African health sciences
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African health sciences · Sep 2021
Assessment of hepatitis B surface antigen negative blood units for HBV DNA among replacement blood donors in a hospital based blood bank in Nigeria.
Hepatitis B virus infection is one of the greatest threats to blood safety all over the world. The laboratory algorithm based on only the detection of hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) leaves a gap for infected HBsAg negative donors to donate blood during the "window period" (WP) and late stages of infection. ⋯ There is still a risk of HBV infected blood unit escaping detection when donor testing is limited to HBsAg screening. The use of NAT which can substantially reduce HBV infected blood donors from the donor pool should be considered.
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African health sciences · Sep 2021
Prevalence and associated factors of HIV-TB co-infection among HIV patients: a retrospective Study.
TB/HIV co-infection is a major public health problem in many parts of the world. But the prevalence of co-infection was varies among countries.This study was designed to assess prevalence of TB/HIV co-infection and to determine its factors. ⋯ The prevalence of TB among HIV patients was high and predicted by marital, education status, weight, CD4 cell count and WHO clinical stage III.
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African health sciences · Sep 2021
Increased ambulatory arterial stiffness index and blood pressure load in normotensive obese patients.
It has been shown that blood pressure (BP) values measured in obese subjects are higher than the individuals with normal weight, even in normotensive limits. However, data concerning the Ambulatory Arterial Stiffness Index (AASI) and blood pressure load in normotensive obese subjects is lacking. This study was aimed to compare the ambulatory arterial stiffness index and blood pressure load in normotensive obese and healthy controls. ⋯ Blood pressure load and ambulatory arterial stiffness index are increased in normotensive obese patients. Moreover, body mass index is an independent predictor for an abnormal ambulatory arterial stiffness index. Our results indicate that obese subjects are at higher risk for future cardiovascular events despite normal office BP levels.
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African health sciences · Sep 2021
Summer temperature and all-cause mortality from 2006 to 2015 for Hyderabad, India.
Studies have documented a significant association between temperature and all-cause mortality for various cities but such data are unavailable for Hyderabad City. ⋯ The study concludes that the impact of ambient heat in the rise of all-cause mortality is clearly evident (16% mean deaths/day). There was no lag effect from the effect of extreme heat on all-cause mortality as the peak period was the same as the maximum temperature. Hence heat action plans are needed. However, extreme heat-related mortality merits further analysis.