Shisha Consumption and Presence of Cotinine in Saliva Samples among Students in Public Universities in Coastal Kenya.

Background: Despite the well-known adverse health effects of tobacco, shisha use among students in tertiary institutions remains a public health concern. In Kenya, the literature on status of shisha after the 2017 ban is scanty. This study sought to ascertain actual shisha use among university students along the coastal strip.

Circulating 25-hydroxycholecalciferol and calcium levels, and alkaline phosphatase activity among people living with and without human immunodeficiency virus and injecting drugs in kenya.

Background: People who inject drugs (PWID) and living with the human immunodeficiency virus (PLHIV) are at higher risk of suffering marked derangements in micronutrient levels, leading to poor disease and treatment outcomes. Consequently, this can be monitored by measuring key biomarkers, such as total circulating (serum) 25-hydroxycholecalciferol (25(OH)D), calcium, and alkaline phosphatase (ALP) for timely intervention. Therefore, circulating levels of 25(OH)D and calcium, and ALP activity were determined in PWID and are highly active anti-retroviral treatment (HAART)-experienced or -naive, along with those without HIV infection.

Nutritional status of people who inject drugs in Coastal Kenya: a cross-sectional study.

Introduction: Despite documentation on injection drug use (IDU) in Kenya, the nutritional status of people who inject drugs (PWIDs) is under-explored. Elsewhere studies report under-nutrition among PWIDs which is attributed to food insecurity; competing priorities between drugs and food supply; chaotic lifestyle; reduced food intake; substance use induced malnutrition due to inflammation and comorbidities.

Methods: This was a cross-sectional study that sought to assess the nutritional status of PWIDs in Coastal Kenya.

Assemblages and Subassemblages of in Rural Western, Kenya: Association with Sources, Signs, and Symptoms.

Background: causes sporadic or epidemic infections in humans. The parasite comprises assemblages A-H with A and B subdivided further into AI-IV and BI-IV subassemblages. Attempts aimed at linking these genotypes with sources and gastrointestinal manifestations of the infection are largely unexplored in rural communities.

Polydrug Use among Students in a Public University in a Lower Middle-Income Country.

Recreational drug use among students in tertiary institutions remains a public health concern. Despite documentation of drug use in Kenyan universities, most of the studies are based on self-reported history which is prone to social desirability bias. It is in this context that we sought to establish lifetime and current drug use among university students.

Poly-drug use among female and male commercial sex workers visiting a drop in centre in Mombasa County, Kenya.

The relationship between commercial sex work and drug use is complex and the two exacerbate each other. In Kenya, Mombasa County has one of the highest populations of drug users and commercial sex workers. Despite documentation of drug use among sex workers, most of the studies are based on self-reported history which is prone to social desirability and memory recall biases.

The burden and types of anaemia among HIV infected, ART-naive injection substance users in Kenya.

Introduction: Illicit substance use and HIV infection cause haematological derangements. Anaemia characterized by a reduction in the quality and quantity erythrocytes is the most common disorder in both HIV-positive persons and illicit substance users.

Objective: To describe anaemia burden, types, and its association with HIV in injectable substance users in Mombasa, Kenya.

rs1445776009 variants in the human gene: Association with serum albumin and clinical outcomes in HIV-infected Kenyan injection substance users.

Objective: The coburden of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and injection substance use is high especially in coastal urban and peri-urban regions of sub-Saharan Africa. Although antiretroviral treatment (ART) has improved disease prognosis in HIV-1-infected patients, injection substance use is detrimental to these individuals. HIV-1 and injection substances use have been associated with a marked reduction in serum albumin levels.

Anemia Burden, Types and Associated Risk Factors among Kenyan Human Immunodeficiency Virus-1 and Co-infected Injection Substance Users.

Background: Although injection substance users and individuals co-infected with Human Immunodeficiency Virus-1 and Mycobacterium tuberculosis suffer marked hematologic derangements, the rates, levels, morphologic types and associated risk factors of anemia among Human immunodeficiency virus and Mycobacterium tuberculosis coinfected injection substance users has not been reported in Kenya.

Methods: This cross-sectional study determined anemia rates, levels and morphologic types. Anemia was associated with clinical markers of disease- underweight, immunosuppression and viral load.

Functional Haplotypes in the Gene are Associated with Underweight, Immunosuppression and Viral Suppression in Kenyan HIV-1 Infected Antiretroviral Treatment Naive and Experienced Injection Substance Users.

Background: Human immunodeficiency virus and injection substance use have an influence on genes and gene expression. These effects could be beneficial or detrimental in defining disease outcomes. Adiponectin gene is key in modulating metabolic and immunoregulatory functions.

Socio-demographic and sexual practices associated with HIV infection in Kenyan injection and non-injection drug users.

Background: Substance use is increasingly becoming prevalent on the African continent, fueling the spread of HIV infection. Although socio-demographic factors influence substance consumption and risk of HIV infection, the association of these factors with HIV infection is poorly understood among substance users on the African continent. The objective of the study was to assess socio-demographic and sexual practices that are associated with HIV infection among injection drug users (IDUs), non-IDUs, and non-drug users (DUs) at an urban setting of coastal Kenya.

pathotypes and sero-groups in diarrheic children in Nairobi city, Kenya.

Aim: In the present study, we investigated the prevalence of pathotypes and sero-groups and their antimicrobial profiles among diarrheic children in Nairobi city, Kenya.

Background: Although diarrheagenic pathotypes and sero-groups are leading causes of diarrhea in children under five years in developing countries, their distribution and antimicrobial resistance vary from place to place and over time in a given region.

Methods: In a cross-sectional study, we enrolled diarrheic children (n=354) under five years seeking treatment at Mbagathi Hospital, Nairobi city, Kenya,.

Screening for Sexually Transmitted Infections in Adolescent Girls and Young Women in Mombasa, Kenya: Feasibility, Prevalence, and Correlates.

Introduction: As adolescents and young women become sexually active, they are at risk of adverse reproductive health outcomes including sexually transmitted infections (STIs). We assessed feasibility and acceptability of STI screening among 15- to 24-year-old women in Mombasa, Kenya.

Methods: After sensitization activities, participants were recruited from 3 high schools and 1 university.

Circulating Interferon-Gamma Levels Are Associated with Low Body Weight in Newly Diagnosed Kenyan Non-Substance Using Tuberculosis Individuals.

Although interferon-gamma, interleukin-10, and adiponectin are key immunopathogenesis mediators of tuberculosis, their association with clinical manifestations of early stage disease is inconclusive. We determined interferon-gamma, interleukin-10, and adiponectin levels in clinically and phenotypically well-characterised non-substance using new pulmonary tuberculosis patients (n = 13) and controls (n = 14) from Kenya. Interferon-gamma levels (P < 0.

Serum adiponectin in HIV-1 and hepatitis C virus mono- and co-infected Kenyan injection drug users.

Adiponectin is an important marker of anthropometric profiles of adipose tissue. However, association of adiponectin and adiposity in HIV mono- and co-infected and hepatitis (HCV) injection drug users (IDUs) has not been elucidated. Therefore, the relationship of total adiponectin levels with anthropometric indices of adiposity was examined in HIV mono-infected (anti-retroviral treatment, ART-naive, n=16 and -experienced, n=34); HCV mono-infected, n=36; HIV and HCV co-infected (ART-naive, n=5 and -experienced, n=13); uninfected, n=19 IDUs; and healthy controls, n=16 from coastal Kenya.

HIV-1 protease inhibitor drug resistance in Kenyan antiretroviral treatment-naive and -experienced injection drug users and non-drug users.

Background: Although injection drug use drives antiretroviral drug resistance, the prevalence of protease inhibitor (PI) resistance among Kenyan IDUs remains undetermined. We, therefore, explored PI resistance mutations and their association with viral load and CD4+ T cell counts in HIV-1 infected IDUs (ART-naive, n = 32; and -experienced, n = 47) and non-drug users (ART-naive, n = 21; and -experienced, n = 32) naive for PI treatment from coastal Kenya.

Results: Only IDUs harboured major PI resistance mutations consisting of L90M, M46I and D30 N among 3 (6.

Hepatitis B virus sero-profiles and genotypes in HIV-1 infected and uninfected injection and Non-injection drug users from coastal Kenya.

Background: Information about HBV sero-markers, infection stages and genotypes in HIV-1 infected and uninfected injection and non-injection drug users (IDUs) in Kenya remains elusive.

Methods: A cross-sectional study examining HBV sero-marker, infection stages and genotypes was conducted among HIV-1 infected and uninfected, respectively, IDUs (n = 157 and n = 214) and non-IDUs (n = 139 and n = 48), and HIV-1 uninfected non-drug using controls (n = 194) from coastal, Kenya. HBV sero-marker and infection stages were based on HBV 5-panel rapid test plasma sero-reactivity.

Clinical chemistry profiles in injection heroin users from Coastal Region, Kenya.

Background: Although the co-burden of injection drug use and HIV is increasing in Africa, little is known about the laboratory markers of injection drug use and anti-retroviral treatment (ART) in Kenyan injection drug users. This study, therefore, aimed at determining the clinical chemistry profiles and identifying the key laboratory markers of HIV infection during ART in injection heroin users (IHUs).

Methods: Clinical chemistry measurements were performed on serum samples collected from HIV-1 infected ART-experienced (n = 22), naive (n = 16) and HIV-1 negative (n = 23) IHUs, and healthy controls (n = 15) from Mombasa, coastal Kenya.