To achieve their conservation goals individuals, communities and organizations need to acquire a diversity of skills, knowledge and information (i.e. capacity). Despite current efforts to build and maintain appropriate levels of conservation capacity, it has been recognized that there will need to be a significant scaling-up of these activities in sub-Saharan Africa. This is because of the rapid increase in the number and extent of environmental problems in the region. We present a range of socio-economic contexts relevant to four key areas of African conservation capacity building: protected area management, community engagement, effective leadership, and professional e-learning. Under these core themes, 39 specific recommendations are presented. These were derived from multi-stakeholder workshop discussions at an international conference held in Nairobi, Kenya, in 2015. At the meeting 185 delegates (practitioners, scientists, community groups and government agencies) represented 105 organizations from 24 African nations and eight non-African nations. The 39 recommendations constituted six broad types of suggested action: (1) the development of new methods, (2) the provision of capacity building resources (e.g. information or data), (3) the communication of ideas or examples of successful initiatives, (4) the implementation of new research or gap analyses, (5) the establishment of new structures within and between organizations, and (6) the development of new partnerships. A number of cross-cutting issues also emerged from the discussions: the need for a greater sense of urgency in developing capacity building activities; the need to develop novel capacity building methodologies; and the need to move away from one-size-fits-all approaches.

Sirtuin1 (Sirt1) has a NAD (+) binding domain and modulates the acetylation status of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-γ coactivator-1α (PGC1α) and Fork Head Box O1 transcription factor (Foxo1) according to the nutritional status. Sirt1 is decreased in obese patients and increased in weight loss. Its decreased expression explains part of the pathomechanisms of the metabolic syndrome, diabetes mellitus type 2 (DT2), cardiovascular diseases and nonalcoholic liver disease. Sirt1 plays an important role in the differentiation of adipocytes and in insulin signaling regulated by Foxo1 and phosphatidylinositol 3′-kinase (PI3K) signaling. Its overexpression attenuates inflammation and macrophage infiltration induced by a high fat diet. Its decreased expression plays a prominent role in the heart, liver and brain of rat as manifestations of fetal programming produced by deficit in vitamin B12 and folate during pregnancy and lactation through imbalanced methylation/acetylation of PGC1α and altered expression and methylation of nuclear receptors. The decreased expression of Sirt1 produced by impaired cellular availability of vitamin B12 results from endoplasmic reticulum stress through subcellular mislocalization of ELAVL1/HuR protein that shuttles Sirt1 mRNA between the nucleus and cytoplasm. Preclinical and clinical studies of Sirt1 agonists have produced contrasted results in the treatment of the metabolic syndrome. A preclinical study has produced promising results in the treatment of inherited disorders of vitamin B12 metabolism.

Albizia coriaria Welw ex. Oliver is a customary African medicinal plant, which has a long history of utilization in the management of oxidative stress-induced and bacterial diseases. However, there is no report on the phytochemicals, antioxidant, and antibacterial activities of its leaves. The aim of this study was therefore to compare the phytochemicals, antioxidant, and antibacterial potential of A. coriaria leaves from Jinja, Kole, and Mbarara districts of Uganda. Shade-dried leaf samples were ground into powder and successively extracted with ethyl acetate, ethanol, and distilled water. Phytochemical screening indicated the presence of alkaloids, phenols, saponins, flavonoids, cardiac glycosides, tannins, and terpenes as the major secondary metabolites in the extracts. Total phenolic and flavonoid contents and total in vitro antioxidant activity were found to be the highest for ethanolic extracts, with the highest contents (101.72 ± 0.22 mg GAE/g DW; 13.23 ± 0.03 mg QE/g DW) and antioxidant potential (IC50 = 18.65 ± 0.06 mg/mL) being for leaves from Mbarara district. Antibacterial activity of the extracts determined by agar disc diffusion method revealed that ethanolic extracts had higher antibacterial activities with mean zones of inhibition of 6.00 ± 1.73 to 10.00 ± 1.73 mm, 5.00 ± 1.00 to 12.30 ± 1.53 mm, 17.00 ± 0.00 to 25.00 ± 2.65 mm, and 9.00 ± 1.73 to 16.00 ± 1.73 mm for Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and Salmonella typhi, respectively. Ethyl acetate extracts of A. coriaria leaves from Kole and Mbarara had lower antibacterial activities, while aqueous extracts and ethyl acetate extract of leaves from Jinja showed no antibacterial activity. The current study for the first time established that A. coriaria leaves possess therapeutic phytochemicals with significant in vitro antioxidant and antibacterial activities, which lend credence to their use in traditional management of oxidative stress-induced conditions and bacterial diseases in Uganda. Structural elucidation of the responsible pure compounds for the observed bioactivities as well as toxicity studies of the extracts is recommended.

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