BackgroundIncreased access to HIV testing is essential in working towards universal access to HIV prevention and treatment in resource-limited countries. We here evaluated currently used HIV diagnostic tests and algorithms in Cameroon for their ability to correctly identify HIV infections.MethodsWe estimated sensitivity, specificity, and positive and negative predictive values of 5 rapid/simple tests, of which 3 were used by the national program, and 2 fourth generation ELISAs. The reference panel included 500 locally collected samples; 187 HIV -1 M, 10 HIV-1 O, 259 HIV negative and 44 HIV indeterminate plasmas.ResultsNone of the 5 rapid assays and only 1 ELISA reached the current WHO/UNAIDS recommendations on performance of HIV tests of at least 99% sensitivity and 98% specificity. Overall, sensitivities ranged between 94.1% and 100%, while specificities were 88.0% to 98.8%. The combination of all assays generated up to 9% of samples with indeterminate HIV status, because they reacted discordantly with at least one of the different tests. Including HIV indeterminate samples in test efficiency calculations significantly decreased specificities to a range from 77.9% to 98.0%. Finally, two rapid assays failed to detect all HIV-1 group O variants tested, with one rapid test detecting only 2 out of 10 group O specimens.ConclusionIn the era of ART scaling-up in Africa, significant proportions of false positive but also false negative results are still observed with HIV screening tests commonly used in Africa, resulting in inadequate treatment and prevention strategies. Depending on tests or algorithms used, up to 6% of HIV-1 M and 80% of HIV-1 O infected patients in Cameroon do not receive ART and adequate counseling to prevent further transmission due to low sensitivities. Also, the use of tests with low specificities could imply inclusion of up to 12% HIV negative people in ART programs and increase budgets in addition to inconveniences caused to patients.

Objective: To compare an improved corn-soya blend (CSB+) with a ready-to-use supplementary food (RUSF) to test the hypothesis that satisfactory recovery rate will be achieved with CSB+ or RUSF when these foods provide 50 % of the child's energy requirement, the 50 % remaining coming from usual diet. Design: A comparative efficacy trial study was conducted with moderately wasted children, using a controlled randomized design, with parallel assignment for RUSF or CSB+. Every child received a daily ration of 167 kJ (40 kcal)/kg body weight during 56 d with a follow-up performed every 14 d. Every caregiver received nutrition counselling at enrolment and at each follow-up visit. Setting: Health districts of Mvog-Beti and Evodoula in the Centre region of Cameroon. Subjects: Eight hundred and thirty-three children aged 6-59 months were screened and eighty-one malnourished children (weight-for-height Z-score between −3 and −2) aged 25-59 months were selected. Results: Of children treated with CSB+ and RUSF, 73 % (95 % CI 59 %, 87 %) and 85 % (95 % CI 73 %, 97 %), respectively, recovered from moderate acute malnutrition, with no significant difference between groups. The mean duration of treatment required to achieve recovery was 44 d in the RUSF group and 51 d in the CSB+ group (log-rank test, P = 0·0048). Conclusions: There was no significant difference in recovery rate between the groups. Both CSB+ and RUSF were relatively successful for the treatment of moderate acute malnutrition in children. Despite the relatively low ration size provided, the recovery rates observed for both groups were comparable to or higher than those reported in previous studies, a probable effect of nutrition education. Keywords Moderate acute malnutritionCorn-soya blend Ready-to-use supplementary food Child malnutrition is a major global health problem, contributing to increased morbidity and mortality, impaired intellectual development and working capacity, and increased risk of disease in adulthood (1) . Twenty per cent of the 7·6 million deaths per year recorded among children under 5 years of age can be attributed to undernutrition (2) . Moderate wasting and severe wasting represent acute forms of undernutrition, and children suffering from them face a markedly increased risk of death. It is estimated that moderate acute malnutrition (MAM) and severe acute malnutrition (SAM) affect 52 million of children under 5 years of age worldwide. MAM is defined as weight-for-height between −3 SD and −2 SD below the median weight-for-height of the WHO child growth standards (weight-for-height Z-score (WHZ) between −3 and −2) without oedema (3) . Supplementary feeding programmes are designed to treat MAM and prevent the progression from MAM to SAM (4) , and thus have the potential to reduce child mortality and morbidity.A wide range of nutritional products are currently used to treat MAM (5) . These include fortified blended flours, especially corn-soya blend (CSB) prepared as porridge; BP5 biscuits; and lipid-based nutrient supplements, espe...

Aims: Metabolic complications related to antiretroviral therapy are rarely investigated among HIV-infected patients in Cameroon. The study reports the prevalence of metabolic syndrome and its individual components among HIV-infected Cameroonians. Materials and Methods: We conducted a prospective, cross-sectional study of the prevalence of metabolic syndrome among 492 patients (338 women, 117 men; age range 20 years) recruited at a reference centre, the day hospital, Central Hospital in Yaounde between September 2009 and September 2010. Metabolic syndrome was defined according to IDF (International Diabetes Federation) and NCEP ATP III (National Cholesterol Education Program Adult Treatment Panel III) criteria relative to obesity, glycemic, lipid, arterial blood pressure parameters. Results: The prevalence of metabolic syndrome was 32.8% according to IDF and 30.7% by NCEP (p = 0.0001). The prevalences of individual components according to IDF and NCEP were as follows: abdominal obesity (40.5%; 26.9% respectively), hypertriglyceridemia (55.5%), low HDL cholesterol (42.5%), systolic hypertension (38.2%) diastolic hypertension (28.5%), hyperglycemia (31.2%; 1.3% p = 0.0001). The prevalence of metabolic syndrome was 36% in patients under HAART, 23.4% in naive, (p = 0.0001). Conclusion: The prevalence of metabolic syndrome depends on the presence and the type of HAART used, the definition and the gender.

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The aim of this study was to evaluate the protective effects of hydroethanolic extracts of S. scabrum and C. verticillata against cyclophosphamide induced toxicity. In this light, female albino wistar rats were treated by intraperitoneal administration of 100 mg/kg BW of cyclophosphamide or distilled water every other day for 7 days associated with oral gavage using hydroethanolic extract of C. verticillata/S. scabrum at a dose of 200 or 400 mg/kg BW or not every day for the same 7 days. On the 8th day, blood and organs (liver, heart and kidney) were collected for analyses of toxicity-related and oxidative stress markers. Cyclophosphamide treatment induced significant toxicity as shown by liver enzymes, urea and creatinine levels. The administration of extracts helped reduce the levels of these markers. The antioxidant effect of these extracts also helped or not to ameliorate oxidative stress markers (MDA, NO, hydroperoxides, catalase, thiols, GPx) depending on the extract and on the dose administered. These results suggest that administration of hydroethanolic extracts of S. scabrum and C. verticillata can help prevent or reduce toxicity that is brought about by treatment with cyclophosphamide due to their ability to upregulate antioxidant mechanisms.