Conflict at work and incident chronic low back pain: a retrospective cohort of more than 101,000 adults from Germany.

Purpose: Little is known about the relationship between conflict at work and incident chronic low back pain (CLBP). Thus, this retrospective cohort study analyzed the association between conflict at work and the five-year incidence of CLBP in adults living in Germany.

Methods: This study included individuals aged 18-65 years reporting conflict at work for the first time in one of 1,293 general practices in Germany between 2005 and 2022 (index date).

The capacity and training needs of primary health care workers in Nyeri and Nakuru counties of Kenya: a cross-sectional study.

Background: Health systems based on primary healthcare (PHC) have reduced costs and are effective for improved health outcomes. Kenya's health system grapples with providing equitable access to essential health services, but there is increasing commitment by the government to strengthen primary healthcare. The aim of this paper is to provide a baseline assessment of the capacity and training needs of healthcare workers (HCWs) in Nakuru and Nyeri Counties and identify priorities for intervention.

Maternal dietary folate imbalance alters cerebellar astrocyte morphology and density in offspring.

Background: Maternal folate usage is essential for neurodevelopment, but its effects on cerebellar structure are unclear. Cerebellum undergoes a protracted period of development, making it sensitive to maternal nutritional imbalances. Astrocytes are necessary for cerebellar cortex structure and function.

Mpox vaccination hesitancy, previous immunisation coverage, and vaccination readiness in the African region: a multinational survey.

Background: Vaccination hesitancy poses a serious threat to mpox vaccination programs. Historically, vaccine uptake in the African region has been low, and this trend may impact future vaccination efforts. Our aim was to investigate the relationships between mpox vaccination hesitancy, immunisation coverage for other vaccines, and vaccination readiness among African adults.

Factors Influencing Iron Levels Among Women of Reproductive Age and Children 6-48 Months in Livestock-Keeping Communities in Narok County, Kenya.

Proper nutrition is vital for maintaining good health for all people across their lifespan, especially children and mothers, who are especially vulnerable due to their specific nutrient needs. Despite the necessity of improved nutrition for these groups, some members do not fully meet their recommended daily micronutrient needs, a challenge exacerbated by different socioeconomic, cultural, and communal constraints resulting in malnutrition. Iron deficiency anaemia is a major concern among children and mothers, especially in pastoralist communities, due to poor nutrition and other related factors.

The Call to Increase Adoption of Family-Based Interventions in Global Mental Health Programming.

Family-based intervention approaches hold tremendous promise for improving mental health in scalable and relevant ways that address social determinants of health, yet family-focused prevention and care interventions are underused in global mental health. This article provides a brief overview of the evidence and types of programs. It then outlines five future directions for family-focused global mental health interventions: integrating implementation science into family-focused programs, expanding research on family-focused work to other populations and different modalities, encouraging transdisciplinary learning from other fields, understanding what works for whom and where, and disseminating family interventions grounded in locally derived theoretical frameworks.

The Genesis of the Academy of Diversity Leaders in Nursing.

Combating all forms of oppression to achieve health equity.

Factors associated with adolescent pregnancy among girls aged between 15 and 19 years in Muhanga district, Rwanda.

Background: Adolescent pregnancy, also known as teenage pregnancy, is an unwanted pregnancy affecting girls aged 15-19 years. With a global prevalence of 25%, Africa has 18.8% of female adolescents become pregnant, preventing them from a better standard of living, such as good education and parental care, and adolescent pregnancy, which poses health risks, educational and career disruptions, financial strain, and lower academic achievement, while also increasing public costs and social service demand.

Time to first antenatal care visit and its predictors among women in Kenya: Weibull gamma shared frailty model (based on the recent 2022 KDHS data).

Background: The first trimester of pregnancy is critical for fetal development, making early antenatal care visits essential for timely check-ups and managing potential complications. However, delayed antenatal care initiation remains a public health challenge in sub-Saharan Africa, including Kenya. Therefore, this study aimed to assess and provide up-to-date information on time to first antenatal care visit and its predictors among women in Kenya, using data from the most recent 2022 Kenya Demographic and Health Survey (KDHS).

Empowering African Expertise: Enhancing Safety Data Integration and Signal Detection for COVID-19 Vaccines Through the African Union Smart Safety Surveillance Joint Signal Management Group.

Introduction: The COVID-19 pandemic accelerated new vaccine development. Limited safety data necessitated robust global safety surveillance to accurately identify and promptly communicate potential safety issues. The African Union Smart Safety Surveillance (AU-3S) program established the Joint Signal Management (JSM) group to support identification of potential vaccine safety concerns in five pilot countries (Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Nigeria, South Africa), accounting for approximately 35% of the African population.

Antibiotic ecotoxicity and resistance risks in resource-constrained chicken and pig farming environments.

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) data from agroecosystems in low- and middle-income countries is limited. We surveyed chicken (n = 52) and pig (n = 47) farms in Kenya to understand AMR in animal-environment pathways. Using LC-MS/MS, we validated the methods for analyzing eight common antibiotics and quantified the associated risks.

Female Brain and Endocrinological Research-Veteran (FemBER-Vet) study: A study protocol for identifying endocrinological, lifestyle and psychosocial determinants of brain health outcomes in female veterans for future intervention success.

Background: Recent studies have demonstrated a greater risk of dementia in female veterans compared to civilians; with the highest prevalence noted for former service women with a diagnosis of psychiatric (trauma, alcoholism, depression), and/or a physical health condition (brain injury, insomnia, diabetes). Such findings highlight the need for increased and early screening of medical and psychiatric conditions, and indeed dementia, in the female veteran population. Further, they call for a better understanding of the underlying biopsychosocial mechanisms that might confer heightened risk for female veterans, to tailor preventative and interventional strategies that support brain health across the lifespan.

Identification of a new alphacoronavirus (Coronaviridae: ) associated with the greater horseshoe bat () in the south of European part of Russia.

Introduction: Bats are recognized as primary natural reservoirs for alpha- and betacoronaviruses. The interspecies transmission of bat coronaviruses to other mammalian hosts, including livestock and humans, can lead to epidemics, epizootics, and global pandemics.

Objective: This study aims to describe coronaviruses associated with horseshoe bats ( spp.

Time for change: Recommendations for action during the proposed EUDR postponement.

Three months before the planned implementation of the European Union Regulation on Deforestation-free products, the European Commission proposed to postpone the implementation by twelve months. The announcement raised the temperature in the debate on this regulation. We put forward suggestions, based on scientific knowledge as well as current EUDR research and implementation projects, on how the 12-month phasing-in period could be used wisely to promote sustainability transitions in deforestation-risk value chains.

46, XY Complete Gonadal Dysgenesis (Swyer Syndrome) Presenting as Primary Amenorrhea in a Normomorphic Adult Female From Kakamega, Kenya.

Differences/disorders of sex development (DSDs) are a diverse group of congenital conditions that result in disagreement between an individual's sex chromosomes, gonads, and/or anatomical sex. The 46, XY DSD group is vast and includes various conditions caused by genetic variants, hormonal imbalances, or abnormal sensitivity to testicular hormones, leading to varying degrees of under-virilization. A 19-year-old phenotypically normal female from Kakamega, Kenya, presented with primary amenorrhea.

Geographic origin and evolution of dengue virus serotypes 1 and 3 circulating in Africa.

Despite the increasing burden of dengue in Kenya and Africa, the introduction and expansion of the virus in the region remain poorly understood. The objective of this study is to examine the genetic diversity and evolutionary histories of dengue virus (DENV) serotypes 1 and 3 in Kenya and contextualize their circulation within circulation dynamics in the broader African region. Viral RNA was extracted from samples collected from a cohort of febrile patients recruited at clinical sites in Kenya from 2013 to 2022.

Challenges faced by community health volunteers in offering sexual and reproductive health care services to young women during the COVID-19 pandemic in Khwisero and Nairobi in Kenya.

Introduction: Community health volunteers (CHVs) are fundamental in many health systems across the globe. In Kenya, CHVs were essential in providing sexual and reproductive health (SRH) services during the COVID-19 pandemic. The study highlights challenges experienced by community health volunteers in Kenya while providing SRH services during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Examination of adolescent and youth modern contraceptive users' perceptions on how religion influences contraceptive use and their rationale and circumstances of use: qualitative evidence from Burkina Faso, Kenya and Niger.

While religion is a key determining factor of contraceptive use, few studies examine how religion influences adolescent and youth contraceptive attitudes, beliefs, and use. We use recently collected (August-November 2022) qualitative data from Burkina Faso, Kenya, and Niger among young users of modern contraception who practice Christianity or Islam. In-depth interviews with married and unmarried young women ages 18-24 years were conducted in two sites in each country to obtain a mix of religions and method users.

Swatting Flies: Biting Insects as Non-Invasive Samplers for Mammalian Population Genomics.

Advances in next-generation sequencing have allowed the use of DNA obtained from unusual sources for wildlife studies. However, these samples have been used predominantly to sequence mitochondrial DNA for species identification while population genetics analyses have been rare. Since next-generation sequencing allows indiscriminate detection of all DNA fragments in a sample, technically it should be possible to sequence whole genomes of animals from environmental samples.

Small intra-tropical long-distance migratory birds track rainy seasons across hemispheres.

The main features of long-distance migration are derived from landbirds breeding in the Northern Hemisphere. Little is known about migration within the tropics, presumably because tropical species typically move opportunistically and over shorter distances. However, such generalizations are weakened by a lack of solid data on spatial, temporal and behavioural patterns of intra-tropical migrations.

Energetic costs of social dominance in wild male baboons.

In vertebrates, glucocorticoids can be upregulated in response to both psychosocial and energetic stressors, making it difficult to identify the cause of elevated glucocorticoid concentrations when both types of stressors are present. This problem has been particularly challenging in studies of social dominance rank in wild animals. In contrast to glucocorticoids, thyroid hormone concentrations are largely unaffected by psychosocial stressors and therefore offer a better estimate of energetic challenges.

Longitudinal observational (single cohort) study on the causes of trypanocide failure in cases of African animal trypanosomosis in cattle near wildlife protected areas of Northern Tanzania.

African animal trypanosomosis (AAT) in cattle is primarily managed through trypanocide administration and insecticide application. Trypanocides can be used for both treatment and prophylaxis, but failure is often reported; this may occur due to resistance, substandard drugs, or inappropriate administration. This study in Tanzania aims to quantify reasons for trypanocide failure.