Determinants of obstructed labor among women attending intrapartum care in Amhara Region, Northwest Ethiopia: A hospital-based unmatched case–control study
Objectives: maternal and neonatal mortality in Ethiopia is a major reproductive health problem. Obstructed labor is one of the leading causes of maternal, fetal, and neonatal morbidity in developing countries. The evidence regarding its determinants at the tertiary level of care is sparse. Therefore, this study aimed to study the determinants of obstructed labor among […]
Identifying barriers to ART initiation and adherence: An exploratory qualitative study on PMTCT in Zambia
Background Though antiretroviral therapy (ART) is widely available, HIV positive pregnant women in Zambia are less likely to start and remain on therapy throughout pregnancy and after delivery. This study sought to understand readiness to start ART among HIV pregnant women from the perspectives of both women and men in order to suggest more holistic […]
Child and adolescent mental health policy in South Africa: History, current policy development and implementation, and policy analysis
Background: Mental health problems represent the greatest global burden of disease among children and adolescents. There is, however, lack of policy development and implementation for child and adolescent mental health (CAMH), particularly in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) where children and adolescents represent up to 50% of populations. South Africa, an upper-middle income country is […]
Maternal participant experience in a South African birth cohort study enrolling healthy pregnant women and their infants
Background: Critical to conducting high quality research is the ability to attract and retain participants, especially for longitudinal studies. Understanding participant experiences and motivators or barriers to participating in clinical research is crucial. There are limited data on healthy participant experiences in longitudinal research, particularly in low- and middle-income countries. This study aims to investigate […]
The Uganda Newborn Study (UNEST): An effectiveness study on improving newborn health and survival in rural Uganda through a community-based intervention linked to health facilities – study protocol for a cluster randomized controlled trial
Background: Reducing neonatal-related deaths is one of the major bottlenecks to achieving Millennium Development Goal 4. Studies in Asia and South America have shown that neonatal mortality can be reduced through community-based interventions, but these have not been adapted to scalable intervention packages for sub-Saharan Africa where the culture, health system and policy environment is […]
Dual profile of environmental enrichment and autistic-like behaviors in the maternal separated model in rats
Background: Environmental Enrichment (EE) has been suggested as a possible therapeutic intervention for neurodevelopmental disorders such as autism. Although the benefits of this therapeutic method have been reported in some animal models and human studies, the unknown pathophysiology of autism as well as number of conflicting results, urge for further examination of the therapeutic potential […]
Effects of parenting classes and economic strengthening for caregivers on the cognition of HIV-exposed infants: A pragmatic cluster randomised controlled trial in rural Zimbabwe
Introduction HIV-exposed children show signs of developmental delay. We assessed the impact of a pragmatic multicomponent intervention for caregivers of HIV-exposed children aged 0-2 years in Zimbabwe. Methods We conducted a cluster-randomised trial from 2016 to 2018. Clusters were catchments surrounding clinics, allocated (1:1) to either National HIV guidelines standard of care or standard care […]
Malaria-associated acute kidney injury in African children: Prevalence, pathophysiology, impact, and management challenges
Acute kidney injury (AKI) is emerging as a complication of increasing clinical importance associated with substantial morbidity and mortality in African children with severe malaria. Using the Kidney Disease: Improving Global Outcomes (KDIGO) criteria to define AKI, an estimated 24–59% of African children with severe malaria have AKI with most AKI community-acquired. AKI is a […]
Adolescent pregnancy and parenting: Perceptions of healthcare providers
Background: Adverse maternal and child health outcomes due to adolescent pregnancy are central to public health research and practice. In addition, public health has emphasised that the care rendered by healthcare providers plays a pivotal role in the health and well-being of pregnant and parenting adolescents. Healthcare providers may differ in the ways they interpret […]
Seroprevalence and associated risk factors of pox infection among sheep and goats in selected districts of Afar region, Ethiopia
Background: Sheep and goat pox virus infection is highly devastating viral disease of small ruminants that cause severe production losses in sheep and goats in Ethiopia and also limits international trade. A cross-sectional study was employed with the objective to estimate the seroprevalence of pox infection and to assess associated risk factors during the study […]
