Self-Care Practices and Perspectives in Managing Coronary Heart Disease Patients: A Qualitative Study.

: Self-care experiences and understanding of coronary heart disease (CHD) play a pivotal role in the management of CHD and can contribute to positive health outcomes. This qualitative study aimed to explore the views and experiences of CHD patients, their families, and Indigenous leaders about self-care practices of CHD. : A qualitative design employing semi-structured interviews and a focus group discussion was used.

Factors Influencing Guardians' Health-Seeking Decisions for Children With Burkitt Lymphoma in Northern and Central Malawi.

Background: The survival of children with Burkitt lymphoma (BL) in sub-Saharan Africa is disproportionately low compared to high-income countries. In Malawi, many of these children are diagnosed in advanced stages. Early and accurate diagnosis is critical to survival of children with BL.

Primary health care challenges: insights from older people with multimorbidity in Malawi - a qualitative study.

Background: The global population is undergoing a significant surge in aging leading to increased susceptibility to various forms of progressive illnesses. This phenomenon significantly impacts both individual health and healthcare systems. Low and Middle Income Countries face particular challenges, as their Primary Health Care (PHC) settings often lack the necessary human and material resources to effectively address the escalating healthcare demands of the older people.

Correlates of Depression in ART Adherence among Youths in Lilongwe, Malawi.

Despite collaborative efforts to improve mental health services among youths living with HIV (YLHIVs) aged 15-24, evidence shows that many suffer from depression. We established the correlates of depression and how it affects ART adherence. Structured questionnaires, a Patient Health Questionnaire 9 depression scale assessment, in-depth interviews, and Electronic Medical Record reviews were conducted at the Lighthouse Trust Martin Preus Centre (MPC) ART clinic in Lilongwe from April 2021 to October 2022.

Analyzing synthesis routes for BaCuPO: implications for hydrogen evolution and supercapattery performance.

In recent years, energy storage and conversion tools have evolved significantly in response to rising energy demands. Owing to their large surface area, superior electric and chemical stabilities, and thermal conductivities, barium copper phosphate (BaCuPO) materials are promising electrode materials for electrochemical energy storage systems. In this study, the synthesis of nanostructures (NSs) using hydrothermal and chemical precipitation methods and exploring the electrochemical characteristics of BaCuPO in asymmetric supercapacitors provides a comparative investigation.

Maternal mental health research in Malawi: Community and healthcare provider perspectives on acceptability and ethicality.

Maternal mental health (MMH) is recognised as globally significant. The prevalence of depression and factors associated with its onset among perinatal women in Malawi has been previously reported, and the need for further research in this domain is underscored. Yet, there is little published scholarship regarding the acceptability and ethicality of MMH research to women and community representatives.

Psychosis Recovery Orientation in Malawi by Improving Services and Engagement (PROMISE) protocol.

Malawi has a population of around 20 million people and is one of the world's most economically deprived nations. Severe mental illness (largely comprising psychoses and severe mood disorders) is managed by a very small number of staff in four tertiary facilities, aided by clinical officers and nurses in general hospitals and clinics. Given these constraints, psychosis is largely undetected and untreated, with a median duration of untreated psychosis (DUP) of around six years.

'We stay silent and keep it in our hearts': a qualitative study of failure of complaints mechanisms in Malawi's health system.

A responsive health system must have mechanisms in place that ensure it is accountable to those it serves. Patients in Malawi have to overcome many barriers to obtain care. Many of these barriers reflect weak accountability.

Primary healthcare service delivery for older people with progressive multimorbidity in low- and middle-income countries: a systematic review.

Ensuring primary healthcare (PHC) accessibility to older people with multimorbidity is vital in preventing unnecessary health deterioration. However, older people ≥50 y of age in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) face challenges in effectively accessing and utilizing PHC. A systematic review was conducted adopting the Andersen-Newman theoretical framework for health services utilization to assess evidence on factors that affect access to PHC by older people.

Perspectives of agriculture, nutrition and health researchers regarding research governance in Malawi. Using a leadership, ethics, governance and systems framework.

Background: Research ethics is intertwined with and depends on building robust and responsive research governance systems alongside researchers. Globally there has been substantial investment in agriculture, nutrition, and health (ANH) research motivated by the need to improve health outcomes, such as micronutrient deficiencies in Sub-Saharan Africa. Although there has been a notable focus on ethical issues inherent in ANH studies, there has been scanty research examining researchers' attitudes related to ANH research.

Is mpox an STI? The societal aspects and healthcare implications of a key question.

This letter explores the societal aspects and healthcare implications that underlie thinking about mpox (formerly known was monkeypox), in the 2022 outbreak, as a sexually transmitted infection (STI). The authors examine what underlies this question, exploring what is an STI, what is sex, and what is the role of stigma in sexual health promotion. The authors argue that, in this specific outbreak, mpox is an STI among men who have sex with men (MSM).

A State-of-Art Review of the Metal Oxide-Based Nanomaterials Effect on Photocatalytic Degradation of Malachite Green Dyes and a Bibliometric Analysis.

A wide range of hard contaminants in wastewater is generated from different industries as byproducts of the organic compound. In this review, various metal oxide-based nanomaterials are employed for the photocatalytic removal of malachite green (MG) dye from wastewater. Some cost-effective and appropriate testing conditions are used for degrading these hard dyes to get higher removal efficiency.

In-vitro synergistic microbicidal and catalytic evaluation of polyvinylpyrrolidone/chitosan doped tungsten trioxide nanoplates with evidential in-silico analysis.

In this research, hydrothermally synthesized tungsten trioxide (WO) nanocomposites doped polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) and chitosan (CS) were studied. Various concentrations (3, 6, and 9 wt%) of PVP were doped into a fixed amount of binary system (CS-WO) nanocomposites. PVP/CS polymers showed attractive attention because of their different structure, functionality, and architecture control as dopant to WO.

Operationalising a real-time research ethics approach: supporting ethical mindfulness in agriculture-nutrition-health research in Malawi.

Background: There have been notable investments in large multi-partner research programmes across the agriculture-nutrition-health (ANH) nexus. These studies often involve human participants and commonly require research ethics review. These ANH studies are complex and can raise ethical issues that need pre-field work, ethical oversight and also need an embedded process that can identify, characterise and manage ethical issues as the research work develops, as such more embedded and dynamic ethics processes are needed.

Examining study participants' decision-making and ethics-related experiences in a dietary community randomized controlled trial in Malawi.

Background: The participant recruitment process is a key ethical pivot point when conducting robust research. There is a need to continuously review and improve recruitment processes in research trials and to build fair and effective partnerships between researchers and participants as an important core element in ensuring the ethical delivery of high-quality research. When participants make a fair, informed, and voluntary decision to enroll in a study, they agree to fulfill their roles.

Developing Biopsychosocial Research on Maternal Mental Health in Malawi: Community Perspectives and Concerns.

Interest in maternal mental health research is growing around the world. Maternal mental health research studies in Malawi have, for instance, sought to determine and establish the incidence and prevalence of depression and anxiety in pregnant people and the factors that contribute to experiences of these states. This article reports stakeholder perspectives on potential community concerns with biopsychosocial mental health research (which might include collecting blood samples) in Malawi.

Using factor analyses to estimate the number of female sex workers across Malawi from multiple regional sources.

Purpose: Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) risks are heterogeneous in nature even in generalized epidemics. However, data are often missing for those at highest risk of HIV, including female sex workers. Statistical models may be used to address data gaps where direct, empiric estimates do not exist.

A structural equation model of factors associated with HIV risk behaviors and mental health among men who have sex with men in Malawi.

Background: Men who have sex with men (MSM) bear a disproportionate burden of HIV in Malawi. Early prevention efforts in Malawi have been largely focused on preventing heterosexual and vertical transmission of HIV, and MSM have rarely been the specific benefactors of these efforts, despite facing both higher prevalence of HIV coupled with multiple barriers to prevention and care. To better facilitate the design of culturally relevant HIV prevention programs and prioritize resources among MSM in resource limited settings, the objective of this analysis was to estimate the relationship between social factors and HIV related risk behaviors and mental health.

Emergency and critical care services in Malawi: Findings from a nationwide survey of health facilities.

Background: Globally, critical illness causes up to 45 million deaths every year. The burden is highest in low-income countries such as Malawi. Critically ill patients require good quality, essential care in emergency departments and in hospital wards to avoid negative outcomes such as death.

Dye degradation performance, bactericidal behavior and molecular docking analysis of Cu-doped TiO nanoparticles.

Copper-doped TiO was prepared with a sol-gel chemical method. Various concentrations (3, 6, and 9 wt%) of Cu dopant were employed. Several techniques were implemented to assess the structural, optical, morphological and chemical properties of the synthesized samples.

A qualitative exploration of the experiences of community health animation on malaria control in rural Malawi.

Background: While great strides have been achieved in fighting malaria through the Roll Back Malaria (RBM) strategy, the recent world malaria report shows an increase in malaria-related deaths compared to previous years. Malaria control tools are efficacious and effective in preventing the disease; however, the human behaviour aspect of the intervention strategies is weak due to heavy reliance on positive human health behaviour. The challenge lies in adoption of control interventions by the target population which, to an extent, may include access to prevention and treatment tools.

Associations between antenatal depression and neonatal outcomes in Malawi.

Studies from several low- and middle-income countries have shown that antenatal depression may be a risk factor for poor neonatal outcomes. However, those studies conducted in sub-Saharan Africa have not consistently demonstrated this association. We set out to investigate whether antenatal depression is associated with shorter duration of pregnancy and reduced newborn size in rural Malawi.