Insight Into Sub-Saharan African Discussions of Anxiety and Depression Online

2018 ◽  
pp. 107-160
Author(s):  
Seif Sekalala ◽  
Kristin G. Maki
Keyword(s):  
South African ◽  
Sub Saharan Africa ◽  
Anxiety And Depression ◽  
Online Platforms ◽  
The Us ◽  
Online Searches ◽  
Sub Saharan ◽  
African Patients ◽  
Analytical Frameworks ◽  
Insight Into

This chapter presents a brief review of past studies on the topics of stigma towards clinical anxiety and depression among populations of African descent in the US and Sub-Saharan Africa, as well as the efficacy of online searches for assistance and moral support. It also reports the findings of a study of nine African patients or survivors of clinical anxiety and depression who share their stories two online platforms, i.e., the website of the South African Depression and Anxiety Group (SADAG), and the www.depression-understood.org forum. Relevant themes are presented using Owen's (1984) and Mitchell's (2016) analytical frameworks.

scholarly journals Conservation research output in sub-Saharan Africa is increasing, but only in a few countries

Oryx ◽  
2020 ◽  
pp. 1-10
Author(s):  
P. Christy Pototsky ◽  
Will Cresswell
Keyword(s):  
South African ◽  
Agricultural Land ◽  
Research Output ◽  
Sub Saharan Africa ◽  
Search Term ◽  
African Countries ◽  
Research Papers ◽  
North American Country ◽  
Conservation Research ◽  
Sub Saharan

Abstract We tested if peer-reviewed conservation research output has increased in sub-Saharan African countries over the last 30 years in response to increased development. We carried out a bibliometric analysis to identify the number of conservation research papers published by national authors of 41 sub-Saharan African countries during 1987–2017, to provide an index of national conservation research output. We identified country-specific development factors influencing these totals, using general linear modelling. There were positive relationships between conservation research output and population size, GDP, literacy rate, international tourism receipts and population growth rate, and negative relationships with urban population and agricultural land cover, in total explaining 77% of variation. Thirty-eight per cent of countries contributed < 30 conservation research papers (of 12,701) in 30 years. Analysis of trends in primary authorship in a random subsample of 2,374 of these papers showed that primary authorship by sub-Saharan African authors has increased significantly over time but is now at a lower rate than primary authorship for authors from countries outside the country associated with the search term, usually a European or North American country. Overall, 46% of papers had national primary authors, but 67% of these were South African. The results show that conservation research output in sub-Saharan Africa overall is increasing but only significantly in a few countries, and is still dominated by non-national scientists, probably as a result of a lack of socio-economic development.

scholarly journals Estimating the burden of cardiovascular risk in community dwellers over 40 years old in South Africa, Kenya, Burkina Faso and Ghana

2021 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
pp. e003499
Author(s):  
Ryan G Wagner ◽  
Nigel J Crowther ◽  
Lisa K Micklesfield ◽  
Palwende Romauld Boua ◽  
Engelbert A Nonterah ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Risk Factors ◽  
Risk Factor ◽  
South African ◽  
Sub Saharan Africa ◽  
African Countries ◽  
Cvd Risk ◽  
Genomic Studies ◽  
Sub Saharan ◽  
Context Specific ◽  
The Impact

IntroductionCardiovascular disease (CVD) risk factors are increasing in sub-Saharan Africa. The impact of these risk factors on future CVD outcomes and burden is poorly understood. We examined the magnitude of modifiable risk factors, estimated future CVD risk and compared results between three commonly used 10-year CVD risk factor algorithms and their variants in four African countries.MethodsIn the Africa-Wits-INDEPTH partnership for Genomic studies (the AWI-Gen Study), 10 349 randomly sampled individuals aged 40–60 years from six sites participated in a survey, with blood pressure, blood glucose and lipid levels measured. Using these data, 10-year CVD risk estimates using Framingham, Globorisk and WHO-CVD and their office-based variants were generated. Differences in future CVD risk and results by algorithm are described using kappa and coefficients to examine agreement and correlations, respectively.ResultsThe 10-year CVD risk across all participants in all sites varied from 2.6% (95% CI: 1.6% to 4.1%) using the WHO-CVD lab algorithm to 6.5% (95% CI: 3.7% to 11.4%) using the Framingham office algorithm, with substantial differences in risk between sites. The highest risk was in South African settings (in urban Soweto: 8.9% (IQR: 5.3–15.3)). Agreement between algorithms was low to moderate (kappa from 0.03 to 0.55) and correlations ranged between 0.28 and 0.70. Depending on the algorithm used, those at high risk (defined as risk of 10-year CVD event >20%) who were under treatment for a modifiable risk factor ranged from 19.2% to 33.9%, with substantial variation by both sex and site.ConclusionThe African sites in this study are at different stages of an ongoing epidemiological transition as evidenced by both risk factor levels and estimated 10-year CVD risk. There is low correlation and disparate levels of population risk, predicted by different risk algorithms, within sites. Validating existing risk algorithms or designing context-specific 10-year CVD risk algorithms is essential for accurately defining population risk and targeting national policies and individual CVD treatment on the African continent.

scholarly journals Revered but Poorly Understood: A Case Report of Dendroaspis polylepis (Black Mamba) Envenomation in Watamu, Malindi Kenya, and a Review of the Literature

2018 ◽  
Vol 3 (3) ◽  
pp. 104 ◽  
Author(s):  
Valentine Erulu ◽  
Mitchel Okumu ◽  
Francis Ochola ◽  
Joseph Gikunju
Keyword(s):  
Mechanical Ventilation ◽  
Oxygen Saturation ◽  
South African ◽  
Artificial Ventilation ◽  
Clinical Course ◽  
Clinical Manifestations ◽  
Hemodynamic Instability ◽  
Rapid Onset ◽  
Sub Saharan Africa ◽  
Sub Saharan

The black mamba (Dendroaspis polylepis) ranks consistently as one of the most revered snakes in sub-Saharan Africa. It has potent neurotoxic venom, and envenomation results in rapid onset and severe clinical manifestations. This report describes the clinical course and reversal of effects of black mamba envenomation in a 13-year-old boy in the Jimba area of Malindi. The victim presented to Watamu Hospital, a low resource health facility with labored breathing, frothing at the mouth, severe ptosis and pupils non-responsive to light. His blood pressure was unrecordable, heart rate was 100 beats per minute but thready, his temperature was 35.5 °C, and oxygen saturation was 83%. Management involved suction to clear salivary secretions, several hours of mechanical ventilation via ambu-bagging, oxygen saturation monitoring, and the use of South African Vaccine Producers (SAVP) polyvalent antivenom. Subcutaneous adrenaline was used to stave off anaphylaxis. The victim went into cardiac arrest on two occasions and chest compressions lasting 3–5 min was used to complement artificial ventilation. Hemodynamic instability was corrected using IV infusion of ringers lactate and normal saline (three liters over 24 h). Adequate mechanical ventilation and the use of specific antivenom remain key in the management of black mamba envenomation.

Professors without Borders: The Benefits of a Scholastic Mentoring Program

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jennifer Maul
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Graduate Students ◽  
Sub Saharan Africa ◽  
Mentoring Program ◽  
Mentorship Program ◽  
Postgraduate Study ◽  
Industrialized Nations ◽  
Similar Program ◽  
Sub Saharan ◽  
Insight Into

Universities in sub-Saharan Africa currently struggle to maintain adequate faculty and resources to take on Ph.D. candidates. Expanding enrolment in recent decades has not been met with improvements in university facilities, and neglect from development agencies has made it difficult for the higher education sector to meet the demands of the knowledge economy. As a result African graduate students have few opportunities to pursue postgraduate study in the region and sub-Saharan Africa’s brain drain persists. In order to address the lack of opportunity for graduate study, the Professors without Borders program has been developed. Professors without Borders is a mentorship program, whereby graduate students in sub-Saharan Africa are partnered with professors and academics at universities in industrialized nations and the students are mentored during the course of their degree. The program aims to promote internationalization among universities as well as facilitate development. This report examines the motivation behind the program and its potential for success. The literature review on higher education in sub-Saharan African summarizes the problems facing the sector but indicates the potential for higher education to contribute to economic growth. In addition, the reception of the Professors without Borders idea among African universities indicates unanimously that such a mentorship program would be very much welcomed and beneficial to African Ph.D. students. The experience of a similar program known as BrainRetain by the Irish-Africa Partnership provides insight into the challenges and logistics of making such a mentorship program successful and sustainable.

Progressive Multifocal Leukoencephalopathy and JC Virus Genotypes in West African Patients With Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome

1999 ◽  
Vol 123 (5) ◽  
pp. 395-403
Author(s):  
Sylvester C. Chima ◽  
Hansjürgen T. Agostini ◽  
Caroline F. Ryschkewitsch ◽  
Sebastian B. Lucas ◽  
Gerald L. Stoner
Keyword(s):  
Progressive Multifocal Leukoencephalopathy ◽  
Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome ◽  
Jc Virus ◽  
West African ◽  
Sub Saharan Africa ◽  
Virus Genotypes ◽  
Acquired Immunodeficiency ◽  
Sub Saharan ◽  
African Patients ◽  
Immunodeficiency Syndrome

Abstract Objective—Progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy is caused by polyomavirus JC in immunosuppressed patients. JC virus genotypes are identified by sequence analysis of the viral genome. Despite the prevalence of acquired immunodeficiency syndrome in sub-Saharan Africa, few cases of progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy have been reported from this region. Here we describe 4 African cases and provide an analysis of viral genotypes. Methods.—Immunohistochemical staining by labeled streptavidin-biotin for capsid protein antigen was performed on all cases. Polymerase chain reaction amplification of viral genomic DNA was followed by direct cycle sequencing. Results.—JC virus type 3 was identified in 2 cases, and type 6 was isolated in 1 case. The viral regulatory region from 1 case showed an uncommon rearrangement pattern. Conclusions.—Progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy in West African patients with acquired immunodeficiency syndrome is caused by African genotypes of JC virus (types 3 and 6). The prevalence of disease in this autopsy series from sub-Saharan Africa (1.5%) was less than has been reported from Europe and the United States (4% to 10%) and may be partly due to biological differences in JC virus genotypes. Further studies will be needed to confirm this observation.

Perspectives from Four Stages of Development

2019 ◽  
pp. 159-178
Author(s):  
Eleanor M. Fox ◽  
Mor Bakhoum
Keyword(s):  
South African ◽  
Gold Standard ◽  
Developed Countries ◽  
The United States ◽  
Point Of View ◽  
Sub Saharan Africa ◽  
The European Union ◽  
African Countries ◽  
Sub Saharan ◽  
The Developed Countries

This chapter identifies four clusters of nations based on state of development, in order to highlight significant qualitative differences that may call for different law and policies. The first cluster comprises the least developed sub-Saharan African countries with the most resource-challenged competition authorities, such as Benin and Togo. The second cluster compromises nations that have advanced economically to a perceptibly higher level. The third cluster is a “group” of one—South Africa. With all of its challenges, the South African competition regime is as close to a gold standard as there is in sub-Saharan Africa. Finally, for comparison, the fourth cluster comprises the developed countries, led in particular by the European Union and the United States. These nations have open economies, fairly robust markets, good infrastructure, and good institutions. The chapter proceeds to identify, from the point of view of each of the clusters, the most fitting competition framework nationally and globally. The chapter proposes how the divergences can be brought into sympathy.

South Africa

2019 ◽  
pp. 89-120
Author(s):  
Eleanor M. Fox ◽  
Mor Bakhoum
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
South African ◽  
Competition Law ◽  
Sub Saharan Africa ◽  
Inclusive Development ◽  
Economic Opportunity ◽  
Law And Policy ◽  
Equity And Efficiency ◽  
Development Goals ◽  
Sub Saharan

This chapter explores South African competition law. South Africa has the most sophisticated system of competition law and policy in sub-Saharan Africa. It has a mission to expand economic opportunity and facilitate inclusive development. In the wake of the UN Millennium Development Goals and the follow-on Sustainable Development Goals, there is a new world consciousness of the need to combat deep systemic poverty and to reverse the tide of increasing inequality of wealth, income, and opportunity. If there is any nation in the world whose competition law mandates integration of equity and efficiency, it is South Africa, and its policymakers are intent to address this need. The chapter looks at the South African Competition Act and highlights selected cases to illustrate the law and its implementation, including the effort by the Competition Tribunal to give serious regard to the equality and inclusiveness values that animated the statute.

scholarly journals The gut microbiome in konzo

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Matthew S. Bramble ◽  
Neerja Vashist ◽  
Arthur Ko ◽  
Sambhawa Priya ◽  
Céleste Musasa ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Gut Microbiome ◽  
Bacterial Species ◽  
Sub Saharan Africa ◽  
Metagenomic Sequencing ◽  
Childbearing Age ◽  
Shotgun Metagenomic Sequencing ◽  
Republic Of The Congo ◽  
Study Population ◽  
Sub Saharan ◽  
Insight Into

AbstractKonzo, a distinct upper motor neuron disease associated with a cyanogenic diet and chronic malnutrition, predominately affects children and women of childbearing age in sub-Saharan Africa. While the exact biological mechanisms that cause this disease have largely remained elusive, host-genetics and environmental components such as the gut microbiome have been implicated. Using a large study population of 180 individuals from the Democratic Republic of the Congo, where konzo is most frequent, we investigate how the structure of the gut microbiome varied across geographical contexts, as well as provide the first insight into the gut flora of children affected with this debilitating disease using shotgun metagenomic sequencing. Our findings indicate that the gut microbiome structure is highly variable depending on region of sampling, but most interestingly, we identify unique enrichments of bacterial species and functional pathways that potentially modulate the susceptibility of konzo in prone regions of the Congo.

scholarly journals Admixture into and within sub-Saharan Africa

eLife ◽  
2016 ◽  
Vol 5 ◽  
Author(s):  
George BJ Busby ◽  
Gavin Band ◽  
Quang Si Le ◽  
Muminatou Jallow ◽  
Edith Bougama ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Gene Flow ◽  
Geographic Region ◽  
Sub Saharan Africa ◽  
Genome Wide ◽  
A Genome ◽  
Depth Analysis ◽  
Shared Ancestry ◽  
Sub Saharan ◽  
Linguistic Groups ◽  
Insight Into

Similarity between two individuals in the combination of genetic markers along their chromosomes indicates shared ancestry and can be used to identify historical connections between different population groups due to admixture. We use a genome-wide, haplotype-based, analysis to characterise the structure of genetic diversity and gene-flow in a collection of 48 sub-Saharan African groups. We show that coastal populations experienced an influx of Eurasian haplotypes over the last 7000 years, and that Eastern and Southern Niger-Congo speaking groups share ancestry with Central West Africans as a result of recent population expansions. In fact, most sub-Saharan populations share ancestry with groups from outside of their current geographic region as a result of gene-flow within the last 4000 years. Our in-depth analysis provides insight into haplotype sharing across different ethno-linguistic groups and the recent movement of alleles into new environments, both of which are relevant to studies of genetic epidemiology.

Regional Security Complexes and Organizations

2018 ◽  
pp. 682-696
Author(s):  
Matteo Legrenzi ◽  
Fred H. Lawson
Keyword(s):  
Civil Wars ◽  
Sub Saharan Africa ◽  
Regional Security ◽  
Security Governance ◽  
Cross Border ◽  
Recent Scholarship ◽  
Sub Saharan ◽  
The Cold War ◽  
Security Organizations ◽  
Insight Into

Regional dimensions of international security have become increasingly salient since the end of the Cold War. Some groups of states have coalesced into regional formations that resemble classic security communities. Several analytical concepts have been proposed to explain this trend, including revised theories of security community, security regimes, security complexes, and modes of security governance. Regional security complexes offer a useful framework for explicating the dynamics of interstate threats and governments’ coordinated responses to external danger. The utility of the concept can be illustrated by surveying recent scholarship on the cross-border spread of civil wars and disputes over water. Regional security complexes also provide insight into the formation and resurgence of regional security organizations, particularly in Sub-Saharan Africa, Southeast Asia, and the Middle East.

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