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.

PmRGL2/PmFRL3-PmSVP Module Regulates Flowering Time in Japanese apricot (Prunus mume Sieb. et Zucc.).

Temperate fruit trees rely on environmental and endogenous signals to trigger dormancy release and flowering. However, the knowledge of DELLA protein PmRGL2, a Prunus mume homolog of REPRESSOR OF GA-Like 2 (RGL2), which serves as an important inhibitory factor in gibberellin (gibberellin acid [GA]) signalling, is limited related to on its regulatory effects on dormancy release and flowering. In our study, the protein-protein interaction assays showed an interaction between PmRGL2 and PmFRL3, a Prunus mume homolog of FRIGIDA-LIKE (FRL).

Routine malaria vaccination in Africa: a step toward malaria eradication?

Malaria remains a significant global health challenge, with nearly half of the world's population at risk of infection. In 2022 alone, malaria claimed approximately 608,000 lives, with 76% of these fatalities occurring in children under the age of five, underscoring the disease's disproportionate impact on vulnerable populations. Africa bears the highest burden, accounting for 94% of global malaria cases.

Application of machine learning algorithms in an epidemiologic study of mortality.

Purpose: Epidemiologic studies are important in assessing risk factors of mortality. Machine learning (ML) is efficient in analyzing multidimensional data to unravel dependencies between risk factors and health outcomes.

Methods: Using a representative sample from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey data collected from 2009 to 2016 linked to the National Death Index public-use mortality data through December 31, 2019, we applied logistic, random forests, k-Nearest Neighbors, multivariate adaptive regression splines, support vector machines, extreme gradient boosting, and super learner ML algorithms to study risk factors of all-cause mortality.

The First International Symposium of the World Wild Rice Wiring: Conservation and Utilization of Global Wild Rice Germplasm Resources through International Cooperation.

As drastic climatic changes significantly impact global agriculture, the importance of conserving and utilizing wild germplasm has gained prominance. In this context, the conservation and sustainable utilization of wild rice germplasm resources have become a high priority. Although efforts to conserve and sustainably utilize wild rice germplasm are underway globally, they are fragmented and require international cooperation to advance climate-resilient rice breeding and ensure future food securiety.

Measuring the uptake of clinic-based HIV treatment and prevention services following HIV testing and referral at private pharmacies in Kenya.

Background: Despite their ubiquity across sub-Saharan Africa, private pharmacies are underutilized for HIV service delivery beyond the sale of HIV self-test kits. To understand what uptake of HIV prevention and treatment services might look like if private pharmacies offered clients free HIV self-testing and referral to clinic-based HIV services, we conducted a pilot study in Kenya.

Methods: At 20 private pharmacies in Kisumu County, Kenya, pharmacy clients (≥ 18 years) purchasing sexual health-related products (e.

Land Use Change Consistently Reduces α- But Not β- and γ-Diversity of Bees.

Land use change threatens global biodiversity and compromises ecosystem functions, including pollination and food production. Reduced taxonomic α-diversity is often reported under land use change, yet the impacts could be different at larger spatial scales (i.e.

Absenteeism of Healthcare Workers in Primary Healthcare in Sub-Saharan Africa: A Scoping Review.

Introduction: Sub-Saharan Africa is facing a severe crisis in human resources for health. Primary healthcare is the most affected. This problem is aggravated by absenteeism, implying that healthcare workers are absent on duty during scheduled working hours.

Technical and management coaching for government institutions: Lessons learned and health systems transformations across 8 countries in sub-Saharan Africa and India.

Traditional engagement with local governments often relies on financial and human resources from international or local partners, leading to direct implementation by organizations, which can hinder sustainability. While some organizations include sustainability indicators, few focus on transferring technical and financial ownership to governments. The Challenge Initiative (TCI) uses a phased coaching model-lead, assist, observe, and monitor-to build local government capacity for scaling family planning (FP) and adolescent and youth sexual and reproductive health (AYSRH) programs.

Antibiotic prescribing patterns at outpatient clinics in Western and Coastal Kenya.

Antimicrobial resistant pathogens are a leading cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide, with overuse and misuse of antimicrobials being key contributors. We aimed to identify factors associated with antibiotic prescriptions among patients presenting to clinics in Kenya. We performed a retrospective, descriptive cohort study of persons presenting to outpatient clinics in Western and Coastal Kenya, including symptoms, physical exams, clinician assessments, laboratory results and prescriptions.

Polygyny and intimate partner violence among married women: Sub-national estimates from a cross-sectional study in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

Intimate partner violence (IPV) is a global issue with several social and health consequences. Global estimates indicate that one-third of women have experienced lifetime IPV. In 2013, sub-Saharan Africa recorded the highest rates of IPV.

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.

Global, regional, and national burden of primary liver cancer attributable to metabolic risks: an analysis of the Global Burden of Disease Study 1990-2021.

Background: The global burden of metabolic diseases is increasing, but estimates of their impact on primary liver cancer are uncertain. We aimed to assess the global burden of primary liver cancer attributable to metabolic risk factors, including high body mass index (BMI) and high fasting plasma glucose (FPG) levels, between 1990 and 2021.

Methods: The total number and age-standardized rates of deaths and disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) from primary liver cancer attributable to each metabolic risk factor were extracted from the Global Burden of Disease Study 1990-2021.

Identifying psychosocial predictors and developing a risk score for preterm birth among Kenyan pregnant women.

Background: Preterm birth (PTB) is a leading cause of neonatal mortality, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa where 40% of global neonatal deaths occur. We identified and combined demographic, clinical, and psychosocial correlates of PTB among Kenyan women to develop a risk score.

Methods: We used data from a prospective study enrolling HIV-negative women from 20 antenatal clinics in Western Kenya (NCT03070600).

Association of Mycobacterium tuberculosis aerosolization and HIV coinfection in the index case with T cell responses in household contacts.

Exposure to pulmonary tuberculosis (PTB) culminates in heterogeneous outcomes, including variation in Mtb antigen-specific interferon-gamma (IFN-γ) T-cell responses. IFN-γ-independent cytokines, including tumor necrosis factor (TNF) and interleukin (IL-2), offer potential diagnostic improvements and insights into pathogenesis. We hypothesized that ESAT6/CFP10 TNF and IL-2 responses improve Mtb infection detection among exposed household contacts (HHCs) and are associated with index case Mtb aerosolization (i.

Occurrence and potential risk of steroid hormones in selected surface water and wastewater treatment plants in western Kenya.

Steroid hormones are significant contributors to endocrine disruption, affecting the hormonal functions of both humans and aquatic organisms. However, data on their occurrence and risks in fresh water systems particularly in low- and middle-income countries, is scarce. In this regard, a comprehensive investigation of 58 steroid hormones in rivers and wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) was conducted in western Kenya.

Structural characterization of codon 129 polymorphism in prion peptide segments (PrP127-132) using the Markov State Models.

The human prion protein gene (PRNP) consists of two common alleles that encode either methionine or valine residues at codon 129. Polymorphism at codon 129 of the prion protein (PRNP) gene is closely associated with genetic variations and susceptibility to specific variants of prion diseases. The presence of these different alleles, known as the PRNP codon 129 polymorphism, plays a significant role in disease susceptibility and progression.