INFLUENCE OF PERCEIVED VALUE ON THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN CONSUMER NATIONAL ETHNOCENTRISM AND WILLINGNESS TO BUY COMMERCIAL BANKING SERVICES IN KENYA

International marketing researchers have concentrated on establishing the influence of consumer national ethnocentrism on willingness to buy domestic products/services as opposed to foreign products/services. The purpose of this paper was to determine the mediating role of consumer perceived value on the relationship between consumer ethnocentrism and the willingness to buy banking services in Kenya. A descriptive research design which was cross sectional in nature was used in the study. Data were gathered from 374 University Staff and Students in Kenya. Data analysis was done using binary logit regression. As a multi faceted construct, consumer national ethnocentrism was found to have a negative influence on the willingness to buy banking services from foreign owned banks. These related well with other previous literature. The relationship was however mediated by several factors. Consumer perceived value was found to have a partial mediation. Findings of the study implies that foreign investors in the banking industry should have pertinent localization strategies incorporated in their broad corporate strategies to guide them not only in repositioning their products in the domestic markets but also in adapting their operations so as to enhance domestic consumption

Molecular and serological evidence of flea-associated typhus group and spotted fever group rickettsial infections in Madagascar

This research was supported by the Wellcome Trust (RCDF and Senior Fellowship to ST, #081705 and #095171), the Institut Pasteur de Madagascar, and the Global Emerging Infections Surveillance and Response System, a Division of the Armed Forces Health Surveillance Center [847705.82000.25GB.A0074].Peer reviewedPublisher PD

Influence of Cyclophosphamide on the Haematological Profile of Laboratory Bred African Soft-furred Rats (Mastomys natalensis)

The African soft-furred rat (Mastomys natalensis) has been shown to be a possible model for propagation  of Trypanosoma brucei gambiense. This study aimed at determining the baseline biological reference values  and reproductive data of a laboratory bred Mastomys colony, which was established at TRC. In addition,  the effect of cyclophosphamide (an immunosuppressant) treatment (s) on the haematological profile  was investigated. The mean gestation period was 23 days and the mean litter size was eight. At birth, the  pups weighed 2.4±0.23 g and the weights increased to 78.0±10.6 g in males and 53.9±4.5 g in females by  90 days. The mean haematological values were significantly (p<0.05) higher in adults than juveniles.  However, there was no statistical difference of haematological values between the sexes.  Cyclophosphamide treatment caused a macrocytic hypochromic anaemia, which was noted 24 hours after  treatment and was more severe in animals treated more than once. Thus, in studies involving a disease that  causes anaemia, repeated cyclophosphamide treatment should be limited. Our study is a contribution to  the clinical and biological characterization of the disease pattern in this preferred rodent model of T. b.  gambiense.

Demonstrating PM2.5 and road-side dust pollution by heavy metals along Thika superhighway in Kenya, sub-Saharan Africa

This study assessed the level of heavy metal in roadside dust and PM2.5 mass concentrations along Thika superhighway in Kenya. Thika superhighway is one of the busiest roads in Kenya, linking Thika town with Nairobi. Triplicate road dust samples collected from 12 locations were analysed for lead (Pb), chromium (Cr), cadmium (Cd), nickel (Ni), zinc (Zn), and copper (Cu) using atomic absorption spectrophotometry (AAS). PM2.5 samples were collected on pre-weighed Teflon filters using a BGI personal sampler and the filters were then reweighed. The ranges of metal concentrations were 39–101 μg/g for Cu, 95–262 μg/g for Zn, 9–28 μg/g for Cd, 14–24 μg/g for Ni, 13–30 μg/g for Cr, and 20–80 μg/g for Pb. The concentrations of heavy metals were generally highly correlated, indicating a common anthropogenic source of the pollutants. The results showed that the majority of the measured heavy metals were above the background concentration, and in particular, Cd, Pb, and Zn levels indicated moderate to high contamination. Though not directly comparable due to different sampling timeframes (8 h in this study and 24 h for guideline values), PM2.5 for all sites exceeds the daily WHO PM2.5 guidelines of 25 μg/m3. This poses a health risk to people using and working close to Thika superhighway, for example, local residents, traffic police, street vendors, and people operating small businesses. PM2.5 levels were higher for sites closer to Nairobi which could be attributed to increased vehicular traffic towards Nairobi from Thika. This study provides some evidence of the air pollution problem arising from vehicular traffic in developing parts of the world and gives an indication of the potential health impacts. It also highlights the need for source apportionment studies to determine contributions of anthropogenic emissions to air pollution, as well as long-term sampling studies that can be used to fully understand spatiotemporal patterns in air pollution within developing regions

Using Landsat Imagery to Analyse Land Cover Change in the Njoro Watershed, Kenya

In developing nations where resources are scarce and increased population pressures create stress on available resources, methods are needed to examine effects of human migration and resultant changes in land cover. Widespread availability and low cost of remotely sensed imagery and Geographic Information Systems (GIS) are making such methods a reality to develop quantitative resource mapping and land cover change detection in developing nations (Sheng et al., 1997). However, difficulties arise in tropical regions when trying to analyse traditional vegetation bands (Bands 3 and 4), or indices such as NDVI because saturated pixels limit spectral distinction

Brucellosis in Terekeka County, Central Equatoria State, Southern Sudan

Objectives: To identify factors associated with Brucellosis in patients attending Terekeka Health Facility, Terekeka County, Central Equatoria State, Southern Sudan and to evaluate the utility of the rapid test kit Euracil®.Design: A facility based case-control study.Setting: Terekeka Health Facility, Terekeka County, Central Equatoria State, Southern Sudan.Subjects: Cases were patients presenting at the Terekeka Health Facility with clinical symptoms suggestive of Brucellosis and tested positive for Brucellosis by rapid antigen test while controls were selected from individuals attending Terekeka Health facility with health problems unrelated to brucellosis or febrile illness.Results: A total of fifty eight cases with clinical symptoms suggestive of and tested positive for Brucellosis by rapid antigen test presented. A total of 116 consented controls were recruited into the study. Males accounted for 52% of the cases and 53% of the controls. The mean age was 31 years for both groups. Cases without formal education were 84% while 40% had no source of income, 20% of the cases and 14% of the controls were cattle keepers while 5% of the cases and 13% of the controls were students. In multivariate analysis there were many factors associated with Brucellosislike consumption of raw meat, living with animals at the same place, raising of goats, farm cleaning contact, eating of aborted and wild animals. Logistic regression revealed two factors associated with the disease; consumption of raw milk (OR=3.9, P-value 0.001, 95% CI 1.6666 - 9.0700) was a risk factor while drinking boiled milk was protective(OR= 0.09, p- value 0.000, 95% CI, 0.1 - 0.2).Conclusions: The main age-groups affected were 20 – 30 years with males being affected more than females. Drinking of raw milk was significantly associated with Brucellosis while drinking boiled milk was protective. There should be active public health education on the benefits of boiling milk before consumption. Further studies to elucidate the extent and epidemiology of brucellosis in humans and animals in Southern Sudan are recommended

Prevalence and Types of Coinfections in Sleeping Sickness Patients in Kenya (2000/2009)

The occurrence of coinfections in human African trypanosomiasis (HAT) patients was investigated using a retrospective data of hospital records at the National Sleeping Sickness Referral Hospital in Alupe, Kenya. A total of 31 patients, 19 males and 12 females, were diagnosed with HAT between the years 2000 and 2009. The observed co-infections included malaria (100%), helminthosis (64.5%), typhoid (22.5%), urinary tract infections (16.1%), HIV (12.9%), and tuberculosis (3.2%). The species of helminthes observed included Ancylostoma duodenale (38.7%), Ascaris lumbricoides (45.7%), Strongyloides stercoralis (9.7%), and Taenia spp. (3.2%). The patients were also infected with Entamoeba spp. (32.3%) and Trichomonas hominis (22.6%) protozoan parasites. The main clinical signs observed at the point of admission included headache (74.2%), fever (48.4%), sleep disorders (45.2%), and general body pain (41.9%). The HAT patients were treated with suramin (early stage, 9/31) and melarsoprol (late stage, 22/31). In conclusion, the study has shown that HAT patients have multiple co-infections which may influence the disease pathogenesis and complicate management of HAT

ANTIINFLAMMATORY PROPERTIES OF DICHLOROMETHANE: METHANOLIC LEAF EXTRACTS OF CAESALPINIA VOLKENSII AND MAYTENUS OBSCURA IN ANIMAL MODELS

Objective: Inflammation is the reaction to injury of the living tissues. Conventional medication of inflammation is expensive and arguably associated with various severe adverse effects hence the need to develop herbal agents that are effective as alternative. Caesalpinia volkensii and Maytenus obscura are plants that grow in Mbeere County of Eastern region of Kenya. This study was designed to evaluate the anti-inflammatory activity of C. volkensii and M. obscura plants. Methods: Experimental animals were divided in to four groups; normal group, diseased negative control group, diseased reference group and diseased experimental groups. Inflammation was inducted into the mice using carrageenan. The experimental groups were treated with leaf extracts of the plants at concentration of 50 mg/kg, 100 mg/kg and 150 mg/kg. Anti-inflammatory activities in rats were compared with diclofenac (15 mg/kg) as the standard conventional drug. Results: The leaf extracts of C. volkensii reduced the paw edema by between 6.50%-13.42% while the extracts of M. obscura reduced it by between 4.94%-22.36%. Diclofenac reduced the paw edema by between 4.11%-10.47%. Conclusion: The phytochemical screening results showed that the extracts of C. volkensii had flavonoids, steroids and phenolics while the leaf extracts M. obscura had phenolics, terpenoids and saponins. Flavonoids, saponins and phenolics have been associated with anti-inflammatory activities. Therefore, the study has established that the DCM: methanolic leaf extracts of Caesalpinia volkensii and Maytenus obscura are effective in management of inflammation

Use of the nested polymerase chain reaction for detection of Toxoplasma gondii in slaughterhouse workers in Thika District, Kenya

Background. The widely used methods of diagnosis of Toxoplasma gondii are serological. Current reports indicate a high seroprevalence of T. gondii in humans in Kenya. There is a need for more sensitive diagnostic tests, especially when the specific antibody titres are below detectable threshold levels. Use of the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) targeting the repetitive 529 base pair loci has been reported to be sensitive and specific.Objective. To detect T. gondii in a high-risk group of public health workers in Thika District, Kenya.Methods. In total, 87 human blood samples were collected from male slaughterhouse workers between 1 March 2013 and 25 June 2013. The DNA extracted was amplified by the nested PCR.Results. T. gondii was detected in 39.1% (34/87) of the workers. In the cow-sheep-goat slaughterhouses the prevalence ranged between 20% and 60%, while all the chicken slaughterhouse workers (6/6, 100%) tested positive. The difference in T. gondii positivity between the workers in the chicken slaughterhouse and those in the cattle-sheep-goat slaughterhouses was statistically significant (p=0.003).Conclusion. This study shows the presence of T. gondii in an asymptomatic high-risk group in Thika District, indicating the need for enhancement of public health awareness

High prevalence of <i>Rickettsia africae</i> variants in <i>Amblyomma variegatum</i> ticks from domestic mammals in rural western Kenya: implications for human health

Tick-borne spotted fever group (SFG) rickettsioses are emerging human diseases caused by obligate intracellular Gram-negative bacteria of the genus Rickettsia. Despite being important causes of systemic febrile illnesses in travelers returning from sub-Saharan Africa, little is known about the reservoir hosts of these pathogens. We conducted surveys for rickettsiae in domestic animals and ticks in a rural setting in western Kenya. Of the 100 serum specimens tested from each species of domestic ruminant 43% of goats, 23% of sheep, and 1% of cattle had immunoglobulin G (IgG) antibodies to the SFG rickettsiae. None of these sera were positive for IgG against typhus group rickettsiae. We detected Rickettsia africae–genotype DNA in 92.6% of adult Amblyomma variegatum ticks collected from domestic ruminants, but found no evidence of the pathogen in blood specimens from cattle, goats, or sheep. Sequencing of a subset of 21 rickettsia-positive ticks revealed R. africae variants in 95.2% (20/21) of ticks tested. Our findings show a high prevalence of R. africae variants in A. variegatum ticks in western Kenya, which may represent a low disease risk for humans. This may provide a possible explanation for the lack of African tick-bite fever cases among febrile patients in Kenya