Internalized HIV Stigma, Sleep Problems, and Depressive Symptoms in People with HIV in Botswana.

This study investigates the impact of internalized HIV stigma on sleep problems and depression in people living with HIV (PLWH) in Botswana. It also explores whether sleep problems mediate the relationship between internalized HIV stigma and depressive symptoms, given that sleep disturbance is a symptom of depression and often predates a depressive episode. Secondary analysis was conducted using baseline data from a pilot randomized controlled trial on 58 virally unsuppressed PLWH in Gaborone, Botswana.

Developing a Psychiatry Residency Program in a Low- and Middle-Income Country: Botswana's Experience.

Like many other low- and middle-income countries, Botswana has struggled to address the shortage of doctors, particularly specialists. In 2009, the country's first medical school offering an undergraduate medical program was established. A needs and feasibility assessment was conducted with relevant stakeholders to explore the need for specialty training programs in all medical school departments.

Prioritizing post-COVID-19 health research in sub-Saharan Africa: A modified Delphi study for future pandemic.

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic exposed weaknesses in healthcare systems and disparities in healthcare access across sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). The insights of frontline healthcare professionals (HCPs), and healthcare researchers involved with the response to COVID in SSA are crucial to ensuring that health systems are optimally prepared for the next pandemic threat. Nonetheless, there is limited consensus as to what are the clinical and public health research priorities necessary to ensure that SSA is optimally prepared and responsive to future pandemics.

Building Public Health Quantitative Methods Capacity and Networks in sub-Saharan Africa: An Evaluation of a Faculty Training Program.

Introduction: There is a shortage of individuals trained in using quantitative methods in biomedical research in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). Improving public health in SSA requires new ways to promote quantitative knowledge and skills among faculty in biomedical research and better-integrated network systems of support.

Methods: We describe the development, implementation, and evaluation of an innovative faculty training and support program in SSA from December 2017-June 2020, using courses in monitoring and evaluation, data management, and complex surveys as prototypical examples.

Bedford, 1931, a sole extant species of the genus - a scoping review.

Bedford, 1931 is the sole extant tick species that belongs to the genus and family and Nuttalliellidae respectively. With the characteristics that are respectively distinctive to hard and soft ticks, it is regarded as the species closest to the ancestral lineage of ticks as well as the missing link between the Argasidae and Ixodidae families. In this review, literature search of the articles reporting on was done in Google Scholar and PubMed databases.

Spatial analysis and associated risk factors of HIV prevalence in Botswana: insights from the 2021 Botswana AIDS Impact Survey (BAIS V).

Background: The global burden of HIV and AIDS continues to significantly impact public health, particularly in Sub-Saharan Africa. This study investigates the spatial distribution and associated risk factors of HIV prevalence in Botswana using data from the 2021 Botswana AIDS Impact Survey (BAIS V).

Methods: The analysis included 12,653 adults aged 15-64 years and employed chi-square tests, multilevel mixed-effects regression, and spatial analysis techniques.

Cervical dysplasia in women with HIV in the modern treat-all era: Elevated risk remains despite long-term ART and normal CD4 count.

Objective: To evaluate the impact of ART duration and CD4 count on risk for high grade cervical dysplasia in women with HIV (WWH) compared to women without HIV in the treat-all era with integrase strand inhibitors (INSTIs).

Design: Prospective longitudinal cohort study in Botswana.

Methods: From February 2021 to August 2022, baseline HPV self-sampling was offered to women with and without HIV.

Tranexamic acid for preventing postpartum haemorrhage after vaginal birth.

Rationale: Postpartum haemorrhage (PPH) is common and potentially life-threatening. The antifibrinolytic drug tranexamic acid (TXA) is thought to be effective for treating PPH. There is growing interest in whether TXA is effective for preventing PPH after vaginal birth.

An effective feature selection approach based on hybrid Grey Wolf Optimizer and Genetic Algorithm for hyperspectral image.

Feature selection (FS) is a critical step in hyperspectral image (HSI) classification, essential for reducing data dimensionality while preserving classification accuracy. However, FS for HSIs remains an NP-hard challenge, as existing swarm intelligence and evolutionary algorithms (SIEAs) often suffer from limited exploration capabilities or susceptibility to local optima, particularly in high-dimensional scenarios. To address these challenges, we propose GWOGA, a novel hybrid algorithm that combines Grey Wolf Optimizer (GWO) and Genetic Algorithm (GA), aiming to achieve an effective balance between exploration and exploitation.

Factors associated with tuberculosis treatment initiation among bacteriologically negative individuals evaluated for tuberculosis: An individual patient data meta-analysis.

Background: Globally, over one-third of pulmonary tuberculosis (TB) disease diagnoses are made based on clinical criteria after a negative bacteriological test result. There is limited information on the factors that determine clinicians' decisions to initiate TB treatment when initial bacteriological test results are negative.

Methods And Findings: We performed a systematic review and individual patient data meta-analysis using studies conducted between January 2010 and December 2022 (PROSPERO: CRD42022287613).

Adaptive evolution of stress response genes in parasites aligns with host niche diversity.

Background: Stress responses are key the survival of parasites and, consequently, also the evolutionary success of these organisms. Despite this importance, our understanding of the evolution of molecular pathways dealing with environmental stressors in parasitic animals remains limited. Here, we tested the link between adaptive evolution of parasite stress response genes and their ecological diversity and species richness.

Ergonomics and Occupational Health: Knowledge, Attitudes and Practices of Nurses in a Tertiary Hospital in Botswana.

: Musculoskeletal disorders (MSD) are, to this day, considered one of the major occupational health risks, especially among healthcare workers. Poor working conditions, such as awkward postures, are associated with the development of MSD. This study aimed to evaluate the knowledge, attitudes, and practices (KAP) of nurses at a public tertiary hospital in Botswana relating to ergonomic principles.

Investigating the Uptake of Hypofractionation for Breast and Prostate Cancer in Sub-Saharan Africa: A Qualitative Study of Physician and Medical Physicist Perspectives.

Purpose: In prostate and breast cancer, moderate hypofractionation (HF) has demonstrated comparable, if not greater, efficacy than conventional fractionation. There is a stark disparity in the uptake of HF between North America and Africa. Using the Consolidative Framework for Implementation Research, we evaluated barriers and facilitators for implementing HF in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA).

Seasonal Variation in Home Range Sizes and Daily Distance to Ephemeral Surface Water for African Savannah Elephant () in Eastern Okavango Panhandle, Northern Botswana.

African elephants () are megaherbivores of the African savannas requiring extensive ranges that can provide critical resources for their survival and reproduction at different spatiotemporal scales. We studied seasonal differences in home range sizes and daily distance to the nearest surface water sources by five male and 10 female African elephants in the eastern Okavango Panhandle in northern Botswana between 2014 and 2017. We hypothesized that (i) elephant home ranges would be larger in the wet than in the dry season (because critical resources tend to be less localized in the wet than in the dry season), (ii) the daily distance of the elephants to the nearest ephemeral surface water sources would be larger in the dry than in the wet season because many of the ephemeral water sources would be dry in the dry season and elephants would start moving towards permanent water sources such as rivers, and lastly (iii) that the differences in elephant home ranges and daily distance to water would differ between sexes.

Knowledge, attitude, and practice of One Health and zoonotic diseases among multisectoral collaborators in Bhutan: Results from a nationwide survey.

The One Health concept is increasingly employed to combat zoonotic diseases. This study assessed the knowledge, attitudes, and practices regarding One Health and zoonotic diseases among key sector professionals to identify gaps and opportunities for enhancing One Health strategies in Bhutan. A cross-sectional, facility-based study was used to conduct a nationwide online questionnaire survey using a validated and pre-tested questionnaire among professionals from the Ministry of Health, the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock, and universities.

Disparities in adult women's access to contraception during COVID-19: a multi-country cross-sectional survey.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, family planning services over the world have been disrupted. There are still uncertainties about the impact on access to contraception, particularly among marginalised populations. This study aimed to assess the effect of COVID-19 on women's access to contraception, focusing on those experiencing loss of income and self-isolation.

Molecular Testing of Zoonotic Bacteria in Cattle, Sheep, and Goat Abortion Cases in Botswana.

Abortion is one of the major causes of economic losses in livestock production worldwide. Because several factors can lead to abortion in cattle, sheep and goats, laboratory diagnosis, including the molecular detection of pathogens causing abortion, is often necessary. Bacterial zoonotic diseases such as brucellosis, coxiellosis, leptospirosis, and listeriosis have been implicated in livestock abortion, but they are under diagnosed and under-reported in most developing countries, including Botswana.

Evaluation of Hippocampal Microanatomy and Neuro-Biomarkers Following Administration of Silver Nanoparticles Conjugated with Tenofovir Disoproxil Fumarate in Experimental Diabetic Rats.

Adverse complications like metabolic disorders, neurotoxicity, and low central nervous system (CNS) penetration are associated with the long-term use of tenofovir disoproxil fumarate (TDF). Therefore, some modifications are required to enhance neurological functions using silver nanoparticles (AgNPs). This study aimed to evaluate the neuroprotective impact of silver nanoparticles (AgNPs)-conjugated TDF as AgNPs-TDF on the hippocampal microanatomy and some neuro-biomarkers of diabetic rats.

An Intelligent Approach for Early and Accurate Predication of Cardiac Disease Using Hybrid Artificial Intelligence Techniques.

This study proposes a new hybrid machine learning (ML) model for the early and accurate diagnosis of heart disease. The proposed model is a combination of two powerful ensemble ML models, namely ExtraTreeClassifier (ETC) and XGBoost (XGB), resulting in a hybrid model named ETCXGB. At first, all the features of the utilized heart disease dataset were given as input to the ETC model, which processed it by extracting the predicted probabilities and produced an output.

Scoping Review of Climate Change Adaptation Interventions for Health: Implications for Policy and Practice.

Climate change is among the greatest threats to health in the 21st century, requiring the urgent scaling-up of adaptation interventions. We aim to summarise adaptation interventions that were funded by the Belmont Forum and the European Union, the largest global funders of climate change and health research. A systematic search was conducted (updated February 2023) to identify articles on adaptation interventions for health within this funding network.

Neurodevelopmental outcomes in children exposed in utero to dolutegravir- or efavirenz-based ART.

Objective: To examine the impact of in utero exposure to dolutegravir (DTG)- or efavirenz (EFV)-based antiretroviral treatment (ART) on child neurodevelopmental (ND) outcomes.

Design: Prospective cohort design, enrolling 3 cohorts of 2-year-olds: children HIV-negative born to mothers with HIV (CHEU) receiving either DTG-based or EFV-based 3-drug ART during pregnancy, and children born to mothers without HIV (CHUU).

Methods: Primary child ND outcomes were assessed using the Bayley Scales of Infant and Toddler Development, Third Edition (BSID-III) and compared between cohorts using generalized estimating equation models adjusted for confounders.

High prevalence of reverse transcriptase inhibitors associated resistance mutations among people living with HIV on dolutegravir-based antiretroviral therapy in Francistown, Botswana.

Objectives: We assessed HIV-1 drug resistance profiles among people living with HIV (PLWH) with detectable viral load (VL) and on dolutegravir-based antiretroviral therapy (ART) in Botswana.

Methods: The study utilised available 100 residual HIV-1 VL samples from unique PLWH in Francistown who had viraemia at-least 6 months after initiating ART in Botswana's national ART program from November 2023 to January 2024. Viraemia was categorized as low-level viraemia (LLV) (VL: 200-999 copies/mL) or virologic failure (VF) (VL ≥1000 copies/mL).

Physical activity and anxiety during the COVID-19 pandemic in Tanzania: insights for public health policy in low-income contexts.

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic heightened anxiety levels globally, disproportionately affecting low-and middle-income countries (LMICs). Physical activity (PA) has shown potential to alleviate mental health challenges, including anxiety. This study explores the relationship between PA and anxiety among Tanzanian adults during the pandemic, examining whether self-reported health status moderates this relationship and identifying demographic variations.

Phylodynamic analysis reveals disparate transmission dynamics of -complex lineages in Botswana.

Tuberculosis epidemics have traditionally been conceptualized as arising from a single uniform pathogen. However, -complex (Mtbc), the pathogen causing tuberculosis in humans, encompasses multiple lineages exhibiting genetic and phenotypic diversity that may be responsible for heterogeneity in TB transmission. We analysed a population-based dataset of 1,354 Mtbc whole-genome sequences collected over four years in Botswana, a country with high HIV and tuberculosis burden.