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Purpose: Report radiographic aspects and assess the contribution of computed tomography for the diagnosis and search for extension of bronchial carcinoid tumors. Material and methods: This retrospective study included 9 patients with a bronchial carcinoid tumor during a four years period. In all patients, the exploration included standard chest radiography, computed tomography (CT) and abdominal ultrasonography. Results: This series included three females and six males, mean age 25 years (age range 20-52 years). The average time between clinical symptoms and diagnosis was 24 months. The important signs were chest pain, dry cough and dyspnea in 7 cases, hemoptysis in 4 cases. Chest radiography has objectified a rounded opacity speculated in 4 cases, opacity systematized in 3 cases and an opaque lung in 2 cases. Computed tomography (CT) revealed an endobronchial process with a endobronchial budding in 5 cases, pneumonia systematized in 4 cases, collapse in 7 cases, a localized dilatation of bronchus in 2 cases, lymph node metastases in 4 cases. Bronchoscopy has the macroscopic diagnosis in all cases. All patients have surgical treatment, the lobectomy in 4 cases, pneumonectomy in 3 cases and bilobectomy in 2 cases. Conclusion: CT is indispensable for positive diagnosis, and topographic localization of extension of bronchial carcinoid tumors. The main contribution of CT compared with fibroscopy is to demonstrate exobronchial tumor development and upstream pulmonary complications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Journal of Medical Mycology / Journal de Mycologie Médicale is the property of Elsevier B.V. and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Enteroviruses (EV) are the main etiological agents of aseptic meningitis. Diagnosis is made by detecting the genome using RT-PCR. The aim of the study was to evaluate the impact of a positive diagnosis on the management of infants, children, and adults. During 2005, 442 patients were admitted to hospital with suspected meningitis. Clinical and laboratory data and initial treatment were recorded for all patients with enteroviral meningitis. The turnaround time of tests and the length of hospital stay were analyzed. The results showed that EV-PCR detected EV in 69 patients (16%), 23% (16/69) were adults. About 18% of CSF samples had no pleocytosis. After positive PCR results, 63% of children were discharged immediately (mean 2 hr 30 min) and 95% within 24 hr. Infants and adults were discharged later (after 1.8 and 2 days, respectively). The use of antibiotics was significantly lower in children than in infants and adults. The PCR results allowed discontinuation of antibiotics in 50-60% of all patients treated. Patients received acyclovir in 16% of cases (7% children vs. 50% adults) and 23% (11% vs. 69%) underwent a CT scan. Clinical data were compared between patients whose positive EV-PCR results were available within 24 hr (n = 32) and those whose results were available > 24 hr after collection of CSF (n = 14). Duration of antibiotic treatment (difference: 2.3 days; P = 0.05) was reduced between the two groups. No statistical difference in the length of stay was observed. The EV-PCR assay should be performed daily in hospital laboratory practice and considered as part of the initial management of meningitis. J. Med. Virol. 81:42-48, 2009. © 2008 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Phylogeography ofRice yellow mottle virus(RYMV) was reconstructed from the coat protein gene sequences of a selection of 173 isolates from the 14 countries of mainland Africa where the disease occurred and from the full sequences of 16 representative isolates. Genetic variation was linked to geographical distribution and not to host species as isolates from wild rice always clustered with isolates from cultivated rice of the same region. Genetic variation was not associated to agro-ecology, viral interference and insect vector species. Distinct RYMV lineages occurred in East, Central and West Africa, although the Central African lineage included isolates from Benin, Togo and Niger at the west, adjacent to countries of the West African lineage. Genetic subdivision at finer geographical scales was apparent within lineages of Central and West Africa, although less pronounced than in East Africa. Physical obstacles, but also habitat fragmentation, as exemplified by the small low-lying island of Pemba offshore Tanzania mainland, explained strain localization. Three new highly divergent strains were found in eastern Tanzania. By contrast, intensive surveys in Côte d’Ivoire and Guinea at the west of Africa did not reveal any new variant. Altogether, this supported the view that the Eastern Arc Mountains biodiversity hotspot was the centre of origin of RYMV and that the virus spread subsequently from east to west across Africa. In West Africa, specific strains occurred in the Inner Niger Delta and suggested it was a secondary centre of diversification. Processes for diversification and dispersion of RYMV are proposed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Effects of the Association of Compost and Mineral Fertilizer on the Productivity of Cotton and Maize Cropping System in Burkina Faso. To improve the productivity of a cotton - maize rotation using organic and mineral fertilization, a study was carried out in experimental station from 2008 to 2010. Five levels of compost (0, 2, 6, 9 and 12 t of dry matter ha­1) combined to four rate of mineral fertilizer were compared in split­plot statistical design. The physical and chemical characteristics of soil, crop yields, as well as the mineral nutrition of maize and cotton plants were evaluated. The results show that the content of assimilable P and available K was significantly improved in amended soils by compost which had no significant effect on the carbon content. In amended soils, compost improved plants nutrition which was correct in nitrogen and potassium for cotton and deficient in nitrogen and phosphorus for maize. Compared to control soil, compost combined to mineral fertilizers increased significantly yields with a better efficacy for the recommended mineral manure. The application of 2 t ha­1 of compost per year was as effective as high doses of compost in the second year, and more effective than the latter in the third year. An economy on the recommended dose of mineral fertilizer could be considered, with an annual input of 2 t ha­1 of compost to the mineral fertilizers necessary to maintain the productivity of the cotton­cereal cropping systems.

Introduction: Intramuscular injections (IMI) remain a frequent practice in mental health. The available guidelines for IMI in mental health only focus on the technical side of the practices. Moreover, no recent update has been performed to improve practice of IMI in mental health Objectives: To assess a formalized consensus agreement regarding the best practice concerning IMI in mental health and to develop practice guidelines. Methods: A two-round Delphi method was used. The scientific committee consisted in one psychiatrist, one orthopaedic surgeon, one infection control practitioner, one hospital pharmacist, one mental health nurse, one nurse exploring care relationship and one nurse educator. From literature review, each expert proposed specific recommendations. The panel experts were asked to rate the appropriateness and the applicability in current practice of each recommendation on a 9-point Likert scale. Panel members were recruited in five mental health institutions. The first round questionnaire was emailed to each respondent on February 2020 and the second one on June. Propositions were considered appropriate and applicable in current practice if the median was >=7. Agreement among experts were judged by the statistical measure of the Interpercentile Range Results: From the first round, 46 recommendations were retained by 49 nurses. 27 propositions were retained after this second round by 32 nurses. The scientific committee added 12 other recommendations because of their importance in the literature and clinical practice. Conclusions: This study provides consensus-based recommendations on IMI in mental health. Nursing staff need to be educated about the new guidelines from both the theoretical and clinical perspectives. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Mali Médical is the property of Mali Medical, Faculte de Medecine, de Pharmacie et d'Odonto-stomatologie and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Crops Residues Management Effects on Crops Yields and Mineral Balance in a Cotton- Maize- Sorghum Rotation in Burkina Faso. The effect of crop residues management on crops yields and nutrients balances in a cotton-cereals cropping system was studied in a long-term experiment carried out from 1982 to 2006. The experimental design was a simple nonrandomized blocks comparing extensive management of crops residues (T1), semiintensive management of crops residues (T2) and intensive management of crops residues (T3). Crops yields, soil chemical properties and mineral balances were measured. Results showed that after 25 years, soil carbon contents decrease was respectively 44%, 15% and 13%, with an extensive, semi-intensive and intensive management of crops residues. Total phosphorus decrease was 25% in all the treatments. Exchangeable Ca and Mg declined from 2.43 to 1.37 cmol+ kg-1 and 0.9 to 0.29 cmol+ kg-1 respectively while the Sum of Exchangeable Bases declined from 3.79 to 1.79 cmol+ kg-1. Recycling crops residues to compost and manure increased cotton yields from 13 to 22 %, maize yields from 45 to 60 %, and sorghum yields from 19 to 44%. Mineral balance in N, P, K and S was improved after 25 years of continuous cultivation while using compost or manure. At the same time, the decline of soil properties was due to nutrients losses which need to be evaluated. This study recommends integrated crops residues management and the use of rock phosphate to improve sustainability in cottoncereals cropping systems.

Serological Diagnosis of Sudano-Sahelian Isolates of Rice Yellow Mottle Virus (RYMV). Rice Yellow Mottle Virus (RYMV) is the most damaging virus infecting rice in Africa. Serology is a suitable detection method for RYMV but most available anti-RYMV polyclonal antibodies react poorly with some isolates of the virus, which undermine the reliability of the method. A broad-spectrum polyclonal antibody was raised against Rice Yellow Mottle Virus (RYMV) in order to improve the serological detection of the virus. This antibody was used to diagnose the virus in field samples collected from both irrigated and upland rice and wild host plants in five West and Central African countries (Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Chad, Mali and Togo). RYMV was readily detected in about 500 samples whereas a new natural host species (Eragrostis atrovirens) collected from Mali was identified. The viral isolates gathered in this study constitute the starting point for a reference collection of plant viruses in the Sudano-Sahelian region. This collection will be particularly useful for the assessment of RYMV variability which is a key factor in developing rice varieties with stable resistance to the virus.

Compared Effects of Two Formulations of a Mineral Fertilizer on Yield and Mineral Nutrition of Cotton in Burkina Faso. The high cost of mineral fertilizers is the main constraint in cotton production. Experimentations were led during 2 years on 4 sites of cotton production area of Burkina Faso. The bulk formulation of cotton mineral fertilizer was compared to the complex formulation commonly used in cotton production. The experimental design is a block Fisher with 4 treatments and 6 replicates. The following treatments were applied: control without fertilizer, complex formulation of the mineral fertilizer, bulk blending formulation of the mineral fertilizer, local bulk formulation of the mineral fertilizer. N, P, K, S and B were respectively applied at constant rates of 44; 44.5; 21; 9 and 1.5 kg/ha on fertilized soils. The results showed that on acidic soils, with low organic matter content, no significant difference was obtained between the complex and the bulk formulation of the mineral fertilizer, with respect to the yields. Cotton mineral nutrition was supplied as well by the bulk as the complex formulation and this explained the high nutrition indexes (>100) for N, P and S. The bulk formulation with a lower cost than the complex formulation and an agronomic efficiency equivalent to that of the complex formulation, confirms the interest of using this formulation in cotton production.

Optimizing Sample Surveys in Farming Systems Research. The collection of agricultural data, essential for Farming Systems Research, is expensive and the quality of the estimated statistics directly linked to the available budget. This paper shows how to calculate estimator precision of sample surveys from a small number of basic parameters, and how to compare it to a cost function for an optimal resource allocation. Basic parameters are calculated for key variables of the data base of the Farming System Research Team of Sikasso, Mali, and the estimator precision is derived for a number of options. It is shown that this precision can only be very modest with a minimal mean square error of 5 % to 10 %, for the typical small sample size (12 villages, each with 8 farms). Increasing the number of villages diminishes this error, but the effect of an increasing number of farms per village decrease quickly above six to eight farms per village. This type of surveys should therefore not be used for agricultural statistics. They do produce indicators of limited precision, but independend and readily accessible. They are better suited to analyze relationships between variables, to link causes wich constraints and reasons with technology adoption, and to follow major changes in the system's evolution.

Copyright of Mali Médical is the property of Mali Medical, Faculte de Medecine, de Pharmacie et d'Odonto-stomatologie and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Abstract: Objective: The vaccination of hospital staff decreases patient mortality and disorganization of services due to sick leave. The main aim of our study was to determine the Clermont-Ferrand University hospital (CHU) personnel’s motivations for or against antiflu vaccination to increase the effectiveness of prevention campaigns. Design: An autoquestionnaire with multiple choices was given to the 7601 CHU staff in May 2005. It documented socioprofessional characteristics, vaccinal status, and reasons for vaccination, nonvaccination, or stopping antiflu vaccination. Results: The answer rate was 26.5% (2011 autoquestionnaires returned) and representative of the CHU staff. The rate of vaccination in 2004 was 36.35% with a strong correlation between vaccination and former influenza infection (p <0.001). Five of the six principal reasons for vaccination were altruistic including the first two: avoiding transmission to patients (61.8%) and his family (59.8%). The main reason for stopping was the lack of time. The reasons for nonvaccination were linked to a feeling of invulnerability: conviction of not being at risk, of being too young, or in good health. Conclusions: The Haute Autorité de santé’s objective of vaccinal coverage against influenza for 75% of the health professionals requires their active compliance. The effectiveness of future campaigns could aim at improving knowledge by insisting particularly on the young age of the risk populations. The lack of time can be compensated by offering on-site vaccination, including at night and by proposing larger schedules for vaccination. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]