The effectiveness of the pregnancy adapted YEARS algorithm to safely identify patients for CT pulmonary angiogram in pregnant and puerperal patients suspected of having pulmonary embolism
Background: Pulmonary thromboembolism is one of the leading causes of maternal death worldwide. Globally there has been increasing physician reliance on CT pulmonary angiogram for definitive diagnoses and exclusion of pulmonary thromboembolism. The problem, however, arises when considering the high radiation penalty from performing these investigations, highlighted by the low diagnostic yield. Of recent, the […]
Predictors of health care use by adults 50 years and over in a rural South African setting
Background: South Africa’s epidemiological transition is characterised by an increasing burden of chronic communicable and non-communicable diseases. However, little is known about predictors of health care use (HCU) for the prevention and control of chronic diseases among older adults. Objective: To describe reported health problems and determine predictors of HCU by adults aged 50+ living […]
Why children are not vaccinated against measles: A cross-sectional study in two Nigerian States
Background: Childhood vaccination rates in Nigeria are among the lowest in the world and this affects morbidity and mortality rates. A 2011 mixed methods study in two states in Nigeria examined coverage of measles vaccination and reasons for not vaccinating children. Methods: A household survey covered a stratified random cluster sample of 180 enumeration areas […]
A contextual exploration of healthcare service use in urban slums in Nigeria
Introduction Many urban residents in low- and middle-income countries live in unfavorable conditions with few healthcare facilities, calling to question the long-held view of urban advantage in health, healthcare access and utilization. We explore the patterns of healthcare utilization in these deprived neighborhoods by studying three such settlements in Nigeria. Methods The study was conducted […]
Effects of early-life competition and maternal nutrition on telomere lengths in wild meerkats
Early-life adversity can affect health, survival and fitness later in life, and recent evidence suggests that telomere attrition may link early conditions with their delayed consequences. Here, we investigate the link between early-life competition and telomere length in wild meerkats. Our results show that, when multiple females breed concurrently, increases in the number of pups […]
Measuring performance on the Healthcare Access and Quality Index for 195 countries and territories and selected subnational locations: A systematic analysis from the Global Burden of Disease Study 2016
Background A key component of achieving universal health coverage is ensuring that all populations have access to quality health care. Examining where gains have occurred or progress has faltered across and within countries is crucial to guiding decisions and strategies for future improvement. We used the Global Burden of Diseases, Injuries, and Risk Factors Study […]
Factors influencing uptake of contraceptive implants in the immediate postpartum period among HIV infected and uninfected women at two Kenyan District Hospitals
Background: Family planning is a cost effective strategy for prevention of mother to child transmission of HIV and reduction of maternal/infant morbidity and mortality. Contraceptive implants are a safe, effective, long term and reversible family planning method whose use remains low in Kenya. We therefore set out to determine and compare the uptake, and factors […]
Patterns of mortality in public and private hospitals of Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
Background: Ethiopia is encountering a growing burden of non-communicable diseases along with infectious diseases, perinatal and nutritional problems that have long been considered major problems of public health importance. This retrospective analysis was carried out to examine the mortality patterns from communicable diseases and non communicable diseases in public and private hospitals of Addis Ababa. […]
Magnitude and determinants of neural tube defect in Africa: a systematic review and meta-analysis
Background: Neural tube defects (NTDs) are a group of disorders that arise from the failure of the neural tube close between 21 and 28 days after conception. About 90% of neural tube defects and 95% of death due to these defects occurs in low-income countries. Since these NTDs cause considerable morbidity and mortality, this study […]
Trends in inequality in maternal and child health and health care in Uganda: Analysis of the Uganda demographic and health surveys
Background: Uganda has made great strides in improving maternal and child health. However, little is known about how this improvement has been distributed across different socioeconomic categories, and how the health inequalities have changed over time. This study analyses data from Demographic and Health Surveys (DHS) conducted in 2006, 2011, and 2016 in Uganda, to […]
