scholarly journals Glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase status and severity of malarial anaemia in Nigerian children

2011 ◽  
Vol 5 (11) ◽  
pp. 792-798 ◽  
Author(s):  
Adebola Emmanuel Orimadegun ◽  
Olugbemiro Sodeinde
Keyword(s):  
Sickle Cell Trait ◽  
Sub Saharan Africa ◽  
Restriction Enzyme Digestion ◽  
Severe Malarial Anaemia ◽  
Normal Children ◽  
Haemoglobin Type ◽  
Reference Hospital ◽  
The Difference ◽  
Sub Saharan ◽  
Glucose 6 Phosphate Dehydrogenase

Introduction: Glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PD) deficiency (Gd-) contributes to morbidity and mortality in sub-Saharan Africa but recent data on the interaction between Gd- and malaria among children is scarce. We hypothesised that, being a haemolytic factor, Gd- makes severe malarial anaemia (SMA) more common and even more severe. Methodology: We selected 930 children aged 0.5-12 years attending a reference hospital with microscopically proven falciparum malaria. G6PD and haemoglobin were typed by the fluorescent spot test and electrophoresis, respectively. Molecular typing by PCR and restriction enzyme digestion was also performed on 15% of randomly selected samples. Haematocrit (PCV) values, haemoglobin type, blood group, presence of sickle cell trait (HbAS), and parasite counts were compared between G6PD-normal and deficient children. Results: Prevalence of Gd- was 16.4% and 8.1% among boys and girls with malaria, respectively. Mean PCV was 22.8% in deficient children compared with 21.0% in normal children (p=0.041). In boys, 2.7% of Gd- had PCV ≤10%, as compared to 13.6% in Gd+ (p = 0.005). Similarly, 21.3% of Gd- had PCV ≤15% compared with 39.4% in Gd+ (p=0.003). No such difference was found among girls. Overall, HbAS was typed in 7.6% and was more common in Gd- (13.0%) than in Gd+ (6.8%), but the difference was not statistically significant (p=0.058). The mean parasite counts were significantly lower in Gd- (15477.5/μl) than in Gd+ (19784.4/μl; p=0.013), and it was independent from HbAS. Conclusion: Gd- males but not females were significantly less likely to develop severe malarial anaemia.

scholarly journals Structure of Dark Triad Dirty Dozen Across Eight World Regions

Assessment ◽  
2020 ◽  
pp. 107319112092261
Author(s):  
Radosław Rogoza ◽  
Magdalena Żemojtel-Piotrowska ◽  
Peter K. Jonason ◽  
Jarosław Piotrowski ◽  
Keith W. Campbell ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
South America ◽  
Measurement Invariance ◽  
Western Europe ◽  
Dark Triad ◽  
Sub Saharan Africa ◽  
The Past ◽  
World Regions ◽  
Dirty Dozen ◽  
The Difference ◽  
Sub Saharan

The Dark Triad (i.e., narcissism, psychopathy, Machiavellianism) has garnered intense attention over the past 15 years. We examined the structure of these traits’ measure—the Dark Triad Dirty Dozen (DTDD)—in a sample of 11,488 participants from three W.E.I.R.D. (i.e., North America, Oceania, Western Europe) and five non-W.E.I.R.D. (i.e., Asia, Middle East, non-Western Europe, South America, sub-Saharan Africa) world regions. The results confirmed the measurement invariance of the DTDD across participants’ sex in all world regions, with men scoring higher than women on all traits (except for psychopathy in Asia, where the difference was not significant). We found evidence for metric (and partial scalar) measurement invariance within and between W.E.I.R.D. and non-W.E.I.R.D. world regions. The results generally support the structure of the DTDD.

scholarly journals Scenario Forecasts of Population Dynamics in Some Countries of Sub-Saharan Africa

2020 ◽  
Vol 17 (3) ◽  
pp. 47-57
Author(s):  
Yu. V. Zinkina ◽  
S. G. Shulgin
Keyword(s):  
Population Dynamics ◽  
Birth Rate ◽  
Demographic History ◽  
Sub Saharan Africa ◽  
Population Increase ◽  
African Countries ◽  
The Difference ◽  
Sub Saharan ◽  
In Infants And Children ◽  
Demographic Growth

Purpose. In Sub-Saharan Africa, UN demographers expect the population to nearly double over the next 30 years (2020–2050), increasing by more than 1 billion people. Demographic changes of such speed and scale will undoubtedly have global implications. The purpose of the work is to calculate a number of scenarios of the demographic future for some countries of the region, taking into account specific features and events of African recent demographic history (in contrast to the UN forecasts). We also aim to assess the difference between various scenarios for each country and the attainability of the “optimistic” scenario.Materials and methods. We develop scenario forecasts for population dynamics in a number of African countries. In all scenarios, mortality dynamics corresponds to the “medium” UN forecast. For the birth rate dynamics, two scenarios were simulated: the optimistic one (birth rate goes from current rates to 2.1 children per woman in 20 years, which was observed in Iran; Rwanda and Ethiopia are more or less close to this scenario) and the inertial one (for countries where birth rate declined in 2005–2015, this decline was simulated to continue at the same rate; for countries where birth rate “froze”, two options were modeled; both projected birth rate decline at 0.1 child per woman annually, either starting immediately or after another 10 years).The results show that all scenarios, even the “optimistic” one, forecast a huge population increase in all countries considered (Mozambique, Niger, Nigeria, Tanzania, Uganda, Ethiopia) over the next 30 years. Slow birth rate decline (or prolonged “stagnation” at high levels) parallel to successful mortality reduction (especially in infants and children) accumulated enormous demographic inertia in many countries of Sub-Saharan Africa (to calculate its scope, an additional “provisional” scenario was calculated in the work). The difference between the “inertial” and the “optimistic” reaches the size or even sometimes exceeds the current population of the country. This underlines the importance of the governments’ efforts to curb population growth. Ethiopia proves such efforts.Conclusion. Only in Ethiopia the “inertial” and “optimistic” scenarios almost coincide thanks to demographic growth-reducing efforts undertaken there since the early 1990s; thus, in 2005–2015 the birth rate decreased by 1.3 children per woman. This proves that achieving an “optimistic” scenario is possible in African countries, although with considerable and concentrated efforts.

scholarly journals 1.5°C Hotspots: Climate Hazards, Vulnerabilities, and Impacts

2018 ◽  
Vol 43 (1) ◽  
pp. 135-163 ◽  
Author(s):  
Carl-Friedrich Schleussner ◽  
Delphine Deryng ◽  
Sarah D'haen ◽  
William Hare ◽  
Tabea Lissner ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Scientific Evidence ◽  
Climatic Conditions ◽  
Climate Impacts ◽  
Sub Saharan Africa ◽  
Global Mean Temperature ◽  
Climate Hazards ◽  
The Difference ◽  
Sub Saharan ◽  
The Tropics

Differentiating the impacts of climate change between 1.5°C and 2°C requires a regional and sector-specific perspective. Whereas for some regions and sectors the difference in climate variables might be indistinguishable from natural variability, other areas especially in the tropics and subtropics will experience significant shifts. In addition to region-specific changes in climatic conditions, vulnerability and exposure also differ substantially across the world. Even small differences in climate hazards can translate into sizeable impact differences for particularly vulnerable regions or sectors. Here, we review scientific evidence of regional differences in climate hazards at 1.5°C and 2°C and provide an assessment of selected hotspots of climate change, including small islands as well as rural, urban, and coastal areas in sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia, that are particularly affected by the additional 0.5°C global mean temperature increase. We interlink these with a review of the vulnerability and exposure literature related to these hotspots to provide an integrated perspective on the differences in climate impacts between 1.5°C and 2°C.

How Mobile Technologies Are Leading to Economic Development in Sub-Saharan Africa

2021 ◽  
pp. 1719-1726
Author(s):  
Nigel McKelvey ◽  
Adam Crossan ◽  
Kevin Curran
Keyword(s):  
Mobile Devices ◽  
Mobile Technology ◽  
Rural Areas ◽  
Urban Areas ◽  
Sub Saharan Africa ◽  
Mobile Technologies ◽  
African Countries ◽  
The Difference ◽  
Sub Saharan ◽  
Technology Focus

Mobile technology today is increasingly being used to help improve underdeveloped and developing areas such as sub-Saharan Africa. With the statistics showing the number of adults in Africa owning mobile devices steadily increasing, mobile technology has been a popular area of interest to use to help improve areas such as healthcare and education throughout African cities and rural areas. Common that ways mobile technology is being used to help the residents of sub-Saharan Africa are in the sectors of health care and education. Mobile technologies being used in these areas whilst simple are incredibly effective and successful in helping to better the quality of health in education in sub-Saharan Africa. Many of the projects and systems developed using mobile technology focus mainly on urban areas. While reports state the huge increase in the number of those using mobile devices in Africa, along with the large estimated increase in the coming years, the difference between rural African countries and countries which contain urban cities is substantial.

scholarly journals Prevalence of sickle cell disease and sickle cell trait among children admitted to Al Fashir Teaching Hospital North Darfur State, Sudan

2019 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Mudathir A. Adam ◽  
Nassreldeen K. Adam ◽  
Babiker A. Mohamed
Keyword(s):  
Sickle Cell Disease ◽  
Sickle Cell ◽  
Teaching Hospital ◽  
Sickle Cell Anaemia ◽  
Sickle Cell Trait ◽  
Sub Saharan Africa ◽  
Cell Disease ◽  
Normal Individuals ◽  
Sub Saharan ◽  
Hb Concentration

Abstract Objective It is estimated that 50% to 90% of infants born with (SCA) in sub-Saharan Africa die before 5 years old. Northern Darfur State at western Sudan region has a multiethnic population with a high frequency of sickle cell anaemia, but little about it is published. This study aimed to determine the prevalence of sickle cell anaemia among children admitted to Al Fashir Teaching Hospital in Al Fashir, Northern Darfur State, Sudan. Results The prevalence of sickle cell disease by haemoglobin electrophoresis among these 400 children patients was 59 (14.8%). Sickle cell trait patients were 11.3% and Sickle cell disease positive patients were 3.5%. Individuals with SCA have consistently low blood Hb concentration, normal MCV and high mean WBC’s. Individuals with sickle cell trait had haematological parameters near to those of normal individuals.

scholarly journals Adaptive divergence of a transcriptional enhancer between populations of Drosophila melanogaster

2013 ◽  
Vol 368 (1632) ◽  
pp. 20130024 ◽  
Author(s):  
Amanda Glaser-Schmitt ◽  
Ana Catalán ◽  
John Parsch
Keyword(s):  
Drosophila Melanogaster ◽  
Local Environment ◽  
European Population ◽  
Sub Saharan Africa ◽  
Adaptive Divergence ◽  
Transcriptional Enhancer ◽  
Enhancer Activity ◽  
Expression Difference ◽  
The Difference ◽  
Sub Saharan

As species colonize new habitats they must adapt to the local environment. Much of this adaptation is thought to occur at the regulatory level; however, the relationships among genetic polymorphism, expression variation and adaptation are poorly understood. Drosophila melanogaster , which expanded from an ancestral range in sub-Saharan Africa around 15 000 years ago, represents an excellent model system for studying regulatory evolution. Here, we focus on the gene CG9509 , which differs in expression between an African and a European population of D. melanogaster . The expression difference is caused by variation within a transcriptional enhancer adjacent to the CG9509 coding sequence. Patterns of sequence variation indicate that this enhancer was the target of recent positive selection, suggesting that the expression difference is adaptive. Analysis of the CG9509 enhancer in new population samples from Europe, Asia, northern Africa and sub-Saharan Africa revealed that sequence polymorphism is greatly reduced outside the ancestral range. A derived haplotype absent in sub-Saharan Africa is at high frequency in all other populations. These observations are consistent with a selective sweep accompanying the range expansion of the species. The new data help identify the sequence changes responsible for the difference in enhancer activity.

scholarly journals G6PD variant distribution in sub-Saharan Africa and potential risks of using chloroquine/hydroxychloroquine based treatments for COVID-19

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jorge da Rocha ◽  
Houcemeddine Othman ◽  
Caroline T. Tiemessen ◽  
Gerrit Botha ◽  
Michèle Ramsay ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Allele Frequency ◽  
G6pd Deficiency ◽  
Sequence Data ◽  
Sub Saharan Africa ◽  
Whole Genome Sequence ◽  
Interaction Factor ◽  
High Prevalence ◽  
Potential Risks ◽  
Sub Saharan ◽  
Glucose 6 Phosphate Dehydrogenase

AbstractChloroquine/hydroxychloroquine have been proposed as potential treatments for COVID-19. These drugs have warning labels for use in individuals with glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PD) deficiency. Analysis of whole-genome sequence data of 458 individuals from sub-Saharan Africa showed significant G6PD variation across the continent. We identified nine variants, of which four are potentially deleterious to G6PD function, and one (rs1050828) that is known to cause G6PD deficiency. We supplemented data for the rs1050828 variant with genotype array data from over 11,000 Africans. Although this variant is common in Africans overall, large allele frequency differences exist between sub-populations. African sub-populations in the same country can show significant differences in allele frequency (e.g. 16.0% in Tsonga vs 0.8% in Xhosa, both in South Africa, p = 2.4 × 10−3). The high prevalence of variants in the G6PD gene found in this analysis suggests that it may be a significant interaction factor in clinical trials of chloroquine and hydrochloroquine for treatment of COVID-19 in Africans.

scholarly journals Anaemia and severe malarial anaemia burden in febrile Gabonese children: a nine-year health facility based survey

2013 ◽  
Vol 7 (12) ◽  
pp. 983-989 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marielle Karine Bouyou-Akotet ◽  
Denise Patricia Mawili Mboumba ◽  
Eric Kendjo ◽  
Fanckie Mbadinga ◽  
Nestor Obiang-Bekale ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Plasmodium Falciparum ◽  
Malaria Diagnosis ◽  
Malaria Prevalence ◽  
Severe Anaemia ◽  
Falciparum Infection ◽  
Sub Saharan Africa ◽  
Nutritional Deficiencies ◽  
Infection Prevalence ◽  
Severe Malarial Anaemia ◽  
Sub Saharan

Introduction: Anaemia remains a major cause of poor health in children and pregnant women living in sub-Saharan Africa. Malaria is one of the main causes of anaemia in endemic countries. At the time of decreasing Plasmodium falciparum infection prevalence among children, it was essential to analyze the evolution of anaemia and severe malarial anaemia (SMA), the most frequent clinical manifestation of severe malaria, in Gabon. Methodology: Yearly recorded haemoglobin levels of febrile children aged below11 years, who benefitted from microscopic malaria diagnosis, were retrospectively analyzed to determine the evolution of anaemia and SMA prevalence throughout a nine-year period between 2000 and 2008. Results: Anaemia prevalence remained high both in P. falciparum-infected children (between 87.6% and 90.7%) and in uninfected children (between 73.5% and 82.6%). Although the risk of developing severe anaemia ranged between 1.9 [0.9-3.8] in 2000 and 3.0 [1.3-6.5] in 2007, SMA prevalence did not significantly change during the study period, varying from 6.0% to 8.0%. From 2001, the frequency of SMA was comparable between children younger than five years of age and children older than five years of age. Conclusions: The decreasing malaria prevalence previously observed in Gabon between 2000 and 2008 was not associated with a significant reduction of anaemia and SMA burden among children. Furthermore, other factors such as nutritional deficiencies, which may not be negligible, must be investigated in this vulnerable population

Herbal Drug use in Sickle Cell Disease Management; Trends and Perspectives in Sub-Saharan Africa - A Systematic Review

2019 ◽  
Vol 16 (4) ◽  
pp. 372-385 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael P. Okoh ◽  
Lukman A. Alli ◽  
Martti E.E. Tolvanen ◽  
Maxwell M. Nwegbu
Keyword(s):  
Sickle Cell Disease ◽  
Sickle Cell ◽  
Sickle Cell Trait ◽  
Governance Structure ◽  
Sub Saharan Africa ◽  
Equal Proportion ◽  
Globin Genes ◽  
Cell Disease ◽  
Invariant Region ◽  
Sub Saharan

Introduction: Nigeria has the largest burden of Sickle Cell Disease (SCD) with estimated 100,000 new born affected annually. SCD is a Hemoglobin (Hb) disorder with the major form resulting from the substitution of a polar glutamate (Glu) by non-polar Valine (Val) in an invariant region of Hbβ chain-subunit. Species of Hb found in the sickle cell trait are HbA and HbS in a 60:40 proportion, in SCD only HbS, in the HbC disease only HbC, and in the SC disease it's HbS and HbC in a 50:50 equal proportion. Objective: This paper reviews herbal medicines usage in sub-Saharan Africa (sSA) to ameliorate the crisis associated with SCD. The model Hb tetramer suggests a higher membrane affinity of HbS and HbC, promoting dehydration of RBCs, with concomitant in vivo crystallization. Some drawbacks using these herbal drugs include; poor bioavailability and the lack of proper pharmacovigilance monitoring procedures arising from weak governance structure combined with under reporting of herbal usage to physicians were discussed. Probable epigenetic loci that could be targeted using phytomedicines for effective SCD management were also discussed. Methods: Using search engines, several databases including Google scholar, PubMed, Academic Resource Index were utilized as a source for relevant publications/ literature. The protein coordinates for the Hb tetramer were obtained from the Protein Data Bank (PDB). Conclusion: Manipulation of epigenetics to achieve better SCD management involves careful thinking. Herein, we discuss some epigenetic interactions that could be putatively tweaked with a view of enhancing soluble bioactive small molecular components with the potential to reactivate γ -globin genes, thereby boosting immune response in patient with SCD.

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