Although there was a glimmer of hope for an end in sight to the Ebola epidemic these countries were reported to be on the brink of a major food crisis.
The United nations Food and agriculture organization (FAO) and the World Food Programme (WFP) revealed in December that the Ebola outbreak had left nearly half a million people in the three countries severely food insecure:
unless urgent measures are taken to significantly enhance access to food and safeguard crop and livestock production in these countries
because these countries were trying to recover from a tragic past (prolonged civil war in both Liberia
and Sierra leone and military rule in Guinea) when Ebola struck. FAO and WFP stated that the Ebola epidemic has caused a significant shock to the food
and agriculture sectors in the affected countries where two thirds of the population depend on agriculture for their livelihood.
A number of interrelated factors including quarantines disruptions in transport and trade and rising food prices are triggering the food crisis.
Experts participating in the Global Rice Market and Trade Summit organized by the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) in Bangkok Thailand in October 2014 remarked that there was a noticeable rise in the local rice prices in the affected countries
although the Ebola crisis is expected not to have a major impact on the global rice market.
Many farmers have abandoned their fields and harvests for fear of the disease. In Sierra leone for instance it is reported that up to 40%of farms were abandoned in the worst affected areas.
Rice is the most important staple in the three countries and its price and accessibility directly influence social stability.
Annual per capita consumption of rice (about 100 kg) is amongst the highest in Sub-saharan africa. However all the three countries are net importers of rice as demand is much higher than local production.
The promotion of domestic rice production is therefore a key element in the national rice development strategy (NRDS) developed by each of these countries under the Coalition for African Rice Development (CARD) framework.
and Sierra leone at their request to revive their rice sectors under the umbrella of the World bank-funded West Africa Agricultural productivity Program (WAAPP).
and technologies available to farmers enhance rice quality and develop a critical mass of scientists technicians extension workers and seed producers.
However the Ebola crisis threatens to undo the progress made in all these areas. According to FAO the 2014 rice production is expected to reduce by 12%in Liberia 8%in Sierra leone and 4%in Guinea.
But there are big disparities within the region: production is down by 20%in Liberia's Lofa district
and Bong districts in Liberia supported by the World bank. In August 2014 for reasons of safety Africarice Management decided to pull out its regional and international researchers from Liberia and Sierra leone.
This has affected the implementation of the planned WAAPP activities said Africarice scientist Bert Meertens who is assisting the Sierra leone Agricultural research Institute in WAAPP activities.
In addition to addressing the immediate priority of Ebola control FAO and WFP have called for urgent action to reestablish the farming system in the three countries.
Measures should enable most vulnerable people to access agricultural inputs such as seeds and fertilizers and adopt improved technology to address labor shortages.
Africarice is involved actively in discussing and planning strategies to make improved rice seed available to farmers with strong support from donors such as the Government of Japan the African Development bank FAO the International Fund for Agricultural development the United states Agency for International Development
(USAID) and the World bank among others as well as the Economic Community of West african States (ECOWAS). These activities are part of the overall effort to support the Ebola-hit countries on the road to economic recovery and growth.
Meanwhile remembering the quiet heroism of scientists in these countries Africarice economist Ali Toure who was working in Sierra leone remarked We are praying for the safety of our brave colleagues who are continuing their work under very difficult and even dangerous situations.
By the end of 2014 nearly 8000 deaths from Ebola had been reported in the three countries.
The World bank estimates the regional economic toll could reach US$32 billion by the end of 2015 5
#WHO grants approval for safe effective meningitis A vaccine for infants The World health organization (WHO) has opened the door to routine immunization of infants in Sub-saharan africa by approving for use an innovative and affordable vaccine that has all but rid the meningitis belt of a major cause
of deadly epidemics. In the four years since its introduction in Africa, Menafrivac has had an immediate and dramatic impact in breaking the cycle of meningitis A epidemics,
leading the safe, effective technology to be approved by WHO through its prequalification process for use in infants,
and paving the way for protecting millions more children at risk of the deadly disease.
The announcement was made today by the Meningitis Vaccine Project (MVP)--a partnership between the global health nonprofit PATH and WHO--and Serum institute of india Ltd (SIIL),
which manufactures the Menafrivac vaccine.""Initial mass vaccination campaigns with Menafrivac have been highly effective in reducing the number of meningitis A cases,
"said Dr. Marie-Pierre Préziosi, director of MVP.""But epidemics will return when rising numbers of unprotected newborns become a larger proportion of the total population over time.
Now, with this decision, health officials will be able to ensure that population-wide protection is sustained by routinely immunizing infants."
5 g dose of the meningitis A vaccine meets international standards of quality, safety, and efficacy and can
Before the introduction of Menafrivac, people living in countries of the meningitis belt, which stretches from Senegal in the west to Ethiopia in the east,
were struck regularly by meningitis A epidemics in which sudden onset of symptoms could rapidly lead to death or permanent disability.
One of the most devastating outbreaks ever recorded was in 1996-1997 when an epidemic wave infected more than 250,000 people
and killed over 25,000 in just a few months. The only existing vaccine was insufficient to break the cycle.
Protection at an affordable price In 2004, MVP partnered with SIIL to develop an affordable, tailor-made vaccine for use against meningitis A in Sub-saharan africa.
Menafrivac was developed in record time at less than 1 tenth the cost of a typical new vaccine. Since campaigns started in 2010,
Menafrivac has been administered to over 215 million people in 15 countries of the African meningitis belt:
Benin, Burkina faso, Cameroon, Chad, Côte d'ivoire, Ethiopia, Ghana, Mali, Niger, Mauritania, Nigeria, Senegal, Sudan, Togo, and The gambia."
"Developing the Menafrivac vaccine fit exactly Serum's ingrained philosophy of bringing down prices of vaccines
"We at Serum Institute are extremely proud of being part of an international partnership that brought an end to a public health issue that has been plaguing Sub-saharan africa for more than a century."
"One year after large-scale vaccine introduction in late 2010, for example, experience from Burkina faso provided early evidence that mass vaccination was associated with a significantly reduced risk of meningitis in the targeted population,
Findings were confirmed in a major way in Chad in 2012 where researchers reported a dramatic reduction in transmission and incidence of meningitis A a drop of more than 90 percent following vaccination.
Support from Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance; the United nations children's fund (UNICEF; PATH; WHO; and national governments has been crucial for mass vaccination campaigns that are due to continue until 2016 to cover at-risk populations in all 26 countries where disease burden from meningitis A is greatest.
From mass campaigns to routine immunizations In parallel to the large-scale vaccination campaigns, clinical studies were designed
and conducted to determine the safety, immunogenicity, and optimal dosage and immunization schedule for administering Menafrivac to infants and toddlers alongside other routine childhood vaccines in African meningitis belt countries.
Results from two infant clinical studies in Ghana and Mali and vaccine introduction impact data were presented to THE WHO Strategic Advisory Group of Experts on Immunization (SAGE) in October 2014
and these SAGE experts concluded that a one-dose schedule at 9 months of age or older was recommended to achieve sustainable disease control following the initial mass campaigns in 1-29 year olds.
Specifically, THE WHO prequalification that was announced today allows United nations procurement agencies to purchase the vaccine for use in routine immunization programs in meningitis-belt countries
while serving as an endorsement of quality for countries interested in adopting it. WHO is already working with African countries to ensure a smooth transition from mass campaigns to routine immunization
and so ensure sustainable disease control in the region. Seven countries (Burkina faso Cameroon, Chad, Ghana, Mali, Niger,
and Nigeria) are in line to introduce Menafrivac in their routine systems as early as 2015,
while mass vaccination campaigns will continue in remaining countries. Created in June 2001 with the goal of eliminating epidemic meningitis as a public health problem in Sub-saharan africa,
MVP was one of the earliest product development partnerships funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.
Menafrivac was the first vaccine developed outside"traditional pharma, "and the only vaccine developed specifically for people in Africa."
"With Menafrivac, we created a revolutionary new model for vaccine development and now we stand on the brink of protecting an entire generation,
and those to come, from a devastating disease, "said Dr. Kathy Neuzil, director of Vaccine Access and Delivery at PATH."
"Our efforts began with a request by African leaders to address a major health challenge affecting hundreds of millions of people,
and in less than a decade, we proved that a safe, effective vaccine could be developed and deployed across multiple countries at a price that was sustainable.""
""The benefits of childhood immunization last a lifetime and the Menafrivac vaccine is one of the greatest success stories that shows
what partners can accomplish when we commit together to a compelling cause, "said Chris Elias,
president of the Global Development program at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.""Prequalification of the Menafrivac vaccine for infants clears the way for the routine immunization of every child before his
or her first birthday to ensure long-term meningitis control.""""We are more than halfway through with introducing the vaccine in meningitis-belt countries,
and the first introductions have been a stunning success, "said Dr. Jeanmarie Okwo-Bele, director of THE WHO Department of Immunization, Vaccines and Biologicals."
"But we cannot yet declare a win on meningitis epidemics in Sub-saharan africa. If we rest on our laurels
and don't finish the job, meningitis epidemics will return in a major way in the years to come.
Elimination of meningitis epidemics will require meningitis belt countries'political commitment to complete the mass campaigns
and introduce the vaccine in the Expanded Programme on Immunization. Then and only then will we win the battle against meningitis. a
#Flexible methane production from electricity and biomass The variable operation modes were the biggest challenge during development says Project Head Siegfried Bajohr of the Engler-Bunte Institute (EBI) of KIT.
From the products of a biomass gasification plant i e. hydrogen carbon dioxide and carbon monoxide the Demosng pilot plant directly produces methane and water by means of a nickel catalyst (SNG operation.
If green power is available it is used for electrolysis and the production of additional hydrogen.
Then the volume flow in the plant can be doubled utilization of carbon from biomass will increase to nearly 100%and a large amount of usable waste heat will be produced by the catalyst (Ptg operation.
As conventional methanation processes reach their limits at this point we have developed a new reactor concept Bajohr says.
The initial feedstock flows meet in a honeycomb catalyst carrier that can be designed for the efficient operation of both modes and mixing states.
The Demosng plant shows that our concept also works in a large-scale pilot plant. Metallic honeycombs are used already as catalytic convertors of exhaust gas in cars.
They are characterized by a high thermal conductivity and mechanical robustness with a low pressure loss during alternating operation modes.
The Demosng plant was installed into a standard shipping container (12 m x 2. 4 m x 2. 4 m)
and is mobile. The first tests of operation at KIT have now been completed The plant will be moved to Koping in Sweden.
There it will be integrated into the gas flows of a biomass gasification plant utilizing wooden residues.
The honeycomb catalyst can be implemented easily in various plant sizes. In the future it might be possible to efficiently operate even smaller decentralized units e g. at rural biogas facilities.
Demosng shows the way to storing green power and transporting it in our gas grids in the form of methane Thomas Kolb Head of the Engler-Bunte Institute of KIT emphasizes.
Frank Graf Section Head of the test laboratory of the German Technical and Scientific Association of Gas and Water (DVGW) at KIT adds:
So far admixture of hydrogen in the natural gas grid has been limited to a few percent as storage distribution
and use require the solution of various technical problems. Methanation has the advantage that the infrastructure existing for the distribution
and storage of natural gas and the standard appliances can be used further without any modifications or readjustments being required.
Via an effective methanation wind and solar power can be fed into the natural gas grid without any limitations.
Demosng demonstrates how sustainable European innovations are Karl-Friedrich Ziegahn Head of the Natural and Built environment Division of KIT and Chairman of the Supervisory Board of the European KIC Innoenergy says.
With plants such as Demosng excessive green electricity can be used much better. For example it might be converted decentrally with the carbon dioxide produced by the about 800000 biogas facilities
and stored in the form of methane. Thanks to the newly developed honeycomb catalyst also smaller and medium-sized plants can be operated efficiently y
#3-D'pop-up'silicon structures: Transforming planar materials into 3-D microarchitectures Researchers at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign have developed a unique process for geometrically transforming two dimensional (2d) micro/nanostructures into extended 3d layouts
by exploiting mechanics principles similar to those found in children's'pop-up'books. Complex, 3d micro/nanostructures are ubiquitous in biology,
where they provide essential functions in even the most basic forms of life. Similar design strategies have great potential for use in a wide variety of human-made systems, from biomedical devices to microelectromechanical components, photonics and optoelectronics, metamaterials, electronics, energy storage
and more. Researchers noted that existing methods for forming 3d structures are constrained either highly in the classes of materials that can be used,
but none offers the ability to build microstructures that embed high performance semiconductors, such as silicon,"explained John Rogers,
a Swanlund Chair and professor of materials science and engineering at Illinois."We have presented a remarkably simple route to 3d that starts with planar precursor structures formed in nearly any type of material,
including the most advanced ones used in photonics and electronics. A stretched, soft substrate imparts forces at precisely defined locations across such a structure to initiate controlled buckling processes that induce rapid, large-area extension into the third dimension.
"Potential applications range from battery anodes, to solar cells, to 3d electronic circuits and biomedical devices.""The 3d transformation process involves a balance between the forces of adhesion to the substrate and the strain energies of the bent,
twisted elements that make up the planar precursors, "explained Sheng Xu, a postdoctoral fellow and co-author of the research paper."
"Basically, we print 2d structures onto a pre-strained elastomer substrate with selected bonding points.
Releasing the substrate to its original shape induces buckling processes that lift the weakly bonded regions of the 2d structure out of contact with the surface.
Compatibility with the most advanced materials (e g. monocrystalline inorganics), fabrication methods (e g. photolithography) and processing techniques (e g. etching, deposition) from the semiconductor and photonics industries suggest many possibilities for achieving sophisticated classes of 3d electronic
, optoelectronic, and electromagnetic devices.""With this scheme, diverse feature sizes and wide-ranging geometries can be realized in many different classes of materials,
including semiconductors, conductors and dielectrics.""""This work establishes the concepts and a framework of understanding.
We're now exploiting these ideas in the construction of high performance electronic scaffolds for actively guiding
and networks for 3d electronic systems that can bend and shape themselves to the organs of the human body.
and an affiliate of the Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology at Illinois. He also holds affiliate appointments in the departments of bioengineering, chemistry, electrical and computer engineering,
stretchable electronics, creating pliable products such as cameras with curved retinas, medical monitors in the form of temporary tattoos,
a soft sock that can wrap an arrhythmic heart in electronic sensors, and LED strips thin enough to be implanted directly into the brain to illuminate neural pathways.
His work in photovoltaics serves as the basis for commercial modules that hold the current world record in conversion efficiency.
and Rogers, co-authors of the paper,"Assembly of micro/nanomaterials into complex, three-dimensional architectures by compressive buckling,
Liu, 1 Dongqing Xiao, Guoyan Zhou, Jungwoo Lee, Ha Uk Chung, Huanyu Cheng, Wen Ren, Anthony Banks, Xiuling Li, Ungyu
and Yonggang Huang and Yihui Zhang (Northwestern University
#Neuroprosthetics for paralysis: Biocompatible flexible implant slips into the spinal cord EPFL scientists have managed to get rats walking on their own again using a combination of electrical and chemical stimulation.
But applying this method to humans would require multifunctional implants that could be installed for long periods of time on the spinal cord without causing any tissue damage.
This is precisely what the teams of professors Stéphanie Lacour and Grégoire Courtine have developed. Their e-Dura implant is designed specifically for implantation on the surface of the brain or spinal cord.
The small device closely imitates the mechanical properties of living tissue and can simultaneously deliver electric impulses and pharmacological substances.
The risks of rejection and/or damage to the spinal cord have been reduced drastically. An article about the implant will appear in early January in Science.
So-called"surface implants"have reached a roadblock; they cannot be applied long term to the spinal cord or brain, beneath the nervous system's protective envelope,
otherwise known as the"dura mater, "because when nerve tissues move or stretch, they rub against these rigid devices.
After a while, this repeated friction causes inflammation, scar tissue buildup, and rejection. An easy-does-it implant Flexible and stretchy,
the implant developed at EPFL is placed beneath the dura mater, directly onto the spinal cord. Its elasticity and its potential for deformation are almost identical to the living tissue surrounding it.
More rigid traditional implants would have caused significant nerve tissue damage during this period of time. The researchers tested the device prototype by applying their rehabilitation protocol
Not only did the implant prove its biocompatibility, but it also did its job perfectly, allowing the rats to regain the ability to walk on their own again after a few weeks of training."
"Our e-Dura implant can remain for a long period of time on the spinal cord or the cortex,
precisely because it has the same mechanical properties as the dura mater itself. This opens up new therapeutic possibilities for patients suffering from neurological trauma or disorders,
particularly individuals who have become paralyzed following spinal cord injury, "explains Lacour, co-author of the paper,
and holder of EPFL's Bertarelli Chair in Neuroprosthetic Technology. Flexibility of tissue, efficiency of electronics Developing the e-Dura implant was quite a feat of engineering.
As flexible and stretchable as living tissue it nonetheless includes electronic elements that stimulate the spinal cord at the point of injury.
The silicon substrate is covered with cracked gold electric conducting tracks that can be pulled and stretched.
The electrodes are made of an innovative composite of silicon and platinum microbeads. They can be deformed in any direction,
while still ensuring optimal electrical conductivity. Finally, a fluidic microchannel enables the delivery of pharmacological substances--neurotransmitters in this case--that will reanimate the nerve cells beneath the injured tissue.
The implant can also be used to monitor electrical impulses from the brain in real time. When they did this
"These include materials science, electronics, neuroscience, medicine, and algorithm programming. I don't think there are many places in the world where one finds the level of interdisciplinary cooperation that exists in our Center for Neuroprosthetics."
"For the time being, the e-Dura implant has been tested primarily in cases of spinal cord injury in paralyzed rats.
But the potential for applying these surface implants is huge--for example in epilepsy, Parkinson's disease and pain management.
The scientists are planning to move towards clinical trials in humans, and to develop their prototype in preparation for commercialization i
#New algorithm will allow better heart surgery experts say A new technique to help surgeons find the exact location of heart defects could save lives,
help them to treat patients more effectively and save health service cash. The development, by researchers at The University of Manchester, will allow noninvasive detection of the origin of heart problems
and allow more effective treatment. Currently it is hard to pinpoint the exact location of heart defects,
meaning patients have to spend extra time in the theatre as the surgeon finds the problem.
The more time taken in surgery the more likely problems are to develop, adding extra danger for patients and expense for the NHS.
Now the team at Manchester have come up with a new algorithm which will enable medics to exactly find the area of concern before any surgery takes place.
In the form of a type of electrocardiogram (ECG) map, once created, the algorithm will detect the origin of the heart defect,
cutting the amount of time in surgery for some patients. In a paper published in PLOS Computational biology,
Professor Henggui Zhang describes how the new algorithm had a success rate of 94%.%Using 3d computer modelling of the human heart,
it correctly identified the origin of the problems in 75/80 of the simulations, a much better rate than current technology.
In effect the new method will increase the resolution of the map, enabling much more accurate diagnosis. The next stage is to test it in the real world.
Henggui Zhang, Professor of Biological Physics at The University of Manchester and lead author of the study,
said:""The standard way we do electrocardiograms does not provide sufficient information to enable medical professionals to focus in clearly to the area of concern."
"This is a problem because the heart is so complex, so it can be hard to pin down exactly
which part is causing the problem with current diagnosing technology. That means more time in surgery, more chance for things to go wrong and worse outcomes for patients."
"What we have come up with here is a significant improvement over previous techniques. Using this new algorithm ECG map can help diagnose the location of cardiac disorder in a way which is better for the patients and more cost effective for health services
#Functional tissue-engineered intestine grown from human cells Published online January 8 by the American Journal of Physiology:
GI & Liver the work brings surgeons one step closer to helping human patients using this regenerative medicine technique.
Tissue-engineered small intestine (TESI) grows from stem cells contained in the intestine and offers a promising treatment for short bowel syndrome (SBS) a major cause of intestinal failure particularly in premature babies and newborns with congenital intestinal anomalies.
TESI may one day offer a therapeutic alternative to the current standard treatment which is intestinal transplantation
and could potentially solve its largest challenges--donor shortage and the need for lifelong immunosuppression.
Tracy C. Grikscheit MD a principal investigator in The Saban Research Institute of CHLA and its Developmental biology and Regenerative medicine program is also a pediatric surgeon at Children's Hospital Los angeles and an assistant professor of surgery at the Keck School of medicine
of the University of Southern California. Grikscheit aims to help her most vulnerable young patients including babies who are born prematurely
and develop a devastating disease called necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC) where life-threatening intestinal damage requires removal of large portions of the small intestine.
Without enough intestinal length the babies are dependent on intravenous feeding which is costly and may cause liver damage.
However in those initial studies--published in July 2011 in the biomedical journal Tissue Engineering Part A--only basic components of the intestine were identified.
For clinical relevance it remained necessary to more fully investigate intact components of function such as the ability to form a healthy barrier while still absorbing nutrition or specific mechanisms of electrolyte exchange.
The new study determined that mouse TESI is highly similar to the TESI derived from human cells
and that both contain important building blocks such as the stem and progenitor cells that will continue to regenerate the intestine as a living tissue replacement.
and disease and proven it to be fully functional as it develops from human cells said Grikscheit.
#Newly discovered antibiotic kills pathogens without resistance For years, pathogens'resis tance to antibi otics has put them one step ahead of researchers,
which is causing a public health crisis, according to Uni ver sity Dis tin guished Pro fessor Kim Lewis. But in new research,
Lewis and his col leagues present a newly dis cov ered antibi otic that elim
i nates pathogens without encoun tering any detectable resistance--a finding that chal lenges long-`held sci en tific beliefs and holds great promise for treating chronic infec
and receiving applause from the sci ence com mu nity, was pub lished Wednesday in the journal Nature.
North eastern researchers'pio neering work to develop a novel method for growing uncul tured bac teria led to the dis covery of the antibi otic, called teixobactin,
and Lewis'lab played a key role in ana lyzing and testing the com pound for resis tance from pathogens.
said this marks the first dis covery of an antibi otic to which resis tance by muta tions of pathogens have not been identified.
Lewis and North eastern biology pro fessor Slava Epstein co-`authored the paper with col leagues from the Uni ver sity of Bonn in Ger many, Novo Bi
otic Phar ma ceu ti cals in Cam bridge, Mass a chu setts, and Selcia Lim ited in the United kingdom. The research team says teixobactin's dis covery presents a promising new oppor tu nity to treat chronic infec tions caused by staphy lo coccus aureus,
Lewis then tested the com pound for resis tance devel op ment and did not find mutant MSRA or Mycobac terium tuber cu losis resis tant to teixobactin,
and Bio med ical Sci ences at Mcmaster Uni ver sity and who was involved not in this research, exam ined the team's work in a sep a rate article for Nature pub lished
the team's work could lead to iden ti fying"other'resistance-`light'antibiotics.""""The researchers')work offers hope that inno va tion
and cre ativity can com bine to solve the antibi otics crisis, "Wright wrote. Going for ward,
In 2013, Lewis revealed ground breaking research in a sep a rate paper pub lished By nature that pre sented a novel approach to treat and elim
Lewis said this latest research lays new ground to advance his inno v a tive work on treating MRSA and other chronic infections e
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