To the Editor:With the popularity of liver transplantation(LT)and the inspiration for long-time survival,issues related to evaluating the liver allograft have increased in recent years[1-3].Although there has been renewed interest in non-invasive methods to evaluate diffuse liver disease,liver biopsy is still the golden standard in clinical practice,particularly for liver transplant recipients(LTRs).The liver biopsy has always been performed in LTRs as a part of standard procedure in cases whose liver function was normal,named as protocol liver biopsy,or to identify histological abnormalities for abnormal liver function and provide guidance for the adjustment of immunosuppressive regimen[4,5].Percutaneous liver biopsy(PLB)has been frequently conducted in LTRs;however,the clinical implementation of protocol liver biopsy by PLB in LTRs is challenging due to their suboptimal compliance,particularly in China[6].Besides,the PLB procedure has been associated with discomfort and potentially life-threatening complications in the general population,as reported in the literature[7,8].
Introduction: Valvular heart diseases, often linked to rheumatic heart disease, represent a major cause of cardiovascular morbidity in sub-Saharan Africa. This study reports the preliminary outcomes of surgical treatment for valvular heart diseases initiated at the Yaoundé General Hospital (YGH) by an entirely local team. Materials and Methods: Between September 2022 and November 2024, 37 patients underwent surgery for valvular heart diseases at YGH. A retrospective analysis of clinical, operative, and postoperative data was conducted using R software (version 4.4.0). Results: Male patients predominated, with a sex ratio of 1.17. The median age at the time of surgery was 40 years (interquartile range [IQR]: 25.0 - 51.0). Dyspnea was the main symptom at admission, reported in 36 patients (97.3%). Rheumatic etiologies were the most frequent (25 cases, 67.57%), followed by atherosclerotic lesions (6 cases, 16.2%) and degenerative lesions (4 cases, 10.83%). Among the 37 patients, 19 (51.4%) underwent mitral valve replacement, 11 (29.7%) aortic valve replacement, 6 (16.2%) double mitral-aortic valve replacement, and 1 (2.7%) tricuspid valve replacement. Mechanical prostheses were implanted in 27 patients (73%), while 10 patients (27%) received biological prostheses. The median duration of cardiopulmonary bypass and aortic clamping was 101 minutes (IQR: 84.75 - 146.25) and 73 minutes (IQR: 55.75 - 116.25), respectively. The median duration of mechanical ventilation and ICU stay were 2 hours (IQR: 2 - 3) and 3 days (IQR: 2 - 4), respectively. The most frequent complication was postoperative anemia requiring blood transfusion in 16 patients (43.2%). Three patients (8.1%) required reoperation for bleeding. There was no in-hospital mortality. Conclusion: Valvular heart diseases treated at YGH are predominantly of rheumatic origin. Valve replacement was by far the most commonly used technique. Early outcomes are satisfactory and encouraging.
Laurence Carole Ngo YonCharles Mve MvondoHermann Nestor Tsague KengniZephanie Fokalbo KobeSépolin LoweSeck M’Baye M’Baye SalissouAmos Ela BellaFabrice Stéphane Arroye BetoMireille Dakleu DatchouaHybi Langtar MianrohHamidou LaouanAmadou DaoudaAlain Patrick MenangaBernadette Ngo NongaVincent De Paul Djientcheu
After the Wenchuan earthquake on May 12, 2008 and the rainstorm and debris flow on August 14, 2010, the vegetation in Hongchun Gully, Yingxiu town is gradually recovering naturally, and the plant community is gradually undergoing community succession. Based on the field vegetation survey data of 46 quadrats in 5 field plots, this study comprehensively analyzed the plant community, species number changes and vegetation characteristics of Hongchun Gully in Yingxiu town at different stages of vegetation succession after the earthquake by using the unified method. The results show that: 1) There are 61 families, 96 genera and 110 species of plants on the Hongchun Gully landslide. Among them, Cunninghamia lanceolata is the most widely distributed, and together with Cryptomeria japonica, it constitutes the main dominant species in the tree layer;The dominant species in shrub layer are Rubussp., Hydrangea strigosa, Rubus tephrodes, etc. The dominant species in herb layer are Artemisia argyi, Stellaria media and Senecio scandens. 2) The vegetation restoration in Hongchun Gully is relatively good, with herbs as the main species in the early stage of succession, shrubs and herbs as the main species in the middle stage of succession and trees as the main species in the late stage of succession;And the longer the succession time, the better the vegetation restoration and the richer the species. 3) Vegetation succession is related to the succession time, and the succession is always in the direction of strong adaptability. The study provides important data reference for further discussing the natural restoration and succession process and mechanism of plant communities on the damaged landslide formed after the earthquake, and provides theoretical basis for vegetation restoration and ecological reconstruction in the hardest hit areas in southwest China after the earthquake.
EHL-2 spherical torus(ST)is one of the key steps of p-^(11)B(proton-boron or hydrogen-boron)fusion energy research in ENN.The fusion produced energy is carried mainly by alpha particles of average energy 3 MeV,which ideally can be converted to electricity with high efficiency(>80%).However,there exist serious difficulties to realize such conversion in a fusion device,due to the high energy density and high voltage required.To comprehensively describe the progress of the EHL-2 physics design,this work presents preliminary considerations of approaches for achieving energy conversion,highlighting critical issues for further investigation.Specifically,we provide an initial simulation of alpha particle extraction in the EHL-2 ST configuration as a starting point for p-^(11)B fusion energy conversion.
Huasheng XIEXiang GUYumin WANGQuanyun WANGFeng WANGHaozhe KONGJiaqi DONGYunfeng LIANGYueng-Kay Martin PENGMinsheng LIUthe EHL-2 Team
Metasedimentary rocks of the Banfora belt are examined for their petrography geochemistry and genesis. The main formations are pelite metapelites sandstone, and metagraywackes. The first ones show a fine interlocking layering with unclear graded bedding in the sandstone compared to the metapelites, while the metagraywackes show a clearly discordant graded bedding of light grey to light pink color. The low SiO2/Al2O3 ratios (3.67 to 6.60) suggest their low sedimentary maturity. The metapelites and sandstone-pelites show moderate Na2O/K2O values (10.13 - 22.69), indicating moderate chemical maturity;in contrast, the metagraywackes show low Na2O/K2O values (1.94 - 5.80) suggesting low chemical maturity. The metapelites, sandstone-pelites and metagraywackes have Rb/Sr ratios of 0.866 - 0.004 and 0.173 - 0.607 respectively, indicating a moderate to low degree of chemical alteration. The chemical alteration index (CIA = 58 - 83) and the plagioclase alteration index (PIA = 53 - 81) suggest weak to moderate alteration of the source rocks. This alteration is different from simple alteration as the sole control of chemical composition, but is associated with metasomatism. The metapelites sandstone shows a mixture of mafic and intermediate igneous sources, which indicates that the protoliths could be basalts and andesites, but the metagraywackes would be derived from the erosion of a mixture of andesitic to granitic rocks. The studied rocks were generated from young undifferentiated to differentiated arcs. They are of low to moderate sedimentary and chemical maturity.
Hermann IlboudoBernadin GnamouWilfried Antoine Bassou ToeMarc Ephrem Allialy
Insects represent an important taxon for the functioning of ecosystems. They also contribute to human and animal nutrition and are vector agents of several diseases. In Congo-Brazzaville the diversity of entomofauna is very little known. The present study aimed to investigate ponds. The inventory of insects was conducted in ponds Ngatsouéné and Yo, the first one was located in the center of Djambala and the last one was 2 km from the center of the city. The insects were caught with an entomological net from 23rd to 24th December 2012. The study identifies 37 species belonging to 17 families and 7 orders. This entomofauna study showed a high proportion of the Orthoptera order (27.20%). Family Mantidae has the largest species number (13.51%). Mantis sp is the most abundant species (13.51%). This is a database and therefore, should be extended to different aquatic ecosystems of the Department of Plateaux. The results obtained during this study will contribute to the development of a database for the management of entomofauna in Congo.
Tsoumou AnthelmeMikia MarcellinOlabi-Obath Durelle Brith CaelleMady-Goma Dirat IsabelleVouidibio Joseph
