Role of certain bioagents against Guava decline disease and in enhancement of the growth of guava trees

Biocontrol agents, Bacillus subtilis, Pseudomonas fluorescens and Trichoderma harzianum were evaluated against fungi causing guava (Psidium guajava) decline disease caused by Botryodiplodia theobromae, Fusarium oxysporum, and Rhizoctonia solani. Generally, our results showed high antagonistic effects of tested biocontrol agents against previous pathogens. T. harzianum isolates showed an average of 58% inhibition against all pathogens. T. harzianum T4 was the most prominent isolate in inhibiting the growth of guava pathogenic fungi. Based on the secretion of volatile substances, T4 had the most significant inhibition ability as compared to other Trichoderma isolates. By using B. subtilis, the radial growth of R. solani and F. oxysporum was significantly decreased as compared to B. theobromae. In case of P. fluorescens, the radial growth of R. solani was decreased more than B. theobromae followed by F. oxysporum. Different densities of T4 significantly decreased the disease severity and increased plant height, dry weight of shoots and roots and total pigments (chlorophyll a and b, and carotenoids) in guava trees in comparison with infected trees only. We concluded that the application of biocontrol agents decreased guava decline disease and improved the growth of guava trees

Factors Contributing to Low Antiretroviral Therapy Enrolment of Children in the Simiyu Region: A Cross-Sectional Creswell’s Mixed-Methods Sequential Explanatory Design

        The dataset includes children living with HIV aged two to fourteen years whose caregivers were willing to share information regarding their children's medical history. A questionnaire was given to caregivers, and the corresponding answers were recorded. This included the age of the child, marital status of the caregiver, distance to the health facility, education level of the caregiver, source of income, relationship to the child, date of birth, birthplace, time since HIV diagnosis, beliefs about discrimination, history of HIV testing of the child (date tested, ART status, ART start date), and experiences of stigma. For all quantitative data analyses, we utilised Stata™ software. The University of Dodoma and the National Health Research Ethics Sub-Committee (NatHREC) approved the data collection under the National Institute for Medical Research (NIMR). Participation was voluntary and undertaken with written consent. The data were collected cross-sectionally using a mixed-methods sequential explanatory design described by Creswell, 2006.</p

Factors Contributing to Low Antiretroviral Therapy Enrolment of Children in the Simiyu Region: A Cross-Sectional Creswell’s Mixed-Methods Sequential Explanatory Design

 The dataset includes children living with HIV aged two to fourteen years whose caregivers were willing to share information regarding their children's medical history. A questionnaire was given to caregivers, and the corresponding answers were recorded. This included the age of the child, marital status of the caregiver, distance to the health facility, education level of the caregiver, source of income, relationship to the child, date of birth, birthplace, time since HIV diagnosis, beliefs about discrimination, history of HIV testing of the child (date tested, ART status, ART start date), and experiences of stigma. For all quantitative data analyses, we utilised Stata™ software. The University of Dodoma and the National Health Research Ethics Sub-Committee (NatHREC) approved the data collection under the National Institute for Medical Research (NIMR). Participation was voluntary and undertaken with written consent. The data were collected cross-sectionally using a mixed-methods sequential explanatory design described by Creswell, 2006. </p

Determinants of non-suppression HIV Viral Load among Children Receiving Antiretroviral Therapy in Simiyu Region: A Cross-Sectional Study Dataset.

   The introduction of antiretroviral therapy (ART) with increasing access to effective human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) prevention, diagnosis, treatment, and care, including opportunistic infections, has significantly changed the natural course of HIV infection in adults and children. Viral load suppression (VLS) is an essential parameter of a therapy’s effectiveness after ART initiation as a surrogate marker for disease progression. However, despite substantial ART coverage in individuals with HIV in Tanzania, VLS among HIV-positive children receiving ART remains intolerably low at 18%, indicating that 82% of those enrolled in care and treatment centers receiving ART did not achieve VLS. Therefore, this data was collected and analyzed to determine factors affecting VLS in children with HIV infection receiving ART. The findings of this study will help us fill the knowledge gap on factors contributing to low VLS among children with HIV infection in Tanzania. In this database, we found that age at ART initiation and medication adherence play a significant role in VLS. HIV/AIDS programs should incorporate intensive interventions targeting early ART initiation for children and intensifying treatment adherence.</p

Vitamin D and Serum Cytokines in a Randomized Clinical Trial

Background. The role of vitamin D in the body's ability to fight influenza and URI's may be dependent on regulation of specific cytokines that participate in the host inflammatory response. The aim of this study was to test the hypothesis that vitamin D can influence intracellular signaling to regulate the production of cytokines. Subjects and Methods. This study was a 3-month prospective placebo-controlled trial of vitamin D3 supplementation in ambulatory adults [Li-Ng et al., 2009]. 162 volunteers were randomized to receive either 50 μg/d (2000 IU) of vitamin D3 or matching placebo. 25(OH)D and the levels of 10 different cytokines (IL-2, 4, 5, 6, 8, 10, 13, GM-CSF, IFN-γ, TNF-α) were measured in the serum of participants at baseline and the final visit. There were 6 drop-outs from the active vitamin D group and 8 from the placebo group. Results. In the active vitamin D group, we found a significant median percent decline in levels of GM-CSF (−62.9%, P < .0001), IFN-γ (−38.9%, P < .0001), IL-4 (−50.8%, P = .001), IL-8 (−48.4%, P < .0001), and IL-10 (−70.4%, P < .0001). In the placebo group, there were significant declines for GM-CSF (−53.2%, P = .0007) and IFN-γ (−34.4%, P = .0011). For each cytokine, there was no significant difference in the rate of decline between the two groups. 25(OH)D levels increased in the active vitamin D group from a mean of 64.3 ± 25.4 nmol/L to 88.5 ± 23.2 nmol/L. Conclusions. The present study did not show that vitamin D3 supplementation changed circulating cytokine levels among healthy adults