On-farm evaluation of aflatoxin binder inclusion in dairy feed as a strategy to reduce milk aflatoxin M1 contamination in the Rwandan context.

Aflatoxins (AF), fungal metabolites, can contaminate feed in favorable environments, posing health risks to humans and animals. Dairy cows exposed to aflatoxin B1 (AFB1) excrete its metabolite, aflatoxin M1 (AFM1), in milk, compromising its safety. The current study examined the use of an AF binder in dairy feed concentrates on farms in Rwanda to mitigate AFM1 in milk.

Food Security Resilience and Humanitarian Aid in Mali: A Case Study of Bandiagara Cercle.

Mali's food security strategies focus on improving agriculture, water management, and diversifying livelihoods. While initiatives like climate-smart agriculture show promise, challenges like limited resources, market access, and political instability persist. Gender inequalities and reliance on external aid further hinder progress, making it difficult for Mali to build sustainable, self-reliant food systems and ensure long-term resilience.

Predictors of household drinking water E. coli contamination: Population-based results from rural areas of Ghana, Malawi, Mozambique, Niger, Rwanda, Uganda, and Zambia.

Background: In sub-Saharan Africa, rural areas have lower rates of access to safe drinking water compared to urban areas. We investigated predictors of Escherichia coli contamination in drinking water of rural households in Ghana, Malawi, Mozambique, Niger, Rwanda, Uganda, and Zambia.

Methods: We used a population-based, cluster randomized sampling design to select rural households in each country.

Outcomes of an integrated knowledge translation approach in five African countries: a mixed-methods comparative case study.

Background: Integrated knowledge translation (IKT) aims to enhance evidence-informed decision-making in public health and healthcare by establishing continuous relationships between researchers and knowledge users, in particular decision-makers. The Collaboration for Evidence-Based Healthcare and Public Health in Africa (CEBHA+) undertook research on noncommunicable diseases in Ethiopia, Malawi, Rwanda, South Africa and Uganda. Alongside the research activities, we implemented an IKT approach, which entailed training and the development and implementation of site-specific IKT strategies.

What if professional mosquito abatement in Africa started in a refugee camp?

In the aftermath of the 2015 political crisis in Burundi, a humanitarian organisation, Maison Shalom, fled the country to Rwanda with tens of thousands of Burundians. In an attempt to assist their compatriots, a group of Burundians in the diaspora created the Académie and teamed with Maison Shalom to give online classes to the refugees. With courage and determination and despite the conditions in the refugee camp and the language barrier, 17 refugees successfully completed the 'Best Practices for Integrated Mosquito Management Virtual Training Programme', offered by the American Mosquito Control Association.

Schistosomiasis transmission: A machine learning analysis reveals the importance of agrochemicals on snail abundance in Rwanda.

Background: Schistosomiasis is an important snail-borne parasitic disease whose transmission is exacerbated by water resource management activities. In Rwanda, meeting the growing population's demand for food has led to wetlands reclamation for cultivation and increased agrochemical enrichment for crop production. However, the ecological consequences of agrochemical enrichment on schistosomiasis transmission remain unexplored.

Outcomes of adults hospitalized with COVID-19 at the University Teaching Hospital of Butare in Rwanda and validation of the Universal Vital Assessment (UVA) mortality risk score.

There are few data regarding clinical outcomes from COVD-19 from low-income countries (LICs) including Rwanda. Accordingly, we aimed to determine 1) outcomes of patients admitted to hospital with COVID-19 in Rwanda, and 2) the ability of the Universal Vital Assessment (UVA) score to predict mortality in patients with COVID-19 compared to sequential organ failure assessment (SOFA) and quick (qSOFA) scores. We conducted a retrospective study of patients aged ≥18 years hospitalized with laboratory-confirmed COVID-19 at the University Teaching Hospital of Butare (CHUB), Rwanda, April 2021-January 2022.

Knowledge and practice toward menstrual hygiene management and associated factors among visual impaired adolescent girls: a case of two selected institutions in Rwanda.

Background: Menstruation is a universal and normal phenomenon during the reproductive age of females; adolescence is an essential period where females are preparing and adjusting themselves to manage their menstrual bleeding safely and cleanly. Menstrual hygiene management (MHM) is an issue that is insufficiently acknowledged and has not received adequate attention among visually impaired adolescent girls (VIAGs).

Objectives: The purpose of this study was to determine the knowledge and practice of MHM and associated factors among VIAGs of selected institutions in Rwanda.

Mobile app review analysis for crowdsourcing of software requirements: a mapping study of automated and semi-automated tools.

Mobile app reviews are valuable for gaining user feedback on features, usability, and areas for improvement. Analyzing these reviews manually is difficult due to volume and structure, leading to the need for automated techniques. This mapping study categorizes existing approaches for automated and semi-automated tools by analyzing 180 primary studies.

Cross-sectional study exploring the prevalence and clinical manifestations of acute diarrhea among under-5 children in primary care hospital in Democratic Republic of the Congo.

Background: Acute diarrhea (AD), which is defined as frequent passing of liquid stools compared to normal, is a serious and worrying problem and remains a concern for healthcare systems because of its high mortality cause in children under 5 years old. The authors' study aimed to present the prevalence and to describe the clinical manifestation of AD among under-5 children.

Methods: From June 2022 to May 2023, the authors conducted a retrospective, descriptive and cross-sectional study including all patients aged 0-5 years hospitalized for AD.

Caregiver burden among informal caregivers of stroke survivors in Harare, Zimbabwe.

Background: Stroke presents significant challenges for both survivors and caregivers, particularly in resource-limited settings like Zimbabwe. Identifying factors contributing to caregiver burden strain (CBS) is crucial to enhance support strategies.

Objectives: This longitudinal study identified caregiver and stroke survivor characteristics associated with CBS among caregivers in Harare, Zimbabwe.

Health systems'resilience during the COVID-19 pandemic: A South African polio surveillance case study.

Background: More needs to be known on how the South African health system contained the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic and maintained the core business of health service delivery. We describe the practices that have shown to affect the health systems' resilience in ensuring maintenance of polio surveillance and immunization systems in South Africa (SA) during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Methodology: This is a descriptive, reflective desk review study using the South African polio surveillance systems and immunization coverage as a case study.

Records of Lonchaeidae (Diptera, Cyclorrhapha) from Togo and other African countries, with descriptions of new species.

Seventeen species of Lonchaeidae are recorded from the west African state of Togo amongst which are eight species new to science namely; Silba akloa sp. nov., Silba bambesa sp.

Scratching the surface of Afrotropical Dissomphalus (Hymenoptera, Bethylidae): a revision uncovering 114 new species.

The main goal of this paper is to revise the Dissomphalus genus within the Afrotropical region. Specimens were collected across seventeen countries: Benin, Botswana, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Democratic Republic of Congo, Gabon, Guinea, Kenya, Mozambique, Namibia, Nigeria, Rwanda, South Africa, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia and Zimbabwe. A total of 127 species have been identified in the Afrotropical region.

Three new species of Pomphopsilla Jałoszyński in Togo (Coleoptera: Staphylinidae: Scydmaeninae).

The cephenniine genus Pomphopsilla currently comprises twelve nominal species distributed in Burundi, DR Congo, Kenya, Rwanda and the Seychelles. Three new species are described, all based on specimens collected in Togo: P. spinosa sp.

Understanding Integrated Community Case Management Institutionalization Processes Within National Health Systems in Malawi, Mali, and Rwanda: A Qualitative Study.

Introduction: Since 2012, the World Health Organization (WHO) and UNICEF have recommended integrated Community Case Management (iCCM) of childhood illnesses as an intervention delivered by community health workers (CHWs) in areas with limited access to health facilities to increase access to lifesaving interventions for children younger than 5 years with malaria, pneumonia, or diarrhea. In recent years, the importance of institutionalizing iCCM and community health more broadly within national health systems has become increasingly recognized.

Methods: This qualitative study sought to identify and describe processes of iCCM institutionalization from the perspectives of health system actors.

Predicting adverse pregnancy outcome in Rwanda using machine learning techniques.

Background: Adverse pregnancy outcomes pose significant risk to maternal and neonatal health, contributing to morbidity, mortality, and long-term developmental challenges. This study aimed to predict these outcomes in Rwanda using supervised machine learning algorithms.

Methods: This cross-sectional study utilized data from the Rwanda Demographic and Health Survey (RDHS, 2019-2020) involving 14,634 women.

Evaluating the research capacity and culture amongst staff at a tertiary level teaching hospital in Rwanda.

Background: Building research capacity can strengthen health systems through evidence-based interventions. However, evaluating the current research capacity and increasing it is a layered process that needs to consider different institutional structures, as well as internal factors. This study collects baseline data on the research capacity and culture at King Faisal Hospital Rwanda (KFH), a tertiary-level teaching hospital in Rwanda.

Guillain-Barré Syndrome in Africa: Understanding, Addressing, and Empowering.

Introduction: Guillain-Barré Syndrome (GBS) is a spectrum of peripheral neuropathies characterized by rapid symmetrical limb weakness and sensory symptoms. GBS can be life-threatening and requires intensive care, particularly for patients with imminent respiratory failure. In Africa, limited research and high therapy costs pose challenges.

Dynamics of the blood plasma proteome during hyperacute HIV-1 infection.

The complex dynamics of protein expression in plasma during hyperacute HIV-1 infection and its relation to acute retroviral syndrome, viral control, and disease progression are largely unknown. Here, we quantify 1293 blood plasma proteins from 157 longitudinally linked plasma samples collected before, during, and after hyperacute HIV-1 infection of 54 participants from four sub-Saharan African countries. Six distinct longitudinal expression profiles are identified, of which four demonstrate a consistent decrease in protein levels following HIV-1 infection.

Protecting the Safe Water Chain in Refugee Camps: An Exploratory Study of Water Handling Practices, Chlorine Decay, and Household Water Safety in South Sudan, Jordan, and Rwanda.

In refugee and internally displaced person settlements, hygienic water handling and free residual chlorine (FRC) are crucial for protecting water against recontamination after distribution up to the household point-of-consumption. We conducted a secondary analysis of water quality and water handling data collected in refugee camps in South Sudan, Jordan, and Rwanda using statistical and process-based modeling to explore how water handling practices affect FRC decay and household FRC outcomes. The two practices that consistently produced a significant effect on FRC decay and household FRC were storing water in direct sunlight and transferring water between containers during household storage.

Salt restriction induced hyponatremia in hypertensive patients in Rwanda: A case control study.

Background: Salt restriction is a fundamental principle in the non-pharmacological management of hypertension. The World Health Organization recommends a daily sodium intake of less than 2 g/day. In East African countries, particularly Rwanda, there is a known prevalence of low sodium intake, with a mean sodium intake of 1.