Impact of ascorbic acid in reducing the incidence of vancomycin associated nephrotoxicity in critically ill patients: A preliminary randomized controlled trial
Nouran Hesham El-Sherazy,Naglaa Samir Bazan,Sara Mahmoud Shaheen,Nagwa A. Sabri
Vancomycin (a glycopeptide antibiotic) has been the first line of treatment for methicillin-resistant. Trough level between 15–20 mg/L was recommended in complicated infections caused by. The incidence of vancomycin associated nephrotoxicity (VAN) is high and may reach 10–20% upon administering the conventional dose of vancomyci....
Applying an ecological framework to examine the multiple levels of influence affecting the utilisation of private sector adult asthma services in Khartoum, Sudan: a mixed methods study
Rachael Thomson,Magde Noor,Asma Elsony
Asthma is the third most common cause of hospital visits in Sudan. Sudan has a pluralistic health care system, with a strong and varied private sector. While research examining public sector asthma services exists, very little is known about which asthma services are available in the private sector.. An explanatory sequential mi....
The impact of testing and treatment on the dynamics of Hepatitis B virus
Olajumoke Oludoun,Olukayode Adebimpe,James Ndako,Michael Adeniyi,Oluwakemi Abiodun,Babatunde Gbadamosi
Hepatitis is an inflammation/scarring of the liver that contributes to various health complications, including death. It occurs due to an immune system attack by the virus in the liver and damages this vital organ of the body in the process (. In highly endemic areas, the most common form of transmission of hepatitis B is from m....
Variations in sexual network connectivity may explain dramatic variations in sexually transmitted infection prevalence between populations and over time: a four-country analysis
Chris Kenyon
The reasons underpinning the dramatic variations in sexually transmitted infection (STI) incidence between different populations are incompletely understood. These insights provided the motivation for the current paper where we aimed to conduct a more systematic analysis of the association between network connectivity and STI pr....
Prevalence and factors associated with anemia among children under five years of age in Rombo district, Kilimanjaro region, Northern Tanzania
Innocent B. Mboya,Redempta Mamseri,Beatrice J. Leyaro,Johnston George,Sia E. Msuya,Melina Mgongo
Anemia in children under five years is a significant public health problem in low-, middle- and high-income countries. The world health organization (WHO) defines anemia as a low blood hemoglobin concentration of less than 11g/dl in children under five years of age. A variety of factors causes anemia, but the most common cause i....
Developing a Minimum Data Set for a congenital abnormalities surveillance programme in Rwanda – a modified e-Delphi consensus study
Annette Uwineza,Aline Muhorakeye,Janvier Hitayezu,Peter Thomas Cartledge
CARs, congenital abnormality registries; OMET, core outcome measures in effectiveness trials; COS, core outcome set; EUROCAT, European Surveillance of Congenital Anomalies; HRH, human resources for health; ICD, International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems; IRB, institutional review board; LMIC....
It’s the network, stupid: a population’s sexual network connectivity determines its STI prevalence
Chris R. Kenyon,Wim Delva
There is little consensus as to why the prevalence of bacterial vaginosis (BV), HIV and other sexually transmitted infections (STIs) varies so dramatically around the world. A range of explanations have been put forward, including variation in circumcision prevalencen
Multiple microbiologic tests for tuberculosis improve diagnostic yield of bronchoscopy in medically complex patients
Dilshaad Fakey Khan,Moosa Suleman,Prinita Baijnath,Rubeshan Perumal,Vedanthi Moodley,Zoey Mhlane,Taryn Naidoo,Thumbi Ndung'u,Emily B. Wong
Globally, tuberculosis (TB) is the ninth leading cause of mortality with an estimated 1.6 million deaths reported in 2016. In 2011, the World Health Organization (WHO) recommended the GeneXpert MTB/RIF assay (Cepheid, Sunnyvale, CA, USA), a TB polymerase chain reaction (PCR) based test as the initial investigation of choice in p....
Transgenerational effects of the genocide against the Tutsi in Rwanda: A post-traumatic stress disorder symptom domain analysis
Susan Rudahindwa,Leon Mutesa,Eugene Rutembesa,Jean Mutabaruka,Annie Qu,Derek E. Wildman,Stefan Jansen,Monica Uddin
The 1994 genocide perpetrated against Tutsi in Rwanda is one of the most horrific events in recent history responsible for roughly one million deaths during a short 3-month period. The genocide was a result of tension between the two artificially divided ethnic groups of Rwanda: Hutu and Tutsi. Hutu extremists, alongside coerced....
Effect of tuberculosis training on community health workers’ knowledge: a cluster randomized control trial in South Nigeria
Christie Akwaowo,Idongesit Umoh,Oluseyi Motilewa,Victor Umoh,Eno Usoroh,Stella Adeboye,Uduak Idiong,Etop Antia
One of the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) as contained in the SDG target 3.3 is to end the tuberculosis epidemic by the year 2030. This End TB Strategy defines as a targets for 2030, a 90% reduction in the number of TB deaths and an 80% reduction in the TB incidence rate (new cases per 100 000 population per....
Case Report: Literature review of a Complicated Postpartum Pubic Symphysitis case
Dhekra Toumi,Korbi Asma,Marwa Badr,Farouk Ennaceur,Boujemaa Touati,Ahmed Hajji,Raja Faleh
Septic arthritis of the pubic symphysis is a rare infection, often occurring in particular patients including: athletes with chronic pubic inflammation, women in the postpartum period, drug addicts, patients following a surgical treatment for urinary incontinence or patients with pelvic cancer.. To date, it is an often unknown i....
Use of social media in a national Tuberculosis Drug Resistance Survey: lessons from the first anti-tuberculosis drug resistance survey in Ghana
Augustina Angelina Sylverken,Ellis Owusu-Dabo,Alexander Kwarteng,Sampson Twumasi-Ankrah,Michael Owusu,Louis Adu-Amoah,Rexford Mawunyo Dumevi,Rejoice Agyeiwaa Arthur,Nicholas Addofoh,Francisca Dzata,Frank Bonsu
TB Tuberculosis. KCCR Kumasi Centre for Collaborative Research in Tropical Medicine. GPRTU Ghana Private Road Transport Union. MTB. DRS Drug Resistance Survey. WHO World Health Organization. NTP National Tuberculosis Control Programme. NRC National Reference Center. KN....
Case Report: Facial mixed fungal infection in a poorly responding non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma patient with suspected immunodeficiency
Ali Mostafa,Mervat Gaber,Hany Abdelrahman,Noha ElAnwar,Ahmed Galal
Immunocompromised patients, those with hematological malignancies, solid organ or bone marrow transplantation, are highly vulnerable to invasive fungal infection, even with administration of systemic antifungal prophylaxisn
A qualitative and quantitative performance evaluation of Swaziland’s Rural Health Motivator program
Pascal Geldsetzer,Maria Vaikath,Jan-Walter De Neve,Till Bärnighausen,Thomas J. Bossert
Many low-and middle-income countries, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa, face a severe shortage of skilled healthcare workers. HIV is causing the highest burden of any disease in Swazilandn
Health technology assessment capacity at national level in sub-Saharan Africa: an initial survey of stakeholders
Samantha A. Hollingworth,Francis Ruiz,Mohamed Gad,Kalipso Chalkidou
Many countries have committed to universal health coverage (UHC) in the context of the sustainable development goals. Health technology assessment (HTA) provides a structured approach to synthesising evidence of clinical and cost effectiveness to inform priority-setting activities. Institutionalised HTA systems involve active pa....
Research priorities in maternal and neonatal health in Africa: results using the Child Health and Nutrition Research Initiative method involving over 900 experts across the continent
Moses Alobo,Charles Mgone,Joy Lawn,Colette Adhiambo,Kerri Wazny,Chinyere Ezeaka,Elizabeth Molyneux,Marleen Temmerman,Pius Okong,Address Malata,Thomas Kariuki
The deceleration in average annual rates of reduction of maternal mortality. This scenario calls for urgent actions to address MNH challenges, especially in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). In a 2019 report. Considering this, a MNH research priority setting exercise was developed, including more than 900 experts, betwee....
SNPs in IL4 and IFNG show no protective associations with human African trypanosomiasis in the Democratic Republic of the Congo: a case-control study
Olivier Fataki Asina,Harry Noyes,Bruno Bucheton,Hamidou Ilboudo,Annette MacLeod,Dieudonné Mumba Ngoyi
Human African trypanosomiasis (HAT), or sleeping sickness, is a neglected tropical disease caused by infection with extracellular blood protozoan parasites, which are transmitted by the bite of the tsetse fly (. The disease is present in more than 250 foci in Africa and nearly 70 million people are at risk of infection with the....
Tackling human and animal health threats through innovative vaccinology in Africa
George M. Warimwe,Jyothi Purushotham,Brian D. Perry,Adrian V.S. Hill,Sarah C. Gilbert,Baptiste Dungu,Bryan Charleston
Vaccines are among the most cost-effective health interventions ever deployed. With the global eradication of two major infectious diseases and substantial reductions in the burden of several others attributed to their use. However, the development of a sustainable African vaccine R&D sector requires substantial long-term invest....
Wood-decaying fungi found in Southern Ghana: A potential source of new anti-infective compounds
Samuel Yaw Aboagye,Vincent Amarh,Paul A. Lartey,Patrick Kobina Arthur
Several plants and fungi have served as sources of many drugs that are used in clinics. A proportion of microbial pathogens that afflict mammals may possibly infect fungal species, since they are both eukaryotes with related cellular metabolism. Unlike mammals, fungi have a higher tendency to produce relevant chemical compounds....
Ethical and practical issues to consider in the governance of genomic and human research data and data sharing in South Africa: a meeting report
Ciara Staunton,Rachel Adams,Edward S. Dove,Natalie Harriman,Lyn Horn,Melodie Labuschaigne,Nicola Mulder,Antonel Olckers,Anne Pope,Michèle Ramsay,Carmen Swanepoel,Nora Ni Loideain,Jantina De Vries
The views expressed in this article are those of the author(s). Publication in AAS Open Research does not imply endorsement by the AAS.
Detection of Mycobacterium tuberculosis DNA in CD34 + peripheral blood mononuclear cells of Ugandan adults with latent infection: a cross-sectional and nested prospective study
Jonathan Mayito,Irene Andia Biraro,Stephen T. Reece,Adrian R. Martineau,David P. Kateete
BCG, Bacillus Calmette-Guerin; CD, Cluster Of Differentiation; CFP-10, Culture Filtrate Protein-Ten; ELISPOT, Enzyme Linked Immunospot; ESAT-6, Early Secretory Antigenic Target-Six; HIV, Human Immunodeficiency Virus; IGRAS, Interferon Gamma Release Assays; IPT, Isoniazid Preventive Therapy; LTBI, Latent Tuberculosis Infection; L....
Current and emerging diagnostic tests available for the novel COVID-19 global pandemic
Gerald Mboowa
Infectious diseases are still a major threat in the world today. In the current case of the coronavirus global pandemic 2019, healthcare systems have the challenge of massive testing, isolating (quarantine) those suspected of being exposed to the virus, re-testing (at the end of the viral incubation period), treating and managin....
Model framework for governance of genomic research and biobanking in Africa – a content description
Aminu Yakubu,Paulina Tindana,Alice Matimba,Katherine Littler,Nchangwi Syntia Munung,Ebony Madden,Ciara Staunton,Jantina De Vries
The complete mapping of the human genome. In addition to these ethical concerns, regulatory frameworks for health research in Africa are either non-existent, or where they exist, do not respond to the specific concerns raised by genomics research and biobanking. The aim of this framework is to guide governance, address sample an....
COVID-19: Are Africa’s diagnostic challenges blunting response effectiveness?
Francis Kobia,Jesse Gitaka
In December 2019, a spate of pneumonia cases of unknown cause was observed in Wuhan, Hubei province, China (n
Seroprevalence, risk factors and impact of Toxoplasma gondii infection on haematological parameters in the Ashanti region of Ghana: a cross-sectional study
Samuel Kekeli Agordzo,Kingsley Badu,Mathew Glover Addo,Christian Kwasi Owusu,Abdul-Hakim Mutala,Austine Tweneboah,Dawood Ackom Abbas,Nana Kwame Ayisi-Boateng
— the causative organism for toxoplasmosis — is an obligate, intracellular, apicomplexan parasite with a wide geographic distribution and the ability to infect virtually any cell type across a broad host range, including humans, companion animals, livestock and wildlife. People are typically infected by either accidentally inges....