A review of appropriate mechanisation systems for sustainable traditional grain production by smallholder farmers in sub-Saharan Africa with particular reference to Zimbabwe.

Climate change and variability is affecting the production of maize, a staple food in Zimbabwe, leading to the advocacy for production of traditional grains (sorghum, pearl millet and finger millet) as complementary crops for food and nutrition security; mainly because of their drought tolerance. Adoption of traditional grains as a climate change adaptation strategy is, however, limited by lack of appropriate field mechanisation technologies, . The specific objective of this review was to examine the field mechanisation technologies being used in different farming systems across the globe for their appropriateness in smallholder traditional grain production systems in developing countries, using Zimbabwe as an example, and focusing on the prevailing technical, socio-economic and environmental factors which influence sustainable adoption.

Child play and caregiver support to promote convalescence following severe acute malnutrition in Zimbabwe: The Tamba-SAM pilot study.

Children hospitalised for severe acute malnutrition (SAM) have a high risk of mortality, relapse and rehospitalisation following hospital discharge. Current approaches fail to promote convalescence, or to address the underlying social determinants of SAM, meaning that restoration of long-term health, growth and neurodevelopment is not achieved. Although guidelines recommend play and stimulation to promote recovery, most caregivers are not supported to do this at home.

Human papilloma virus vaccination in the resource-limited settings of sub-Saharan Africa: Challenges and recommendations.

Human papillomaviruses (HPV) cause 99% of all cervical cancer cases globally, with the high-risk genotypes 16 and 18 causing at least 70% of these cases. An estimated 90% of the global cervical cancer burden occurs in low-to-middle-income countries (LMICs), particularly in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). Primary prevention through the administration of efficacious HPV vaccines is key to the World Health Organization's global strategy for accelerating the elimination of cervical cancer as a disease of public health concern.

Markers of Maternal Bone and Renal Toxicity Through 50 Weeks Postpartum: IMPAACT 2010 (VESTED) Trial.

Background: Safety data from randomized trials of antiretrovirals in pregnancy are scarce. We evaluated maternal bone and renal data from the International Maternal Pediatric Adolescent AIDS Clinical Trials Network 2010 trial, which compared the safety and efficacy of 3 antiretroviral therapy regimens started in pregnancy: dolutegravir + emtricitabine/tenofovir alafenamide (DTG + FTC/TAF), dolutegravir + emtricitabine/tenofovir disoproxil fumarate (DTG + FTC/TDF), and efavirenz/emtricitabine/tenofovir disoproxil fumarate (EFV/FTC/TDF).

Methods: A subset of participants underwent dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry scans at postpartum week 50 only.

Vaginal Bacteria and Proinflammatory Host Immune Mediators as Biomarkers of Human Immunodeficiency Virus Acquisition Risk Among African Women.

Background: Few investigations have assessed contributions of both vaginal bacteria and proinflammatory immune mediators to human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) acquisition risk in a prospective cohort.

Methods: We conducted a nested case-control study of African women who participated in a randomized placebo-controlled trial of daily oral versus vaginal tenofovir-based preexposure prophylaxis for HIV infection. Vaginal concentrations of 23 bacterial taxa and 16 immune mediators were measured.

A qualitative description of primary health care patients' perspectives on factors influencing demand for rehabilitation in Zimbabwe.

Purpose: Although the need for rehabilitation is increasing in Zimbabwe, rehabilitation remains undervalued. Currently, Zimbabwe struggles to provide rehabilitation services at primary health care. To justify the need for establishing rehabilitation at this level of care, the demand for these services needs to be understood.

Trust in government moderates the association between fear of COVID-19 as well as empathic concern and preventive behaviour.

With the COVID-19 pandemic, behavioural scientists aimed to illuminate reasons why people comply with (or not) large-scale cooperative activities. Here we investigated the motives that underlie support for COVID-19 preventive behaviours in a sample of 12,758 individuals from 34 countries. We hypothesized that the associations of empathic prosocial concern and fear of disease with support towards preventive COVID-19 behaviours would be moderated by trust in the government.

Antibacterial Activity and Proposed Mode of Action of Extracts from Selected Zimbabwean Medicinal Plants against .

was identified by the WHO as a priority pathogen in which the research and development of new antibiotics is urgently needed. Plant phytochemicals have potential as sources of new antimicrobials. The objective of the study was to determine the antibacterial activity of extracts of selected Zimbabwean medicinal plants against and determine their possible mode of action.

Glycemic Control and Cardiometabolic Risk in Black Zimbabweans with Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus.

Purpose: Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) frequently presents with modified cardiometabolic risk profiles, indicative of an elevated susceptibility to cardiovascular disease (CVD). Cardiometabolic risk factors such as obesity, hyperglycemia, hypertension, insulin resistance and dyslipidemia are known contributors to increased CVD hazard in individuals with T2DM. This study evaluated the glycemic control-based cardiometabolic risk profiles of black Zimbabweans with T2DM.

Lipid and glucose profiles in pregnant women with HIV on tenofovir-based antiretroviral therapy.

Objective: Tenofovir alafenamide (TAF)-based antiretroviral therapy (ART) regimens have been associated with adverse changes in lipid and glucose profiles compared with tenofovir disoproxil fumarate (TDF)-based ART, but data in pregnancy is limited. We evaluated metabolic markers in pregnant women with HIV after starting TAF- vs TDF-based ART.

Methods: We analyzed data within the IMPAACT 2010/VESTED trial, which demonstrated better pregnancy outcomes in pregnant women randomized to initiate TAF/Emtricitabine/Dolutegravir (TAF/FTC+DTG; n=217) or TDF/FTC+DTG (n=215).

Convalescing from SAM: The pitfalls and possibilities of caring for vulnerable children in Harare's high-density neighbourhoods.

It is widely recognised that children recovering from Severe Acute Malnutrition (SAM), remain vulnerable to risk of death following hospital discharge due to a wide range of biological and social factors. In light of this heightened risk, we report here on a qualitative study which aimed to better understand the caring contexts that children recovering from SAM were recuperating in within the high density urban and suburban districts of Harare, Zimbabwe. Undertaken with the mothers and other primary caregivers of 10 children enrolled on a large observational cohort study (HOPE-SAM), this paper identifies several dimensions of the women's lives that impede their caring capabilities.

We choose: Adolescent girls and young women's choice for an HIV prevention product in a cross-over randomized clinical trial conducted in South Africa, Uganda, and Zimbabwe.

With new pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) modalities for HIV prevention becoming available, understanding how adolescent girls and young women (AGYW) navigate through PrEP options is essential, including factors underlying their choice. Through 16 focus group discussions (FGDs) and 52 in-depth interviews (IDIs) from REACH, an open-label crossover study in which AGYW were allocated 1:1 (between 06 February 2019 and 18 March 2020) to receive oral PrEP for six months and the dapivirine ring for six months, in a randomized sequence, followed by a 6-month period where either product (or neither) could be chosen, we explored decision-making process and product choice, using a mixed inductive-deductive analytical approach. Key themes included the desire to remain HIV-negative and weighing product attributes through experiential learning.

Assessment of Nurses' Job Satisfaction and Associated Factors in Management of Neurosurgery Procedures at Fujita Health University Bantane Hospital (Aichi, Nagoya, Japan).

 Job satisfaction is a professional aspect that contributes to the achievement of objectives in general and in the health sector; it is a golden standard for having quality care. The satisfaction of nurses is a path toward humanized nursing. This article aims to evaluate the job satisfaction among nurses of the neurosurgery department at Bantane Hospital.

Effectiveness of a Wilms tumour treatment guideline adapted to local circumstances in sub-Saharan Africa: A report from Wilms Africa Phase II-CANCaRe Africa.

Background: Wilms tumour (WT) is one of the cancer types targeted by the Global Initiative for Childhood Cancer (GICC). The objective of this study was to describe the outcomes of Wilms Africa Phase II in sub-Saharan Africa.

Methods: Wilms Africa Phase II used a comprehensive WT treatment protocol in a multi-centre, prospective study conducted in eight hospitals in Ethiopia (2), Ghana (2), Malawi, Cameroon, Zimbabwe and Uganda.

Comparing pill counts and patient self-reports versus DBS tenofovir concentrations as ART adherence measurements with virologic outcomes and HIV drug resistance in a cohort of adolescents and young adults failing ART in Harare, Zimbabwe.

Background: Monitoring adherence presents a challenge in adolescents and it is prudent to explore several options for determining their level of adherence. This study sought to determine ART adherence levels in adolescents and young adults (on a tenofovir-containing regimen) failing ART as measured by self-reports, pill counts and DBS tenofovir concentrations and to compare levels of agreement among the methods and determine the ability of each method to predict virological suppression.

Methods: This was a cohort study involving 107 adolescents and young adults between 10 and 24 years failing ART with viral load > 400copies/ml at enrolment.

Identification of Schistosoma haematobium and Schistosoma mansoni linear B-cell epitopes with diagnostic potential using in silico immunoinformatic tools and peptide microarray technology.

Introduction: Immunoinformatic tools can be used to predict schistosome-specific B-cell epitopes with little sequence identity to human proteins and antigens other than the target. This study reports an approach for identifying schistosome peptides mimicking linear B-cell epitopes using in-silico tools and peptide microarray immunoassay validation.

Method: Firstly, a comprehensive literature search was conducted to obtain published schistosome-specific peptides and recombinant proteins with the best overall diagnostic performances.

Perceived benefits and barriers to exercise and associated factors among Zimbabwean undergraduate students: a cross-sectional study.

Background: Despite the well-documented benefits of regular physical activity (PA), many university students are physically inactive. Personal, socio-economic, and environmental factors predict PA engagement behaviours in university students. There is a need to understand context-specific perceived barriers and benefits to exercise engagement and physical activity levels amongst university students from low-income settings.

Screening Preadolescents for Keratoconus Risk Factors in a Low-Resource Setting.

Background: Diagnosis of keratoconus (KC) involves the identification of corneal signs, refraction, and corneal imaging. The prevalence of KC ranges between 0.4 per 100,000 and 4,790, depending on geographical location and ethnicity.

A critical review of mpox outbreaks, risk factors, and prevention efforts in Africa: lessons learned and evolving practices.

Objectives: In recent years, mpox, a zoonotic disease caused by the mpox virus, has transcended its primary association with Central and West Africa, emerging as a global public health concern. The virus poses a substantial threat, particularly, to vulnerable demographics such as young children and individuals with compromised immune systems. This critical literature review aimed to comprehensively evaluate the burden, risk factors, and current management strategies associated with mpox in Africa.

Prevalence and factors associated with uptake of pre-exposure prophylaxis amongst women vulnerable to HIV who received HIV antibodies in Antibody Mediated Prevention HVTN703/HPTN081 trial in Harare, Zimbabwe: a cross-sectional study.

Introduction: There is limited evidence on pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) uptake post-trial participation for women vulnerable to HIV. This study investigates the prevalence and factors associated with PrEP uptake post-participation in an HIV prevention trial.

Methods: Former Antibody Mediated Prevention (AMP) study participants were invited to the three AMP clinical research sites in Zimbabwe after at least a year of exiting the study.