Malaria Prevention for Pregnant Women and Under-Five Children in 10 Sub-Saharan Africa Countries: Socioeconomic and Temporal Inequality Analysis.

Background: Malaria remains a public health challenge in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). Despite gains from strategies like Insecticide-Treated Nets (ITNs) and Intermittent Preventive Treatment during pregnancy (IPTp), significant socioeconomic inequalities persist, particularly among pregnant women and children under five. This study analyzed temporal and socioeconomic inequalities in malaria prevention in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA).

Biological Hazards and Indicators Found in Products of Animal Origin in Cambodia from 2000 to 2022: A Systematic Review.

Biological hazards in products of animal origin pose a significant threat to human health. In Cambodia, there are few comprehensive data and information on the causes of foodborne diseases or risks. To date, there has been no known published study similar to this review.

Effective Coverage of Modern Contraceptive Use in Ethiopia: An Ecological Linking Analysis of Service Provision Assessment and National Health Equity Surveys.

The increase in contraceptive prevalence rate (crude coverage) in Ethiopia over the past two decades does not necessarily reflect service quality, and although the proportion of women with unmet needs has decreased, it remains unacceptably high. Hence, this study aimed to estimate the effective coverage (EC) of modern contraceptive methods in Ethiopia, considering the quality of care. We used nationally representative surveys, such as health facility surveys (Ethiopia Service Provision Assessment, 2021/22) and household surveys (National Health Equity Survey, 2022/2023).

Effect of Different Formulations and Storage on the Physicochemical, Microbiological, and Organoleptic Characteristics of Fruit Yogurt.

This study investigated the effect of incorporating up to 15% (/) fruit pulp into cow milk yogurt. Monitoring the physico-chemical, microbiological, and organoleptic properties of these formulations was performed weekly during refrigerated (4 °C) storage for 21 days. Compared to the control, formulations with added pulp recorded enhanced contents of ascorbic acid, total polyphenols, fiber, total titratable acidity (TTA), and yellowness, which is in line with increasing fruit pulp.

From Cure to Prevention: Doxycycline's Potential in Prophylaxis for Sexually Transmitted Infections.

Over the past two decades, the global incidence of sexually transmitted infections (STIs) such as gonorrhea, chlamydia, and syphilis have increased significantly, particularly among cisgender men who have sex with men (MSM) and transgender women (TGW). This rise in STIs has spurred interest in new preventive measures, including doxycycline post-exposure prophylaxis (DoxyPEP). Clinical trials in the United States and France have demonstrated the effectiveness of DoxyPEP in reducing both chlamydia and syphilis incidence among MSM and TGW; although, its efficacy against gonorrhea remains limited, and it was further found to be ineffective among cisgender women in Kenya.

Fossil Pollen from the Eocene of Kenya: The Paleophytogeograpy and Paleoclimate of a Relict Plant Genus Endemic to the Cape Province, South Africa.

On the African continent, Picrodendraceae are represented by four genera. Their intracontinental paleophytogeographic histories and paleoecological aspects are obscured by the lack of pre-Miocene fossils. For this study, late Eocene sediments from Kenya were investigated.

Effect of variation in gridded cattle diet composition on estimated enteric methane emissions in data sparse tropical regions.

Livestock directly contribute to greenhouse gas emissions, mainly through enteric fermentation and to a lesser extent manure management. Livestock feed composition plays a crucial role in diet quality and the resulting emissions from livestock. Diet composition varies seasonally particularly in tropical environments with long dry periods.

Climate effects on honey bees can be mitigated by beekeeping management in Kenya.

In recent decades, worldwide concerns about the health of honey bees motivated the development of surveys to monitor the colony losses, of which Sub-Saharan Africa has had limited representation. In the context of climate change, understanding how climate affects colony losses has become fundamental, yet literature on this subject is scarce. For the first time, we conducted a survey to estimate the livestock decrease of honey bee colonies in Kenya for the year 2021-2022 to explore the effects of environmental conditions, such as temperature and precipitation, on livestock decrease.

Investigation of and in Pakistan, with notes on the detection of tickborne Rickettsiales.

There is limited information on the occurrence of and ticks, as well as associated and species in Pakistan. Addressing this knowledge gap, the current study aimed at morphomolecular confirmation of these ticks and molecular assessment of associated Rickettsiales bacteria (, and spp.) in Balochistan, Pakistan.

Khat-induced conditioned place preference, extinction, and reinstatement in female mice.

Khat ( Forsk), the natural source of cathinone and other psychoactive agents, is chewed by millions of persons in eastern Africa and the Arabian Peninsula for its psychostimulant effect. Using the conditioned place preference paradigm, this study tested fresh khat extract for place preference induction, extinction, and reinstatement. Female mice treated with 100 and 250 mg/kg of khat extract showed conditioned place preference, which was extinguished following a 16-day khat-free period.

Eukaryotic composition across seasons and social groups in the gut microbiota of wild baboons.

Background: Animals coexist with complex microbiota, including bacteria, viruses, and eukaryotes (e.g., fungi, protists, and helminths).

Deep analysis of the major histocompatibility complex genetic associations using covariate analysis and haploblocks unravels new mechanisms for the molecular etiology of Elite Control in AIDS.

Introduction: We have reanalyzed the genomic data from the International Collaboration for the Genomics of HIV (ICGH), focusing on HIV-1 Elite Controllers (EC).

Methods: A genome-wide association study (GWAS) was performed, comparing 543 HIV-1 EC individuals with 3,272 uninfected controls (CTR) of European ancestry. 8 million single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) and HLA class I and class II gene alleles were imputed to compare EC and CTR.

Spatial transcriptomics unveils estrogen-modulated immune responses and structural alterations in the ectocervical mucosa of depot medroxyprogesterone acetate users.

The injectable contraceptive, depot medroxyprogesterone acetate (DMPA), is associated with compromised cervical mucosal barriers. High-resolution spatial transcriptomics is applied here to reveal the spatial localization of these altered molecular markers. Ectocervical tissue samples from Kenyan sex workers using DMPA, or non-hormonal contraceptives, underwent spatial transcriptomics and gene set enrichment analyses.

Atrial fibrillation screening and clinical outcomes: a meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.

Background: Recommendations on atrial fibrillation (AF) screening by various scientific societies are inconsistent due to uncertainty about its benefit. This study aimed to summarize data from randomized controlled trials (RCTs) on the impact of AF screening on thromboembolism, major bleeding, and mortality.

Methods: We searched PubMed/MEDLINE and Embase to identify studies providing relevant data through September 05, 2024.

Effect of tropical climates on the quality of commonly used antibiotics: the protocol for a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Introduction: Medicine quality can be influenced by environmental factors. In low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) with tropical climates, storage facilities of medicines in healthcare settings and homes may be suboptimal. However, knowledge of the effects of temperature and other climatic and environmental factors on the quality of medicines is limited.

The synergistic effects of microcredit access and agricultural technology adoption on maize farmer's income in Kenya.

Addressing global food security demands urgent improvement in agricultural productivity, particularly in developing economies where market imperfections are perverse and resource constraints prevail. While microcredit is widely acknowledged as a tool for economic empowerment, its role in facilitating agricultural technology adoption and improving agricultural incomes remains underexplored. This study examines the synergistic effects of microcredit access and agricultural technology adoption on the incomes of maize farmers in Kenya.

Modelling the health labour market outlook in Kenya: Supply, needs and investment requirements for health workers, 2021-2035.

Kenya is committed to achieving Universal Health Coverage (UHC) within its devolved health system in which significant investments have been made in health infrastructure, workforce development, and service delivery. Despite these efforts, the country faces considerable health workforce challenges. To address these, the Ministry of Health undertook a comprehensive Health Labour Market Analysis (HLMA) in 2022 to generate evidence supporting the development of responsive health workforce policies.

Trends and factors associated with HIV viral load non-suppression among treatment-experienced female sex workers in Kenya: a retrospective cohort study.

Background: Transactional sexual relations in the absence of condom use is a well-established behaviour that strongly contributes to HIV transmission if the infected person is not virally suppressed. In this study, we determined the trends and factors associated with VLNS among treatment-experienced FSWs in Kenya.

Methods: This retrospective cohort study used data collected from 7-sex workers outreach clinics between 2015 and 2022.

Patient and provider perspectives on pain management during manual vacuum aspiration.

Manual vacuum aspiration (MVA) is a painful procedure often conducted without analgesia. The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends a paracervical block (PCB) as the mode of pain relief during MVA. Few studies have assessed patient perspectives on pain control during MVA.

First isolation of the Sindbis virus in mosquitoes from southwestern Spain reveals a new recent introduction from Africa.

Sindbis virus (SINV), is an of the family . This zoonotic arbovirus is transmitted by mosquitoes, primarily from the genus, with bird species acting as amplifying vertebrate hosts. Occasionally it can also affect humans that are accidental hosts.

China as data coloniser? rethinking cultural production, cultural mediation, and consumer agency on Kenyan and Chinese e-commerce platforms.

Has China become a neo-colonizer, exporting its cultural and economic power to the world based on its agenda of building soft power? Existing scholarship on neocolonialism and data colonialism largely focuses on how China's infrastructural expansion and increasingly platformised cultural sectors can achieve its ambitious platformised cultural sectors overseas. Yet, how China's cultural power is manifested, negotiated, or resisted in people's daily lives in a South-South setting remains under-researched and under-theorised. This article uses everyday fashion in Kenya as a case study to investigate China's cultural and economic power expansion in the Global South.

Barriers to Utilization of Sexual and Reproductive Health Services among Young People in Nigeria: A Qualitative Exploration Using the Socioecological Model.

Underutilization of sexual and reproductive health services among young people is associated with many adverse sexual and reproductive health-related outcomes and morbidity. Guided by the socioecological model, this study undertook a qualitative exploration of the barriers limiting young peoples' uptake of sexual and reproductive health services in Osun State, Nigeria. Fifty-eight young people (aged 15-24 years) from two universities and one community in Osun State were selected and involved in six focus group discussions.

Time to change implementation units for mass drug administration against schistosomiasis in Uganda: Evidence from Communities levels data validation and its implication in planning.

Uganda started implementing mass drug administration against schistosomiasis in 2003, with district used as an implementation unit. This resulted into misclassification of communities into wrong risk levels, under-or-over treatment and over request of praziquantel (PZQ) drugs. The objective of the current study was to reviewing the community data available at World Health Organization/ESPEN database to understand the status of schistosomiasis and identify pockets with infection.

Development of a novel Haemabiome tool for the high-throughput analysis of haemopathogen species co-infections in African livestock.

One of the principal limitations on livestock productivity in sub-Saharan Africa is the constraining effect of infectious diseases, including tick-borne blood pathogens. Currently, diagnostic markers for these pathogens are species or genus specific, making it challenging to implement high-throughput screening methods. The aim of this study was to develop and validate a novel high-throughput diagnostic tool capable of detecting a range of important haemopathogens in livestock.