Population pharmacokinetics of antimalarial naphthoquine in combination with artemisinin in Tanzanian children and adults: dose optimization

The combination antimalarial therapy of artemisinin-naphthoquine (ART-NQ) was developed as a single-dose therapy, aiming to improve adherence relative to the multiday schedules of other artemisinin combination therapies. The pharmacokinetics of ART-NQ has not been well characterized, especially in children. A pharmacokinetic study was conducted in adults and children over 5 years of age (6 to 10, 11 to 17, and >/=18 years of age) with uncomplicated malaria in Tanzania. The median weights for the three age groups were 20, 37.5, and 55 kg, respectively. Twenty-nine patients received single doses of 20 mg/kg of body weight for artemisinin and 8 mg/kg for naphthoquine, and plasma drug concentrations were assessed at 13 time points over 42 days from treatment. We used nonlinear mixed-effects modeling to interpret the data, and allometric scaling was employed to adjust for the effect of body size. The pharmacokinetics of artemisinin was best described by one-compartment model and that of naphthoquine by a two-compartment disposition model. Clearance values for a typical patient (55-kg body weight and 44.3-kg fat-free mass) were estimated as 66.7 L/h (95% confidence interval [CI], 57.3 to 78.5 L/h) for artemisinin and 44.2 L/h (95% CI, 37.9 to 50.6 L/h) for naphthoquine. Nevertheless, we show via simulation that patients weighing >/=70 kg achieve on average a 30% lower day 7 concentration compared to a 48-kg reference patient at the doses tested, suggesting dose increases may be warranted to ensure adequate exposure. (This study has been registered at ClinicalTrials.gov under identifier NCT01930331.)

Evaluation of Intussusception after Monovalent Rotavirus Vaccination in Africa.

Postlicensure evaluations have identified an association between rotavirus vaccination and intussusception in several high- and middle-income countries. We assessed the association between monovalent human rotavirus vaccine and intussusception in lower-income sub-Saharan African countries.Using active surveillance, we enrolled patients from seven countries (Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Malawi, Tanzania, Zambia, and Zimbabwe) who had intussusception that met international (Brighton Collaboration level 1) criteria. Rotavirus vaccination status was confirmed by review of the vaccine card or clinic records. The risk of intussusception within 1 to 7 days and 8 to 21 days after vaccination among infants 28 to 245 days of age was assessed by means of the self-controlled case-series method.Data on 717 infants who had intussusception and confirmed vaccination status were analyzed. One case occurred in the 1 to 7 days after dose 1, and 6 cases occurred in the 8 to 21 days after dose 1. Five cases and 16 cases occurred in the 1 to 7 days and 8 to 21 days, respectively, after dose 2. The risk of intussusception in the 1 to 7 days after dose 1 was not higher than the background risk of intussusception (relative incidence [i.e., the incidence during the risk window vs. all other times], 0.25; 95% confidence interval [CI], <0.001 to 1.16); findings were similar for the 1 to 7 days after dose 2 (relative incidence, 0.76; 95% CI, 0.16 to 1.87). In addition, the risk of intussusception in the 8 to 21 days or 1 to 21 days after either dose was not found to be higher than the background risk.The risk of intussusception after administration of monovalent human rotavirus vaccine was not higher than the background risk of intussusception in seven lower-income sub-Saharan African countries. (Funded by the GAVI Alliance through the CDC Foundation.)

The impact of agricultural research on poverty and income distribution: A case study of selected on-farm research projects at Sokoine University of Agriculture, Morogoro, Tanzania

Tanzania Journal of Agricultural Sciences 2013, Vol. 12(1) : 1-9Improved technologies induce productivity growth that generates pro-poor improvement processes. However, improving welfare and equity is a difficult task. This study investigated whether interventions in agriculture benefit farmers who are more capable to derive sufficient gains than others using data from on-farm research projects in Tanzania.Data were collected during baseline and impact assessment studies using questionnaires. The distributions of income were assessed using coefficients of variation, Gini coefficients and Theil’s Tstatistic. Results show that the projects contributed to increase farm income through enhanced productivity and sales of products and these gains were equitably shared. To encourage adoption and sustainability of these interventions it is important to sensitize Local Government Authorities and Agricultural Sector Lead Ministries on these technologies to allow incorporation of research findings in development plans. Involvement of extension staff in research and demonstrations through farmers’ shows should also be encouraged to increase adoption

The impact of agricultural research on poverty and income distribution: A case study of selected on-farm research projects at Sokoine University of Agriculture, Morogoro, Tanzania

Tanzania Journal of Agricultural Sciences (2013) Accepted August, 2010 Vol. 12 No. 1, 1-9Improved technologies induce productivity growth that generates pro-poor improvement processes. However, improving welfare and equity is a difficult task. This study investigated whether interventions in agriculture benefit farmers who are more capable to derive sufficient gains than others using data from on-farm research projects in Tanzania.Data were collected during baseline and impact assessment studies using questionnaires. The distributions of income were assessed using coefficients of variation, Gini coefficients and Theil’s Tstatistic. Results show that the projects contributed to increase farm income through enhanced productivity and sales of products and these gains were equitably shared. To encourage adoption and sustainability of these interventions it is important to sensitize Local Government Authorities and Agricultural Sector Lead Ministries on these technologies to allow incorporation of research findings in development plans. Involvement of extension staff in research and demonstrations through farmers’ shows should also be encouraged to increase adoption

The capacity of on-farm research in reducing poverty: Experiences from twenty seven projects in Tanzania

Tanzania J.Agric.Sc. (2007) Vol. 8 No.2, 103 -114 Accepted May, 2008Poverty can be categorized into income poverty and non-income poverty. At the smallscale Jarmers level income poverty results Jrom low productivity oj agricultural enterprises. hence low sales oj products. On the other hand. non income poverty encompasses a wide range oj live phenomena, including level oj education, poor survival strategies, poor nutritional status. lack oj clean and saJe drinking water, poor social wellbeing, vulnerability , etc. In 2000/01 about 62% oj households in Tanzania succumbed to income poverty. While the Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper (PRSP) was silent on research as one oj the strategic approaches to reduce poverty in Tanzania, a study was conducted between 2001 and 2004 by Sokoine University oj Agriculture (SUA) in collaboration with the Agricultural Sector Lead Ministries (ASLMs) to evaluate the effectiveness oj onjarm research and development (R&D) approaches in bringing about poverty reduction amongst the smallholder Jarmers in the country. The study was based on 27 projects under Tanzania Agricultural Research Project Phase II (TARPII) managed by SUA (TARPII-SUA) conducted in the Eastern and Southern Highlands Zones oj country. By responding to a questionnaire. smallholder Jarmers evaluated technologies introduced through research. Results have shown that smallholder Jarmers' poverty could be signijkantly reduced by inb'oducing appropriate technologies. Thus. on average, participating Jarmers observed reductions in income poverty by the period oj this study. It is concluded that introduction oj technologies through onJarm research increases technology adoption and reduces income poverty

The impact of agricultural research on poverty and income distribution: A case study of selected on-farm research projects at Sokoine University of Agriculture, Morogoro, Tanzania

Tanzania Journal of Agricultural Sciences 2013, Vol. 12(1) : 1-9Improved technologies induce productivity growth that generates pro-poor improvement processes. However, improving welfare and equity is a difficult task. This study investigated whether interventions in agriculture benefit farmers who are more capable to derive sufficient gains than others using data from on-farm research projects in Tanzania.Data were collected during baseline and impact assessment studies using questionnaires. The distributions of income were assessed using coefficients of variation, Gini coefficients and Theil’s Tstatistic. Results show that the projects contributed to increase farm income through enhanced productivity and sales of products and these gains were equitably shared. To encourage adoption and sustainability of these interventions it is important to sensitize Local Government Authorities and Agricultural Sector Lead Ministries on these technologies to allow incorporation of research findings in development plans. Involvement of extension staff in research and demonstrations through farmers’ shows should also be encouraged to increase adoption

The capacity of on-farm research in reducing poverty: Experiences from twenty seven projects in Tanzania

Tanzania J.Agric.Sc. (2007) Vol. 8 No.2, 103 -114 Accepted May, 2008Poverty can be categorized into income poverty and non-income poverty. At the smallscale Jarmers level income poverty results Jrom low productivity oj agricultural enterprises. hence low sales oj products. On the other hand. non income poverty encompasses a wide range oj live phenomena, including level oj education, poor survival strategies, poor nutritional status. lack oj clean and saJe drinking water, poor social wellbeing, vulnerability , etc. In 2000/01 about 62% oj households in Tanzania succumbed to income poverty. While the Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper (PRSP) was silent on research as one oj the strategic approaches to reduce poverty in Tanzania, a study was conducted between 2001 and 2004 by Sokoine University oj Agriculture (SUA) in collaboration with the Agricultural Sector Lead Ministries (ASLMs) to evaluate the effectiveness oj onjarm research and development (R&D) approaches in bringing about poverty reduction amongst the smallholder Jarmers in the country. The study was based on 27 projects under Tanzania Agricultural Research Project Phase II (TARPII) managed by SUA (TARPII-SUA) conducted in the Eastern and Southern Highlands Zones oj country. By responding to a questionnaire. smallholder Jarmers evaluated technologies introduced through research. Results have shown that smallholder Jarmers' poverty could be signijkantly reduced by inb'oducing appropriate technologies. Thus. on average, participating Jarmers observed reductions in income poverty by the period oj this study. It is concluded that introduction oj technologies through onJarm research increases technology adoption and reduces income poverty

The impact of agricultural research on poverty and income distribution: A case study of selected on-farm research projects at Sokoine University of Agriculture, Morogoro, Tanzania

Tanzania Journal of Agricultural Sciences (2013) Accepted August, 2010 Vol. 12 No. 1, 1-9Improved technologies induce productivity growth that generates pro-poor improvement processes. However, improving welfare and equity is a difficult task. This study investigated whether interventions in agriculture benefit farmers who are more capable to derive sufficient gains than others using data from on-farm research projects in Tanzania.Data were collected during baseline and impact assessment studies using questionnaires. The distributions of income were assessed using coefficients of variation, Gini coefficients and Theil’s Tstatistic. Results show that the projects contributed to increase farm income through enhanced productivity and sales of products and these gains were equitably shared. To encourage adoption and sustainability of these interventions it is important to sensitize Local Government Authorities and Agricultural Sector Lead Ministries on these technologies to allow incorporation of research findings in development plans. Involvement of extension staff in research and demonstrations through farmers’ shows should also be encouraged to increase adoption

Productivity and efficiency scores of dairy farms: the case of Turkey

Dairy farms, Efficiency, Total factor productivity, Farm scale, Turkey,