We identify bacteria types on collected dust samples in Dakar Senegal, a region that experiences frequent Saharan dust events. We use classical techniques to identify bacteria types from dust samples. Seventy-seven bacteria types are identified from samples collected by spatula and the QuickTake® 30 air sampling pump. The dominant groups in the first batch of 51 bacteria (collected via deposition) are Micrococcus (33.33%), Bacillus (13.73%), Kytococcus (11.76%), Pseudomonas (9.80%), and Burkholderia (7.84%) and dominants in the second batch of 26 bacteria (collected with aerosol sampling vacuum pump): Pseudomonas (38.61%), Burkholderia (26.92%), Micrococcus (11.54%), and Brucella spp (7.69%). These bacteria are found in earlier studies from desert sources and can potentially cause respiratory diseases to exposed populations. Future work will use molecular methods is necessary to search for additional pathogens, including viruses on dust aerosols.Plain Language Summary Bacteria on the surfaces of Saharan dust samples collected from 2013-2016 were analyzed using traditional techniques at Dakar, Senegal. The samples were collected using a spatula and the QuickTake® 30 air sampling pump. The analysis finds some bacteria that are linked to respiratory disease, including Micrococcus, Burkholderia, and Pseudomonas. We believe that the spatula technique may include bacteria such as Bacillus from soils, which was not present in airborne samples. Additional analysis using genomic techniques will assist in better identifying bacteria and potential pathogens, which can impacts West African populations and are transported downstream over long distances to the Caribbean, Southeastern United States, South America, and Europe. During the dry season, PM 10 surface dust concentrations can reach hazardous levels with Marticornea et al. (2010) and Diokhane et al. (2016), showing frequent daily surface PM 10 concentrations exceeding 500 μg m −3 , which is 10 times the World Health Organization (2006) recommended daily levels of 50 μg m −3 . During the summer season, Toure et al. (2019) show that PM 10 monthly concentrations at Dakar, Senegal fall below the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency criteria of unhealthy levels (250 μg m −3 ), and monthly values are approximately 50 μg m −3 during August and September. The reduction in summer PM 10 and PM 2.5

La gomme sterculia est produite par Sterculia setigera Del. en Afrique. Ses propriétés physicochimiques changent suivant divers facteurs dont l'influence sur sa qualité a été peu étudiée. C'est dans cette perspective que l'humidité, le pH, le pouvoir gonflant et la viscosité de cette gomme ont été évalués au Sénégal (Daoudi, Malem niani et Bala). Les résultats ont montré que son humidité varie en fonction du phénotype (écorce claire ou foncée). Elle a été plus élevée sur la gomme de la période sèche-chaude à Daoudi mais elle n'a pas changé suivant le site après un an de conservation. Son pH a varié en fonction de l'interaction période de saignée-couleur de l'écorce à Malem Niani alors qu'à Daoudi il a varié suivant la période de saignée seulement. A Malem, son gonflement a aussi varié suivant l'interaction période de saignée-couleur de l'écorce. Après un an de conservation (température ambiante), son pouvoir gonflant a diminué dans tous les sites. Sa viscosité a été 3,5 fois plus élevée à Bala qu'à Daoudi et Malem Niani. Ces résultats ont permis d'acquérir de nouvelles connaissances et d'identifier Bala comme ayant la meilleure qualité de gomme par rapport aux deux autres sites.

We investigated relationship between galectin-3 (Gal-3) levels and T lymphocytes apoptosis and the activation rates in breast cancer during chemotherapy. We used plasma samples from 112 women classified into two groups: 70 women with breast cancer (BC) and submitted to neoadjuvant chemotherapy (3 cycles) and 42 healthy women used as controls. In the group of BC, blood samples were taken before each cycle of chemotherapy and Gal-3 levels was evaluated by ELISA sandwich. Flow cytometry was used to study T cells apoptosis and activation. Before treatment, median value of Gal-3 was 6.31 ng/ml (range 1.07 -50.74) in BC and 0.84 ng/ml (range 0.00 -4.82) in HC. Gal-3 levels were highest in plasmas from BC (p < 0.001). During the same period, proportions of apoptotic T lymphocytes were highest in BC compared to HC (p < 0.05). Similar results were observed about T cells activation. According to clinical symptoms, we observed, in the group of patients with a low or null response to chemotherapy, a positive correlation between gal-3 levels and tumor size (rho = 0.48; p = 0.010). In addition, we found a dynamic relationship between gal-3 levels, tumor size and T lymphocytes apoptosis rates during treatment depending to the cure efficiency. We suggest gal-3 plasma concentrations could be used as predictive biomarker for chemotherapy efficiency in breast cancer patients.

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Galectin‐3 is a member of the lectin family encoded by the LGALS3 gene on chromosome 14. It is secreted by a wide range of immune cells and mammary tumor cells. Through its activity on the tumor microenvironment, in particular on tumor‐infiltrating leukocytes, galectin‐3 improves the proliferation, survival, and colonizing ability of mammary neoplastic cells. Consequently, galectin‐3 expression in the tumor microenvironment could worsen therapeutic outcomes of breast neoplasms and become a biomarker and a therapeutic target in combined immunotherapy in breast neoplasms. There is a limited amount of information that is available on galectin‐3 in breast cancer in Africa. In this review, we analyze how galectin‐3 influences the tumor microenvironment and its potential as a biomarker and therapeutic target in breast neoplasms. We aim to emphasize the significance of investigating galectin‐3 in breast neoplasms in Africa based on the results of studies conducted elsewhere.