Pregnancy complications and autoimmune diseases in women: systematic review and meta-analysis.

Background: Pregnancy complications might lead to the development of autoimmune diseases in women. This review aims to summarise studies evaluating the association between pregnancy complications and the development of autoimmune diseases in women.

Methods: Medline, CINAHL, and Cochrane databases were searched up to January 2024.

Programmatic mapping and estimating the population size of female sex workers, men who have sex with men, people who inject drugs and transgender populations in Kenya.

Introduction: Effective coverage of Human Immunodeficiency Virus prevention services for Key Populations (KPs) including female sex workers (FSWs), men who have sex with men (MSM), people who inject drugs (PWID) and transgender (TG) people necessitates periodic validation of physical venues and size estimates. Kenya conducted a robust size estimation of KPs in 2012 and a repeat mapping and size estimation exercise was conducted in 2018 to update KP Size Estimates and sub-typologies within each County for calculation of realistic program indicators.

Methods: A prospective mixed methods programmatic mapping approach adopted comprised two steps.

Expanding Understanding of Urban Rift Valley Fever Risk and Associated Vector Ecology at Slaughterhouses in Kisumu, Kenya.

Rift Valley fever virus (RVFV) is an adaptable arbovirus that can be transmitted by a wide variety of arthropods. Widespread urban transmission of RVFV has not yet occurred, but peri-urban outbreaks of RVFV have recently been documented in East Africa. We previously reported low-level exposure in urban communities and highlighted the risk of introduction via live animal influx.

A peek into the population genetics of white teatfish (Holothuria fuscogilva) of Kenya's south coast.

Background: The white teatfish, Holothuria fuscogilva, is widely distributed in coastal areas, including waters around coral reefs and seagrasses in the Indo-Pacific. In Kenya, the species is distributed in shallow reefs with higher landings reported from the Vanga-Shimoni-Gazi seascape on the Kenyan south coast. Despite its high exploitation for export and its vulnerable and endangered statuses under IUCN and CITES respectively, Kenya's H.

Autoimmune diseases and adverse pregnancy outcomes: an umbrella review.

Background: There is a high prevalence of autoimmune conditions in women specially in the reproductive years; thus, the association with adverse pregnancy outcomes has been widely studied. However, few autoimmune conditions/adverse outcomes have been studied more than others, and this umbrella review aims to consolidate existing knowledge in this area with the aim to provide new knowledge and also identify gaps in this research area.

Methods: Medline, Embase, and Cochrane databases were searched from inception to December 2023.

Association between pregnancy-related complications and development of type 2 diabetes and hypertension in women: an umbrella review.

Background: Despite many systematic reviews and meta-analyses examining the associations of pregnancy complications with risk of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) and hypertension, previous umbrella reviews have only examined a single pregnancy complication. Here we have synthesised evidence from systematic reviews and meta-analyses on the associations of a wide range of pregnancy-related complications with risk of developing T2DM and hypertension.

Methods: Medline, Embase and Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews were searched from inception until 26 September 2022 for systematic reviews and meta-analysis examining the association between pregnancy complications and risk of T2DM and hypertension.

Autoimmune diseases and adverse pregnancy outcomes: an umbrella review.

Background: The prevalence of autoimmune conditions is two-fold higher in women than in men, especially during the reproductive years. Autoimmune conditions have been associated with a greater risk of adverse pregnancy outcomes, and some conditions have been studied more than others with inconsistent findings. The objective of this umbrella review was to identify, appraise, synthesise, and consolidate findings from published systematic reviews of autoimmune conditions and adverse pregnancy outcomes.

Political homophobia and the effect on GBMSM programmes in Kenya: The significance of a community-led rapid agency assessment.

A recent Supreme Court ruling that permitted LGBTQ + rights organisations to officially register as non-governmental organisations has led to rises in political homophobia in Kenya. Community leaders initiated and led a rapid agency assessment to examine the effects of this rising political homophobia on sexual health services access for gay, bisexual and other men who have sex with men (GBMSM). This survey assessment engaged directors and programme managers running 20 community-based organisations (CBOs) representing 19 Kenyan counties, serving the sexual health needs of more than >25,000 GBMSM.

Community Insights in Phylogenetic HIV Research: The CIPHR Project Protocol.

Inferring HIV transmission networks from HIV sequences is gaining popularity in the field of HIV molecular epidemiology. However, HIV sequences are often analyzed at distance from those affected by HIV epidemics, namely without the involvement of communities most affected by HIV. These remote analyses often mean that knowledge is generated in absence of lived experiences and socio-economic realities that could inform the ethical application of network-derived information in 'real world' programmes.

Factors Likely to Affect the Uptake of Genomic Approaches to Cancer Screening in Primary Care: A Scoping Review.

Genomic tests are being developed for use in cancer screening. As most screening is offered in primary care settings, primary care provider and patient perceptions of such tests are likely to affect uptake. We conducted a scoping review to synthesize information on factors likely to affect patient and provider use of biospecimen collection and analysis for cancer screening, methods referred to as liquid biopsy or multi-cancer early detection (MCED) testing when used to detect multiple cancers.

Protocol for development and validation of postpartum cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk prediction model incorporating reproductive and pregnancy-related candidate predictors.

Background: Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is a leading cause of death among women. CVD is associated with reduced quality of life, significant treatment and management costs, and lost productivity. Estimating the risk of CVD would help patients at a higher risk of CVD to initiate preventive measures to reduce risk of disease.

Quantifying the indirect impact of COVID-19 pandemic on utilisation of outpatient and immunisation services in Kenya: a longitudinal study using interrupted time series analysis.

Objective: In this study, we assess the indirect impact of COVID-19 on utilisation of immunisation and outpatient services in Kenya.

Design: Longitudinal study.

Setting: Data were analysed from all healthcare facilities reporting to Kenya's health information system from January 2018 to March 2021.

The indirect impact of COVID-19 pandemic on inpatient admissions in 204 Kenyan hospitals: An interrupted time series analysis.

The first case of severe acute respiratory coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) was identified in March 2020 in Kenya resulting in the implementation of public health measures (PHM) to prevent large-scale epidemics. We aimed to quantify the impact of COVID-19 confinement measures on access to inpatient services using data from 204 Kenyan hospitals. Data on monthly admissions and deliveries from the District Health Information Software version 2 (DHIS 2) were extracted for the period January 2018 to March 2021 stratified by hospital ownership (public or private) and adjusting for missing data using multiple imputation (MI).

Cross-Sectional Variations in Structure and Function of Coral Reef Microbiome With Local Anthropogenic Impacts on the Kenyan Coast of the Indian Ocean.

Coral reefs face an increased number of environmental threats from anthropomorphic climate change and pollution from agriculture, industries and sewage. Because environmental changes lead to their compositional and functional shifts, coral reef microbial communities can serve as indicators of ecosystem impacts through development of rapid and inexpensive molecular monitoring tools. Little is known about coral reef microbial communities of the Western Indian Ocean (WIO).

Sex Work Is Associated With Increased Vaginal Microbiome Diversity in Young Women From Mombasa, Kenya.

Background: Although nonoptimal vaginal bacteria and inflammation have been associated with increased HIV risk, the upstream drivers of these phenotypes are poorly defined in young African women.

Setting: Mombasa, Kenya.

Methods: We characterized vaginal microbiome and cytokine profiles of sexually active young women aged 14-24 years (n = 168) in 3 study groups: those engaging in formal sex work, in transactional sex, and nonsex workers.

Type-Specific Human Papillomavirus Prevalence, Incident Cases, Persistence, and Associated Pregnancy Outcomes Among HIV-Infected Women in Kenya.

Background: Persistent infection with high-risk types of human papillomavirus (HPV) is the preeminent factor driving the development of cervical cancer. There are large gaps in knowledge about both the role of pregnancy in the natural history of HPV infection and the impact of HPV on pregnancy outcomes.

Methods: This single-site prospective cohort substudy, nested within an international multisite randomized controlled trial, assessed prevalence, incident cases, and persistence of type-specific HPV infection, and the association between persistence of high-risk HPV infection with pregnancy outcomes among HIV-infected pregnant women in Kenya, including HIV transmission to infants.

Evaluation of the ELIMIKA Pilot Project: Improving ART Adherence among HIV Positive Youth Using an eHealth Intervention in Mombasa, Kenya.

Adolescents and young people are arguably the most dynamic and challenging group among populations living with HIV. The adherence to anti-retroviral treatment (ART) is often low among HIV-positive youth, thus creative and context specific interventions are necessary. We aimed at evaluating the usability and effectiveness of the pilot digital peer support platform - ELIMIKA, implemented in Mombasa, Kenya.

Current challenges to viral load testing in the context of emerging genetic diversity of HIV-1.

Introduction: One of the major characteristics of HIV-1 is its extreme genetic diversity. A key factor in assessing the sensitivity of a molecular-based assay measuring HIV-1 RNA viral load (VL) in plasma is its ability to detect/quantify all (or most of) relevant HIV-1 genetic subtype/recombinant forms accurately.

Areas Covered: This review provides an overview of the current commercially available quantitative real-time assays (the Abbott RealTime HIV-1, Roche TaqMan HIV-1 versions 1.

Co-inheritance of alpha+-thalassaemia and sickle trait results in specific effects on haematological parameters.

Both the sickle cell trait (HbAS) and alpha(+)-thalassaemia are common in many tropical areas. While their individual haematological effects are well described, few studies describe their effects when inherited together. We present data from the Kenyan coast, which suggest that HbAS and alpha(+)-thalassaemia may interact to produce specific effects on haematological parameters.

The effect of alpha+-thalassaemia on the incidence of malaria and other diseases in children living on the coast of Kenya.

Background: The alpha-thalassaemias are the commonest genetic disorders of humans. It is generally believed that this high frequency reflects selection through a survival advantage against death from malaria; nevertheless, the epidemiological description of the relationships between alpha-thalassaemia, malaria, and other common causes of child mortality remains incomplete.

Methods And Findings: We studied the alpha+-thalassaemia-specific incidence of malaria and other common childhood diseases in two cohorts of children living on the coast of Kenya.

Negative epistasis between the malaria-protective effects of alpha+-thalassemia and the sickle cell trait.

The hemoglobinopathies, disorders of hemoglobin structure and production, protect against death from malaria. In sub-Saharan Africa, two such conditions occur at particularly high frequencies: presence of the structural variant hemoglobin S and alpha(+)-thalassemia, a condition characterized by reduced production of the normal alpha-globin component of hemoglobin. Individually, each is protective against severe Plasmodium falciparum malaria, but little is known about their malaria-protective effects when inherited in combination.

Sickle cell trait and the risk of Plasmodium falciparum malaria and other childhood diseases.

Background: The gene for sickle hemoglobin (HbS) is a prime example of natural selection. It is generally believed that its current prevalence in many tropical populations reflects selection for the carrier form (sickle cell trait [HbAS]) through a survival advantage against death from malaria. Nevertheless, >50 years after this hypothesis was first proposed, the epidemiological description of the relationships between HbAS, malaria, and other common causes of child mortality remains incomplete.