CD4 T-Lymphocyte Subsets in Women with Invasive Cervical Cancer in Kenya

Objective: Invasive cervical cancer (ICC) and HIV are common in  sub-Sahara Africa. Both ICC and HIV are immunosuppressive, and are associated with decreased CD4 and CD8 profiles. In a group of women with ICC starting radiotherapy, we determined their CD4 profiles.Design: A cross-sectional study.Settings: Kenyatta National Hospital, Nairobi, Kenya, radiotherapy unit.Subjects: Women with invasive cervical cancer (344) seeking radiotherapy treatment for the first time between January 2000 and March 2003, had blood samples analyzed for CD4 and CD8 cell counts by flow cytometry. Haemoglobin, white cell count, lymphocyte and platelet counts were determined using coulter machine. All patients had received pre- and post HIV counseling.Results: The mean age was 49+13 years. About 13.1% of the women with ICC were HIV positive. Overall, mean and median CD4 cell count was 829+355 cells/mm3 and 792 cells/mm3. Among HIV+ patients, mean and median CD4 cell counts were 451+288 cells/mm3 and 405 cells/mm3 respectively. The mean CD4 cell count for the HIV+ women was 886+329 cells/mm3 with median of 833 cells/mm3, range 147-2065 cells/mm3.Only nine (20%) of the 45 HIV+ women had CD4 cell count of 0-200. HIV+ women had lower CD4 percentage and cell count and higher CD8 percentage and cell count as compared to HIV negative women, p < 0.001. HIV infection was significantly and independently associated with high proportion of women who had CD4 cell count of less than 200 cells/mm3 or less than 350 cells/mm3, p < 0.0001.Conclusions: Women with ICC and concurrent HIV infection have decreased CD4 cell subset. These results suggest HIV infection may be associated with more severe CD4 depletion in women with ICC

Accelerate Scaling up Forage Intensification Using Novel Digital Extension Approach in Kenya

Wide scale adoption of diverse forages improves livestock productivity and farmers welfare. However, limited access to information and knowledge on forage production results in slow adoption in Kenya. There is need to enhance information and knowledge exchange among farming communities for efficient and effective adoption and decision-making. An inter-institutional pilot project was initiated in 2017 to scale-up forages in Kenya using a novel extension approach - the village knowledge centre (VKC). A VKC is an information and communication technology (ICT) digital platform-based linking farmers through smart phones and social media as a conduit for faster and effective information and knowledge. This paper shares the experiences of VKC intervention to scale up Urochloa grass technology among smallholder farmers for livestock productivity. Through the VKC support there has been increased access of information and knowledge on Urochloa grass management, conservation and livestock feeding. Approximately 702 farmers out of which 28% were women visited the VKC to seek information on Urochloa grass from May 2018 to May 2020. It has trained 22 lead farmers on the establishment and management of Urochloa grass. The VKC has created two WhatsApp groups for networking among farmers with over 330 members. Between September 2018 and May 2020, the groups shared 2550 messages on Urochloa management, conservation, and livestock feeding with other farmers in their communities. Additionally, the VKC has improved availability of Urochloa grass seeds to farmers. Over 530 farmers received the seeds through the VKC, while 500 made request though mobile phone Short Message Services (SMS) and were supplied using courier services. It was evident that VKC intervention has not only improved the adoption rate, but also led to increased forage productivity and higher income for farmers. There is a need to continue using tools such as the VKC in the dissemination of information on Urochloa grass and explore suitable funding for sustainability of the centre after the end of the project

Climate Smart \u3ci\u3eUrochloa\u3c/i\u3e Grasses Improves Soil Health in the Semi-Arid Tropics of Kenya

The measurement of soil aggregates stability and soil microbial biomass can be used as an early indicator of long-term changes in soil quality. A study was conducted to quantify the amounts of shoots and roots biomass of Urochloa grass cultivars (commonly known as Brachiaria) and their effects on changes in the size distribution and stability of soil aggregates and on microbial biomass carbon (C), nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) in a structurally unstable sandy loam soil at Ithookwe and Katumani in semi-arid tropical Kenya. The Urochloa grass cultivars included Urochloa decumbens cv. Basilisk, U. brizantha cvs Marandu, MG-4, Piatã and Xaraes, U. humidicola cv. Llanero and U. hybrid cv. Mulato II. Rhodes and Napier grass were included in the treatments as controls. Roots biomass was evaluated using the soil-coring method to depths of 0 – 15 and 15 – 30 cm. Four aggregates-size fractions (\u3e 2000 μm, 250 – 2000 μm, 53 – 250 μm, and \u3c 53 μm) were isolated using the wet sieving method. Microbial biomass C, N and P were determined on field moist rhizosphere soil (18 - 23% by weight) from a depth of 10 cm using the chloroform fumigation-extraction technique. Shoots biomass of the Urochloa cultivars ranged from 3.0 to 11.3 t ha-1 and 5.5 to 8.3 t ha-1 at Ithookwe and Katumani sites respectively. Marandu, Xaraes, Basilisk and Piata had higher roots biomass than the controls (Rhodes grass and Napier grass). Aggregate stability differed among the grasses and was highest in soils under Mulato II and Marandu with mean weight diameters of 4.49 and 4.31 mm, respectively. Generally, microbial biomass N was higher in plots with grasses than in the bare plots. Among Urochloa cultivars, the highest microbial biomass C was recorded in plots with Mulato II and the lowest from the plots with MG-4

Prevalence of trachoma in six districts of Kenya

Objectives: To estimate the prevalence of active trachoma (TF) in children aged one to nine years and potentially blinding trachoma (TT) in adults aged 15 years and older in six known trachomaendemic districts in Kenya. Design: Community based survey. Setting: Six known trachoma endemic districts in Kenya (Samburu, Narok, West Pokot, Kajiado Baringo and Meru North).Subjects: A total of 6,982 children aged one to nine years and 8,045 adults aged 15 years and older were randomly selected in a two stage random cluster sampling method: Twenty sub-locations (clusters) per district and three villages per sub-location were randomly selected. Eligible children and adults were enumerated and examined for signs of trachoma. Results: Blinding trachoma was found to be a public health problem in all the surveyed districts. Active trachoma was a district wide public health problem in four districts (Samburu, Narok, West Pokot and Kajiado) and only in some of the sub-locations of the other two (Baringo and Meru North).Conclusions: There is need for district trachoma control programmes preferably using the WHO recommended SAFE strategy in all the surveyed districts. Extrapolation of these survey results to the entire country could not be justified. There is need to survey the remaining 12 suspected endemic districts in Kenya.East African Medical Journal Vol. 83(4) 2006: 63-6

Participatory Evaluation and Selection of Improved \u3ci\u3eUrochloa\u3c/i\u3e Grass Cultivars in Kenya

Low adoption of superior agricultural technologies has been attributed to insufficient attention given to farmers’ priorities and perceptions while developing technologies. There is therefore a need to involve farmers in development of new forage technologies in order to increase adoption. Participatory variety selection (PVS) was conducted on eight Urochloa grass cultivars in the coastal lowlands, eastern midlands, central highlands and northwestern highlands of Kenya to select cultivars that are more adaptable in each region. The eight Urochloa cultivars; U. brizantha cvs. Marandu, Xaraes, Piatã, MG4, U. decumbens cv. Basilisk, U. humidicola cvs. Llanero and Humidicola, and U. hybrid cv. Mulato II were evaluated against cultivated local grasses; Rhodes grass (Chloris gayana cv. KATR3) and Napier grass (Pennisetum purpureum cv. Kakamega 1). In each region, farmers were engaged in development of selection criteria through focus group discussions. For each criterion, farmers’ scored on individual grass cultivars using a Likert scale of 1 to 4 with higher scores indicating high cultivar preference. Farmers considered 12 to17 plant attributes in the selection of the most suitable forages for planting. The attributes included plant height, colour, spread, biomass among others. MG4 was the most preferred Urochloa cultivar in eastern midlands, central and northwestern highlands while Mulato II was most preferred in coastal lowlands. The study concluded that, the selected Urochloa cultivars met the farmers’ needs and were advanced for on-farm testing and evaluation for livestock benefits

Forage diversity and fertiliser adoption in Napier grass production among smallholder dairy farmers in Kenya

Feed scarcity is one of the major challenges affecting smallholder dairy production in Kenya. Forages are the foundation of livestock nutritional requirements; forage diversification and fertiliser are intensification options that can increase productivity. A sample of 316 and 313 smallholder farmers were surveyed in eastern midlands and central highlands of Kenya, respectively, to establish the types of forages cultivated and the factors that influence fertiliser adoption in Napier grass (Cenchrus purpureus Schumach.) production. Independent t-tests were applied to compare the effect of continuous variables on social economic and institutional characteristics between adopters and non-adopters on fertiliser and area allocated to different forages. Chi-square tests were used to compare nominal variables for the proportion of farmers growing different forages, criteria they consider in selection of suitable forages, and social economic and institutional characteristics of adopters and non-adopters of fertiliser. Binary logistic regression was used to determine factors that influence fertiliser adoption. The study revealed that forage diversification was low with Napier grass being the only forage cultivated by most farmers (~90%). Urochloa (Urochloa spp), Rhodes grass (Chloris gayana Kunth.) and Guinea grass (Megathyrsus maximus Jaq.) were cultivated by less than 11% of farmers. The fertiliser adoption rate was high (77%) and was influenced by gender of household head, membership of groups, access to extension services and labour. Future research should focus on promoting of forage diversification and investigate quantity and fertiliser application regimes in order to enable development of appropriate advisory services

Soil Microbial Carbon, Nitrate and Ammonium Nitrogen Dynamics in \u3ci\u3eUrochloa\u3c/i\u3e Grass Cultivated in Sub-Humid Kenya

A study was conducted to monitor the dynamics of available soil phosphorus (P), soil microbial biomass carbon (SMBC), nitrogen (SMBN), ammonium and nitrate nitrogen under seven Urochloa grass cultivars at Kitale, Kenya. The Urochloa cultivars: Urochloa brizantha cvs. Marandu, MG-4, Piata, Xaraes, U. decumbens cv. Basilisk, U. hybrid cv. Mulato II and U. humidicola cv. Llanero was compared with two popularly grown forages, Rhodes grass (Chloris gayana cv. KAT R3), Napier grass (Pennisetum purpureum cv. KK1) and annual weeds. The treatments were tested in a randomized complete block design arranged in a split plot treatment structure with two rates of fertilizer N (0 and 100 kg N ha-1yr-1) and P (0 and 40 kg P ha-1) assigned to the main plots and the grass cultivars assigned to the subplots. After 80 weeks, moist rhizosphere soil was sampled at 0 – 10 cm depth to determine microbial biomass. Application of fertilizer N and P did not significantly (P \u3e 0.05) influence SMBC, SMBN, ammonium N (NH4+N) and nitrate N (NO3-N). However, significant (P = 0.001) changes in soil properties, including NH4+N and NO3-N due to grass cultivars, were observed. After 80 weeks, the bare plot, annual weeds and Napier grass accumulated higher pools of ammonium and nitrate N, but the microbial biomass (SMBC and SMBN) in these treatments were lower than in Urochloa grasses. Soil pH was also low, while NO3-N was high indicating increased nitrification in the bare and Napier grass plots. Ammonium N was the most dominant form of inorganic N in Llanero and Piata due to increased plant uptake or reduced nitrification rates. The results suggested that the change in the SMBC and SMBN in the Urochloa grasses was regulated by the nitrate and ammonium N and soil pH

Factors influencing smallholder farmers’ inputs use in major bean production corridors in Kenya

This study analysed socio-economic determinants for inputs use in major bean corridors in Kenya. It comprised 417 respondents sampled from four major bean corridors. A structured questionnaire was used in data collection. Probit model was used to assess determinants of input use among the bean-farming households. From the results, 74% of respondents were male with a mean age of 48.6 years. The probability of using agricultural inputs increased with education level and income from crop sales. Fertilizer was mainly used in Bomet (73%) and Narok (74%) counties. Eighty-five percent planted recycled seeds. Education level and Income from crops positively influenced inputs use. It was concluded that education level, incomes from sale of crops, livestock and livestock products, and farm income influenced use of inputs. As a recommendation, Capacity building on merits of input use and promotion of public-private partnerships to strengthen input supply system would enhance increased input use by smallholder farmers.Keywords: Bean, inputs, determinants, Keny

Changes in context, typology and programme outcomes between early and recent periods of sex work among young female sex workers in Mombasa, Kenya: a cross-sectional study

INTRODUCTION: The sex work context and typology change continuously and influence HIV related risk and vulnerability for young female sex workers (YFSW). We sought to describe changes in the context and typology of sex work between the first (early) and past month (recent) of sex work among YFSW to inform HIV prevention programming for sex workers. METHODS: We used data from a cross-sectional survey (April-November 2015), administered using physical location-based sampling to 408 cis-women, aged 14-24 years, who self-identified as sex workers, in Mombasa, Kenya. We collected self-reported data on the early and recent month of sex work. The analysis focused on changes in a) sex work context and typology (defined by setting where sex workers practice sex work) where YFSW operated, b) primary typology of sex work, and c) HIV programme outcomes among YFSW who changed primary typology, within the early and recent month of sex work. We analysed the data using a) SPSS27.0 and excel; b) bivariate analysis and χ2 test; and c) bivariate logistic regression models. RESULTS: Overall, the median age of respondents was 20 years and median duration in sex work was 2 years. Higher proportion of respondents in the recent period managed their clients on their own (98.0% vs. 91.2%), had sex with >5 clients per week (39.3% vs.16.5%); were able to meet > 50% of living expenses through sex work income (46.8% vs. 18.8%); and experienced police violence in the past month (16.4% vs. 6.5%). YFSW reported multiple sex work typology in early and recent periods. Overall, 37.2% reported changing their primary typology. A higher proportion among those who used street/ bus stop typology, experienced police violence, or initiated sex work after 19 years of age in the early period reported a change. There was no difference in HIV programme outcomes among YFSW who changed typology vs. those who did not. CONCLUSIONS: The sex work context changes even in a short duration of two years. Hence, understanding these changes in the early period of sex work can allow for development of tailored strategies that are responsive to the specific needs and vulnerabilities of YFSW

PLANT SHOOTS AND ROOTS BIOMASS OF BRACHIARIA GRASSES AND THEIR EFFECTS ON SOIL CARBON IN THE SEMI-ARID TROPICS OF KENYA

Grassland management practices that improve carbon uptake by increasing productivity or reducing carbon losses can lead to net accumulation of carbon in soils. A study was conducted to quantify the amounts of shoots and roots biomass of Brachiaria grass cultivars and their effects on soil carbon in two sites, Ithookwe and Katumani in semi-arid tropical Kenya. The grass cultivars were Brachiaria decumbens cv. Basilisk, B. brizantha cvs. Marandu, MG4, Piatã and Xaraes, B. humidicola cv. Llanero and B. hybrid cv. Mulato II. These were compared with two locally cultivated grasses (Chloris gayana cv. KAT R3 and Pennisetum purpureum cv. Kakamega 1). The grass treatments were evaluated with fertilizer application (40 kg P applied at sowing and 50 kg N ha-1 in each wet season) and with no fertilizer application. Shoots biomass of the Brachiaria cultivars ranged from 3.0 to 11.3 t ha-1 and 5.5 to 8.3 t ha-1 at Ithookwe and Katumani sites respectively in year 1. The highest shoots biomass recorded at Ithookwe was from cv. Piata while cv. MG4 gave the highest biomass at Katumani. Similar trends were recorded in year 2 of growth though the shoots biomass was lower at Katumani. However, the yields were significantly lower than those recorded from control, Napier grass in both years. The cv. Marandu, Xaraes, Basilisk and Piata had higher roots biomass than the controls (Rhodes grass and Napier grass) indicating greater potential for the Brachiaria grasses to sequester more carbon in the soil. The results of this study indicate that introduction of Brachiaria grasses in the semi-arid tropics of Kenya and in other similar environments can help increase soil carbon stocks that would mitigate the adverse effects of climate change and have greater economic returns