Did you know...

Did you know that the ethanol root extract of Flemingia chappar has a sedative quality?

Vol.12 no.2 of the Tropical Journal of Pharmaceutical Research includes "Sedative and Anticonvulsant Activities of the Ethanol Root Extract of Flemingia chappar Benth" by Gahlot et al., in which a study was conducted to test the sedative and anticonvulsant properties of Flemingia chappar. The results indicated that because of these qualities, the extract can be used as traditional medicine for Epilepsy.

For this article and others from this issue, go to: http://www.bioline.org.br/titles?id=pr&year=2013&vol=12&num=02&keys=v12n2

Major Bioline Milestone!

The Bioline Team is very happy to announce a major milestone in the project's development: the Bioline International system is now being served from the Internet Data Center of RNP (Rede Nacional de Pesquisas - National Research Network) in Brasilia!

The Internet Data Center offers Bioline the best connectivity, improved security and availability and will benefit our team, all of our member journals and Bioline researchers for years to come!

This system improvement was made possible by the Brazilian members of the Bioline Team - Sidnei de Souza and Luiz Henrique Barione at CRIA! Sidnei and Luiz - your hard work and dedication to the Bioline project is essential to our sustained success. Thank you for all of the work that you've invested into moving our servers to the Internet Data Center, it is a great accomplishment for Bioline!

Introducing You to the Latest Additions to our Bioline Team (Summer 2013)!

We are halfway through the year, and we would love to introduce you to our new Bioline Team members for Summer 2013!

ESHA HOMENAUTH

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Esha is a fourth year student at the University of Toronto Scarborough currently pursuing a double major in Human Biology and Health Studies. Esha became a member of the Bioline International team in May 2013 as a Metadata Assistant. Through her studies at the University of Toronto, Esha has become familiar with scientific articles and with this knowledge together with her assertive personality and open mindedness, she assists in editing and proof-reading journal entries before they are published online. With a passion for science,she aims to further her studies in research and wishes to gain experience and knowledge during her time with Bioline International. Esha enjoys working with the Bioline team and is proud to be part of an organization that she may one day contribute research to.

JENNY NGUYEN

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Jenny is in her third year in the Management program at UTSC. She joined in September 2011 as a Publishing Assistant, now working as a Research Assistant. She brings to the team a keen eye for detail, knowledge of business models and experience in accounting. Jenny enjoyed the editing work she did as a Publishing Assistant and is very excited to see how her business knowledge will help Bioline grow. Due to her interest in sciences, and she is fascinated by the information presented in articles.

KAI-ANN FLETCHER

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Kai-Ann is a third year student studying a double major in Neuroscience and Biochemistry. As a Biochemistry student, she spends a lot of time in chemistry labs, and knows what it is like to work meticulously and methodically. Past work experience has taught her to be patient and has given her the skills to process and analyze large amounts of information, which will definitely help her as a Publishing Assistant! She believes that Bioline is helping to boost the research community in developing countries by giving them a forum to share their knowledge and findings with the wider world. But best of all, she thinks that Bioline International provides the opportunity to bridge the gap that exists between the developing and developed countries through common areas of scientific research.

Did you know...

Did you know that the oil from the seeds of the tree species Jatropha curcas can be used to produce biofuel?

African Crop Science Journal vol.21 no.2 was updated on Bioline in early June. It features "Potential Pollinators and Floral Visitors of Introduced Tropical Biofuel Tree Species Jatropha curcas (Euphorbiaceae) in Southern Africa" by Negussie et al., which discusses the Jatropha curcas species and its vulnerability to pollinators and other insects in the two countries of Zambia and Malawi. Studying the species' vulnerability could help protect this valuable biofuel resource!

Check out vol. 21 no.2 of the African Crop Science Journal here: http://www.bioline.org.br/titles?id=cs&year=2013&vol=21&num=02&keys=V21N2

Did you know...

Did you know that Surgical Site Infection is a cause of death among patients who undergo an operation?

In Muhimbili National Hospital in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, this is an increasing cause of death. One study, "Risk Factors of Surgical Site Infection at Muhimbili National Hospital, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania" by Akoko et al. in East and Central African Journal of Surgery vol.17 no.3, was carried out to assess the factors associated with this increase, the prevalence of the infection and the demographics of those it affected.

For the complete study as well as other articles from this issue, go to: http://www.bioline.org.br/titles?id=js&year=2012&vol=17&num=03&keys=V17N3

Did you know...

Did you know that Hereditary Hemolytic Anemia leads to the rapid destruction of blood cells?

In issue 52 of VITAE Academia Biomédica Digital, "Hereditary hemolytic anemia and iron overload" by Ruiz et al. discusses how blood transfusions from the rapid destruction of blood cells in those with anemia can cause iron overload, and how a liver biopsy is the most accurate measurement of iron overload.

You can find this article and others from this issue here: http://www.bioline.org.br/titles?id=va&year=2013&vol=0&num=53&keys=V0N53

Featured Issues: Zootecnia Tropical Vol.29 No.1, 2 & 3

Today we are featuring volume 29 of Zootecnia Tropical! You can find our first blog post on this journal here.

Vol. 29 no. 1 includes "Yield carcass and filleting in tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus) Chitralada strain cultivated in Trujillo state, Venezuela" by Rojas-Runjaic et al. This article discusses how tilapia is filleted, as well as the average weight of the fish caught. Various stages were weighted, such as when the fish were filleted, their weight when they were caught, and their weight after cleaned. For more details of this study and other articles from this issue, go to: http://www.bioline.org.br/titles?id=zt&year=2011&vol=29&num=01&keys=V29N1

Weight was also a factor in "Non-genetic factors affecting birth and weaning weight in Angus calves" by Martínez-González et al in vol. 29 no.2 - this time in relation to Angus calves. The calves were evaluated based on factors such as year of birth, season of birth, and sex. The results showed that male calves weighed more than female calves. For the complete study and more articles from this issue, go to: http://www.bioline.org.br/titles?id=zt&year=2011&vol=29&num=02&keys=V29N2

Calves were studied again in vol. 29 no. 3 in "Leucogram and protein profile in dual purpose crossbred calves, resistant and susceptible to natural infection by gastrointestinal nematodes" by Barrios et al. 75 crossbred calves were evaluated based on factors such as white blood cell count after they were exposed to infested pastures. For more information on this study and other articles from no.3, go to: http://www.bioline.org.br/titles?id=zt&year=2011&vol=29&num=03&keys=V29N3

New Journal: Rwanda Medical Journal

We are pleased to introduce our latest journal to the Bioline family--the Rwanda Medical Journal! RMJ was added to Bioline in May and is being published by the Rwanda Biomedical Centre. It features articles on health care in Rwanda, and aims to cultivate discussion on health issues between health care professionals and academics alike. Abstracts are available in both English and French.

Issues 1, 2, 3 & 4 of vol.69 of the journal went up on Bioline last week. Here are some of the highlights from the Editorials of each of the issues:

Issue 1's editorial by Léon Mutesa discusses the Rwanda Medical Centre's (RMC) inception in 2011 and its current progress. Mutesa also discusses the RMC mission statement to become a leader in clinical research studies, particularly in HIV/AIDS and infectious diseases, and make an significant impact on Rwandan health policies. Details of the structure and functions of the RMC's department are also outlined by Mutesa.
Check out some of the other articles from this issue pertaining to topics such as periodontal pathogens and oral health care habits here: http://www.bioline.org.br/titles?id=rw&year=2012&vol=69&num=01&keys=V69N1

Agnes Binagwaho, in the editorial for issue 2, talks about the progress that the Rwandan health sector has made in producing strategies and policies for patients and health care practitioners alike--resulting in a positive impact on the overall health of the population, especially in the area of infectious diseases. Statistics have shown that there has been a decrease by 78% over ten years (between 2001-2010) of HIV mortality rates, and the life expectancy in Rwanda jumped from 30 in 1995 to 55 in 2010. Binagwaho details the results of examining the health sector after the Rwanda president's push of the Ministry of Health for more health care professionals in the country.
You can find all of the articles of vol.69 no.2 here: http://www.bioline.org.br/titles?id=rw&year=2012&vol=69&num=02&keys=V69N2

A number of articles on studies done at the King Faisal hospital in Kigali, the largest city in Rwanda. The first, "Cervical Squamous Intraepitherial lesions at King Faisal Hospital: A Systematic Review: April 2009 - April 2011" by Shiramba et al. is a reflection on the 1673 studies done of cervical pap smears from April 2009 to April 2011 and the findings of pre-cancerous cells.
The second, "Effusion Cytology at King Faisal Hospital, Kigali: A Review of 151 Cases" by Shiramba et al. details 151 effusions using cytologic examination. Effusions are a large amount of fluid in a cavity or space in the body. The results showed that 17% of effusions were malignant, or severe.
The complete findings of these articles and more articles from this issue can be found here: http://www.bioline.org.br/titles?id=rw&year=2012&vol=69&num=03&keys=V69N3

Lastly, issue 4 includes an editorial by Frank Verbeke on the role that ICT (Information and Communications Technology) has played in the improvement of health care in Rwanda. Although education in ICT in the area has proved to be difficult with a limited number of health care professionals trained in the area, programs such as Belgian's Migration and Development for Africa Great Lakes provide support and training, as seen during their March 13th 2013 conference at Kigali Health Institute. Here they presented huge strides in the role of ICT, mentioning that 300 health professionals were educated on using health software applications at the Kigali University Teaching Hospital.
For articles from issue 4 and more on ICT and health care, go to: http://www.bioline.org.br/titles?id=rw&year=2012&vol=69&num=04&keys=V69N4

Special Foreword by Ruth Oniang'o for Vol.13 No.3 of African Journal of Food, Agriculture, Nutrition and Development

Last week Professor Ruth Oniang'o, the Editor-in-Chief of the African Journal of Food, Agriculture, Nutrition and Development gave the following Foreword for vol.13 no.3:

As we release this issue, we wish to join everyone in putting former president of South Africa in our thoughts as he continues to spend time in hospital in a critical condition. MADIBA, as South Africans fondly call him, will eternally remain an international icon. My personal thoughts are with the family, and they should remember that so many across the globe hold Nelson Mendela in very high regard.

This issue has 16 peer reviewed papers. They make an interesting read. In addition, our website carries interesting and relevant reprints, and other materials that have been transferred from elsewhere and made available for our readership. The website itself has interesting non technical material for popular reading. For example, we have an article on banana, describing its health benefits.

For those who are just joining us, let me say something about the journal. It started in the year 2001, as a capacity building activity to impart some analytical, writing and editorial skills to budding African scholars. Seed funding from friendly organizations, financial and moral support from friends, and reviewing support from scholars across the world, some of whom I have not even met, have all worked in unison to get us to this point in time. We are now in our 12th year, have more than 130 reviewers in different fields, and about 10 technical reviewers. I could not manage without this support. Our secretariat is small. Michael, Emily, myself and always an intern around who is proceeding for graduate studies. We are constantly looking for funds. Sustaining a journal is not easy.

Thanks to all our dedicated supporters that I have mentioned, we are now able to release our 58th issue, and papers for the next issue (16 of them) are ready. We receive many manuscripts, unsolicited, some good, some not so good. The review process is thorough and involves the author all the way, we reject many manuscripts even as some authors give up themselves along the way. By the time a paper is rejected, everything has been tried to improve it. It is our hope, and indeed our belief, that once a young author has been through us, preparation of the next manuscript should be a lot easier, regardless of where they wish to submit it.

We are indexed by, linked to and quality assured by a number of organizations and partners who can be found on the homepage of the journal. We can make money through publishing of a special issue. We can work with you to prepare such an issue. Please try us. We have a global reach. You can also support an intern for 6 months and by the time we are done with them, they are ready to proceed for graduate studies.

If you need certain expertise, please try from our source. We carry resumes and we profile our reviewers to acknowledge them and give them visibility.

Below, find what we have for you in this issue. Please enjoy. To the authors, CONGRATULATIONS and thank you for choosing AJFAND to share your scientific knowledge. To our patrons and friends, we say AHSANTE SANA (Swahili for THANK YOU VERY MUCH).

Ruth Oniang’o
Editor-in-Chief, AJFAND

We will be posting vol.13 no.3 very soon on Bioline, but in the meantime you can find it at the African Journal of Food, Agriculture, Nutrition and Development website.