Stopping azithromycin mass drug administration for trachoma: A systematic review

The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends continuing azithromycin mass drug administration (MDA) for trachoma until endemic regions drop below 5% prevalence of active trachoma in children aged 1–9 years. Azithromycin targets the ocular strains of Chlamydia trachomatis that cause trachoma. Regions with low prevalence of active trachoma may have little if any ocular chlamydia, and, thus, may not benefit from azithromycin treatment. Understanding what happens to active trachoma and ocular chlamydia prevalence after stopping azithromycin MDA may improve future treatment decisions. We systematically reviewed published evidence for community prevalence of both active trachoma and ocular chlamydia after cessation of azithromycin distribution. We searched electronic databases for all peer-reviewed studies published before May 2020 that included at least 2 post-MDA surveillance surveys of ocular chlamydia and/or the active trachoma marker, trachomatous inflammation–follicular (TF) prevalence. We assessed trends in the prevalence of both indicators over time after stopping azithromycin MDA. Of 140 identified studies, 21 met inclusion criteria and were used for qualitative synthesis. Post-MDA, we found a gradual increase in ocular chlamydia infection prevalence over time, while TF prevalence generally gradually declined. Ocular chlamydia infection may be a better measurement tool compared to TF for detecting trachoma recrudescence in communities after stopping azithromycin MDA. These findings may guide future trachoma treatment and surveillance efforts.     

Fungal flora of Egyptian baladi bread with special reference to the mutagenic effects of their toxic metabolites

The fungal flora of wheat flour and baladi bread in upper Egypt were investigated. Most of the isolated fungal species belong to the genus Aspergillus. The presence of non heat resistant fungi of the both flat surfaces of baladi bread, came from contamination after baking and from improper handling at homes. Among the heat resistant fungi, A. fumigatus and A. niger, were recorded to inhabit the spongy crumb although the high temperature of baking process which reached approximately 100 ° C in the center of the bread.The mutagenic effects of the fungal metabolites of the extract of mouldy bread was investigated. Several kinds of aberrations were observed in all stages of mitotic division. The most interesting effect of these fungal metabolites were the induction of tripolar and quadripolar spindle. Multinucleate and polyploid cells were also observed under relatively high concentrations. It was noticed that at either higher concentrations or lower concentrations with long exposure, damaged cells were observed. The hazards involved through the consumption of individuals to such mouldy bread, is accumulation of possible deleterious effects from both long and short term exposure to these toxic metabolites.     

Injected Progestogen and Lactation

Norethisterone ethanate (200 mg every 84 days) and medroxyprogesterone acetate (150 mg every three months) were found to be completely effective in fertility control when started in the puerperium. Neither agent had any ill effect on the amount of milk or the duration of lactation. From the third month onward the three-hourly available milk and the infant weight gain per month were statistically higher in treated groups than in controls. Milk proteins showed a slight decrease in most groups, including the controls, owing to the low-protein diet.No important side effect was produced by these agents other than amenorrhoea.     

Sterols of the red alga Rissoella verruculosa

The Mediterranean red alga Rissoella verruculosa contains desmosterol in the esterified form whereas this sterol is not present in the free state.     

Selection for earlier flowering crop associated with climatic variations in the Sahel

Climate changes will have an impact on food production and will require costly adaptive responses. Adapting to a changing environment will be particularly challenging in sub-Saharan Africa where climate change is expected to have a major impact. However, one important phenomenon that is often overlooked and is poorly documented is the ability of agro-systems to rapidly adapt to environmental variations. Such an adaptation could proceed by the adoption of new varieties or by the adaptation of varieties to a changing environment. In this study, we analyzed these two processes in one of the driest agro-ecosystems in Africa, the Sahel. We performed a detailed study in Niger where pearl millet is the main crop and covers 65% of the cultivated area. To assess how the agro-system is responding to recent recurrent drought, we analyzed samples of pearl millet landraces collected in the same villages in 1976 and 2003 throughout the entire cultivated area of Niger. We studied phenological and morphological differences in the 1976 and 2003 collections by comparing them over three cropping seasons in a common garden experiment. We found no major changes in the main cultivated varieties or in their genetic diversity. However, we observed a significant shift in adaptive traits. Compared to the 1976 samples, samples collected in 2003 displayed a shorter lifecycle, and a reduction in plant and spike size. We also found that an early flowering allele at the PHYC locus increased in frequency between 1976 and 2003. The increase exceeded the effect of drift and sampling, suggesting a direct effect of selection for earliness on this gene. We conclude that recurrent drought can lead to selection for earlier flowering in a major Sahelian crop. Surprisingly, these results suggest that diffusion of crop varieties is not the main driver of short term adaptation to climatic variation.     

Combining ecosystem indicators and life cycle assessment for environmental assessment of demersal trawling in Tunisia

The International Journal of Life Cycle Assessment - The present study assesses environmental performance of seafood production by demersal trawling in Tunisia (Gulf of Gabes) in order to analyze...     

Phosphorylation of polynucleotide kinase/ phosphatase by DNA-dependent protein kinase and ataxia-telangiectasia mutated regulates its association with sites of DNA damage

Human polynucleotide kinase/phosphatase (PNKP) is a dual specificity 5'-DNA kinase/3'-DNA phosphatase, with roles in base excision repair, DNA single-strand break repair and non-homologous end joining (NHEJ); yet precisely how PNKP functions in the repair of DNA double strand breaks (DSBs) remains unclear. We demonstrate that PNKP is phosphorylated by the DNA-dependent protein kinase (DNA-PK) and ataxia-telangiectasia mutated (ATM) in vitro. The major phosphorylation site for both kinases was serine 114, with serine 126 being a minor site. Ionizing radiation (IR)-induced phosphorylation of cellular PNKP on S114 was ATM dependent, whereas phosphorylation of PNKP on S126 required both ATM and DNA-PK. Inactivation of DNA-PK and/or ATM led to reduced PNKP at DNA damage sites in vivo. Cells expressing PNKP with alanine or aspartic acid at serines 114 and 126 were modestly radiosensitive and IR enhanced the association of PNKP with XRCC4 and DNA ligase IV; however, this interaction was not affected by mutation of PNKP phosphorylation sites. Purified PNKP protein with mutation of serines 114 and 126 had decreased DNA kinase and DNA phosphatase activities and reduced affinity for DNA in vitro. Together, our results reveal that IR-induced phosphorylation of PNKP by ATM and DNA-PK regulates PNKP function at DSBs.