African health sciences
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African health sciences · Jun 2019
Circulating soluble fms-like tyrosine kinase-1, soluble endoglin and placental growth factor during pregnancy in normotensive women in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa.
Based on the increased pre-eclampsia and HIV antenatal incidence in South Africa, we determined the angiogenic profiles due to its mechanistic link in preeclampsia development, throughout uncomplicated pregnancies in HIV positive and negative women. ⋯ This study contributes to the current angiogenic knowledge in normotensive pregnancies, and may assist as a reference range against which these factors may be compared in HIV complicated pregnancies.
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African health sciences · Jun 2019
Seroprevalence and determinants of Helicobacter pylori infection among asymptomatic under-five children at a Tertiary Hospital in the South-Western region of Nigeria.
The epidemiology of Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) infection among under-five children in the South West Nigeria remains largely understudied. There is no data on the subject from the study area. ⋯ The seroprevalence of H. pylori infection in under -five children is high, increasing as the age of the children increased. This may suggest that instituting preventive measures at young age, targeting identified factors may be effective in reducing the burden of H. pylori infection.
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African health sciences · Jun 2019
Hospital-acquired acute kidney injury prevalence in in adults at a South African tertiary hospital.
Hospital Acquired Acute Kidney Injury (HA-AKI) prevalence has not been analysed in a South African setting. We investigated HA-AKI prevalence, using the KDIGO definition, with clinical characteristics and outcomes. The aim was to provide evidence for earlier treatment interventions to improve outcomes, such as recent UK NHS initiatives of automated electronic alerts in the laboratory information system. ⋯ AKI prevalence is significant and associated with adverse patient outcomes. Initiatives that allow front-line healthcare professionals to treat and manage AKI, such as introduction of automated electronic alerts, should be considered. Similar initiatives have been implemented in UK NHS hospitals with positive impacts.
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One of the public health problems in developing countries is child malnutrition. An important factor for children's well-being is good nutrition. Therefore, the malnutrition status of children under the age of five is an important outcome measure for children's health. This study uses the proportional odds model to identify risk factors associated with child malnutrition in Ethiopia using the 2016 Ethiopian Demographic and Health Survey data. ⋯ This child's age of a child, sex, weight of child at birth, mother's BMI and region of residence were significant determinants of malnutrition of children under five years in Ethiopia. The effect of these determinants can be used to develop strategies for reducing child malnutrition in Ethiopia. Moreover, these findings show that OLR proportional odds model is appropriate assessing thedeterminants of malnutrition for ordinal nutritional status of underfive children in Ethiopia.
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African health sciences · Jun 2019
Annona stenophylla aqueous extract stimulate glucose uptake in established C2Cl2 muscle cell lines.
Annona stenophylla is a folk medicine popularly used in Zimbabwe for the treatment of many ailments. This study was carried out to determine some of the possible anti diabetic mechanisms of its action using in vitro cell culturing methods. ⋯ The results suggest that A. stenophylla aqueous extract increases glucose uptake partly through increasing the GLUT 4 mRNA and translocation potentially acting via the PI-3-K pathway. This study confirms the ethnopharmacological uses of A. stenophylla indicating potential for anti-diabetic products formulation.