bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Reviewing a Decade of Outpatient Tropical Medicine in Houston, Texas
Authors: Kaplan Julika , Centeno Fernando Hernandez , Hayon Jesica , Bottazzi Maria Elena , Hotez Peter J. , Weatherhead Jill E. , Clark Eva , Woc-Colburn Laila 
Published: February 2022

ABSTRACT.
Tropical diseases cause significant morbidity among the world’s poorest populations. Although more common in low- and middle-income countries, tropical diseases are also found among underserved populations living in high-income countries such as the United States. The National School of Tropical Medicine at Baylor College of Medicine and the Harris Health System founded a tropical medicine clinic—the Harris Health Tropical Medicine Clinic (HHTMC)—in Houston in 2011 in response to tropical disease-related morbidity in Texas. We conducted a retrospective chart review of a sample of patients older than 18 years of age who were referred to the HHTMC between October 2011 and January 2020. Of the 523 patients reviewed, 185 (35.4%) had mycobacterial infections, 184 (35.2%) had parasitic infections, 38 (7.3%) had fungal infections, 16 (3.1%) had eosinophilia without a confirmed clinical diagnosis, 28 (5.4%) had bacterial infections, and 13 (2.5%) had viral infections. The most common infections overall were extrapulmonary and latent tuberculosis (n = 169), neurocysticercosis (n = 78), strongyloidiasis (n = 28), Chagas disease (n = 25), and schistosomiasis (n = 12). The epidemiology of tropical diseases in the United States is understudied at national and regional levels. This 10-year retrospective study contributes to bridging this knowledge gap by detailing the frequencies of tropical disease diagnoses made at the HHTMC in Houston, TX. These data highlight areas for advancement in the field of tropical medicine within the United States, such as improving front-line health-care provider education; establishing tropical medicine clinics in areas of high prevalence such as the Gulf Coast, Appalachia, and urban areas; and developing comprehensive, systematic national tropical disease screening programs and patient registries.
Lao Noma Survivors: A Case Series, 2002–2020
Authors: Srour Margaret Leila , Farley Elise , Mpinga Emmanuel Kabengele 
Published: February 2022

ABSTRACT.
Noma is a rapidly progressing infection of the oral cavity, mostly affecting children aged between 2 and 5 years. If untreated, mortality can reach 90% within a few weeks after the onset of symptoms. Most of the published literature on noma are case reports or case series from Africa. Studies including noma survivors in Asia are limited. We present a case series of noma survivors in Laos. A retrospective analysis of data collected to monitor the care provided to Lao noma survivors who presented for treatment from 2002 to 2020 was conducted. The review assessed data including sociodemographic characteristics, diagnosis, mouth opening, self-reported quality of life at admission and after surgery, and the names used for the disease. Of the 50 patients included, 25 (50%) were female. The median age of self-reported onset of acute noma was 4 years (interquartile range [IQR] 2–7 years). The noma survivors came from 14/17 (82%) of Lao provinces. There were 64 surgeries conducted on 45 of these survivors. There was a median of 25 years (IQR 16–33 years) between the time of acute infection and the provision of surgical care. Improvements in nutritional status and quality of life were evident after surgery. Patients referred to the disease as “Pak Phuey,” which means diseased mouth. Noma survivors frequently live for years with disabling sequelae. Surgical rehabilitation improves the quality of life for noma survivors.
Distribution of Severe Fever with Thrombocytopenia Syndrome Virus and Antiviral Antibodies in Wild and Domestic Animals in Oita Prefecture, Japan
Authors: Hashimoto Takehiro , Yahiro Takaaki , Yamada Kentaro , Kimitsuki Kazunori , Okuyama Minami W. , Honda Akiko , Kato Miki , Narimatsu Hiroshi , Hiramatsu Kazufumi , Nishizono Akira 
Published: February 2022

ABSTRACT.
Severe fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome (SFTS) is an emerging life-threatening infectious disease caused by the tickborne SFTS virus (SFTSV), first identified in China in 2009 and then in Japan in 2013. Human SFTS cases were reported to be concentrated in western Japan, but the epidemiological conditions of SFTSV infection in a specific region are still obscure. We performed an epidemiological study of SFTSV in Oita Prefecture on the island of Kyushu, located in western Japan. For our research, we collected sera from wild and domestic animals (deer, wild boars, raccoons, cats, and dogs) and ticks from January 2010 to November 2020 in Oita. The anti-SFTSV antibody positivity rate of deer in 2014 was significantly higher than that in 2011 (65% versus 27%, P < 0.001). The anti-SFTSV antibody positivity rates of deer, wild boars, raccoons, wild dogs, domestic dogs, and domestic cats were 55%, 12%, 27%, 1.8%, 0.53%, and 1.4%, respectively. Moreover, RT-PCR could not detect SFTSV in any tick sample. Of the six areas of Oita Prefecture, only the Eastern area showed no incidence or possibility of SFTSV infection among wild and domestic animals, ticks, and human beings. Further investigation is required to assess whether local seroepidemiology in animals will help assess the risk of SFTSV infections in inhabitants.
Brugia malayi Microfilariae Induce Autophagy through an Interferon-γ Dependent Mechanism in Human Monocytes
Authors: Narasimhan Prakash Babu , Tariq Sameha , Akabas Leor , Dorward David W. , Nutman Thomas B. , Tolouei Semnani Roshanak 
Published: February 2022

ABSTRACT.
Monocyte dysfunction in helminth infection is one of the mechanisms proposed to explain the diminished parasite antigen-specific T cell responses seen with patent filarial infection. In fact, monocytes from filariae-infected individuals demonstrate internalized filarial antigens and, as a consequence, express inhibitory surface molecules and have diminished cytokine production. To investigate the mechanisms underlying monocyte dysfunction in filarial infections, purified human monocytes were exposed to live microfilariae (mf) of Brugia malayi, and the mRNA and protein expression of important inhibitory and/or autophagy-related molecules were assessed. Our data indicate that mf-induced autophagy in human monocytes shown by the formation of autophagic vesicles, by the upregulation in the mRNA expression of autophagy-related genes BCN1, LC3B, ATG5, ATG7 (P < 0.05), and by increase in the levels of LC3B protein. Furthermore, this mf-induced autophagy increased the levels of monocyte CD206 expression. In addition, mf significantly induced the frequency of interferon (IFN)-γ+ human monocytes and at the same time induced the mRNA expression of indoleamine 2,3-dioxygenase (IDO) through an IFN-γ-dependent mechanism; significantly enhanced tryptophan degradation (an indicator of IDO activity; P < 0.005). Interestingly, this autophagy induction by mf in monocytes was IFN-γ-dependent but IDO-independent as was reversed by anti-IFN-γ but not by an IDO inhibitor. Our data collectively suggest that mf of Brugia malayi regulate the function of monocytes by induction of IDO and IFN-γ, induce autophagy through an IFN-γ-dependent mechanism, and increase M2 phenotype through induction of autophagy; all acting in concert to drive monocyte dysfunction.
Poverty status of arable farm households in Akinyele Local Government Area of Oyo State, Nigeria
Authors: Jatto K.A. , Akanni O.F. , Olatunji B.T. , Arowolo O.V. , Abegunrin O.O. , Kareem A.T. , Olayemi O.O. 
Published: February 2022

The study assessed the poverty status of arable farm households in Akinyele Local Government Area of Oyo State. Ninety (90) respondents were randomly selected using the multistage sampling technique while data was collected using structured questionnaire. The data generated from the survey were analysed using descriptive statistics, poverty measures and a logistic regression model. The descriptive analysis shows that majority of the rural households were headed by males (76.67%), most of them (82.22%) were married and had a mean age of 54.5 years with 84.45% of them having a formal education. The mean household size of about 7 persons was obtained with a mean farm size of 6.66 hectares in the study area. The mean farming experience was 13.63 years, and the majority (86.67%) of the respondents did not receive any credit for their farming activities at a time or the other. The poverty status indicated that 54.44% of the respondents are poor while 45.56% are non-poor. The result of the factors influencing the poverty status using logistic regression analysis reveals that being married (p<0.05) and household size (p<0.1) were positive and significant predictors of the probability of being poor while access to credit (p<0.1) and per capita income (p<0.01) were negative and significant predictors of the probability of being poor. The study, therefore, recommended thatquality credit accessibility and participation in skills acquisition programmes through diversification should be encouraged due to their capability of improving the household income of the poor.
CONTRIBUTION TO THE STUDY OF TWO LOCAL BOVINE BREEDS IN WILAYA OF TLEMCEN: MORPHOMETRIC CHARACTERIZATION AND DNA BIOBANK.
Authors: Mehdid Baya , Benyarou Mohammed , Ameur Ameur Abdelkader , Gaouar Semir Bechir Suheil 
Published: February 2022

This work is carried out a study of the typology of local cattle breeding in the Wilaya of Tlemcen, a phenotypic characterization of two local breeds Guelmoise and Tlemcenienne with a preparation of biobank of DNA concerning the latter and relating to 40 blood samples from unrelated animals. The results of the typology (supported by a questionnaire) showed that there is an leaving of the breeding of local breeds in favor of imported breeds are that the local breed is raised exclusively in e extensive system and conditions breeding are really precarious. Quantitative measures (age, chest circumference, height at withers, sacral height, diagonal length, length of head, length of ears, length of horns, length of tail, milk yield) and qualitative (color of the dress, regions) submitted to statistical analyzes show that the two breeds are almost identical, and that there are introductions of exogenous breeds especially in the Tlemcenienne breed, this was confirmed when calculating the diversity index, which showed that the Tlemcenienne breed is more diversified (H '= 0.31) given the exchanges practiced by breeders and the anarchic crossbreeding of animals, while that of Guelmoise equal to H' = 0.28. This very important preliminary work deserves to be pursued by a molecular characterization of more populations and a wider geographical area.
Seasonal fluctuation of birds in open landfill, Souk Ahras (Algeria)
Authors: Soualah Alila Hana , Difi Noura , Benhachiche Amina , Ponsero Alain 
Published: February 2022

Landfills have the advantage of meeting the energy needs of the birds quickly. They offer easy access to food and widely available throughout the year. In this study, birds were counted using observation points on an open landfill in the restored of Souk-Ahras region (north-eastern Algeria) for one year from July 2013 to April 2014. Seventeen species (17) bird species belonging to eleven (11) families were found: Ciconidae, Corvidae, Accipitridae, Passeridae, Hirundinidae, Motacillidae, Columbidae, Ardeidae, Sturnidae, Laridae, and Pelecanidae, among them sedentary species, migratory, the visitors, and invasive species, which are exploiting the discharge for feeding or rest. Species richness and abundance in landfill site were found to be higher than that of naturel habitat around the site. Their abundance varied according to the seasons.landfill site support both common bird species as: Columba palumbus, Columba livia, Streptopelia decaoto, Ciconia ciconia, Corvus corax. In addition to that, rare bird species such as Pelecanus crispus. Ecology and dynamic of each species, during an annual cycle of bird’s populations allow us observing all the interactions and reactions between the individuals and the different populations of birds. Souk Ahras landfill is a resting place and a source of food for birds, which means that it needs a censuses urgency update of migratory birds which frequent our region as well as monitor their state of health. It is also interesting to follow the process of colonization in urban Souk Ahras city.
Chemical variability of Vicia L. seed oils: incidence on phylogenetic relationships
Authors: Bechkri Sakina , Benabdallah Amina , Yilmaz Mustafa Abdullah , Tarhan Abbas , Boutekrabt Benhadja Lynda , Khelifi Douadi 
Published: February 2022

Legume seeds are known to be a source of protein, vitamins, essential organic minerals and fatty acids. Their high protein content makes them a valuable natural and inexpensive alternative to the soybean. Seeds fatty acids of genotypes belonging to nine Vicia L. taxa collected in Algeria were extracted by Soxhlet and their composition was determined by Gas Chromatography coupled with FIame Ionization Detection (GC-FID). In order to assess phylogenetic relationships between taxa on intra and interspecific levels, fatty acids profiles were used as a chemotaxonomic marker. Oil yields were between 0.67 and 2.40%. A total of 27 fatty acids were identified, varying from 9 to 20 compounds. The proportion of unsaturated fatty acids varies from 70.67 to 91.749% where the linloleic acid is predominant. While the saturated fatty acids content is between 8.60 and 29.33% with the predominance of palmitic acid. Our results demonstrate the quality of the genotypes, which contain fatty acids of great nutritional interests. Indeed, Omega 3- fatty acids, which rate can reach 12.187% in our taxa, are Poly UnSaturated Fatty Acids associated with many health benefits, such us cardiovascular ones. Indeed, the results demonstrate the nutritional quality of obtained oils and opens up perspectives to explore other compounds. Finally, the hierarchical classification revealed two major clusters where the taxonomic boundaries of the genus are well defined at subgeneric and sectional levels. It is also an important step to suggest the species as a new industrial crop for the animal feed and production of proteins and oils widely used in food industries
Study of the bio-insecticidal power of Pistacia lentiscus and Pisatcia atlantica from Tlemcen region
Authors: Bereksi Reguig Meryem , Abdelli Imen , Hassani Faiçal , Bekkal Brikci Sohayb 
Published: February 2022

The Mediterranean basin has significant natural resources including a proven diversity of flora. The Anacardiaceae family has around 800 tropical and subtropical species, with some representatives around the Mediterranean. Most of the plants of this family are non- toxic plant. They even have many properties. Our work consists to study the bio-insecticidal power of essential oils of Pistacia lentiscus and Pistacia atlantica of the Anacardiaceae family in the Tlemcen region by molecular modeling methods to inhibition of the enzyme α-amylase which is a digestive enzyme of Dociostaurus maroccanus using phenolics compounds derived from essentiels oil of aromatic plants: Elemol; Spathulenol; Myrcene; Beta- myrcene; Terpinen-4-ol; Bornyl acetate. Elemol give the best docking score, its interactions with α-amylase has the lowest energy score compared to the other complexes.
Floristic diversity and Ecology of EpilithicDiatoms of the ChottChergui wetland (North-West of Algeria)
Authors: Negadi Mohamed , Hammou Mohamed Ait , Miara Mohamed Djamel, , Bendif Hamid , Blake Petulia 
Published: February 2022

This study is a phytoecological approach aimed to improve the knowledge on diatoms and their ecology in the wetland of ChottChergui in the northwesternregionof Algeria.For this work, 60 samples of solid substrates containing the epilithic diatom flora were collected in the field using a subjective method. The identification of diatom taxa was carried out according to a standard protocol while using pertinentliteraturethat specialized guides. At the level of the 5 sampling sites, water physicochemical parameters that could influence the distribution of diatoms were measured. The results obtained made it possible to recognize 36 diatom taxa belonging to 12 families, of which, the most dominant were Naviculaceae, Surirellaceae and Bacillariaceae. The calculated biodiversity indices (Shannon’s H and equitability revealed a low taxonomic richness which will probably be explained by the dominance of the typical brackish water taxa such as Mastogloiabraunii, Campylodiscusclypeus ,and Navicymbulapusilla. We were also able to characterize the distribution of identified taxa according to the physicochemical parameters of each site. Furthermore, the attraction of the diatomic communities to saprobia shows the predominance of the two classes: α-mesosaprobic and β-mesosaprobe during the two seasons of fall and spring. Canonical correspondence analysis revealed that the distribution of diatom communities is positively correlated with conductivity and temperature. Some species like Navicymbulapusilla, show a significant resistance to anthropogenic eutrophication.
Segregation of Genes Controlling Seed Coat Color in Cowpea (Vigna Unguiculata [L] Walp)
Authors: Oladejo Atanda , Bolaji Abolade , Okuniyi Ezekiel , Gidado Rose 
Published: February 2022

Cowpea coat color is a consumer-related trait that determines consumer preference and acceptability of the commodity in the market. Understanding the mode of inheritance of seed coat color will assist in choosing appropriate breeding technique in developing desirable cowpea varieties. This study was conducted to confirm the specific mode of inheritance of seed coat color in cowpea. Three bi-parental crosses using five different varieties of cowpea with contrasting seed coat colors were carried out to obtain F1 seeds at the Greenhouse, Faculty of Agriculture, Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile – Ife, Nigeria. The F1s were advanced to obtain F2 segregating populations which were evaluated by visual observation and the seeds were categorized into different distinct groups. The observed seeds of the F2 population of all the three crosses deviated extremely from Mendelian monogenic inheritance ratio in different degrees. TVu4669 × TVu43 segregated into two color groups resulting in brown mottled (15.4 %) and black mottled (84.6 %). Ife Brown × TVnu699 segregated transgressively into five distinct groups of colors giving rise to brown (51.4%), black (23.7%), grey (14.8%), red (5.3%) and speckled (4.8% ); while Ife Brown × TVu2723 segregated into three color groups involving mottled black (4.3%), black (85.1%) and speckle (10.6%) coat colors. It could be inferred that more than one gene controls the inheritance of the seed coat color in cowpea, which implies that the trait is polygenic. It is recommended that molecular genetics’ techniques be explored in order to have better understanding of the mode of inheritance of seed coat color in cowpea.
Multivariate Analysis of Four Strains of Broiler Chickens at Four Weeks of Age
Authors: Ibiwoye Demilade , Sola-Ojo Foluke 
Published: February 2022

Eight hundred broiler chickens of four different strains (200 each of Arbor Acre, Hubbard, Marshall and Ross 308) were used to investigate the variations between four strains of broiler chickens commonly reared in North central Nigeria using their body weight and some morphometric body parameters. At four weeks of age, body weight and some morphometric body parameters such as body length, keel length, shank length, body height, drumstick length, thigh length, wing length, shank circumference, comb length, body girth, neck length and beak length were appropriately measured. Data obtained were used for principal component, stepwise discriminant and cluster analyses mainly to identify the traits that could best describe the broiler body conformation. Four (4) principal components were extracted in Arbor Acre broiler strains; this explained 56.68% of the total variation in the parameters sampled across the strains. Six (6) principal components (PC) were extracted for Hubbard and Ross strains, while three (3) principal components were extracted for Marshall and these explained 59.46%, in Hubbard, 58.67% in Ross and 55.52% of the total variance, respectively. The result also showed that PC1 had the largest share of the total variance which was highly significant in the studied morphometric traits and discriminate each of the strain studied. Canonical discriminant functions showed a distinct Hubbard under function1 and a distinct Marshall under function 2. Standardized canonical discriminant analysis indicated that wing length and body girth had highest value for discriminating under function1 and 2, respectively. This study indicates that available strains of broiler chickens can be distinguished through the use of some multivariate analysis.
Smallholder Duck Farmers’ Breeding Practices and Trait Preferences in Nasarawa State, Nigeria
Authors: Yakubu Abdulmojeed , Moses Hanatu 
Published: February 2022

Duck keeping is a very important sector in resource-constrained families as it provides for family proteins and income and other social needs. The present study was carried out to determine the influence of gender on livestock breeding practices of duck farmers in Nasarawa State, Nigeria. A total of 100 duck keepers (36 males and 64 females) were randomly sampled. Primary data were collected through individual structured questionnaire administration. Chi-square (χ2) statistics were used to compare categorical variables based on gender. Arithmetic means of continuous variables between gender were tested using the T-Test. Rank means were also calculated for between-gender comparisons of the continuous variables. On the choice of traits of preference (body size, body conformation, mothering ability, survival, heat tolerance, disease resistance, birth interval, plumage color, fertility, hatchability, egg number and size, meat taste, ease of sale, and cultural significance) for breeding, the non-parametric Kruskal–Wallis test followed by Mann–Whitney U tests (P ≤ 0.05) was used for comparison between gender. Age of respondents, household size, and personal savings were significantly (P<0.05) higher among the male than female farmers. Flock size was also higher (40.33±7.06 vs. 22.70±2.55; P<0.05) in farms owned by males compared to their female counterparts. However, both sexes ranked income, meat, egg, and cultural/religious significance the same as reasons for keeping ducks. The number of foundation stock and feed quantity per day (kg) were higher (P<0.05) in male flocks. Productivity measure in terms of the number of death of ducks was significantly (P<0.05) in the direction of male farmers (0.03±0.03 vs. 0.23±0.08). The ranking of the traits preferred in the choice of breeding stock of ducks was the same for both sexes except for cultural/religious significance which the female farmers rated lower (1.14 vs. 1.56; P=0.030). Breeding programs and development interventions targeting the improvement of indigenous ducks should focus on gender equality to boost production and stimulate sustainability.