COVID-19 epidemiology and changes in health service utilization in Uganda’s refugee settlements during the first year of the pandemic
Background: The COVID-19 pandemic has been characterized by multiple waves with varying rates of transmission affecting countries at different times and magnitudes. Forced displacement settings were considered particularly at risk due to pre-existing vulnerabilities. Yet, the effects of COVID-19 in refugee settings are not well understood. In this study, we report on the epidemiology of […]
Childhood Acute Illness and Nutrition (CHAIN) Network: A protocol for a multi-site prospective cohort study to identify modifiable risk factors for mortality among acutely ill children in Africa and Asia
Introduction Children admitted to hospitals in resource-poor settings remain at risk of both inpatient and post-discharge mortality. While known risk factors such as young age and nutritional status can identify children at risk, they do not provide clear mechanistic targets for intervention. The Childhood Acute Illness and Nutrition (CHAIN) cohort study aims to characterise the […]
Mental health financing challenges, opportunities and strategies in low- And middle-income countries: Findings from the Emerald project
BackgroundCurrent coverage of mental healthcare in low- and middle-income countries is very limited, not only in terms of access to services but also in terms of financial protection of individuals in need of care and treatment.AimsTo identify the challenges, opportunities and strategies for more equitable and sustainable mental health financing in six sub-Saharan African and […]
Why some women who attend focused antenatal care fail to deliver in health facilities: A qualitative study of women’s perspectives from slums of Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
Objective The purpose of this study was to explore why some women who attend focused antenatal care (FANC) fail to deliver in health facilities from slums of Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Setting Public health facilities (three health centres and one district hospital). Study design A qualitative exploratory and descriptive research design was used. Study participants Study […]
Associations of fat mass and fat-free mass accretion in infancy with body composition and cardiometabolic risk markers at 5 years: The Ethiopian iABC birth cohort study
Background: Accelerated growth in early childhood is an established risk factor for later obesity and cardiometabolic disease, but the relative importance of fat mass (FM) and fat-free mass (FFM) accretion is not well understood. We aimed to study how FM and FFM at birth and their accretion during infancy were associated with body composition and […]
Low birth weight in a sub-urban area of Cameroon: An analysis of the clinical cut-off, incidence, predictors and complications
Background: The World Health Organisation recommends that each country adopts its own cut-off value of low birth weight (LBW) for clinical use. The aims of this study were to establish a clinical cut-off point for LBW and to determine its incidence, predictors and complications in a sub-urban area’s hospital of Cameroon. Methods: We conducted a […]
In utero Exposure to Maternal Chronic Inflammation Transfers a Pro-Inflammatory Profile to Generation F2 via Sex-Specific Mechanisms
Generational transfer of maladaptations in offspring have been reported to persist for multiple generations in conditions of chronic inflammation, metabolic and psychological stress. Thus, the current study aimed to expand our understanding of the nature, potential sex specificity, and transgenerational plasticity of inflammatory maladaptations resulting from maternal chronic inflammation. Briefly, F1 and F2 generations of […]
Effectiveness of two antifolate prophylactic strategies against malaria in HIV-positive pregnant women in Bangui, Central African Republic: Study protocol for a randomized controlled trial (MACOMBA)
Background: Co-infection with malaria parasite and HIV is an emerging public health problem in tropical areas, particularly in pregnant women, and management of the concurrent effects of these two infections is challenging. Co-trimoxazole is a sulfamide preparation used to prevent opportunistic infections in HIV-infected patients, and many studies have reported that it has significant activity […]
Capacity assessment for provision of quality sexual reproductive health and hiv-integrated services in karamoja, uganda
Introduction: Sexual and reproductive health (SRH) and Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) are crucial global health issues. Uganda continues to sustain a huge burden of HIV and AIDS. Methods: A cross-sectional health facility-based assessment was performed in November and December 2016 in Karamoja Region, northern Uganda. All the 126 health facilities (HFs) in Karamoja, including 5 […]
Birth outcomes in South African women receiving highly active antiretroviral therapy: A retrospective observational study
Background: Use of highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART), a triple-drug combination, in HIV-infected pregnant women markedly reduces mother to child transmission of HIV and decreases maternal morbidity. However, there remains uncertainty about the effects of in utero exposure to HAART on foetal development. Methods. Our objectives were to investigate whether in utero exposure to HAART […]
