Contribution of Microfinance Credit on Poverty Reduction among the Agricultural Rural Women in Keiyo North District, Elgeyo-Marakwet County, Kenya

Microfinance institutions provide small loans to rural women to improve their living standards. The main purpose of microfinance credit programme is to break the vicious cycle of poverty among the rural women by providing them with capital. Poverty is a global problem; more than 1.3 billion people worldwide live below the poverty line, 70% of them being women. In Keiyo North district, 48% of the population lives below the poverty line with women constituting 65% of those living below the poverty line. However, less rural women in Keiyo North district participate in the microfinance credit programme despite the fact that Kenya Women Finance Trust (KWFT) operates in all the 13 sub-locations in the district. This study sought to investigate the contribution of microfinance credit on poverty reduction among the rural women in Keiyo North district. The study used a descriptive survey design to collect data. The target population was 220 of the rural women participating in groups in microfinance credit programme from which a sample of 130 rural women was drawn. An open and close-ended questionnaire was used. A pilot study was conducted among the 30 KWFT rural women participants and a Cronbach’s Apha coefficient reliability of 0.71 was attained. The validity of the instrument was ascertained by experts from Agricultural Education and Extension in the Faculty of Education and Community studies and supervisors of Egerton University. Data was analyzed using chi-square α=0.05 significance level. Results indicated that microfinance credit programme has improved household level of income and acquisition of assets among the rural women in Keiyo North district. In addition, the rural women can also afford health care services for their families as a result of participating in microfinance credit programme. The study recommends that microfinance institutions (MFIs) should encourage more rural women to participate in microfinance credit programme to increase their levels of income and raise their household assets ownership. The county government should sensitize more rural women on the need to join the microfinance credit programme in order to boost their ability to afford health care services for their families. Keywords: Microfinance credit, poverty, Income, Asset acquisition, Health care, Agricultural rural women

Characterization and factors associated with diarrhoeal diseases caused by enteric bacterial pathogens among children aged five years and below attending Igembe District Hospital, Kenya

Introduction: Diarrhoea remains a major public health problem in East African nations such as Kenya. Surveillance for a broad range of entericpathogens is necessary to accurately predict the frequency of pathogens and potential changes in antibiotic resistance patterns.Methods: A cross sectional study was conducted in Igembe District Hospital in Meru County to determine the burden and factors associated enteric  bacterial infection among children aged five years and below. Stool  samples were collected between March and July 2012. Bacterial pathogens were identified and antibiotic susceptibility of bacterial isolates was  ascertained. Questionnaire was administered to the 308 study participants to identify the modifiable risk factors. Data was entered and analyzed  using Epi Info version 3.5.3.Results: The study recruited 308 children. The mean age was 27.25  months, median of 26.0 months and age range  between 2-60 months. The bacterial isolation rates were ETEC 9.1%, EPEC 6.8% and EAEC 12.3%, Salmonella paratyphoid (10.4%), Shigella flexineri (1.9%) and Shigella dysentriae (0.9%). Over 95 %, of the isolates were resistance to  amoxicillin, sulphinatozole, cotrimoxazole. Six factors were independently associated with diarrhoeal diseases, occupation of the parent/guardian (miraa business) (OR=1.8, CI:1.44-4.99),care taker not washing hands after changing napkins (OR= 1.6, CI:1.2-19.7), child drank untreated water from the river (OR= 2.7, CI:2.4-9.9) child not exclusively breastfed (OR= 2.4, CI:2.1-10.5),child did not Wash hands before eating (OR=2.2, CI:1.91-16.3) and after visiting toilet (OR=3.7,CI:2.8-39.4).Eating of mangoes was found to be protective against diarrhoea (OR=0.5, CI:0.03-0.89).Conclusion: The bacterial pathogens were found to be a significant cause of diarrhoea in the study participants. We established higher resistance to several commonly prescribed antibiotics.Several  factors were significantly association with diarrhoea illness. We recommend multifaceted approach that acknowledges the public health aspects that would reduce the  burdenof diarrhoea infectious as identified in this study

A retrospective evaluation of proficiency testing, and rapid HIV test kits stock-outs among HTC facilities within Nairobi county

Background: Proficiency testing (PT) has been implemented as a form of External Quality Assurance (EQA) by the National HIV Reference Laboratory in Kenya since 2007 in order to monitor and improve on the quality of HIV testing and counselling HTC services.Objective: To compare concordance between National HIV Reference laboratory, and HIV testing and counseling (HTC) facilities.Design: A telephone survey was conducted to access consistencies in PT schemes. An independent EQA assessment questionnaire was developed and pretested on a randomly chosen sample of HTC facilities.Setting: HTC facilities selected from Client-initiated HTC and Provider initiated HTC facilities, within Nairobi County.Subjects: The HTC facilities were randomly selected (n = 45).Results: Inconsistencies and tremendous increase in non-participation in PT schemes. Gender χ² (5, N = 45) = 13.83; p= .017, experience using rapid test kits χ² (5, N =45) = 5.417; p = .020, and current facility ever participating in any PT scheme χ² (5, N = 45) = 15.38, p= .009, had significant effects in participation in PT schemes. Some facilities experienced test kits stock-outs most of the time (2.552 ≥ 3.777), while others sometimes (1.326 ≥ 2.551), t (43) =3.105; p= 0.003. However, there was no link between non participation in PT schemes and test kits stock-outs.Conclusion: The results generated by the study revealed inconsistencies in PT schemes and Test Kits stock-outs from 2012 up to May 2014. These findings will assist in the full adoption of HTC policy guidelines and ensure each and every HTC personnel participate in all PT quarters consistently. Challenges in forecasting, and quantification remains a major barrier to HTC supplies

VIMS 2019 Potomac River Estuary Data in Support of: Improved Penetrometer Performance in Stratified Sediment for Cost-Effective Characterization, Monitoring and Management of Submerged Munitions Sites (SERDP project: MR18-1233)

This work complements the efforts by the Virginia Tech Department of Civil & Environmental Engineering in SERDP MR18-1233, as described in the project’s final report (Stark et al, 2020) and in the Master’s thesis by Dennis Kiptoo (Kiptoo, 2020). Previous work on this project, conducted in the York River during 2018-2918 worked to improve calibration of the Bluedrop free fall penetrometer (FFP) with high resolution sampling of a variety of sediment types (Massey et al, 2020a). Calibration methods developed (Kiptoo, 2020) were used to rapidly identify different sediment types from a grid of 59 Bluedrop PPF stations sampled on the morning of August 5, 2019 on the Potomac River in Wades Bay, just down river from Mallows Bay Park in Nanjemoy, MD. The Bluedrop FFP was deployed numerous times at each station, and the data were retained and processed by Virginia Tech. The Bluedrop stations were arranged in a grid of 8 transects (A-H) perpendicular to shore, spaced ~200 meters apart. Each transect had 5 to 10 stations, depending the on distance of the first one from the shore line, also spaced ~200 meters apart, with stations identified as A1, A2 etc. along the transect. Exact locations for these stations, along with the water depth and temperature at the station, were collected with the GPS onboard the R/V Pintail, are described in the attached VIMS data report CHSD-2020-02 (Massey et al, 2020b). Detailed methodologies, including data processing, station maps and figures from the processed data can also be found in the report. Four distinct sediment types were identified from the Bluedrop FFP results, and the identified regions of these sediment types are indicated on the station map in the data report. A sediment sampling station was selected within each of the regions identified. One sediment station (corresponding to Bluedrop stations C1, G3, G6 and D6, was sampled each day over a period of 4 days from August 5-8, 2019, respectively. At each of the sites, a GOMEX box core was used to collect several sediment grab samples of which sub-cores were collected to minimize edge effects that would disturb the sediment/water interface. At each site, the top ten centimeters, if possible, from two 4” diameter sub-cores were sliced in 1 cm increments and combined for later analysis in the lab for grain size (sand, silt, and clay) distribution (data stored under Grainsize) as well as percent moisture and percent volatile content by loss on ignition at 550 degree C (data stored under Moisture). Two additional 4” diameter cores were analyzed for sediment erodibility using a GUST Microcosm (data stored under GUST), and two rectangular cores were imaged by digital X-ray analysis (data stored under Xray). Salinity and temperature profiles were collected at each site with a Sontek Castaway CTD (data stored under CTD). At each muddy sediment station (C1, G3, and G6), several gravity core samples were collected. One core was imaged by digital X-ray analysis (data stored under Xray) and sliced and analyzed for grain size (sand, silt, and clay) distribution (data stored under Gravity Core). The other gravity cores samples were retained by Virginia Tech personnel for analyses done in their lab (Kiptoo, 2020). The gravity core would not penetrate sufficiently into sandy sediment, therefore there are no gravity cores for D6. Digital X-ray images were taken from a core from each site after it was sliced lengthwise (data stored under Xrays). The cores were then subsampled in 5 cm intervals and analyzed for grain size (sand, silt, and clay) distribution (data stored under grain size). Additional gravity cores were retained by Virginia Tech Personnel from each site for later analysis at their lab. At D6, samples were also collected for Virginia Tech personnel using the GOMEX grab. Acoustic Doppler Current Profiler (ADCP) transect data were collected on August 6th. One ADCP transect was collected along each Bluedrop transect perpendicular to the river flow (A-H). ADCP can be used to look at the general velocity flow field around the sediment sample station as well as provide an approximate measure of the bathymetry along the transects. Chirp transects were collected on the same day as ADCP transects along the numbered transects (1-10), and the data were retained by Virginia Tech personnel

Noninvasive Brain Delivery and Efficacy of BDNF to Stimulate Neuroregeneration and Suppression of Disease Relapse in EAE Mice

This document is the Accepted Manuscript version of a Published Work that appeared in final form in Molecular Pharmaceutics, copyright © 2019 American Chemical Society after peer review and technical editing by the publisher. To access the final edited and published work see https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.molpharmaceut.9b00644.The number of FDA-approved protein drugs (biologics), such as antibodies, antibody–drug conjugates, hormones, and enzymes, continues to grow at a rapid rate; most of these drugs are used to treat diseases of the peripheral body. Unfortunately, most of these biologics cannot be used to treat brain diseases such as Alzheimer’s disease (AD), multiple sclerosis (MS), and brain tumors in a noninvasive manner due to their inability to permeate the blood–brain barrier (BBB). Therefore, there is a need to develop an effective method to deliver protein drugs into the brain. Here, we report a proof of concept to deliver a recombinant brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) to the brains of healthy and experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE) mice via intravenous (iv) injections by co-administering BDNF with a BBB modulator (BBBM) peptide ADTC5. Western blot evaluations indicated that ADTC5 enhanced the brain delivery of BDNF in healthy SJL/elite mice compared to BDNF alone and triggered the phosphorylation of TrkB receptors in the brain. The EAE mice treated with BDNF + ADTC5 suppressed EAE relapse compared to those treated with BDNF alone, ADTC5 alone, or vehicle. We further demonstrated that brain delivery of BDNF induced neuroregeneration via visible activation of oligodendrocytes, remyelination, and ARC and EGR1 mRNA transcript upregulation. In summary, we have demonstrated that ADTC5 peptide modulates the BBB to permit noninvasive delivery of BDNF to exert its neuroregeneration activity in the brains of EAE mice

Reproducibility of Results and Performance of TB Diagnostics in East Africa Public Health Laboratories Networking Project - in Kenya

No Abstract

Immune response to controlled release of immunomodulating peptides in a murine experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE) model

The effects of controlled release on immune response to an immunomodulating peptide were evaluated in a murine experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE) model of multiple sclerosis (MS). The peptide, Ac-PLP-BPI-NH2-2 (Ac-HSLGKWLGHPDKF-(AcpGAcpGAcp)2-ITDGEATDSG-NH2; Ac = acetyl, Acp = aminocaproic acid) was designed to suppress T-cell activation in response to PLP139–151, an antigenic peptide in MS. Poly-lactide-co-glycolide (PLGA) microparticles containing Ac-PLP-BPI-NH2-2 (8±4 μm, 1.4±0.2% (w/w)) were prepared by a powder-in oil-in water emulsion-solvent evaporation method, sterilized and administered subcutaneously (s.c.) to SJL/J (H-2s) mice in which EAE had been induced by immunization with PLP139–151. Treatment groups received Ac-PLP-BPI-NH2-2: (i) in solution by repeated i.v. or s.c. injection, (ii) in solution co-administered with blank PLGA microparticles, (iii) in solution co-administered with Ac-PLP-BPI-NH2-2 loaded microparticles, and (iv) as Ac-PLP-BPI-NH2-2 loaded microparticles. Administration of Ac-PLP-BPI-NH2-2 as an s.c. solution produced clinical scores and maintenance of body weight comparable to i.v. solution, but with reduced overall survival, presumably due to anaphylaxis. Administration as s.c. microparticles provided a somewhat less effective reduction in symptoms but with no toxicity during treatment. Thus, the results suggest that s.c. administration of Ac-PLP-BPI-NH2-2 microparticles can provide pharmacological efficacy and reduction in dosing frequency without increased toxicity

In vitro determination of Sun Protection Factor on Clays Used for Cosmetic Purposes in Kenya

Ultraviolet radiation is a real problem to human health and it’s said to cause skin cancer and related skin ailments. These diseases are of economic burden in terms of diagnosis, treatment and prevention in low and middle level countries. Commercial sunscreens are considered as the most effective way of preventing the incidences of skin cancer, however they are costly, unavailable and they contain toxic ingredients, which can in the end be cancerous. Sunscreens from natural sources like plants and clay are currently being explored as cheap, reliable, and available and may offer simple alternative health benefits. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the amount of sun protection factor (SPF) offered by cosmetic clays used in Kenya by different communities. The SPF was determined in vitro using 3 M transpore adhesive tapes on twelve clay samples collected randomly from sites used in three counties namely Narok, Bomet and Bungoma. Using a spreading protocol of 2 µg/cm2 transmittances between 280 to 400 nm were measured using a UV 1800 Shimadzu, Japan spectrophotometer. A commercial sunscreen with known SPF was incorporated in the study as a positive control. The SPF values of the clays were found to be between 1.46 and 40.98. The SPF value obtained for the commercial sunscreen differed from the SPF cited by the manufacturer. A second method was used on the commercial sunscreen and values obtained were in close agreement with those used in the first method. This study revealed that clays used for cosmetic purposes offer some form of sun protection to its users. Determination of SPF using Transpore tape is cheap, easy to handle, readily available and rapid. Keywords: Sun Protection factor, Clay

Factors associated with risky sexual behavior among HIV negative partners in HIV discordant relationships in Nairobi, Kenya

Introduction: Whereas risky sexual behavior influences HIV acquisition, little information is available on risk taking practices among negative partners in HIV discordant relationships in our settings. This study sought to determine the associated factors among this population in Nairobi.Methods: This study was a cross-sectional descriptive study and 133 HIV negative partners participated in the study.Results: Out of the 133 participants, 66.9% were male and 33.1% were female. Overall, 44.4% of the study participants reported inconsistent condom use, 14.3% reported having another sexual partner and 30% reported ever engaging in sexual activities under the influence of alcohol. Monthly earnings (p- 0.02), alcohol use (p- 0.03) and the index partner being on anti-retroviral medication (p-0.02) were significantly associated with having another sexual partner. Focus group discussion findings showed that male gender, alcohol use and the duration of the relationship influenced the decision to use condoms while male gender influenced having another sexual partner.Conclusion: Risky sexual behavior practices still occur among the HIV negative partners in discordant relationships. More education and sensitization should be made on the risks associated with this behavior so as to reduce the risk of HIV infection from their infected partners.Afr J Health Sci. 2013; 26:324-33