African health sciences
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African health sciences · Mar 2020
Pumpkin seed oil alleviates oxidative stress and liver damage induced by sodium nitrate in adult rats: biochemical and histological approach.
Nitrate (NO3) is the most common chemical contaminant in the world's ground water aquifer. Oxidative stress has been proposed as a possible mechanism involved in NO3 toxicity on non-target organism. ⋯ Co-administration of PSO to the NaNO3 restored most parameters cited above to near-normal values. Therefore, the present investigation revealed the ability of PSO to attenuate NaNO3-induced oxidative damage.
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African health sciences · Mar 2020
Chronic HIV infection and health related quality of life in resource poor settings-an assessment from South East Nigeria.
Health-related quality of life reflects a patient's general subjective perception of the effect of an illness or intervention on physical, psychological and social aspects of daily life. HIV infection is a major public health problem especially in developing countries where poor health infrastructure and poverty are prevalent. This paper addresses the quality of life in patients with chronic HIV infection in South East Nigeria and addresses issues that may help improve the current situation. ⋯ HIV impairs the quality of life for affected individuals in South East Nigeria especially across the domains of physical and psychological health. No age group is spared. The presence of co-morbidities significantly reduces quality of life in these patients. Younger patients may require mental health services in the management of their disease.
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African health sciences · Mar 2020
Meta AnalysisMagnitude of Cryptococcosis among HIV patients in sub-Saharan Africa countries: a systematic review and meta-analysis.
Cryptococcus is encapsulated opportunistic yeast that causes life threatening meningoencephalitis of patients with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). The magnitude of Cryptococcosis among HIV patients varies from 1-10% in Western countries as opposed to almost a one third of HIV-infected individuals in sub-Saharan Africa where it is associated with high mortality. ⋯ The overall pooled magnitude of Cryptococcosisis high among HIV patients in sub-Saharan African countries. The studies showed substantial heterogeneity, and little publication bias. Most of the studies relied on LFA & LA that showed the scarcity of facilities for fungal culture. Therefore, paying attention to screening HIV patients; those with signs and symptoms of meningitis may help to reduce the loss of HIV patients.
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African health sciences · Mar 2020
Randomized Controlled TrialThe effects of different degrees of head-of-bed elevation on the respiratory pattern and drainage following thyroidectomy: a randomized controlled trial.
The patient's position is important for ensuring patient comfort and preventing complications after thyroidectomy. ⋯ This study showed that different HOBE positions resulted in clinically insignificant changes on the RR and amount of drainage during the first 4 hours following thyroidectomy but did not affect SpO2 value.
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African health sciences · Mar 2020
Sexual knowledge and practice of adolescent learners in a rural South African school.
Premature sexual activity has become a norm in South African society, often resulting in teenage pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases (STD). Occurrence of premature sexual activity is related to insufficient education, gender inequalities, household poverty and place of residence. The Stepping Stones project uses a 10-session programme to educate learners about relationships, HIV-prevention and teenage pregnancy. The purpose was to measure and describe learners' sexual knowledge and activities in a rural technical secondary school in North-west Province, South Africa. ⋯ Findings point to unsafe sexual practice of learners at a school in rural South Africa, even from an early age. This concern is accompanied by the occurrence of low levels of sexually-related knowledge. The learners would benefit from continued implementation of the Stepping Stones programme. Implementation could be improved by incorporating social media and emphasising gender equality and negotiation skills in sexually vulnerable situations.