Publications by authors named "J Mbuthia"

Article Synopsis
  • Antiretroviral therapy for children under 3 years with HIV often uses a liquid formulation of lopinavir/ritonavir (LPV/r), but it has taste issues and requires refrigeration, which led to the development of LPV/r oral pellets that can be mixed with food and don't need cooling.
  • The study assessed the drug exposure of these LPV/r oral pellets in Kenyan and Ugandan children using pharmacokinetic modeling to understand how body weight affects drug clearance and effectiveness.
  • Analysis of data from 514 children indicated that the pellets achieved the desired drug levels across different weight bands as defined by the World Health Organization, suggesting they are a suitable treatment option for young children with HIV.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: The pharmacokinetics of abacavir (ABC) in African children living with HIV (CLHIV) weighing <14 kg and receiving pediatric fixed dose combinations (FDC) according to WHO weight bands dosing are limited. An ABC population pharmacokinetic model was developed to evaluate ABC exposure across different World Health Organization (WHO) weight bands.

Methods: Children enrolled in the LIVING study in Kenya and Uganda receiving ABC/lamivudine (3TC) dispersible tablets (60/30 mg) according to WHO weight bands.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Introduction: In 2015, the World Health Organization (WHO) developed guidelines for the management of sick young infants (SYIs) with possible serious bacterial infection (PSBI) where referral is not feasible. The Ponya Mtoto project was designed as an implementation research project to demonstrate how to adopt the WHO PSBI guidelines in the Kenyan context.

Ponya Mtoto Project Description: Between October 2017 and June 2021, Ponya Mtoto was implemented in 4 Kenyan counties with higher infant and newborn mortality rates than the national mean.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: Problem Management Plus (PM+) is a psychological intervention that seeks to address common mental disorders among individuals exposed to adversity. Thus far, the potential for delivering PM+ by mobile phones has not been evaluated.

Aims: To adapt PM+ for telephone delivery (ten weekly sessions of about 45 min each) and preliminarily evaluate its acceptability and feasibility with young people living with HIV (YLWH) in coastal Kenya.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

The Pacific Asynchronous TeleHealth (PATH) system is an asynchronous provider-to-provider teleconsultation platform utilized by military medical facilities throughout the Western Pacific Region. This study focused on PATH utilization for pediatric cases and its impact on patient transfers and cost avoidance. This retrospective analysis reviewed PATH cases from March 2017 to February 2020 for patients aged 0-17 years.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF