A qualitative study of how maternal morbidities impact women's quality of life during pregnancy and postpartum in five countries in sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia.

Aim: Maternal morbidities present a major burden to the health and well-being of childbearing women. However, their impacts on women's quality of life (QoL) are not well understood. This work aims to describe the extent to which the morbidities women experience during pregnancy and postpartum affect their QoL and identify any protective or risk factors.

Differentiated HIV Service Delivery vs Conventional Care: Tuberculosis Preventive Therapy Outcomes for People Living with HIV in Sub-Saharan Africa.

Introduction: Differentiated service delivery (DSD) models, which are mechanisms of HIV care that reduce provider visits and offer varied ART delivery methods, are scaling up across sub- Saharan Africa. It is unknown how the movement of patients to DSD models impacts services beyond ART, including the uptake and completion of tuberculosis preventive therapy (TPT).

Methods: Using the RE-AIM framework, we analyzed data from Opt4TPT, a longitudinal cohort study examining TPT delivery in South Africa and Zimbabwe.

Presentation and outcome of Alagille syndrome in paediatric patients at State Academic Hospital in South Africa.

Alagille syndrome (ALGS) is a multisystem autosomal dominant disorder in which patients may have characteristic facial features and involvement of the liver, heart, vessels, bones, eyes, kidneys and central nervous system. As there is little published data on ALGS in Africa, our aim was to describe the presentation and outcomes of ALGS in South Africa. The study constitutes a retrospective analysis of 25 patient medical records diagnosed as ALGS at Chris Hani Baragwanath Academic Hospital Pediatric Gastroenterology clinic between January 1992 and January 2020.

Treatment Inertia and Symptom Burden in Anemia of CKD: Insights from the SATISFY Survey in the Middle East, South Africa, and Türkiye.

Introduction: Limited data exist regarding treatment patterns and symptom burden of patients with anemia of chronic kidney disease (CKD) in the Middle East, South Africa, and Türkiye.

Methods: This real-world study explored clinical characteristics, symptom burden, and treatment patterns of patients with anemia of CKD living in the Middle East, South Africa, and Türkiye. Physician and patient perceptions of treatment were captured via cross-sectional surveys; patients' clinical characteristics were recorded by retrospective review of medical records.

Evidence of a 4.33 billion year age for the Moon's South Pole-Aitken basin.

The Moon's farside South Pole-Aitken (SPA) basin is the largest and oldest visible impact basin in the inner Solar System. Determining the timing of this catastrophic event is key to understanding the onset of the lunar basin-forming epoch, with implications for understanding the impact bombardment history of the inner Solar System. Despite this, the formation age of the SPA basin remains poorly constrained.

: A treasure trove of phytochemicals, nutritional benefits, and biological activities.

The increasing impact of climate change and growing consumer interest in healthful foods have forced a reconsideration of indigenous plants as sustainable food resources. popularly known as Mobola plum, is a prominent African underutilized plant whose natural habitat stretches from West to Southern Africa. It is an important source of food and ethnomedicines across Africa, a status boosted by the rich content of nutrients and phytochemicals in its different plant parts.

The role of social-psychological factors in the adoption of push-pull technology by small-scale farmers in East Africa: Application of the theory of planned behavior.

Push-pull technology (PPT) continues to gain relevance among smallholder farmers across the East African region in managing the constraints affecting cereal crop yields including stemborers, fall armyworm, striga weed, and low soil fertility. While previous research has emphasized the significance of socioeconomic factors in explaining farmers' decisions to adopt PPT, the social-psychological factors that influence farmers' adoption intentions have not been extensively studied. Therefore, this study investigated the influence of social-psychological factors on the intention to adopt or increase the land area under PPT based on the theory of planned behavior (TPB).

Unearthing the determinants of digital innovation adoption in the agricultural sector: The role of food security awareness and agricultural experience.

Extant research has widely acknowledged the role of digital innovation as a facilitator of digital transformation, presenting solutions for various challenges in various industries. However, prior research demonstrates inadequate discussions on the determinants of digital innovation adoption for digital transformation in developing countries, particularly in the agricultural sector. To address this gap, this study investigates the effect of food security awareness, innovation characteristics, and the moderating role of agricultural experience on behavioral intention to adopt digital innovation in the agricultural sector.

Tax and noncommunicable diseases attributable to tobacco and alcohol consumption in 5 Sub-Saharan African countries.

Background: Increased taxation on alcohol and tobacco is among the cost-effective measures used to deal with the burden of noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) globally. Despite adopting such efforts, the impacts of taxation on alcohol and tobacco are yet to be fully understood.

Objective: The study's objective is to find empirical evidence regarding changes in the NCD mortality rate associated with changes in the tax rates of tobacco and alcohol.

The association between experiences of racism and mental health on children and young people in the UK: rapid scoping review.

Background: Racism is increasingly recognised as a key contributor to poor mental health. However, the existing literature primarily focuses on its effects on adults.

Aim: To identify literature on the association between experiences of racism and mental health in children and young people in the UK.

Design of S-Scheme CuInS/CeO Heterojunction for Enhanced Photocatalytic Degradation of Pharmaceuticals in Wastewater.

The release of common medications and illegal drugs into the environment could be potentially harmful to the ecosystem and hamper the behavior and growth of plants and animals. These pollutants gain access to water through sewage and factory discharges and have been found to exceed safety limits in water bodies. Therefore, there is an urgent need for improved wastewater purification systems.

Serotype-specific serum immunoglobulin G at 18 months of age following one or two doses of a primary series of 10-valent or 13-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine and a booster dose at nine months of age: a randomized controlled study.

Background: Due to high costs of pneumococcal conjugate vaccines (PCV), transitioning from a two (2 + 1) to a single dose (1 + 1) primary series with a booster should be considered. This study evaluated the immune response at 18 months of age following a 1 + 1 compared to a 2 + 1 schedule of 10-valent (PCV10) and 13-valent (PCV13) vaccines.

Research Design And Methods: A single-center, open-label, randomized trial conducted in Soweto, South Africa, evaluated the immunogenicity of differing dosing schedule for PCV10 and PCV13.

The effect of STI screening during pregnancy on vertical transmission of HIV and adverse pregnancy outcomes in South Africa: a modelling study.

Introduction: Sexually transmitted infections (STIs) in pregnancy are associated with an increased risk of vertical HIV transmission and adverse pregnancy and birth outcomes. In South Africa, syndromic management is the standard of care for STI management. We assessed the potential impact of point-of-care (POC) screening for curable STIs (Chlamydia trachomatis [CT], Trichomonas vaginalis [TV] and Neisseria gonorrhoeae [NG]) during pregnancy on vertical HIV transmission and adverse pregnancy and birth outcomes.

Noninvasive in vivo imaging of macrophages: understanding tumor microenvironments and delivery of therapeutics.

Macrophages are pivotal in the body's defense and response to inflammation. They are present in significant numbers and are widely implicated in various diseases, including cancer. While molecular and histological techniques have advanced our understanding of macrophage biology, their precise function within the cancerous microenvironments remains underexplored.

Varying effects of Vicia sativa and Vicia villosa on bacterial composition and enzyme activities in nutrient-deficient sugarcane soils under greenhouse conditions.

Declining soil health and productivity are key challenges faced by sugarcane small-scale growers in South Africa. Incorporating Vicia sativa and Vicia villosa as cover crops can improve soil health by enhancing nutrient-cycling enzyme activities and nitrogen (N) contributions while promoting the presence of beneficial bacteria in the rhizosphere. A greenhouse experiment was conducted to evaluate the chemical and biological inputs of V.

Consensus recommendations for measuring the impact of contraception on the menstrual cycle in contraceptive clinical trials.

Objective: We sought to develop consensus recommendations for measurement and analysis of data on contraceptive-induced menstrual changes (CIMCs) in contraceptive clinical trials. We built upon previous standardization efforts over the last 50 years and prioritized input from a variety of global experts and current regulatory authority guidance on patient-reported outcomes.

Study Design: We completed a formal consensus-building process with an interdisciplinary group of 57 experts from 30 organizations and 14 countries in five global regions who work across academia, nonprofit research organizations, the pharmaceutical industry, and funding agencies.

Describing the landscape of nutrition- and diet-related randomized controlled trials: meta-research study of protocols published between 2012 and 2022.

Background: Publishing protocols promotes transparency and reproducibility. The scope and methods of protocols for nutrition- and diet-related randomized controlled trials (RCTs) have not been investigated yet.

Objective: Map the landscape of nutrition- and diet-related interventions research.

Lung cancer screening program quality indicators - review & recommendations - An International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer Delphi process study.

Introduction: Lung cancer screening (LCS) using low-dose-computed tomography reduces lung cancer mortality in high-risk individuals. Evaluating and monitoring LCS programs are important to ensure and improve quality, efficiency and participant outcomes. There is no agreement on LCS quality indicators (QIs).

Global impact of 10- and 13-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccines on pneumococcal meningitis in all ages: the PSERENADE project.

Background: Pneumococcal conjugate vaccines (PCVs) introduced in childhood national immunization programs lowered vaccine-type invasive pneumococcal disease (IPD), but replacement with non-vaccine-types persisted throughout the PCV10/13 follow-up period. We assessed PCV10/13 impact on pneumococcal meningitis incidence globally.

Methods: The number of cases with serotyped pneumococci detected in cerebrospinal fluid and population denominators were obtained from surveillance sites globally.

Objectively-measured sleep characteristics and the associated factors among rural and urban in-school Nigerian adolescents.

Purpose: Poor sleep is increasing worldwide but sleep studies, using objective measures, are limited in Africa. Thus, we described the actigraphy-measured sleep characteristics of Nigerian in-school adolescents and the differences in these sleep characteristics in rural versus urban-dwelling adolescents using actigraphy plus a sleep diary.

Methods: This comparative, quantitative study involved 170 adolescents aged 13-19 attending six rural and six urban schools in southwestern Nigeria.

Identification of drivers of global trade in plastic waste based on GCA and ISM-MICMAC model: Taking China, USA and South Africa as cases.

Plastic waste's dual characteristics of "resource" and "pollution" led to the prevalence of trade. The Global Plastic Waste Trade Network (GPWTN) is heterogeneous, and its structure is susceptible to the influence of key countries within it. However, there is a shortage of research on the key countries and trade drivers influencing GPWTN evolution.

Empowerment through knowledge: Qualitative perceptions of 'undetectable equals Untransmittable' among people living with HIV and tuberculosis in South Africa.

Introduction: Undetectable equals untransmittable (U=U) is an education campaign promoting science that people living with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) who maintain an undetectable viral load cannot transmit HIV to others. Researchers theorize that undetectable equals untransmittable messaging will decrease HIV stigma by reducing fears of HIV transmission and providing evidence to dismantle discriminatory policies. However, little is known about how people with HIV in South Africa interpret the results of their viral load tests, undetectable equals untransmittable messaging, or its impact on stigma.

Efficient diagnosis of diabetes mellitus using an improved ensemble method.

Diabetes is a growing health concern in developing countries, causing considerable mortality rates. While machine learning (ML) approaches have been widely used to improve early detection and treatment, several studies have shown low classification accuracies due to overfitting, underfitting, and data noise. This research employs parallel and sequential ensemble ML approaches paired with feature selection techniques to boost classification accuracy.