Context-Tailored Food-Based Nutrition Education and Counseling for Pregnant Women to Improve Birth Outcomes: A Cluster-Randomized Controlled Trial in Rural Malawi.

Background: Inadequate maternal dietary intakes remain a public health challenge in low-income countries like Malawi and can cause adverse birth outcomes.

Objectives: To improve maternal dietary intakes and thus reduce the prevalence of adverse birth outcomes in rural Malawi.

Methods: We performed a 2-armed (1:1) cluster-randomized controlled trial in Southern Malawi, enrolling pregnant women at gestational age 12-18 wk.

The role of indigenous knowledge in disaster risk reduction and climate change adaptation in Chikwawa, Malawi.

Unlabelled: The role of indigenous knowledge in disaster risk reduction (DRR) and climate change adaptation cannot be underestimated. It acts as a preparedness and response tool to climate change-related impacts such as floods, droughts and strong winds. However, inadequate studies about indigenous knowledge in Malawi is a major challenge when dealing with extreme climatic conditions.

Dihydroartemisinin-piperaquine versus sulfadoxine-pyrimethamine for intermittent preventive treatment of malaria in pregnancy: a systematic review and individual participant data meta-analysis.

Background: High-grade resistance to sulfadoxine-pyrimethamine in East and Southern Africa has prompted numerous trials evaluating intermittent preventive treatment in pregnancy (IPTp) with dihydroartemisinin-piperaquine as an alternative to sulfadoxine-pyrimethamine.

Methods: We conducted individual participant data meta-analyses of randomised trials comparing IPTp with dihydroartemisinin-piperaquine to sulfadoxine-pyrimethamine on maternal, birth, and infant outcomes. We searched the WHO International Clinical Trials Registry Platform, ClinicalTrials.

Chemical profiling and spectroscopic studies of leaf volatile oil of from Botswana isolated by conventional hydrodistillation and ultrasound assisted hydrodistillation.

Environmental factors have an influence on the chemistry and percentage recovery of volatile oils. Therefore, the chemical composition of Eucalyptus globulus (E. globulus) volatile oil from Botswana was determined.

Politics and implications on the health systems preparedness to COVID-19 pandemic response: The Malawian experience.

The spread of the COVID-19 disease to Africa has raised concerns around the resultant effects on the fragile and non-resilient health systems. Malawi reported its first COVID-19 cases in early April 2020 at the time of the country's political turmoil, as the courts ruled for a re-run of presidential elections in July 2020 due to irregularities observed in the May 2019 elections. Therefore, assessing the implications of politics on the COVID-19 health systems preparedness is critical to design health systems strengthening efforts during the pandemic.

Feasibility and acceptability of FOotpaths foR adolescent MAternal mental HeAlth (FOR MAMA): A co-designed intervention for pregnant adolescents in Malawi.

This study aimed to assess feasibility, acceptability and potential for impact of FOotpaths foR Adolescent MAternal Mental HeAlth (FOR MAMA), a co-designed intervention for pregnant adolescents in Malawi. We used a mixed-methods interventional pre-post cohort design. We recruited pregnant adolescents from a rural health centre in Zomba district, Malawi, all of whom were offered a five-session psychosocial intervention delivered by community healthcare workers.

Preserving cultural heritage: A community-centric approach to safeguarding the Khulubvi Traditional Temple Malawi.

The study investigates cultural heritage conservation through community-based participatory research, focusing on preserving the Khulubvi Traditional Temple. It addresses challenges from religious, societal, and economic changes and the importance of integrating heritage into education. It emphasizes technology's role in maintaining sacred narratives.

Health workforce needs in Malawi: analysis of the Thanzi La Onse integrated epidemiological model of care.

Background: To make the best use of health resources, it is crucial to understand the healthcare needs of a population-including how needs will evolve and respond to changing epidemiological context and patient behaviour-and how this compares to the capabilities to deliver healthcare with the existing workforce. Existing approaches to planning either rely on using observed healthcare demand from a fixed historical period or using models to estimate healthcare needs within a narrow domain (e.g.

Utility of Cerebrospinal Fluid Unstimulated Interferon-Gamma (IRISA-TB) as a Same-Day Test for Tuberculous Meningitis in a Tuberculosis-Endemic, Resource-Poor Setting.

Background: Tuberculous meningitis (TBM) mortality is high and current diagnostics perform suboptimally. We evaluated the diagnostic performance of a DNA-based assay (GeneXpert Ultra) against a new same-day immunodiagnostic assay that detects unstimulated interferon-gamma (IRISA-TB).

Methods: In a stage 1 evaluation, IRISA-TB was evaluated in biobanked samples from Zambia (n = 82; tuberculosis [TB] and non-TBM), and specificity in a South African biobank (n = 291; non-TBM only).

Intimate Partner Violence Predicts Child Marriage and Pregnancy Among Adolescents in Malawi.

A sizeable literature has shown that child marriage is associated with an increased risk for intimate partner violence (IPV). However, this research has been cross-sectional, and the temporality of the association has not been investigated. Specifically, no study has yet examined whether IPV is a predictor of child marriage and adolescent pregnancy.

Assessing farmers' knowledge of environmental policy along the Ayeyarwady River: Strides towards the Indian Ocean marine life safety.

The Ayeyarwady River Basin in Myanmar is grappling with severe environmental challenges, including soil erosion and water pollution, primarily driven by unsustainable agricultural practices. This study aims to evaluate farmers' awareness of environmental policies and identify barriers to their effective implementation. In-depth interviews were conducted with 45 stakeholders, encompassing farmers, government officials, and researchers.

Preying on cyprinid snout warts (pearl organs) as a novel and peculiar habit in the Lake Malawi cichlid Docimodus evelynae.

Cichlid fishes in the African Great Lakes have undergone explosive speciation, acquiring markedly varying ecologies and diets. There are multiple lineages of scale-eating cichlids, and their natural history and evolutionary ecology is only partially understood. We examined the feeding habit of Docimodus evelynae, a known scale eater, in Lake Malawi.

Comparison of univariate and bivariate Poisson regression methods in the analysis of determinants of female schooling and fertility in Malawi.

Recent research has established existence of a correlation between women's education and fertility, suggesting that they share similar risk factors. However, in many studies, the two variables were analysed separately, which could bias the conclusions by undermining the apparent correlations of such paired outcomes. In this article, the univariate and bivariate Poisson regression models were applied to nationally representative sample of 24,562 women from the 2015-16 Malawi demographic and health survey to examine the risk factors of women's education levels and fertility.

Transcriptome profiling of pediatric extracranial solid tumors and lymphomas enables rapid low-cost diagnostic classification.

Approximately 80% of pediatric tumors occur in low- and middle-income countries (LMIC), where diagnostic tools essential for treatment decisions are often unavailable or incomplete. Development of cost-effective molecular diagnostics will help bridge the cancer diagnostic gap and ultimately improve pediatric cancer outcomes in LMIC settings. We investigated the feasibility of using nanopore whole transcriptome sequencing on formalin-fixed paraffin embedded (FFPE)-derived RNA and a composite machine learning model for pediatric solid tumor diagnosis.

Application of multivariate binary logistic regression grouped outlier statistics and geospatial logistic model to identify villages having unusual health-seeking habits for childhood malaria in Malawi.

Background: Early diagnosis and prompt treatment of malaria in young children are crucial for preventing the serious stages of the disease. If delayed treatment-seeking habits are observed in certain areas, targeted campaigns and interventions can be implemented to improve the situation.

Methods: This study applied multivariate binary logistic regression model diagnostics and geospatial logistic model to identify traditional authorities in Malawi where caregivers have unusual health-seeking behaviour for childhood malaria.

Nutritional, Phytochemical, and Functional Properties of Four Edible Orchid Species from Malawi.

Terrestrial orchid tubers are an important source of food in some parts of Africa and are traditionally included in the diets of most rural communities in Malawi. However, there is limited information on the nutritional and phytochemical content of the Malawian orchids to substantiate their traditional use. The present study evaluates the nutritional and phytochemical variation of four orchid species: , , , and , collected from the same ecological zone of Malawi.

Development of a diagnostic predictive model for determining child stunting in Malawi: a comparative analysis of variable selection approaches.

Background: Childhood stunting is a major indicator of child malnutrition and a focus area of Global Nutrition Targets for 2025 and Sustainable Development Goals. Risk factors for childhood stunting are well studied and well known and could be used in a risk prediction model for assessing whether a child is stunted or not. However, the selection of child stunting predictor variables is a critical step in the development and performance of any such prediction model.

The outcomes of paediatric cataract surgery with intraocular lens insertion in sub-Saharan Africa: a systematic review.

Importance: Cataract is one of the leading causes of childhood blindness in Africa. The management of this condition requires timely surgical extraction of the cataractous lens with immediate optical correction and long-term follow-up to monitor visual improvement and manage complications that may arise. This review provides an opportunity to benchmark outcomes and to shed light on the reasons for those outcomes.