Effect of roof colour on indoor temperature and human comfort levels, with implications for malaria control: a pilot study using experimental houses in rural Gambia
In rural sub-Saharan Africa, thatch roofs are being replaced by metal roofs. Metal roofing, however, increases indoor temperatures above human comfort levels, and thus makes it more likely that residents will ... (Source: Malaria Journal)
Source: Malaria Journal - October 29, 2021 Category: Infectious Diseases Authors: Majo Carrasco-Tenezaca, Ebrima Jatta, Musa Jawara, John Bradley, Margaret Pinder, Umberto D ’Alessandro, Jakob Knudsen and Steve W. Lindsay Tags: Research Source Type: research
Is improvement in indicators of womens empowerment associated with uptake of WHO recommended IPTp-SP levels in sub-Saharan Africa? A multilevel approach
Conclusions
The outcome of our study suggests that low-income SSA countries should increase budgetary allocation to maternal health, particularly for IPTp-SP interventions. IPTp-SP advocacy behavioural change communication strategies must focus on women with low knowledge, rural dwellers, married women and those who do not meet the minimum of eight antenatal care visits. (Source: BMJ Open)
Source: BMJ Open - October 29, 2021 Category: General Medicine Authors: Ameyaw, E. K., Njue, C., Amoah, R. M., Appiah, F., Baatiema, L., Ahinkorah, B. O., Seidu, A.-A., Ganle, J. K., Yaya, S. Tags: Open access, Global health Source Type: research
Epidemiology of measles cases, vaccine effectiveness, and performance towards measles elimination in The Gambia
ConclusionThe Gambia ’s quest to attain measles elimination status by 2020 has registered significant success but it is unlikely that all target indicators will be met. Vaccination has been very effective in preventing cases. There is variation in measles risk by health region, and it will be important to take it into account when designing prevention and control strategies. The quality of case investigations should be improved to enhance the quality of surveillance for decision making. (Source: PLoS One)
Source: PLoS One - October 21, 2021 Category: Biomedical Science Authors: Alieu Sowe Source Type: research
Rheumatic heart disease in The Gambia: clinical and valvular aspects at presentation and evolution under penicillin prophylaxis
Rheumatic heart disease (RHD) remains the leading cause of cardiac-related deaths and disability in children and young adults worldwide. In The Gambia, the RHD burden is thought to be high although no data are... (Source: BMC Cardiovascular Disorders)
Source: BMC Cardiovascular Disorders - October 18, 2021 Category: Cardiology Authors: Lamin E. S. Jaiteh, Lamin Drammeh, Suzanne T. Anderson, John Mendy, Samba Ceesay, Umberto D ’Alessandro, Jonathan Carapetis, Mariana Mirabel and Annette Erhart Tags: Research Source Type: research
Species diversity and distribution of schistosome intermediate snail hosts in The Gambia
This study assessed the incidence, species diversity, distribution and infection status of schistosome intermediate snail hosts in the count ry. Malacological surveys were conducted in all 5 regions of The Gambia: Central River Region (CRR), Upper River Region (URR), Western Region (WR), Lower River Region (LRR) and North Bank Region (NBR). Sampling of snails was undertaken at 114 sites that included permanent water bodies such as stream s (bolongs), rice fields, irrigation canals and swamps; and temporal (seasonal) laterite pools. Ecological and physicochemical factors of sites were recorded. Snails were identified morpho...
Source: PLoS Neglected Tropical Diseases - October 4, 2021 Category: Tropical Medicine Authors: Ebrima Joof Source Type: research
Ontogeny of plasma cytokine and chemokine concentrations across the first week of human life
CONCLUSIONS: Ontogeny is a strong driver of newborn plasma-based levels of cytokines and chemokines throughout the first week of life with a rising IFNγ axis suggesting post-natal upregulation of host defense pathways. Our study will prove useful to the design and interpretation of future studies aimed at understanding the neonatal immune system during health and disease.PMID:34597920 | DOI:10.1016/j.cyto.2021.155704 (Source: Cytokine)
Source: Cytokine - October 1, 2021 Category: Molecular Biology Authors: Kinga K Smolen Alec L Plotkin Casey P Shannon Olubukola T Idoko Jensen Pak Alansana Darboe Simon van Haren Nelly Amenyogbe Scott J Tebbutt Tobias R Kollmann Beate Kampmann Al Ozonoff Ofer Levy Oludare A Odumade EPIC Consortium Source Type: research
Ontogeny of plasma cytokine and chemokine concentrations across the first week of human life
CONCLUSIONS: Ontogeny is a strong driver of newborn plasma-based levels of cytokines and chemokines throughout the first week of life with a rising IFNγ axis suggesting post-natal upregulation of host defense pathways. Our study will prove useful to the design and interpretation of future studies aimed at understanding the neonatal immune system during health and disease.PMID:34597920 | DOI:10.1016/j.cyto.2021.155704 (Source: Cytokine)
Source: Cytokine - October 1, 2021 Category: Molecular Biology Authors: Kinga K Smolen Alec L Plotkin Casey P Shannon Olubukola T Idoko Jensen Pak Alansana Darboe Simon van Haren Nelly Amenyogbe Scott J Tebbutt Tobias R Kollmann Beate Kampmann Al Ozonoff Ofer Levy Oludare A Odumade EPIC Consortium Source Type: research
Seeking diagnostic and prognostic biomarkers for childhood bacterial pneumonia in sub-Saharan Africa: study protocol for an observational study
Introduction
Clinically diagnosed pneumonia in children is a leading cause of paediatric hospitalisation and mortality. The aetiology is usually bacterial or viral, but malaria can cause a syndrome indistinguishable from clinical pneumonia. There is no method with high sensitivity to detect a bacterial infection in these patients and, as result, antibiotics are frequently overprescribed. Conversely, unrecognised concomitant bacterial infection in patients with malarial infections occur with omission of antibiotic therapy from patients with bacterial infections. Previously, we identified two combinations of blood proteins w...
Source: BMJ Open - September 30, 2021 Category: General Medicine Authors: Valim, C., Olatunji, Y. A., Isa, Y. S., Salaudeen, R., Golam, S., Knol, E. F., Kanyi, S., Jammeh, A., Bassat, Q., de Jager, W., Diaz, A. A., Wiegand, R. C., Ramirez, J., Moses, M. A., DAlessandro, U., Hibberd, P. L., Mackenzie, G. A. Tags: Open access, Diagnostics Source Type: research
Mass drug administration for malaria
CONCLUSIONS: In moderate- to high-transmission settings, no studies reported important effects on P falciparum parasitaemia prevalence within six months after MDA. In very low- to low-transmission settings, parasitaemia prevalence and incidence were reduced initially for up to three months for both P falciparum and P vivax; longer-term data did not demonstrate an effect after four months, but absolute risks in both intervention and control groups were low. No studies provided evidence of interruption of malaria transmission.PMID:34585740 | DOI:10.1002/14651858.CD008846.pub3 (Source: Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews)
Source: Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews - September 29, 2021 Category: General Medicine Authors: Monica P Shah Jimee Hwang Leslie Choi Kim A Lindblade S Patrick Kachur Meghna Desai Source Type: research
Costs and barriers faced by households seeking malaria treatment in the Upper River Region, The Gambia
Malaria transmission in The Gambia decreased substantially over the last 20 years thanks to the scale-up of control interventions. However, malaria prevalence is still relatively high in eastern Gambia and rep... (Source: Malaria Journal)
Source: Malaria Journal - September 16, 2021 Category: Infectious Diseases Authors: Henk Broekhuizen, Alexandra Fehr, Claudia Nieto-Sanchez, Joan Muela, Koen Peeters-Grietens, Tom Smekens, Momodou Kalleh, Esm é Rijndertse, Jane Achan and Umberto D’Alessandro Tags: Research Source Type: research
Exposure to interparental violence and justification of intimate partner violence among women in sexual unions in sub-Saharan Africa
ConclusionThe findings call for several strategies for addressing interparental violence. These may include empowerment services targeting both men and women, formation of stronger social networks to improve women ’s self-confidence, and the provision of evidence-based information and resources at the community level. These interventions should pay critical attention to young people exposed to interparental violence. Public health education and messaging should emphasise on the negative health and social im plications of interparental violence and IPV. (Source: Archives of Public Health)
Source: Archives of Public Health - September 9, 2021 Category: International Medicine & Public Health Source Type: research
Geospatial analysis and impact of targeted development of breast cancer care in The Gambia: a cross-sectional study
The Gambia has one of the lowest survival rates for breast cancer in Africa. Contributing factors are late presentation, delays within the healthcare system, and decreased availability of resources. We aimed t... (Source: BMC Health Services Research)
Source: BMC Health Services Research - September 9, 2021 Category: General Medicine Authors: Ousman Sanyang, Fidel Lopez-Verdugo, Meghan Mali, Moustafa Moustafa, Jonathan Nellermoe, Justin Sorensen, Mustapha Bittaye, Ramou Njie, Yankuba Singhateh, Ngally Aboubacarr Sambou, Alison Goldsmith, Nuredin I. Mohammed, Kirstyn E. Brownson, Raymond R. Pri Tags: Research Source Type: research
Effectiveness of seasonal malaria chemoprevention (SMC) treatments when SMC is implemented at scale: Case –control studies in 5 countries
by Matthew Cairns, Serign Jawo Ceesay, Issaka Sagara, Issaka Zongo, Hamit Kessely, Kadidja Gamougam, Abdoulaye Diallo, Johnbull Sonny Ogboi, Diego Moroso, Suzanne Van Hulle, Tony Eloike, Paul Snell, Susana Scott, Corinne Merle, Kalifa Bojang, Jean Bosco Ouedraogo, Alassane Dicko, Jean-Louis Ndiaye, Paul Milligan
BackgroundSeasonal malaria chemoprevention (SMC) has shown high protective efficacy against clinical malaria and severe malaria in a series of clinical trials. We evaluated the effectiveness of SMC treatments against clinical malaria when delivered at scale through national malaria control programmes in 2015 and 20...
Source: PLoS Medicine - September 8, 2021 Category: Internal Medicine Authors: Matthew Cairns Source Type: research
Erratum to 'Factors influencing acceptance of vaccination during pregnancy in The Gambia and Senegal' [Vaccine 39 (2021) 3926-3934]
Vaccine. 2021 Aug 5:S0264-410X(21)00991-9. doi: 10.1016/j.vaccine.2021.07.086. Online ahead of print.NO ABSTRACTPMID:34366144 | DOI:10.1016/j.vaccine.2021.07.086 (Source: Vaccine)
Source: Vaccine - August 9, 2021 Category: Allergy & Immunology Authors: Penda Johm Nicole Nkoum Amie Ceesay El Hadji Mbaye Heidi Larson Beate Kampmann Source Type: research
Erratum to 'Factors influencing acceptance of vaccination during pregnancy in The Gambia and Senegal' [Vaccine 39 (2021) 3926-3934]
Vaccine. 2021 Aug 5:S0264-410X(21)00991-9. doi: 10.1016/j.vaccine.2021.07.086. Online ahead of print.NO ABSTRACTPMID:34366144 | DOI:10.1016/j.vaccine.2021.07.086 (Source: Vaccine)
Source: Vaccine - August 9, 2021 Category: Allergy & Immunology Authors: Penda Johm Nicole Nkoum Amie Ceesay El Hadji Mbaye Heidi Larson Beate Kampmann Source Type: research
