Nurse training to enhance adherence counselling for HIV-tuberculosis coinfection in South Africa: Integrative review.

Background:  South Africa has seen strides in reducing HIV and tuberculosis (TB); however, adherence counselling for people living with HIV (PLHIV) coinfected with TB remains a challenge, particularly in specific sub-districts like Cape Town. Understanding the attributes of existing training programmes is crucial.

Objectives:  This study explored attributes of training programme development for nurses and other health professionals to enhance adherence counselling for PLHIV coinfected with TB in Cape Town.

Barriers and facilitators for strengthening primary health systems for person-centred multimorbid care in low-income and middle-income countries: a scoping review.

Objective: To understand barriers and facilitators for strengthening health systems for person-centred care of people with multiple long-term conditions-multimorbidity (MLTC-M) at the primary healthcare (PHC) level in low-income and middle-income countries (LMICs).

Design: A scoping review.

Methods: We adopted a systematic scoping review approach to chart literature guided by Arksey and O'Malley's methodological framework.

Strengthening the governance of food systems for nutrition in Africa: a political economy analysis of food policy in South Africa and Ghana.

Objective: To examine underlying political economy factors that enable or impede the integration of nutrition considerations into food system governance.

Design: Comparative political economy analysis of data collected through (1) value chain analyses of selected healthy and unhealthy commodities and (2) food system policy analyses, using a theoretical framework focused on power, politics, interests and ideas.

Setting: Ghana and South Africa.

Soluble P-selectin as an inflammatory mediator potentially influencing endothelial activation in people living with HIV in sub-rural areas of Limpopo, South Africa.

Objectives: There is a growing need to understand the potential role of soluble platelet selectin (sP-selectin) in sustained endothelial activation through increased levels of soluble intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (sICAM-1) and soluble vascular adhesion-1 (sVCAM-1) in people living with HIV (PLWH) on highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART).

Methodology: This was a cross-sectional study involving PLWH on HAART (n = 55), in comparison to PLWH not on treatment (HAART-naïve) (n = 29), and (iii) HIV negative controls (n = 48) from the Mankweng area in the Limpopo province, South Africa. We quantified serum levels of sP-selectin, together with sICAM-1 and sVCAM-1.

Illustrations of Coping and Mental Well-Being of Adolescents Living with HIV in Cape Town, South Africa During COVID: A Photovoice Study.

Adolescents living with HIV (ALHIV) are the fastest-growing population living with HIV globally. The COVID-19 pandemic disrupted health systems, thereby negatively affecting the quality and availability of HIV care and support services. This study describes the challenges and treatment experiences of ALHIV on ART at a public primary healthcare facility in a low-socioeconomic community in Cape Town, South Africa during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Understanding the roles of climate change, land use and land cover change and water diversion project in modulating water- and carbon-use efficiency in Han River Basin.

Water-use efficiency (WUE) and carbon-use efficiency (CUE) are critical indicators of ecosystem function and hydrologic processes, reflecting the water-carbon flux exchange rate. Climatic variables, land use and land cover change (LUCC) and water diversion project (WDP) have altered water-carbon cycle; however, their roles in modulating WUE and CUE remain uncertain. To explore these effects, a framework is proposed and Han River basin (HRB) in China is selected as a case study including the data sets from both remote sensing and in situ observations during 2000-2020.

"A Person Taking Care of the Sick is also a Sick Person": Challenges and Consequences of Hospital-Based Informal Caregiving.

Informal caregivers support relatives in healthcare facilities globally. However, their involvement in hospitalization care while residing in and around the hospital is more prevalent in under-resourced settings. This article examined the challenges and multifaceted consequences of hospital-based informal caregiving in a Nigerian tertiary health facility.

Health System Factors Influencing the Integration of Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis into Antenatal and Postnatal Clinic Services in Cape Town, South Africa.

Introduction: Oral pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) is an effective and safe option to prevent HIV acquisition and vertical HIV transmission in pregnant and breastfeeding women. Understanding health system factors influencing the integration of PrEP into care for pregnant and breastfeeding women is key to increasing access. We explored managers' and health care workers' (HCWs) experiences with integrating PrEP into antenatal care and postnatal care services in primary health care clinics in Cape Town, South Africa.

Schools of public health as a cornerstone for pandemic preparedness and response: the Africa COVID-19 experience.

Background: The Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic caused significant morbidity and mortality in Africa, in addition to other socio-economic consequences. Across the continent, Schools of Public Health (SPHs) played several roles in supporting national, regional, and global response to the pandemic. Following a published and grey literature search, this paper reviews and analyses the contribution of SPHs in Africa during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Assessing the knowledge and attitudes of semi-professional netball players in the Western Cape district regarding netball injuries: a cross-sectional study.

Background: Netball, with its dynamic movements, poses a high injury risk, notably to the ankles and knees. This study examined the injury knowledge and attitudes of semi-professional netball players in the Western Cape, South Africa.

Methods: In this study 117 semi-professional female netball players from eight clubs in the Western Cape district were conveniently sampled.

Enhancing childhood immunization coverage in Mozambique and Malawi: Study protocol of a mixed methods evaluation of the 'Let's talk about vaccines' multisite community-based participatory project.

Background: Full coverage of childhood vaccines is a persistent challenge in low- and middle-income countries, suggesting the presence of specific contextual barriers. The emergence of the COVID-19 pandemic further worsened the situation. The complementary use of community-based participatory research (CBPR) and human-centered design (HCD) approaches has the potential to effectively create tailored interventions for improving public health outcomes.

Novel interfaces for internet of wearable electrochemical sensors.

The integration of wearable devices, the Internet of Things (IoT), and advanced sensing platforms implies a significant paradigm shift in technological innovations and human interactions. The IoT technology allows continuous monitoring in real time. Thus, Internet of Wearables has made remarkable strides, especially in the field of medical monitoring.

Periodontitis and Metabolic Control of Adults with Type 1 Diabetes.

Introduction: Periodontitis has been reported with increased incidence and prevalence in patients with diabetes mellitus (DM). Noncommunicable diseases burden the South African public health system, and there are no data reporting on this relationship in this population. This is required to inform management protocols in type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM), which currently exclude the importance of periodontal treatment.

Dimensionality in confirmatory factor analysis is not in the eye of the beholder: Ancillary bifactor statistical indices illuminate dimensionality and reliability.

This tutorial delves into dimensionality assessment within the context of psychological measurement instruments, particularly focusing on bifactor models. It underscores the imperative to move beyond traditional fit indices when evaluating factor structures while highlighting the significance of ancillary bifactor indices such as explained common variance, OmegaH and percentage of uncontaminated correlations in gaining a more comprehensive understanding of the interplay between general and specific group factors. The tutorial offers a step-by-step guide to leveraging the power of R software for confirmatory factor analysis and the acquisition of ancillary bifactor indices.

Amplifying youth voices: young people's recommendations for policy and practice to enhance vaccine acceptability.

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic has underscored the need for increased vaccine availability and uptake, with vaccine hesitancy posing a significant barrier, particularly among young adults. Evidence from various countries highlight high levels of hesitancy among young people, necessitating targeted interventions. Engaging young adults as key stakeholders in shaping public health strategies is crucial, as their perspectives can enhance vaccine acceptance.

The efficacy of wastewater treatment plant on removal of perfluoroalkyl substances and their impacts on the coastal environment of False Bay, South Africa.

Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs), which have their origins in both industrial processes and consumer products, can be detected at all treatment stages in wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs). Quantifying the emissions of PFAS from WWTPs into the marine environment is crucial because of their potential impacts on receiving aquatic ecosystems. In this study, the levels of five PFAS were measured in both influent and effluent sewage water samples obtained from a municipal WWTP, the discharges of which flow into False Bay, on the Indian Ocean coast of Cape Town, South Africa.

Trial-Adjusted Versus Generic Simulated Comparator Trial (SCT) Settings for Selection Bias Appraisal Using the I2 Test.

Aim: The aim was to test two null hypotheses: that I testing with trial-adjusted simulated comparator trial (SCT) settings does not change the odds of identifying selection bias in clinical trials compared to I testing with generic SCT settings, and that I testing with trial-adjusted SCT settings does not change the odds of identifying selection bias in smaller trials (with sample size (n) = 100-199 per treatment group) compared to larger trials (n > 200 per group).

Methods: Baseline data from 67 randomized controlled trials previously tested for selection bias using the I test with generic SCT settings were extracted. The generic settings were: SCT sample size N = 200 (100 for each of Groups A and B), minimum-maximum range of random values (R) = 67 (minimum = 18, maximum = 85), number of generated SCTs used in all meta-analyses (SCT) = 2.

The extent of outdoor food and beverage advertising surrounding primary and secondary schools in poorly resourced townships in Cape Town, South Africa.

Background: The targeted marketing of unhealthy food and beverages to vulnerable populations, particularly children and adolescents in lower-income communities, is pervasive and coincides with increased non-communicable disease (NCD) rates. This study examined the extent of food and beverage advertising surrounding schools in three townships in Cape Town, South Africa: Gugulethu, Nyanga, and Kensington.

Methodology: Trained fieldworkers used web-based surveys on smartphones to capture all observable outdoor food and beverage advertisements in the three townships.

Close female friendships and knowledge of recommended abortion methods in Nigeria and the Democratic Republic of the Congo among a representative sample of reproductive-aged women.

Introduction: There is a high incidence of unsafe abortion among women in Nigeria and the DRC. Low knowledge of recommended abortion methods [i.e.

[Animal mediation support in disruptive disorder with emotional dysregulation (TDDE)].

Treating disruptive disorder with emotional dysregulation (DDED) is a challenge in terms of difficulties, objectives and results. In addition to a multi-disciplinary approach involving child psychiatrists, nurses, psychomotricists and educators, the use of animal mediation (dogs) appears relevant. Eight standardized group sessions with eight children aged 6 to 10, assessed by means of a semi-directive interview and several psychometric tools (MDI-C, Kidscreen, parent attachment inventory, child/family star, family/child star, alexithymia questionnaire) revealed improvements in listening skills, empathy, adaptability, socialization, anger and depression management, temper tantrum frequency, school complaints and depressive symptoms.