Tetrapleura tetraptera fruit extracts ameliorate pentylenetetrazol-induced seizures as well as ensuing cognitive deficit and oxidative stress.

Kindling is an experimental-induced seizure consistent with epilepsy disease, a chronic neurological disorder characterised by spontaneous and repeated seizures. This disease is associated with oxidative stress, and most therapeutic strategies against epilepsy aim at improving the antioxidant defence mechanism in the brain. However, prolonged usage and associated adverse side effects limit antiepileptics, warranting natural antioxidant patronage.

Ganga hospital open injury severity score as a predictor of early failure of limb salvage among gustilo type III A and B tibia fractures in Uganda: a prospective cohort study.

Background: Despite advances in antibiotic therapy and microsurgery, the management of Gustilo and Anderson type IIIA and B open tibia fractures continues to pose a considerable challenge in developing countries. This has evolved from historical immediate amputation to modern approaches that prioritize both aesthetics and functional outcomes. Nonetheless, a consensus on limb salvage versus amputation remains elusive, prompting the development of prognostic limb scoring systems.

Distribution of pharmaceuticals in marine surface sediment and macroalgae (ulvophyceae) around Mombasa peri-urban creeks and Gazi Bay, Kenya.

Pollution in marine creeks has been increasing due to anthropogenic activities and has been a global concern. Limited research has been conducted on pharmaceuticals in marine sediment and macroalgae in African countries. In the present study, the levels of pharmaceuticals were assessed in surface sediment and different species of macroalgae (ulvophyceae; Cladophora sudanensis, Chaetomorpha crassa, Chaetomorpha indica, Enteromorpha kylinii, Ulva reticulate, Ulva lactuca and Cladophora sibugae) in Mombasa peri-urban creeks (Tudor, Makupa and Mtwapa creek) and Gazi bay during dry and wet seasons.

Human Herpes Virus-8 Oral Shedding Heterogeneity is Due to Varying Rates of Reactivation from Latency and Immune Containment.

Unlabelled: Human herpesvirus-8 (HHV-8) is a gamma herpesvirus linked to the development of Kaposi sarcoma (KS). KS is more common in persons living with HIV (PLWH), but endemic KS in HIV-negative individuals is also common in sub-Saharan Africa. HHV-8 shedding occurs in the oral mucosa and is likely responsible for transmission.

COVID-19 vaccine acceptance among pregnant women: a multicentre cross-sectional survey in Port Harcourt, Nigeria.

Introduction: effective COVID-19 vaccines for the prevention of severe illness have been available for more than one year now. This study was carried out to ascertain vaccine hesitancy and its associations among pregnant women receiving antenatal care in Port Harcourt, a large cosmopolitan town in Nigeria.

Methods: we conducted a cross-sectional online survey over 2 months among consenting pregnant women receiving antenatal care in the 3 largest obstetric service centers in Port Harcourt to evaluate COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy and its associations.

State of the science and future directions for research on HIV and cancer: Summary of a joint workshop sponsored by IARC and NCI.

An estimated 38 million people live with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) worldwide and are at excess risk for multiple cancer types. Elevated cancer risks in people living with HIV (PLWH) are driven primarily by increased exposure to carcinogens, most notably oncogenic viruses acquired through shared transmission routes, plus acceleration of viral carcinogenesis by HIV-related immunosuppression. In the era of widespread antiretroviral therapy (ART), life expectancy of PLWH has increased, with cancer now a leading cause of co-morbidity and death.

Pollution of the Niger Delta with total petroleum hydrocarbons, heavy metals and nutrients in relation to seasonal dynamics.

The African Niger Delta is among the world's most important wetlands in which the ecological effects of intensive oil exploitation and global change are not well documented. We characterized the seasonal dynamics and pollution with total-petroleum-hydrocarbons (TPHs), heavy-metals (HMs) and nutrient-loads in relation to climate-driven variables. High TPH concentrations up to 889 mg/L and HMs up to 13.

Increased frequency and quantity of mucosal and plasma cytomegalovirus replication among Ugandan Adults Living with HIV.

Background: Co-infection with HIV can result in impaired control of cytomegalovirus (CMV) replication, increasing the likelihood of disease and onward transmission. The objective of this analysis was to measure the impact of HIV on CMV replication in an intensively-sampled cohort in Kampala, Uganda.

Methods: CMV seropositive men and women aged 18-65, with or without HIV co-infection, were followed for one month.

Understanding Gender-Based Violence Service Delivery in CDC-Supported Health Facilities: 15 Sub-Saharan African Countries, 2017-2021.

Gender-based violence (GBV) is a complex issue deeply rooted in social structures, making its eradication challenging. GBV increases the risk of HIV transmission and is a barrier to HIV testing, care, and treatment. Quality clinical services for GBV, which includes the provision of HIV postexposure prophylaxis (PEP), vary, and service delivery data are lacking.

Reaching Youth Through Faith Leaders: Evaluation of the Faith Matters! Initiative.

Faith leaders can be uniquely positioned to guide and support young people on health issues, particularly HIV/AIDS and sexual violence. Faith Matters!, a 2-day training workshop for faith leaders, was delivered in September 2021 in Zambia. Sixty-six faith leaders completed a questionnaire at baseline, 64 at posttraining, and 59 at 3-month follow-up.

Fostering Access to PrEP Among Adolescent Girls and Young Women Aged 16 to 24 Years at High Risk of HIV Through the DREAMS Initiative in Four Districts in Zambia.

Adolescent girls and young women (AGYW) in sub-Saharan Africa remain at high risk for HIV, yet limited data exist on implementation of HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) for this group. We examined PrEP uptake among AGYW using a retrospective cohort enrolled in the Determined Resilient Empowered AIDS-free Mentored Safe (DREAMS) initiative in Zambia between October 2020 and March 2022. Consent was obtained from eligible AGYW at substantial risk for HIV, and they voluntarily participated in PrEP.

Variation within major internal repeats of KSHV in vivo.

Kaposi's sarcoma-associated herpesvirus (KSHV) is the etiologic agent of Kaposi's sarcoma (KS), yet the viral genetic factors that lead to the development of KS in KSHV-infected individuals have not been fully elucidated. Nearly, all previous analyses of KSHV genomic evolution and diversity have excluded the three major internal repeat regions: the two origins of lytic replication, internal repeats 1 and 2 (IR1 and IR2), and the latency-associated nuclear antigen (LANA) repeat domain (LANAr). These regions encode protein domains that are essential to the KSHV infection cycle but have been rarely sequenced due to their extended repetitive nature and high guanine and cytosine (GC) content.

Are tropical mangroves a sink for litter leaking from land-and sea-based sources? Evidence from selected Kenyan mangroves.

Marine litter surveys were carried out to determine the role of mangroves as a sink for litter. General litter density in the mangroves was 0.088 ± 0.

Measuring Oral Pre-exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP) Continuation Through Electronic Health Records During Program Scale-Up Among the General Population in Zambia.

HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) is being scaled-up in Zambia, but PrEP continuation data are limited by paper-based registers and aggregate reports. Utilization of Zambia's electronic health record (EHR) system, SmartCare, may address this gap. We analyzed individuals aged ≥ 15 years who initiated PrEP between October 2020 and September 2021 in four provinces in Zambia in SmartCare versus aggregate reports.

Genomic changes in Kaposi Sarcoma-associated Herpesvirus and their clinical correlates.

Kaposi sarcoma (KS), a common HIV-associated malignancy, presents a range of clinicopathological features. Kaposi sarcoma-associated herpesvirus (KSHV) is its etiologic agent, but the contribution of viral genomic variation to KS development is poorly understood. To identify potentially influential viral polymorphisms, we characterized KSHV genetic variation in 67 tumors from 1-4 distinct sites from 29 adults with advanced KS in Kampala, Uganda.

Peer community health workers improve HIV testing and ART linkage among key populations in Zambia: retrospective observational results from the Z-CHECK project, 2019-2020.

Introduction: Zambia has made tremendous progress towards HIV epidemic control; however, gaps remain among key populations (KPs), such as female sex workers (FSWs), men who have sex with men (MSM), people who inject drugs (PWID) and people in prisons and enclosed settings due to cultural, social and legal barriers. The University of Maryland, Baltimore Zambia Community HIV Epidemic Control for Key Populations (Z-CHECK) project aimed to improve HIV case-finding, linkage and treatment adherence at the community level for KPs in Zambia. We describe Z-CHECK strategies and examine HIV positivity yield and antiretroviral therapy (ART) linkage among KPs to inform ongoing programme improvement.

Initial implementation of HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis for people who are incarcerated in Zambia: a cross-sectional observational study.

Background: There are over 23 000 incarcerated people in Zambia, a population which has higher HIV prevalence than the general population yet has no access to HIV prevention. To evaluate the feasibility of HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) implementation in Zambian criminal justice facilities, we offered PrEP services to incarcerated people and aimed to describe early implementation outcomes.

Methods: In this cross-sectional observational study, we implemented a PrEP programme between Oct 1, 2020, and March 31, 2021, supporting 16 criminal justice facilities in four Zambian provinces.

Sero-surveillance for IgG to SARS-CoV-2 at antenatal care clinics in three Kenyan referral hospitals: Repeated cross-sectional surveys 2020-21.

Introduction: The high proportion of SARS-CoV-2 infections that have remained undetected presents a challenge to tracking the progress of the pandemic and estimating the extent of population immunity.

Methods: We used residual blood samples from women attending antenatal care services at three hospitals in Kenya between August 2020 and October 2021and a validated IgG ELISA for SARS-Cov-2 spike protein and adjusted the results for assay sensitivity and specificity. We fitted a two-component mixture model as an alternative to the threshold analysis to estimate of the proportion of individuals with past SARS-CoV-2 infection.

Reaching transgender populations in Zambia for HIV prevention and linkage to treatment using community-based service delivery.

Introduction: Transgender and gender-diverse communities in Zambia are highly vulnerable and experience healthcare differently than cisgender persons. The University of Maryland, Baltimore (UMB) supports projects in Zambia to improve HIV case-finding, linkage and antiretroviral treatment (ART) for Zambia's transgender community. We describe programme strategies and outcomes for HIV prevention, testing and ART linkage among transgender communities.

Association between infection and nutritional status among infants in a cohort study of vitamin A in western Kenya.

Background: Infection is associated with impaired nutritional status, especially for infants younger than 5 years.

Objectives: We assessed the impact of infection indicated by both acute phase proteins (APP), C-reactive protein (CRP), and α-1-acid-glycoprotein (AGP), and as reported by maternal recall on the nutritional status of infants.

Materials And Methods: A total of 505 pregnant women were enrolled in a nested longitudinal cohort study of vitamin A (VA).