Artificial Intelligence and Cancer Health Equity: Bridging the Divide or Widening the Gap.

Purpose Of Review: This review aims to evaluate the impact of artificial intelligence (AI) on cancer health equity, specifically investigating whether AI is addressing or widening disparities in cancer outcomes.

Recent Findings: Recent studies demonstrate significant advancements in AI, such as deep learning for cancer diagnosis and predictive analytics for personalized treatment, showing potential for improved precision in care. However, concerns persist about the performance of AI tools across diverse populations due to biased training data.

Impact of Psychosocial and Palliative Care Training on Nurses' Competences and Care of Patients With Cancer in Cameroon: Protocol for Quasi-Experimental Study.

Background: Cancer is a leading cause of global mortality, accounting for nearly 10 million deaths in 2020. This is projected to increase by more than 60% by 2040, particularly in low- and middle-income countries. Yet, palliative and psychosocial oncology care is very limited in these countries.

Professional Development Among African Oncologists: Examining Professional Development Activities, Satisfaction Levels, Barriers, and Enablers.

Africa is currently facing unprecedented growth in its cancer burden. Training an adequate number of skilled physicians is critical to addressing this challenge. We examine African oncology faculty's professional development (PD) activities, associated barriers, enablers, satisfaction levels, and highlight the implications for improving the quality of the oncology faculty workforce in SSA.

Basic Science and Pathogenesis.

Background: The "Recruitment and Retention for Alzheimer's Disease Diversity Genetic Cohorts in the ADSP (READD-ADSP)" is developing a resource to expand ancestral diversity in Alzheimer disease (AD) studies to dissect the genetic architecture of AD across different populations. In addition to US sites, READD-ADSP includes four US sites and nine countries in sub-Saharan Africa through the Africa Dementia Consortium (AfDC). The overall goal of READD-ADSP is to identify genetically driven targets in diverse groups including African Americans and Hispanic/Latinos in US, and Africans.

Health economics of snakebite envenomation: A sub-Saharan African perspective.

Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) is affected by the high direct and indirect costs of snakebite envenomation. With >30% of global mortality, different economic barriers still exist, and effective strategies must be employed to avert the burden and promote quality of life. With the WHO target of reducing the number of snakebites by one-half by 2030, different aspects concerning snakebite envenomation economics must be evaluated, and potential strategies must be developed.

Genetic variability in snake venom and its implications for antivenom development in sub-Saharan Africa.

Snake venom, a complex mixture of proteins, has attracted human attention for centuries due to its associated mortality, morbidity and other therapeutic properties. In sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), where snakebites pose a significant health risk, understanding the genetic variability of snake venoms is crucial for developing effective antivenoms. The wide geographic distribution of venomous snake species in SSA countries demonstrates the need to develop specific and broad antivenoms.

Snakebite envenomation through a gender intersectionality lens in low- and middle-income countries.

Snakebite envenomation continues to affect lives globally, with >1.2 million envenomations and approximately 120 000 annual mortalities. Unfortunately, low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) contribute to >80% of these global statistics.

Snakebites, a neglected public health concern: an analysis of distribution, trends and incidence of snakebite cases reported to health facilities in the Volta Region of Ghana, 2018-2023.

Background: Snakebite affects 5.4 million people annually, causing up to 2.7 million envenoming cases and 137 880 deaths.

Circulating biomarkers associated with pediatric sickle cell disease.

Introduction: Sickle cell disease (SCD) is a genetic blood disorder caused by a mutation in the HBB gene, which encodes the beta-globin subunit of hemoglobin. This mutation leads to the production of abnormal hemoglobin S (HbS), causing red blood cells to deform into a sickle shape. These deformed cells can block blood flow, leading to complications like chronic hemolysis, anemia, severe pain episodes, and organ damage.

Branding locally produced chicken in Ghana: An application of discrete choice experiment.

Branding is gradually becoming an essential component of successful agribusinesses and a significant motivation to boost modern agriculture. The study aimed to investigate broiler farmers' choices and preferences for branding locally produced chicken in Ghana. Primary data was collected from 562 broiler producers using a multistage sampling technique.

Emerging Therapeutic Modalities and Pharmacotherapies in Neuropathic Pain Management: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Parallel Randomized Controlled Trials.

Neuropathic pain (NP) is a chronic condition caused by abnormal neuronal excitability in the nervous system. Current treatments for NP are often ineffective or poorly tolerated. Hence, we reviewed the efficacy and safety of novel drugs or devices that target neuronal excitability in NP patients compared with placebo, sham, or usual care interventions.

Nanogap-Assisted SERS/PCR Biosensor Coupled Machine Learning for the Direct Sensing of in Food.

() is the primary risk factor in food safety. Herein, a nanogap-assisted surface-enhanced Raman scattering/polymerase chain reaction (SERS/PCR) biosensor coupled with a machine-learning tool was developed for the direct and specific sensing of S. aureus in milk.

Addressing the emerging threat of Oropouche virus: implications and public health responses for healthcare systems.

Oropouche fever is an increasingly significant health concern in tropical and subtropical areas of South and Central America, and is primarily spread by midge vectors. The Oropouche virus (OROV) was first identified in 1955 and has been responsible for numerous outbreaks, particularly in urban environments. Despite its prevalence, the disease is often under-reported, making it difficult to fully understand its impact.

Provincial distribution of unintended pregnancy and its associated factors in Sierra Leone.

Background: Unintended pregnancy is a significant public health concern in Sierra Leone, with far-reaching consequences for both mothers and children. This issue impacts individual well-being, strains healthcare systems, and hinders socioeconomic development. This study examined the prevalence and factors associated with unintended pregnancy in Sierra Leone.

Prevalence and determinants of full vaccination coverage according to the national schedule among children aged 12-35 months in Ghana.

Universal immunization of children against common vaccine-preventable diseases is crucial in reducing infant and child morbidity and mortality. Assessing the vaccination coverage is a key step to improve utilization and coverage of vaccines for under-five children. Accordingly, vaccination coverage according to the national schedule assesses the vaccination coverage of children aged 12-35 months.

Factors associated with vaccine default in Southern Ghana based on data from the RTSS malaria vaccine trial in Cape Coast.

Malaria has been a severe global and public health concern for the last couple of decades. Ghana, like many other countries in sub-Saharan Africa, is most affected by the disease, with children facing dire consequences. The recent introduction of the RTS, S malaria vaccine holds great potential in reducing malaria fatalities in children.

Acquisition of Fc-afucosylation of PfEMP1-specific IgG is age-dependent and associated with clinical protection against malaria.

Protective immunity to malaria depends on acquisition of parasite-specific antibodies, with Plasmodium falciparum erythrocyte membrane protein 1 (PfEMP1) being one of the most important target antigens. The effector functions of PfEMP1-specific IgG include inhibition of infected erythrocyte (IE) sequestration and opsonization of IEs for cell-mediated destruction. IgG glycosylation modulates antibody functionality, with increased affinity to FcγRIIIa for IgG lacking fucose in the Fc region (Fc-afucosylation).

Neonicotinoid Pesticides in African Agriculture: What do we know and what should be the focus for future research?

This review provides a comprehensive overview of the direct and indirect effects of neonicotinoid pesticides (NEO-P) within African agricultural ecosystems and identifies research gaps, particularly in the monitoring and regulation of pesticide use. We observed a decline in the numbers of NEO-P studies conducted in Africa since 2019 with 40.7% of the countries reporting at least one study to date.

Dietary diversity and opportunistic infections among adults living with human immunodeficiency virus on antiretroviral therapy in Kumasi metropolis; a facility-based cross-sectional study.

Background: Despite advances in antiretroviral therapy (ART), people living with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)/ acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) continue to face heightened susceptibility to opportunistic infections (OIs). Adequate nutrition remains an essential factor that positively influences disease progression and the occurrence of OIs. In Ghana, no study has evaluated the association between dietary diversity and OI occurrence among adults with HIV.

Examining the risk mitigation strategies of farm households in Ghana: The role of community water resources.

Agricultural water is indispensable for fostering resilient and sustainable agricultural practices. However, empirical evidence regarding the relationship between community water resources (CWR) and risk mitigation behaviours among farm households remains scant. Utilising nationally-representative household survey data and geospatial information on household locations, we investigate how access to CWR influences crop diversification and sharecropping.

Identification of bacterial communities associated with needle mushroom () and its production environment.

is an important edible and medicinal mushroom widely cultivated in East Asia, with its quality and health strongly influenced by associated microbial communities. However, limited data exist on the bacterial communities associated with cultivation in Chinese farms. This study investigated bacterial communities associated with and its production environment using high-throughput 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing and culture-dependent methods.

Magnetic Janus SiO nanoparticles immobilized protease mutant T70I as a novel clarification agent for juice processing.

The juice processing industry offers several benefits, including promoting health and wellness through the delivery of beverages rich in nutrients. Nonetheless, the industry encounters significant challenges regarding new technologies for processing and preservation given that they can be costly and labor-intensive. In this study, magnetic Janus silica (SiO) nanoparticle which offers multifunctionality and high stability was synthesized and subsequently immobilized with a protease mutant T70I (T70I@MSNs) to serve as a clarifying agent in juice.

Effectiveness of physiotherapist-led exercise interventions for burn rehabilitation: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

Background: Exercise is utilised by physiotherapists to prevent complications and improve overall function and quality of life post-burn. However, the effect of physiotherapist-led exercise has not been comprehensively reviewed. Consequently, this study aimed to investigate the effectiveness of physiotherapy exercises for persons' post-burn.