Global importance of Indigenous Peoples, their lands, and knowledge systems for saving the world's primates from extinction

Primates, represented by 521 species, are distributed across 91 countries primarily in the Neotropic, Afrotropic, and Indo-Malayan realms. Primates inhabit a wide range of habitats and play critical roles in sustaining healthy ecosystems that benefit human and nonhuman communities. Approximately 68% of primate species are threatened with extinction because of global pressures to convert their habitats for agricultural production and the extraction of natural resources. Here, we review the scientific literature and conduct a spatial analysis to assess the significance of Indigenous Peoples' lands in safeguarding primate biodiversity. We found that Indigenous Peoples' lands account for 30% of the primate range, and 71% of primate species inhabit these lands. As their range on these lands increases, primate species are less likely to be classified as threatened or have declining populations. Safeguarding Indigenous Peoples' lands, languages, and cultures represents our greatest chance to prevent the extinction of the world's primates.

Guidelines for Modeling and Reporting Health Effects of Climate Change Mitigation Actions

BACKGROUND

Modeling suggests that climate change mitigation actions can have substantial human health benefits that accrue quickly and locally. Documenting the benefits can help drive more ambitious and health-protective climate change mitigation actions; however, documenting the adverse health effects can help to avoid them. Estimating the health effects of mitigation (HEM) actions can help policy makers prioritize investments based not only on mitigation potential but also on expected health benefits. To date, however, the wide range of incompatible approaches taken to developing and reporting HEM estimates has limited their comparability and usefulness to policymakers.

OBJECTIVE

The objective of this effort was to generate guidance for modeling studies on scoping, estimating, and reporting population health effects from climate change mitigation actions.

METHODS

An expert panel of HEM researchers was recruited to participate in developing guidance for conducting HEM studies. The primary literature and a synthesis of HEM studies were provided to the panel. Panel members then participated in a modified Delphi exercise to identify areas of consensus regarding HEM estimation. Finally, the panel met to review and discuss consensus findings, resolve remaining differences, and generate guidance regarding conducting HEM studies.

RESULTS

The panel generated a checklist of recommendations regarding stakeholder engagement: HEM modeling, including model structure, scope and scale, demographics, time horizons, counterfactuals, health response functions, and metrics; parameterization and reporting; approaches to uncertainty and sensitivity analysis; accounting for policy uptake; and discounting.

DISCUSSION

This checklist provides guidance for conducting and reporting HEM estimates to make them more comparable and useful for policymakers. Harmonization of HEM estimates has the potential to lead to advances in and improved synthesis of policy-relevant research that can inform evidence-based decision making and practice. https://doi.org/10.1289/EHP6745.

[Erectile Dysfunction In Chronic Hemodyalized Patients, Clinical And Epidemiological Aspects In Nephrologic Department Of Point "G" Hospital Teaching Center]

Erectile dysfunction is a common pathology in the general population. The frequency of these erectile disorders is increased in some particular populations such as patients with renal impairment in which it is estimated between 50% and 70% depending on the stage of renal failure.

AIMS

Our study aims to study erectile dysfunction in chronic hemodialyzed male patients.

METHOD

This is a descriptive prospective study carried out during the period from April 3 to August 31, 2017 having covered 65 chronic hemodialyzed patients for more than 12 months.

RESULT

In our study the prevalence of DE was 70.8% and moderate in 13.8%, severe in 30.8%, mild in 26.2%. Testosteronemia was normal in 83.1% of cases and significantly lower in patients with sexual disorders p = 0.030. Libido disorders were observed in 57% of our patients and significantly related to a decrease in testosteronemia p = 0.001. Vascular nephropathy was the most common etiology, i.e. 50.8% of cases followed by chronic Glomerulonephritis 24.6% and in 13.8% of cases no underlying etiology was found.

The diversity and conservation of mammals in the Dodo Coastal Forest in southwestern Côte d’Ivoire, western Africa: a preliminary study

To improve the knowledge of non-volant mammal diversity and conservation prospects in the Dodo Coastal Forest (DCF) in southwestern Côte d’Ivoire, we conducted reconnaissance surveys and interviews, and deployed remote cameras.  We calculated visual encounter rates (vER) and sign ER (sER) of mammalian taxa and hunting signs, mapped their locations and tested the hypothesis that sightings and signs of primates occurred closer to the river Dodo in and near the gallery forest.  We sighted nine taxa, including threatened King Colobus (Endangered, EN), Olive Colobus (Vulnerable, VU), Lowe’s Monkey (VU), the Eastern Lesser Spot-nosed Monkey (VU), and White-bellied Pangolin (VU), with vER of 0.04, 0.12, 0.04, 0.12, 0.04, respectively.  We confirmed 14 other taxa with signs including threatened Western Chimpanzee (CR), Pygmy Hippopotamus (Endangered, EN), Bosman’s Potto (VU), and Black-bellied Pangolin (VU), with sER of 0.51, 0.04, 0.08, 0.04, respectively.  The most frequently encountered signs were of the Red River Hog at 1.73 signs/km, and the Bushbuck at 0.63 signs/km.  Remote cameras captured images of these two taxa at image capture rates (ICR) of 0.044 and 0.022, respectively.  Images of the African Buffalo were captured at ICR of 0.044.  The 23 confirmed taxa include seven primates, four rodents, three carnivores, six even-toed ungulates, two pangolins and a Tree Hyrax.  The mean distance from the river Dodo to the sightings and the signs of the primates was significantly shorter than that of other taxa.  This supports our hypothesis.  There was a high level of hunting signs (sER = 0.63) indicating that intensive hunting pressure is menacing the fauna.  We recommend that authorities take actions against poaching, install a surveillance program, and curtail charcoal-making to ensure the conservation of the threatened mammals of the DCF.

Impending extinction crisis of the world's primates: Why primates matter

Nonhuman primates, our closest biological relatives, play important roles in the livelihoods, cultures, and religions of many societies and offer unique insights into human evolution, biology, behavior, and the threat of emerging diseases. They are an essential component of tropical biodiversity, contributing to forest regeneration and ecosystem health. Current information shows the existence of 504 species in 79 genera distributed in the Neotropics, mainland Africa, Madagascar, and Asia. Alarmingly, ~60% of primate species are now threatened with extinction and ~75% have declining populations. This situation is the result of escalating anthropogenic pressures on primates and their habitats-mainly global and local market demands, leading to extensive habitat loss through the expansion of industrial agriculture, large-scale cattle ranching, logging, oil and gas drilling, mining, dam building, and the construction of new road networks in primate range regions. Other important drivers are increased bushmeat hunting and the illegal trade of primates as pets and primate body parts, along with emerging threats, such as climate change and anthroponotic diseases. Often, these pressures act in synergy, exacerbating primate population declines. Given that primate range regions overlap extensively with a large, and rapidly growing, human population characterized by high levels of poverty, global attention is needed immediately to reverse the looming risk of primate extinctions and to attend to local human needs in sustainable ways. Raising global scientific and public awareness of the plight of the world's primates and the costs of their loss to ecosystem health and human society is imperative.

[Infection by the HIV virus and transfusions. Study of 38 pediatric cases]

We report the cases of 38 children with transfusion-associated HIV infection: 18 hemophiliacs and 2 patients with Von Willebrand disease, 6 with hemoglobinopathies, 8 with malignant diseases or aplastic anemia, 2 transfused during neonatal period and 2 during a surgical operation. Two groups with a different prognosis were found: In group A [hemophilia and Von Willebrand disease (n = 20)] 17 patients were asymptomatic or only with lymphadenopathy; 3 reached stage IV and none died. In group B [Others (n = 14)] 2 patients were asymptomatic, 4 reached stage IV and 8 died, 4 of them directly from AIDS. The difference between both groups was statistically significant. Prognosis of HIV infection is particularly severe in patients with leukemia, malignant tumors and aplastic anemia.