Vitamin A deficiency during pregnancy of HIV infected and non-infected women in tropical settings of Northwest Ethiopia

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Vitamin A deficiency (VAD) is known to be a major public health problem among women of reproductive age in South East Asia and Africa. In Ethiopia, there are no studies conducted on serum vitamin A status of HIV-infected pregnant women. Therefore, the present study was aimed at determining the level of serum vitamin A and VAD among pregnant women with and without HIV infection in tropical settings of Northwest Ethiopia.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>In this cross-sectional study, blood samples were collected from 423 pregnant women and from 55 healthy volunteers who visited the University of Gondar Hospital. Serum concentration of vitamin A was measured by high performance liquid chromatography.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>After controlling for total serum protein, albumin and demographic variables, the mean ± SD serum vitamin A in HIV seropositive pregnant women (0.96 ± 0.42 μmol/L) was significantly lower than that in pregnant women without HIV infection (1.10 ± 0.45 μmol/L, P < 0.05). Likewise, the level of serum vitamin A in HIV seropositive non-pregnant women (0.74 ± 0.39) was significantly lower than that in HIV negative non-pregnant women (1.18 ± 0.59 μmol/L, P < 0.004). VAD (serum retinol < 0.7 μmol/L) was observed in 18.4% and 17.7% of HIV infected and uninfected pregnant women, respectively. Forty six percent of non-pregnant women with HIV infection had VAD while only 28% controls were deficient for vitamin A (P = 0.002).</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>The present study shows that VAD is a major public health problem among pregnant women in the tropical settings of Northwest Ethiopia. Considering the possible implications of VAD during pregnancy, we recommend multivitamin (which has a lower level of vitamin A) supplementation in the care and management of pregnant women with or without HIV infection.</p

Access to Finance for Youth SMEs in Rwanda: A Look at Youth SME Financing Impediments from a Policy Perspective

In many developing countries and developed countries alike, small and medium enterprises (SMEs) are the lead drivers of job creation and economic development. This review paper explores access to finance for youth-led Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs), analyses youth SME financing impediments from a policy perspective and concludes with a consolidated view and relevant recommendations to enable youth in developing countries like Rwanda to build thriving businesses

ASSESSMENT OF MAIZE PRODUCTION SYSTEM DURING THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC IN RWANDA: CASE STUDY OF KIGALI CITY REGION

The SARS-CoV-2 virus caused a major transformation in the food system globally including in Rwanda. This research identified and assessed the status and structure of the maize production system in the Kigali city region before and during the COVID-19 pandemic. The methods adopted for this study include both quantitative and qualitative methods using primary data obtained from the participants’ interview and focus group discussions, the secondary data were obtained from national institute of statistics of Rwanda (NISR). While production, processing, distribution and consumption are the four parts of the maize production system, the study only focused on the production system. The sample size for the study was 256 respondents who were maize production system actors from the Kigali city region. The study showed that before the COVID-19 pandemic, the prize of dried maize was significantly influenced by the cost of diammonium phosphate (DAP) (p=0.000), the source of the irrigating scheme (p=0.008), being a cooperative member (p=0.000) and marital status (p=0.002). During the pandemic, DAP (p=0.109) was absent at market due to lockdowns, and farmers did not access it. Maize farmers-built responses of resilience, persistence, adaptation, transformation, and persistence to encounter the consequences of the lockdowns. Innovative responses to shortage of maize- input stocks, and poor imports were presented, which represented 26.66% of resilient responses adopted by farmers. The innovative responses to labor shortage with farm workers` migration to their home provinces before and during the implementation of containment measures were 20%. Resilience built against the absence of extension services due to restricted movements was 13.33%. Reactions to restricted movement to and from fields, and adaptation to COVID-19 pandemic containing measures were 26.66 %, while reaction to the shortage of dried -maize at the market, which shortened the maize production cycle was 13.33%. Apart from maize production, more than half of the maize selling system were women 51.61%. Women in raw maize processing were 67.67% with a 100% level of university

Access to Finance for Youth SMEs in Rwanda: A Look at Youth SME Financing Impediments from a Policy Perspective

In many developing countries and developed countries alike, small and medium enterprises (SMEs) are the lead drivers of job creation and economic development. This review paper explores access to finance for youth-led Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs), analyses youth SME financing impediments from a policy perspective and concludes with a consolidated view and relevant recommendations to enable youth in developing countries like Rwanda to build thriving businesses

ASSESSMENT OF MAIZE PRODUCTION SYSTEM DURING THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC IN RWANDA: CASE STUDY OF KIGALI CITY REGION

The SARS-CoV-2 virus caused a major transformation in the food system globally including in Rwanda. This research identified and assessed the status and structure of the maize production system in the Kigali city region before and during the COVID-19 pandemic. The methods adopted for this study include both quantitative and qualitative methods using primary data obtained from the participants’ interview and focus group discussions, the secondary data were obtained from national institute of statistics of Rwanda (NISR). While production, processing, distribution and consumption are the four parts of the maize production system, the study only focused on the production system. The sample size for the study was 256 respondents who were maize production system actors from the Kigali city region. The study showed that before the COVID-19 pandemic, the prize of dried maize was significantly influenced by the cost of diammonium phosphate (DAP) (p=0.000), the source of the irrigating scheme (p=0.008), being a cooperative member (p=0.000) and marital status (p=0.002). During the pandemic, DAP (p=0.109) was absent at market due to lockdowns, and farmers did not access it. Maize farmers-built responses of resilience, persistence, adaptation, transformation, and persistence to encounter the consequences of the lockdowns. Innovative responses to shortage of maize- input stocks, and poor imports were presented, which represented 26.66% of resilient responses adopted by farmers. The innovative responses to labor shortage with farm workers` migration to their home provinces before and during the implementation of containment measures were 20%. Resilience built against the absence of extension services due to restricted movements was 13.33%. Reactions to restricted movement to and from fields, and adaptation to COVID-19 pandemic containing measures were 26.66 %, while reaction to the shortage of dried -maize at the market, which shortened the maize production cycle was 13.33%. Apart from maize production, more than half of the maize selling system were women 51.61%. Women in raw maize processing were 67.67% with a 100% level of university

Access to Finance for Youth SMEs in Rwanda: A Look at Youth SME Financing Impediments From A Policy Perspective

In many developing countries and developed countries alike, small and medium enterprises (SMEs) are the lead drivers of job creation and economic development. This review paper explores access to finance for youth-led Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs), analyses youth SME financing impediments from a policy perspective and concludes with a consolidated view and relevant recommendations to enable youth in developing countries like Rwanda to build thriving businesses

La stérilité par carence protidique: rôle de la prolactine.

The first piece of research was made on mice in order to try to determine the importance of the ration of protein in the food in the maintenance of pregnancy and the mechanism by which protein lack leads to sterility. Five groups of 100 couples were given diets which contained 23.5%, 12.48%, 10.50%, 7.01% and 0% of protein respectively over a period of 100 days. The drop in the percentage of protein was obtained by adding detoxicated cassava flour and the diet without any protein was made up of starch, maize oil, mineral salts and vitamins. The number of litterings per 100 couples was only lowered when the diet was down to 7.01% of protein and at the same time it was only with this diet that one found a significant reduction in the number of young per litter. When the diet had no protein in it at all no young were born at all. Pregnant rats were fed diets which contained 23.5%, 7.01% or no protein at all. In this last diet we watched to stop coprophagia. There was very little difference in the number of implantations and young born with a diet of 7.01% of protein but a very significant drop with the diet without protein. With this last diet was very little significant difference in the series whether one had watched to stop coprophagia or not. An injection of 10 I.U. of HCG from the 3rd to the 13th day of pregnancy in rats fed a protein-free died did not alter significantly the number of implantations and did lead to complete resorption of the embryos.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS

Framework For Supporting Countries To Address The Food Crisis And Malnutrition In The African Region

Of the world&apos;s undernourished children, 80% live in 20 countries; nine of these are in sub-Saharan Africa. Africa is home to 15 of the 16 countries where prevalence of hunger exceeds 35 per cent. This precarious food security situation in Africa has been compounded by economic and food crises which began in 2007, resulting in a rise by about 83% in food commodity prices.When food is in short supply, safety is compromised resulting in the consumption of unsafe food. Assuring safe food and ending malnutrition require decisive actions in several areas. In line with its Core Functions, global and regional agreements and as a key player in health, the WHO&apos;s vital role in addressing the food crisis is in preventing the effects of food insecurity, undernutrition and unsafe food. In order to scale-up actions to address the adverse effects of food insecurity and malnutrition in the African Region, the forty-fourth session of the Regional Programme Meeting (RPM44) discussed the topic Food Crisis in Africa: Implications for Nutrition and Food Safety Actions in the Region. A framework was therefore developed to facilitate joint actions in addressing the food crisis and malnutrition in the WHO African Region for better impact at country level. This paper provides a summary of the Framework which highlight WHO&apos;s role in the area of nutrition. It has four guiding principles: Country- level interventions, Community involvement and ownership; Adoption of multi-sectoral approach; Protection of vulnerable groups; and Evidence- based interventions. The Framework proposes actions to be implemented in countries with support of WHO and partners to meet the immediate food and nutritional needs of the vulnerable and build longer-term resilience to contribute to national food security. The expected impact of the implementation of these actions with support from WHO and partners is prevention of morbidity, mortality and the irreversible long-term effects of malnutrition on health and cognitive development