An approach to classifying occupational exposures to endocrine disrupting chemicals by sex hormone function using an expert judgment process

Endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs) are exogenous substances that interfere with the endocrine system and cause adverse effects. We aimed to classify the effects of 24 known EDCs, prevalent in certain occupations, according to four modes of action (estrogenic, antiestrogenic, androgenic, and/or antiandrogenic). A literature search, stratified into four types of literature was conducted (namely: national and international agency reports; review articles; primary studies; ToxCast^TM). The state of the evidence of each EDC on sex hormone function was summarized and reviewed by an expert panel. For each mode of action, the experts evaluated the likelihood of endocrine disruption in five categories: "No", "Unlikely", "Possibly", "Probably", and "Yes". Seven agents were categorized as "Yes," or having strong evidence for their effects on sex hormone function (antiandrogenic: lead, arsenic, butylbenzyl phthalate, dibutyl phthalate, dicyclohexyl phthalate; estrogenic: nonylphenol, bisphenol A). Nine agents were categorized as "Probable," or having probable evidence (antiandrogenic: bis(2-ethylhexyl)phthalate, nonylphenol, toluene, bisphenol A, diisononyl phthalate; androgenic: cadmium; estrogenic: copper, cadmium and; anti-estrogenic: lead). Two agents (arsenic, polychlorinated biphenyls) had opposing conclusions supporting both "probably" estrogenic and antiestrogenic effects. This synthesis will allow researchers to evaluate the health effects of selected EDCs with an added level of precision related to the mode of action.

Awareness and willingness to participate in clinical trials in togo

Context:

Clinical Trials (CTs) are the key when it comes to informing clinical decision-making processes. There is a very low number of CTs conducted in Togo, and there is no study that assessed the willingness of Togolese to participate in CTs.

Aims:

The aim of this study was to assess public awareness and willingness to participate in CTs in Togo.

Subjects and Methods:

We designed a cross-sectional study, using an online survey with Google Form in the general population, carried out from December 2019 to March 2020.

Statistical Analysis Used:

An Excel sheet was generated from the Google Form, and we performed a descriptive analysis using IBM SPSS Statistics 21. All variables were presented as frequencies and percentages.

Results:

This study involved 210 participants. The findings of this study are showing that Togolese are reasonably aware about CTs, and they have a positive intention to participate, but they are ignorant of national CTs regulations. Although unawareness and unwillingness may be universally common, one challenge in Togo is the lack of communication.

Conclusions:

The findings of this study are encouraging. The National Bioethics Committee for Health needs to be better communicative, and providing training in clinical research is essential.

The Role of Diet, Physical Activity, Body Fatness, and Breastfeeding in Breast Cancer in Young Women: Epidemiological Evidence

The incidence of breast cancer (BC) is rising worldwide, with an increase in aggressive neoplasias in young women. Traditionally, BC in young women has been thought to be etiologically driven, primarily by genetic/hereditary factors. However, these factors explain only a small proportion of BCs, pointing to a role of the environment. Suspected factors responsible for this increase include lifestyle changes, notably alcohol consumption, diet with high intake of refined carbohydrates and saturated fat and low intake of polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA), fiber and vitamins (such as folate, vitamin D, and carotenoids), low physical activity, and body fatness, all of which may act from childhood and adolescent years through adulthood. Despite limited data on BC in young women, evidence points to the importance of a healthy lifestyle, including high intake of vegetables, fruits, legumes, fish, and poultry, low intake of sugar and fat, daily physical activity, low alcohol consumption, steady weight, and breastfeeding in preventing BC in young women. Preventive efforts should begin in early life to provide important benefits much later in life by shifting the long-term trajectory of risk accumulation. Data from Latin America and developing regions are still sparse. There is a need to harmonize studies in a global effort to fight the rise of BC incidence in low- and middle-income countries, where the nutritional transition is occurring rapidly. The stratification of BC by specific tumor characteristics needs to be considered since risk factors may be more particularly associated with the promotion of, or protection from, a defined type of BC.

Traditional treatment of human and animal salmonelloses in Southern Benin: Knowledge of farmers and traditherapists

Aim::

This study aimed to report medicinal plants that are likely to be used in the control of salmonellosis.

Materials and Methods::

A cross-sectional study was conducted in Southern Benin. Semi-structured questionnaires were administered to 150 farmers and 100 traditional therapists in seven high municipalities. This step helped to collect plants that are used in the treatment of animal salmonellosis and typhoid fever in human.

Results::

The results revealed a low level of use of medicinal plants among breeders who prefer antibiotics such as oxytetracycline (53.55%), tylosine + sulfadimerazine (15.30%), and alphaceryl (19.13%). However, plants such as Moringa oleifera (leaves), Carica papaya (leaves and seeds), and Vernonia amygdalina (leaves) were mostly used by some farmers. From traditional therapists, 57 plant species of 32 families were identified as typhoid fever cures; among which Leguminosae, Asteraceae, and Euphorbiaceae were predominant. Persea americana (22.72%), V. amygdalina (7.57%), and Corchorus olitorius (7.57%) were the most cited by traditherapists for the treatment of typhoid fever in human.

Conclusion::

This study provides a database for further studies on the in vitro and in vivo efficacy of Benin plant species on Salmonellaspp. These evaluations will guarantee the availability of new therapeutic solutions for populations.

Mobile pastoralists in Central and West Africa: between conflict, mobile telephony and (im)mobility

The livelihoods of the Fulani mobile pastoralists in the Sahel, West and Central Africa are characterised by mobility (related to the needs of their animals), extensive social networks, and a focus on social ties as the basis of status and influence ('wealth in people'). The Sahel environment in which many Fulani nomads live has become embroiled in jihadism, conflict, and violence; at the same time, this region has experienced an increase in opportunities to connect through the wireless mobile communication system. This paper analyses the triangle of mobility, communication, and insecurity in order to understand the present-day situation of the nomadic and semi-nomadic Fulani pastoralists and their identity dynamics. The Fulani find themselves caught in between these conflicts, which end their mobility and often lead to the loss of their herds. Will they be able to keep their mobile lifestyle and identity? This article is based on qualitative case studies and the biographical narratives of nomadic and semi-nomadic pastoralists who have lived through conflict and violence in Cameroon, Chad and Mali. These case studies show that, despite the fact that mobile pastoralism has become difficult as a consequence of the conflicts and loss of cattle, the 'mobile' identity is very present and reinforced with the help of mobile telephony, through which social networks and 'wealth in people' are sustained.

Psychiatric disorders in persons aged 60 years or older treated as inpatients ou outpatients in hospitals in Togo: epidemiological, clinical, and therapeutic aspects

The objective of this study was to describe the social, demographic, and clinical profile of inpatients and outpatients 60 years or older treated for psychiatric disorders. This descriptive and analytic retrospective study took place at the inpatient and outpatient psychiatry departments at two university hospital centers in Lomé: Campus and Sylvanus Olympio of Lomé. It included patients aged 60 years or older seen during the 10-year period 2004-2013 who met ICD-10 diagnostic criteria for psychiatric disease. This series comprised 224 patients with a mean age of 67.6 ± 7.37 years (range: 60-97). Insomnia (16%), hallucinations (8.53%), and somatic complaints (7.73%) were the most frequent motives for consultation. Family or friends accompanied 80.36% of these patients to the consultation. Among the patients, 66.96% were aware of their disorder, and 60.71% showed an adherence to treatment. The main diagnoses were depressive disorders (25.89%) and various forms of dementia (23.66%) The prevention of depression disorders in this population requires real work on mourning.

Overweight, obesity and risk of premenopausal breast cancer according to ethnicity: a systematic review and dose-response meta-analysis

The association of overweight and obesity with premenopausal breast cancer remained unclear, ethnicity could play a role. A MEDLINE and PUBMED search of all studies on obesity and premenopausal breast cancer published from 2000 to 2010 was conducted. Dose-response meta-analysis was used to determine the risk of premenopausal breast cancer associated with different anthropometric measurements in different ethnic groups. For body mass index (BMI), each 5 kg m(-2) increase was inversely associated with the risk of premenopausal breast cancer (RR = 0.95, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.94, 0.97). After stratification by ethnicity, the inverse association remained significant only among Africans (RR = 0.95, 95% CI: 0.91, 0.98) and Caucasians (RR = 0.93, 95% CI: 0.91, 0.95). In contrast, among Asian women, a significant positive association was observed. For waist-to-hip ratio (WHR), each 0.1 unit increase was positively associated with premenopausal breast cancer (RR = 1.08, 95% CI: 1.01, 1.16); the largest effect was detected in Asian women (RR = 1.19, 95% CI: 1.15, 1.24), while small effects of 5% and 6% were observed in African and Caucasian women, respectively. Our results suggest the importance of considering both fat distribution and ethnicity when studying premenopausal breast cancer.

[Hygiene of transvaginal ultrasound probes in a developing country: case of Togo]

The purpose of this study was to assess the knowledge and practices of hygiene rules for transvaginal ultrasound by sonographers practicing in Togo. Their knowledge of these rules is good. In practice, they mainly use condoms to protect the vaginal probe, which is sufficient to prevent horizontal transmission of infection. The shortcomings are at the level of hand hygiene; they do not routinely wash hands or wear gloves, nor do they follow guidelines for disinfection of the probes.

[Diagnostic ultrasonographique d'une hernie inguino-labiale a contenu utero-ovarien. a propos d'une observation chez un nourrisson]

Although indirect sliding inguinal hernias containing the ipsilateral ovary and fallopian tube are not uncommon in infant girls, those containing the uterus, ovary and fallopian tube are. We present the case of a 1-month-old girl with a palpable barely movable mass over the left labium major. Preoperative sonography was performed and revealed a hernia containing the uterus, ovary and fallopian tube. This diagnosis was confirmed during surgical correction. We suggest sonography be used for all diagnostic workup in female infants with an inguinal mass.

Milk hygiene and udder health in the periurban area of Hamdallaye, Niger

The prevalence of intra-mammary infections in dairy herds was studied in Hamdallaye, Niger. A total of 956 milk samples were collected in 2007 from 239 lactating cows of four local breeds in eight traditional herds; the first sampling was undertaken in the dry season at morning milking, and the second in the rainy season at evening milking. Staphylococcus aureus, Coagulase-Negative Staphylococci (CNS) and environmental microorganisms were detected in significantly (p < 0.05) more samples in the rainy season, 55.2%, than in the dry season, 27.1%. Statistically significant (P < 0.05) differences in prevalence were observed among herds and according to lactation number. Infections were assigned to four classes, according to the major pathogen, and the respective mean somatic cell counts during the dry season were: S. aureus, 775 x 10(3) cells/ml; CNS, 447 x 10(3) cells/ml; environmental microorganisms, 407 x 10(3) cells/ml; and non-infected, 262 x 10(3) cells/ml. Most of the tested strains were sensitive to antibiotics, and selected strains of S. aureus (n = 15) were negative to the multiplex PCR tests for production of enterotoxins.

[Assessment of five rapid tests and two algorithms for the HIV infection diagnosis in Niger]

Niger is a Sahelian country of 1,267,000 km2 and 11 M inhabitants (84% living in rural area). The national seroprevalence of the HIV infection is low (2.08% in urban area and 0. 64% in rural area). Because of limited resources, laboratories and qualified personnel are scarce, so the classical strategy using ELISA methods to diagnose HIV is available only in the capital Niamey. In order to define a strategy suitable to the Nigerian field conditions, we have determined the diagnostic value of five commercialised rapid assays (Génie II, InoCheck, Determine, Capillus and Doublecheck). A panel of plasma, whole blood and dried blood spot from 42 positive and 160 negative control individuals was tested and the sensitivity and specificity of each assay were calculated. The two best algorithms using two tests were selected: a algorithm discriminating HIV1 & 2 combining Determine and Genie II showing an excellent sensitivity and specificity (100%) but with many practical constraints; and a non discriminative algorithm combining Determine and Double-check less specific but workable on capillary blood and fully compatible with the field conditions. Its negative predictive value was 100% and its positive predictive value was > 97% for urban population and > 91% for rural population. Dried blood spots on filter paper proved to be very practical and efficient to use by the reference laboratory for the quality control of the peripheral diagnostic centres.

[Malaria indices, larval ecology and trophic activity of Anopheles mosquitoes in Djohong (Adamaoua, Cameroon) in the rainy season]

In Djohong in the wet season the prevalence of malaria is 17.5% for Plasmodium falciparum and 1.1% for Plasmodium malariae. In children 2 to 9 years of age the plasmodic index is 38.6% (mesoendemicity) for the children of the peasants and 9.4% for those belonging to other socioeconomical groups. In infants less than 12 months old, the plasmodic index is 9.3%, this relatively high rate corresponding to the high transmission period of the rainy season. Anopheles gambiae is the mosquito species most often found in the area (2/3 of the mosquitoes caught in the houses). The breeding sites in he surrounding of the houses are rainwater holes linked to human activity. At a larger distance from the houses, in the valley, the breeding sites are water holes borrowed for the retting of cassava tubercle or natural rock pools found in the basaltic shores of the Mbere river. The trophic activity of Anopheles gambiae and Anopheles funestus is high between 0 and 4 hours a.m. In October the mean number of anopheline mosquitoes bites per night per inhabitant is 33 inside the houses and 7 outside.