Management of a huge cystic multi-nodular goiter with retro-sternal extension. Case report.

Introduction And Importance: Surgical management of huge multi-nodular goiters present clinical and surgical management dilemma among practicing surgeons. Thyroidectomies pose huge risk potential when performed by relatively inexperienced and junior operators.

Case Presentation: We present a case of a 40-year-old lady who had presented at our center with a ten-year history of painless anterior neck swelling.

Conservative Reconstruction of the Lower Limb with a Bilayer Porous Collagen Matrix after a Spider Bite.

Brown recluse spider bites may cause symptoms ranging from local cutaneous reactions to systemic visceral loxoscelism. Most bites are self-limiting, but some can lead to necrotic ulcerations with severe complications and soft tissue defects. Necrotizing ulcers are uncommon and have various clinical presentations, so no standard treatment exists.

Mental health challenges and perceptions of stigma among youth living with HIV in Tanzania.

Youth living with HIV (YLWH) face psychosocial challenges and HIV-related stigma, which impact adherence to antiretroviral therapy (ART). This study was designed to understand better the change in mental health symptoms and experiences with stigma among YLWH in Tanzania who completed the original pilot Sauti ya Vijana (SYV), a mental health and life skills group intervention. YLWH who completed SYV and demonstrated a change of ≥2 points in either direction on their Patient Health Questionnaire PHQ-9 (depression screener) from baseline to 18 months were purposively sampled.

The potential of and bacteriocins in synergistic control of .

has developed resistance to most conventional antibiotics and is a causative agent of serious infections. Alternative therapies are urgently needed. Bacteriocins are ribosomally synthesized antimicrobial peptides produced by bacteria, including () and (), and represent a potential solution.

Genetic diversity of Plasmodium falciparum reticulocyte binding protein homologue-5, which is a potential malaria vaccine candidate: baseline data from areas of varying malaria endemicity in Mainland Tanzania.

Background: The limited efficacy of the two recently approved malaria vaccines, RTS,S/AS01 and R21/Matrix- M™, highlights the need for alternative vaccine candidate genes. Plasmodium falciparum Reticulocyte Binding Protein Homologue 5 (Pfrh5) is a promising malaria vaccine candidate, given its limited polymorphism, its essential role in parasite survival, a lack of immune selection pressure and higher efficacy against multiple parasites strains. This study evaluated the genetic diversity of Pfrh5 gene among parasites from regions with varying malaria transmission intensities in Mainland Tanzania, to generate baseline data for this potential malaria vaccine candidate.

Developing anti-TDE vaccine for sensitizing cancer cells to treatment and metastasis control.

Tumor-derived exosomes (TDEs) mediate oncogenic communication, which modifies target cells to reinforce a tumor-promoting microenvironment. TDEs support cancer progression by suppressing anti-tumor immune responses, promoting metastasis, and conferring drug resistance. Thus, targeting TDEs could improve the efficacy of anti-cancer treatments and control metastasis.

Strengthening advanced therapy for sickle cell disease in Africa: experience from sickle cell disease centre in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania.

Despite progress in healthcare services for individuals living with sickle cell disease (SCD) in Africa, substantial gaps remain in advanced treatments for SCD. To help address this burden, Tanzania has established one of the largest single-centre SCD programmes in the world and developed an advanced therapy programme for SCD focused on patient engagement and advocacy, clinical activities involving exchange blood transfusion (ExBT) and haematopoietic stem cell transplant (HSCT), gene therapy (GT) preparedness, and enabling partnerships. This report describes the programme's genesis, structure and progress achieved.

Atypical hyperendemicity of Rift Valley fever in Southwestern Uganda associated with the rapidly evolving lineage C viruses.

Introduction: Recent Rift Valley fever (RVF) epidemiology in eastern Africa region is characterized by widening geographic range and increasing frequency of small disease clusters. Here we conducted studies in southwestern (SW) Uganda region that has since 2016 reported increasing RVF activities.

Methods: A 22-month long hospital-based study in three districts of SW Uganda targeting patients with acute febrile illness (AFI) or unexplained bleeding was followed by a cross-sectional population-based human-animal survey.

Lecturers' teaching competencies towards improving teaching and learning process in universities in Tanzania: Students' perspectives.

This study examined lecturers' teaching competencies at universities in the attempt to improve the teaching and learning process by considering students' perspectives. Specifically, the study examined indicators of lecturers' teaching competencies in universities as well as establishing whether there is a relationship between students' perceived lecturers' teaching competencies and students' demographic parameters. The study used a cross-sectional survey design to generate data from 422 undergraduate students from three public universities in Tanzania using a questionnaire.

Revisiting water resources management in the Mandara Mountains.

This article evaluates the prospects for rainwater harvesting (RWH) as a means of optimizing water management in the Mandara Mountains. RWH is a small-scale water conservation approach for locally intercepting and storing rainfall before it enters the usual hydrologic cycle. This ancient practice has recently sustained lives in semiarid areas of the world (e.

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).

Evaluation of a surrogate virus neutralization assay for detecting neutralizing antibodies against SARS-CoV-2 in an African population.

The global resurgence of coronaviruses and the move to incorporate COVID-19 vaccines into the expanded program for immunization have warranted for a high-throughput and low-cost assay to measure and quantify mounted neutralizing antibodies as an indicator for protection against SARS-CoV-2. Hence, we evaluated the surrogate-virus-neutralization-assay (sVNT) as an alternative assay to the pseudo-virus neutralization assay (pVNT). The sVNT was used to measure neutralizing antibodies among 119 infected and/or vaccinated blood samples, against wild-type SARS-CoV-2 (WT) and the Omicron-variant with reference to the pVNT.

Evaluating the differences in healthy lifestyle behaviors between Chinese urban and rural residency after the termination of social distancing: analysis based on propensity score matching.

Background: During the COVID-19 pandemic, the social distancing has significantly affected the healthy lifestyle behaviors of residents. China ended social distancing on January 8, 2023, and the healthy lifestyle behaviors of residents after this time are unclear. The goal of this study was to evaluate the differences in healthy lifestyle behaviors between Chinese urban and rural residency after the termination of social distancing.

Midwives' perceived knowledge, perceptions, and experiences of managing paternal postnatal depression in Tanzania: A qualitative descriptive study.

Background: Paternal postnatal depression (PPND) is an under-recognized condition that affects new fathers' psychological and emotional well-being, which may impact family dynamics, work performance, and childcare. Despite its significance, there is limited awareness and understanding of its management and implications among midwives, especially in Africa.

Aims: To explore midwives' experiences of managing PPND in Tanzania.

Effectiveness of a timed praziquantel treatment of school children in relation to seasonal transmission of urogenital schistosomiasis in Northwestern Tanzania.

Background: Regular mass drug administration of praziquantel has a positive impact on reducing the burden of human schistosomiasis, however transmission still persists in many areas. To reach disease elimination; tailored interventions are needed to not only further reduce infections but also to tackle areas of persistent high prevalences of infection. One proposed approach is timed treatment based on the natural disease transmission cycle in relation to seasons.

Polysomnography in a Private Tertiary Hospital in Tanzania: Subjects' Characteristics and Sleep Disorders.

Background And Objectives: Huge clinical and research gaps exist concerning the epidemiology, natural history, availability, and accessibility of care for sleep disorders in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). This study aimed to profile the characteristics of patients referred for polysomnography and the frequencies of sleep disorders encountered at the new sleep laboratory in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania.

Materials And Methods: This retrospective hospital-based descriptive observational study was conducted at the Aga Khan Hospital Dar es Salaam.

Inverted Patterns of Schistosomiasis and Fascioliasis and Risk Factors Among Humans and Livestock in Northern Tanzania.

Fascioliasis and schistosomiasis are parasitic trematodiases of public health and economic concern in humans and livestock. However, data on the distribution and risk factors for fascioliasis remain limited, while epidemiological gaps hinder schistosomiasis control in Tanzania. This One Health, cross-sectional study examined the prevalence and risk factors of schistomiasis and fascioliasis in northern Tanzania, involving 310 livestock and 317 human participants from Arusha, Kilimanjaro, and Manyara regions.

Identification of Potential Vectors and Detection of Rift Valley Fever Virus in Mosquitoes Collected Before and During the 2022 Outbreak in Rwanda.

Rift Valley fever virus (RVFV) is an emerging mosquito-borne arbovirus of One Health importance that caused two large outbreaks in Rwanda in 2018 and 2022. Information on vector species with a role in RVFV eco-epidemiology in Rwanda is scarce. Here we sought to identify potential mosquito vectors of RVFV in Rwanda, their distribution and abundance, as well as their infection status.

Brief Warm and Aldo-Keto Reductase Family Contribute to Cold Adaptation of .

not only damages plant leaves directly but also causes a sooty blotch due to the honeydew secreted by the nymphs and adults. This pest is widespread and seems to be spreading from low latitude to higher latitude areas where winters are typically colder, indicating an increase in its cold tolerance. Changes in temperature help insects to anticipate the arrival of winter, allowing them to take defensive measures in advance.

The Interspecific Competition Between Larvae of and Major African Malaria Vectors in a Semi-Field System in Tanzania.

Interspecific competition between mosquito larvae may affects adult vectorial capacity, potentially reducing disease transmission. It also influences population dynamics, and cannibalistic and predatory behaviors. However, knowledge of interspecific competition between and species is limited.

Sickle Cell Disease in the Islands of Zanzibar: Patients' Characteristics, Management, and Clinical Outcomes.

Background: This study aimed to describe Sickle Cell Disease (SCD) phenotypes, sociodemographic characteristics, healthcare, and clinical outcomes of patients with SCD attending Mnazi Mmoja Hospital (MMH) in Zanzibar.

Methods: Individuals who visited MMH between September 2021 and December 2022 and were known or suspected to have SCD were enrolled in the clinic. Sociodemographic characteristics and clinical features were documented, and laboratory tests were performed.

Self-Reported Pesticide Exposure During Pregnancy and Pesticide-Handling Knowledge Among Small-Scale Horticulture Women Workers in Tanzania, a Descriptive Cross-Sectional Study.

Women constitute most of the global horticulture workforce, where pesticide use is prevalent. Protecting their health, particularly during pregnancy, is essential. However, knowledge about practices among pregnant employees that cause exposure to pesticides is limited.

Prevalence and drivers of malaria infection among asymptomatic and symptomatic community members in five regions with varying transmission intensity in mainland Tanzania.

Background: Despite implementation of effective interventions in the past two decades, malaria is still a major public health problem in Tanzania. This study assessed the prevalence and drivers of malaria infections among symptomatic and asymptomatic members of selected communities from five regions with varying endemicity in mainland Tanzania.

Methods: A cross-sectional community survey was conducted in five districts, including one district/region in Kagera, Kigoma, Njombe, Ruvuma and Tanga from July to August 2023.

Factors associated with cervical cancer screening among women of reproductive age in Moshi municipality, Kilimanjaro, Tanzania: a cross-sectional study.

Objective: Screening for cervical cancer has been a globally advocated preventive strategy to reduce cervical cancer morbidity and mortality. This study aimed to describe the prevalence and barriers of cervical cancer screening, and to determine factors associated with cervical cancer screening among women of reproductive age in Moshi municipality, northern Tanzania.

Design: We conducted a cross-sectional study between August and September 2020.

Occurrence of virulence genes in multidrug-resistant Escherichia coli isolates from humans, animals, and the environment: One health perspective.

Escherichia coli is one of the critical One Health pathogens due to its vast array of virulence and antimicrobial resistance genes. This study used multiplex PCR to determine the occurrence of virulence genes bfp, ompA, traT, eaeA, and stx1 among 50 multidrug-resistant (MDR) E. coli isolates from humans (n = 15), animals (n = 29), and the environment (n = 6) in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania.