Innovations et gestion des déchets médicaux : le cas du nouvel hôpital de référence de Niamey, Niger.

INTRODUCTION: Public hospitals in Africa are experiencing major organizational dysfunctions, which are particularly acute in waste management. The opening of a new reference hospital in Niamey offers the opportunity to study the implementation of an innovative waste management system. PURPOSE OF RESEARCH: The objective of this study was to document the agents’ representations, practices, and construction of waste management standards in a new tertiary hospital in Niamey. We sought to study the implementation of innovative materials in waste management and the progressive construction of protocols, habits, and levers of adaptation. This research was carried out using a socio-spatial approach and essentially mobilized the tools of qualitative investigation. RESULTS: Our study highlighted that a hospital waste management culture is progressively established, thanks to an effort to plan activities, to promote the sector, the activities and the emergence of a profession organized around waste management. However, the distinct waste management sectors are struggling to stabilize due to the differentiated statuses and perceptions of the agents. Finally, the success of hospital waste management depends on waste collection at the city level. CONCLUSIONS: The Niamey referral hospital is intended to be an infrastructure of excellence, a showcase for neighboring countries. In this respect, our study shows that it is crucial to invest in planning, the enhancement of the profession and the recognition of all the agents involved in waste management.

Assessment of vitamin D and vitamin A intake by female students at the United Arab Emirates University based on self-reported dietary and selected fortified food consumption.

In the United Arab Emirates (UAE), many adolescent girls and women (especially the UAE citizens) are not adequately exposed to sunlight and their dietary intake of vitamin D is insufficient to fulfill the required recommended daily allowance of the vitamin. In the present study, the problem of vitamin D and vitamin A insufficiency in female students of UAE University was investigated through a dietary intake assessment of the vitamins. Results indicated that over 70% of female students constituting the survey population did not consume enough milk and other vitamin-D-rich foods, and many showed poor food habits. Prevalence of vitamin D insufficiency among the population studied indicated that 37% of the total population was considered vitamin D insufficient and 40% of the female students residing in the hostels also had vitamin D insufficiency ( < 5 µg/day) based on self-reported dietary and selected fortified food consumption.

Role of the pericarp cellulose matrix as a moisture barrier in microwaveable popcorn.

Since moisture loss of popcorn can cause an increase in the number of unpopped kernels, pericarp properties of popcorn hybrids were analyzed to understand factors affecting moisture loss rate during microwave heating. Differential scanning calorimetry profiles of ground pericarp displayed a notable exothermal event, and hybrids with superior microwave popping performance (fewer unpopped kernels) exhibited significantly higher enthalpies. The number of unpopped kernels was highly correlated (r = 0.826, p = 0.011) with pericarp enthalpy values. X-ray analysis confirmed that cellulose and arabinoxylan are the major structural components of the pericarp. Structural changes in cellulose were induced by moisture and heat, and considerable enhancement in crystallinity occurred when the pericarp was heated in the presence of water. Results of this study indicate that the cellulose component of the pericarp is responsible for the development of exothermal events and increased crystallinity. Thus, the propensity of cellulose to form crystalline structures in the popcorn pericarp during microwave heating improves moisture retention and hence popping performance.