scholarly journals Immunodiagnostic Methods: What Is Their Role in Areas of Low Endemicity?

2012 ◽  
Vol 2012 ◽  
pp. 1-5 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rafaella Fortini Queiroz Grenfell ◽  
Vanessa Silva-Moraes ◽  
Diana Taboada ◽  
Ana Carolina Alves de Mattos ◽  
Ana Karine Sarvel de Castro ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Public Health Problem ◽  
Parasite Load ◽  
Current Status ◽  
Diagnostic Tools ◽  
African Countries ◽  
Diagnostic Assays ◽  
The Past ◽  
Control Programmes ◽  
Core Areas ◽  
Remarkable Progress

WorldwideSchistosomiasis mansonicontinues to be a serious public health problem. Over the past decades, control programmes have made remarkable progress in reducingS. mansoniinfections to a relatively low level in Brazil and African countries. Endemic regions are currently circumscribed in certain core areas where reinfection and repeated chemotherapy are frequent and, consequently, are related to residents with low parasite load. At present, diagnosis is predominately a key step for final disease control although low endemicity area residents are hardly detected by most of the available assays. In this paper, we review the current status and efforts made aiming at the improvement of diagnostic tools forS. mansoniin low endemicity infections. The establishment of diagnostic assays—simple, affordable, sensitive, and specific for field diagnosis ofS. mansoni—is essential and should be given high priority.

scholarly journals The Charcot Foot: An Emerging Public Health Problem for African Diabetes Patients

2021 ◽  
pp. 153473462110666
Author(s):  
Zulfiqarali G. Abbas ◽  
J. K. Lutale ◽  
C. Formosa ◽  
A. Gatt ◽  
N. Chockalingam
Keyword(s):  
Public Health Problem ◽  
Microvascular Disease ◽  
Macrovascular Disease ◽  
Diabetes Patient ◽  
Case Definition ◽  
Limb Amputation ◽  
Medical Attention ◽  
African Countries ◽  
Charcot Neuroarthropathy ◽  
The Past

Background: Although the awareness, diagnosis, management of the complications associated with diabetes have improved in African countries over the past decade, surveillance activities in Tanzania and anecdotal reports from other African countries have suggested an increased prevalence of Charcot Neuroarthropathy (CN) over the past few years. Aim: To characterize the epidemiology and the clinical burden of CN in a large diabetes population in Tanzania, and to evaluate outcomes of persons with the condition. Methods: This was a prospective analytic cohort study conducted between January 2013 through December 2015. Following informed consent, patients were followed at the outpatient clinic. Detailed clinical assessments and documented presence of diabetic peripheral neuropathy (DPN), macrovascular disease and microvascular disease were recorded. Education and counseling were part of the follow-up program. Results: 3271 ulcerations were presented at the clinic during the 3-year study period. 571 (18%) met the case definition for CN; all patients had Type 2 diabetes. The prevalence for each of the years 2013, 2014, and 2015 was 19/1192 (1.6%), 209/1044 (20%), and 343/1035 (34%), respectively; the increases in the slope of the trendline was statistically significant ( P < .001). Conclusion: The prevalence of CN is increasing in the Tanzanian diabetes patient population, and is strongly associated with neuropathy. CN can lead to severe deformity, disability, and amputation. Due to the risk of limb amputation, patients with diabetes must seek immediate care if signs or symptoms appear and avoid delay in seeking medical attention. Early diagnosis of CN by caregivers is extremely important for successful outcomes.

Stroke services in Africa: What is there and what is needed

2022 ◽  
pp. 174749302110664
Author(s):  
Tamer Roushdy ◽  
Hany Aref ◽  
Selma Kesraoui ◽  
Michael Temgoua ◽  
Kiatoko Ponte Nono ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Online Survey ◽  
A Priori ◽  
Stroke Care ◽  
Diagnostic Tools ◽  
African Countries ◽  
Related Services ◽  
The Past ◽  
Care Services ◽  
Stroke Services ◽  
Corrective Procedures

Background: Over the past few years, the incidence and prevalence of stroke has been rising in most African countries and has been reported as one of the leading causes of morbidity and mortality. To study this problem, we need to realize the quality and availability of stroke care services as a priori to improve them. Methods and Results: In this study, we investigated the availability of different stroke-related services in 17 countries from different African regions. An online survey was conducted and fulfilled by stroke specialists and included primary prevention, acute management, diagnostic tools, medications, postdischarge services, and stroke registries. The results showed that although medications for secondary prevention are available, yet many other services are lacking in various countries. Conclusion: This study displays the deficient aspects of stroke services in African countries as a preliminary step toward active corrective procedures for the improvement of stroke-related health services.

Advances In Asthma Care

2003 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
pp. 87-90 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chris Garvey
Keyword(s):  
Healthcare Costs ◽  
Professional Organizations ◽  
Current Status ◽  
Asthma Care ◽  
Advanced Level ◽  
Clinical Criteria ◽  
Asthma Knowledge ◽  
The Past ◽  
The Us ◽  
Examination Process

Asthma rates in the US have risen during the past 25 years, as have asthma-related morbidity and healthcare costs. Professional organizations involved in asthma care have identified the need to assure that an advanced level of asthma knowledge and skill is available to patients with asthma, their families, and insurers. This need led to development of the certification for asthma educators. The Certified Asthma Educator (AE-C) must meet specific clinical criteria and pass a standardized examination designed to evaluate knowledge and skill for providing competent asthma education and coordination. The development and current status of the Certified Asthma Educator examination process and content are discussed, as are goals of the certification

Institutional Repositories in Swaziland: An Exploratory Study

Mousaion ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 36 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ncamsile Nombulelo Dlamini ◽  
Maritha Snyman
Keyword(s):  
Open Access ◽  
Exploratory Study ◽  
Management Strategies ◽  
Current Status ◽  
Academic Institutions ◽  
African Countries ◽  
Institutional Repositories ◽  
Limited Knowledge ◽  
Advocacy Strategies ◽  
Awareness Level

The purpose of this paper is to assess the current status of institutional repositories (IRs) in Swaziland’s academic institutions. The factors under discussion are the number of IRs in Swaziland, their usage, the level of awareness of these IRs, and the challenges that prevent the implementation of IRs in Swaziland’s academic institutions. A webometric approach, interviews and semi-structured questionnaires completed by IR managers or librarians working for the Swaziland’s academic institutions were used to collect data for this study. Responses were received from 11 respondents. The findings indicated that there is one IR in Swaziland that is accessible to the institution’s community via the intranet. This IR was, at the time when this study took place, not registered in any of the international registries of repositories, such as the Registry of Open Access Repositories (ROAR) and the Directory of Open Access Repositories (OpenDOAR). Currently, this IR faces problems of insufficient content, a low level of IR awareness, limited knowledge of effective and appropriate IR advocacy strategies and limited knowledge of effective IR implementation and management strategies. Based on the findings and information gained from a literature review of IRs, the paper recommends strategies to academic institutions in Swaziland that may enable them to increase their number of IRs, the awareness level of IRs and consequently the use of IRs. The findings and recommendations may also benefit other African countries in similar situations.  

Water resources management in Greece: current status and prospective outlook

1995 ◽  
Vol 32 (9-10) ◽  
pp. 267-272 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. Angelakis ◽  
E. Diamadopoulos
Keyword(s):  
Water Resources ◽  
Water Resources Management ◽  
Water Demand ◽  
Treatment Plant ◽  
Current Status ◽  
Reclaimed Wastewater ◽  
Resources Management ◽  
The Past ◽  
Precipitation Water ◽  
Pollution Loads

The basic aim of this paper is to present the existing conditions and problems of water resources management in Greece. Water demand has increased tremendously over the past 30 years. Despite adequate precipitation, water imbalance is often experienced, due to temporal and regional variations of the precipitation, the increased water demand during the summer months and the difficulty of transporting water due to the mountainous terrain. Integration of reclaimed wastewater originating from the wastewater treatment plant effluents into the water resources management is proposed. This plan exhibits the potential for reducing the pollution loads entering sea or inland waters, while at the same time providing water for irrigation.

The Value of Neuroimaging Techniques in the Translation and Transdiagnostic Validation of Psychiatric Diagnoses - Selective Review

2020 ◽  
Vol 20 (7) ◽  
pp. 540-553 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anna Todeva-Radneva ◽  
Rositsa Paunova ◽  
Sevdalina Kandilarova ◽  
Drozdstoy St. Stoyanov
Keyword(s):  
Psychiatric Disorders ◽  
Psychiatric Symptoms ◽  
Medical Science ◽  
Self Report ◽  
Current Status ◽  
Diagnostic Tools ◽  
Main Concept ◽  
Directional Change ◽  
The Mind ◽  
Neuroimaging Techniques

: Psychiatric diagnosis has long been perceived as more of an art than a science since its foundations lie within the observation, and the self-report of the patients themselves and objective diagnostic biomarkers are lacking. Furthermore, the diagnostic tools in use not only stray away from the conventional medical framework but also remain invalidated with evidence-based concepts. However, neuroscience, as a source of valid objective knowledge has initiated the process of a paradigm shift underlined by the main concept of psychiatric disorders being “brain disorders”. It is also a bridge closing the explanatory gap among the different fields of medicine via the translation of the knowledge within a multidisciplinary framework. : The contemporary neuroimaging methods, such as fMRI provide researchers with an entirely new set of tools to reform the current status quo by creating an opportunity to define and validate objective biomarkers that can be translated into clinical practice. Combining multiple neuroimaging techniques with the knowledge of the role of genetic factors, neurochemical imbalance and neuroinflammatory processes in the etiopathophysiology of psychiatric disorders is a step towards a comprehensive biological explanation of psychiatric disorders and a final differentiation of psychiatry as a well-founded medical science. : In addition, the neuroscientific knowledge gained thus far suggests a necessity for directional change to exploring multidisciplinary concepts, such as multiple causality and dimensionality of psychiatric symptoms and disorders. A concomitant viewpoint transition of the notion of validity in psychiatry with a focus on an integrative validatory approach may facilitate the building of a collaborative bridge above the wall existing between the scientific fields analyzing the mind and those studying the brain.

Upcoming Drifts In Bio-Similars

2020 ◽  
Vol 15 ◽  
Author(s):  
Geeta Aggarwal ◽  
Manju Nagpal ◽  
Ameya Sharma ◽  
Vivek Puri ◽  
Gitika Arora Dhingra
Keyword(s):  
Metabolic Diseases ◽  
Market Competition ◽  
Current Status ◽  
Medicinal Products ◽  
The Past ◽  
Biologic Activity ◽  
Emerging Trends ◽  
Regulatory Guidelines ◽  
Food Drug Administration ◽  
Insight Into

Background: Biopharmaceuticals such as Biologic medicinal products have been in clinical use over the past three decades and have benefited towards the therapy of degenerative and critical metabolic diseases. It is forecasted that market of biologics will be going to increase at a rate of 20% per year, and by 2025, more than ˃ 50% of new drug approvals may be biological products. The increasing utilization of the biologics necessitates for cost control, especially for innovators products that have enjoyed a lengthy period of exclusive use. As the first wave of biopharmaceuticals is expired or set to expire, it has led to various opportunities for the expansion of bio-similars i.e. copied versions of original biologics with same biologic activity. Development of biosimilars is expected to promote market competition, meet worldwide demand, sustain the healthcare systems and maintain the incentives for innovation. Methods: Appraisal of published articles from peer reviewed journals, PubMed literature, latest news and guidelines from European Medicine Agency, US Food Drug Administration (FDA) and India are used to identify data for review. Results: Main insight into the quality requirements concerning biologics, current status of regulation of biosimilars and upcoming challenges lying ahead for the upgrading of marketing authorization of bio-similars has been incorporated. Compiled literature on therapeutic status, regulatory guidelines and the emerging trends and opportunities of biosimilars has been thoroughly stated. Conclusion: Updates on biosimilars will support to investigate the possible impact of bio-similars on healthcare market.

scholarly journals Morphological Characteristics, Classifications and Difficulties in the Use of Diagnostic Criteria for Serrated Lesions of the Large Intestine

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Cesar de Souza Bastos Junior ◽  
Vera Lucia Nunes Pannain ◽  
Adriana Caroli-Bottino
Keyword(s):  
Diagnostic Criteria ◽  
Morphological Characteristics ◽  
World Health ◽  
Diagnostic Tools ◽  
Serrated Adenoma ◽  
The Past ◽  
The World ◽  
Serrated Lesions ◽  
Health Organization

Abstract Introduction Colorectal carcinoma (CRC) is the most common gastrointestinal neoplasm in the world, accounting for 15% of cancer-related deaths. This condition is related to different molecular pathways, among them the recently described serrated pathway, whose characteristic entities, serrated lesions, have undergone important changes in their names and diagnostic criteria in the past thirty years. The multiplicity of denominations and criteria over the last years may be responsible for the low interobserver concordance (IOC) described in the literature. Objectives The present study aims to describe the evolution in classification of serrated lesions, based on the last three publications of the World Health Organization (WHO) and the reproducibility of these criteria by pathologists, based on the evaluation of the IOC. Methods A search was conducted in the PubMed, ResearchGate and Portal Capes databases, with the following terms: sessile serrated lesion; serrated lesions; serrated adenoma; interobserver concordance; and reproducibility. Articles published since 1990 were researched. Results and Discussion The classification of serrated lesions in the past thirty years showed different denominations and diagnostic criteria. The reproducibility and IOC of these criteria in the literature, based on the kappa coefficient, varied in most studies, from very poor to moderate. Conclusions Interobserver concordance and the reproducibility of microscopic criteria may represent a limitation for the diagnosis and appropriate management of these lesions. It is necessary to investigate diagnostic tools to improve the performance of the pathologist's evaluation, for better concordance, and, consequently, adequate diagnosis and treatment.

Institutional repositories in Africa: Regaining direction

2021 ◽  
pp. 026666692110154
Author(s):  
Usman Ahmed Adam ◽  
Kiran Kaur
Keyword(s):  
Open Access ◽  
Research Output ◽  
Current Status ◽  
African Countries ◽  
Institutional Repositories ◽  
Widespread Implementation ◽  
Typical Performance ◽  
The Status ◽  
Global Access ◽  
And Cluster Analysis

Institutional repositories are powerful tools to facilitate global access to intellectual output by members of the institution, particularly in assisting them to preserve and maximize access to their research output globally. This exploratory study of the status of institutional repositories implementation in African countries using the global Directory of Open Access Repositories (OpenDOAR) and Transparent Ranking: All Repositories by Google Scholar, reports on the operational status and the performance of repositories. Factor analysis and cluster analysis are used to analyze the operational level of institutional repositories in African countries. The analysis showed that the typical performance of institutional repositories remains below average. The possibility of global open access to research results through institutional repositories in South Africa, Kenya, Nigeria, Algeria, Sudan, and Egypt appeared to be relatively more feasible than other African countries. This study concludes that many organizations, institutions, and societies spend great efforts in support of open access implementation in Africa, however, the widespread implementation of institutional repositories is still very slow paced, and the performance of the implemented repositories was below expectation. Suggestions for regaining the intended direction of African institutional repositories are given based on the current status.

scholarly journals Competing interests, clashing ideas and institutionalizing influence: insights into the political economy of malaria control from seven African countries

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Justin Parkhurst ◽  
Ludovica Ghilardi ◽  
Jayne Webster ◽  
Robert W Snow ◽  
Caroline A Lynch
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Malaria Control ◽  
Qualitative Interviews ◽  
Sub Saharan Africa ◽  
African Countries ◽  
Health Community ◽  
Control Programmes ◽  
Control Decision ◽  
Sub Saharan ◽  
Economic Considerations

Abstract This article explores how malaria control in sub-Saharan Africa is shaped in important ways by political and economic considerations within the contexts of aid-recipient nations and the global health community. Malaria control is often assumed to be a technically driven exercise: the remit of public health experts and epidemiologists who utilize available data to select the most effective package of activities given available resources. Yet research conducted with national and international stakeholders shows how the realities of malaria control decision-making are often more nuanced. Hegemonic ideas and interests of global actors, as well as the national and global institutional arrangements through which malaria control is funded and implemented, can all influence how national actors respond to malaria. Results from qualitative interviews in seven malaria-endemic countries indicate that malaria decision-making is constrained or directed by multiple competing objectives, including a need to balance overarching global goals with local realities, as well as a need for National Malaria Control Programmes to manage and coordinate a range of non-state stakeholders who may divide up regions and tasks within countries. Finally, beyond the influence that political and economic concerns have over programmatic decisions and action, our analysis further finds that malaria control efforts have institutionalized systems, structures and processes that may have implications for local capacity development.

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