Combining quality improvement and critical care training: Evaluating an ICU CPR training programme quality improvement initiative at the National Hospital in Tanzania.

Background: The United Republic of Tanzania has had a 41.4% mortality rate in the intensive care unit. In Tanzania, the Ministry of Health and Social Welfare has implemented quality improvement (QI), yet the Tanzanian health sector continues to face resource constraints, unsustainable projects and gaps in knowledge and skills, contributing to unacceptably high mortality rates for Tanzanian patients.

Examining the involvement of guardians of children with acute lymphoblastic leukemia in Tanzania as public contributors to inform the design and conduct of the GuardiansCan project: A mixed-methods study protocol.

Background: Public contribution in research can lead to the design and conduct of more feasible and relevant research. However, our understanding of the acceptability and feasibility of public contribution and the evidence base regarding its impact in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) is limited.

Methods: In this study protocol, we describe a mixed-method examination of public contribution activities in the GuardiansCan project.

Women's experience of preterm birth in an East African context: a qualitative study.

Background: Approximately 15 million children are born each year prematurely, representing more than 10 percent of all childbirths worldwide. Prematurity is an acute event and the leading cause of death among newborns and children under five. Sixty percent of these premature deaths occur in Sub-Saharan Africa and Southeast Asia.

An mHealth Intervention to Improve Guardians' Adherence to Children's Follow-Up Care for Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia in Tanzania (GuardiansCan Project): Protocol for a Development and Feasibility Study.

Background: Cancer is a leading cause of death during childhood and in low- and middle-income countries survival rates can be as low as 20%. A leading reason for low childhood cancer survival rates in low- and middle-income countries such as Tanzania is treatment abandonment. Contributing factors include poor communication between health care providers and children's guardians, insufficient cancer knowledge, and psychological distress.

A protocol to clinically evaluate liquid biopsies as a tool to speed up diagnosis of children and young adults with aggressive infection-related lymphoma in East Africa "(AI-REAL)".

Background: The capacity for invasive tissue biopsies followed by histopathology diagnosis in sub-Saharan Africa is severely limited. Consequently, many cancer patients are diagnosed late and outcomes are poor. Here, we propose to evaluate circulating tumour (ct) DNA analysis ("liquid biopsy"), a less invasive and faster approach to diagnose endemic EBV-driven lymphomas (EBVL) in East Africa.

Measuring Ambulation, Motor, and Behavioral Outcomes with Post-stroke Fluoxetine in Tanzania: The Phase II MAMBO Trial.

We test the safety of fluoxetine post-ischemic stroke in sub-Saharan Africa. Adults with acute ischemic stroke, seen <14 days since new-onset motor deficits, were enrolled from November 2019 to October 2020 in a single-arm, open-label phase II trial of daily fluoxetine 20 mg for 90 days at Muhimbili National Hospital, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. The primary outcome was safety with secondary outcomes of medication adherence and tolerability.

Efficacy of Fluoxetine for Post-Ischemic Stroke Depression in Tanzania.

Objective: Post-stroke fluoxetine trials are primarily conducted in high-income countries. We characterize post-ischemic stroke depression in fluoxetine-treated and -untreated study participants in urban Tanzania.

Methods: Adults (>18 years old) within 14 days of CT-confirmed acute ischemic stroke onset were enrolled at Muhimbili National Hospital, Tanzania.

Long-Distance Travel for HIV-Related Care-Burden or Choice?: A Mixed Methods Study in Tanzania.

Decentralization of HIV care across sub-Saharan Africa has increased access to anti-retroviral therapy (ART). Although traveling for care has traditionally been viewed as a barrier, some individuals may choose to travel for care due to stigma and fear of HIV status disclosure. We sought to understand the prevalence of traveling long distances for HIV care, as well as reasons for engaging in such travel.

Neighborhood greenness and burden of non-communicable diseases in Sub-Saharan Africa: A multi-country cross-sectional study.

Population growth, demographic transitions and urbanization in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) will increase non-communicable disease (NCD) burden. We studied the association between neighborhood greenness and NCDs in a multi-country cross-sectional study. Among 1178 participants, in adjusted models, a 0.

Travel burden and clinical presentation of retinoblastoma: analysis of 1024 patients from 43 African countries and 518 patients from 40 European countries.

Background: The travel distance from home to a treatment centre, which may impact the stage at diagnosis, has not been investigated for retinoblastoma, the most common childhood eye cancer. We aimed to investigate the travel burden and its impact on clinical presentation in a large sample of patients with retinoblastoma from Africa and Europe.

Methods: A cross-sectional analysis including 518 treatment-naïve patients with retinoblastoma residing in 40 European countries and 1024 treatment-naïve patients with retinoblastoma residing in 43 African countries.

Global Retinoblastoma Presentation and Analysis by National Income Level.

Importance: Early diagnosis of retinoblastoma, the most common intraocular cancer, can save both a child's life and vision. However, anecdotal evidence suggests that many children across the world are diagnosed late. To our knowledge, the clinical presentation of retinoblastoma has never been assessed on a global scale.

Prospective exploration of the effect of adiposity and associated microbial factors on healing and progression of diabetic foot ulcers in Tanzania: study protocol of a longitudinal cohort study.

Background: Diabetic foot ulcers (DFUs) are associated with high morbidity and mortality in low-income countries. This coexists with an increasing prevalence of obesity which has been reported to alter antimicrobial susceptibility and potentially affect the outcome of infected foot ulcers. This study aims to determine whether adiposity and local microbial factors affect the progression and healing of foot ulcers in people with type 2 diabetes in hospital settings in Tanzania.

MAMBO: Measuring ambulation, motor, and behavioral outcomes with post-stroke fluoxetine in Tanzania: Protocol of a phase II clinical trial.

Background: SSA has a high stroke incidence and post-stroke morbidity. An inexpensive pharmacological treatment for stroke recovery would be beneficial to patients in the region. Fluoxetine, currently on the World Health Organization Essential Medicines List, holds promise as a treatment for motor recovery after ischemic stroke, but its effectiveness is controversial and untested in this context in SSA.

Ethno-ornithology and onomastics in the Natta community, Serengeti district, Tanzania.

This paper presents ethno-ornithology, the study of birds in a society, in relation to onomastics, the study of proper names. The study was conducted in villages of Mbisso and Motukeri in Serengeti district, Tanzania aiming to find out how the Natta community name and classify birds in their language and to identify anthroponyms and toponyms derived from names of birds. Purposive sampling was used to select 64 respondents who participated in focus group discussions, birding and interview.

Burden of depressive symptoms and non-alcohol substance abuse; and their association with alcohol use and partner violence: a cross-sectional study in four sub-Saharan Africa countries.

In sub-Saharan Africa, there are limited data on burden of non-alcohol substance abuse (NAS) and depressive symptoms (DS), yet potential risk factors such as alcohol and intimate partner violence (IPV) are common and NAS abuse may be the rise. The aim of this study was to measure the burden of DS and NAS abuse, and determine whether alcohol use and IPV are associated with DS and/or NAS abuse. We conducted a cross-sectional study at five sites in four countries: Nigeria (nurses), South Africa (teachers), Tanzania (teachers) and two sites in Uganda (rural and peri-urban residents).

Consumption of processed food dietary patterns in four African populations.

Objective: To identify predominant dietary patterns in four African populations and examine their association with obesity.

Design: Cross-sectional study.Setting/SubjectsWe used data from the Africa/Harvard School of Public Health Partnership for Cohort Research and Training (PaCT) pilot study established to investigate the feasibility of a multi-country longitudinal study of non-communicable chronic disease in sub-Saharan Africa.

Prevalence and risk factor for injury in sub-Saharan Africa: a multicountry study.

Introduction: Injury-related morbidity is a neglected health concern in many low-income and middle-income countries. Most injury data in Africa have been collected from hospital-based studies, and few studies have occurred across multiple countries. Using data from a novel cohort, we examined the prevalence and incidence of serious injuries and associated risk factors across five sites in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA).

Urban-rural and geographic differences in overweight and obesity in four sub-Saharan African adult populations: a multi-country cross-sectional study.

Background: Overweight and obesity are on the rise in developing countries including sub-Saharan Africa. We undertook a four-country survey to show the collective burden of these health conditions as they occur currently in sub-Saharan Africa and to determine the differences between urban and rural populations and other socio-economic factors.

Methods: Participants were nurses in two hospitals in Nigeria (200), school teachers in South Africa (489) and Tanzania (229), and village residents in one peri-urban (297) and one rural location in Uganda (200) who completed a standardised questionnaire.

Urban and rural prevalence of diabetes and pre-diabetes and risk factors associated with diabetes in Tanzania and Uganda.

Background: The increase in prevalence of diabetes and pre-diabetes in sub-Saharan Africa underlines the importance of understanding its magnitude and causes in different population groups. We analyzed data from the Africa/Harvard Partnership for Cohort Research and Training (PaCT) studies to determine the prevalence of diabetes and pre-diabetes and risk factors associated with diabetes.

Methodology: Participants were randomly selected from peri-urban (n=297) and rural (n=200) communities in Uganda, and teachers were recruited from schools (n=229) in urban Tanzania.

The burden of hypertension in sub-Saharan Africa: a four-country cross sectional study.

Background: Hypertension, the leading single cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide, is a growing public health problem in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). Few studies have estimated and compared the burden of hypertension across different SSA populations. We conducted a cross-sectional analysis of blood pressure data collected through a cohort study in four SSA countries, to estimate the prevalence of pre-hypertension, the prevalence of hypertension, and to identify the factors associated with hypertension.

Diabetic foot: prevalence, knowledge, and foot self-care practices among diabetic patients in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania - a cross-sectional study.

Background: At the time of diagnosis, more than 10 % of people with type 2 diabetes mellitus have one or two risk factors for a foot ulceration and a lifetime risk of 15 %. Diabetic foot ulcers can be prevented through well-coordinated foot care services. The objective of this study was to determine knowledge of foot care and reported practice of foot self-care among diabetic patients with the aim of identifying and addressing barriers to preventing amputations among diabetic patients.

Feasibility of a large cohort study in sub-Saharan Africa assessed through a four-country study.

Background: Large prospective epidemiologic studies are vital in determining disease etiology and forming national health policy. Yet, such studies do not exist in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) notwithstanding the growing burden of chronic diseases.

Objective: We explored the feasibility of establishing a large-scale multicountry prospective study at five sites in four sub-Saharan countries.

Consumption and acceptability of whole grain staples for lowering markers of diabetes risk among overweight and obese Tanzanian adults.

Background: Dietary changes characterized by a reduction in carbohydrate quality are occurring in developing countries and may be associated with a higher prevalence of obesity and chronic diseases such as type 2 diabetes mellitus. We assessed the preferences and acceptability of unrefined whole grain carbohydrate staples (i.e.

1-hour venous plasma glucose and incident prediabetes and diabetes in Asian indians.

Background: This study evaluated 1-h plasma glucose (1HrPG) levels during an oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) in predicting progression to diabetes and prediabetes among individuals with normal glucose tolerance (NGT).

Subjects And Methods: After analyzing the electronic records of 32,809 subjects who had undergone an OGTT, we identified 1,179 subjects who had NGT at baseline, defined as fasting plasma glucose (FPG) of < 100 mg/dL and 2-h plasma glucose (2HrPG) of < 140 mg/dL, who had at least one follow-up OGTT. Receiver operating characteristic curves were constructed to derive the optimal 1HrPG values, which were associated with the development of diabetes (FPG of ≥ 126 mg/dL or 2HrPG of ≥ 200 mg/dL) or prediabetes (FPG ≥ 100 to <1 26 mg/dL or 2HrPG of ≥ 140 to < 200 mg/dL) at follow-up in these NGT subjects.