The process of ratifying the treaty to establish the African Medicines Agency: perspectives of national regulatory agencies.

The vision of the African Medicines Agency (AMA) is to ensure that all Africans have access to affordable medical products that meet internationally recognized standards of quality, safety and efficacy for priority diseases/conditions. The AMA is being established by a treaty which had to be ratified by a minimum of 15 African countries. Although there was no deadline, the ratification process has been slower than expected.

Recommendations for Developing a Telemedicine Strategy for Botswana: A Meta-Synthesis.

Botswana is developing its eHealth capacity using a National eHealth Strategy. However, that strategy overlooks telemedicine, a potential solution for many healthcare challenges. For telemedicine to benefit Botswana, a telemedicine-specific strategy is required.

Comparing estimates of household expenditures between pictorial diaries and surveys in three low- and middle-income countries.

In most low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), household out-of-pocket (OOP) health spending constitutes a major source of healthcare financing. Household surveys are commonly used to monitor OOP health spending, but are prone to recall bias and unable to capture seasonal variation, and may underestimate expenditure-particularly among households with long-term chronic health conditions. Household expenditure diaries have been developed as an alternative to overcome the limitations of surveys, and pictorial diaries have been proposed where literacy levels may render traditional diary approaches inappropriate.

Perceptions and attitudes of patients and healthcare workers towards the use of telemedicine in Botswana: An exploratory study.

Introduction: In March 2020, the Botswana Ministry of Health and Wellness approved a National eHealth Strategy. Although a milestone, the strategy does not mention telemedicine. There is need to address this by developing an evidence-based adjunct strategy for telemedicine to facilitate its introduction and adoption.

The domestication of the African Union model law on medical products regulation: Perceived benefits, enabling factors, and challenges.

Introduction: In 2016, the African Union (AU) Model Law on Medical Products Regulation was endorsed by AU Heads of State and Government. The aims of the legislation include harmonisation of regulatory systems, increasing collaboration across countries, and providing a conducive regulatory environment for medical product/health technology development and scale-up. A target was set to have at least 25 African countries domesticating the model law by 2020.

New York State's Paid Family Leave Program is Associated with More Equitable and Increased Use of Paid Leave Following Childbirth.

Objectives: This study aimed to assess changes in paid maternity leave before and after New York's (NY) Paid Family Leave (PFL) law went into effect (1/1/2018) and changes in disparities by maternal characteristics.

Methods: We used specific data collected on maternity leaves by women who gave birth in 2016-2018 in NY State (outside NY City) participating in the Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitoring System survey. Multiple logistic regressions were conducted to evaluate the effect of the PFL law on prevalence of paid leave taken by women after childbirth.

Effect of Common Cooking and Drying Methods on Phytochemical and Antioxidant Properties of Identified Using Liquid Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry (LC-MS).

In this study, Corchorus olitorius leaves were subjected to different thermal treatments (blanching, boiling, drying, frying, and steaming) and analyzed, total phenolic content (TPC), total flavonoid content (TFC), and antioxidant activity. Furthermore, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) was used to identify functional groups, while metabolites were identified with LC-MC. The TPC and antioxidant activity of C.

Effects of New York state paid family leave on early immunizations.

Objective: To test whether introduction of New York Paid Family Leave (NY PFL) in 2018 is associated with the timeliness of immunizations among infants whose mothers reside in NY in one of the 57 counties outside of New York City (NYC).

Methods: We use difference-in-difference methods, comparing immunization outcomes before and after NY PFL went into effect among infants born to mothers who were employed during pregnancy, and thus likely to be affected by NY PFL, vs. mothers who were not employed during pregnancy and thus unlikely to be affected.

Use of mHealth Solutions for Improving Access to Adolescents' Sexual and Reproductive Health Services in Resource-Limited Settings: Lessons From Zimbabwe.

Gaps still exist in reducing new HIV infections among adolescent girls and young women (AGYW) aged 10-24 years. High Internet coverage and mobile phone penetration rates present opportunities for the use of mobile health (mHealth) to support access to health services. We present results of an FHI 360 and Zimbabwe Health Interventions-implemented mHealth intervention for reproductive health (RH) and HIV testing service (HTS) referral among AGYW aged 10-19 years between October 2019 and September 2020.

Process evaluation of an intervention to improve HIV treatment outcomes among children and adolescents.

Setting: Children and adolescents with HIV encounter challenges in initiation and adherence to antiretroviral therapy (ART). A community-based support intervention of structured home visits, aimed at improving initiation, adherence and treatment, was delivered by community health workers (CHWs) to children and adolescents newly diagnosed with HIV.

Objectives: To 1) describe intervention delivery, 2) explore CHW, caregiver and adolescents' perceptions of the intervention, 3) identify barriers and facilitators to implementation, and 4) ascertain treatment outcomes at 12 months' post-HIV diagnosis.

First-Year Enrollment and Utilization of New York State Paid Family Leave: 2018.

Context: The New York Paid Family Leave (NYPFL) law was passed in April 2016 and took effect January 1, 2018. Expanding paid family leave (PFL) coverage has been proposed as a public health strategy to improve population health and reduce disparities.

Objective: To describe first-year enrollment in NYPFL and to evaluate utilization of NYPFL benefits.

Telemedicine options to address identified health needs in Botswana.

Objective: Global efforts to implement national ehealth strategies have occurred, yet specific telemedicine implementations have fallen behind. A weakness inherent within many, perhaps most, national ehealth strategies, including Botswana's - is a lack of telemedicine focus. This is despite its potential to address many current healthcare system needs.

Personal and household PM and black carbon exposure measures and respiratory symptoms in 8 low- and middle-income countries.

Background: Household air pollution (HAP) from cooking with solid fuels has been associated with adverse respiratory effects, but most studies use surveys of fuel use to define HAP exposure, rather than on actual air pollution exposure measurements.

Objective: To examine associations between household and personal fine particulate matter (PM) and black carbon (BC) measures and respiratory symptoms.

Methods: As part of the Prospective Urban and Rural Epidemiology Air Pollution study, we analyzed 48-h household and personal PM and BC measurements for 870 individuals using different cooking fuels from 62 communities in 8 countries (Bangladesh, Chile, China, Colombia, India, Pakistan, Tanzania, and Zimbabwe).

Medicines Regulatory Science Expertise in Africa: Workforce Capacity Development and Harmonisation Activities Towards the Establishment of the African Medicines Agency.

The medicines regulatory landscape in Africa is undergoing transformation with at least two countries having National Medicines Regulatory Authorities (NRAs) that operate at World Health Organization (WHO) maturity level 3. However, this represents the exception as over 90% of African NRAs have limited capacity to perform core medicine regulatory functions, have a shortage of competent regulatory professionals, have high staff turnover, lack diversity of scientific expertise, and have staffing shortages relative to the high workload. A systematic approach to developing the regulatory workforce is therefore crucial to addressing the existing shortfalls in regulatory capacity, particularly at this time when efforts are underway to operationalise the African Medicines Agency (AMA).

Integration of HIV prevention and sexual and reproductive health in the era of anti-retroviral-based prevention: findings from assessments in Kenya, Malawi and Zimbabwe.

Though substantial progress has helped curb the HIV epidemic, high rates of new HIV infections persist among adolescent girls and young women (AGYW) in sub-Saharan Africa, reflecting critical gaps in reaching them with integrated HIV prevention and sexual and reproductive health (SRH) services. The scale-up of oral pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) and multiple novel HIV prevention products on the horizon offer countries a unique opportunity to expand innovative approaches to deliver comprehensive, integrated HIV prevention/SRH services. This article comparatively analyzes findings from rapid assessments in Kenya, Malawi and Zimbabwe across key themes to highlight cross-country trends and contextual realities around HIV prevention/SRH integration, with a focus on oral PrEP and contraception.

Multinational prediction of household and personal exposure to fine particulate matter (PM) in the PURE cohort study.

Introduction: Use of polluting cooking fuels generates household air pollution (HAP) containing health-damaging levels of fine particulate matter (PM). Many global epidemiological studies rely on categorical HAP exposure indicators, which are poor surrogates of measured PM levels. To quantitatively characterize HAP levels on a large scale, a multinational measurement campaign was leveraged to develop household and personal PM exposure models.

Measuring and predicting personal and household Black Carbon levels from 88 communities in eight countries.

Black Carbon (BC) is an important component of household air pollution (HAP) in low- and middle- income countries (LMICs), but levels and drivers of exposure are poorly understood. As part of the Prospective Urban and Rural Epidemiological (PURE) study, we analyzed 48-hour BC measurements for 1187 individual and 2242 household samples from 88 communities in 8 LMICs (Bangladesh, Chile, China, Colombia, India, Pakistan, Tanzania, and Zimbabwe). Light absorbance (10 m) of collected PM filters, a proxy for BC concentrations, was calculated via an image-based reflectance method.

Establishment of the African Medicines Agency: progress, challenges and regulatory readiness.

Insufficient access to quality, safe, efficacious and affordable medical products in Africa has posed a significant challenge to public health for decades. In part, this is attributed to weak or absent policies and regulatory systems, a lack of competent regulatory professionals in National Medicines Regulatory Authorities (NMRAs) and ineffective regional collaborations among NMRAs. In response to national regulatory challenges in Africa, a number of regional harmonisation efforts were introduced through the African Medicines Regulatory Harmonisation (AMRH) initiative to, among others, expedite market authorisation of medical products and to facilitate the alignment of national legislative frameworks with the AU Model Law on Medical Products Regulation.

Soil pH, nitrogen, phosphatase and urease activities in response to cover crop species, termination stage and termination method.

The best management options for cover cropping are largely unknown, including the growth patterns of cover crop (CC) species, optimum termination stages and termination methods. A greenhouse experiment was conducted to explore the following: (i) Effect of two termination stages (vegetative and flowering) on the chemical composition (N and C:N) of four CCs; (ii) Short-term impacts of living CCs and residues on soil pH, total N, urease and phosphatase activities at the two termination stages, and under two termination methods (slash and spray). Species tested as CCs were, vetch ( L.

Household and personal air pollution exposure measurements from 120 communities in eight countries: results from the PURE-AIR study.

Background: Approximately 2·8 billion people are exposed to household air pollution from cooking with polluting fuels. Few monitoring studies have systematically measured health-damaging air pollutant (ie, fine particulate matter [PM] and black carbon) concentrations from a wide range of cooking fuels across diverse populations. This multinational study aimed to assess the magnitude of kitchen concentrations and personal exposures to PM and black carbon in rural communities with a wide range of cooking environments.

The need for a telemedicine strategy for Botswana? A scoping review and situational assessment.

Background: Health, healthcare, and healthcare system problems within the developing world are well recognised. eHealth, the use of Information and Communications Technologies (ICT) for health, is frequently suggested as one means by which to ameliorate such problems. However, to identify and implement the most appropriate ehealth solutions requires development of a thoughtful and broadly evidence-informed strategy.

Nutritional factors associated with distribution of Mopani Worms in Mopani woodlands in Tsholotsho and Gwanda Districts, Zimbabwe: A comparative survey.

Mopani worms are abundant in Gwanda and sporadic in Tsholotsho though the two areas have similar climatic conditions. The study sought to determine nutritional factors that could be associated with distribution of Mopani worms in these two districts. Ten sampling points in undisturbed Mopani woodlands were established in each district.

Scribbling the Cat: A Case of the "Miracle" Plant, .

This paper reviews the properties of the most cultivated species of the Moringaceae family, Lam. The paper takes a critical look at the positive and the associated negative properties of the plant, with particular emphasis on its chemistry, selected medicinal and nutritional properties, as well as some ecological implications of the plant. The review highlights the importance of glucosinolates (GS) compounds which are relatively unique to the species family, with glucomoriginin and its acylated derivative being the most abundant.

Household, Community, Sub-National and Country-level Predictors of Primary Cooking Fuel Switching in Nine Countries from the PURE Study.

Introduction: Switching from polluting (e.g. wood, crop waste, coal) to clean cooking fuels (e.

Identification of Narciclasine as an in Vitro Anti-Inflammatory Component of Cyrtanthus contractus by Correlation-Based Metabolomics.

In this study, an extract from the bulbs of Cyrtanthus contractus showed strong anti-inflammatory activity in vitro. The extract was partially separated into 14 fractions and analyzed by ultra-high performance liquid chromatography-quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry metabolomics, and the correlation coefficients were calculated between biological activities and metabolite levels. As a result, the top-scoring metabolite narciclasine (1) is proposed as the active principle of C.