Novel Versus Conventional Sequencing of β-Blockers, Sodium/Glucose Cotransportor 2 Inhibitors, Angiotensin Receptor-Neprilysin Inhibitors, and Mineralocorticoid Receptor Antagonists in Stable Patients With Heart Failure With Reduced Ejection Fraction (NovCon Sequencing Study): Protocol for a Randomized Controlled Trial.

Background: Chronic heart failure has high morbidity and mortality, with approximately half of the patients dying within 5 years of diagnosis. Recent additions to the armamentarium of anti-heart failure therapies include angiotensin receptor-neprilysin inhibitors (ARNIs) and sodium/glucose cotransporter 2 inhibitors (SGLT2is). Both classes have demonstrated mortality and morbidity benefits.

Technology enhanced health professions education (TEHPE) in Eastern and Southern Africa: a Needs Assessment.

Background The COVID-19 pandemic escalated the adoption and development of technology-enhanced health professions education during large-scale lockdown mandated in multiple countries. Although the use of technology is a hallmark of the education of healthcare professionals, including clinical education, challenges including poor availability, lack of skills and support for technology-enhanced learning and teaching are reported. This study aimed to assess the needs for technology enhanced health professions education in higher education institutions in Eastern and Southern Africa.

Assessment of Preparedness for Remote Teaching and Learning to Transform Health Professions Education in Sub-Saharan Africa in Response to the COVID-19 Pandemic: Protocol for a Mixed Methods Study With a Case Study Approach.

Background: The current COVID-19 pandemic is affecting all aspects of society worldwide. To combat the pandemic, measures such as face mask-wearing, hand-washing and -sanitizing, movement restrictions, and social distancing have been introduced. These measures have significantly disrupted education, particularly health professions education, which depends on student-patient contact for the development of clinical competence.

How students experience integration and perceive development of the ability to integrate learning.

The merits of integrative learning in promoting better educational outcomes are not questionable. However, there are contentious views on how to implement it. In addition, there is scanty evidence on how students experience it and how they develop the ability to integrate learning.

Prevalence of depression and anxiety among undergraduate university students in low- and middle-income countries: a systematic review protocol.

Background: Depression and anxiety symptoms are reported to be common among university students in many regions of the world and impact on quality of life and academic attainment. The extent of the problem of depression and anxiety among students in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) is largely unknown. This paper details methods for a systematic review that will be conducted to explore the prevalence, antecedents, consequences, and treatments for depression and anxiety among undergraduate university students in LMICs.

Tetralogy of Fallot and HIV infection in pregnancy: A case report.

Tetralogy of Fallot (TOF) is the commonest congenital heart abnormality beyond the age of one year. Cases of Tetralogy of Fallot can present during pregnancy following successful surgical repair in childhood or occasionally as uncorrected TOF presenting for the first time during pregnancy, indeed the most frequently encountered congenital cyanotic heart lesion during pregnancy is cyanotic TOF. Most adult congenital heart disease in Africa is uncorrected due to widespread unavailability of cardiothoracic surgical services on the continent.

Reflections of students graduating from a transforming medical curriculum in South Africa: a qualitative study.

Background: The six year medical programme at the University of the Witwatersrand admits students into the programme through two routes--school entrants and graduate entrants. Graduates join the school entrants in the third year of study in a transformed curriculum called the Graduate Entry Medical Programme (GEMP). In years I and 2 of the GEMP, the curriculum is structured into system based blocks.

An assessment of sex work in Swaziland: barriers to and opportunities for HIV prevention among sex workers.

The HIV situation in virtually all southern African countries is a generalised epidemic. Despite the fact that almost all adult age and social groups have high HIV prevalence estimates, sex workers are disproportionally affected, with prevalence estimates higher than the general population. In a qualitative study of 61 male and female sex workers in Swaziland, we found that while poverty drove many into sex work, others reported motivations of pleasure or "sensation seeking", and freedoms from the burden of marriage as perceived benefits of sex work.