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Behaviour of different ecotypes of okra (Abelmoschus esculentus L.) under water deficit during budding and flowering phases. Despite numerous uses and its well known nutritional value, okra is cultivated on very small surfaces, on surroundings of traditional houses and often in dumping ground. To this little interest are added drought, diseases and pests that generate an important reduction of yield, leading okra to play the last roles in agricultural research programs of the country and this, despite the existence of early maturing ecotypes or resistant to some abiotic constraints. The low rate of improved varieties is the proof that it is necessary to develop strategies for participatory breeding programs that take into account farmers selection criteria including genotypes tolerant or resistant to drastic conditions such as water deficit to periods where the plant is expressing its genetic potential. Six ecotypes obtained through participatory plant breeding process in five agricultural districts of the country have been assessed for the tolerance to the drought occurring during the budding and the flowering phases. Results show that water deficit during budding phase has disastrous consequences for okra plants. The yield declines, and also the length, the number and the weight of fruits. Two types of period of flowering phases of okra plant have been observed: the period which intervenes during the accelerated growth phase of the main stem (type 1) and the one which starts once the growth of main stem begins to decline (type 2); this last type is the most frequently met. Water deficit during the phase of budding causes earlier flowering of type 2 plants and leads to delayed flowering of the type 1 plants. The best variables for discriminating okra ecotypes during water deficit are the relative water content (RWC), the length and the number of fruits. Three ecotypes (V1, V3 and V4) are chosen to be used in breeding program of okra for resistance to water deficit.

Introduction: In 2020, during France's COVID-19 response, healthcare professionals from a hospital and an association initiated health mediation interventions in Marseille's vulnerable neighbourhoods, funded by the regional health authorities. This mixed method research evaluates the CORHESAN program that lasted until June 2022., Methods: We examined CORHESAN documents and reports, conducted interviews, and analysed activity data, comparing it to the COVID-19 hotspots identified on a weekly basis at the neighbourhood level, using generalised linear mixed models (GLMMs)., Results: CORHESAN was implemented by a team of up to nine health mediators, six private nurses hired on an ad hoc basis, supervised by a general coordinator and two part-time medical and nursing coordinators. Multiple partnerships were established with shelters, associations, social-housing landlords and local institutions. The team accompanied 6,253 people affected by COVID-19 or contact in the practical implementation of their isolation and contact tracing. Of the 5,180 nasopharyngeal samples for RT-PCR and 1,875 for antigenic testing: 12% were taken at home and 27% in partner facilities in the targeted neighbourhoods; 32% were taken from symptomatic patients and 30% in the context of contact tracing; and 40% were positive. Multiple awareness sessions on prevention methods and distributions of personal protection kits and self-diagnostic tests were conducted in the streets, in shelters, in associations or at home. A total of 5,929 doses of COVID-19 vaccine were administered in a walk-in vaccination centre, at temporary street vaccination posts, during operations at partner facilities, or during home-visits to patients with limited autonomy. GLMMs showed that the intervention significantly targeted its testing interventions in neighbourhoods with socioeconomic disadvantage and/or past under-testing (adjusted odds ratio (aOR), 2.75 [1.50-5.00]) and those with high hotspot level (aOR for level-3 versus level-0, 1.83 [1.24-2.71])., Discussion: The pandemic emphasised the potential of health mediation interventions to address health disparities. Building on this, a new program began in July 2022, aiming at enhancing cancer screening and vaccinations in deprived areas of Marseille. Evaluations are ongoing to assess its activities and impact, and provide evidence to future implementation initiatives., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2024 Fruleux, Gaudart, Franke, Nauleau, Dutrey Kaiser, Legendre, Balma, Lescaudron, Tamalet, Malfait, Chaud and Rebaudet.)

Background & Aims: Patients with ulcerative colitis (UC) may experience nonresponse to biologics, possibly as a result of low drug exposure. This trial assessed the efficacy of dose optimization in patients with UC who have early nonresponse to vedolizumab and high drug clearance., Methods: ENTERPRET was a phase 4, open-label, randomized, controlled trial that included patients with moderate to severe UC who had high drug clearance at week 5 (serum concentration, <50 μg/mL) and nonresponse to standard vedolizumab treatment at week 6. At week 6, eligible patients were randomized 1:1 to receive standard dosing (300 mg every 8 weeks) or dose-optimized vedolizumab (600 mg at week 6, then 300 mg every 4 weeks; or 600 mg at week 6, then 600 mg every 4 weeks [based on week 5 serum concentration]). The primary end point was endoscopic improvement at week 30., Results: Of 278 enrolled patients, 132 (47.5%) had a clinical response at week 6. From week 6, 108 patients received standard (n = 53) or dose-optimized vedolizumab (n = 55); among patients with nonresponse at week 6, 86.5% had high drug clearance. At week 30, 10 patients (18.9%) who received standard vedolizumab had endoscopic improvement vs 8 patients (14.5%) who received dose-optimized vedolizumab. Five patients (9.4%) who received standard vedolizumab had clinical remission at week 30 vs 5 patients (9.1%) who received dose-optimized vedolizumab; clinical response was observed in 17 (32.1%) and 17 patients (30.9%), respectively. Safety event rates were similar among treatment groups., Conclusions: In patients with early nonresponse and high drug clearance, vedolizumab dose optimization is probably not required. A proportion of patients benefited from continued treatment irrespective of the dose received., Clinicaltrials: gov: NCT03029143., (Copyright © 2024 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Varietal data from 27 crop species from five continents were drawn together to determine overall trends in crop varietal diversity on farm. Measurements of richness, evenness, and divergence showed that considerable crop genetic diversity continues to be maintained on farm, in the form of traditional crop varieties. Major staples had higher richness and evenness than nonstaples. Variety richness for clonal species was much higher than that of other breeding systems. A close linear relationship between traditional variety richness and evenness (both transformed), empirically derived from data spanning a wide range of crops and countries, was found both at household and community levels. Fitting a neutral "function" to traditional variety diversity relationships, comparable to a species abundance distribution of "neutral ecology," provided a benchmark to assess the standing diversity on farm. In some cases, high dominance occurred, with much of the variety richness held at low frequencies. This suggested that diversity may be maintained as an insurance to meet future environmental changes or social and economic needs. In other cases, a more even frequency distribution of varieties was found, possibly implying that farmers are selecting varieties to service a diversity of current needs and purposes. Divergence estimates, measured as the proportion of community evenness displayed among farmers, underscore the importance of a large number of small farms adopting distinctly diverse varietal strategies as a major force that maintains crop genetic diversity on farm.