Autopsy Findings on a Pair of Dicephalic Parapagus Twins: A Case Report

Conjoined twins are a rare occurrence that presents significant challenges to both parents and medical care givers with many theories being advanced to explain this occurrence.“Parapagus” is a fairly recent term, in which the twins lie side by side with ventro-lateral fusion and are extremely rare representing 0.5% of all reported cases. We present a case report on post mortem findings on a set of parapagus twins delivered through caesarian section at Narok district hospital. We illustrate the various anomalies of the thoracic, abdominal cavity and central nervous system and discuss the embryologic etiologic theories.Key Words: Conjoined, Dicephalic, Malformations, Autops

Spatial and temporal dynamics of malaria transmission in rural western Kenya

ABSTRACT: BACKGROUND: Understanding the impact of reducing Plasmodium falciparum malaria transmission requires estimates of the relationship between health outcomes and exposure to infectious mosquitoes. However, measures of exposure such as mosquito density and entomological inoculation rate (EIR) are generally aggregated over large areas and time periods, biasing the outcome-exposure relationship. There are few studies examining the extent and drivers of local variation in malaria exposure in endemic areas. METHODS: We describe the spatio-temporal dynamics of malaria transmission intensity measured by mosquito density and EIR in the KEMRI/CDC health and demographic surveillance system using entomological data collected during 2002-2004. Geostatistical zero inflated binomial and negative binomial models were applied to obtain location specific (house) estimates of sporozoite rates and mosquito densities respectively. Model-based predictions were multiplied to estimate the spatial pattern of annual entomological inoculation rate, a measure of the number of infective bites a person receive per unit of time. The models included environmental and climatic predictors extracted from satellite data, harmonic seasonal trends and parameters describing space-time correlation. RESULTS: Anopheles gambiae s.l was the main vector species accounting for 86% (n=2309) of the total collected mosquitoes with the remainder being Anopheles funestus. Sixty eight percent (757/1110) of the surveyed houses had no mosquitoes. Distance to water bodies, vegetation and day temperature were significantly associated with mosquito density. Overall annual point estimates of EIR were 6.7, 9.3 and 9.6 infectious bites per annum for 2002, 2003 and 2004 respectively. Monthly mosquito density and EIR varied over the study period peaking in May during the wet season. The predicted and observed densities and EIR showed a strong seasonal and spatial pattern over the study area. CONCLUSIONS: Spatio-temporal maps of malaria transmission intensity obtained in this study are not only useful in understanding variability in malaria epidemiology over small areas but also provides a high resolution exposure surface that can be used to analyse the impact of malaria exposure on mortalit

Spreading the word further: guidelines for disseminating development research

Getting research findings out to those who stand to benefit from them is now widely recognised as a crucial aspect of any research project. This book is a product of the second phase of a DFID-funded KaR project that is aimed at increasing the impact of research through improved dissemination of the research process and findings. It develops the ideas from phase one of the project Spreading the Word: Practical guidelines for research dissemination strategies (Saywell and Cotton, 1999). Based on in-depth consultation with Southern agencies about appropriate methods and formats by which to share information and knowledge relating to development research projects, this book provides dissemination checklists and guidelines. It also provides a useful overview of the issues and more specific advise for anyone engaged in development-related research, whether as contractors, practitioners or donors, at all stages of the project cycle. Getting research findings out to those who stand to benefit from them is now widely recognised as a crucial aspect of any research project. This book is a product of the second phase of a DFID-funded KaR project that is aimed at increasing the impact of research through improved dissemination of the research process and findings. It develops the ideas from phase one of the project 'Spreading the Word: Practical guidelines for research dissemination strategies' (Saywell and Cotton, 1999). Based on in-depth consultation with Southern agencies about appropriate methods and formats by which to share information and knowledge relating to development research projects, this book provides dissemination checklists and guidelines. It also provides a useful overview of the issues and more specific advise for anyone engaged in development-related research, whether as contractors, practitioners or donors, at all stages of the project cycle

Primary cerebellar glioblastoma multiforme with uncharacteristic clinical and imaging features

Introduction Cerebellarglioblastomamultiforme (GBM) is a very uncommon adult lesion. We present a case of cerebellar GBM and review their clinical, imaging and pathological features.Case presentation We report the case of a 30 year-old Kenyan femalewith progressive headache and coordination deficits. A neurologic examination revealed the presence of cerebellar signs. Computed tomography (CT) demonstrated a well circumscribed, hemorrhagic lesion in the posterior fossa with minimalperilesionaloedemaand mild enhancement with contrast. On magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) the mass was hyperintense on T1-weighted, hypointense on T2-wieghted with minimal adjacent edema, showed blooming on gradient sequence and no restriction with diffusion. The mass had mild enhancement with gadolinium contrast. Suboccipitalcraniotomy was carried with pathologic examination revealing a highly cellular tumor with marked nuclear atypia, numerous mitoses and areas of necrosis.Conclusions We report an unusual case of cerebellargliobastoma with atypical imaging findings. Cerebellarglioblastoma multiforme should be considered in the differential diagnosis of a cerebellar mass lesion.Key words: Cerebellum, Glioblastoma, Posterior foss

THE NEXUS BETWEEN IMPORTS AND ECONOMIC GROWTH IN SOUTH AFRICA: A DISAGGREGATED APPROACH

In this study, the causal relationship between disaggregated imports and economic growth is investigated in South Africa. The study was motivated by the need to establish how South Africa can achieve the growth trajectory that is much needed by the country to achieve sustainable development goals. The study applied the autoregressive distributed lag (ARDL) approach to cointegration and the ECM-based Granger causality test on annual time series data covering the period from 1988 to 2021. The findings confirmed a bidirectional causality between all measures of imports and economic growth, thereby confirming the significance of imports in buttressing economic growth. The findings point to the important role that imports play in achieving sustainable growth and development

Assessing Feed Gaps on Smallholder Livestock Farms in Limpopo: Production System and Coping Strategies

Smallholder farms in southern Africa are predominantly mixed crop-livestock systems and often characterized by low productivity. Therefore, providing sufficient forage becomes a challenge that results first in feed gaps, i.e. the difference between the demand for and supply of forage, and secondly, in nutrient mining of the soil due to the overuse of the resources. However, the availability of forage follows potentially seasonal patterns. Hence, a key entry point for any intervention strategies for improvement is an assessment of forage quantity and quality throughout the year. Against this background, we investigated six locations, smallholders’ cattle production systems and their adaptation options in periods of feed deficit across three distinct agro-ecological zones in the Limpopo province (South Africa). We interviewed 90 farmers from May to September 2019 and found that farmers struggle in winter-spring (June – September) to access feed resources for their livestock. Most farmers mentioned that feed deficit in that period is a regular phenomenon. Mixed crop-livestock farmers stated that they rely on on-farm resources (crop residues) while sole livestock farmers stated that reducing herd size is a top adaptation option. Farmers also indicated that feed availability in required quantity and quality is the biggest constraint to sustaining livestock production throughout the year. This study demonstrates a sound assessment of the temporal pattern of feed gaps in Limpopo province and potential farmer avenues for their mitigation

Closing Feed Gaps by Winter Forage Production in Limpopo: What Is the Potential?

In southern Africa, livestock productivity in mixed crop-livestock systems is constrained by forage supply towards the end of the dry period. Opportunities to improve forage availability to close the temporal feed gap counteracting negative effects on production as well as on environment need to be explored. A promising option might be the planting of cover crops (CC) during the winter period. Hence, a field experiment was conducted in the Limpopo province (South Africa) during the autumn-winter period of 2019 at two sites (Syferkuil, Thohoyandu) with contrasting climatic conditions and soil type. We selected multi-functional C3 species – winter rye (Secale cereal L.) intensively used in the temperate region sown as pure stand and established at two sowing dates. We assessed forage production, soil water dynamics and nitrogen accumulation. In a second step, we tested the Agricultural Production Systems simulator (APSIM) model against the field trial data. We present here, preliminary results which show high potential growth when irrigated. Early planting of CC yielded the highest accumulated biomass (18 t DM ha-1 and 7 t DM ha-1 at Syferkuil and Thohoyandu, respectively) after 140 days while delayed planting (4 weeks after first planting) decreased biomass production. The model predictions rely heavily on pedo-climatic interactions which need further improvements

Sorghum Landraces Production Practices in Nyanza, Coast and Eastern Regions, Kenya

Sorghum Sorghum bicolar L. is an important cereal crop grown in the semi-arid areas. It is rank as the fifth key cereal crop worldwide. The ability of sorghum to adapt to drought, salinity, infertile soils, and high temperatures makes it a critical crop in the dry regions. However, farmers grow many landraces some of which do not perform well since the majority cannot afford nitrogenous fertilizers to boost their harvest. Therefore, a baseline survey was conducted in Eastern, Nyanza and Coastal regions to assess the production systems for sorghum. Structured questionnaires were used to gather information from a total of 76 randomly selected farmers in the study regions. Data on socio-economic characteristics, sorghum varieties, use of farm inputs, and source of seeds, farming systems, traits preference, farm sizes, yields and constraints in production of the crop was collected. Parameters studied were analyzed using Statistical Programmes for Social Sciences (SPSS) (IBM SPSS Statistics 20). Results showed that majority of respondents in Eastern (99%), 80% in Nyanza and all respondents in the coastal region cultivated landraces. Most of the respondents had farm sizes between 0.5-5acres. A larger proportion of respondents in the three regions reported low harvests from their farms, recording below 5 bags every season. Most of the farmers across the three regions intercrop sorghum with other crops with all respondents in Eastern, 80% in Coast and 68% in Nyanza. Some farmers plant sorghum without fertilizers, others used either inorganic or organic fertilizers while the rest use both organic and inorganic. The traits desired by farmers in the region included high yields, early maturity, resistance to pest and diseases, sweetness and tolerance to drought. Farmers cited pests and diseases, weeds such as striga, and drought as the key constraints to sorghum production in the regions. Key words: drought, landraces, sorghum, tolerance, traits DOI: 10.7176/JESD/10-10-16 Publication date:May 31st 201