ABSTRACT Tuberculosis (TB), an ancient scourge of humanity known for several thousands of years, is still a main public health challenge in many countries today even though some progress has been made recently in curbing the disease. Deferred diagnosis, poor treatment regimens and fatality qualify drug-resistant and multi-drug resistant tuberculosis (MDR TB). Unlike other bacterial pathogens, Mycobacterium tuberculosis lacks plasmid mediated mechanisms of resistance. Drug resistance in M. tub...
ABSTRACT Various diseases and injuries are always presented with pain, fever and inflammation. These are considered as symptoms associated with various pathological processes in an animal body. Drugs that are used to alleviate pain, fever and inflammation such as non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs exhibit adverse effects for example cardiac abnormalities, peptic ulcers, liver toxicity and kidney failure. Therefore, there is need to come up with alternative remedies. Herbal medicines are de...
ABSTRACT Radioactive elements are found everywhere in the environment. Detectable amounts occur naturally in soil, rocks, water, air and vegetation and may be ingested if they enter the food chain, or, inhaled. Inhaled and ingested radionuclides lead to internal exposure. In addition, humans also receive external exposure due to the radioactive materials located outside the body. Primordial radionuclides 238U, 232Th and 40K are the main sources of external radiation exposure to the general pu...
Abstract The problem of estimating the parameters of Poisson-Exponential distribution under progressive type-I interval censoring is considered. Previously, researchers have considered maximum likelihood estimation under the progressive type-I interval censoring scheme for various distribution, but no research has considered Poisson-Exponential. Poisson-Exponential is a two-parameter lifetime distribution having an increasing hazard function. It has been applied in complementary risks problem...
ABSTRACT Acetaminophen is amongst the most widely used over the counter analgesic and antipyretic agent. Its acceptance is attributed to its efficacy and a high safety margin. An oral dose of 325-650 mg/kg is recommended for use. However, over dosage is responsible to half of the reported cases of acute liver failure. So there is need to explore on alternative therapy as the current treatment using N-acetyl cysteine is encountered with severe side effects such as seizures, intracranial hypote...
ABSTRACT Diabetes mellitus is a group of metabolic diseases characterized by high blood sugar levels that result from defects in insulin secretion, or action, or both. The disorder completely throws the metabolism of dietary carbohydrates, lipids and proteins into disarray. This condition in its fully developed form is characterized by high blood sugar level (hyperglycemia), glycosuria, increased protein breakdown, ketosis and acidosis. Diabetes is a chronic medical condition which can be con...
ABSTRACT Fruits are a good source of micronutrients, yet they are less consumed. Kakamega County has various types of fruits either planted or growing wildly. Most of the fruits consumed are exotic such as avocadoes, mangoes, pawpaw, oranges, passion fruits and pineapples while the wild and indigenous fruits are usually neglected, seen as weeds and food for children and very poor rural people. In Kakamega County the indigenous fruits are well distributed among the rural areas and members of ...
ABSTRACT Prosopis juliflora (Mathenge) is an exotic, evergreen leguminous plant found in the dry Coastal, Rift Valley and Northern parts of Kenya. It is tolerant to extreme environmental conditions, declared a deleterious weed in Kenya and is among top 100 most invasive species worldwide. The species leaves and pod extracts have promising pharmacological properties and have been used in treatment of various illnesses traditionally. However, information on toxicity of these extracts in animals...
ABSTRACT Drug and substance abuse is one of the most critical challenges facing Kenya today and is fast assuming alarming proportions among the young adults. A report on the findings of the 2007 rapid situation assessment of substance abuse in Kenya found that young adults had the highest substance abuse prevalence. This study was motivated by the fact that previous studies on the magnitude and impact of drugs and substance abuse have mainly focused on the youth in learning institutions; yet ...
ABSTRACT Vitamin A deficiency (VAD) has been a serious public health problem in the developing countries especially in Africa, mostly in pre-school age children and in pregnant and lactating mothers. It contributes to 7 million pregnant women and approximately 127 million of preschool-aged children and about 1-2 million deaths every year. It has been reported that about half a million new cases of blindness emerge yearly. This has for a long time been solved in addition to modern medicines by...
ABSTRACT In this study, the impact of a transverse magnetic field on blood flowing through an axisymmetric curved shaped stenotic artery has been investigated. This research is of importance in the field of medicine. There is an application in magnetic hyperthermia which is used to shrink tumors in the treatment of cancer. In addition to this, the externally applied magnetic field is also used to reduce/diminish blood flow in the region of stenosis and hence it is used in the treatment of hy...
ABSTRACT HIV/AIDS has orphaned millions of children worldwide and left many more with ill parents. Sub Saharan Africa is the worst hit. Kenya has an estimated one million orphaned and vulnerable children due to HIV/AIDS. Apart from illness and death of parents, children may be more vulnerable to poverty, face increased risk of malnutrition and miss out on education. The objective of this study was to assess food consumption patterns, nutrient intakes, nutritional status and school attendance...
ABSTRACT The world total fertility rate has dropped from 4.95 births per woman to 2.36 births per woman in the last 50 years. In developing countries the total fertility rate has dropped from 6.0 births per woman in the 1960s to 2.9 births per woman in 2005 and was expected to have dropped even further in 2015. Kenya‟s fertility has declined from 7.8 births per woman in 1979 to 4.6 births per woman in 2009 (KNBS, 2010). Despite the general drop in fertility, there are differentials where s...
Abstract There are increased reported cases of rickets in Kenya coupled with scanty data on its cause. This study was carried out to determine risk factors associated with rickets for pediatric infants and children attending Maternal and Child Health clinic at Kiambu district hospital. A cross sectional analytical survey design was used. Systematic random sampling was used to select 377 infants and children in addition to their mothers and care givers for data collection. Simple random sampl...
ABSTRACT Gasification technology has failed to take off in a number of developing countries including East Africa despitebeing the most efficient way of converting biomass into energy. All countries in the Lake Victoria Basin (LVB) depend mostly on hydroelectric power for provision of modern energy. While hydropower is sensitive to climate change, gasification technology has a high potential for reducing biomass energy consumption while increasing access to electricity and clean cooking faci...