African health sciences
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There is little research on length of hospital stay (LOS) in patients post stroke in South African rehabilitation facilities. As LOS is an important indicator of cost-of-care, this information may be useful to all stakeholders. ⋯ Admission FIM score had an influence on patient outcomes and LOS. Patients with higher admission FIM motor scores may be able to participate in rehabilitation better and thus have shorter LOS. Being able to predict LOS on admission allows facility administrators to manage bed occupancy, human and clinical resources in post stroke rehabilitation.
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African health sciences · Jun 2023
Expression of miR-152 in cervical cancer and its influence on cisplatin resistance.
Cervical cancer has a high mortality rate. ⋯ MiR-152 suppresses the proliferation, migration and infiltration of cervical cancer cells and reduces their resistance to DDP chemotherapy by inhibiting the expressions of proteins in the ERBB3/Akt/c-myc and ERBB3/Akt/Snail pathways.
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African health sciences · Jun 2023
Human growth hormone, a marker for HIV infection among adult Igbo Nigerians: relationship between human growth hormone and CD4+ count with viral load.
Routine viral load and CD4+ testing is key to monitoring the extent of danger caused by HIV and response to antiretroviral therapy (ART) for HIV individuals, but its availability has been limited in low and middle-income countries. The study sort to ascertain relationship between serum Human Growth Hormone (HGH) gold standard with CD4 cells and viral load in HIV-infected patients. CD4+ T-cells, HIV viral load, and HGH were assayed in HIV- infected patients from May to December 2020. 460 subjects were engaged and separated into two groups: the HIV-infected untreated (Pre-ART) and the control groups. ⋯ CD4 count and serum HGH were significantly higher (p<0.05) in females than in males. It also reveals that CD4 count correlates positively with HGH level (r= 0.191**). Serum HGH could serve as a surrogate marker and valuable index in monitoring HIV patients.
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African health sciences · Jun 2023
Antiviral use among hepatitis B infected patients in a low resource setting in Africa: a case study of West Nile, Uganda.
Failure to access antiviral medications is a leading cause of hepatitis B (HBV)-associated morbidity and mortality in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). Despite guideline availability, SSA is not on course to meet its elimination targets. We characterized factors associated with antiviral medication use and challenges to offering chronic care in a large Ugandan institution. ⋯ In multivariate analysis, age ≥35 years [OR (95% CI) = 1.52 (1.01-2.28), p=0.043], APRI ≥2 [OR (95% CI) =1.79 (1.482.16), p<0.001], hepatitis B viral load >2,000IU/mL [OR (95% CI) = 6.22 (5.08-7.62), p<0.001] were associated with antiviral medications use. Over half of participants in care had not been fully evaluated although on treatment and many eligible patients did not access medications. There is need to bridge these gaps for SSA to realise its HBV elimination goals.
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African health sciences · Jun 2023
Risk factors for pancreatitis occurrence after gallstone treatment using endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography.
Patients with gallstones are prone to pancreatitis after treatment using endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP). The aim of this study was to explore the risk factors for pancreatitis occurrence after gallstone treatment using ERCP. ⋯ Patients with gallstones have a higher risk of developing pancreatitis. Young age, long course of disease, gallbladder wall thickness >3 mm, sand-like stones, history of pancreatic disease, pancreatic duct visualization and number of intubation ≥2 are risk factors for post-ERCP pancreatitis.