Academic literature on the topic 'African Biosciences Initiative'

Abstract Background: The inherited bleeding disorder (IBD) community has witnessed significant advances in care, yet important gaps persist, particularly in rare disorders and underserved populations. An initiative spearheaded by the National Hemophilia Foundation (NHF) and shaped by the patient community aims to accelerate progress through a national research blueprint. The blueprint is being designed to identify and guide research priorities toward those areas that most significantly impact the lives of individuals affected today and articulate clearly defined opportunities to make the greatest impact for the future. Methods: NHF has enlisted individuals with IBDs as subject matter experts (SMEs) to guide this initiative by elevating the most pressing issues affecting them today and informing expert discussions on actionable research priorities for the future. SME insights have been collected through listening sessions, a cross-community survey, and participation in multi-disciplinary working groups. The NHF State of the Science Research Summit (SOS) in September 2021 will address the input of the working groups and will also feature patient vignettes to illustrate today's unmet needs and contextualize the research priorities identified to address them. As part of this interactive Summit, SMEs from traditionally underrepresented patient populations are also being enlisted to participate in remote participation groups (RPGs) with the goal of soliciting input that further tailors the research priorities to the needs of these populations. The RPGs will be comprised of individuals with bleeding disorders or their caregivers who represent specific populations by race/ethnicity (for example, African Americans, Asian Americans, Indigenous persons, Mexican and Central American Hispanic individuals, etc.). Within each group, NHF will aim to include individuals with diverse experiences based on their IBD, barriers related to access to care, gender and sexual orientation. During each session, the moderated RPGs will participate in the live summit, discuss the expert dialogue, and share real-time perspectives and comments about how the content addresses, or not, their specific community needs. The expert SOS panel will then have the chance to address their comments. The commentary from these sessions will be included in the NHF blueprint to define the research path forward for the community. The RPGs are also expected to be reconvened in Spring 2022 to review and improve upon the opportunities identified in the blueprint. Results: NHF has enlisted broad and diverse community support to ensure the blueprint accurately represents the opportunities to create meaningful and lasting impact for individuals with IBDs. In total, 42 patients and caregivers participated in listening sessions; 125 contributed to the community survey; 15 are participating in the Summit working groups and approximately 200 are being enlisted for the remote participation groups. The themes to be addressed during the SOS reflect the input provided by the SMEs and health professionals (see Table 1). Conclusions: Actively soliciting the patient community's views is central in our process to advance research in IBDs. By enlisting the participation of historically underserved community segments, this effort aims to address some of the most persistent and pressing issues affecting the IBD community today. Specific insights from the RPG participation in the Summit will be included in the presentation. This blueprint, which will guide the U.S. research community, could help fundamentally redefine the experience of diverse populations living with these disorders. Figure 1 Figure 1. Disclosures Witkop: Teralmmune, Inc.: Consultancy. Recht: Octapharma: Consultancy; Novo Nordisk: Consultancy; Pfizer: Consultancy; Sanofi: Consultancy; Takeda: Consultancy; uniQure: Consultancy; Foundation for Women and Girls with Blood Disorders, Partners in Bleeding Disorders: Speakers Bureau; American Thrombosis and Hemostasis Network: Current Employment; Oregon Health & Science University: Current Employment; Kedrion: Consultancy; Hema Biologics: Consultancy; Genentech: Consultancy; CSL Behring: Consultancy; Catalyst Biosciences: Consultancy. Valentino: Spark: Ended employment in the past 24 months.

The benefits of school feeding have been well documented. As such, school feeding programs have continuously gained popularity in developing countries. However, challenges and potential opportunities persist, calling for a review of school feeding for long-term sustainability. South Africa has an opportunity to improve their National School Nutrition Program (NSNP) by including an energy-dense snack that would increase the recommended dietary allowance (RDA) of school children to meet at least 25% of their energy requirements. The objective of this scoping review was to conduct a review and an appraisal of studies on snack food development for school feeding programs in Africa. Eligible studies had to report snack development for school feeding programs in Africa. We conducted an electronic search in National Research Foundation (NRF) NEXUS, Elton B. Stephens Company (EBSCO), International Food Information Service (IFIS), Nutrition and Food Sciences Center for Agriculture and Bioscience International (CABI.ORG), and Google Scholar. Of the 429 articles identified, nine studies were included in the final review—five from within South Africa and four from elsewhere in Africa. Data extracted included the study design, intervention, outcomes, relevant findings, and limitations. Results were presented in a narrative summary. The review findings showed that energy-rich staple foods and food fortification were commonly used in snack development. The popular snack products developed included porridges and biscuits. While most studies reported nutritional outcomes, few studies reported on sensory acceptability tests and only two studies conducted a cost analysis. This review of previous snack development initiatives for school feeding programs in Africa underscores the importance of establishing the sustainability of any food product developed. The findings of this review have the potential to inform future snack product development for school feeding programs.

Abstract Introduction Immune tolerance induction (ITI) for patients (pts) with hemophilia A with inhibitors is the only modality known to effectively eradicate inhibitors with an overall reported success of ∼60-80%. One debate concerns the optimal time to start ITI; recent guidelines recommend delaying ITI until inhibitor titer is <10 Bethesda units (BU). Aim We report results of an analytic project to determine the success of ITI relative to time from inhibitor detection to ITI initiation. Methods Data was collected retrospectively at 2 US hemophilia centers on pts with severe/moderate (≤5%) factor VIII (FVIII) deficiency undergoing ITI including time interval from inhibitor detection to ITI start, inhibitor titer and outcome. High-dose ITI was practiced by both centers (i.e. ≥100 IU/kg/day). Success, partial success and failure were defined practically with success as a negative inhibitor titer and ability to use FVIII concentrate routinely for treatment and prevention of bleeding; partial success was an inhibitor titer <5 BU with ability to use FVIII concentrate to treat bleeding episodes; failure as ongoing ITI >3 years without achieving success/partial success or discontinuation of ITI. IRB approvals were obtained at both centers for this data analysis. Pts were first divided into low responding inhibitor (LRI) and high responding inhibitor (HRI) based on peak inhibitor titer; the HRI subgroup was further subdivided based on time to start ITI, including within 1 month, 1-6 months and greater than 6 months. The HRI subgroup starting ITI within 1 month was analyzed based on pre-ITI inhibitor titer. Results Fifty eight male pts with adequate ITI history documentation were included; 55 (95%) were severe (<1%), 3 moderately deficient (1-3%). Forty-seven pts (48%) were Caucasian, 6 Hispanic, 2 African American, 2 Asian and 1 Native American. Outcome is summarized in Table 1. Overall, 49 of 58 pts (84%) underwent successful ITI. Low responding Inhibitors: Among 19 (33%) pts with LRI, ITI success was 100%. Most pts with LRI 15/19 (79%) started ITI within 1 month from inhibitor detection. High responding inhibitors: Among 39 (67%) pts with HRI, 30/39 (77%) achieved tolerance, 1 achieved partial success and continued ITI, 1 was ongoing, 7 pts failed. The 39 pts with HRI were further subdivided based on time to ITI start. ITI start within 1 month of detection: Twenty three pts started ITI within 1 month from detection; 21 achieved success (91%), 1 partially succeeded and 1 failed. Eight of 10 pts (80%) with a pre-ITI titer <10 BU achieved success, 1 partially succeeded and 1 failed. All 13 pts (100%) starting ITI with pre-ITI inhibitor titer ≥ 10 BU achieved success. ITI start > 6 months: Eleven pts had an interval > 6 months until ITI start; 7 (64%) achieved success and 4 (36%) failed. Conclusions These results suggest that the time interval from inhibitor detection to start of ITI may play a critical role in outcome. A titer ≥10 BU did not influence outcome in pts where ITI was utilized within 1 month, supporting this approach in contrast to the commonly accepted practice of delaying ITI start until a titer <10 BU is achieved. Pts may benefit from prompt ITI regardless of current inhibitor titer and are not subjected to wait periods where bleeding is more likely to occur. Prompt ITI should be considered a viable therapeutic option in newly identified inhibitor pts regardless of current inhibitor titer. Disclosures: Manco-Johnson: Bayer HealthCare: Membership on an entity’s Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding; CSL Behring: Membership on an entity’s Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding; Baxter BioScience: Membership on an entity’s Board of Directors or advisory committees; Biogen Idec: Membership on an entity’s Board of Directors or advisory committees; Novo Nordisk: Membership on an entity’s Board of Directors or advisory committees; Eisai: Research Funding. Maahs:Baxter BioScience: Membership on an entity’s Board of Directors or advisory committees, Speakers Bureau; Biogen Idec: Membership on an entity’s Board of Directors or advisory committees; Novo Nordisk: Membership on an entity’s Board of Directors or advisory committees, Speakers Bureau. Shapiro:Baxter BioScience: Membership on an entity’s Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding; Novo Nordisck: Consultancy, Membership on an entity’s Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding; Bayer Healthcare: Membership on an entity’s Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding; Biogen Idec: Consultancy, Membership on an entity’s Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding; Chugai Pharma: Consultancy; Kedrion Biopharma: Consultancy, Research Funding; Cangene Pharmaceuticals: Research Funding; CSL Behring: Research Funding; Octopharma: Research Funding; PTC Therapeutics: Research Funding; Eli Lilly: Research Funding.

Gladiolus grandiflorus is known and grown for its high profit and excellent cut flower. To compete with other growers and to meet the consumer demand the grower should adopt new techniques and apply effective chemicals to the plant precisely which in result gives good quality flowers. For this an experiment was carried out on Gladiolus grandiflorus cv. Rose supreme in experimental area of department of horticulture, Bahauddin Zakariya University, Multan. There were 6 treatments and 3 replications and the corms were planted in pots. Each treatment in replications is replicated four times to get best results. The sowing was done on 3rd December 2018 and the first application of chemicals was applied on 15/02/2019. The total number of applications was 6 and each application was applied by foliar application after one week interval. The chemicals were silicon and gibberellic acid. Silicon is applied as T0 (0g), T1 (1g), T2 (2g), T3 (3g), T4 (4g) and T5 (5g) while gibberellic acid has a fixed dose of 200ppm in each treatment. The best results related to vegetative and floral parameters were observed in T4 treatment plants which showed best result and an increase in stalk length, spike length, diameter of floret, diameter of spike, number of leaves per plant, vase life, number of florets per spike, fresh weight of complete flower stalk and plant height.KeywordsGA3, silicon, rose supremeINTRODUCTIONGladiolus is commonly known and grown for its high aesthetic and economical value, especially in Pakistan economy. It is placed second important cut flower in Pakistan while fourth most important cut flower in the world. The cultivated area of gladiolus is only 970 acre and is too small as compared to rose which is 9200 acre and tuberose which is 2787 acre (Khan, 2005). Gladiolus belongs to Iridaceae family; holds about 260 species but many of them are wild. Native to Africa but some species are also from Mediterranean, South Africa and from Europe (Dole and Wilkins, 1999). Progressive farmers in Pakistan are now converting to floriculture industry instead of growing traditional crops, for this rose, gladiolus, tuberose and carnation are the best flowers that give maximum profit in low time period. The total cultivated area of gladiolus in Punjab is more than 450 acres. Plant growth regulators are responsible especially for the physical attributes of a plant in an effective way. Treating plants with plant growth regulators is very mandatory to enhance the growth and yield of plants (Nuvale et al., 2010). Different doses of GA3 can affect significantly on the vegetative as well as reproductive growth of gladiolus (Umrao et al., 2007). GA3 can increase the height, number of florets and can initiate early sprouting of flowers (Taiz and Zeiger, 2002). Silicon is the 2nd most available element on Earth’s crust; about 32 percent silicon is present in soil by weight. 1% to 10% silicon is present in plant dry matter. The available form of silicon that plant can easily uptake is called as Mono salicylic acid Si(OH)4. Silicon is mostly required during vegetative as well as reproductive growth of the plant to attain healthy and maximum yield from plant (Savant et al., 1997). Farmers now a days do not have proper knowledge of cultivating flowers that is the reason they apply extra chemicals to get maximum yield but cannot achieve it because the amount and type of chemical they are applying are used for traditional crops, ornamentals and flowers have their own need of different chemicals for this, the research is done to describe the role of chemicals on gladiolus to attain maximum yield with high quality flowers.MATERIALS AND METHODSThe research was carried out at experimental area of Department of Horticulture, Bahauddin Zakariya University Multan, Pakistan. The research was done to get and to elaborate the outcome of foliar use of GA3 and Silicon on growth, yield and flowering of Gladiolus grandiflorus cv. Rose supreme in pots. Soil samples were taken from various pots and then collected to check the soil properties i.e. its acid: base ratio, Electrical conductivity, form and the amount the nutrients present in the soil. The combination of soil media used in the research was 1:1 (Silt: Leaf manure) and the pots were placed according to the statistical design which was Randomized Complete Block Design (RCBD). The corms of Gladiolus grandiflorus cv. Rose supreme was imported from Netherlands. The treatments were applied as 200 ppm of Gibberellic acid (GA3) and 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 g/L of silicon as sodium meta-silicate. The treatments were applied by foliar application with different combination in a Randomized complete block design (RCBD) which is as follows in table 1.Data collection: Following were the some parameters in table 2 taken to elaborate the outcome of foliar use of GA3 and silicon on the growth, flowering and yield of Gladiolus grandiflorus cv. Rose supreme.On 3rd December, corm sowing was done. One corm was in each pot. There were total 6 treatments one was control which has only 200 ppm GA3 while others have different silicon doses as well as has fixed dose of GA3. Each treatment was divided into 4 pots thus total No. of pots were (6 × 3 × 4) = 72 having three replications. GA3 and silicon was applied by foliar application with one week interval. The first foliar application was done before stick formation and the date was 15/02/2019, while the last application was done on 22/03/2019. The total number of applications was six and was applied through foliar imple-mentation of chemicals. The cultural practices, integrated pest management and fertilizer application were done thoroughly on each replication with equal amount of dose.RESULT AND DISCUSSIONStalk length (cm): Table 3 showed the best effect of silicon and Gibberellic acid as T4 which showed maximum stalk length T4 (80.543) after that T1 (78.833), T0 (76.667), T3 (73.417) and T5 (73.167) while T2 (72.833) showed minimum stalk length. The stalk length was taken in cm. The length of stalk was approximately similar to each other by the application of silicon and Gibberellic acid. On the other hand table 4 showed the ANOVA for stalk length of gladiolus. Maximum stalk length will give maximum profit to flower growers that’s why it is important to choose efficient chemicals that enhance the flower growth as well as the accurate dose of chemical is also important to get maximum results. Increase in stalk length was also reported in anthurium through foliar allocation of GA3 (Dhaduk et al., 2007).Spike length (cm): The best results were shown in different concentrations among those T4 concentration showed best result and then T1, T3, T0, T2 and T5 respectively. The results of the chemicals on spike length are shown in table 5. Different concentrations imparts favorable impact on spike length and increase their size as T4 (33.350), T1 (31.750), T3 (29.707), T0 (28.833), T2 (28.267) and T5 (27.303). More spike length increased the profit ratio of flower grower and meets the cons-umer demand more precisely. Good spike length is an important constituent to increase the quality of flower. The statistical analysis i.e. ANOVA for spike length of gladiolus is shown in table 6. To increase the quality of flower it is mand-atory to choose best and most effective chemical and applied with the recommended dose which in result gives maximum quality flower. It was reported that spike length and stalk length can be increased via foliar allocation of GA3 on anthurium (Dhaduk et al., 2007).Diameter of spike (cm): The best results were shown in different concentrations among those T4 concentration showed best result and then T1, T3, T2, T0 and T5 respectively. Different concentrations imparts favorable impact on spike length and increase their size as T4 (0.5990), T1 (0.5990), T3 (0.5887), T2 (0.5867), T0 (0.5700) and T5 (0.5443) as shown in table 7. In table 8 ANOVA for diameter of spike of gladiolus showed significant results. More diameter of spike increased the profit ratio of flower grower and meets the consumer demand more precisely. Good diameter of spike is an important constituent to increase the quality of flower. To increase the quality of flower it is mandatory to choose best and most effective chemical and applied with the recommended dose which in result gives maximum quality flower.Diameter of floret (cm): The best results were shown in different concentrations among those T4 concentration showed best result and then T1, T2, T3, T5 and T0 respectively. Different concentrations imparts favorable impact on diameter of floret and increase their size as T4 (0.6890), T1 (0.6817), T2 (0.6700), T3 (0.6600), T5 (0.6300) and T0 (0.6100) as shown in table 9. Significant results were seen in ANOVA table 10.Quality of flower i.e. its size and color is very important to get maximum profit and to sustain in a competitive market. To achieve best flower size different chemicals and plant growth regulators are applied which have positive effects on the growth and nourishment of flower. Silicon and Gibberellic acid showed their best result at the concentrations as 200ppm Gibberellic acid and 4g of silicon.Number of leaves per plant: Table 11 showed the best results in different concentrations among those T4 concentrations showed best result and then T1, T2, T3, T0 and T5 respectively. Different concentrations imparts favorable impact on number of leaves per plant and increase their size as T4 (8.9167), T1 (8.8333), T2 (8.6667), T3 (8.6333), T0 (8.4667) and T5 (7.5100). Number of leaves in each treatment from T0-T4 was approximately same but in T5 the number of leaves decreased. Number of leaves in any plant was most important because they are responsible for the photosynthesis which in result provides energy to the plant body to grow well. Table 12 showed statistical approach of number of leaves per plant. More number of plants will cause more photosynthesis and in result the plant grow well with good quality flowers for the consumer thus gives maximum profit to the flower grower. It is reported in different experiments that Gibberellic acid is responsible to increase the number of leaves in chrysanthemum and other cut flowers (Naira et al., 2003).Vase life (days): The best results were shown in different concentrations among those T4 concentration showed best result and then T5, T2, T0, T1 and T3 respectively. Different concentrations imparts favourable impact on vase life and increase as T4 (10.580), T5 (8.777), T2 (8.763), T0 (8.750), T1 (8.583) and T3 (8.5800). Table 13 and table 14 showed the significant results. Concentration showed best result and then T1, T2, T3, T0 and T5 respectively. Different concentrations imparts favourable impact on days to spike emergence and the results are as T5 (122.40), T0 (115.83), T3 (114.92), T2 (114.58), T1 (113.83) and T4 (112.33). By the application of silicon and Gibberellic acid the days to spike emergence decrease significantly in each treatment while the best and early results were shown in T4 and the dose was 200ppm Gibberellic acid along with 4g of silicon. Table 15 showed different treatments and their result while table 16 showed significant results of days to spike emergence. The flower grower can get maximum profit by introducing its flowers earlier than other growers in the market, thus less competition will give more profit. It was reported that Gibberellic acid is responsible to maximum spike length and it is observed that minimum number of days required for spike emergence when Gibberellic acid is sprayed on plants (Devadanam et al., 2007).Number of florets per spike: The best results were shown in different concentrations among those T4 concentration showed best result and then T1, T3, T2, T0 and T5 respectively. The results were significantly described in table 17 and table 18. Different concentrations imparts favorable impact on number of florets per spike and the results are as T4 (10.583), T1 (9.660), T3 (9.333), T2 (9.250), T0 (8.550) and T5 (8.167). More number of florets on a single flower stalk will give more profit because it met the demand of consumer. Consumer will pay more to get more flowers on a single flower stalk. A significant increase in number of florets per spike was noted. An increase in number of flowers was reported on some flowering plants by the foliar application of gibberellic acid (Kumar et al., 2003).Fresh weight of complete flower stalk (g): The best results were shown in different concentrations among those T4 concentration showed best result and then T1, T3, T2, T0 and T5 respectively. The results were significantly described in table 19 and table 20. Different concentrations imparts favor-able impact on weight of newly harvested whole inflorescence stalk and results are as T4 (39.000), T1 (34.750), T3 (31.040), T2 (30.833), T0 (29.200) and T5 (25.320). More fresh weight of flower stalk is considered to be a good indicator for good quality flower which in result give consumer mental satisfaction as well as more profit to flower grower. Fresh weight of anthurium flower increase by the application of gibberellic acid as well as the increase the flower yield to some extent (Kumar et al., 2003). It was reported in chrysanthemum that an increase in fresh weight, dry weight and size of flower was observed significantly.Dry weight of complete flower stalk (g): Table 21 showed the best results in different concentrations among those T5 concentration showed best result and then T4, T0, T1, T2 and T3 respectively, while table 22 showed ANOVA for dry weight of complete flower stalk. Different concentrations imparts favourable impact on dry weighing of whole inflorescence stalk and the results are as T5 (13.423), T4 (13.363), T0 (13.313), T1 (13.280), T2 (13.160) and T3 (12.420). Dry weight of complete flower stalk of all treatments was approximately same. There is a very minute difference among them. It was reported in chrysanthemum that an increase in fresh weight, dry weight and size of flower was observed significantly (Nagarjuna et al., 1983).Plant height (cm): The best results were shown in different concentrations among those T4 concentration showed best result and then T1, T0, T3, T2 and T5 respectively. The results were significantly described in table 23 and table 24. Different concentrations imparts favorable impact on plant height and the results are as T4 (65.350), T1 (64.070), T0 (61.340), T3 (58.383), T2 (57.633) and T5 (57.513). Plant height is one of the most important parts of any plant. Consumers like the flowers which have more height because more flower height will increase the number of floret per spike. 4g silicon along with 200ppm of Gibberellic acid is recommended to increase the plant height effectively. An increase in plant height, number of leaves and branches was reported by the foliar application on Gibberellic acid on chrysanthemum and on other cut flowers (Kumar et al., 2003; Naira et al., 2003).ConclusionThe research was done in research area of Horticulture department, Bahauddin Zakariya University Multan. Randomized complete block design (RCBD) was the model on which the experiment was laid out. Total number of treatments were 6 which are as T0 (200ppm GA3), T1 (200ppm GA3+ 1g Silicon), T2 (200ppm GA3+ 2g Silicon), T3 (200ppm GA3+ 3g Silicon), T4 (200ppm GA3+ 4g Silicon) and T5 (200ppm GA3+ 5g Silicon). The best results were observed in T4 plants which has maximum effect of silicon as well as gibberellic acid. In most parameters T5 showed repellent effects due to high amount of silicon dose. CONFLICT OF INTERESTThe Author has no conflict of InterestREFERENCES: Devadanam, A., B. Shinde, P. Sable and S. Vedpathak, 2007. Effect of foliar spray of plant growth regulators on flowering and vase life of tuberose (Polianthes tuberosa L.). Journal of Soils Crops, 17(1): 86-88.Dhaduk, B., S. Kumari, A. Singh and J. Desai, 2007. Response of gibberellic acid on growth and flowering attributes in anthurium (Anthurium andreanum Lind.). Journal of Ornamental Horticulture, 10(3): 187-189.Dole, J. M. and H. F. Wilkins, 1999. Floriculture: principles and species. Prentice Hall, Upper Saddle River, U.S.A. pp. 578-581.Khan, M., 2005. Development of commercial floriculture in Asia and the pacific-issues, challenges and opportunities. In: The national seminar on streamlining: Production and export of cut-flowers and house plants, march 2nd to 4th, 2005, Islamabad, Pakistan. HFP.Kumar, P., S. Raghava and R. Misra, 2003. Effect of biofertilizers on growth and yield of China aster. Journal of Ornamental Horticulture, 6(2): 85-88.Nagarjuna, B., V. Reddy, M. Rao and E. Reddy, 1983. Effect of growth regulators and potassium nitrate on growth flowering and yield of chrysamthemum. South Indian Horticulture, 36: 136-140.Naira, Sujatha A and K. Shiva, 2003. Performance of selected gladiolus (Gladiolus floribundus) varieties under bay island conditions. Indian Journal of Agricultural Science, 73(7): 397-398.Nuvale, M., S. Aklade, J. Desai and P. Nannavare, 2010. Influence of pgr’s on growth, flowering and yield of chrysanthemum (Dendranthem grandiflora Tzvelev) cv.‘Iihr-6’. International Journal Pharmancy Bioscience, 1(2): 1-4.Savant, N. K., L. E. Datnoff and G. H. Snyder, 1997. Depletion of plant‐available silicon in soils: A possible cause of declining rice yields. Communications in Soil Science Plant Analysis, 28(13-14): 1245-1252.Taiz, L. and E. Zeiger, 2002. Plant physiology (sunderland: Sinauer). Sunderland, Sinauer Associates: 559-590.Umrao, V. K., R. Singh and A. Singh, 2007. Effect of gibberellic acid and growing media on vegetative and floral attributes of gladiolus. Indian Journal of Horticulture, 64(1): 73-76.

Abstract Background The presence of antibodies against cyclic citrullinated proteins (anti-CCP) precede the development of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and both anti-CCP antibody and RF positivity indicate more severe disease. This characteristic makes Anti-CCP best biomarker candidate for the prevention of debilitating joint disease. Almost 70% of RA patients are positive for anti-CCP IgG, while only 2% of control subjects are positive for anti-CCP. Understanding the origins of anti-CCP is critical in unraveling the etiology of RA, so we further evaluated the association of the other autoimmune tests/biomarkers with Anti-CCP to describe other comorbid autoimmune diseases/syndrome. Methods We conducted a retrospective analysis of patient data from April 18, 2016, to May 29, 2019, in Texas. The study protocol was approved by the ethics review committee and patients consented for sharing their demographics, clinical information and lab values for diagnostic and research purposes. The study population was described by descriptive statistics. Demographic characteristics and laboratory parameters were compared using chi-square tests. We analyzed blood tests/parameters conducted at the clinics and explored their association with the presence of ACCP. logistic regression models were utilized to calculate the odds ratio to delineate the strength of association of different blood parameters with ACCP. IgG anti-CCP was determined according to the manufacturer’s instruction. Results Eleven thousand, four hundred fifty-nine tests were performed on 7,200 patients with a mean age of 52 years (range 0-98). Almost half (54%) of study individuals were females, two-third (63%) were White, (29%) Hispanic and (7%) African American. Four hundred and six patients (3.5%) were positive for AntiCCP3.1. Among those who were positive for AntiCCP3.1, (22%) were Rh factor IgA (RhIgA) positive, (11%) RhIgG positive, and (9%) RhIgM. Univariate logistic regression showed that the female gender was positively associated (OR = 3.19) with ACCP presence while patients older than 50 had a positive gradient of ACCP positivity with each age category. Compared to White, African Americans were more likely (OR = 3.19) and Hispanics were less likely (OR = 0.44) to be associated with AntiCCP positivity. After controlling for age, gender and ethnicity the presence of RhIgM and RhIgA antibodies were positively associated with positive ACCP. (OR = 13.3, OR = 5.2). antiphosphatidylserine IgM and anticardiolipin IgM antibodies were positively associated with ACCP (OR = 2.1, OR = 3.4). Similarly, the presence of antimitochondrial M2 antibodies and anti-topoisomerase antibodies (SCL-70) were very significantly associated with ACCP (OR = 16.1, OR = 37.8). Conclusion The Anti-CCP antibodies are highly specific for the early diagnosis of RA and with early initiation of treatment, progression to irreversible and destructive diseases can be prevented. Association of Anti-CCP antibodies with other autoimmune antibodies highlights the importance of screening RA patients for primary biliary sclerosis and scleroderma. Similarly, a biomarker's strength of interaction with another biomarker helps in the prognostic utility of these test for preventing co-existing diseases. Disclosures M. Ayass: Other; Physician at Ayass Bioscience. K. Zhu: Other; Employee at Ayass Bioscience. S. Naveed: None. L. Mosleh: Other; Employee at Ayass Bioscience. K. Viswanathan: Other; Employee at Ayass Bioscience. G. Nowshad: Other; Employee at Ayass Bioscience.

Advances in information technology have led to the availability of state-of-the-art technologies which in turn have been enabling the generation of unprecedented amounts of complex, structured or unstructured data sets that are sometimes difficult to process using conventional techniques. In particular, handling these large scale data in terms of collection, and aggregation, synthesis and analysis, interpretation, reporting, sharing and archiving processes, and interpreting them into descriptive models and enable effective interpretation requires continued development of robust computational models, algorithms and interoperable analytical frameworks (Hampton et al. 2017). This also involves the vital availability of data management expertise and reflects an imperative need for data science professionals, especially in the context of generating the most informative data for use and drive evidence-based decisions. Considering this, Rwanda has been fueling its economic transformation agenda, and, while this solely depends on natural resources exploitation, the scenario has led to critically concerning anthropogenic threats and unprecedented environmental vulnerability. Acknowledging the urgency to achieve its development needs while at the same time safeguarding the environmental sustainability, Rwanda has been promoting technology-enabled systems and approaches for sustainable management of environment and natural resources. Learning from global initiatives, Rwanda’s journey targets the effective use of technology-supported systems and data science expertise to effectively drive management and decision making needs in environmental management, health research systems and biodiversity conservation planning (Karame et al. 2017). Rwanda champions the adoption and effective use of technology towards delivering its vision of knowledge-based economy. A particular emphasis relates to streamlining the education, research and application of technology-supported systems and platforms and strengthening their effective use. From a practical One Health perspective, Rwanda has been bridging inter-sectoral gaps related to joint planning and resource sharing for informed decision processes. This One Health concept emphasizes the interconnection of the health of human, animals and ecosystems and involves the applications of multidisciplinary, coordinated, cross-sectoral collaborative efforts to attain optimal health for people, animals and the environment (Buttke et al. 2015). One Health constitutes a promising approach in the advancement of biosciences. For example, big data and ecological and digital epidemiology analysis has led to promising progress beyond the traditional transdisciplinary conservation medicine approach, and One Health is now driving solutions to major conservation and health challenges. This paper aims to explore the perspectives of solving challenges in handling heterogeneous data and sources of uncertainty, the progress and feasibility of adopting (or developing, adapting and customizing) open code- and data-sharing platforms, and integrating the application of flexible statistical models and cloud-computing, all within the confines of limited resources. Africa needs to engage in data science to build and sustain capacity and to effectively use acquired knowledge and skills. Further, Africa can strategically align and tailor existing technology data science platforms to the unique context of this continent. It is time to assess the boundaries, explore new horizons, and reach beyond the limits of current practice in order to enable researchers to get the most from generated data. We envision a long-term integrative and digital approach to handling and processing health, environment, and wildlife data to mark the beginning of our journey forward.

Abstract STUDY QUESTION We aim to develop, disseminate and implement a minimum data set, known as a core outcome set, for future male infertility research. WHAT IS KNOWN ALREADY Research into male infertility can be challenging to design, conduct and report. Evidence from randomized trials can be difficult to interpret and of limited ability to inform clinical practice for numerous reasons. These may include complex issues, such as variation in outcome measures and outcome reporting bias, as well as failure to consider the perspectives of men and their partners with lived experience of fertility problems. Previously, the Core Outcome Measure for Infertility Trials (COMMIT) initiative, an international consortium of researchers, healthcare professionals and people with fertility problems, has developed a core outcome set for general infertility research. Now, a bespoke core outcome set for male infertility is required to address the unique challenges pertinent to male infertility research. STUDY DESIGN, SIZE, DURATION Stakeholders, including healthcare professionals, allied healthcare professionals, scientists, researchers and people with fertility problems, will be invited to participate. Formal consensus science methods will be used, including the modified Delphi method, modified Nominal Group Technique and the National Institutes of Health’s consensus development conference. PARTICIPANTS/MATERIALS, SETTING, METHODS An international steering group, including the relevant stakeholders outlined above, has been established to guide the development of this core outcome set. Possible core outcomes will be identified by undertaking a systematic review of randomized controlled trials evaluating potential treatments for male factor infertility. These outcomes will be entered into a modified Delphi method. Repeated reflection and re-scoring should promote convergence towards consensus outcomes, which will be prioritized during a consensus development meeting to identify a final core outcome set. We will establish standardized definitions and recommend high-quality measurement instruments for individual core outcomes. STUDY FUNDING/COMPETING INTEREST(S) This work has been supported by the Urology Foundation small project award, 2021. C.L.R.B. is the recipient of a BMGF grant and received consultancy fees from Exscentia and Exceed sperm testing, paid to the University of Dundee and speaking fees or honoraria paid personally by Ferring, Copper Surgical and RBMO. S.B. received royalties from Cambridge University Press, Speaker honoraria for Obstetrical and Gynaecological Society of Singapore, Merk SMART Masterclass and Merk FERRING Forum, paid to the University of Aberdeen. Payment for leadership roles within NHS Grampian, previously paid to self, now paid to University of Aberdeen. An Honorarium is received as Editor in Chief of Human Reproduction Open. M.L.E. is an advisor to the companies Hannah and Ro. B.W.M. received an investigator grant from the NHMRC, No: GNT1176437 is a paid consultant for ObsEva and has received research funding from Ferring and Merck. R.R.H. received royalties from Elsevier for a book, consultancy fees from Glyciome, and presentation fees from GryNumber Health and Aytu Bioscience. Aytu Bioscience also funded MiOXYS systems and sensors. Attendance at Fertility 2020 and Roadshow South Africa by Ralf Henkel was funded by LogixX Pharma Ltd. R.R.H. is also Editor in Chief of Andrologia and has been an employee of LogixX Pharma Ltd. since 2020. M.S.K. is an associate editor with Human Reproduction Open. K.Mc.E. received an honoraria for lectures from Bayer and Pharmasure in 2019 and payment for an ESHRE grant review in 2019. His attendance at ESHRE 2019 and AUA 2019 was sponsored by Pharmasure and Bayer, respectively. The remaining authors declare no competing interests. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER Core Outcome Measures in Effectiveness Trials (COMET) initiative registration No: 1586. Available at www.comet-initiative.org/Studies/Details/1586. TRIAL REGISTRATION DATE N/A. DATE OF FIRST PATIENT’S ENROLMENT N/A.