSA respectively to the use of Squalli and Wilson index and the rate of trade. Overall, we find strong evidence supporting the view that trade openness promotes life quality in SSA countries in the long run.

scholarly journals Malavika Karlekar (ed.). Paradigms of Learning: The Total Literacy Campaign in India. New Delhi: Sage Publications. 2004. 356 pages. Paperback. Indian Rupees 375.00.

2003 ◽  
Vol 42 (2) ◽  
pp. 167-169
Author(s):  
Samina Nazli
Keyword(s):  
World War Ii ◽  
Human Development ◽  
Adult Literacy ◽  
Developed Countries ◽  
Sub Saharan Africa ◽  
New Delhi ◽  
Least Developed Countries ◽  
Literacy Campaign ◽  
The Pacific ◽  
Sub Saharan

Raising the standards of literacy in the developing world has been a major goal of the less developed countries since most of them became independent in the process of decolonisation that followed World War II. The Human Development Report 2004, brought out by the United Nations Development Programme lists some major improvements in increasing literacy levels of a number of countries between the year 1990 and 2002. For example, low human development countries like Togo increased their adult literacy rates from 44.2 percent in 1990 to 59.6 percent in 2002. Congo saw an increase in its literacy rate for the same period from 67.1 percent to 82.8 percent. The rates for Uganda, Kenya, Yemen, and Nigeria are 56.1 percent and 68.9 percent, 70.8 percent and 84.3 percent, 32.7 percent and 49.0 percent, and 48.7 percent and 68.8 percent respectively. If one examines the breakdown by region, the least developed countries as a group saw an increase in their adult literacy rates from 43.0 percent to 52.5 percent, the Arab states from 50.8 percent to 63.3 percent, South Asia from 47.0 percent to 57.6 percent, Sub-Saharan Africa from 50.8 percent to 63.2 percent and East Asia and the Pacific from 79.8 percent to 90.3 percent. If we look at the increase in the levels of literacy from the perspective of medium human development and low human development, the figures are 71.8 percent and 80.4 percent, and 42.5 percent and 54.3 percent, respectively.

scholarly journals Management of chronic respiratory complications in children and adolescents with sickle cell disease

2020 ◽  
Vol 29 (157) ◽  
pp. 200054
Author(s):  
Michele Arigliani ◽  
Atul Gupta
Keyword(s):  
Sickle Cell Disease ◽  
Sickle Cell ◽  
Current Knowledge ◽  
Sub Saharan Africa ◽  
Cell Disease ◽  
Respiratory Complications ◽  
Progressive Decline ◽  
Blood Disorder ◽  
Life Threatening ◽  
Sub Saharan

Sickle cell disease (SCD) is a life-threatening hereditary blood disorder that affects millions of people worldwide, especially in sub-Saharan Africa. This condition has a multi-organ involvement and highly vascularised organs, such as the lungs, are particularly affected. Chronic respiratory complications of SCD involve pulmonary vascular, parenchymal and airways alterations. A progressive decline of lung function often begins in childhood. Asthma, sleep-disordered breathing and chronic hypoxaemia are common and associated with increased morbidity. Pulmonary hypertension is a serious complication, more common in adults than in children. Although there is a growing attention towards respiratory care of patients with SCD, evidence regarding the prognostic meaning and optimal management of pulmonary issues in children with this condition is limited.This narrative review presents state-of-the-art evidence regarding the epidemiology, pathophysiology and therapeutic options for chronic respiratory complications commonly seen in paediatric patients with SCD. Furthermore, it highlights the gaps in the current knowledge and indicates future directions for studies that aim to improve our understanding of chronic respiratory complications in children with SCD.

scholarly journals The Coupling Coordination Relationship between Tourism Competitiveness and Economic Growth of Developing Countries

2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (6) ◽  
pp. 2350
Author(s):  
Xia Wang ◽  
Danli Liu
Keyword(s):  
Economic Growth ◽  
Developing Countries ◽  
Sub Saharan Africa ◽  
Entropy Weight ◽  
Developing Regions ◽  
The Pacific ◽  
Entropy Weight Method ◽  
Weight Method ◽  
Sub Saharan ◽  
The Relationship

On the basis of the coupling coordination degree (CCD) model and information entropy weight method, this study examined the relationship between tourism competitiveness and economic growth of 56 developing countries from 2008 to 2017. The results show that: (1) the overall status of the CCD between tourism competitiveness and economic growth was in a state of unbalance that was mainly caused by the lag of economic growth, which demonstrates the important contribution of tourism in developing regions. (2) the CCD has been gradually improving since 2008, and the differences amongst the CCDs of developing countries have been shrinking and (3) the spatial distribution of the CCD between tourism competitiveness and economic growth has heterogeneity. Latin America & the Caribbean, and East Asia & the Pacific have the highest CCD, whereas Sub-Saharan Africa witnessed severely unbalanced development between tourism competitiveness and economic growth in 2008–2017.

scholarly journals Plasmodium vivax cerebral malaria in an adult patient in Sudan

2019 ◽  
Vol 18 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Maowia M. Mukhtar ◽  
Omer A. Eisawi ◽  
Seth A. Amanfo ◽  
Elwaleed M. Elamin ◽  
Zeinab S. Imam ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Plasmodium Vivax ◽  
Cerebral Malaria ◽  
Blood Film ◽  
Sub Saharan Africa ◽  
Measured Temperature ◽  
Neck Stiffness ◽  
The Pacific ◽  
High Parasitaemia ◽  
Brain Ct Scan ◽  
Sub Saharan

Abstract Background Plasmodium vivax infection is rising in sub-Saharan Africa, where Plasmodium falciparum is responsible for more than 90% of malaria cases. While P. vivax is identified as a major cause of severe and cerebral malaria in South east Asia, the Pacific and South America, most of the severe and cerebral cases in Africa were attributed to P. falciparum. Cases of severe malaria due to P. vivax are emerging in Africa. A few severe P. vivax cases were reported in Eastern Sudan and they were underestimated due to the lack of accurate diagnosis, low parasitaemia and seldom use of rapid diagnostic tests (RDTs). Case presentation A 60-year-old Sudanese male presented to the Al Kuwaiti hospital in the Sudan capital Khartoum. On admission, the patient was complaining of fever (measured temperature was 38 °C), sweating, chills, vomiting and confusion in the past 2 days prior to his admission. He rapidly deteriorated into a coma state within 48 h of the admission, with significant neck stiffness. He was admitted to the intensive care unit and was suspected of meningitis. Lumbar puncture was not performed since the patient was suffering from spinal cord disc. Brain CT scan was unremarkable. Several biochemical, haematological tests, and blood film for malaria were performed. The results of the laboratory tests were within the normal range except of mild elevation of the total white blood cell count and a significant decrease in the platelets count. Malaria parasites were seen in the blood film with high parasitaemia (quantified as 3 +++). The patient was diagnosed as P. vivax cerebral malaria based on the positive blood film and the amplification of P. vivax specific 499 bp amplicon using Plasmodium multi-species multiplex Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR). The patient was treated with quinine 10 mg/kg body weight for 10 days followed by primaquine 15 mg/days PO for 2 weeks. The symptoms subsided within 48 h and the patients was cured and released from the hospital. Conclusions Plasmodium vivax is an emerging cause of cerebral malaria in adults in Sudan and should be considered in the differential diagnosis of cerebral malaria for proper management of patients.

scholarly journals Challenges and potential barriers to the uptake of antiretroviral-based prevention in Asia and the Pacific region

Sexual Health ◽  
2014 ◽  
Vol 11 (2) ◽  
pp. 126 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ying-Ru Lo ◽  
Masaya Kato ◽  
Nittaya Phanuphak ◽  
Masami Fujita ◽  
Duong Bui Duc ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Hiv Transmission ◽  
Sub Saharan Africa ◽  
Treatment As Prevention ◽  
The Pacific ◽  
Prep Implementation ◽  
Sub Saharan ◽  
Hiv Acquisition ◽  
Operational Issues ◽  
Exposure Prophylaxis ◽  
Firm Evidence

Evidence has emerged over the past few years on the effectiveness of antiretroviral-based prevention technologies to prevent (i) HIV transmission while decreasing morbidity and mortality in HIV-infected persons, and (ii) HIV acquisition in HIV-uninfected individuals through pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP). Only few of the planned studies on treatment as prevention (TasP) are conducted in Asia. TasP might be more feasible and effective in concentrated rather than in generalised epidemics, as resources for HIV testing and antiretroviral treatment could focus on confined and much smaller populations than in the generalised epidemics observed in sub-Saharan Africa. Several countries such as Cambodia, China, Thailand and Vietnam, are now paving the way to success. Similar challenges arise for both TasP and PrEP. However, the operational issues for PrEP are amplified by the need for frequent retesting and ensuring adherence. This paper describes challenges for the implementation of antiretroviral-based prevention and makes the case that TasP and PrEP implementation research in Asia is much needed to provide insights into the feasibility of these interventions in populations where firm evidence of ‘real world’ effectiveness is still lacking.

scholarly journals Genetic dissection of drug resistance in trypanosomes

Parasitology ◽  
2013 ◽  
Vol 140 (12) ◽  
pp. 1478-1491 ◽  
Author(s):  
SAM ALSFORD ◽  
JOHN M. KELLY ◽  
NICOLA BAKER ◽  
DAVID HORN
Keyword(s):  
Neglected Tropical Diseases ◽  
Sub Saharan Africa ◽  
Genetic Dissection ◽  
Molecular Tools ◽  
Sequencing Technology ◽  
Exponential Increase ◽  
Technological Developments ◽  
Sub Saharan ◽  
Identification And Characterization

SUMMARYThe trypanosomes cause two neglected tropical diseases, Chagas disease in the Americas and African trypanosomiasis in sub-Saharan Africa. Over recent years a raft of molecular tools have been developed enabling the genetic dissection of many aspects of trypanosome biology, including the mechanisms underlying resistance to some of the current clinical and veterinary drugs. This has led to the identification and characterization of key resistance determinants, including transporters for the anti-Trypanosoma bruceidrugs, melarsoprol, pentamidine and eflornithine, and the activator of nifurtimox-benznidazole, the anti-Trypanosoma cruzidrugs. More recently, advances in sequencing technology, combined with the development of RNA interference libraries in the clinically relevant bloodstream form ofT. bruceihave led to an exponential increase in the number of proteins known to interact either directly or indirectly with the anti-trypanosomal drugs. In this review, we discuss these findings and the technological developments that are set to further revolutionise our understanding of drug-trypanosome interactions. The new knowledge gained should inform the development of novel interventions against the devastating diseases caused by these parasites.

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