Prospects and Challenges of Medicinal Plants Conservation and\ud Traditional Medicine in Tanzania

A qualitative study was carried to assess prospects and challenges of medicinal plants conservation and\ud traditional medicine in Tanzania. The study shows that TRM and medicinal have great prospects in healthcare\ud delivery worldwide. These prospects have more impact in developing countries where 70%-80% of population used\ud TRM for Primary Healthcare (PHC). It is reported that 25% of prescribed drugs in conventional healthcare were\ud derived from their ethnomedicinal use in TRM. Medicinal plants still provided hope for discovery of new drugs for\ud the resistant diseases and those that were not treated by conventional prescribed drugs. Traditional medicine and\ud medicinal plants were faced with challenges notably; threats due to increasing depletion of the natural resource\ud as an impact of population increase, urbanization, modernization of agriculture and climatic change. There was\ud erosion of indigenous medical knowledge as most of the traditional health practitioners were aging and dying, while\ud the expected youths to inherit the practice shy away from practice. The youths in rural settings who were willing\ud to practice some of them die because of AIDS. The other major challenges on traditional medicine and MPs were\ud constraints and include lack of data on seriously threatened and endangered medicinal plant species. Others include\ud inadequate and conflicting guidelines on management and utilization of natural resources, especially medicinal\ud plants. Efforts for scaling up the practice of TRM and medicinal plant conservation have been suggested. These\ud were creating awareness of the importance traditional medicine and medicinal plants in healthcare; training THPs\ud on good practices for provision of healthcare; conserving medicinal plants through in-situ and ex-situ programs and\ud sustainable harvesting of medicinal plants resources and training conventional health workers on the contribution\ud of TRM and medicinal plants in PHC. Traditional health practitioners, TRM and medicinal plants should be essential\ud components in PHC in order to meet the health millennium goals by 2025

Diseases and conditions falsely linked with “nylon teeth” myth: a cross sectional study of Tanzanian adults

Background: Different communities associate children’s ailments with their developmental milestones and they have beliefs on a variety of causes of the ailments. The objective of this study was to determine the diseases and conditions falsely linked with “nylon teeth” myth among Tanzanian adults.Methods: A cross sectional cluster study was conducted in five zones of Tanzania. A total of 200 individuals from each region stratified by age and sex were targeted. Study subjects included adults of child bearing age, elders, health care workers, teachers and traditional healers. A structured questionnaire was used to inquire for the demographic characteristics of the participants as well as diseases and conditions falsely linked with the nylon teeth myth.Results: A total of 1,359 people participated in the study. Of the total participants, 262 (19.3%) reported nylon teeth myth to exist in their locality. The main symptoms that were falsely linked with nylon teeth myth were diarrhoea (83.5%), long standing fevers (81.2%) and difficult in sucking (76.7%). Respondents less likely to falsely link nylon teeth myth with various diseases and conditions were residents in southern regions. They linked nylon teeth myth with diarrhoea (OR=0.29, CI=0.14-0.63), fevers (OR=0.38, CI=0.18-0.80), cough (OR=0.38, CI=0.16-0.94), stunting (OR=0.24, CI=0.10-0.58), excessive crying (OR=0.19, CI=0.09-0.40) and difficult sucking (OR=0.35 CI=0.17-0.70). Males linked the myth with stunting (OR=0.57, CI= 0.34-0.98) and excessive crying (OR 0.431, CI=0.24-0.78). The more educated respondents linked the myth with long standing cough (OR=2.068, CI=1.11-3.84) and stunting (OR=2.07, CI=1.10-3.76). The health care workers less likely linked nylon teeth with excessive crying (OR=0.37, CI=0.15-0.96) and difficult sucking (OR=0.29, CI=0.11-0.81).Conclusion: Diarrhoea, fevers and difficult in sucking were the symptoms most frequently linked with nylon teeth myth. Linking of the symptoms and the myth was more common among respondents from northern regions, non – medics, males and the more educated ones. Educational and behavioural change intervention against the diseases frequently falsely linked with nylon teeth myth is recommended to control the myth.

Oral health related behaviors among adult Tanzanians: a national pathfinder survey

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>The oral health education programs which have been organised and delivered in Tanzania were not based on a thorough understanding of behaviours which influence oral health. Therefore, evaluation of these programs became difficult. This study aimed at investigating the oral health related behaviours and their determinants among Tanzanian adults.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>A national pathfinder cross sectional survey was conducted in 2006 involving 1759 respondents from the six geographic zones of mainland Tanzania. Frequency distributions, Chi square and multiple logistic regression analyses were performed using SPSS version 13.0.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>The rates of abstinence from alcohol for the past 30 days and life time smoking were 61.6% and 16.7% respectively, with males being more likely to smoke (OR 9.2, CI 6.3 -12.9, p < 0.001) and drink alcohol (OR 1.5, CI 1.2 -1.8, p < 0.001). Multiple regression analysis revealed that; having dental pain (OR 0.7, CI 0.5-0.8; p < 0.001) and being minimally educated (OR 0.48, CI 0.4-0.6; p < 0.001) reduced the likelihood of having a high sugar score. Whereas being male (OR 1.5, CI 1.2- 1.8; p < 0.001), urban (OR 1.9, CI 1.5 -2.3; p < 0.001), and young (OR 1.5, CI 1.2 -1.8; p < 0.001) increased the likelihood of having a high sugar score. Urban residents were less likely to take alcohol (OR 0.7, CI 0.6-0.9; p < 0.01), or smoke cigarette (OR = 0.7, CI = 0.6-0.9); less likely to be those who do not use fruits (OR 0.3, CI 0.2-0.4; p < 0.001); dental clinic (OR 0.5, CI 0.4-0.7; p < 0.001); factory made tooth brushes (OR 0.1, CI 0.08-0.17; p < 0.001) and toothpaste (OR 0.1, CI 0.1-0.2; p < 0.001) than their rural counterparts. More rural (13.2%) than urban (4.6%) residents used charcoal.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>The findings of this study demonstrated social demographic disparities in relation to oral health related behaviors, while dental pain was associated with low consumption of sugar and high likelihood to take alcohol.</p

Sex differences in metabolic phenotype and hypothalamic inflammation in the 3xTg-AD mouse model of Alzheimer’s disease

Abstract Background Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is notably associated with cognitive decline resulting from impaired function of hippocampal and cortical areas; however, several other domains and corresponding brain regions are affected. One such brain region is the hypothalamus, shown to atrophy and develop amyloid and tau pathology in AD patients. The hypothalamus controls several functions necessary for survival, including energy and glucose homeostasis. Changes in appetite and body weight are common in AD, often seen several years prior to the onset of cognitive symptoms. Therefore, altered metabolic processes may serve as a biomarker for AD, as well as a target for treatment, considering they are likely both a result of pathological changes and contributor to disease progression. Previously, we reported sexually dimorphic metabolic disturbances in ~ 7-month-old 3xTg-AD mice, accompanied by differences in systemic and hypothalamic inflammation. Methods In the current study, we investigated metabolic outcomes and hypothalamic inflammation in 3xTg-AD males and females at 3, 6, 9, and 12 months of age to determine when these sex differences emerge. Results In agreement with our previous study, AD males displayed less weight gain and adiposity, as well as reduced blood glucose levels following a glucose challenge, compared to females. These trends were apparent by 6–9 months of age, coinciding with increased expression of inflammatory markers (Iba1, GFAP, TNF-α, and IL-1β) in the hypothalamus of AD males. Conclusions These findings provide additional evidence for sex-dependent effects of AD pathology on energy and glucose homeostasis, which may be linked to hypothalamic inflammation

Salt-Sensitive Hypertension, Renal Injury, and Renal Vasodysfunction Associated With Dahl Salt-Sensitive Rats Are Abolished in Consomic SS.BN1 Rats

Background Abnormal renal hemodynamic responses to salt-loading are thought to contribute to salt-sensitive (SS) hypertension. However, this is based largely on studies in anesthetized animals, and little data are available in conscious SS and salt-resistant rats. Methods and Results We assessed arterial blood pressure, renal function, and renal blood flow during administration of a 0.4% NaCl and a high-salt (4.0% NaCl) diet in conscious, chronically instrumented 10- to 14-week-old Dahl SS and consomic SS rats in which chromosome 1 from the salt-resistant Brown-Norway strain was introgressed into the genome of the SS strain (SS.BN1). Three weeks of high salt intake significantly increased blood pressure (20%) and exacerbated renal injury in SS rats. In contrast, the increase in blood pressure (5%) was similarly attenuated in Brown-Norway and SS.BN1 rats, and both strains were completely protected against renal injury. In SS.BN1 rats, 1 week of high salt intake was associated with a significant decrease in renal vascular resistance (-8%) and increase in renal blood flow (15%). In contrast, renal vascular resistance failed to decrease, and renal blood flow remained unchanged in SS rats during high salt intake. Finally, urinary sodium excretion and glomerular filtration rate were similar between SS and SS.BN1 rats during 0.4% NaCl and high salt intake. Conclusions Our data support the concept that renal vasodysfunction contributes to blood pressure salt sensitivity in Dahl SS rats, and that genes on rat chromosome 1 play a major role in modulating renal hemodynamic responses to salt loading and salt-induced hypertension

Experience of initiating collaboration of traditional healers in managing HIV and AIDS in Tanzania

RefereedCollaboration between traditional healers and biomedical practitioners is now being accepted by many African countries south of the Sahara because of the increasing problem of HIV/AIDS. The key problem, however, is how to initiate collaboration between two health systems which differ in theory of disease causation and management. This paper presents findings on experience learned by initiation of collaboration between traditional healers and the Institute of Traditional Medicine in Arusha and Dar-es-Salaam Municipalities, Tanzania where 132 and 60 traditional healers respectively were interviewed. Of these 110 traditional healers claimed to be treating HIV/AIDS. The objective of the study was to initiate sustainable collaboration with traditional healers in managing HIV/AIDS. Consultative meetings with leaders of traditional healers' associations and government officials were held, followed by surveys at respective traditional healers' "vilinge" (traditional clinics). The findings were analysed using both qualitative and quantitative methods. The findings showed that influential people and leaders of traditional healers' association appeared to be gatekeepers to access potential good healers in the two study areas. After consultative meetings these leaders showed to be willing to collaborate; and opened doors to other traditional healers, who too were willing to collaborate with the Institute of Traditional Medicine in managing HIV/AIDS patients. Seventy five percent of traditional healers who claimed to be treating HIV/AIDS knew some HIV/AIDS symptoms; and some traditional healers attempted to manage these symptoms. Even though, they were willing to collaborate with the Institute of Traditional Medicine there were nevertheless some reservations based on questions surrounding sharing from collaboration. The reality of past experiences of mistreatment of traditional healers in the colonial period informed these reservations. General findings suggest that initiating collaboration is not as easy as it appears to be from the literature, if it is to be meaningful; and thus we are calling for appropriate strategies to access potential healers targeted for any study designed with sustainability in mind.Tanzania HIV/AIDS Commissio

Trends of frequency, mortality and risk factors among patients admitted with stroke from 2017 to 2019 to the medical ward at Kilimanjaro Christian Medical Centre hospital: a retrospective observational study

Objective The burden of stroke has increased in recent years worldwide, particularly in low-income and middle-income countries. In this study we aim to determine the number of stroke admissions, and associated comorbidities, at a referral hospital in Northern Tanzania.Design This was a retrospective observational study.Setting The study was conducted at a tertiary referral hospital, Kilimanjaro Christian Medical Centre (KCMC), in the orthern zone of Tanzania.Participants The study included adults aged 18 years and above, who were admitted to the medical wards from 2017 to 2019.Outcome The primary outcome was the proportion of patients who had a stroke admitted in the medical ward at KCMC and the secondary outcome was clinical outcome such as mortality.Methods We conducted a retrospective audit of medical records from 2017 to 2019 for adult patients admitted to the medical ward at KCMC. Data extracted included demographic characteristics, previous history of stroke and outcome of the admission. Factors associated with stroke were investigated using logistic regression.Results Among 7976 patients admitted between 2017 and 2019, 972 (12.2%) were patients who had a stroke. Trends show an increase in patients admitted with stroke over the 3 years with 222, 292 and 458 in 2017, 2018 and 2019, respectively. Of the patients who had a stroke, 568 (58.4%) had hypertension while 167 (17.2%) had diabetes mellitus. The proportion of admitted stroke patients aged 18–45 years, increased from 2017 (n=28, 3.4%) to 2019 (n=40, 4.3%). The in-hospital mortality related to stroke was 229 (23.6%) among 972 patients who had a stroke and female patients had 50% higher odds of death as compared with male patients (OR:1.5; CI 1.30 to 1.80).Conclusion The burden of stroke on individuals and health services is increasing over time, which reflects a lack of awareness on the cause of stroke and effective preventive measures. Prioritising interventions directed towards the reduction of non-communicable diseases and associated complications, such as stroke, is urgently needed