Assessment of the Feasibility, Acceptability, and Impact of Implementing Seasonal Malaria Chemoprevention in Nampula Province, Mozambique: Protocol for a Hybrid Effectiveness-Implementation Study (Preprint)

BACKGROUND Malaria is a significant cause of morbidity and mortality in children aged under 5 years in Mozambique. The World Health Organization recommends seasonal malaria chemoprevention (SMC), the administration of four monthly courses of sulfadoxine-pyrimethamine (SP) and amodiaquine (AQ), to children aged 3-59 months during rainy season. However, as resistance to SP is widespread in East and Southern Africa, SMC has so far only been implemented across the Sahel in West Africa. OBJECTIVE This protocol describes the first phase of a pilot project that aims to assess the protective effect of SP and AQ when used for SMC and investigate the levels of molecular markers of resistance of <i>Plasmodium falciparum</i> to antimalarial medicines in the study districts. In addition, it is important to understand whether SMC is a feasible and acceptable intervention in the context of Nampula Province, Mozambique. METHODS This study will adopt a hybrid effectiveness-implementation design to conduct a mixed methods evaluation with six objectives: a molecular marker study, a nonrandomized controlled trial, an analysis of reported malaria morbidity indicators, a documentation exercise of the contextual SMC adaptation, an acceptability and feasibility assessment, and a coverage and quality assessment. RESULTS Ethical approval for this study was granted by the Mozambican Ministry of Health National Bioethics Committee on September 15, 2020. Data collection began in October 2020, and data analysis is expected to be completed by August 2021. CONCLUSIONS This research will make a unique contribution to our understanding of whether the combination of SP and AQ, when used for SMC, can confer a protective effect against malaria in children aged 3-59 months in a region where malaria transmission is seasonal and SP resistance is expected to be high. If the project is successful, subsequent phases are expected to provide a more comprehensive assessment of the effectiveness and sustainability of SMCs. INTERNATIONAL REGISTERED REPORT DERR1-10.2196/27855

Evaluation of Population Structure and Genetic Diversity of Cirrhinus mrigala among the Different Freshwater Rivers of Pakistan Using Molecular Marker: Study Implications and Its Importance in Aquaculture

Cirrhinus mrigala (Family Cyprinidae) have vast presence in different studied rivers of Pakistan. Present study was designed to formulate the genetic diversity of desired sites in Cirrhinus mrigala populations using nine Random amplified polymorphic DNA markers. Total hundred individuals were used to conduct this study and were collected from three distinct rivers (River Indus, Chenab and Ravi) with four specified sites with wild of Pakistan were used to study. A random Amplified Polymorphic DNA primer analyzes various bands of polymorphic loci. Mean genetic diversity within and between populations found 81.53% and 2.27% respectively by using analysis of molecular variance. Fixation index was found variably and Pairwise Fst analysis showed significant difference between different sites of studied populations. Genetic divergence information would mark essential in order to improve genetic programming its management and conservation of natural inhabitation. In order to quantify the study of population divergence by using these molecular markers is an efficient way to pin point the genetic diversity within and among population.