Efficacy of agnique (mmf) monomolecular surface film against immature stages of Anopheles arabiensis patton and Culex spp (diptera: culicidae) in Khartoum, Sudan.

The efficacy of the larvicidal and pupicidal agent (Agnique) MMF was evaluated against larvae of An. arabiensis and Culex (Diptera: Culicidae) under field conditions in Bahary Locality, Khartoum, Sudan. At an applied dosage of 0.25 ml/m2, MMF resulted in 89.4, 79.8 and 88.2% reductions in L3-L4 instars An. arabiensis and 63.5% in Culex larvae (all stages) 24 to 72 hours post-treatment. Pupae were completely eliminated (100%) within 24 hours posttreatment. The earlier instars (L1-L2) of An. arabiensis were more tolerant with a 62.5% reduction at 72 hours post-treatment compared to (L3-L4) instars and pupae. At 7-days post-treatment Agnique gave a 57.5% reduction in L1-L2 and 92.6% in L3-L4 instar larvae of An. arabiensis and 57.3% and 86.4% in Culex larvae and pupae, respectively. We conclude that Agnique can perform effectively against L3-L4 instars and pupae of An. arabiensis for only 1 week, and 3 to 4 days against L1-L2 instars of Culex spp.

Risk factors for preterm labor in Al Gassim region, Saudi Arabia

Preterm birth occur for many different reasons. We performed this study to identify the important risk factors for preterm delivery, and to study the association between various risk factors and the occurrence of preterm labor in our population. This hospital-based study included 276 women, all pregnants delivered before 37 weeks gestation at the five main hospitals in Al-Qassim Region, Saudi Arabia during the period February to July 1997. Another 828 term deliveries [delivered at or later than 37 weeks gestation] were randomly selected from the same hospitals and -during the same period as the control group. Information was gathered about demographic factors, obstetric history and current pregnancy. Associations with preterm labor were evaluated by univariate tests and multivariate analysis with logistic regression. The current study has confirmed that twins, previous preterm delivery, maternal age < 20 years, previous 2nd trimester abortion, pyelonepritis placenta previa, body weight