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Query: UMLS:C0024530 (malaria)
 44,886 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

A symposium held 3-5 May 1990 commemorated the anniversary of the "Network" by presentations on the health aspects of reproduction in Africa. Prof. Sambra Diarra of the Ivory Coast presented a paper on "Health of Reproduction in Africa, Bi-Dimensional Problems: Biomedical and Social." He stressed the need to emphasize both maternal (MM) and infant mortality (IM) in Africa, where MM rates are 640/100,000 and IMR are 130/1000, because they remain so high. Prof. Fadel Diadhiou of Senegal followed with a paper on "Operations Research on Women's Reproductive Health in Africa." The major themes were that problems in reproductive health have resulted because of the fragmentation between the ecosystem and development and the lack of research is due to the isolation of institutions that lack human and material resources. The 3rd presentation by Prof. Mouhamadou Fall of Senegal on "The Health of Children and the Perspectives for Senegal," focused on the increasing infant and child mortality rates in Senegal (238/1000 in 1981) due to the combination of factors caused by the mother-child syndrome. These are: 1) congenital malformations caused by incest, young or advanced age of mothers; 2) diseases of the mother that cause fetal mortality: diabetes, arterial hypertension, eclampsia; 3) lack of breastfeeding and illiteracy of mothers; 4) public health diseases such as measles, malaria, diarrhea; 5) streptococcic infections and their complications such as anemia and tuberculosis. The last presentation made by Prof. Eusebe Alihonou from Benin on the "Perspectives and Priorities of Reproductive Health in Africa," concluded that the research priorities in Africa should be on health systems that lower utilization rates of services and resources and on epidemiological studies that identify health problems and analyze the risk factors. The Symposium concluded that the research priorities should be: maternal morbidity and mortality; adolescents and reproduction and the morbidity and mortality of infants and children.
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PMID:[Network of researchers on the health aspects of reproduction]. 1234 30

In Senegal, adolescents live in a socioeconomic climate that is between traditional society with its well-structured rites and customs and an extroverted modern society. They are often plunged into uncertainty and into a search of themselves. With a weak and not-yet-determined personality, sexuality erupts into their life experience. In Senegal, adolescent fertility, once encouraged by tradition, has become a social phenomenon which challenges all those interested in problems of youth. Major risks throughout the pregnancy and the puerperium confront adolescents. Complications may include grave vomiting, preeclampsia, hypertension and hemorrhaging, and more severe malaria than normal due to pregnancy. 12.9% of adolescent pregnancies end in miscarriage, 5.8% in premature births. Low birth weight and fetal death are also risk factors of adolescent pregnancy. Incomplete physical development exacerbates childbirth among adolescents, often leading to cesarean section, infection, and hemorrhaging. A combination of several risks appearing unexpectedly during pregnancy and during and after delivery can lead to a tragic death. During 1988-1989 at the gynecologic-obstetric clinic of the Aristide Le Dantac University Hospital Center of Dakar, adolescents comprised 8.1% of maternal deaths. If adolescents survive pregnancy, they may suffer after effects, e.g., genital scar tissue or psychological disorders. Infertility can also be an after effect. An unwanted pregnancy ended by illegal induced abortion can also lead to infertility. 2% of adolescents attending the clinic have common infections and/or sexually transmitted diseases (STDs). These infections almost always are a result of poor hygiene of the genital region. Family life education should prepare adolescents for sexuality and contraceptive use. Barrier methods can best prevent STDs and AIDS. Other contraceptive methods require compliance with strict rules. Emergency contraception should be reserved for cases of rape or incest. Prevention of unwanted pregnancies is the best means to prevent infanticide which is relatively common among youth leaving rural areas.
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PMID:[The adolescent manages fertility badly. Uncertainty and pursuit of self in a society in transition]. 1234 47

Westermarck's theory of incest taboo states that inhibition of sexual attraction between biologically close relatives is situational and develops during co-residence in early childhood. By contrast, the biological (genetic) basis of incest taboo is presumed from its universality in all human societies and animals and teleologically, from the need to prevent the detrimental effects of inbreeding. As incest taboo violation is infrequent, the frequency of the presumed gene in the population is believed to be near 100%. We present arguments which suggest that the incestuous gene may exist in all populations and could play an important role in evolution. When malaria emerged 10,000 years ago, human adaptation proceeded by the selection of protective genotypes. Among them, homozygotes for alpha-thalassemia, hemoglobin C, and Duffy antigen negative blood group, have better survival odds in malarious regions than heterozygotes and those with normal genotypes. Since consanguinity increases homozygosity, it increases the number of persons who are resistant to malaria. To pro-create, however, biologically close individuals must not feel sexual aversion that normally develops between those who spend their early childhood together (Westermarck effect). It is reasonable to assume, therefore, that mutation of the gene that discourages inbreeding may have appeared at an early time in evolution, and produced a weak Westermarck effect. This gene (we will call it anti-w) failed to inhibit mating between kins. Inbred offspring of anti-w carriers, would statistically, more likely carry both anti-w and homozygote genotypes which increase fitness in the presence of malaria. Today, alpha-thalassemia is the single most common monogenetic disorders in man with over 500 millions carriers concentrated in malarious regions of the world. The world's consanguineous population is some 500-800 millions and is also concentrated in malarious regions. Population migration has spread the gene outside areas of high malaria endemicity. However, endemicity of malaria provides a worldwide gradient of genotype frequencies which makes the incestuous gene hypothesis testable. We propose that the incestuous anti-w allele was co-selected with some of the genes protective against malaria because anti-w facilitates mating between genetically close individuals whose offspring better survive malaria.
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PMID:Incestuous gene in consanguinophilia and incest: toward a consilience theory of incest taboo. 1619 2