Disclosure of oral pre-exposure prophylaxis use for HIV prevention among women enrolled in a contraceptive study: qualitative findings from Durban, South Africa.

Background: Disclosure of oral pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) use for HIV prevention may improve adherence to PrEP; however, disclosure can be challenging and may result in stigma. Here, we describe disclosure of PrEP use among young women enrolled in a contraceptive study.

Methods: In this qualitative study, we conducted semi-structured, in-depth, face-to-face interviews with 13 women aged 18-25 years who initiated oral PrEP for HIV prevention during the Evidence for Contraceptive Options and HIV Outcomes (ECHO) Trial.

A novel LC-TQ-MS/MS method for quantifying mefenamic acid-NDSRI (N-nitroso drug substance-related impurity) in mefenamic acid tablet and pediatric suspension dosage forms: a comparative study with a cost-effective white, green, and blue UPLC method.

The current research presents novel LC-TQ-MS/MS and cost-effective UPLC methods intended for the accurate quantification of mefenamic acid-N-nitroso drug substance-related impurity-NDSRI (N-MFA) in mefenamic acid (MFA) tablet and pediatric suspension dosage forms. The acceptable intake of N-MFA is derived from the TD50 (Median Toxic Dose-50%) value of N-nitroso diphenylamine. The analytical separation was achieved for the UPLC method using an XBridge BEH Shield RP18 Column (150 × 3.

The epidemiology of malaria in four districts in southern Mozambique receiving indoor residual spray as part of a cross-border initiative.

Background: Imported malaria from southern Mozambique drives low levels of disease transmission in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. Therefore, the South African Department of Health funded implementation of indoor residual spraying (IRS) in Mozambiquan districts identified as sources of malaria infection for border communities in KwaZulu-Natal. IRS was initiated in districts of Guija, Inharrime, Panda and Zavala.

Interactive and unimodal relationships between plant biomass, abiotic factors, and plant diversity in global grasslands.

Grasslands cover approximately a third of the Earth's land surface and account for about a third of terrestrial carbon storage. Yet, we lack strong predictive models of grassland plant biomass, the primary source of carbon in grasslands. This lack of predictive ability may arise from the assumption of linear relationships between plant biomass and the environment and an underestimation of interactions of environmental variables.

Clinical presentation of hemifacial microsomia in a South African population.

Background: Hemifacial microsomia (HFM) presentation includes gross distorted ramus, malposition temporomandibular joint, small glenoid fossa, distorted condyle and notch, malformed orbit, cupping ear or absent external ear, and facial nerve palsy. HFM is the second most prevalent congenital deformity of the face, with little literature from the South African population. This retrospective study elucidated the demographic characteristics and clinical presentations of HFM patients in a select South African population and compared it to the literature.

Cotton production areas are at high risk of invasion by Amrasca biguttula (Ishida) (Cicadellidae: Hemiptera): potential distribution under climate change.

Background: The cotton jassid, Amrasca biguttula, a dangerous and polyphagous pest, has recently invaded the Middle East, Africa and South America, raising concerns about the future of cotton and other food crops including okra, eggplant and potato. However, its potential distribution remains largely unknown, posing a challenge in developing effective phytosanitary strategies. We used an ensemble model of six machine-learning algorithms including random forest, maxent, support vector machines, classification and regression tree, generalized linear model and boosted regression trees to forecast the potential distribution of A.

Determining the risk factors of malaria and anemia in children between 6 and 59 months using the joint generalized linear mixed model on the 2021 Nigeria Malaria Indicator Survey dataset.

Background: Malaria and anemia are significant public health concerns that contribute to child mortality in African. Despite global efforts to control the two diseases, their prevalence in high-risk regions like Nigeria remains high. Understanding socioeconomic, demographic, and geographical factors associated with malaria and anemia, is critical for effective intervention strategies.

Urinary incontinence (UI) in older women in low- and middle-income countries: a rapid review and case study from Burkina Faso.

The prevalence of urinary incontinence (UI) in older women in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) is not well understood. We conducted a rapid literature review to assess the burden of UI in this population and contextualize findings from a household survey of women aged 40 and older in Nouna, in northwestern Burkina Faso. The rapid review included 21 survey articles.

Spatiotemporal analysis of agricultural drought variability in the uMkhanyakude District Municipality, KwaZulu-Natal.

Exploring drought dynamics has become urgent due to unprecedented climate change. Projections indicate that drought events will become increasingly widespread globally, posing a significant threat to the sustainability of the agricultural sector. This growing challenge has resulted in heightened interest in understanding drought dynamics and their impacts on agriculture.

Mutagenicity and carcinogenicity prediction of sugar substitutes: an approach with compound-gene interactions network.

Sugar substitutes are mostly artificial, man-made industrial products used as additives in food and beverages. Most of these substances flow through the digestive tract and food chains, becoming emerging organic contaminants in various abiotic and biotic environmental media. Here, we predict the mutagenicity and carcinogenicity of commonly used sugar substitutes using in silico based methods.

Assessing the efficacy of iso-mukaadial acetate and betulinic acid against selected Plasmodium falciparum glycolytic pathway proteins: in silico and in vitro studies.

Malaria is the extensive health concern in sub-Saharan Africa, with Plasmodium falciparum being the most lethal strain. The continued emergence of drug-resistant P. falciparum advocates for the development of new antimalarials.

Morphological Patterns of Spinal Degeneration and Trauma in a Nigerian Population: a Retrospective Radio-Anatomic Study.

Background: Understanding the morphological patterns of degenerative and traumatic spinal conditions is essential for precise diagnosis and management plans. This study evaluates the sequence of structural changes in degenerative spinal disorder patients' disco-vertebral unit and the traumatic spinal injury patterns in a northwestern Nigerian population.

Methods: A hospital-based retrospective study reviewed radiologic images of 307 patients with spinal degeneration (n=269) and trauma (n=38) at two tertiary hospitals in Northwest Nigeria.

Paranasal sinus mucoceles and its distortion of craniofacial-orbital anatomy: a narrative synthesis.

Purpose: To explore available literature on PNS mucoceles and its distortions of craniofacial-orbital anatomy with regard to orbital bony defects and ophthalmic manifestations, highlighting the PNS mucoceles that mostly result in these distortions.

Methods: A comprehensive literature search was conducted in June 2024 for available literature on the subject matter viz.; Google Scholar, PubMed and Medline, and Cochrane Library.

Lived experiences of patients with epidermolysis bullosa: A rare genetic skin disease.

Background: Epidermolysis bullosa (EB) is a rare genodermatosis that results in extreme skin fragility, for which there is no cure and may be fatal. The quality of life of patients affected may be greatly impacted.

Aim: This study aims to understand the lived experiences of patients with EB.

The use of traditional and complementary medicine by cancer patients in SSA: A scoping review.

Background: The rate of traditional and complementary medicine (T&CM) use is increasing worldwide, including among cancer patients who are often willing to try alternate therapies. Despite T&CM popularity in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), there are limited data on its use with conventional treatments.

Aim: This scoping review aims to describe the prevalence of use, reasons for use, most common types of T&CM used, patient satisfaction with T&CM and disclosure of T&CM use to physicians among cancer patients in SSA.

Building Public Health Quantitative Methods Capacity and Networks in sub-Saharan Africa: An Evaluation of a Faculty Training Program.

Introduction: There is a shortage of individuals trained in using quantitative methods in biomedical research in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). Improving public health in SSA requires new ways to promote quantitative knowledge and skills among faculty in biomedical research and better-integrated network systems of support.

Methods: We describe the development, implementation, and evaluation of an innovative faculty training and support program in SSA from December 2017-June 2020, using courses in monitoring and evaluation, data management, and complex surveys as prototypical examples.

Generalised anxiety disorder and its determinants amongst patients with diabetes in primary healthcare clinics: a cross-sectional study in Kuwait City, 2024.

Background: Anxiety disorders are the second most common mental health disorders in terms of disability-adjusted life years and years of life lost across all age groups. A bidirectional relationship between anxiety disorders and diabetes mellitus has been documented. This study aimed to determine the prevalence of anxiety and its associated factors among patients with diabetes receiving care at public primary care clinics in Kuwait during the first quarter of 2024.

Resistance mutations that distinguish HIV-1 envelopes with discordant VRC01 phenotypes from multi-lineage infections in the HVTN703/HPTN081 trial: implications for cross-resistance.

The Antibody Mediated Prevention (AMP) trials showed that passively infused VRC01, a broadly neutralizing antibody (bNAb) targeting the CD4 binding site (CD4bs) on the HIV-1 envelope protein (Env), protected against neutralization-sensitive viruses. We identified six individuals from the VRC01 treatment arm with multi-lineage breakthrough HIV-1 infections from HVTN703, where one variant was sensitive to VRC01 (IC < 25 ug/mL) but another was resistant. By comparing Env sequences of resistant and sensitive clones from each participant, we identified sites predicted to affect VRC01 neutralization and assessed the effect of their reversion in the VRC01-resistant clone on neutralization sensitivity.

Situational assessment of physical rehabilitation services in Zambia: issues and challenges.

Purpose: The necessity to enhance physical rehabilitation services in Zambia has been recognised. To achieve this through expanding human resources for health in rehabilitation and increasing service coverage, it is essential to comprehensively understand the current issues and challenges in physical rehabilitation within the country. This paper aimed to conduct a situational assessment of physical rehabilitation services in Zambia.

Next step towards point-of-care molecular diagnosis of female genital schistosomiasis (FGS): evaluation of an instrument-free LAMP procedure.

Detection of spp. DNA in gynaecological samples by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) is considered to be the reference diagnostic test for female genital schistosomiasis (FGS). However, qPCR needs expensive laboratory procedures and highly trained technicians.

Trypanosomosis and Transhumance: Contributions to Contemporary Conflicts Between Farmers and Herdsmen Along the Tsetse Fly Belts: Mathematical Modeling and Systematic Field Analysis Approach.

Conflicts within the tsetse fly belt revealed a strong correlation between the dynamics of bovine trypanosomosis and the insurgency involving farmers and herders in Nigeria and parts of West Africa. This study examined the history, causes and influence of farmers-herdsmen conflicts on banditry, terrorism and food security as it relates to the epidemiology of African animal trypanosomosis (AAT). A combination of literature database searches, semi-structured questionnaires, and mathematical modeling was employed.

Lauryl-NrTP6 lipopeptide self-assembled nanorods for nuclear-targeted delivery of doxorubicin.

Targeted delivery offers solutions for more efficient therapies with fewer side effects. Here, lipopeptides (LPs) prepared by conjugation of the nuclear-targeting peptide analogue H-YKQSHKKGGKKGSG-NH (NrTP6) and two lauric acid chains are used to encapsulate the chemotherapeutic agent doxorubicin (DX) through a solvent-exchange protocol. LPs spontaneously form nanosized rod-like assemblies in phosphate buffer.

Development of a latency model for HIV-1 subtype C and the impact of long terminal repeat element genetic variation on latency reversal.

Sub-Saharan Africa accounts for almost 70 % of people living with HIV (PLWH) worldwide, with the greatest numbers centred in South Africa where 98 % of infections are caused by subtype C (HIV-1C). However, HIV-1 subtype B (HIV-1B), prevalent in Europe and North America, has been the focus of most cure research and testing despite making up only 12 % of HIV-1 infections globally. Development of latency models for non-subtype B viruses is a necessary step to address this disproportionate focus.

Density, Speed of Sound, Refractive Index, and the Derived Properties of Binary Mixtures of ,-Dimethylacetamide with 1-Butanol, 1-Pentanol, Furfural, or Furfuryl Alcohol at Different Temperatures.

The density (ρ), speed of sound (), and refractive index ( ) of ,-dimethylacetamide (DMA) with 1-butanol, 1-pentanol, furfural (FFL), or furfuryl alcohol (FA) as a function of composition and at = 293.15 to 323.15 K with an interval of 10 K and atmospheric pressure were measured.