In this work, we use existing particulate matter (PM) data from Dakar, Senegal, satellite aerosol optical depth (AOD) and the Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) model to evaluate the role of dust transport from the Sahara and PM concentrations and exposure into other administrative districts of Senegal during 2015 and 2016. We also use data from the Ministry of Health to examine spatial and temporal patterns of acute respiratory infections, asthma, bronchitis, and tuberculosis across Senegal with an emphasis on Northern Hemisphere winter December-February, when air quality is poor, and June-August when there is an improvement in air quality. Measurements in Dakar, Senegal, suggest hazardous PM 10 concentrations associated with Saharan dust storms but lower PM 10 concentrations during the summer. The WRF dust simulations show a similar temporal pattern to the observations in Dakar, Senegal, with notable biases. However, the WRF model suggests that the highest dust concentrations are found across the northern half of Senegal during the winter season where there are no currently PM measurements. Health data during 2015-2016 show the highest prevalence of asthma and bronchitis in Dakar, Senegal, suggesting that other sources of air pollution are important. Acute respiratory infection is prevalent throughout the country with the high prevalence found in rural zones, for children between 12 and 59 months. All measures including real-time monitoring, air quality forecast, and communication should be used to protect the public from potentially hazardous environmental conditions during the winter season. Plain Language SummaryAir pollution is a leading cause of respiratory and cardiovascular disease and may be responsible for a significant fraction of infant mortality in West Africa. We examine observations and simulations of PM 10 and PM 2.5 concentrations using the Weather Research and Forecasting model during 2015 and 2016 in Dakar, Senegal, and the entire country. We also examine monthly and trimester patterns of asthma, bronchitis, acute respiratory infection, and tuberculosis cases across Senegal. Observations from Senegal show that monthly PM 10 and PM 2.5 concentrations are unhealthy from December through March but improve during the summer months. Saharan dust aerosols, which are transported into Senegal are responsible for the poor air quality through attribution studies using the Weather Research and Forecasting model. We also find the largest numbers of cases of asthma and bronchitis in Dakar, suggesting that urban sources contribute to poor air quality. However, these cases occur during the summer season when air quality is improved. Acute respiratory infection is a public concern in Senegal with the highest values occurring away from the capital city.

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Methods proposed by pharmacopeias to control the quality of Efavirenz, an antiretroviral drug used in the treatment of AIDS are based on expensive equipment which are most of the time not available in African countries. To solve this issue, using UV-visible spectrophotometry, a cheap and easy-to-use device available in many laboratories on the African continent; a sensitive, reliable, simple and rapid method has been validated for the determination of the active substance Evafirenz in Efavirenz tablets, to control their quality by checking its dosage. The accuracy profile approach was adopted. The response function gave a correlation coefficient R2 = 0.9987. The detection and quantification limits were 0.15625 μg / mL and 0.515625 μg / mL, respectively. The acceptability limit has been set at 15%. The tolerance limits for the different concentration levels (80, 100 and 120%) are represented respectively as follows: lower limits 86.2; 90.3 and 96.1%; upper limits 100.2; 106.3 and 113.7%. The tolerance limits are within the acceptability limits for values around 100% concentration (7 μg / mL). Therefore, the method was declared valid and reliable for the analysis of Efavirenz in Efavirenz tablets and could routinely be used in laboratories for the quality control of EFAVIRENZ drug. © 2020 International Formulae Group. All rights reserved. Keywords: Efavirenz, accuracy profile, spectrophotometry, pharmaceutical formulation

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Streptococcus pyogenes (S. pyogenes) is the most important causative agent of tonsillopharyngitis. Beta-lactam antibiotics, particularly penicillin, are the drug of first choice and macrolides are recommended for patients who are allergic to penicillin. However, other antibiotics are also used for the treatment of streptococcal tonsillopharyngitis. In recent years, the increase in the incidence of respiratory tract pathogens that are resistant to current antibacterial agents highlights the need to monitor the evolution of the resistance of these pathogens to antibiotics. In this study, we assess the susceptibility of 98 isolates of S. pyogenes to 16 antibiotics. The pathogens were recovered from patients with acute tonsillopharyngitis in Dakar, the Senegalese capital city, who were recruited from May 2005 to August 2006. All strains were susceptible to penicillin with low Minimum Inhibitory Concentration (MIC = 0,016 mg/L). Amoxicillin had high activity (100%) showing its importance in treatment of streptococcal infections. Cephalosporins had MIC 90 values ranging from 0.016 to 0.094 mg/L. Macrolides have shown high activity. All strains were resistant to tetracyclin. Other molecules such as teicoplanin, levofloxacin and chloramphenicol were also active and would represent alternatives to treatment of tonsillopharyngitis due to this pathogen. These results indicate that no significant resistance to antibiotics was found among patients with tonsillopharyngitis studied in Dakar. Limitations of this study were that the number of isolates tested was small and all isolates were collected from one hospital in Dakar. Hence, results may not be representative of the isolates found, in the wider community or other regions of Senegal. Further studies are needed in other parts of Dakar and other geographic regions of Senegal, in order to better clarify the antibiotic susceptibility profile of S. pyogenes isolates recovered from patients with tonsillopharyngitis.

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