Quantitative Analysis of Total Phenolic Content in Avocado (Persia Americana) Seeds in Eastern Province of Kenya

Phytochemical rich plants have played a significant role in diet based therapies to prevent and cure various ailments. The avocado (Persia Americana Mill,) fruits are much sought after for their high nutritional and sensory value. Avocado (Persia Americana) seeds were analysed for total phenolic content. This phenolic component is responsible for antioxidant activity. The amount of phenols was analysed using Folin-Ciocalteu method. The maximum phenolic content was found in the Fuerte seed extract (18.55 ± 2.8 mg/g) prepared at 50ºC. The phenolic content decreased by 10.3% at an extraction temperature of 50 °C to 70 °C and 32.1% at an extraction temperature of 50 °C to 100 °C for a duration of 30 minutes. Keywords: Avocado seeds, Persia Americana, Total phenolic

Self-reported fever, treatment actions and malaria infection prevalence in the northern states of Sudan

BACKGROUND: The epidemiology of fevers and their management in areas of low malaria transmission in Africa is not well understood. The characteristics of fever, its treatment and association with infection prevalence from a national household sample survey in the northern states of Sudan, an area that represents historically low parasite prevalence, are examined in this study. METHODS: In October-November 2009, a cluster sample cross-sectional household malaria indicator survey was undertaken in the 15 northern states of the Sudan. Data on household assets and individual level information on age, sex, whether the individual had a fever in the last 14 days and on the day of survey, actions taken to treat the fever including diagnostic services and drugs used and their sources were collected. Consenting household members were asked to provide a finger-prick blood sample and examined for malaria parasitaemia using a rapid diagnostic test (RDT). All proportions and odds ratios were weighted and adjusted for clustering. RESULTS: Of 26,471 respondents 19% (n = 5,299) reported a history of fever within the last two weeks prior to the survey and 8% had fever on the day of the survey. Only 39% (n = 2,035) of individuals with fever in last two weeks took any action, of which 43% (n = 875) were treated with anti-malarials. About 44% (n = 382) of malaria treatments were done using the nationally recommended first-line therapy artesunate+sulphadoxine-pryrimethamine (AS+SP) and 13% (n = 122) with non-recommended chloroquine or SP. Importantly 33.9% (n = 296) of all malaria treatments included artemether monotherapy, which is internationally banned for the treatment of uncomplicated malaria. About 53% of fevers had some form of parasitological diagnosis before treatment. On the day of survey, 21,988 individuals provided a finger-prick blood sample and only 1.8% were found positive for Plasmodium falciparum. Infection prevalence was higher among individuals who had fever in the last two weeks (OR = 3.4; 95%CI = 2.6 - 4.4, p < 0.001) or reported fever on the day of survey (OR = 6.2; 95%CI = 4.4 - 8.7, p < 0.001) compared to those without a history of fever. CONCLUSION: Across the northern states of the Sudan, the period prevalence of fever is low. The proportion of fevers that are likely to be malaria is very low. Consequently, parasitological diagnosis of all fevers before treatment is an appropriate strategy for malaria case-management. Improved regulation and supervision of health workers is required to increase the use of diagnostics and remove the practice of prescribing artemisinin monotherapy

A systematic review of Hepatitis B virus (HBV) prevalence and genotypes in Kenya: Data to inform clinical care and health policy

The aim of this systematic review and meta-analysis is to evaluate available prevalence and viral sequencing data representing chronic hepatitis B (CHB) infection in Kenya. More than 20% of the global disease burden from CHB is in Africa, however there is minimal high quality seroprevalence data from individual countries and little viral sequencing data available to represent the continent. We undertook a systematic review of the prevalence and genetic data available for hepatitis B virus (HBV) in Kenya using the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Review and Meta-analysis (PRISMA) 2020 checklist. We identified 23 studies reporting HBV prevalence and 8 studies that included HBV genetic data published in English between January 2000 and December 2021. We assessed study quality using the Joanna Briggs Institute critical appraisal checklist. Due to study heterogeneity, we divided the studies to represent low, moderate, high and very high-risk for HBV infection, identifying 8, 7, 5 and 3 studies in these groups, respectively. We calculated pooled HBV prevalence within each group and evaluated available sequencing data. Pooled HBV prevalence was 3.4% (95% CI 2.7–4.2%), 6.1% (95% CI 5.1–7.4%), 6.2% (95% CI 4.64–8.2) and 29.2% (95% CI 12.2–55.1), respectively. Study quality was overall low; only three studies detailed sample size calculation and 17/23 studies were cross sectional. Eight studies included genetic information on HBV, with two undertaking whole genome sequencing. Genotype A accounted for 92% of infections. Other genotypes included genotype D (6%), D/E recombinants (1%) or mixed populations (1%). Drug resistance mutations were reported by two studies. There is an urgent need for more high quality seroprevalence and genetic data to represent HBV in Kenya to underpin improved HBV screening, treatment and prevention in order to support progress towards elimination targets

A systematic review of Hepatitis B virus (HBV) prevalence and genotypes in Kenya: data to inform clinical care and health policy

The aim of this systematic review and meta-analysis is to evaluate available prevalence and viral sequencing data representing chronic hepatitis B (CHB) infection in Kenya. More than 20% of the global disease burden from CHB is in Africa, however there is minimal high quality seroprevalence data from individual countries and little viral sequencing data available to represent the continent. We undertook a systematic review of the prevalence and genetic data available for hepatitis B virus (HBV) in Kenya using the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Review and Meta-analysis (PRISMA) 2020 checklist. We identified 23 studies reporting HBV prevalence and 8 studies that included HBV genetic data published in English between January 2000 and December 2021. We assessed study quality using the Joanna Briggs Institute critical appraisal checklist. Due to study heterogeneity, we divided the studies to represent low, moderate, high and very high-risk for HBV infection, identifying 8, 7, 5 and 3 studies in these groups, respectively. We calculated pooled HBV prevalence within each group and evaluated available sequencing data. Pooled HBV prevalence was 3.4% (95% CI 2.7-4.2%), 6.1% (95% CI 5.1-7.4%), 6.2% (95% CI 4.64-8.2) and 29.2% (95% CI 12.2-55.1), respectively. Study quality was overall low; only three studies detailed sample size calculation and 17/23 studies were cross sectional. Eight studies included genetic information on HBV, with two undertaking whole genome sequencing. Genotype A accounted for 92% of infections. Other genotypes included genotype D (6%), D/E recombinants (1%) or mixed populations (1%). Drug resistance mutations were reported by two studies. There is an urgent need for more high quality seroprevalence and genetic data to represent HBV in Kenya to underpin improved HBV screening, treatment and prevention in order to support progress towards elimination targets

Lung function in HIV-infected children and adolescents

Background The advent of antiretroviral therapy has led to the improved survival of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-infected children to adulthood and to HIV becoming a chronic disease in older children and adolescents. Chronic lung disease is common among HIV-infected adolescents. Lung function measurement may help to delineate the spectrum, pathophysiology and guide therapy for HIV-related chronic lung disease. Aim The aim of this study was to review the available data on the spectrum and determinants of lung function abnormalities and the impact of antiretroviral therapy on lung function in perinatally HIV-infected children and adolescents. Methods Electronic databases “PUBMED”, “African wide” and “CINAHL” via EBSCO Host, using the MeSH terms “Respiratory function” AND “HIV” OR “Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome” AND “Children” OR “Adolescents”, were searched for relevant articles on lung function in HIV-infected children and adolescents. The search was limited to English language articles published between January 1984 and September 2017. Results Eighteen articles were identified, which included studies from Africa, the United States of America (USA) and Italy, representing 2051 HIV-infected children and adolescents, 68% on antiretroviral therapy, aged from 50 days to 24 years. Lung function abnormalities showed HIV-infected participants had increased irreversible lower airway expiratory obstruction and reduced functional aerobic impairment on exercise, compared to HIV-uninfected participants. Mosaic attenuation, extent of bronchiectasis, history of previous pulmonary tuberculosis or previous lower respiratory tract infection and cough for more than 1 month were associated with low lung function. Pulmonary function tests in children established on antiretroviral therapy did not show aerobic impairment and had less severe airway obstruction. Conclusion There is increasing evidence that HIV-infected children and adolescents have high prevalence of lung function impairment, predominantly irreversible lower airway obstruction and reduced aerobic function

The Impact of Selected Socioeconomic Factors on Residents’ Perceptions of Benefits of Community Gardens

Participating in community gardens is believed to have several benefits; yet, there has been limited research on socioeconomic factors and their impact on community gardens. Therefore, this study assessed the impact of selected socioeconomic factors on residents’ perceptions of benefits of community gardens. Using a questionnaire, data were obtained from a convenience sample of 217 participants from Macon County, Alabama, and analyzed using descriptive statistics and ordinal logit analysis. The results showed that a majority (at least 73%) agreed or strongly agreed with statements regarding nutritional benefits, health benefits, and community benefits of community gardens. In addition, several socioeconomic factors; age, education, and annual household income, had statistically significant effects on perceptions of benefits of participating in community gardens. Consequently, it was recommended that policies and programs that encourage participation in community gardens be put in place for residents in the study area, with cooperation among, county officials, University scientists, and community residents. This will lead to benefits of eating more fruits and vegetables, eating fresher foods, and possibly, in the long-term, reducing chronic diseases. Keywords: Community gardens, Socioeconomic factors, Macon County, Rural communitie

Where do those data go? Reuse of screening results from clinical trials to estimate population prevalence of HBV infection in adults in Kilifi, Kenya

Chronic hepatitis B infection (CHB) is a significant problem worldwide with around 300 million people infected. Ambitious goals have been set towards its elimination as a public health threat by 2030. However, accurate seroprevalence estimates in many countries are lacking or fail to provide representative population estimates, particularly in the WHO African Region (AFRO). This means the full extent of HBV infection is not well described, leading to a lack of investment in diagnostics, treatment and disease prevention. Clinical trials in the WHO AFRO region have been increasing over time and many test for infectious diseases including hepatitis B virus (HBV) to determine baseline eligibility for participants, however these screening data are not reported. Here we review data from six clinical trials completed at the KEMRI-Wellcome Trust Research Programme between 2016 and 2023 that screened for HBV using hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) as part of the trial exclusion criteria. 1727 people had HBsAg results available, of which 60 tested positive. We generated a crude period HBV prevalence estimate of 3.5% (95% CI 2.6–4.5%), and after standardisation for sex and age to account for the population structure of the Kilifi Health Demographics Surveillance System (KHDSS), the prevalence estimate increased to 5.0% (95% CI 3.4–6.6%). The underrepresentation of women in these trials was striking with 1263/1641 (77%) of participants being male. Alanine aminotransferase (ALT) was significantly higher in the HBsAg positive group but was not outside the normal range. We argue that routine collation and publishing of data from clinical trials could increase precision and geographical representation of global HBV prevalence estimates, enabling evidence-based provision of clinical care pathways and public health interventions to support progress towards global elimination targets. We do acknowledge when using clinical trials data for seroprevalence estimates, that local population structure data is necessary to allow standardisation of results, and the point of care tests used here are limited in sensitivity and specificity