Physical exercise improved the hematological effect of vitamin D in type 2 diabetes mellitus-induced nephrotoxicity in rats.

Introduction: Globally, one of the major causes of renal dysfunction is diabetes mellitus (DM), and diabetic-induced nephrotoxicity has been linked with anemia. Presently, numerous antidiabetic drugs have been designed for the management of this disorder but they possess their undesirable effects such as anemia and acute kidney injury. Hence, we explore the use of vitamin D with or without exercise for the management of DM-induced renal dysfunction.

Spatial prediction of armed conflicts from the perspective of political geography using bivariate frequency ratio method (FR) in East African States.

Armed conflicts, as significant human phenomena, profoundly impact populations and reflect a state's capacity to fulfill its responsibilities. These conflicts arise from various causes, necessitating robust predictive models to understand their spatial distribution. This study employs the Bivariate Frequency Ratio (FR) method to spatially predict the occurrence of armed conflicts across the East African States, drawing on 42 political geography-related criteria.

Pharmacogenomics revolutionizing cardiovascular therapeutics: A narrative review.

Background And Aim: Among the cardiovascular diseases (CVDs), heart failure, hypertension, and myocardial infarction are associated with the greatest number of disability-adjusted life years due to lifestyle changes and the failure of therapeutic approaches, especially the one-size-fits-all interventions. As a result, there has been advances in defining genetic variants responsible for different responses to cardiovascular drugs such as antiplatelets, anticoagulants, statins, and beta-blockers, which has led to their usage in guiding treatment plans. This study comprehensively reviews the current state-of-the-art potential of pharmacogenomics in dramatically altering CVD treatment.

Frequency and Sex-Specific Associations of Metabolic Syndrome in Rwandans Seeking Outpatient Care: A Cross Sectional, Single Centre Study.

Background: The prevalence of cardiometabolic diseases is escalating in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) alongside the prevailing high burden of communicable diseases. Although many countries in SSA, including Rwanda, have existing data on the prevalence of individual components of the MetS, many SSA countries have insufficient data to guide policy makers on the magnitude of MetS. This study sought to determine the magnitude of MetS and its associated risk factors by sex at a referral teaching hospital in Rwanda.

Perioperative mortality of caesarean section in North-West Ethiopia: a prospective cohort study.

Objective: This study aimed to assess 7-day perioperative maternal mortality and risk factors at Tibebe Ghion Specialized Hospital.

Design: A single-centre prospective cohort study.

Setting: A tertiary hospital in North-West Ethiopia, 01 June 2019 to 30 June 2021.

Defining blood deserts and access to blood products for 660 million people: a geospatial analysis of eight states in Northern India.

Introduction: Blood transfusion is crucial, but low-income and middle-income countries like India face a severe shortage of banked blood. This study focuses on the Empowered Action Group (EAG) states in India, where healthcare is limited, and health outcomes are poor. Our objective was to assess the blood banking infrastructure and access to blood products in these states.

Uncovering intersecting stigmas experienced by people affected by podoconiosis in Nyamasheke district, Rwanda.

Background: Podoconiosis is a stigmatising neglected tropical condition, but the nature of podoconiosis stigma has not been fully explored. There is a growing understanding that the experience of stigma is intersectional, yet no research has been done on this matter in relation to podoconiosis. The aim of this paper is to contribute to the understanding of podoconiosis-related stigma by illustrating how multiple individuals' positionalities intersect to shape the experience of stigma due to podoconiosis.

Determinants of environmental changes in human-modified ecosystems: Effects of plastics on moisture gradients, nutrients, and clay properties.

Plastic pollution poses a significant threat to ecosystem health worldwide. This study examines the determinants of environmental changes in human-modified ecosystems through a quantitative-qualitative system dynamics modeling approach: field experiments conducted on a 310 m unsaturated clay-rich bed and a 2.5 m clay-rich shore of a plastic-impacted pond in Shenzhen, China, and a 1.

Challenges associated with the implementation of institutional quarantine and isolation strategies during major multicountry viral outbreaks in Africa (2000-2023): a scoping review.

Background: Quarantine and isolation (Q&I) are interrelated but not mutually exclusive public health practices for disease control, which may face public resistance in the context of health emergencies due to associated challenges. Hence, it is often tough for most countries to implement Q&I even in the context of health emergencies. Therefore, this scoping review examines the challenges associated with the implementation of institutional Q&I strategies during major multicountry viral outbreaks (Ebola, Lassa and COVID-19) in Africa between 2000 and 2023.

Academic partnerships in transforming nursing and midwifery education in Africa: a systematic scoping review protocol.

Background: In recent decades, the literature on global partnerships in nursing and midwifery education, to enhance the quality of education and produce competent graduates in the labor market, is on the rise in Africa. However, there is a gap regarding the best practices and barriers in the African context. This systematic scoping review aims to map the evidence on academic partnerships in transforming nursing and midwifery education in Africa.

The acceptance of COVID-19 vaccines in Rwanda: a cross-sectional study.

The first reported case of Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) in Rwanda occurred on March 14 2020. By the end of July 2024, a total of 133,518 individuals had tested positive for the infection, resulting in 1,468 deaths and 132,039 had fully recovered. The success of COVID-19 elimination in Rwanda hinges on the public's level of acceptance of the COVID-19 vaccination.

Treatment delays for cancer patients in Sub-Saharan Africa: South Africa as a microcosm.

Purpose: Delays in initiating cancer treatment time to treatment initiation (TTI) can negatively impact patient outcomes. This study aimed to quantify the association between TTI and survival in breast, cervical and prostate cancer patients at Inkosi Albert Luthuli Central Hospital (IALCH) in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa, as a microcosm of Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA).

Methods: We analyzed electronic medical records of patients diagnosed with breast, cervical or prostate cancer at IALCH between 2010 and 2020.

Maternal trauma exposure is linked to adult offspring's cognitive functioning in the context of mass violence.

Objective: This study aimed to examine whether mothers' level of trauma exposure and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms are related to their offspring's cognitive functioning.

Method: Mothers exposed to the 1994 genocide perpetrated against the Tutsi ( = 181) and one of their adult offspring were recruited in Rwanda. Mothers and their offspring answered questionnaires on sociodemographic information, the level of trauma exposure, and PTSD symptoms.

Pain Management and Sociology Implications: The Sociomedical Problem of Pain Clinic Staff Harassment Caused by Chronic Pain Patients.

Background: Patients with chronic pain often experience psychological issues. They may also exhibit harassing behaviors toward healthcare staff. This complex sociomedical issue necessitates increased attention.

Change in the prevalence of anemia in children aged 6-59 months using the new World Health Organization 2024 criteria.

The World Health Organization (WHO) has published new hemoglobin cutoff points for defining anemia and its measurement. This change could impact the prevalence of anemia, particularly in countries with populations living in high-altitude areas. This study estimates the national prevalences of anemia in children aged 6-59 months using Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) 1989 and WHO 2024 criteria.

Cross border population movements across three East African states: Implications for disease surveillance and response.

The frequent population movement across the five East African Countries poses risk of disease spread in the region. A clear understanding of population movement patterns is critical for informing cross-border disease control interventions. We assessed population mobility patterns across the borders of the East African states of Kenya, Uganda, and Rwanda.

Women's exposure to intimate partner violence and its association with child stunting: findings from a population-based study in rural Rwanda.

Background: Child stunting is a significant challenge for most districts in Rwanda and much of sub-Saharan Africa and persists despite multisectoral efforts. There is a notable lack of population-based studies examining the correlation between violence against women and child stunting in Rwanda.

Objective: We aimed to investigate the association between Rwandan women's exposure to intimate partner violence (IPV) and child stunting in children under 3 years of age.