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BackgroundIn this study, we suggested characterizing the vasodilator effects and the phytochemical characteristics of a plant with food usage also used in traditional treatment of arterial high blood pressure in Senegal.MethodsVascular effects of crude extract of dried and powdered calyces of Hibiscus sabdariffa were evaluated on isolated thoracic aorta of male Wistar rats on organ chambers. The crude extract was also enriched by liquid-liquid extraction. The various cyclohexane, dichloromethane, ethyl acetate, butanol extracts obtained as well as the residual marc were subjected to Sephadex LH-20 column chromatography. The different methanolic eluate fractions were then analyzed by Thin Layer (TLC) and High Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC) and their vascular effects also evaluated.ResultsThe H. Sabdariffa crude extract induced mainly endothelium-dependent relaxant effects. The endothelium-dependent relaxations result from NOS activation and those who not dependent to endothelium from activation of smooth muscle potassium channels. The phytochemical analysis revealed the presence of phenolic acids in the ethyl acetate extract and anthocyans in the butanolic extract. The biological efficiency of the various studied extracts, in term of vasorelaxant capacity, showed that: Butanol extract > Crude extract > Residual marc > Ethyl acetate extract. These results suggest that the strong activity of the butanolic extract is essentially due to the presence of anthocyans found in its fractions 43-67.ConclusionThese results demonstrate the vasodilator potential of hibiscus sabdariffa and contribute to his valuation as therapeutic alternative.

Objective While several clinical studies have compared the prophylactic efficacy of oxytocin and misoprostol for prevention of postpartum hemorrhage (PPH), no studies have examined these interventions at the community level. This cost-effectiveness analysis is the first to do so. Methods This cost-effectiveness study accompanied a randomized trial comparing the prophylactic effectiveness of misoprostol with that of oxytocin conducted in rural Senegal from June to September 2013 of consenting women delivering in maternity huts. We compared the two interventions, with PPH referrals to a higher level facility being the outcome measure. We calculated costs and effects for two hypothetical cohorts of women delivering during a one-year period, each receiving one of the interventions. A third cohort simulated current standard of care (SOC). A sensitivity analysis was performed to estimate the impact of variation in model assumptions. Results The incremental cost-effectiveness ratios (ICER) for the misoprostol intervention was USD 40 per PPH case averted and USD 120 for oxytocin. In all scenarios, the misoprostol intervention dominated except in the worst-case scenario, where the oxytocin intervention was slightly more cost-effective. Conclusion Our findings suggest that use of misoprostol for PPH prevention would be cost-effective in countries with inadequate maternal health care.

Purpose To determine the clinical and radiological profile of periodontitis according to the 2018 NCPD, in a Dakar (Senegal) based periodontal clinic. Methods This is a descriptive study based on patient’s records in the periodontology clinic. The study was conducted between November 2018 and February 2020 (15 months). All periodontitis cases were included in the study. Incomplete records (due to lack of radiographic workup or unusable periodontal charting) were excluded. Periodontitis diagnosis was established based on criteria used in the 2018 NCPD. Statistical analysis was carried out using SPSS version 20.0, with the significance threshold set at 0.05. Results A total number of 517 patient records were collected during the study period but only 127 periodontitis records were complete. The mean age of participants was 46.8 ± 13.8 years and 63.8% of participants were males. The mean plaque index and bleeding on probing (BOP) were 74% ± 21.3 and 58.1% ± 25.1, respectively. The mean maximum clinical attachment loss was 8.7 mm ±2.7, with a probing depth greater than 6 mm present in 50.4% of the sample. The median number of missing teeth was 3 (interquartile range 5–1). Pathological mobility was present in 60.6% of the patients and 78.0% had occlusion problems. Bone crest defect at the most affected site was moderate in 52.8% of cases. The ratio of bone loss to age greater than one concerned 66.1% of the sample. Generalised (81.9%), Stage IV (70.1%) and grade C (69.3%) were the most encountered diagnosis. The disease severity was associated with age (r = 0.241; P < 0.001), BOP (r = 0.230; P = 0.013) and the number of teeth with pathological mobility (r = 0.318; P < 0.001). Conclusion Patients with periodontitis in this study had advanced forms of the disease and required multidisciplinary care. Clinical hindsight is necessary to improve this classification.

The purpose of this investigation was to compare the effects of halothane on malignant hyperthermia (MH) and normal isolated muscle bundle performance during isometric contraction and relaxation phases. Mechanical parameters were measured: peak tension (PT), time to peak tension (TPT) and positive peak of isometric tension derivative (+dP/dtmax) characterized the contraction phase. Half-relaxation time (RT1/2) and negative peak of isometric tension derivative (-dP/dtmax) characterized the relaxation phase. The ratio R = (+dP/dtmax)/(-dP/dtmax) was used to study the coupling between contraction and relaxation under isometric condition. In normal muscle, halothane increased PT by nearly 40% without altering TPT. The +dP/dtmax value increased concomitantly with the -dP/dtmax values, thus no changes in R was observed. In MH muscle, PT was first potentiated (0.5-1.0 vol% halothane) and then depressed (2.0-3.0 vol% halothane). TPT and +dP/dtmax were not altered whereas RT1/2 increased progressively with concomitant decrease in -dP/dtmax, thus R increased by nearly 40%. The amplitude of MH muscle contracture with stepwise concentrations of halothane was correlated with the increase of RT1/2 and R, and the decrease of -dP/dtmax. These results suggest that halothane alters the relaxation phase more than the contraction phase in MH human skeletal muscle compared to normal muscle.

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Being the only established vectors of the protozoan parasites of the genus Leishmania, sand flies have become very important in all countries where leishmaniasis exists. To better understand the sand fly fauna, a taxonomic inventory study was carried out between January and March 2012 in Soudan savannah (Boundioba, Sikasso) and Sahelian (Tieneguebougou, Koulikoro) areas of Mali. CDC light traps were used to collect the sand flies. Collected sand flies specimens were cleaned with lacto-phenol and examined under a light microscope for species identification. In total, 14 species belonging to the genera Phlebotomus and Sergentomyia were identified. The genus Sergentomyia constituted 98.05% of collected sand flies versus 1.95% for the genus Phlebotomus. The most abundant species were Sergentomyia dubia Parrot, Mornet, & Cadenat, Sergentomyia shwetzi, Sergentomyia clydei Sinton, and Sergentomyia antennata Newstead. In Boundioba, the genus Phlebotomus was represented by two species (Phlebotomus duboscqi Neveu-Lemaire and Phlebotomus rodhaini Parrot), whereas only one species, Ph. duboscqi, was captured in Tieneguebougou. For the first time, three new species, Sergentomyia madagascariensis, Sergentomyia congolensis, and Sergentomyia dureni, were identified in Mali. More investigations are needed for a better entomological assessment of the transmission of cutaneous leishmaniasis in the different eco-climatic zones of Mali.

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