Impact of Maternal Leaf Supplementation on Milk and Serum Vitamin A and Carotenoid Concentrations in a Cohort of Breastfeeding Kenyan Women and Their Infants.

Childhood vitamin A deficiency leads to increased morbidity and mortality. Human milk is the only source of vitamin A for exclusively breastfed infants. Dried leaf powder (moringa) is a good food source of provitamin A and other carotenoids.

The influence of an agricultural intervention on social capital and water insecurity coping strategies: Qualitative evidence from female smallholder farmers living with HIV in western Kenya.

Background: Greater social capital is associated with positive health outcomes and better HIV management. The ways by which social capital may influence household water insecurity (HHWI), a critical determinant of health among persons living with HIV, remain underexplored. Further, despite the importance of reliable water access and use for health and agricultural productivity, few studies have described the strategies smallholder farmers living with HIV use to manage water insecurity.

"The people here knew how I used to live, but now I have to start again:" Lived experiences and expectations of the displaced and non-displaced women affected by the Thwake Multipurpose Dam construction in Makueni County, Kenya.

Background: Dam construction and associated disruptive activities such as population displacement can have significant societal consequences, especially for those socially and economically disadvantaged. Though community-level health and social consequences of displacements have been documented, there is little understanding of the individual-level consequences and intra-household gendered dynamics.

Objective/methods: We sought to explore the experiences and expectations of displaced (n = 30) and non-displaced (n = 20) women in Makueni County, Kenya, where Kenya's second largest dam, Thwake Multipurpose Dam, is being constructed.

Investigating the Impact of Supplemented to Kenyan Breastfeeding Mothers on Maternal and Infant Health: A Cluster Randomized Single-Blinded Controlled Pilot Trial Protocol.

Unlabelled: Undernutrition contributes to up to 45% of deaths globally in children <5 years, with an optimal time for intervention before 24 months of age. Breastmilk microbiome helps establish the infant intestinal microbiome and impacts infant intestinal and nutritional health. Inadequacies in breastmilk composition such as low vitamin A contribute to infant nutrient deficiencies.

3D Printing of a Biocompatible Nanoink Derived from Waste Animal Bones.

Direct ink writing (DIW) additive manufacturing is a versatile 3D printing technique for a broad range of materials. DIW can print a variety of materials provided that the ink is well-engineered with appropriate rheological properties. DIW could be an ideal technique in tissue engineering to repair and regenerate deformed or missing organs or tissues, for example, bone and tooth fracture that is a common problem that needs surgeon attention.

The accuracy and usability of point-of-use fluoride biosensors in rural Kenya.

Geogenic fluoride contaminates the water of tens of millions of people. However, many are unaware of the fluoride content due in part to shortcomings of detection methods. Biosensor tests are a relatively new approach to water quality testing that address many of these shortcomings but have never been tested by non-experts in a "real-world" setting.

The impact of Moringa oleifera leaf supplementation on human and animal nutrition, growth, and milk production: A systematic review.

Childhood undernutrition contributes to up to 45% of deaths in children under age 5. Moringa oleifera (moringa) leaves are nutrient dense and promote breastmilk production. We performed a systematic review assessing the impact of moringa leaf supplementation in humans and animals on the outcomes of iron, vitamin A status, the measures of growth, and/or breastmilk production.

Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP) Initiation and Retention Among Young Kenyan Women.

The DREAMS (Determined, Resilient, Empowered, AIDS-free, Mentored, Safe) Initiative works to reduce HIV infection among adolescent girls and young women (AGYW) through prevention interventions including Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP). Pamoja CBO in Kisumu, Kenya implemented DREAMS. We describe PrEP initiation and persistence in 549 AGYW who started PrEP through Pamoja and factors associated with discontinuation.

Construction and Evaluation of a Bio-Engineered Pump to Enable Subpulmonary Support of the Fontan Circulation: A Proof-of-Concept Study.

Our objective was to create a bio-engineered pump (BEP) for subpulmonary Fontan circulation support capable of luminal endothelialization and producing a 2-6 mmHg pressure gradient across the device without flow obstruction. To accomplish this, porcine urinary bladder submucosa was decellularized to produce a urinary bladder matrix (UBM) which produced acellular sheets of UBM. The UBM was cultured with human umbilical vein endothelial cells producing a nearly confluent monolayer of cells with the maintenance of typical histologic features demonstrating UBM to be a suitable substrate for endothelial cells.

Prevalence and Covariates of Food Insecurity Across the First 1000 Days Among Women of Mixed HIV Status in Western Kenya: A Longitudinal Perspective.

Background: Food insecurity (FI) is common globally and can have lifelong consequences. However, few studies have longitudinally examined how FI varies across gestation and the postpartum period ("the first 1000 days"); none have explored this in sub-Saharan Africa or in the context of HIV.

Objective: To assess the prevalence and covariates of FI in the first 1000 days among Kenyan women.

Phytochemistry and insecticidal activity of leaf extracts against and .

A new oleanane type triterpene characterized as 3α, 24-diacetoxy-12-oleanene together with known compounds , were isolated from leaf extracts. Their structural elucidation was accomplished using physical and spectroscopic methods. The compounds showed weak to moderate insecticidal activities against stored maize insect pests and .

Sources, distribution, and risk assessment of organochlorine pesticides in Nairobi City, Kenya.

The distribution and sources of organochlorine pesticides (OCPs) in air and surface waters were monitored in Nairobi City using triolein-filled semipermeable membrane devices (SPMDs). The SPMDs were extracted by dialysis using n-hexane, followed by cleanup by adsorption chromatography on silica gel cartridges. Sample analysis was done by GC-ECD and confirmed by GC-MS.

High-K dielectric sulfur-selenium alloys.

Upcoming advancements in flexible technology require mechanically compliant dielectric materials. Current dielectrics have either high dielectric constant, K (e.g.

Ultra-Stiff Graphene Foams as Three-Dimensional Conductive Fillers for Epoxy Resin.

Conductive epoxy composites are of great interest due to their applications in electronics. They are usually made by mixing powdered conductive fillers with epoxy. However, the conductivity of the composite is limited by the low filler content because increasing filler content causes processing difficulties and reduces the mechanical properties of the epoxy host.

Laminated Object Manufacturing of 3D-Printed Laser-Induced Graphene Foams.

Laser-induced graphene (LIG), a graphene structure synthesized by a one-step process through laser treatment of commercial polyimide (PI) film in an ambient atmosphere, has been shown to be a versatile material in applications ranging from energy storage to water treatment. However, the process as developed produces only a 2D product on the PI substrate. Here, a 3D LIG foam printing process is developed on the basis of laminated object manufacturing, a widely used additive-manufacturing technique.

Spatial distribution and habitat characterization of mosquito species during the dry season along the Mara River and its tributaries, in Kenya and Tanzania.

Background: Vector-borne diseases are increasingly becoming a major health problem among communities living along the major rivers of Africa. Although larger water bodies such as lakes and dams have been extensively researched, rivers and their tributaries have largely been ignored. This study sought to establish the spatial distribution of mosquito species during the dry season and further characterize their habitats along the Mara River and its tributaries.

Multiscale Geometric Design Principles Applied to 3D Printed Schwarzites.

Schwartzites are 3D porous solids with periodic minimal surfaces having negative Gaussian curvatures and can possess unusual mechanical and electronic properties. The mechanical behavior of primitive and gyroid schwartzite structures across different length scales is investigated after these geometries are 3D printed at centimeter length scales based on molecular models. Molecular dynamics and finite elements simulations are used to gain further understanding on responses of these complex solids under compressive loads and kinetic impact experiments.

Hybrid MoS/h-BN Nanofillers As Synergic Heat Dissipation and Reinforcement Additives in Epoxy Nanocomposites.

Two-dimensional (2D) nanomaterials as molybdenum disulfide (MoS), hexagonal boron nitride (h-BN), and their hybrid (MoS/h-BN) were employed as fillers to improve the physical properties of epoxy composites. Nanocomposites were produced in different concentrations and studied in their microstructure, mechanical and thermal properties. The hybrid 2D mixture imparted efficient reinforcement to the epoxy leading to increases of up to 95% in tensile strength, 60% in ultimate strain, and 58% in Young's modulus.

Bacteria as Bio-Template for 3D Carbon Nanotube Architectures.

It is one of the most important needs to develop renewable, scalable and multifunctional methods for the fabrication of 3D carbon architectures. Even though a lot of methods have been developed to create porous and mechanically stable 3D scaffolds, the fabrication and control over the synthesis of such architectures still remain a challenge. Here, we used Magnetospirillum magneticum (AMB-1) bacteria as a bio-template to fabricate light-weight 3D solid structure of carbon nanotubes (CNTs) with interconnected porosity.

Velcro-Inspired SiC Fuzzy Fibers for Aerospace Applications.

The most recent and innovative silicon carbide (SiC) fiber ceramic matrix composites, used for lightweight high-heat engine parts in aerospace applications, are woven, layered, and then surrounded by a SiC ceramic matrix composite (CMC). To further improve both the mechanical properties and thermal and oxidative resistance abilities of this material, SiC nanotubes and nanowires (SiCNT/NWs) are grown on the surface of the SiC fiber via carbon nanotube conversion. This conversion utilizes the shape memory synthesis (SMS) method, starting with carbon nanotube (CNT) growth on the SiC fiber surface, to capitalize on the ease of dense surface morphology optimization and the ability to effectively engineer the CNT-SiC fiber interface to create a secure nanotube-fiber attachment.

Role of Atomic Layer Functionalization in Building Scalable Bottom-Up Assembly of Ultra-Low Density Multifunctional Three-Dimensional Nanostructures.

Building three-dimensional (3D) structures from their constituent zero-, one-, and two-dimensional nanoscale building blocks in a bottom-up assembly is considered the holey grail of nanotechnology. However, fabricating such 3D nanostructures at ambient conditions still remains a challenge. Here, we demonstrate an easily scalable facile method to fabricate 3D nanostructures made up of entirely zero-dimensional silicon dioxide (SiO) nanoparticles.

Isolation of a new β-carboline alkaloid from aerial parts of Triclisia sacleuxii and its antibacterial and cytotoxicity effects.

A new β-carboline alkaloid named sacleuximine A (1) together with known compounds palmatine (2), isotetrandrine (3), trans-N-feruloyltyramine (4), trans-N-caffeoyltyramine (5), yangambin (6), syringaresinol (7), sesamin (8), (+) epi-quercitol (9), 4-hydroxybenzaldehyde (10), β-sitosterol (11), quercetin 3-O-rutinoside (12) and myricetin 3-O-β-glucose (1→6) α-rhamnoside (13) have been isolated from methanol extract of Triclisia sacleuxii aerial parts. Compounds 1-10 were evaluated for their cytotoxicity against human adenocarcinoma (HeLa), human hepatocarcinoma (Hep3B) and human breast carcinoma (MCF-7) cells lines and also for antibacterial activities against both Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria. The cytotoxicity (IC) values ranged between 0.