African health sciences
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African health sciences · Sep 2015
Variations in antimalarial components of Artemisia annua Linn from three regions of Uganda.
Artemisia annua plant from the family Asteracea is a powerful antimalarial plant introduced to Uganda around 2003. In addition to the artemisinin component, the plant also contains flavonoids which work in synergy to artemisinin against malaria parasites. The plant also contains aromatic oils which repel mosquitoes. In this paper we report the variations in antimalarial components of A. annua samples from the regions cultivating it in Uganda. ⋯ Our findings show that the active components in Artemisia annua cultivated and used in the Uganda vary with geographical regions and this calls for standardisation by source.
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African health sciences · Sep 2015
Seroprevalence of West Nile Virus specific IgG and IgM antibodies in North-Western and Western provinces of Zambia.
West Nile Virus (WNV) infection has been reported worldwide, including in Africa but its existence in Zambia is unknown. Symptoms for the virus include headache, myalgia, arthralgia and rash. ⋯ Spraying houses with insecticide residual spray would minimize mosquito-man contact. Furthermore, surveillance at the border with Angola should be enhanced in order to reduce importation of the virus into the country.
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African health sciences · Sep 2015
Sonographic evaluation of the spleen among sickle cell disease patients in a teaching hospital in Nigeria.
Regional variations in size and parenchyma echo-texture of the spleen among sickle cell disease (SCD) patients have been documented in various publications. The objectives of this study were to assess the size and parenchyma echo-texture of the spleen of SCD patients and ascertain the relationship of age, height and weight with the spleen sizes. ⋯ Routine sonographic assessment of spleen size and echo-texture is useful in the management of SCD patients.
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African health sciences · Sep 2015
Implementation of POCT in the diabetic clinic in a large hospital.
Point-of-care testing (POCT) is gaining renewed interest, especially in resource-limiting primary health care, due to rise in prevalence of communicable and non-communicable diseases hence POCT needscontinuous appraisal. ⋯ Venous or capillary blood can be used in POCT for HbA1c. POCT is ideal for monitoring glucose control and management of diabetes in resource-limited countries such as South Africa.
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African health sciences · Sep 2015
Prevalence of CKD-MBD in pre-dialysis patients using biochemical markers in Enugu, South-East Nigeria.
As kidney function declines, there is a progressive deterioration in mineral homeostasis with disruption of normal serum and tissue concentration of phosphorus and calcium, and changes in circulating levels of hormones-parathyroid hormone (PTH), calcitriol (1,25(OH)2 D), and Fibroblast growth factor-23 (FGF-23). ⋯ Low 25 (OH) D levels (insufficiency/deficiency), hyperparathyroidism, and hyper-phosphatemia were the obvious markers of CKD-MBD in our pre-dialysis patients. These should be evaluated at presentation in these patients.