Research Articles (Medical Bioscience)

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Browsing by Subject "Africa"

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    A comparison of susceptibility patterns of oral Candida isolates from South African and Cameroonian HIV- positive populations
    (The International Association for Dental Research (IADR), 2012) Abrantes, Pedro Miguel dos Santos; McArthur, Carole P.; Africa, Charlene W.J.
    METHOD: In this study, Candida isolates were collected from the oral mucosa of 128 South African and 126 Cameroonian HIV-positive patients, by scraping the mouths of consenting patients using sterile cotton swabs. Ethics clearance for this project was granted by the University of the Western Cape. Confirmation of Candida species was done by growth on differential media, Gram staining and microscopy. The isolates were grown on selective media and differentiated using two commercial chromogenic agars and Tomato (V8) agar. Changes in colony colour, morphology and pseudohyphae/chlamydospore expression could then be observed, allowing for species differentiation. Isolates were also examined for antifungal susceptibility patterns using the TREK system. RESULT: The results from this study suggest that the prevalence of Candida species varies according to geographical region and HIV-subtype. Discrepancies in antifungal drug susceptibility patterns were also observed in the two populations. CONCLUSION: The emerging drug-resistance raises the need for increased species prevalence surveillance, as this information can have clinical implications in the choice of more appropriate and effective patient treatment.
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    Current status of malaria control and elimination in Africa: epidemiology, diagnosis, treatment, progress and challenges
    (Springer Science and Business Media B.V., 2024) David, Fisher; Jiahuan, Li; Haragakiza, Jean Docile
    The African continent carries the greatest malaria burden in the world. Falciparum malaria especially has long been the leading cause of death in Africa. Climate, economic factors, geographical location, human intervention and unstable security are factors influencing malaria transmission. Due to repeated infections and early interventions, the proportion of clinically atypical malaria or asymptomatic plasmodium carriers has increased significantly, which easily lead to misdiagnosis and missed diagnosis. African countries have made certain progress in malaria control and elimination, including rapid diagnosis of malaria, promotion of mosquito nets and insecticides, intermittent prophylactic treatment in high-risk groups, artemisinin based combination therapies, and the development of vaccines. Between 2000 and 2022, there has been a 40% decrease in malaria incidence and a 60% reduction in mortality rate in the WHO African Region. However, many challenges are emerging in the fight against malaria in Africa, such as climate change, poverty, substandard health services and coverage, increased outdoor transmission and the emergence of new vectors, and the growing threat of resistance to antimalarial drugs and insecticides. Joint prevention and treatment, identifying molecular determinants of resistance, new drug development, expanding seasonal malaria chemo-prevention intervention population, and promoting the vaccination of RTS, S/AS01 and R21/Matrix-M may help to solve the dilemma. China’s experience in eliminating malaria is conducive to Africa’s malaria prevention and control, and China-Africa cooperation needs to be constantly deepened and advanced. Our review aims to help the global public develop a comprehensive understanding of malaria in Africa, thereby contributing to malaria control and elimination.
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    Data Management Plans in the genomics research revolution of Africa: Challenges and Recommendations
    (Elsevier, 2021) Fadlelmola, F.M; Zass, L; Chaouch, M; Mulder, N
    Drafting and writing a data management plan (DMP) is increasingly seen as a key part of the academic research process. A DMP is a document that describes how a researcher will collect, document, describe, share, and preserve the data that will be generated as part of a research project. The DMP illustrates the importance of utilizing best practices through all stages of working with data while ensuring accessibility, quality, and longevity of the data. The benefits of writing a DMP include compliance with funder and institutional mandates; making research more transparent (for reproduction and validation purposes); and FAIR (findable, accessible, interoperable, reusable); protecting data subjects and compliance with the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and/or local data protection policies. In this review, we highlight the importance of a DMP in modern biomedical research, explaining both the rationale and current best practices associated with DMPs. In addition, we outline various funders’ requirements concerning DMPs and discuss open-source tools that facilitate the development and implementation of a DMP. Finally, we discuss DMPs in the context of African research, and the considerations that need to be made in this regard.
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    Interventions to reduce pesticide exposure from the agricultural sector in Africa: A workshop report
    (MDPI, 2022) Röösli, Martin; Fuhrimann, Samuel; Maree, Liana
    Despite the fact that several cases of unsafe pesticide use among farmers in different parts of Africa have been documented, there is limited evidence regarding which specific interventions are effective in reducing pesticide exposure and associated risks to human health and ecology. The overall goal of the African Pesticide Intervention Project (APsent) study is to better understand ongoing research and public health activities related to interventions in Africa through the implementation of suitable target-specific situations or use contexts. A systematic review of the scientific literature on pesticide intervention studies with a focus on Africa was conducted. This was followed by a qualitative survey among stakeholders involved in pesticide research or management in the African region to learn about barriers to and promoters of successful interventions.
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    Potential for increasing folate contents of traditional African fermented sorghum gruel (Motoho) using presumptive probiotic lactic acid bacteria
    (Elsevier, 2023) Fayemi, Olanrewaju E.; Akanni, Gabriel B.; Oelofse, Andre
    Folate deficiency is commonly observed in most developing countries. Lactic acid bacteria (LAB) fermentation of cereal-based foods could be an alternative to improving folate intake. This study evaluated the possibility of improving the folate contents of traditional African fermented sorghum gruel (motoho) using indigenous po- tential probiotic LAB. A total of 220 LAB strains isolated from maize gruel were screened for extracellular and intracellular folate production. Strains were further examined for in vitro probiotic characteristics and antimi- crobial activity. Sixteen (16) LAB strains exhibited high production of total folate which ranged between 44 and 180 μg/100 mL with the lowest and highest value in L. plantarum S8 and L. plantarum S49, respectively. Fermentation of sorghum gruel with folate producing probiotic LAB strains for in situ folate production in motoho was determined. The folate contents of sorghum motoho fermented with LAB ranged between 13 and 20 μg/100 mL while the control was below 2.5 μg/100 mL. Indigenous LAB strains from traditional African fermented gruel possess desirable in vitro probiotic properties and ability to produce folates, thus, could be used for natural in situ folate fortification. This study presents a strategy for future application of indigenous probiotic LAB cultures as natural means of fortifying cereal foods with folates.
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    Risk factors of preterm delivery of low birth weight (plbw) in an African population
    (Academic Journals, 2010) Bayingana, Claude; Muvunyi, Claude Mambo; Africa, Charlene W.J.
    More than 20 million infants in the world (15.5% of all births) are born with low birth weight. Ninety-five percent of them are in developing countries. The objective of this study was to examine different factors which may contribute to preterm delivery of low birth weight (PLBW) in a recent sample of Rwandan birth. The study sample included 200 randomly selected women admitted to the department of obstetrics-gynecology of the teaching hospital of Butare in Rwanda. Mothers were asked to complete a questionnaire and obstetrics records were used in order to identify factors which might pose a health risk to them and their infants. Maternal weight, height, history of previous preterm and healthy conditions of the children in the family showed a significant relationship with PLBW. Maternal level of education, number of pregnancies of the mother, urinary tract infection, sexually transmitted disease, antibiotic administration, diabetes, history of heart disease, alcohol consumption and smoking showed a relationship with PLBW but the relationship was not significant. More studies are required for a better understanding of the mechanism leading to preterm delivery of low birth infants.
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    Risk factors of preterm delivery of low birth weight (plbw) in an African population
    (Academic Journals, 2010) Bayingana, Claude; Muvunyi, Claude Mambo; Africa, Charlene W.J.
    More than 20 million infants in the world (15.5% of all births) are born with low birth weight. Ninety-five percent of them are in developing countries. The objective of this study was to examine different factors which may contribute to preterm delivery of low birth weight (PLBW) in a recent sample of Rwandan birth. The study sample included 200 randomly selected women admitted to the department of obstetrics-gynecology of the teaching hospital of Butare in Rwanda. Mothers were asked to complete a questionnaire and obstetrics records were used in order to identify factors which might pose a health risk to them and their infants. Maternal weight, height, history of previous preterm and healthy conditions of the children in the family showed a significant relationship with PLBW. Maternal level of education, number of pregnancies of the mother, urinary tract infection, sexually transmitted disease, antibiotic administration, diabetes, history of heart disease, alcohol consumption and smoking showed a relationship with PLBW but the relationship was not significant. More studies are required for a better understanding of the mechanism leading to preterm delivery of low birth infants.