Countries Of Tropical Africa Research Articles

Caracterização dos acidentes por mordeduras por serpentes na província de Benguela, período 2019 – 2021

Introduction: Snakebites are a public health problem affecting tropical countries in Africa, Asia, and Latin America. In Angola there are no rigorous statistics or scientific studies that allow us to know the situation of the country. Objective: to characterize snakebite accidents in Benguela province, in the period 2019-2021. Material and Method: Observational, descriptive, cross-sectional, and prospective study. Universe made up of the total number of families in the municipalities with the highest incidence: Cubal, Lobito, Caimbambo and Chongoroi. The sample size was calculated with a 95% confidence level for a total of 124 households, represented by 1014 people. The residences were selected by simple random sampling. A structured interview was given to the head of the family, with prior informed consent. Data were analyzed in SPSS through absolute frequencies and percentages. Results: Of the heads of household, 73.3% are men, 76.6% work in the fields and 56% had primary education. Of the total number of people, 2.6% were bitten by snakes (26 people) and 3 died. Of the survivors, 13% had physical sequelae. Regarding knowledge, 64.5% identified it as the place with the highest incidence at home, 33.8% from 6 pm to 12 pm, 48.3% in the summer season, 100% applied traditional treatments, 94.4% correctly identified at least one, and 70.9% recognized bitis arietans. Regarding prevention measures, 49.1% do not know, although of the remaining 54.8% consider it better to wear shoes or boots. Conclusion: Angola needs to continue and increase community education programs to alleviate human suffering.

Community forest governance and synergies among carbon, biodiversity and livelihoods

Forest landscape restoration has emerged as a key strategy to sequester atmospheric carbon and conserve biodiversity while providing livelihood co-benefits for indigenous peoples and local communities. Using a dataset of 314 forest commons in human-dominated landscapes in 15 tropical countries in Africa, Asia and Latin America, we examine the relationships among carbon sequestered in above-ground woody biomass, tree species richness and forest livelihoods. We find five distinct clusters of forest commons, with co-benefits and trade-offs on multiple dimensions. The presence of a formal community management association and local participation in rule-making are consistent predictors of multiple positive outcomes. These findings, drawn from a range of contexts globally, suggest that empowered local forest governance may support multiple objectives of forest restoration. Our analysis advances understanding of institutional aspects of restoration while underscoring the importance of analysing the interconnections among multiple forest benefits to inform effective interventions for multifunctional tropical forests.

Therapeutic Potency of Mono- and Diprenylated Acetophenones: A Case Study of In-Vivo Antimalarial Evaluation

AbstractMalaria remains a febrile infection of public health concern in many countries especially tropical countries in Africa and certain countries in Southern and North America such as Brazil, Costa Rica, Mexico, Dominican Republic, Colombia, and Ecuador. Hence this has made research into this area paramount. Acetophenones are active fragments in many compounds with promising antimalarial activity, such as chalcones. The aim of the present study was to investigate antimalarial activity of 3,5-diprenyl acetophenone (I) and 5-diprenyl acetophenone (II) in in vivo. In this study, compounds I and II were synthesized using an aromatic substitution reaction. The in-vivo antimalarial potential of compounds I and II was analyzed in Plasmodium berghei-infected mice. Our data showed that compound I (25, 50, and 100 mg/kg) had promising antimalarial activity, with parasitemia inhibited rate being 68.03, 65.16, and 69.75%, respectively. Compound II dose-dependently inhibited parasitemia levels, it demonstrated an infinitesimally higher activity (72.12%) when compared with compound I (69.75%) at 100 mg/kg dose. The two compounds passed the rule of three, Lipinski's rule of five, predicted plausible pharmacokinetic profile (ADME), and apparent safety profile, and demonstrated drug-like fragments. The study provided guidance in exploring novel antimalarial compounds based on the scaffolds of prenylated acetophenones.

The Childhood Origins of Climate-Induced Mobility and Immobility.

The literature on climate exposures and human migration has focused largely on assessing short-term responses to temperature and precipitation shocks. In this paper, we suggest that this common coping strategies model can be extended to account for mechanisms that link environmental conditions to migration behavior over longer periods of time. We argue that early-life climate exposures may affect the likelihood of migration from childhood through early adulthood by influencing parental migration, community migration networks, human capital development, and decisions about household resource allocation, all of which are correlates of geographic mobility. After developing this conceptual framework, we evaluate the corresponding hypotheses using a big data approach, analyzing 20 million individual georeferenced records from 81 censuses implemented across 31 countries in tropical Africa, Latin America, and Southeast Asia. For each world region, we estimate regression models that predict lifetime migration (a change in residence between birth and ages 30-39) as a function of temperature and precipitation anomalies in early life, defined as the year prior to birth through age four. Results suggest that early-life climate is systematically associated with changes in the probability of lifetime migration in most regions of the tropics, with the largest effects observed in sub-Saharan Africa. In East and Southern Africa, the effects of temperature shocks vary by sex and educational attainment and in a manner that suggests women and those of lower socioeconomic status are most vulnerable. Finally, we compare our main results with models using alternative measures of climate exposures. This comparison suggests climate exposures during the prenatal period and first few years of life are particularly (but not exclusively) salient for lifetime migration, which is most consistent with the hypothesized human capital mechanism.

Life history parameters and predation capacities of Nesidiocoris volucer: a new biological control agent for tomato crop.

Whiteflies are one of the major pests of tomato under greenhouses, and their control partly relies on biocontrol strategies. Among those biocontrol agents, parasitoids or predators are widely used. However, the introduction of a biocontrol agent in a new area is not trivial. For that reason, we investigated the use of a tropical native mirid, Nesidiocoris volucer (Hemiptera: Miridae), for the biological control of whiteflies among other insect pests on tomato crops under greenhouses in the subtropical island of La Réunion, France. Nesidiocoris volucer life history traits and plant injury were examined. Nymphs developed and survived between 15 and 30°C and required on average 49.41 days at 15°C and on average 10.50 days at 30°C to develop (nymph survival >94%). At 25°C, each female produced on average 65 eggs. Nesidiocoris volucer was able to feed on several prey species, but performed better on whiteflies than on spider mites or thrips. No N. volucer feeding injury was observed on tomato. Nesidiocoris volucer has also been found in tropical countries of Africa, and we believe that the data presented on this natural enemy could be of great importance for the biocontrol of whiteflies in tropical areas.

Особливості формування партійних систем країн Тропічної Африки

The peculiarities of party building in the countries of Tropical (Sub-Saharan, Black) Africa are characterized. It is emphasized that party building takes place within the framework of a non-Western type of political process. The main features of the political process for the countries of Tropical Africa are highlighted: 1) a specific way of organizing power, which combines the principles and institutions of old (traditional, colonial) and new forms of autocracy and democracy; 2) the institution of elections is the only full-fledged democratic institution in Africa, although the procedures for their holding are constantly violated; 3) a long stay in power of one party and the constancy of political leaders; 4) presidential-parliamentary form of government, which is essentially presidential; 5) lack of stabilizing rational bureaucracy; 6) significant (sometimes dominant) influence of the army on the political process; 7) underdevelopment of civil society; 8) weakness of political parties, their clan nature, evolution towards the regime of personal power, populist strategies of their activities; 9) tribalism; 10) hybrid political regime. The main periods of the development of political parties in the countries of Tropical Africa are distinguished and studied: the first: between the First and Second World Wars (the birth of political parties); the second: 1945–1970 (formation of multi-party system); the third: the 80s of the XX century. (dominance of one-party systems); the fourth: starting from the 1990s, the main characteristic of which is the transition to multipartyism.The main characteristics of political parties in Tropical Africa are studied: the impossibility of determining the number of parties; weakness of the organizational structure; narrowed program and ideological spectrum of parties; great typological diversity. A typology of political parties is proposed: 1) Traditional parties of the local elite; 2) Customer batches; 3) Class mass parties; 4) Pluralist mass parties; 5) Nationalist parties; 6) Mono-ethnic parties; 7) Polyethnic (congress) parties (union, coalition of ethnic parties); 8) Religious parties; 9) Fundamentalist parties and neo-totalitarian religious parties; 10) Electoral parties; 11) Personalist parties; 12) Parties-movements; 13) Parties of "new politics"/ one or two topical issues. Conclusions are made regarding the peculiarities of the functioning of political parties in the countries of Tropical Africa in the conditions of democratic transit, as a rule, this is a hybrid political regime.

Soviet Doctors in Tropical Africa in the 1960s and Early 1970s (Based on Materials from the AVP RF, RGAE and RGASPI)

This article is devoted to the development of the Soviet-African relations in the line of health care and the experience of Soviet doctors in some countries of tropical Africa in the 1960s — early 1970s. They were thousands of kilometers away from home together with a huge number of other specialists of different profiles in the framework of the USSR unified strategy towards the friendly countries of the African continent to implement joint projects and help the young states in Africa. This article is based on materials from federal archives (AVP RF, RGAE, RGASPI) that have preserved information on the organization of medical facilities, training institutions, supplies of medical equipment, the peculiarities, complexities and realities of Guinea, Mali, Ghana, Tanzania and Zambia.

An updated insight into the gastrointestinal helminthoses of poultry: a review.

This review article provides more information about the incidence of helminths affect the gastrointestinal tracts of poultry in different countries, life cycle, clinical picture, diagnosis, and prevention and control measures of such infections. Backyard and deep litter production systems show higher helminth infections than cage system. Moreover, the incidence of helminth infection is more common in tropical countries of Africa and Asia than of European ones due to the suitability of environment and management conditions. Nematodes and cestodes are the most common gastrointestinal helminths of avian species, followed by trematodes. The life cycles of helminths may be direct or indirect, but the infection is usually through faecal-oral route. Affected birds show general signs, low production performance parameters, and even death due to intestinal obstruction and rupture. Lesions of the infected birds reveal catarrhal to haemorrhagic enteritis according to the severity of infection. Diagnosis of affection is mainly based on post mortem examination or microscopic detection of eggs or parasites. As internal parasites adversely affect the host causing poor feed utilization and low performance, thus intervention control strategies are urgent. Prevention and control strategies are relied on application of strict biosecurity measures, eradication of intermediate hosts, early routine diagnosis, and continuous application of specific anthelmintic drugs. Deworming using herbal medicine is recent and successful and may be good alternative to chemicals. In conclusion, helminth infections of poultry remain a major hurdle against the profitable production in poultry producing countries and necessary preventive and control measures should be strictly applied by poultry producers.

Estimates of the possible economic effect of the demographic dividend for sub-Saharan Africa for the period up to 2036

An acceleration of economic growth in Tropical Africa is currently expected due to the demographic bonus. These expectations are based on the assumptions of an accelerating decline in fertility in the countries of Tropical Africa. At the same time, it should be noted that a significant number of countries in the region have faced rather long periods of no decline in fertility, or even some fertility increase. Accordingly, the scenario of an accelerated fertility decline is by no means guaranteed. Moreover, in order to receive a demographic bonus, a specific employment policy (aimed at full-time employment) is required, as well as policies related to wages and social issues. However, the implementation of these measures should not be taken for granted; it is possible that they will not be implemented. This raises the question of the difference between development scenarios taking place with or without such measures. We model these two scenarios and compare them, revealing a significant impact of the demographic bonus on GDP per capita, which should be expected in various African countries under the scenario of an accelerated decline in fertility. For Nigeria and Niger, the differences in growth rates are most pronounced, and the demographic bonus is the largest. An accelerated decline in fertility could boost economic growth in Nigeria by 2.5 times, or 2.7 percentage points. However, this scenario is definitely not guaranteed. Our analysis provides several reasons to seriously doubt the prospects for an “automatic” fertility transition in Tropical Africa in the next few decades.

The Political Crisis of 2020–2021 in Mali

The subject of consideration is the 2020 crisis in Mali. The events are viewed in the context of the geopolitical transformations taking place in West Africa. The purpose of the study is to find out the causes and consequences of military and political cataclysms that threaten the state integrity of Mali and the stability of the situation in Tropical Africa. The situation in Mali remains poorly known: it is not clear what forces will determine the vector of its political and military-strategic development. It is obvious that France is losing its influence in the region, which is largely due to the emergence of new actors in international relations here. This, in turn, allows Africans to diversify their foreign economic and political orientations. The author assumes that the named processes will provoke an intense competition for influence in the countries of Tropical Africa.

Schistosomiasis with a Focus on Africa.

Schistosomiasis is a common neglected tropical disease of impoverished people and livestock in many developing countries in tropical Africa, the Middle East, Asia, and Latin America. Substantial progress has been made in controlling schistosomiasis in some African countries, but the disease still prevails in most parts of sub-Saharan Africa with an estimated 800 million people at risk of infection. Current control strategies rely primarily on treatment with praziquantel, as no vaccine is available; however, treatment alone does not prevent reinfection. There has been emphasis on the use of integrated approaches in the control and elimination of the disease in recent years with the development of health infrastructure and health education. However, there is a need to evaluate the present status of African schistosomiasis, primarily caused by Schistosoma mansoni and S. haematobium, and the factors affecting the disease as the basis for developing more effective control and elimination strategies in the future. This review provides an historical perspective of schistosomiasis in Africa and discusses the current status of control efforts in those countries where the disease is endemic.

Haemoglobin phenotypes and the risk of asymptomatic malaria parasitemia among blood donors in northwest Nigeria: clinical implications in the practice of tropical transfusion medicine

Background: In malaria-endemic populations, sickle cell trait (SCT) protects against both severe and non-severe malaria, but inconsistencies exist about protective effect of SCT on asymptomatic malarial parasitemia (AMP). Surprisingly, the effect of Hb-phenotypes on AMP has not been explored among blood donors in Nigeria or other malaria-endemic countries, where risks of AMP and transfusion transmitted malaria (TTM) are high. The objective of this study is to determine risk of AMP with respect to donor Hb-phenotypes (SCT versus HbAA), and elucidate clinical implications of AMP with respect to risk of TTM vis-à-vis the practice of transfusion medicine in Nigeria, and by implication other malaria-endemic tropical countries.Methodology: Analysis of 100 blood donors with AMP (cases) and 100 donors without AMP (controls) was performed. Frequencies of SCT and HbAA (determined by Hb electrophoresis) among cases and controls were compared by X2 -test. Risks of AMP (detected by microscopy) with respect to Hb-phenotypes were expressed as Odds ratios (OR) by case-control logistic regression.Results: In comparison with blood donor without AMP (controls), donors with AMP had lower frequencies of SCT (12% vs 28%, p<0.05) with corresponding higher frequencies of HbAA (88% vs 72%, p<0.05). HbAA is associated with high risk of AMP (OR=2.91, 95%CI: 2.10-3.48, p=0.021), while SCT is associated low risk of AMP (OR=0.49, 95%CI: 0.27-0.73, p=0.032).Conclusion: This finding shows that donor SCT is a surreptitious mitigator of the risk of AMP and TTM in the tropics. Therefore, patients who are selectively transfused with HbAA blood (e. g. neonates and sickle cell disease patients) could be at greater risks of TTM, and such patients need closer post transfusion monitoring. The risk of TTM calls for diligent post transfusion haemovigilance in Nigeria and other malaria endemic tropical countries in Africa
 Keywords: blood donors, sickle cell trait, asymptomatic malaria parasitemia, transfusion transmitted malaria

Comparative genomics of swine leukocyte antigen class I of Nigerian and Kenyan pigs

The classical genes are a member of immunoglobulin gene family that is involved in the presentation of antigen peptides. They are located in every nucleated cell surface, except in neurons and trophoblasts. They are synthesized in infected cell (viral infection), binding to viral proteins and giving rise to Swine Leucocyte Antigen (SLA) I- antigen complex. In the study, the SLA class I gene of Nigerian pigs with pigs from Kenya along with archived sequences from Asia and American pigs available on Genbank to gain a better understanding of matrilineal origin of Nigerian and Kenyan pigs. Gain insight into demographic distribution, their domestication and adaptation were compared. The deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) was extracted from 90 pigs (60 Nigerian pigs (NP) and 30 pigs from Kenya) using Invitrogen Kit, quantified by using Nanodrop, and amplified by using Polymerase Chain Reaction. The expected bands were purified and sequenced for SLA class I. The sequences were aligned and phylogenetic tree was analyzed by using MEGA 6. BLAST (Basic Local Alignment Search Tools) was conducted in NCBI (National Center for Biotechnology Information). The sequences of Nigerian pigs and Kenya pigs were compared with published pig data in GenBank. Neighboring Joint (NJ) tree constructed with sequences from Nigeria, Kenya and other pigs from GenBank revealed that some of the NP clustered together with Asian pigs at the middle of the tree while some clustered just above the Kenyan below the tree and the outgroup homosapien stood out. The result from the calculation of total number of segregating sites gave the negative Tajima's D value (-0.181) while the non-significant difference (p > 0.05) obtained from the result showed that the null hypothesis was not rejected. In conclusion, there is genetic difference between the Nigerian and Kenyan pigs based on the phylogeny tree constructed. There is an excess of low frequency polymorphisms relative to population size. This may be as a result of evolutionary forces during course of adaptation in tropical countries in Africa.

Tuberculosis and malaria walk side by side in the Brazilian Amazon: an ecological approach.

To assess the spatial distribution of TB and malaria incidence, as well as their spatial association with each other, regardless of environmental and socio-economic factors commonly reported as determinants of both disease rates among the municipalities of Amazonas State, Brazil between 2012 and 2015. Through an ecological approach considering municipalities of Amazonas, Brazil, as unit of analysis, a negative binomial regression model was used to assess association between malaria and TB rates, in which the dependent variable was the average municipal tuberculosis incidence rate. Positive associations of overall malaria (β=0.100 [CI=0.032, 0.168], P=0.004), P.vivax malaria (β=0.115 [CI=0.036, 0.195], P=0.005), and P.falciparum malaria (β=0.389 [CI=-0.0124, 0.791], P=0.057) with TB rates were found, regardless of the sociodemographic factors included in the study. In the Brazilian Amazon, TB and malaria are spatially associated. Therefore, it is very likely that co-infections also occur in this region, regardless of the HIV status.

Африканский капкан для Эммануэля Макрона

Статья посвящена выяснению причин наращивания Францией военного присутствия в странах Тропической Африки. История африканской политики Пятой республики рассматривается в контексте энергетического кризиса, порожденного истощением запасов урановых руд на территории Франции. Специфика энергосистемы Французской республики состоит в несоразмерно высокой доле (около 75%) электроэнергии, вырабатываемой на АЭС. Это обстоятельство обусловливает зависимость бывшей метрополии от закупок урановой руды в странах субсахарской Африки, бывших в прошлом колониями Французской империи. По мнению автора, в условиях обострения конкурентной борьбы за африканские минеральные ресурсы Франция может сохранить свои эксклюзивные права на закупку сахельского урана по демпинговым ценам, только наращивая свое военное присутствие в зоне Сахеля и Центральной Африке. Автор обосновывает вывод о том, что президент Э. Макрон столкнулся с почти неразрешимой проблемой: чем выше затраты на военные операции, тем дороже африканский уран для французских АЭС, тем меньше смысла в проведении дорогостоящей военной кампании на Черном континенте.

Review: mine tailings in an African tropical environment-mechanisms for the bioavailability of heavy metals in soils.

Heavy metals are of environmental significance due to their effect on human health and the ecosystem. One of the major exposure pathways of Heavy metals for humans is through food crops. It is postulated in the literature that when crops are grown in soils which have excessive concentrations of heavy metals, they may absorb elevated levels of these elements thereby endangering consumers. However, due to land scarcity, especially in urban areas of Africa, potentially contaminated land around industrial dumps such as tailings is cultivated with food crops. The lack of regulation for land-usage on or near to mine tailings has not helped this situation. Moreover, most countries in tropical Africa have not defined guideline values for heavy metals in soils for various land uses, and even where such limits exist, they are based on total soil concentrations. However, the risk of uptake of heavy metals by crops or any soil organisms is determined by the bioavailable portion and not the total soil concentration. Therefore, defining bioavailable levels of heavy metals becomes very important in HM risk assessment, but methods used must be specific for particular soil types depending on the dominant sorption phases. Geochemical speciation modelling has proved to be a valuable tool in risk assessment of heavy metal-contaminated soils. Among the notable ones is WHAM (Windermere Humic Aqueous Model). But just like most other geochemical models, it was developed and adapted on temperate soils, and because major controlling variables in soils such as SOM, temperature, redox potential and mineralogy differ between temperate and tropical soils, its predictions on tropical soils may be poor. Validation and adaptation of such models for tropical soils are thus imperative before such they can be used. The latest versions (VI and VII) of WHAM are among the few that consider binding to all major binding phases. WHAM VI and VII are assemblages of three sub-models which describe binding to organic matter, (hydr)oxides of Fe, Al and Mn and clays. They predict free ion concentration, total dissolved ion concentration and organic and inorganic metal ion complexes, in soils, which are all important components for bioavailability and leaching to groundwater ways. Both WHAM VI and VII have been applied in a good number of soils studies with reported promising results. However, all these studies have been on temperate soils and have not been tried on any typical tropical soils. Nonetheless, since WHAM VII considers binding to all major binding phases, including those which are dominant in tropical soils, it would be a valuable tool in risk assessment of heavy metals in tropical soils. A discussion of the contamination of soils with heavy metals, their subsequent bioavailability to crops that are grown in these soils and the methods used to determine various bioavailable phases of heavy metals are presented in this review, with an emphasis on prospective modelling techniques for tropical soils.

Differential Response of Biomass Production and Nitrogen Uptake of Vegetable Amaranth to Two Types of Poultry Manure from Nigeria and Canada

Amaranthus cruentus is one of the sixty Amaranthus species of world. It is widely grown as a green leafy vegetable and for its grain in many tropical countries of Africa, Central and South American, Canada, Mexico and parts of Asia. Depleted soil fertility under intensive cultivation is a major limitation to production of the vegetable. The study investigated the effects of two types of poultry manure on biomass yield and nutrient uptake of Amaranth cruentus in a greenhouse at the University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada in 2011. The experiment was a 2 × 3 × 3 factorial arranged into a Randomized Completely Block Design and replicated three times. The factors were two soil types, two sources of poultry manure and urea, and N rates at 0, 60 and 120 kg⋅N⋅ha−1. Nitrogen uptake by the plants that treated with poultry manure from Canada (PMC) and Urea was 172.5 vs. 171.4 mg⋅pot−1 and 169.5 vs. 163.7 mg⋅pot−1 respectively which were significantly greater than the poultry manure from Nigeria (PMN), 100.6 mg⋅pot−1 and 110.0 mg⋅pot−1 for Red River and Glenhope soil series, respectively. Nitrogen uptake was similar at the N rates of 60 and 120 kg⋅N⋅ha−1 (140.7 vs. 155.6 mg⋅pot−1) in the Red River soil, while N uptake at 120 kg⋅N⋅ha−1 was greater than at 60 kg⋅N⋅ha−1 in Glenhope soil. Shoot dry matter of the vegetable grown in soils treated with PMC and urea was significantly greater than from PMN in Red River soil (10.1, 9.6 and 6.7 g⋅pot−1) and in Glenhope soil (8.8, 8.1 and 6.4 g⋅pot−1). Phosphorus, K, Ca and Mg uptake at 60 and 120 kg⋅</

DICOMA ANOMALA SOND.: A REVIEW OF ITS BOTANY, ETHNOMEDICINE, PHYTOCHEMISTRY AND PHARMACOLOGY

Dicoma anomala is used as herbal medicine to treat and manage fever, coughs, colds, sore throats, abdominal pain, diarrhea, dysentery, constipation, intestinal worms, and sexually transmitted infections in tropical Africa. The aim of this study was to summarize the research that has been done on the ethnomedicinal uses, phytochemistry, and pharmacological properties of D. anomala in tropical Africa. The literature search for information on ethnomedicinal uses and pharmacological activities of D. anomala was undertaken using databases such as Web of Science, Scopus, Google Scholar, Science Direct, BioMed Central, PubMed, and Springer link. Other relevant literature sources included books, book chapters, websites, theses, conference papers, and other scientific publications. This study showed that D. anomala is used as herbal medicine in 57.1% of the countries in tropical Africa where it is indigenous. The species is used to treat 66 and five human and animal diseases, respectively. Several classes of secondary metabolites including acetylenic compounds, diterpene, flavonoids, phenols, phytosterols, saponins, sesquiterpenes, tannins and triterpenes have been isolated from D. anomala. Different aqueous and organic extracts of D. anomala exhibited anthelmintic, anticancer, antihyperglycemic, anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial, antioxidant, antiplasmodial, and hepatoprotective activities. The documented information on the botany, ethnomedicinal uses, phytochemistry, and pharmacological properties of D. anomala provide baseline data required for further ethnopharmacological studies on the species.

Promoting teaching and research on African fungi by field schools on tropical mycology in Benin

In 2015, 2016, and 2017, three international field schools on tropical mycology were realized in Benin by the University of Parakou, Benin, in collaboration with the University of Frankfurt, Germany. A total of 69 participants from 14 countries of tropical Africa and three different countries of Europe included 61 student participants from Africa and Germany as well as eight African and international teachers. By demonstrations and collecting fungi in the field, light microscopic analysis of the specimens collected, literature analysis, checklist work, and seminars, knowledge on fungal diversity, systematics, morphology, and ecology was shared and generated. Through joint field and laboratory activities, participants were motivated to pursue studies in mycology in order to contribute not only to general knowledge on tropical fungi, but also promote sustainable management of fungi in forestry, agriculture, and the environment, as well as to use fungi for food, medicine, and other applications.

Ethnopharmacology and Therapeutic Value of Bridelia micrantha (Hochst.) Baill. in Tropical Africa: A Comprehensive Review.

Bridelia micrantha is traditionally used in tropical Africa to treat a wide range of human and animal diseases. The aim of this study was to summarise the research that has been done on the ethnomedicinal uses, phytochemistry and pharmacological properties of B. micrantha so as to understand its importance and potential value in primary healthcare systems. The literature search for information on ethnomedicinal uses and pharmacological activities of B. micrantha was undertaken using databases such as Web of Science, Scopus, Google Scholar, Science Direct, BioMed Central (BMC), PubMed and Springerlink. Other relevant literature sources included books, book chapters, websites, theses, conference papers and other scientific publications. This study showed that B. micrantha is used as herbal medicine in just over half (57.3%) of the countries in tropical Africa where it is indigenous. A total of 54 ethnomedicinal uses of B. micrantha have been recorded with a high degree of consensus on burns, wounds, conjunctivitis, painful eyes, constipation, gastric ulcers, cough, headache, rheumatism, painful joints, dysentery, ethnoveterinary medicine, malaria, sexually transmitted infections, stomach ache, tape worms and diarrhoea. Different plant parts, aqueous and organic extracts exhibited anthelmintic, antimicrobial, anticonvulsant and sedative, antidiabetic, antidiarrhoeal, antinociceptive, antioxidant, antiplasmodial, antischistosomal, hepatoprotective, insecticidal and β-lactamase inhibitory activities.