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Background: From birth to 6 months, children must be exclusively breastfed, and from 6 months, food diversification starts to supplement breast milk. This cross-sectional study aims to evaluate some of the feeding practices regarding children aged 6 to 23 months in the city of Ouagadougou. Methods: First, data were food consumption data as well as recalling meals over the past 24 hours were collected. Then, technological and labeling data regarding infant flours produced locally and sold in Ouagadougou were obtained. For analysis, data were entered into Sphinx V5 and IBM SPSS Statistics 20 software, and means were compared using XLSTAT 2016 software. Results: In total, 33 local infant flours were evaluated, and all the formulations contained cereals. Fruits and legumes (30.30%), milk (30.30%), and eggs (0,00%) were the least used materials. Instant type flours were rarely encountered (9.09%), and packaging in plastic bags was consumed the most (57.57%). Regarding labeling information, batch number (28%) and the method of preservation (32%) were the least identified. With respect to food consumption, 94.84% of the children were breastfed and 98.33% aged 6 to 8 months consumed solid foods. At least 85.28% of women considered the age of 6 months for introduction of solid foods. Concerning consumption of infant porridges, imported infant porridges were preferred the most (37.44%). Conclusion: Concerning local infant flour, some of them did not meet WHO guidelines. With regard to food practice indicators in Ouagadougou, some of them are relatively satisfactory; however, there is still a need to raise awareness regarding feeding practices.

Background: To contribute to the fight against malnutrition among women of reproductive age, this study aimed to evaluate the quality of food and the nutritional status of pregnant and lactating women. Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted from June 2018 to September 2018 to explore the frequency and distribution of the dietary, socioeconomic, and health characteristics of pregnant and lactating women as well as their nutritional status. The target population consisted of 124 pregnant women and 118 nursing women age between 15 to 49 years. Results: The prevalence of acute malnutrition was 30.9% among women in general, 1.6% with severe malnutrition according to the mid-upper arm circumference (MUAC). In terms of the body mass index (BMI), the prevalence of malnutrition among lactating women was 13.5%; 10.5% with moderate malnutrition and 3.5% with severe malnutrition. The women aged between 15 to 49 years had poor dietary diversity. The mean dietary diversity score (DDS) was estimated at 4.14±0.86. This score was 4.19±0.87 in pregnant women and 4.09 ± 0.85 in lactating women. However, no statistically significant difference was observed between them (P = 0.20 and OR = 0.82) [0.4; 1.4]. A substantial proportion (19.8%) of women had a low DDS (< 5), with a rate of 16.9% among pregnant women and 22.9% among lactating women. Conclusion: This study revealed the presence of food and nutrition insecurity in semi-urban areas, particularly in "undeveloped" areas. Improving the living conditions of the populations in these localities, in parallel with nutritional education actions, could help to reduce the disease.

Background: This study evaluated production technologies of the refined cottonseed oils and crude peanut oils and investigated the edible oils' sales condition in markets of Ouagadougou and Bobo Dioulasso, Africa. Methods: The study was carried out by administering a questionnaire to 316 edible oil sellers in markets, 25 cottonseed oil producers, and 18 crude peanut oil producers. The production technologies and sale conditions such as brands, origins, storage, and packaging were evaluated on the basis of observations and surveys. The edible oils' sale conditions, production conditions of the peanut and cottonseed oils, as well as the means used for production of the aforesaid oils were investigated. Results: The results showed that the crude peanut oils were produced in two ways by only women (100%) using rudimentary means. However, cottonseed oils' production was of three types and mostly dominated by men (96%). The sodium hydroxide (100%), phosphoric acid (36.4%), citric acid (63.6%), filters (100%), and tonsil (80%) were used during refining cottonseed oils. In markets and other places, imported edible oils (94%) were mainly sold and 34.2% of the sellers exposed oils to the sun. Imported edible oils generally came from Ivory Coast, Malaysia, and Indonesia. So, local edible oils were faced with a great competition against the imported oils. These imported oils are from various origins and are mainly consumed with deplorable sale conditions. Conclusion: This study highlighted the production technologies and edible oils' sale conditions. The results of this study can provide the necessary information for the authorities to take measures to ensure the quality of edible oils.

Background: In Burkina Faso, malnutrition is a public health problem. Despite the significant drop in the prevalence of malnutrition since 2009 according to the Directorate of Nutrition, malnutrition is still a major concern with regard to its consequences. The objective of this study was to determine the factors associated with acute malnutrition in children aged 6 to 59 months in the Sabou Health District, Burkina Faso. Methods: This was a descriptive, cross-sectional study conducted among 343 children aged 6 to 59 months in Sabou Health District, Burkina Faso from August 1st to 30th, 2016. Factors associated with acute malnutrition were dietary factors, family factors, environmental factors, and infectious factors determined using SPSS version 21.0 software. The difference was statistically significant for P-value of less than 0.05. Results: The prevalence of global acute malnutrition in the district was 9.0%, of which 2.6% was severe according to the Brachial Perimeter. Several factors were associated with acute malnutrition in children under 5 years of age in the Sabou health district. Indeed, morbidity was a factor associated with acute malnutrition in children with a P-value of 0.007. The low dietary diversity experienced by food-insecure households was also associated with acute malnutrition in children. Infant and young child feeding practices, i.e., inadequate introduction of complementary foods and low dietary diversity to children were among the factors associated with nutritional status (P = 0.007). Among mothers, 87.5% had heard of malnutrition, 66.5% did not recognize the signs of malnourished in their children, and 92.4% were unaware of the consequences of malnutrition. Conclusion: Based on the results, initiatives and programmes should be established for women, the bearers of life, to enhance their empowerment and educate them with regard to the integral growth of children, the builders of tomorrow.

The lack of adequate knowledge of the culinary and sensory properties of most indigenous and wild foods hampers their promotion in human diets and the market. In the present study, 80 Burkinabe volunteers evaluated the sensory appeal and attributes of three selected Senegalia seed species (Zamnè, pseudoZamnè or Kumatiya, and S. erythrocalyx) and their food formulae (traditionally cooked, harvested as green and fresh legumes, and fermented as tempeh) using the nine-point hedonic scale and check-all-that-apply questionnaire. They found that the traditionally cooked Zamnè, pseudoZamnè or Kumatiya, and derived tempeh had good sensory appeal (scoring between 5 and 7) and subtle alkaline and nutty tastes. However, an appreciable number (32%) of the participants were unaccustomed to tempeh and gave very low scores (2.5–3.4) for all the tempeh products. In contrast, the traditionally cooked seeds of Senegalia erythrocalyx and the green and fresh Zamnè evoked bitter and sour off-tastes, respectively, and were not much appreciated (scoring 4). The present study provides unprecedented insight into consumers' non-sensory perceptions and the culinary and sensory properties of Senegalia seed foods, which will be essential for their valorization, branding, and marketing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Senegalia macrostachya is a wild, perennial, and promising legume that can help alleviate food insecurity in sub-Saharan Africa's drought-prone regions. However, it has been for a long time overlooked, underutilized, and scarcely studied. This study shed light on its ecological niche, genetic variation in natural populations, and seeds' harvest maturity. Three populations of S. macrostachya were selected along an environmental gradient, and their structures, based on their plants' pod characteristics (i.e., unique morphological differentiation trait amongst the plants), were assessed. Then, the seeds' development was investigated following their morphological transformation, mass accumulation, and the mobilization of their proteins and secondary metabolites. S. macrostachya has revealed low genetic variation and fitness to poor soils, warm and semi-arid climates in sub-Saharan Africa, prone to droughts and low to medium agricultural productivity. The maturation of the seeds involved the accumulation of specific late embryogenesis abundant proteins (60, 48, and 14 kDa), identified as chilling-responsive dehydrins, and the degradation of the chlorophylls and carotenoids, which could be used as biochemical landmarks of the harvest maturity. Besides, an aging symptom (high seed abortion rate (14–20%)) was observed in the study populations. This work provides unprecedented information that will assist in predicting the eco-climate suitability and climate resilience, identifying the conservation strategies, and planning the harvesting, reforestation programs, and domestication of S. macrostachya. In parallel, the dehydrins identified from S. macrostachya can be tapped into for drought-resistant crop development. Further research is needed to evaluate the impacts of the mother plants' aging and larger climate gradient on the performance (i.e., seed productivity and regeneration ability) of S. macrostachya. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Intermittent preventive treatment with sulfadoxine-pyrimethamine is widely used for the prevention of malaria in pregnant women in Africa. Known resistance cases of sulfadoxine-pyrimethamine during pregnancy need to be follow up to support IPTp implementation in Burkina Faso. However, data on the development and spread of resistance to this molecule are lacking. This study aimed to investigating the genetic diversity of P. falciparum and the mutation prevalence in the dhfr and dhps genes infected from postpartum infected placentas.Patients and Methods: This was a prospective and cross-sectional study conducted between April 2019 and March 2020 in four health districts of Ouagadougou capital city. From the placentas collected after delivery, P. falciparum detection and mps1 and msp2 polymorphism analysis were performed by nested PCR. The resistance profile was checked after analyzing the mutation point on dhfr and dhps genes.Results: PCR-positive samples were estimated at 96% for msp1 and 98% for msp2. The polymorphism analysis showed that the RO33 and 3D7 allelic families were the most widespread with 62.5% and 91.83%, respectively. Multiple infections by msp1 and msp2 were frequent with 12.50% and 92.92%, respectively. The prevalence of individual dhfr mutation point, 51I, 108A, and 59R, was 1.96, 15.68, and 7.84, respectively, and the dhps mutation point, 437G, was 3.92. There is no detected mutation at the point 164L and 540E. The triple (51I+108A+59R) in dhfr and quadruple (51I+108A+59R+ 437G) mutation were not found.Conclusion: The results showed that Plasmodium falciparum has a high genetic diversity of msp1 and msp2. This suggests that dhfr and dhps mutant genotypes are potential early warning factors in the increase in the sulfadoxine-pyrimethamine resistance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Breast milk becomes insufficient from the sixth month of a child's life, considering the quality and quantity, and must be supplemented with nutritionally dense foods. Thus, introducing adequate complementary foods in the child's diet is essential for his development. Very few studies have looked at the compliance of local infant flours with compositional standards. The objective was to evaluate the macronutrient adequacy of local infant flours sold in Ouagadougou for the needs of children aged 6-23 months. Nutritional parameters were determined using reference methods. The modeling was performed using Excel 2016 software. Fats content ranged from 6.16g to 16.76g, proteins from 6.18g to 22.08g, carbohydrates from 63.4g to 70.96g, and energy values from 406.02 kcal/100g to 458.92 kcal/100g. The modeling showed that the contributions of the different nutrients to the overall energy value of 70% of the local infant flours were by the recommendations. The energy contributions of fats and proteins were mainly high. Respectively 75% and 95% of local infant flours evaluated meet the recommendations, while all the infant flours evaluated showed carbohydrate energy contributions within the recommendations. The overall quality assessment showed that the overall energy values of the evaluated local infant flours were within the WHO guidelines. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: In Burkina Faso, suspicions have been raised that hospital liquid effluents are a source of microbiological contaminants in surface waters of urban and peri-urban areas. This study aimed to determine the antibiotic residues and the antibiotic resistance phenotype of potential pathogenic bacteria in the hospital liquid effluents discharged into nature by the CHUs Bogodogo, Yalgado Ouédraogo and the WWTS of Kossodo. Methods: Fifteen samples of liquid effluents discharged into nature were collected. Antibiotic residues were identified by HPLC. A wavelength of 254 nm for the UV detector was set. Antibiotic testing was realized according to CASFM 2019 recommendations. Results: Three molecules including Amoxicillin, Chloramphenicol and Ceftriaxone were detected in 13 samples. The strains characterized were 06 E. coli, 09 Pseudomonas spp, 05 Staphylococcus aureus and 04 Salmonella spp. Thus, none of the strains was resistant to Imipenem, but they were resistant to Amoxiclav with rates of 83.33% (E. coli), 88.88% (Pseudomonas spp) and 100% (Staphylococcus aureus and Salmonella spp). Conclusion: Ouagadougou hospital liquid effluents discharged into nature are contaminated with antibiotic residues and potential pathogenic bacteria. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: This study was carried out to elucidate the factors responsible for the hard‐to‐cook problem of Senegalia seeds, overlooked wild legumes in the arid tropics. Accordingly, they were identified as medium size (diameter = 7–9 mm and weight = 60–100 mg), flattened (thickness = 1.5–2.5 mm), and wax‐coated seeds, demonstrating high and variable coat fractions (25–41), mucilage (15–39), lignin (2.2–4.9), cellulose (6.7–13), and hemicellulose (1.9–5.6) contents (g/100 g dry weight), cooking times (3–5 h), and hydration properties. The hard‐to‐cook problem was primarily associated with the seed coats' microstructures and chemical compositions (i.e., cellular layers and fibre compositions). Besides, sodium bicarbonate (common cooking aid) helped half the cooking times but failed to overcome the toughness of the seed coats. Furthermore, unfortunately, there was no clear association between the seeds' cooking properties and phylogenetic lineages, indicating that each species should be assessed individually. This work provides unprecedented insights that will considerably assist in selecting, formulating, and promoting food products from Senegalia seeds. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Momordica charantia Linn. (Cucurbitaceae), the wild variety of bitter melon, and Morinda lucida Benth (Rubiaceae) were commonly used as a popular folk medicine in Benin. This study aimed to appreciate the ethnopharmacological knowledge and evaluate the antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects of M. charantia and M. lucida leaves extracts. Semi-structured surveys supported by individual interviews were conducted with herbalists and traditional healers in southern Benin. The antioxidant activities were evaluated by a micro-dilution technique using ABTS and FRAP methods. These activities were supported by cyclic voltammetry analysis. The anti-inflammatory activity was evaluated by the albumin denaturation method. The volatile compounds were analysed by GC-MS analysis. All the respondents involved in this study have good knowledge of the two plants. We identify 21 diseases grouped into five categories of condition. The two plants' extracts possess variable antioxidant capacity. Indeed, all the active extracts of M. charantia presented an IC50 < 0.078 mg/mL, while the extracts of M. lucida had an IC50 up to 0.21 ± 0.02 mg/mL. For anti-inflammatory activity, a dose-response activity (p < 0.001) was observed in the protein denaturation inhibition rate of the extracts. It should be noted that the highest inhibition rate (98.34 ± 0.12) of the albumin denaturation was observed with M. lucida dichloromethane extract. A total of 59 volatile compounds were identified by GC-MS analysis in the extracts of the two plants. The M. charantia ethyl acetate extract shows the presence of 30 different compounds with a relative abundance of 98.83%, while that of M. lucida shows 24 compounds with a relative abundance of 98.30%. These plants are potential candidates to discover new compounds with therapeutic properties that could be used to solve public health problems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) account for over 50% of total premature mortality in most lowand middle-income countries (LMICs). However, responses to the fight against NCDs are yet to be efficient in most of these countries. There is little published data on how this response is structured from a governance perspective in the context of global health systems. This study explored from existing research, the state of the governance in the fight against NCDs in the ECOWAS region. It consists of a review of articles published in peerreviewed journals between 2010 and 2020 on ECOWAS countries. Of three hundred thirty-three (333) articles initially identified, eight (8) publications were included in these studies. There is a serious lack of information on the governance of NCDs in French-speaking countries such as Burkina Faso where no article has been identified. Of the 8 studies meeting the inclusion criteria, none has addressed the coherence of policies and programs. Seven (7) publications provided information on the component national NCDs policies, strategies and action plans, four (4) studies on the component of actors, interventions and the multisectoral coordination mechanism, five (5) on the issue of budget allocations and financing of NCD prevention and control interventions. Political commitment and government leadership has been discussed in three (3) publications. While some studies have provided information on the components of governance, it is important to remember that most of the studies were literature reviews and not empirical studies, which does not allow a better understanding of the situation of governance in each country. Designing an empirical study to answer some questions related to the governance of NCDs in the selected countries is necessary. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]