Challenges faced by women oncologists in Africa: a mixed methods study.

Objective: Recent studies have identified challenges facing women oncologists in Western contexts. However, similar studies in Africa have yet to be conducted. This study sought to determine the most common and substantial challenges faced by women oncologists in Africa and identify potential solutions.

Spontaneous adrenal hemorrhage in a newborn: a case report.

Neonatal adrenal hemorrhage is a rare condition with various risk factors in the pediatric population. Adrenal hemorrhage commonly affects the right side in about 70% of the cases and bilateral in about 10%. It is usually asymptomatic but can cause adrenal insufficiency and sudden death.

Prolonged pediatric intensive care unit (PICU) admission, challenges in diagnosis and treatment in a child with hyper IgM syndrome in a tertiary hospital in Tanzania: a case report.

Hyper immunoglobulin M (IgM) syndromes are a collection of uncommon primary combined immunodeficiency disorders. They are characterized by recurrent bacterial infections due to low levels of IgG, IgA, and IgE, while IgM levels remain normal or high. These conditions stem from a mutation in the CD40 ligand gene or disruptions in the CD40-signaling pathway.

No biomedical engineering policy means no sustainability in health systems: perspective through a case of local biomedical training program in Tanzania.

While the significance of strengthening the biomedical workforce in resource-limited settings has been widely acknowledged, there remains a paucity of information specific to the local context. In this regard, we underscore the importance of formulating a biomedical engineering policy based on empirical evidence. To provide such evidence, we conducted an analysis of the government-led biomedical training program in Tanzania, titled 'Capacity Enhancement of Medical Equipment Technical Services (CEOMETS)'.

A framework for managing infectious diseases in rural areas in low- and middle-income countries in the face of climate change-East Africa as a case study.

Climate change is having unprecedented impacts on human health, including increasing infectious disease risk. Despite this, health systems across the world are currently not prepared for novel disease scenarios anticipated with climate change. While the need for health systems to develop climate change adaptation strategies has been stressed in the past, there is no clear consensus on how this can be achieved, especially in rural areas in low- and middle-income countries that experience high disease burdens and climate change impacts simultaneously.

The impact of intermittent preventive treatment in school aged children with dihydroartemisinin piperaquine and artesunate amodiaquine on IgG response against six blood stage Plasmodium falciparum antigens.

Several interventional strategies have been implemented in malaria endemic areas where the burden is high, that include among others, intermittent preventive treatment (IPT), a tactic that blocks transmission and can reduce disease morbidity. However, the implementation IPT strategies raises a genuine concern, intervening the development of naturally acquired immunity to malaria which requires continuous contact with parasite antigens. This study investigated whether dihydroartemisinin-piperaquine (DP) or artesunate-amodiaquine (ASAQ) IPT in schoolchildren (IPTsc) impairs IgG reactivity to six malaria antigens.

Modelling epidemiological dynamics with pseudo-recovery via fractional-order derivative operator and optimal control measures.

In this study, a new deterministic mathematical model based on fractional-order derivative operator that describes the pseudo-recovery dynamics of an epidemiological process is developed. Fractional-order derivative of Caputo type is used to examine the effect of memory in the spread process of infectious diseases with pseudo-recovery. The well-posedness of the model is qualitatively investigated through Banach fixed point theory technique.

Correction: Attributable risk factors for asymptomatic malaria and anaemia and their association with cognitive and psychomotor functions in schoolchildren of north-eastern Tanzania.

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.

Examining priorities and investments made through the Global Financing Facility for maternal and newborn health: a sub-analysis on quality.

Improving quality of care could avert most of the 4.5 million maternal and neonatal deaths and stillbirths that occur each year. The Global Financing Facility (GFF) aims to catalyse the national scale-up of maternal and newborn health (MNH) interventions through focused investments.

Clinical Diagnosis and Management Challenges of Harlequin Ichthyosis in a Preterm Neonate: A Case Report From Uganda.

Harlequin ichthyosis is a rare autosomal recessive genetic disorder resulting from mutations in the gene. It is marked by distinctive skin abnormalities, including armor-like thickened scales separated by deep fissures. This condition is infrequently reported in the African population.

Peer-to-peer tele-consultative services for critical care, Afghanistan, Kenya, Pakistan, United Republic of Tanzania.

Objective: To develop a tele-intensive care service providing peer-to-peer teleconsultation for physicians in remote and resource-constrained health-care settings for treatment of critically ill patients, and to evaluate the outcomes of the service.

Methods: The Aga Khan University started the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) tele-intensive care unit in 2020. A central command centre used two-way audiovisual technology to connect experienced intensive care specialists to clinical teams in remote hospital settings.

Factors influencing the implementation of food fortification regulation among small and medium-scale corn millers in Dar es Salaam Tanzania: a qualitative study.

Objective: The study aimed to explore factors influencing the implementation of food fortification regulation among corn millers in Dar es Salaam Tanzania.

Methods: This phenomenological qualitative study was conducted in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania among purposely interviewed corn millers. In-depth interviews conducted with nine corn millers were analysed using thematic analysis with the aid of N-Vivo software version 12.

Non-clinical Psychosocial Mental Health Support Programmes for People with Diverse Language and Cultural Backgrounds: A Critical Rapid Review.

Low accessibility to mainstream psychosocial services disadvantages culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) populations, resulting in delayed care and high rates of unsupported psychological distress. Non-clinical interventions may play an important role in improving accessibility to psychosocial support, but what characterises best practice in this space remains unclear. This critical rapid review addressed this gap by searching for, and critically analysing, existing research on non-clinical psychosocial support services, drawing from a critical realist framework and Brossard and Chandler's (Brossard and Chandler, Explaining mental illness: Sociological perspectives, Bristol University Press, 2022) taxonomy of positions on culture and mental health.

Change in subjective well-being and the associated costs of a woman-targeted presbyopia correction programme among older craftswomen in Zanzibar: a cost-outcome and scenario analysis.

Background: A pilot eyecare programme aimed to address the urgent eye health needs of older Zanzibari craftswomen. We investigated the impact of correcting presbyopia on their subjective well-being (SWB) 6 months post-correction and assessed the cost-effectiveness of a women-targeted presbyopia correction programme.

Methods: This study involved Zanzibari craftswomen aged 40 and older with presenting and corrected distance visual acuity better than 6/12 in both eyes and were presbyopic.

Treatment Strategies to Control Blood Pressure in People With Hypertension in Tanzania and Lesotho: A Randomized Clinical Trial.

Importance: Hypertension is the primary cardiovascular risk factor in Africa. Recently revised World Health Organization guidelines recommend starting antihypertensive dual therapy; clinical efficacy and tolerability of low-dose triple combination remain unclear.

Objectives: To compare the effect of 3 treatment strategies on blood pressure control among persons with untreated hypertension in Africa.

Prevalence, risk and resilience factors of mental health conditions among female sex workers: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Introduction: Female sex workers are a vulnerable hard-to-reach group. Research in this field is scarce due to several issues, such as methodological difficulties or societal stigmatization. Most of the available literature focuses on sexually transmittable diseases.

Otorhinological disorders among pregnant women attending the obstetric clinic at Benjamin Mkapa Hospital, Tanzania.

Background: Pregnancy leads to physiological changes primarily driven by hormones like oestrogen and progesterone. Such changes are multi-systemic in nature including involvement of the ear, nose and throat. Such changes impair the quality of the life of pregnant women and thus requires prompt intervention during pregnancy.

Sepsis in Northern Tanzania: A Prospective Observational Study of Clinical Characteristics, Management, and Outcomes for Adolescents and Adults With Sepsis.

Background: Despite a high burden of sepsis in Sub-Saharan Africa, clinical data for adolescent and adult sepsis in this setting are limited. We sought to describe clinical characteristics, management, and outcomes in adolescents and adults with sepsis in northern Tanzania. We also assessed for clinical associations with in-hospital mortality.

Community benefits of mass distribution of three types of dual-active-ingredient long-lasting insecticidal nets against malaria prevalence in Tanzania: evidence from a 3-year cluster-randomized controlled trial.

Background: Long-lasting insecticidal nets (LLINs) were once fully effective for the prevention of malaria; however, mosquitoes have developed resistance to pyrethroids, the main class of insecticides used on nets. Dual active ingredient LLINs (dual-AI LLINs) have been rolled out as an alternative to pyrethroid (PY)-only LLINs to counteract this. Understanding the minimum community usage at which these LLINs elicit an effect that also benefits non-users against malaria infection is important.

Crop rotation increases Tibetan barley yield and soil quality on the Tibetan Plateau.

Tibetan barley (Hordeum vulgare) accounts for over 70% of the total food production in the Tibetan Plateau. However, continuous cropping of Tibetan barley causes soil degradation, reduces soil quality and causes yield decline. Here we explore the benefits of crop rotation with wheat and rape to improve crop yield and soil quality.

A meta-core outcome set for stillbirth prevention and bereavement care following stillbirth in LMIC.

Study Objective: Stillbirth is burdensome in low-income and middle-income countries (LMICs), especially in sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia. Currently, there are two core outcome sets (COS) for stillbirth (prevention and bereavement care), but these were developed with limited reflection of the needs of parents in an LMIC setting. To address this gap, the objective of this study was to establish consensus on the most important outcomes for stillbirth prevention and bereavement care following stillbirth in sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia.

Assessing the African burden of breast cancer: A demographic analysis using Global Cancer Observatory 2022.

Background: Breast cancer is a major health issue for women in Africa. This study aims to assess the burden of the disease using the latest estimates from Global Cancer Observatory 2022.

Methods: Data were sourced from the Global Cancer Observatory 2022.

Management of advanced gallbladder adenocarcinoma: A case report and review of treatment strategies.

Introduction And Importance: Gallbladder cancer (GBC) is a rare but aggressive malignancy, accounting for most biliary tract cancers. It typically presents at an advanced stage, leading to a poor prognosis, with a mean survival of six months and a five-year survival rate of 17.6 %.