Naturally russeted and wound russeted skins of mango (cv. 'Apple') show no differences in anatomy, chemical composition or gene expression.

The mango cultivar 'Apple' is commercially important in Kenya but highly susceptible to russeting. Russeting refers to an area of fruit skin where the primary (epidermal) surface has been replaced by a secondary (peridermal) surface. The objective was to establish histologies, gene expressions and chemical compositions of a natural periderm, a wound-induced periderm and of cuticles of an un-russeted skin.

Study protocol for a multi-center stepped-wedge cluster randomized trial to explore the usability and outcomes among young people living with HIV in Kiambu and Kirinyaga counties of Kenya, using an online health portal.

While the incidence of Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) infection is decreasing in most age groups worldwide, it is rising among adolescents and young adults, who also face a higher rate of HIV-related deaths. This tech-savvy demographic may benefit from an online patient portal designed to enhance patient activation-empowering them to manage their health independently. However, the effectiveness of such digital health interventions on young HIV patients in Kenya remains uncertain.

Intersection between individual, household, environmental and system level factors in defining risk and resilience for children in Kenya's ASAL: A qualitative study.

Introduction: Children growing up in arid and semi-arid regions of Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) face heightened risks, often resulting in poor developmental outcomes. In Kenya, the arid and semi-arid lands (ASAL) exhibit the lowest health and developmental indicators among children. Despite these risks, some children grow up successfully and overcome the challenges.

Association between maternal mental health and early childhood development, nutrition, and common childhood illnesses in Khwisero subcounty, Kenya.

Background: Despite the significant public health burden of maternal mental health disorders in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), limited data are available on their effects on early childhood development (ECD), nutritional status, and child health in the region.

Aims: This study investigated the association between maternal mental health and ECD, nutritional status, and common childhood illnesses, while controlling for biological, social, financial, and health-related factors and/or confounders.

Method: As part of the Innovative Partnership for Universal and Sustainable Healthcare (i-PUSH) program evaluation study, initiated in November 2019, a cohort of low-income rural families, including pregnant women or women of childbearing age with children under five, was recruited for this study.

Evaluating the effects, implementation experience and political economy of primary healthcare facility autonomy reforms within counties in Kenya: a mixed methods study protocol.

Introduction: There is a growing emphasis on improving primary health care services and granting frontline service providers more decision-making autonomy. In October 2023, Kenya enacted legislation mandating nationwide facility autonomy. There is limited understanding of the effects of health facility autonomy on primary health care (PHC) facilities performance.

Developing emergency medical care policy across Kenya: A framework for policy development.

Background And Objectives: The Kenya Emergency Medical Care (EMC) Policy 2020-2030 was created to guide the advancement of EMC throughout Kenya. This report describes and maps the ongoing EMC policy development process across Kenya's 47 counties, serving as a real-world example of EMC policy development within a decentralized healthcare system in a low-or middle-income country (LMIC).

Methods: This report evaluates the development of county-specific EMC policies using the Kenya Institute for Public Policy Research and Analysis (KIPPRA) six stages for policy development: 1) problem identification, 2) agenda setting, 3) policy design, 4) approval, 5) implementation, and 6) monitoring and evaluation.

A never-ending story: updated 3D cyber-taxonomic revision of the ant genus Wheeler (Hymenoptera, Formicidae, Dorylinae) for the Afrotropical region.

The ant genus are fascinating ants due to their distinctive morphology, ecology, and rarity. In this study, a comprehensive revision of in the Afrotropical region is presented, through a combination of morphological examination under the light microscope and three-dimensional (3D) cyber-taxonomy based on microtomography (micro-CT). Micro-CT based 3D surface models of all species were used for virtual morphological visualisation and examination.

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.

Barriers to and impacts of hepatitis C treatment among people who inject drugs in Kenya: A qualitative study.

Hepatitis C (HCV) disproportionately affects people who inject drugs (PWID). Despite availability of safe and effective treatment, HCV treatment access and uptake among PWID in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) has been limited. Understanding the lived experiences of PWID in these settings who have undergone treatment provides the opportunity to gain insight into how to implement treatment programs that meet the needs of this population.

Revisiting Africa's Stroke Obstacles and Services (SOS).

Background: As one of the most common non-communicable diseases in Africa, Stroke ought to be dealt with properly with intensifying efforts to control its burden and to face obstacles in its management.

Methods And Results: In this follow-up study we reanalyzed stroke services and related obstacles in 17 African countries that were previously studied in 2021/22 in aspects related to manpower, acute stroke services, rehabilitation programs, number of stroke units/centers, telestroke services, awareness campaigns, and national and international stroke registries through a survey that was sent to stroke specialists and national stroke societies. Overall, there is an improvement in many fields yet many obstacles in the implementation of telestroke services, acute management, secondary prevention, post-discharge services, and follow-ups whether governmental, medical, or societal are prevalent.

Adoptive NK cell therapy in AML: progress and challenges.

Adoptive cell therapy (ACT) using natural killer (NK) cells has emerged as a promising therapeutic strategy for acute myeloid leukemia (AML), addressing challenges such as chemotherapy resistance and high relapse rates. Over the years, clinical trials and studies have explored various sources of NK cells, including ex vivo expanded NK cell lines, CAR-NK cells, peripheral blood-derived NK cells, and umbilical cord blood-derived NK cells. These therapies have demonstrated varying degrees of therapeutic efficacy, ranging from transient anti-leukemia activity to sustained remission in select patient groups.

Subnational trends and inequalities of under-immunisation and zero-dose among children aged 12-23 months in Uganda: a national population-based cross-sectional study.

Objective: Despite the Global Vaccine Action Plan's goal of at least 90% vaccine coverage for all children, Uganda has made limited progress in vaccination over the past decade. The objective of this study was to examine the subnational trends in the prevalence and inequalities in under-immunisation and zero-dose among children aged 12-23 months in Uganda.

Study Design: A retrospective national cross-sectional study.

Chartering Patient Flights for Surgery in a Road Inaccessible Nation: The Samaritan's Purse Cleft Lip Missions Model in South Sudan.

Introduction: Few patients in South Sudan have access to cleft lip repair due to limitations in health care facilities, personnel and road infrastructure. Samaritan's Purse is a non-governmental organization that provides chartered flights from road inaccessible regions to a single central hospital in this nation's capital. This study's purpose was to describe the chartered flight model for conducting nationwide cleft lip mission trips.

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.

Improving capacity for advanced training in obstetric surgery: evaluation of a blended learning approach.

Background: Significant differences in outcomes for mothers and babies following obstetric surgical interventions between low- and middle-income countries and high-income settings have demonstrated a need for improvements in quality of care and training of obstetric surgical and anaesthetic providers. To address this, a five-day face-to-face training intervention was developed. When roll-out was disrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic, the course was redesigned for delivery by blended learning.

Detection of low frequency artemisinin resistance mutations, C469Y, P553L and A675V, and fixed antifolate resistance mutations in asymptomatic primary school children in Kenya.

Background: To understand the emergence and spread of drug-resistant parasites in malaria-endemic areas, accurate assessment and monitoring of antimalarial drug resistance markers is critical. Recent advances in next-generation sequencing (NGS) technologies have enabled the tracking of drug-resistant malaria parasites.

Methods: In this study, we used Targeted Amplicon Deep Sequencing (TADS) to characterise the genetic diversity of the Pfk13, Pfdhfr, Pfdhps, and Pfmdr1 genes among primary school-going children in 15 counties in Kenya (Bungoma, Busia, Homa Bay, Migori, Kakamega, Kilifi, Kirinyaga, Kisii, Kisumu, Kwale, Siaya, Tana River, Turkana, Vihiga and West Pokot).

A novel tool for assessing pediatric emergency care in low- and middle-income countries: a pilot study.

Background: Globally, most children seek emergency care at general rather than specialized pediatric emergency departments. There remains significant variation in the provision of pediatric emergency care, particularly in resource-constrained settings. The objective of this study is to pilot a self-assessment tool to evaluate pediatric emergency care capabilities in low- and middle-income country (LMIC) hospitals on the African Continent.

Improvement of the accuracy of breeding value prediction for egg production traits in Muscovy duck using low-coverage whole-genome sequence data.

Low-coverage whole genome sequencing (lcWGS) is an effective low-cost genotyping technology when combined with genotype imputation approaches. It facilitates cost-effective genomic selection (GS) programs in agricultural animal populations. GS based on lcWGS data has been successfully applied to livestock such as pigs and donkeys.

Genetic variation of the circumsporozoite protein in parasite isolates from Homabay County in Kenya.

The Circumsporozoite Protein (PfCSP) has been used in developing the RTS,S, and R21 malaria vaccines. However, genetic polymorphisms within compromise the effectiveness of the vaccine. Thus, it is essential to continuously assess the genetic diversity of , especially when deploying it across different geographical regions.

Development of a rapid and highly sensitive nucleic acid-based diagnostic test for schistosomes, leveraging on identical multi-repeat sequences.

Introduction: Schistosomiasis (Bilharzia), a neglected tropical disease caused by parasites, afflicts over 240 million people globally, disproportionately impacting Sub-Saharan Africa. Current diagnostic tests, despite their utility, suffer from limitations like low sensitivity. Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and quantitative real-time PCR (qPCR) remain the most common and sensitive nucleic acid amplification tests.

Digital cervicography using mobile phones with real-time consultation (DCRC) to improve performance of Visual Inspection with Acetic Acid (VIA) in cervical cancer screening of HIV-infected women. A cross-sectional study.

Introduction: Visual Inspection with Acetic Acid (VIA) has been adopted for cervical cancer screening in Kenya and other Low-Middle Income Countries despite providing suboptimal results among HIV-infected women. It is mostly performed by nurses in health centers. Innovative ways of improving the performance of VIA in HIV-infected women are desired.

Sub-Saharan Africa's Contribution to Clinical Trials in International Acute Coronary Syndromes and Heart Failure Guidelines.

Background: There is a growing burden of acute coronary syndrome (ACS) and heart failure (HF) in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), yet outcomes remain poor compared to high-income countries. The European Society of Cardiology (ESC) international guidelines are pivotal to the delivery of evidence-based care; however, their representation of populations from SSA remains unclear.

Objectives: The purpose of the study was to evaluate the representation of populations from SSA in randomized controlled trials (RCTs) that inform ESC ACS and HF guidelines.