ABSTRACT Background Historically, medicinal plants have played an important role in healthcare maintenance as it been used by man to treat illnesses from ancient times and are one of the oldest means of disease treatment used by man. The primary aim of this study was to determine the prevalence, usage pattern and determinants of current herbal medicine use among adults in Enugu, Nigeria. Methods A questionnaire based cross-sectional study was conducted among adults in Enugu metropolis. 500 ...
Abstract Breast fibroadenomas are common benign breast tumors and detailed descriptions of their sonographic appearances are necessary for differential diagnosis from other benign lesions or breast cancers. The main objective of this study was to evaluate the sonographic criteria of breast fibroadenoma. The data was collected from Khartoum breast center. A total of 50 women their ages between 17-36 years with palpable breast lump diagnosed by histopathology as fibroadenoma were scanned by ult...
ABSTRACT Analysis of the physico-chemical and bacteriological properties of Ajalli stream, Ngwo Spring water, Umuagba Ime-Owa River, Abonuzu stream and Ibute Amaeke hand dug well water all around 9th mile brewery in Enugu State were investigated between June 2009 and May 2010 to assess the extent of pollution of the water due to effluent discharges from the brewery industries around the studied area. These sites were investigated during the dry season and rainy season of the research period....
Abstract Diffusion-weighted MRI (DWI) is highly sensitive in detecting early cerebral ischemic changes in acute stroke patients. This study aimed to show the role of diffusion-weighted MRI (DWI) in the diagnosis of acute stroke. In this study, we compared the role of DWI with that of conventional MRI techniques. Furthermore, we compared the size of ischemic lesions on DWI scans with the fluid-attenuated inversion recovery (FLAIR) images. We performed T1-weighted imaging (T1WI), T2-weight...
Cancer is the third leading cause of mortality in Kenya. Eighty percent of cancer cases present at advanced stages, when little curative care can be done and palliative care is their best option of care. Majority of the end of life care in Kenya is done in the home setting, yet little is known about the caregiver‟s lived experiences. This qualitative study was done with the following objectives: to explore caregivers‟ burdens, to identify the perceived effects of caregiving on primar...
The government of Kenya plans to largely finance Universal Health Coverage through the National Health Insurance Fund (NHIF). However, most of the Kenyan population do not have health insurance cover. They rely mainly on out-of-pocket payment. The reality today is that uptake of health insurance is still low in general, particularly in rural areas, where the majority of Kenyans live. Studies have identified four main reasons why individuals are not registered for any form of health insur...
ABSTRACT Long Lasting Insecticidal Nets (LLINs) are the most sustainable and effective malaria control tool currently available. Global targets are for ≥80% of the population living in malaria endemic areas to have access to and use a LLIN. However, current access to LLINs in endemic areas is 56% due to system inefficiencies and budget limitations. Thus, cost-effective approaches to maximize access of effective LLINs in endemic areas are required. This study evaluated whether LLINs that ha...
ABSTRACT Background: Family planning can avert nearly one-third of maternal deaths and 10% of child mortality when couples space their pregnancies more than two years apart. In Kagera Region the use of modern Postpartum Family Planning is uncommon. However, it is not known how much the facility preparedness and clients ‗readiness influence the uptake of Long-term ActingReversible Postpartum Family Planning [LAR PPFP]. Objective: To assess facility preparedness and clients‘ readiness on ...
Abstract Background: Cancer is among the three leading causes of death in low income countries and the highest increase with regard to incidence figures for cancer diseases are found in these countries. This is the first report of the health-related quality of life (HRQOL) and needs of care and support of adult Tanzanians with cancer. Methods: A mixed-methods design was used. The study was conducted at Ocean Road Cancer Institute (ORCI) in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. One hundred and one patient...
ABSTRACT Background: Anastomotic leak following gastrointestinal surgery is the most postoperative complication that causes significant morbidity and mortality. Its burden is high in low and middle income countries likes Tanzania with lack of supportive data on incidence of Anastomotic leak, predictors and outcome. Objective: This study aims to determine the predictors and early outcomes of anastomotic leak among patients who underwent primary bowel resection and anastomosis at Iringa Region...
ABSTRACT Background: Substance use in young people is significant public health concerns which need to be understood and addressed. Young adolescent is a period when substance use typically starts and patterns become established (NDARC, 2016). Objective: The study was aimed at determining predictors of substance use among undergraduate university students in Dodoma Municipal. Method: A cross-sectional study design was employed involving undergraduate university students aged from18 years and...
Abstract Heavy metals in soil and water were determined at four points along Msimbazi River valley in Dar es Salaam city, which is popular for vegetable farming. Results indicated that the concentration of chromium in water ranged from (1.414±0.922) to 0.01 mg/L. Maximum and minimum lead concentrations of 0.113 and 0.083 mg/L were detected. The concentration of copper was generally low at all sites, ranging from (0.013±0.005) to (0.016±0.005) mg/L. The concentration of lead in water throug...
ABSTRACT Background: It is widely accepted that community-based interventions are vital strategies towards reduction of maternal and neonatal mortalities in developing countries. This study has aimed at finding the effectiveness of a Community-Based Continuous Training (CBCT) project, on improving birth preparedness, male involvement and maternal services utilization in rural Tanzania. Method: The quasi-experimental study design with control was adopted to determine the effectiveness of CBCT...
Abstract Isolates of hepatitis B viruses were collected from 20 acute and chronic hepatitis patients in a highly endemic region of Nigeria. Sequencing classified the isolates to the ayw4, as they all contained the amino acid variations characteristic for that serolype. In the pre-S2 region of five isolates, three to seven amino acids were deleted, suggesting that immune escape mutations previously associated only with chronic HBV infection may be observed also in acute disease. Phylogenetic a...
Abstract The physicochemical equivalence of twenty-two brands of paracetamol and nine brands of ibuprofen tablets sourced from retail Pharmacy outlets in the Nigerian market to their respective innovator brands were investigated. The uniformity of weight, friability, crushing strength, disintegration and dissolution times and assay of active paracetamol ingredient were used as assessment parameters. All the brands of paracetamol and ibuprofen tablets complied with the official specification...