Burden of child mortality from malaria in high endemic areas: Results from the CHAMPS network using minimally invasive tissue sampling.

Background: Malaria is a leading cause of childhood mortality worldwide. However, accurate estimates of malaria prevalence and causality among patients who die at the country level are lacking due to the limited specificity of diagnostic tools used to attribute etiologies. Accurate estimates are crucial for prioritizing interventions and resources aimed at reducing malaria-related mortality.

Prevalence and Missed Cases of Respiratory Distress Syndrome Disease Amongst Neonatal Deaths Enrolled in the Kenya Child Health and Mortality Prevention Surveillance Network (CHAMPS) Program Between 2017 and 2021.

To describe RDS in neonatal deaths at the CHAMPS-Kenya site between 2017 and 2021. We included 165 neonatal deaths whose their Causes of death (COD) were determined by a panel of experts using data from post-mortem conducted through minimally invasive tissue specimen testing, clinical records, and verbal autopsy. Twenty-six percent (43/165) of neonatal deaths were attributable to RDS.

BRCA1 and BRCA2 mutations and their clinical relevance in selected women diagnosed with triple-negative breast cancer in Kenya: a descriptive cross-sectional study.

Introduction: triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) is a heterogeneous breast cancer type with a poor prognosis. About 25% of TNBC patients carry breast cancer susceptibility genes 1 and 2 (BRCA1 and BRCA2) mutations. Screening for BRCA mutations would facilitate early detection and initiation of personalized therapy, thus improving prognosis.

Causes of Death Among Infants and Children in the Child Health and Mortality Prevention Surveillance (CHAMPS) Network.

Importance: The number of deaths of children younger than 5 years has been steadily decreasing worldwide, from more than 17 million annual deaths in the 1970s to an estimated 5.3 million in 2019 (with 2.8 million deaths occurring in those aged 1-59 months [53% of all deaths in children aged <5 years]).

Cytomorphological patterns of breast lesions among women with palpable breast lumps attending select teaching and referral hospitals in Kenya: a descriptive cross-sectional study.

Introduction: breast lumps account for a greater number of lesions in women attending surgical clinics in the developing world. Breast cancer which mostly presents as a breast lump is the leading cancer in Kenya, with an incidence of 12.5%.

Neural tube defects as a cause of death among stillbirths, infants, and children younger than 5 years in sub-Saharan Africa and southeast Asia: an analysis of the CHAMPS network.

Background: Neural tube defects are common birth defects resulting in severe morbidity and mortality; they can largely be prevented with periconceptional maternal intake of folic acid. Understanding the occurrence of neural tube defects and their contribution to mortality in settings where their burden is highest could inform prevention and health-care policy. We aimed to estimate the mortality attributed to neural tube defects in seven countries in sub-Saharan Africa and southeast Asia.

Molecular Profiling of Kenyan Acute Myeloid Leukemia Patients.

Acute myeloid leukemia (AML) is an infrequent disease, and it is associated with high morbidity and mortality. It harbors a unique configuration of cytogenetic abnormalities and molecular mutations that can be detected using microscopic and molecular methods respectively. These genetic tests are core elements of diagnosis and prognostication in high-income countries.

Postmortem Study of Cause of Death Among Children Hospitalized With Respiratory Illness in Kenya.

Background: In resource-limited settings, acute respiratory infections continue to be the leading cause of death in young children. We conducted postmortem investigations in children <5 years hospitalized with a clinical diagnosis of respiratory disease at Kenya's largest referral hospital.

Methods: We collected respiratory and other tissues postmortem to examine pathologic processes using histology, molecular and immunohistochemistry assays.

A review of completeness, correctness, and order of cause of death statements among decedents with documented causes of death and HIV status at two major mortuaries in Kenya, 2015.

Background: The cause of death (COD) statement is a vital statistic that refers to the disease(s) and process(es) that lead to death. Obtaining accurate COD is valuable for mortality prevention priorities. The statements are formulated using International Classification of Diseases and related health problems, version 10 (ICD-10) system.

Comparison of Minimally Invasive Tissue Sampling With Conventional Autopsy to Detect Pulmonary Pathology Among Respiratory Deaths in a Resource-Limited Setting.

Objectives: We compared minimally invasive tissue sampling (MITS) with conventional autopsy (CA) in detection of respiratory pathology/pathogens among Kenyan children younger than 5 years who were hospitalized with respiratory disease and died during hospitalization.

Methods: Pulmonary MITS guided by anatomic landmarks was followed by CA. Lung tissues were triaged for histology and molecular testing using TaqMan Array Cards (TACs).

HIV-Related Deaths in Nairobi, Kenya: Results From a HIV Mortuary Surveillance Study, 2015.

Background: Death is an important but often unmeasured endpoint in public health HIV surveillance. We sought to describe HIV among deaths using a novel mortuary-based approach in Nairobi, Kenya.

Methods: Cadavers aged 15 years and older at death at Kenyatta National Hospital (KNH) and City Mortuaries were screened consecutively from January 29 to March 3, 2015.

Determining the Cause of Death Among Children Hospitalized With Respiratory Illness in Kenya: Protocol for Pediatric Respiratory Etiology Surveillance Study (PRESS).

Background: In sub-Saharan Africa, where the burden of respiratory disease-related deaths is the highest, information on the cause of death remains inadequate because of poor access to health care and limited availability of diagnostic tools. Postmortem examination can aid in the ascertainment of causes of death. This manuscript describes the study protocol for the Pediatric Respiratory Etiology Surveillance Study (PRESS).

HIV-associated mortality in the era of antiretroviral therapy scale-up - Nairobi, Kenya, 2015.

Background: Declines in HIV prevalence and increases in antiretroviral treatment coverage have been documented in Kenya, but population-level mortality associated with HIV has not been directly measured. In urban areas where a majority of deaths pass through mortuaries, mortuary-based studies have the potential to contribute to our understanding of excess mortality among HIV-infected persons. We used results from a cross-sectional mortuary-based HIV surveillance study to estimate the association between HIV and mortality for Nairobi, the capital city of Kenya.

Cytological evaluation of breast lesions in symptomatic patients presenting to Kenyatta National Hospital, Kenya: a retrospective study.

Background: Palpable breast lump, breast pain, and nipple discharge are common symptoms of breast disease. Breast cytology (fine-needle aspiration, nipple discharge smear, and touch preparation) accurately identifies benign, atypical, and malignant pathological changes in breast specimens. This study aims to determine the types of breast lesions diagnosed by breast cytology and assess the clinical adequacy of narrative reporting of breast cytology results.

Virus-encoded microRNA contributes to the molecular profile of EBV-positive Burkitt lymphomas.

Burkitt lymphoma (BL) is an aggressive neoplasm characterized by consistent morphology and phenotype, typical clinical behavior and distinctive molecular profile. The latter is mostly driven by the MYC over-expression associated with the characteristic translocation (8;14) (q24; q32) or with variant lesions. Additional genetic events can contribute to Burkitt Lymphoma pathobiology and retain clinical significance.

A review of the pattern of AIDS defining, HIV associated neoplasms and premalignant lesions diagnosed from 2000-2011 at Kenyatta National Hospital, Kenya.

Background: Sub-Sahara Africa hosts up to 71 % of all HIV infected people in the world. With this high incidence of Human immunodeficiency virus ( HIV) comes the burden of co-morbidities such as malignant and premalignant lesions. Aids defining malignancies have been listed as Kaposi's sarcoma, Non-Hodgkin's lymphoma and invasive squamous cell carcinoma of the cervix.

HIV-1 Tat induces DNMT over-expression through microRNA dysregulation in HIV-related non Hodgkin lymphomas.

Background: A close association between HIV infection and the development of cancer exists. Although the advent of highly active antiretroviral therapy has changed the epidemiology of AIDS-associated malignancies, a better understanding on how HIV can induce malignant transformation will help the development of novel therapeutic agents.

Methods: HIV has been reported to induce the expression of DNMT1 in vitro, but still no information is available about the mechanisms regulating DNMT expression in HIV-related B-cell lymphomas.

Primary immunodeficiency diagnosed at autopsy: a case report.

Background: DiGeorge syndrome may manifest as severe immunodeficiency diagnosed at infancy. The diagnosis of primary immunodeficiency is based on characteristic clinical features, immunophenotyping by flow cytometry, molecular diagnostics and functional lymphocyte evaluation. At autopsy, gross evaluation, conventional histology and immunohistochemistry may be useful for the diagnosis of primary immunodeficiency.

Targeted genomic sequencing of pediatric Burkitt lymphoma identifies recurrent alterations in antiapoptotic and chromatin-remodeling genes.

To ascertain the genetic basis of pediatric Burkitt lymphoma (pBL), we performed clinical-grade next-generation sequencing of 182 cancer-related genes on 29 formalin-fixed, paraffin embedded primary pBL samples. Ninety percent of cases had at least one mutation or genetic alteration, most commonly involving MYC and TP53. EBV(-) cases were more likely than EBV(+) cases to have multiple mutations (P < .

A review of the trends of lymphomas in the equatorial belt of Africa.

Lymphomas represent one of the most frequent cancer types in Africa. In particular, approximately 30,000 non-Hodgkin lymphomas occur in the equatorial belt of Africa each year and these tumours are in among the top-ten cancers in this geographical region. Several pathogens and environmental factors have been detected in association with these tumours, suggesting that they may contribute to lymphomagenesis.

Infectious agents and lymphoma.

In the past 25 years revelations on the genesis of human cancer have come at an increasing pace. Research on oncogenic infectious agents, especially viruses, has helped us to understand the process of malignant transformation of cells because the cellular events in viral-driven transformation mirror, often brilliantly, basic cellular processes that culminate in cancer, even those not associated with viruses. Infectious agents, especially viruses, account for several of the most common malignancies-up to 20% of all cancers.

Diagnosis of Burkitt lymphoma using an algorithmic approach--applicable in both resource-poor and resource-rich countries.

Distinguishing Burkitt lymphoma (BL) from B cell lymphoma, unclassifiable with features intermediate between diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) and BL (DLBCL/BL), and DLBCL is challenging. We propose an immunohistochemistry and fluorescent in situ hybridization (FISH) based scoring system that is employed in three phases - Phase 1 (morphology with CD10 and BCL2 immunostains), Phase 2 (CD38, CD44 and Ki-67 immunostains) and Phase 3 (FISH on paraffin sections for MYC, BCL2, BCL6 and immunoglobulin family genes). The system was evaluated on 252 aggressive B-cell lymphomas from Europe and from sub-Saharan Africa.

Lymphomas in sub-Saharan Africa--what can we learn and how can we help in improving diagnosis, managing patients and fostering translational research?

Approximately 30 000 cases of non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL) occur in the equatorial belt of Africa each year. Apart from the fact that Burkitt lymphoma (BL) is very common among children and adolescents in Africa and that an epidemic of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection is currently ongoing in this part of the world, very little is known about lymphomas in Africa. This review provides information regarding the current infrastructure for diagnostics in sub-Saharan Africa.