Neuropathic pain drives anxiety behavior in mice, results consistent with anxiety levels in diabetic neuropathy patients
Background: Epidemiological studies in patients with neuropathic pain demonstrate a strong association with psychiatric conditions such as anxiety; however, the precipitating pathology between these symptoms remains unclear. To investigate this, we studied the effects of lifelong stress on levels of neuropathic pain–like behavior and conversely, the effects of chronic neuropathic injury on anxiety-like status in […]
Perception and practice of Kangaroo Mother Care after discharge from hospital in Kumasi, Ghana: A longitudinal study
Background: The practice of Kangaroo Mother Care (KMC) is life saving in babies weighing less than 2000 g. Little is known about mothers’ continued unsupervised practice after discharge from hospitals. This study aimed to evaluate its in-hospital and continued practice in the community among mothers of low birth weight (LBW) infants discharged from two hospitals […]
Automated phone call and text reminders for childhood immunisations (PRIMM): A randomised controlled trial in Nigeria
Background Sub-Saharan Africa has high under-5 mortality and low childhood immunisation rates. Vaccine-preventable diseases cause one-third of under-5 deaths. Text messaging reminders improve immunisation completion in urban but not rural settings in sub-Saharan Africa. Low adult literacy may account for this difference. The feasibility and impact of combined automated voice and text reminders on immunisation […]
Changes in women’s dietary diversity before and during pregnancy in Southern Benin
Dietary diversity before and during pregnancy is crucial to ensure optimal foetal health and development. We carried out a cohort study of women of reproductive age living in the Sô-Ava and Abomey-Calavi districts (Southern Benin) to investigate women’s changes in dietary diversity and identify their determinants both before and during pregnancy. Nonpregnant women were enrolled […]
Longer travel time to district hospital worsens neonatal outcomes: A retrospective cross-sectional study of the effect of delays in receiving emergency cesarean section in Rwanda
Background: In low-resource settings, access to emergency cesarean section is associated with various delays leading to poor neonatal outcomes. In this study, we described the delays a mother faces when needing emergency cesarean delivery and assessed the effect of these delays on neonatal outcomes in Rwanda. Methods: This retrospective study included 441 neonates and their […]
Periodontal status, tooth loss and self-reported periodontal problems effects on oral impacts on daily performances, OIDP, in pregnant women in Uganda: A cross-sectional study
Background: An important aim of antenatal care is to improve maternal health- and well being of which oral health is an important part. This study aimed to estimate the prevalence of oral impacts on daily performances (OIDP) during pregnancy, using a locally adapted OIDP inventory, and to document how periodontal status, tooth-loss and reported periodontal […]
Impact of HLA-driven HIV adaptation on virulence in populations of high HIV seroprevalence
It is widely believed that epidemics in new hosts diminish in virulence over time, with natural selection favoring pathogens that cause minimal disease. However, a tradeoff frequently exists between high virulence shortening host survival on the one hand but allowing faster transmission on the other. This is the case in HIV infection, where high viral […]
Prevalence of Anemia and Associated Factors among Infants and Young Children Aged 6-23 Months in Debre Berhan Town, North Shewa, Ethiopia
Background. Anemia is a problem of both the developed and developing world, which occurs in all age groups of the population. Half of the anemia cases are due to iron deficiency and affects physical growth and mental development. Nevertheless, there is a scarcity of information about anemia and associated factors among infants and young children […]
HRP2 and pLDH-based rapid diagnostic tests, expert microscopy, and PCR for detection of malaria infection during pregnancy and at delivery in areas of varied transmission: A prospective cohort study in Burkina Faso and Uganda
Background: Intermittent screening and treatment (IST) of malaria during pregnancy has been proposed as an alternative to intermittent preventive treatment in pregnancy (IPTp), where IPTp is failing due to drug resistance. However, the antenatal parasitaemias are frequently very low, and the most appropriate screening test for IST has not been defined. Methodology/Principal Findings: We conducted […]
Burden of disease in francophone Africa, 1990–2017: a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2017
Background: Peer-reviewed literature on health is almost exclusively published in English, limiting the uptake of research for decision making in francophone African countries. We used results from the Global Burden of Diseases, Injuries, and Risk Factors Study (GBD) 2017 to assess the burden of disease in francophone Africa and inform health professionals and their partners […]
