150 research outputs found
Youth’s Knowledge, Attitudes and Practices in Wildlife and Environmental Conservation in Maasailand, Kenya
The factors influencing formally and informally educated youth’s knowledge, attitudes and practices pertaining to wildlife and environmental conservation were assessed in southern Kenya. Using a stratified population sample with evenly spread gender, students in lower primary, upper primary and secondary schools were interviewed. Maasai morans – informally educated Maasai – youth were interviewed as well. Youth whose parents were engaged in tourism-related activities were more positive towards wildlife and environmental conservation. Tourism and foreign exchange were seen as the most important benefits of conserving elephants and other wildlife. Generally male respondents had more positive attitudes towards elephant presence within their land. Schooling and participation in extra-curriculum activities through clubs positively influenced the youth’s perceptions of wildlife and environmental conservation. The authors emphasise the role of formal education and environmental clubs in enhancing sustainable environmental and wildlife conservation. Several challenges limit student participation in environmental club activities among most schools. Increased support for education among the youth and improved support for environmental and wildlife clubs can be beneficial to wildlife and environmental conservation
Knowledge, attitude and practice of post exposure prophylaxis among female sex workers at Majengo, Nairobi
Background: HIV Post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP) is defined as the provision of a short course of antiretroviral drugs soon after a possible or confirmed HIV exposure to HIV negative persons. The aim is to allow a person’s immune system to provide protection against the virus and to prevent HIV from becoming established in someone’s body. However, its use in at*risk populations such as female sex workers has not been studied extensively.
Objectives: The main objective of the study was to determine knowledge, attitude and practice in particular use of post exposure prophylaxis among the female sex workers.
Study Design: Descriptive cross-sectional survey was carried out at the female sex worker clinic located at Majengo slums, Nairobi.
Method: Consecutive sampling method was used to identify study population and 345 participants were sampled and interviewed using semi*structured questionnaire.
Results: The average age of the participants was between (25*34years). The mean duration of prostitution was 10 years. The mean number of all type of sexual clients per week was 11.4 (CI: 10.6*12.2). Condom use was high among irregular clients (>90%) as compared to regular clients/boyfriends (6.8%). On sexual practice the study showed that vaginal sex was highly practiced among all sexual clients (90%). The study revealed that 75.7% of the participants had adequate knowledge on PEP. Though 71% of the participants had ever used PEP, majority (68.9%) did not complete the four weeks of treatment. Out of the participants who had ever used EP, 10.3% had used it due to rape and 65.3% condom burst (P<0.01) and 24.4% had used it because they either chose not to use condom or they were paid more not to use condoms The study demonstrated that side effects of drugs (57.4%) and fear of being known that they were using PEP (64.1%) positively affected the uptake of Post exposure prophylaxis.
Conclusion: The study demonstrated that the participants adopted safer sexual behaviour which included condom use though more education is needed to use protection even with the boyfriends/regular clients. Most of the participants reported that the reason for PEP use as due to condom burst, there was need for health providers to do health education on proper condom use and the recommended lubricants including demonstration from time to time to avoid condom burst. The results also showed that the study participants rarely practiced risky sexual behaviour like anal sex. The study revealed that 23.4% of the participants had inadequate knowledge on PEP. The major constraint to PEP uptake was side effects and fear that other clients will know that they are on PEP hence there is need for more interventions on PEP in order to increase the level of awareness and adherence
Use of Sleeve Nets to Improve Survival of the Boisduval Silkworm, Anaphe panda, in the Kakamega Forest of Western Kenya
Prospects for development of a wild silk industry in Africa would be improved if silkworm survival during mass production could be improved. A study on the survival of the Boisduval silkworm, Anaphe panda (Boisduval) (Lepidoptera: Thaumetopoeidae) was conducted with and without protection by net sleeves in two different forest habitats (natural and modified) in the Kakamega forest of western Kenya. Overall, cohort survival was significantly higher (P < 0.001) in the natural than in the modified forest, but larval survival was improved over three-fold by protection with net sleeves in both habitat types. In the modified forest, only 16.8% of unprotected larvae survived to the pupal stage and formed cocoons, whereas 62.3% survived in the same environment when they were protected with net sleeves. In the natural forest, 20.4% of unprotected larvae survived, whereas 67.7% survived in net sleeves. There was also a significant effect of season; cohorts of larvae that eclosed in the wet season had significantly lower survival than those eclosing in the dry season (P = 0.02). Sources of mortality appeared to be natural enemies (parasites, predators and diseases) and climatic factors
Factors associated with cholera in Kenya, 2008-2013
Introduction: Kenya experienced widespread cholera outbreaks in 1997-1999 and 2007-2010. The re-emergence of cholera in Kenya in 2015 indicates that cholera remains a public health threat. Understanding past outbreaks is important for preventing future outbreaks. This study investigated the relationship between cholera occurrence in Kenya and various environmental and demographic factors related to water, sanitation, socio-economic status, education, urbanization and availability of health facilities during the time period 2008-2013.
Methods: the primary outcome analyzed was the number of cholera cases at the district level, obtained from the Kenya Ministry of Health's national cholera surveillance records. Values of independent variables were obtained from the 2009 Kenya Population and Housing Census and other national surveys. The data were analyzed using a zero-inflated negative binomial regression model.
Results: multivariate analysis indicated that the risk of cholera was associated with open defecation, use of unimproved water sources, poverty headcount ratio and the number of health facilities per 100,000 population (p < 0.05). No statistically significant association was found between cholera occurrence and education, percentage of population living in urban areas or population density.
Conclusion: the Sustainable Development Goals and Kenya's blueprint for development, Kenya Vision 2030, call for access to sanitation facilities and clean water for all by 2030. Kenya has made important economic strides in recent years but continues to be affected by diseases like cholera that are associated with low socio-economic status. Further expansion of access to sanitation facilities and clean water is necessary for preventing cholera in Kenya
Aspectos moleculares da carcinogênese hepática
Agentes exĂłgenos correlacionados com o carcinoma hepatocelular (HCC) tĂŞm sido identificados e bem caracterizados. Esses agentes, entre os quais se incluem os diferentes vĂrus que causam hepatite e cirrose hepática, podem provocar o aparecimento de nĂłdulos regenerativos e nĂłdulos displásicos/hiperplasia adenomatosa. Essas condições associadas com diversas alterações moleculares do hepatĂłcito podem culminar com o aparecimento do HCC. Recentemente, grandes progressos tĂŞm ocorrido na identificação de mutações somáticas ou germinativas que estariam correlacionadas com o desenvolvimento do HCC, justificando ampla revisĂŁo do tema. Procuramos discutir nesta revisĂŁo os fatores envolvidos no processo de carcinogĂŞnese hepática, tal como a infecção pelos vĂrus das hepatites B e C, com ĂŞnfase nas alterações moleculares descritas nos Ăşltimos anos, assinalando áreas em que potenciais avanços na abordagem clĂnica poderĂŁo surgir em futuro prĂłximo.Exogenous agents correlated with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) have been identified and well characterized. These agents, including the different viruses that cause chronic hepatitis and cirrhosis, can lead to regenerative nodules and dysplastic nodules/adenomatous hyperplasia. These conditions associated with several molecular alterations of hepatocyte ultimately culminate in hepatocellular carcinoma. Recently, there has been a great progress in the identification of somatic and germinative mutations that may be correlated with the development of HCC, justifying a review on the subject. Hence, the factors involved in the process of hepatic carcinogenesis, such as infection by the hepatitis B and C viruses, with a special focus in the molecular alterations described in recent years are discussed herein, pointing out areas potentially relevant for clinical development
Novel stem cell technologies are powerful tools to understand the impact of human factors on Plasmodium falciparum malaria
© 2023 The Author(s). This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY), https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/Plasmodium falciparum parasites have a complex life cycle, but the most clinically relevant stage of the disease is the invasion of erythrocytes and the proliferation of the parasite in the blood. The influence of human genetic traits on malaria has been known for a long time, however understanding the role of the proteins involved is hampered by the a nuclear nature of erythrocytes that makes them inaccessible to genetic tools. Here we overcome this limitation using stem cells to generate erythroid cells with an in-vitro differentiation protocol and assess parasite invasion with an adaptation of flow cytometry to detect parasite hemozoin. We combine this strategy with reprogramming of patient cells to Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells and genome editing to understand the role of key genes and human traits in malaria infection. We show that deletion of basigin ablates invasion while deletion of ATP2B4 has a minor effect and that erythroid cells from reprogrammed patient-derived HbBart α-thalassemia samples poorly support infection. The possibility to obtain patient-secific and genetically modifed erythoid cells offers an unparalleled opportunity to study the role of human genes and polymorphisms in malaria allowing preservation of the genomic background to demonstrate their function and understand their mechanisms.Peer reviewe
Infertility in the Global South: Raising awareness and generating insights for policy and practice
Infertility in the Global South: Raising awareness and generating insights for policy and practice
Plant Morphoecological Traits, Grass-Weed Interactions and Water Use Efficiencies of Grasses Used for Restoration of African Rangelands
Degradation characterized by depleted vegetation cover is a serious environmental problem in African rangelands. It poses a serious threat to millions of pastoralists and agropastoralists who depend on livestock as a source of livelihood. Consequently, there has been a growing global interest to consolidate efforts to restore degraded ecosystems. For example, the UN decade of Ecosystem Restoration initiative aims at uniting the world behind a common goal of preventing, halting and reversing the degradation of ecosystems. Grass reseeding using native perennial species has been identified as one of the practical ecological strategies for restoring degraded African rangelands, enhancing vegetation cover and forage production. Knowledge of the multifaceted performance of African rangeland grasses in terms of morphoecological traits, interaction with weeds and water use efficiencies is however largely limited and often elusive. Perennial grasses indigenous to African rangelands Cenchrus ciliaris L. (African foxtail grass), Enteropogon macrostachyus (Hochst. Ex A. Rich.) Monro ex Benth. (Bush rye grass) and Eragrostis superba Peyr. (Maasai love grass), were established in an African semi-arid rangeland under natural conditions to fill this knowledge gap. Morphoecological plant traits: aboveground biomass (shoot, leaf and stem) production, plant densities, basal cover, tiller densities and plant height were measured 9 months after establishment. Interaction between the target grass species and weeds and water use efficiencies (WUE) were also determined. Enteropogon macrostachyus displayed significantly higher values for plant densities, tiller densities and basal cover, indices commonly used to estimate the potential of grasses for ecological restoration. Eragrostis superba produced the highest shoot biomass and water use efficiencies. This is attributed to its higher leafy biomass fraction. Higher aboveground biomass production of E. superba demonstrate its suitability for enhancing rangeland productivity. Cenchrus ciliaris suppressed the weeds. This is linked to its aggressive and allelopathic nature. In conclusion, the three perennial grasses displayed distinct morphoecological traits. In order to achieve successful seed-based restoration of degraded African rangelands using native perennial grasses, careful selection species to maximize on their unique traits is recommended. Ultimately, this selection process should match the desired restoration outcomes and subsequent use of the rangeland.Peer reviewe
HIV prevalence, testing and treatment among men who have sex with men through engagement in virtual sexual networks in Kenya: a cross-sectional bio-behavioural study
INTRODUCTION: In Kenya, men who have sex with men (MSM) are increasingly using virtual sites, including web-based apps, to meet sex partners. We examined HIV testing, HIV prevalence, awareness of HIV-positive status and linkage to antiretroviral therapy (ART), for HIV-positive MSM who solely met partners via physical sites (PMSM), compared with those who did so in virtual sites (either solely via virtual sites (VMSM), or via both virtual and physical sites (DMSM)). METHODS: We conducted a cross-sectional bio-behavioural survey of 1200 MSM, 15 years and above, in three counties in Kenya between May and July 2019, using random sampling of physical and virtual sites. We classified participants as PMSM, DMSM and VMSM, based on where they met sex partners, and compared the following between groups using chi-square tests: (i) proportion tested; (ii) HIV prevalence and (iii) HIV care continuum among MSM living with HIV. We then performed multivariable logistic regression to measure independent associations between network engagement and HIV status. RESULTS: 177 (14.7%), 768 (64.0%) and 255 (21.2%), of participants were classified as PMSM, DMSM and VMSM respectively. 68.4%, 70.4% and 78.5% of PMSM, DMSM and VMSM, respectively, reported an HIV test in the previous six months. HIV prevalence was 8.5% (PMSM), 15.4% (DMSM) and 26.7% (VMSM), p < 0.001. Among those living with HIV, 46.7% (PMSM), 41.5% (DMSM) and 29.4% (VMSM) were diagnosed and aware of their status; and 40.0%, 35.6% and 26.5% were on antiretroviral treatment. After adjustment for other predictors, MSM engaged in virtual networks remained at a two to threefold higher risk of prevalent HIV: VMSM versus PMSM (adjusted odds ratio 3.88 (95% confidence interval (CI) 1.84 to 8.17) p < 0.001); DMSM versus PMSM (2.00 (95% CI 1.03 to 3.87), p = 0.040). CONCLUSIONS: Engagement in virtual networks is associated with elevated HIV risk, irrespective of individual-level risk factors. Understanding the difference in characteristics among MSM-seeking partners in different sites will help HIV programmes to develop subpopulation-specific interventions
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