Suchergebnisse

The 9th meeting of the African Society of Human Genetics, in partnership with the Senegalese Cancer Research and Study Group and the Human Heredity and Health in Africa (H3Africa) Consortium, was held in Dakar, Senegal. The theme was Strengthening Human Genetics Research in Africa. The 210 delegates came from 21 African countries and from France, Switzerland, UK, UAE, Canada and the USA. The goal was to highlight genetic and genomic science across the African continent with the ultimate goal of improving the health of Africans and those across the globe, and to promote the careers of young African scientists in the field. A session on the sustainability of genomic research in Africa brought to light innovative and practical approaches to supporting research in resource-limited settings and the importance of promoting genetics in academic, research funding, governmental and private sectors. This meeting led to the formation of the Senegalese Society for Human Genetics. Le 9 ème congrès de la Société Africaine de Génétique Humaine, en partenariat avec le Groupe d'Etude et de Recherche sur le Cancer (GERC) et le Consortium H3Africa, s'est tenu à Dakar, au Sénégal. Le thème était « Renforcer la recherche en Génétique Humaine en Afrique ». Les 210 participants sont venus de 21 pays africains et de six non africains. L'objectif était de valoriser la génétique et la génomique à travers l'Afrique avec comme but ultime d'améliorer la santé des populations, et de promouvoir les carrières des jeunes chercheurs Africains. Une session sur la pérennité de la recherche génomique a révélé des approches innovantes et pratiques supportant la recherche dans des contextes de ressources limitées et l'importance de promouvoir la formation universitaire en génétique, le financement de la recherche par les gouvernements et le privé. Ce congrès conduisit à la création de la Société Sénégalaise de Génétique Humaine.

The 9th meeting of the African Society of Human Genetics, in partnership with the Senegalese Cancer Research and Study Group and the Human Heredity and Health in Africa (H3Africa) Consortium, was held in Dakar, Senegal. The theme was Strengthening Human Genetics Research in Africa. The 210 delegates came from 21 African countries and from France, Switzerland, UK, UAE, Canada and the USA. The goal was to highlight genetic and genomic science across the African continent with the ultimate goal of improving the health of Africans and those across the globe, and to promote the careers of young African scientists in the field. A session on the sustainability of genomic research in Africa brought to light innovative and practical approaches to supporting research in resource-limited settings and the importance of promoting genetics in academic, research funding, governmental and private sectors. This meeting led to the formation of the Senegalese Society for Human Genetics.

Background: Since late 2015, an epidemic of Yellow fever virus (YFV) has caused over 6,554 suspected cases in Angola and the Democratic Republic of Congo, including 387 deaths. We sought to understand the spatial spread of this YFV outbreak to optimise the use of the limited available vaccine stock. Methods: We jointly analysed datasets describing the epidemic of YFV, vector suitability, human demography and mobility in Central Africa in order to understand and predict the expansion of YFV. We used a standard logistic model to infer the district YFV infection risk over the course of the epidemic in the region. Findings: Early spread of YFV was characterized by fast exponential growth (doubling time of 5-7 days) and fast spatial expansion (49 districts reporting cases after only three months) from Luanda, the capital of Angola. Early invasion was positively correlated with high population density (0·52, 95% CI: 0·34, 0·66). The further away locations were from Luanda the later the invasion date (0·60, 95% CI: 0·52, 0·66). Districts with higher population densities also featured higher risks of sustained transmission. A model that captured human mobility and vector suitability successfully discriminated districts with high risk of invasion from others. If at the start of the epidemic sufficient vaccines had been available to target 50 out of 313 districts in the area, our model would have correctly identified 27 (84%) of the 32 districts that were eventually affected. Interpretation: Our findings reveal the contributions of ecological and demographic factors to the ongoing spread of the YFV outbreak and provide estimates for where vaccines may be prioritised, although other constraints (e.g. vaccine supply and delivery) need to be accounted for before such insights may be translated into policy.

: In the wake of the recent outbreak of Ebola virus disease (EVD) in several African countries, the World Health Organization prioritized the evaluation of treatment with convalescent plasma derived from patients who have recovered from the disease. We evaluated the safety and efficacy of convalescent plasma for the treatment of EVD in Guinea. : In this nonrandomized, comparative study, 99 patients of various ages (including pregnant women) with confirmed EVD received two consecutive transfusions of 200 to 250 ml of ABO-compatible convalescent plasma, with each unit of plasma obtained from a separate convalescent donor. The transfusions were initiated on the day of diagnosis or up to 2 days later. The level of neutralizing antibodies against Ebola virus in the plasma was unknown at the time of administration. The control group was 418 patients who had been treated at the same center during the previous 5 months. The primary outcome was the risk of death during the period from 3 to 16 days after diagnosis with adjustments for age and the baseline cycle-threshold value on polymerase-chain-reaction assay; patients who had died before day 3 were excluded. The clinically important difference was defined as an absolute reduction in mortality of 20 percentage points in the convalescent-plasma group as compared with the control group. : A total of 84 patients who were treated with plasma were included in the primary analysis. At baseline, the convalescent-plasma group had slightly higher cycle-threshold values and a shorter duration of symptoms than did the control group, along with a higher frequency of eye redness and difficulty in swallowing. From day 3 to day 16 after diagnosis, the risk of death was 31% in the convalescent-plasma group and 38% in the control group (risk difference, -7 percentage points; 95% confidence interval [CI], -18 to 4). The difference was reduced after adjustment for age and cycle-threshold value (adjusted risk difference, -3 percentage points; 95% CI, -13 to 8). No serious adverse reactions associated with the use of convalescent plasma were observed. : The transfusion of up to 500 ml of convalescent plasma with unknown levels of neutralizing antibodies in 84 patients with confirmed EVD was not associated with a significant improvement in survival. (Funded by the European Union's Horizon 2020 Research and Innovation Program and others; ClinicalTrials.gov number, NCT02342171.).