African health sciences
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African health sciences · Sep 2005
ReviewSocio-behaviour challenges to phase III HIV vaccine trials in Sub-Saharan Africa.
A number of countries in sub-Saharan Africa are preparing for HIV vaccine efficacy trials. Social and behavioural factors related to HIV transmission require examination in each setting where these trials are considered. As part of this, several countries have also recently begun preparatory research investigating relevant social and behavioural issues. There is a need for a review of the literature to help focus such research efforts in Sub-Saharan Africa. ⋯ Social and behavioural research forms an important part of preparations for HIV vaccine efficacy trials, and there is a clear need for more research of this type in Sub-Saharan Africa. Innovative approaches are required to address issues such as willingness to participate in vaccine research, participant retention during efficacy trials, and the accurate reporting by participants of sexual risk behaviours.
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African health sciences · Sep 2005
ReviewNatural history and epidemiology of post transplantation diabetes mellitus.
High patient mortality continues to be the major threat to the success of solid organ transplantation despite improvements in the control of immunologic phenomena post-transplantation with improvements in grafts survival. Post-transplantation diabetes mellitus (PTD) occurring commonly in patients receiving immunosuppressives has been identified as a major culprit. ⋯ The most important risk factor predisposing to the development of PTD is the immunosuppressive drugs. The selection of immunosuppressive regimen should take into account individuals diabetes risk profile and the relative diabetogenicity and risk for diabetes of each immunosuppressant, balancing minimal risk of diabetes with effective immunosuppression.
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African health sciences · Sep 2005
Attention deficit and hyperactivity disorder among school children in Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo.
To estimate the prevalence and determinants of attention deficit and hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) symptoms among school children in Kinshasa, an African urban setting. ⋯ ADHD symptoms are as common among school children in Kinshasa as elsewhere. The socio-demographic factors described as risk factors for ADHD in high-income countries were not identified in this study.
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African health sciences · Sep 2005
Gender power imbalance on women's capacity to negotiate self-protection against HIV/AIDS in Botswana and South Africa.
Gender power imbalance, which translates into a power imbalance in sexual interactions, is increasingly being recognized as a factor in fueling the spread of HIV/AIDS by increasing the number of unsafe sexual encounters. ⋯ Across all levels of society, there is a need to see a social paradigm shift that transforms relationships between women and men, from the one of inequality and dominance as is the case in patriarchal societies, to equality, respect and consideration for one another.
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African health sciences · Sep 2005
Helicobacter pylori and histopathological changes of gastric mucosa in Uganda population with varying prevalence of stomach cancer.
Study the pathological changes in gastric mucosa of Nyarwanda, Nkole (both with high prevalence of stomach cancer) and Ganda (with low prevalence of this cancer) ethnic groups in the presence of Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) infection. ⋯ The major histological features relating stomach cancer to H. pylori in this study were presence of the infection in IM and GA that was observed mainly in Nyarwanda and Nkole. The lack of association between presence of lymphoid follicle and H. pylori infection probably explains the rarity of MALT lymphoma in Africa as these tumours are said to arise from H. pylori associated lymphoid follicles.