Abstract The issue of drug and substance abuse has become a major concern in Kenya, particularly in the coastal region. In response, the government has implemented various programs to mitigate the problem. The objective of this paper was to evaluate the government's programs for mitigating drug and substance abuse in the Kilifi and Mombasa Counties of thecoastal region of Kenya.Social learning theory and functionalism theory served as the study's guiding principles. The study was further und...
Abstract Background: Cytokines play an important role in signaling the immune system to build an adequate immune response against HIV. HIV distorts the balance between pro and anti-inflammatory cytokines causing viral replication. Highly active antiretroviral treatment (HAART) acts by trying to restore pro and anti-inflammatory cytokine balance. It is not clear how HAART non-adherence influences circulating cytokine levels. This study therefore determined cytokine levels in HAART non-adheren...
Abstract Objectives: The study sought to determine mental health outcomes and associated predictors among mothers of preterm infants in the Neonatal Care Unit (NCU). Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional analytical study design was used to answer the research question. One hundred and eighty-two (182) mothers with preterm babies admitted to the Neonatal Care unit were interviewed. Data was collected from June to August 2021 using semi-structured pretested questionnaires and mental health ...
Abstract Poor health service delivery has been linked to the devolution of health services, with some health workers walking off the job due to inadequate pay and unsafe working conditions. This research aimed at establishing the influence of organizational culture on public health service delivery in County Governments in Western Kenya Region, Taking a positivist approach, the study was anchored on Organizational Culture Theory. Descriptive survey and causal-comparative research designs wer...
Abstract Poor hygiene might be a risk factor for early childhood development (ECD). This study investigated the associations of three hygiene practices (‘wash hands before a meal,’ ‘wash hands after going to the toilet,’ and ‘brush teeth’), separately and combined, with ECD. Six thousand six hundred ninety-seven children (4 [0.8] years) from the East Asia-Pacific Early Child Development Scales validation study were included in this cross-sectional analysis. The hygiene variables ...
Abstract Background Red cell distribution width (RDW) measures the extent of variation in red blood cell (RBC) volume in terms of coefficient of variation. It reflects the degree of variation in RBC’s sizes and shapes, characteristic of iron deficiency and anemias involving RBC destruction, especially hemoglobinopathies. Its values are often available as one of the RBC indices generated as complete blood cell count (CBC) using automated hematology analyzers. Hemoglobinopathies are highly p...
Abstract Stingless bees live in tropical and subtropical areas around the world, however, stingless bee honey and other products have traditionally been used in the tropical and sub-tropical parts of the world to treat various diseases since ancient times. Little has been done to document these traditional medicinal uses, particularly in Africa. Therefore, an ethnomedical survey was conducted in Baringo County, Kenya to document knowledge on medicinal uses ofstingless bee honey. The study wa...
Abstract Genome studies in Australia reported a novel virus, Phasey bean mild yellows virus (genus Polerovirus; PBMYV), in mixed infections with Bean leaf roll virus, Faba bean polerovirus 1, Soybean dwarf virus and Turnip yellows virus naturally infecting phasey bean (Macroptilium lathyroides) (Sharman et al., 2021). Transmission studies with Aphis craccivora and by grafting with infected scions identified fabaceous hosts including chickpea, faba bean and pea as additional hosts of PBMYV (W...
Abstract Background: Severe malarial anemia (SMA; Hb < 5.0 g/dl) is a leading cause of childhood morbidity and mortality in holoendemic Plasmodium falciparum transmission regions such as western Kenya. Methods: We investigated the relationship between two novel complement component 5 (C5) missense mutations [rs17216529:C>T, p(Val145Ile) and rs17610:C>T, p(Ser1310Asn)] and longitudinal outcomes of malaria in a cohort of Kenyan children (under 60 mos, n = 1,546). Molecular modeling was used to...
Abstract The global food security and plant resources levels are continuously under threat from climate change, environmental pollution, population pressure, co-evolving plant pests and pathogens. Currently, scientists across the world are in pursuit of plant genotypes that can be resilient in growth and development amidst these stresses to enable survival of humans in the changing times. Therefore, to effectively select plants that have known and favorable resistance or tolerance levels aga...
Abstract Background: Insecticide treated bed nets and Indoor residual spraying remains the principal interventional malaria control strategies. To achieve malaria disease eradication, vector control programmes that monitor insecticide resistance profiles are necessary. Objective: The study evaluated pirimiphos-methyl susceptibility of Anopheles gambiae sensu lato in Kakamega County, western Kenya. Methods: Adult Anopheles gambiae sensu lato mosquitoes were assayed using World Health Organiza...
Abstract Provision of the bed net in Sub-Saharan Africa has substantially resulted in the decrease in malaria incidences in the region. However, malaria still ravages these regions causing significant deaths. This situation has been attributed to socio-economic inequalities that reduce access to the net, failure to seek treatment, and poor antimalarial drug use. Information about these factors in malaria control in Western Kenya highlands is not clearly documented. This study sought to find ...
Abstract Severe malarial anemia (SMA; hemoglobin [Hb]
Abstract Introduction: the interaction between Mycobacterium tuberculosis and HIV leads to rapid progression of tuberculosis (TB) and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-induced immunosuppression. Diagnosis of TB in these patients is more difficult due to its atypical presentations giving contradicting results. The overall aim of this study was to evaluate the ability of pro-inflammatory cytokine (Th1) and anti-inflammatory cytokine (Th2) to discriminate between culture-positive and -negative...
Abstract Background Improved understanding of the molecular mechanisms involved in pediatric severe malarial anemia (SMA) pathogenesis is a crucial step in the design of novel therapeutics. Identification of host genetic susceptibility factors in immune regulatory genes offers an important tool for deciphering malaria pathogenesis. The IL-23/IL-17 immune pathway is important for both immunity and erythropoiesis via its effects through IL-23 receptors (IL-23R). However, the impact of IL-23R v...