ABSTRACT The diagnosis and control of tuberculosis (TB) has taken various dimensions with interferon Gamma (IFN-γ) Release Assays (IGRA) currently employed for diagnosis of latent TB infection while the conventional method of vaccination is Bacille Calmette Guerrin (BCG). The variable efficacy and safety of BCG has led to a need of new vaccine candidates joining the development pipeline. However, the cellular mechanism of protection of BCG and the new anti-TB vaccines is not exhaustively und...
Abstract Objective: Since the implementation of a series of blood donation safety improvements in Kenya, information about seroprevalence and determinants of transfusion transmissible infections among voluntary blood donors especially in high HIV burden regions of Homabay, Kisumu and Siaya counties remain scanty. A cross-sectional study examining HIV, syphilis, hepatitis B and C virus sero-markers and associated determinants was conducted among voluntary blood donors. Their demographic charac...
ABSTRACT Thyroid masses are common surgical presentations with a worldwide prevalence of 4–7% in the general adult population. Africa, specifically Kenya is not excluded from these surgical conditions. The vast majority of adult thyroid nodules are benign neoplasm’s, however, less than 10% are malignant, which makes it important to screen the nodules in order to offer appropriate surgery and avoid unnecessary surgery for benign nodules. It is preferred to operate only on those patients wi...
ABSTRACT Co-infection with malaria and Epstein Barr virus (EBV) have been implicated in the etiology of endemic Burkitt’s lymphoma (eBL) but the precise mechanism by which these two agents lead to the pathogenesis of eBL has been partially elucidated. In addition, living in a malaria holoendemic area is a risk factor to earlier primary EBV infection that results in higher viral loads and poor control of the virus, a risk factor in the etiology of eBL. Children from Chulaimbo, a malaria holo...
ABSTRACT Trypanosoma evansi parasite is the causative agent of trypanosomiasis (surra) in camels and other livestock with devastating economic consequences in many parts of the world, including Kenya, Vietnam, Brazil, China, Indonesia and the Philippines. The trypanosome is mechanically transmitted by tabanids and Stomoxys biting flies. Two strains of the parasite (A and B) have been documented to date where Type A strains is established across all T. evansi areas whereas Type B has been repo...
ABSTRACT Electrolytes routinely measured in patients in Intensive Care Unit (ICU) are sodium, potassium, chloride, calcium, magnesium and phosphate. Of these; sodium, potassium, chloride and calcium are measured as part of tests done during blood gas analysis (BGA) using arterial blood. However, magnesium and phosphate are measured from a venous serum sample since they cannot be measured during BGA. Both arterial and venous puncture are traumatizing to the patient and trauma increases when bo...
ABSTRACT Medicinal plants have been used for the treatment of different ailments in human and animal health systems for many years. Approximately over 80% of rural and urban African populations use plant-based synthetic products for primary healthcare. However, the widespread and indiscriminate use of antibiotics has led to clinical resistance of previously sensitive microorganisms. Despite plants and associated endophytes being rich sources of secondary metabolites with antimicrobial potenti...
ABSTRACT The discovery of microwaves is believed to have brought a revolutionary improvement in many scientific fields with microscopy and histopathology being among them. Microwave assisted tissue processing of pathologic material is becoming increasingly desirable to fulfil the needs of clinicians treating acutely ill animals and patients. This technique shortens the time for tissue processing from days to hours and execute the needs of the patients and animals in need of diagnosis as well...
ABSTRACT Berchemia discolour is a semi-deciduous tree of Africa that is a valuable for producing timber. A study was conducted to evaluate the influence of seed size on seed germination and seedling quality of Berchemia discolor mature seeds of B. discolor numbering 100 were collected from healthy trees in Buhera, Zimbabwe and the seeds were grouped into three groups in regard to their length, small (2.5 cm). The average width and thickness of the B. discolor seeds was calculated as 0.31 g ...
ABSTRACT The current management of HIV and its related opportunistic infections involves use of highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART), however this regimen is characterized by challenges such as toxicity, emergence of drug resistance, mutations, and cost implications because the supply of HAART is donor driven. The quest for alternative medicine has been in progress and crude extracts made from plants obtained from different ecological zones have been explored for their antimicrobial a...
ABSTRACT Schistosoma mansoni (S. mansoni), soil-transmitted helminths (STH) and protozoa affect approximately 2 billion people world-wide. Most of these infections occur in developing countries and children below 14 years of age are the most affected. Mbita in western Kenya is one of the regions in which these infections are widely spread. Kato-Katz and formalin-ether concentration (FEC) techniques are widely used for the diagnosis of S. mansoni, STH, and intestinal protozoa infections respec...
Abstract Namibia is currently a signatory on the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) as a non-Annex I party. As a non-Annex I party, Namibia is required to ‘provide information on greenhouse gas inventories’, but they currently lack sufficient baseline data. The study aims to answer whether increased rainfall increases the amount of carbon stored above and below ground for two important timber species (Burkea africana and Pterocarpus angolensis) found along the ...
ABSTRACT Naturally occurring radionuclides such as 238U, 232Th and 40K are present in the soil where they disintegrate spontaneously releasing ionizing radiation which could pose health hazards to the inhabitants of a given location especially when the concentrations of the radionuclides are high. In Namibia, the Walvis Bay – Henties Bay coastal area is known to have many mineral resources including uranium and therefore the concentrations of the radionuclides in the soils and the associate...
ABSTRACT Marama bean (Tylosema esculentum) is a drought-tolerant legume native to Southern Africa. The potential of its seeds have been compared to soybeans. The studies of the potential of this plant are limited and at the moment there are various ongoing researches on the marama bean plant. The main objectives of this study were to evaluate the quality of the marama bean and determine its health potential. The following studies were carried out: roasting optimization, sensory analysis, text...
Abstract Background Undernutrition and anaemia remains to be a major public health problem in many developing countries, where they mostly affect children. Intestinal parasitic infections are known to affect both growth and haemoglobin levels. Much has been reported on the impact of geohelminths on anaemia and undernutrition, leaving that of Schistosoma mansoni not well studied. Therefore this study intended to determine the association between S.mansoni infections, anaemia and undernutrition...