Nurturing next-generation biomedical engineers in Africa: The impact of Innovators’ Summer Schools

The mission of healthcare systems in Africa to deliver compassionate and effective care has been constrained by growing populations, increasing burden of disease, political conflict and limited resources. The impacts of these constraints can be substantially alleviated, and the healthcare services strengthened, through the creation and adoption of affordable, accessible and appropriate biomedical engineering systems and technologies. There is an urgent need for building capacities in biomedical engineering, innovation and entrepreneurship in African countries. The African Biomedical Engineering Consortium has been organising a series of Innovators’ Summer Schools to meet this need by empowering students and researchers with entrepreneurial and innovative skills, and facilitating the design and development of robust, appropriate, and commercially viable medical systems and devices. In this paper, we analyse and discuss the impact of six of these schools held between 2012 and 2017. We used a questionnaire-based survey to collect responses from students who had attended the summer schools. The results of this study demonstrate that the teaching-learning model adopted in the ABEC summer schools was largely effective in promoting biomedical engineering skills, career choices, professional networks and partnerships amongst young African engineers and life scientists who attended the summer schools

The Student Movement Volume 108 Issue 3: Todos Unidos: Andrews Celebrates Hispanic Heritage Month

HUMANS Hispanic Heritage Month, Grace No Bigger and Better! Hailey and AUSA Coming With New Events for This Year!, Nehemiah Sitler Say Hello to Professor Harris, Grace No Welcome to the Writing Center, Savannah Tyler ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT An Evening with Ada Limón, Nathaniel Miller AU Architecture Program Part I, Katrina Johnson (senior, architecture) Makarios: Hispanic Expression through Ministry, Nailea Soto Stitch by Stitch We Cross-Stitch, Amelia Stefanescu This Semester at HPAC: The Power of Live Music, Reagan McCain NEWS AULA Goes Back-to-School, Melissa Moore International Students Share Thoughts on International Basketball, Andrew Francis Science Complex Hosts Panel on Faith and Science, Andrew Francis Soaked and Destroyed: Hyperactive 2023 Hurricane Season Brings Destruction to East Coast., Nehemiah Sitler IDEAS A Brief Understanding of the Venezuelan Refugee Crisis, Robert Zhang Do You Want to Get Starbucks Right Now? , Charisse Lapuebla Fentanyl: From Pain Relief to Public Health Crisis, Katherine Pierre PULSE A Conscious Community, Caitlin Adap Spiritual Life at AU, Rodney Bell II Voy a Palenque, Wambi Karanja LAST WORD Multipassionate Potential, Melissa Moorehttps://digitalcommons.andrews.edu/sm-108/1002/thumbnail.jp

Food Insecurity and Not Dietary Diversity Is a Predictor of Nutrition Status in Children within Semiarid Agro-Ecological Zones in Eastern Kenya

Machakos and Makueni counties in Kenya are associated with historical land degradation, climate change, and food insecurity. Both counties lie in lower midland (LM) lower humidity to semiarid (LM4), and semiarid (LM5) agroecological zones (AEZ). We assessed food security, dietary diversity, and nutritional status of children and women. Materials and Methods. A total of 277 woman-child pairs aged 15–46 years and 6–36 months respectively, were recruited from farmer households. Food security and dietary diversity were assessed using standard tools. Weight and height, or length in children, were used for computation of nutritional status. Findings. No significant difference (P>0.05) was observed in food security and dietary diversity score (DDS) between LM4 and LM5. Stunting, wasting, and underweight levels among children in LM4 and LM5 were comparable as were BMI scores among women. However, significant associations (P=0.023) were found between severe food insecurity and nutritional status of children but not of their caregivers. Stunting was significantly higher in older children (>2 years) and among children whose caregivers were older. Conclusion. Differences in AEZ may not affect dietary diversity and nutritional status of farmer households. Consequently use of DDS may lead to underestimation of food insecurity in semiarid settings

The Student Movement Volume 108 Issue 7: Not Throwing Away Our Shot: Honoring Hamilton\u27s Legacy

HUMANS An Arboretum of Beauty, Anneliese Tessalee Serving with All She\u27s Got: Natalia\u27s Mission Experience in the Dominican Republic, Nick Bishop WAUS Fall Fundraiser, Grace No ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT Art: A Window Into Another Reality, Madison Vath Filipino Art Through Filipino Eyes: Celebrating A Culture, Amelia Stefanescu Free-Falling Into Autumn : A Fall Playlist, Amelia Stefanescu Upcoming Events in the Art Department, Katrina Johnson What to do about Inhospitality?: A Review of Mitski\u27s Newest Album, Reagan McCain NEWS Andrews Autumn Conference Promotes Peaceful Scientific Discourse, Andrew Francis Honors Goes to Hamilton, Melissa Moore Unraveling the Historical Threads: The SDA Church\u27s Journey with the Trinity, Brendan Oh IDEAS Cats or Dogs?, Abby Shim Exploring Student Perspectives on Jewelry, Reagan Westerman Israeli- Gaza, the Split of Public Opinion, United Nations Resolutions and What We Can Do, Robert Zhang PULSE Everything Happens For A Reason , Nicole Compton-Gray Moral Conflict: What is the Right Thing to Do?, Katie Davis Productivity & Success, Anna Rybachek Social Media and the College Student: A Useful Tool or a Destructive Spiral?, Rodney Bell II LAST WORD To Be Loved and to Love, Wambui Karanjahttps://digitalcommons.andrews.edu/sm-108/1006/thumbnail.jp

Investing in late-stage clinical trials and manufacturing of product candidates for five major infectious diseases: a modelling study of the benefits and costs of investment in three middle-income countries

BACKGROUND : Investing in late-stage clinical trials, trial sites, and production capacity for new health products could improve access to vaccines, therapeutics, and infectious disease diagnostics in middle-income countries. This study assesses the case for such investment in three of these countries: India, Kenya, and South Africa. METHODS: We applied investment case modelling and assessed how many cases, deaths, and disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) could be averted from the development and manufacturing of new technologies (therapeutics and vaccines) in these countries from 2021 to 2036, for five diseases—HIV, tuberculosis, malaria, pneumonia, and diarrhoeal diseases. We also estimated the economic benefits that might accrue from making these investments and we developed benefit–cost ratios for each of the three middle-income countries. Our modelling applies two investment case perspectives: a societal perspective with all costs and benefits measured at the societal level, and a country perspective to estimate how much health and economic benefit accrues to each middle-income country for every dollar invested in clinical trials and manufacturing by the middle-income country government. For each perspective, we modelled two scenarios: one that considers only domestic health and economic benefits; and one that includes regional health and economic benefits. In the regional scenarios, we assumed that new products developed and manufactured in India would benefit eight countries in south Asia, whereas new products developed and manufactured in Kenya would benefit all 21 countries in the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA). We also assumed that all 16 countries in the Southern African Development Community (SADC) would benefit from products developed and manufactured in South Africa. FINDINGS : From 2021 to 2036, product development and manufacturing in Kenya could avert 4·44 million deaths and 206·27 million DALYs in the COMESA region. In South Africa, it could prevent 5·19 million deaths and 253·83 million DALYs in the SADC region. In India, it could avert 9·76 million deaths and 374·42 million DALYs in south Asia. Economic returns would be especially high if new tools were produced for regional markets rather than for domestic markets only. Under a societal perspective, regional returns outweigh investments by a factor of 20·51 in Kenya, 33·27 in South Africa, and 66·56 in India. Under a country perspective, the regional benefit–cost ratios amount to 60·71 in India, 8·78 in Kenya, and 11·88 in South Africa. INTERPRETATION : Our study supports the creation of regional hubs for clinical trials and product manufacturing compared with narrow national efforts.The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.https://www.thelancet.com/journals/langlo/homehttps://datahelpdesk.worldbank.org/knowledgebase/articles/906519-world-bank-country-and-lending-groupsam2023Graduate School of Technology Management (GSTM

Long-Term Follow-Up After Unilateral Intravitreal Gene Therapy for Leber Hereditary Optic Neuropathy: The RESTORE Study

Background: RESCUE and REVERSE were 2 Phase 3 clinical trials that assessed the efficacy and safety of intravitreal gene therapy with lenadogene nolparvovec (rAAV2/2-ND4) for the treatment of Leber hereditary optic neuropathy (LHON). RESTORE is the long-term follow-up study of subjects treated in the RESCUE and REVERSE trials. Methods: In RESCUE and REVERSE, 76 subjects with LHON because of the m.11778 G>A mutation in the mitochondrial gene ND4 received a single unilateral intravitreal injection of lenadogene nolparvovec. After 96 weeks, 61 subjects were enrolled in the long-term follow-up study RESTORE. The best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA) was assessed over a period of up to 52 months after onset of vision loss. A locally estimated scatterplot smoothing regression model was used to analyze changes in BCVA over time. Vision-related quality of life was reported using the visual function questionnaire-25 (VFQ-25). Results: The population of MT-ND4 subjects enrolled in RESTORE was representative of the combined cohorts of RESCUE and REVERSE for mean age (35.1 years) and gender distribution (79% males). There was a progressive and sustained improvement of BCVA up to 52 months after the onset of vision loss. The final mean BCVA was 1.26 logarithm of the minimal angle of resolution 48 months after the onset of vision loss. The mean VFQ-25 composite score increased by 7 points compared with baseline. Conclusion: The treatment effect of lenadogene nolparvovec on BCVA and vision-related quality of life observed 96 weeks (2 years) after treatment in RESCUE and REVERSE was sustained at 3 years in RESTORE, with a maximum follow-up of 52 months (4.3 years) after the onset of vision loss

The Student Movement Volume 108 Issue 11: A Merry Christmas: From the SM Staff to You

HUMANS Meet the Professors: New Humans Series, Grace No Psychology Research, Interviewed by Grace No What\u27s The Deal With Santa Claus?, Reagan Westerman Student Worker Interview: Sam Namkung, Interviewed by Lauren Kim ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT A Flat World for Our Round One, Nate Miller Art & Music in Andrews\u27 History - Introduction, Aiko J. Ayala Rios Why Do I Fell Bad for President Snow?: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes Review, Corinna Bevier Have Yourself a Merry Little Hallmark Christmas, Lexie Dunham It\u27s Beginning to Sound a Lot Like Christmas: A Christmas Playlist, Madison Vath NEWS Questions Answered, Questions Avoided: AUSA Town Hall , Andrew Francis The Shift from Emmanuel Missionary College to Andrews University, Katie Davis Deliverance from Same-Sex Attraction? A History of Conversion Therapy in the Adventist Church, Jonathan Clough Introducing Andrews Through the Ages, Melissa Moore The New Diversity Position and Students\u27 Reaction To It, Nate Miller IDEAS Christmas Traditions, Katie Davis Coming Out Ministries: \u27Coming Out\u27 is Coming In, Two perspectives by Lexie Dunham & Bella Hamann How Can We Improve Andrews?, Abby Shim How to Combat Seasonal Depression, Robert Zhang PULSE Christmas or Paganmas: A Question of Celebration, Rodney Bell II Christmas Spirit, Please Don\u27t Go!, Reagan Westerman Civil Rights at Andrews: A Series, Wambui Karanja The Meaning of Christmas, Anna Rybachek LETTERS TO THE EDITOR Desmond Hartwell Murray, I Know Dilution! Shandelle Henson LAST WORD Sonder* in the Train Station, Amelia Stefanescuhttps://digitalcommons.andrews.edu/sm-108/1010/thumbnail.jp

Development of a nutraceutical from natural products: A case study of a herbal-based low sodium table salt

Background: Cyperus papyrus reed ash has been used traditionally as a salt substitute in Western Kenya. Previous work carried out at Kenya Medical Research Institute indicated that potassium salt substitution derived from local papyrus reed has a favourable potassium/sodium ratio that is suitable for use to regulate high blood pressure. Objective: To develop and design a process flow for pilot scale production and to develop suitable analytical methods for quality assurance for a herbal based low sodium table salt. Methodology: The plant material was collected from two study sites in Rift Valley then cleaned, chopped, dried, ashed and extracted at laboratory and optimized industrial scale to yield laboratory and pilot scale samples. Elemental analysis was determined using Atomic Absorption and Flame emission spectroscopy. Results: The herbal salt yield for the laboratory scale processing was about 10% for both samples but 13% and 22%, respectively, using the optimized industrial procedure. Elemental analysis results indicate the presence of both essential and non-essential elements and heavy metal was within the World Health Organization acceptable limits. The potassium/sodium ratios obtained were between 3 and 11. Discussion: The herbal salt has the capacity to preserve meat and is a source of other essential trace elements such as chromium, Zinc and manganese. Key words: Nutraceuticals; process optimization; low sodium; herbal salt; elemental compositio

COVID-19 in sub-Saharan Africa: impacts on vulnerable populations and sustaining home-grown solutions

© 2020, The Canadian Public Health Association. This commentary draws on sub-Saharan African health researchers’ accounts of their countries’ responses to control the spread of COVID-19, including social and health impacts, home-grown solutions, and gaps in knowledge. Limited human and material resources for infection control and lack of understanding or appreciation by the government of the realities of vulnerable populations have contributed to failed interventions to curb transmission, and further deepened inequalities. Some governments have adapted or limited lockdowns due to the negative impacts on livelihoods and taken specific measures to minimize the impact on the most vulnerable citizens. However, these measures may not reach the majority of the poor. Yet, African countries’ responses to COVID-19 have also included a range of innovations, including diversification of local businesses to produce personal protective equipment, disinfectants, test kits, etc., which may expand domestic manufacturing capabilities and deepen self-reliance. African and high-income governments, donors, non-governmental organizations, and businesses should work to strengthen existing health system capacity and back African-led business. Social scientific understandings of public perceptions, their interactions with COVID-19 control measures, and studies on promising clinical interventions are needed. However, a decolonizing response to COVID-19 must include explicit and meaningful commitments to sharing the power—the authority and resources—to study and endorse solutions