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Barriers and drivers of voluntary blood donation in Katavi and Kilimanjaro regions: a comparative cross-sectional study of two regions with high and moderate blood collection rates in Tanzania
Get PDFA Dissertation Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of
Master of Science in Public Health Research at Nelson Mandela African Institution of
Science and Technologyn Tanzania, blood donation does not meet the national requirement. This was an explanatory
sequential mixed-method study design. The quantitative component involved a questionnaire
survey to explore respondents’ KAPS on voluntary blood donation and a review of blood donation
data from (NTBS). The qualitative component involved four FGDs with registered voluntary blood
and healthcare providers from the NTBS. Out of two hundred and fifty-three (253) surveyed
participants, 47% (n=120) never donated due to various reasons. Thirty-nine (39) respondents from
Kilimanjaro (33%) and 33 from Katavi (27%) respectively did not donate because they were not
sensitized and consulted to donate. One of the reasons was a lack of knowledge of the whereabouts
of donation centers. Twenty-three (23) respondents from Kilimanjaro (19%) and twelve (12) from
Katavi (10%) respectively cited the same reason. Four respondents (4% n=4) and two (1.6%) in
Kilimanjaro and Katavi respectively did not donate because the donation center was very far from
their residence. Other reasons were religious and cultural reasons and fear of losing sex libido.
Fifty-three 53% of all respondents, (n=133) from both regions have ever donated in their lives. In
Kilimanjaro, eighteen percent (18% n=24) of respondents donated because a close family member
needed it while in Katavi eight percent (8% n=11) donated because of that reason. In Kilimanjaro,
eleven percent (11% n=14) donated because their best friend needed it to survive; in Katavi, eleven
percent (11% n=15) donated because of that reason. In Kilimanjaro, ten percent (10% n=13) donate
because they were sensitized likewise in Katavi ten percent (10% n=13) donated because of that
reason. In Kilimanjaro, only, eight percent (8% n=10) just volunteered while in Katavi 25% (n=33)
just volunteered. The qualitative part of the study has shown that NBTS officials from Katavi had
more creative strategies to improve voluntary blood donation. The prevalence of blood donation
was less than satisfactory in the study areas because of misconceptions, poor knowledge, and
unfavorable attitude toward blood donation. Utilizing media such as radios and televisions may
improve the reach of educational programs, advocacy, and sensitization and encourage more
people to donate blood. Blood Transfusion, blood donation, Knowledge, Attitude, Practice,
voluntary blood donation, Kilimanjaro, Katavi, Tanzania
Needs and contents of a customized digital tool for retention in care and medication adherence among pregnant and breastfeeding women living with HIV in Kilimanjaro
Get PDFThis research article was published by Bulletin of the National Research Centre Volume 47, 2023Background
Retention in care and adherence to medication among pregnant and breastfeeding women living
with HIV (PBWLH) are crucial for preventing mother‑to‑child transmission (PMTCT) of HIV. Wide coverage of mobile
phones, digital tools, including internet‑enabled medication dispensers and short message service (SMS), have
been recommended as potential interventions to improve adherence to medication by PBWLH. The main objective
of the study was to understand the needs and contents for a customized digital tool for retention in care and medica‑
tion adherence among PBWLH.
Method
A mixed‑methods study was conducted from September 2021 to March 2022 at five health facilities
in the Kilimanjaro region. We interviewed 142 pregnant and breastfeeding women, receiving PMTCT services, using
a semi‑structured questionnaire. Among the interviewed, twenty breastfeeding women were purposively selected
and enrolled to use an internet‑enabled Wisepill medication dispenser for one month. They received different types
of SMS reminders for one month, and feedback on their adherence patterns was received after one month using
an adherence graph from the Wisepill digital tool. Later, exit and in‑depth interviews were conducted to explore
the needs and contents of a future customized digital adherence tool. Descriptive analyses for quantitative data
and thematic content analyses for qualitative data were also done.
Results
Among 142 women interviewed, 42(30%) were pregnant and 100 (70%) were breastfeeding. Most 136 (95%)
had access to mobile phones and used SMS daily, while 90% were interested in receiving reminder messages. Qualita‑
tive findings revealed more insights into reminders’ content and educational SMS. Most people preferred neutral SMS,
which does not contain the word “medication”. Health educational SMS content was preferred to be on breastfeeding,
opportunistic diseases, nutrition and entrepreneurship education. Overall, SMSs were regarded as helpful to remind
clients of medication time and the medication dispenser provided them with privacy and safe storage for their
medication.
Conclusions
This study’s findings will help construct useful content for future digital adherence tools to support
the health of pregnant and breastfeeding women living with HIV
Application of Magnetic Surfactants in Nanoparticle Fabrication
Get PDFthis book chapter is in chapter six in a book called Magnetic Surfactants: Design, Chemistry and Utilization which is in volume 1447Magnetic nanoparticles (MNPs) are a group of nanoparticles made from a magnetic material such as iron, chromium, manganese, cobalt or nickel and a chemical component that exhibit superparamagnetic properties. They have a wide range of applications in medicine, wastewater treatment and bioremediation, food industries, and molecular biology, among others, due to their size effects, surface-to-volume ratio, interaction, magnetic separation, specificity, and surface chemistry. However, the incorporation of amphiphilic surface active agents called surfactants into MNPs to serve as capping, structure-directing, ion-exchange, oxidation, and reduction agents is known to affect MNPs physicochemical properties including size, shape, dispersability, stability, surface charge, biocompatibility, optical properties, thermal properties, selectivity, cellular uptake, magnetic energy, functionality, and applicability. Thereby increasing their applications in drug delivery, cancer therapy, biosensors, diagnostic testing, bioimaging, water treatment, enhanced oil recovery, catalysis, energy storage, and information storage. This chapter addresses the mechanisms of synthesis of Magnetic Surfactant Nanoparticles (MSNPs), the roles of surfactants in MNPs fabrication, the influence of surfactants on the properties of MNPs, comparative performances and applications of MSNPs, cost analysis and future prospects, and likely challenges
The choroid plexus acts as an immune cell reservoir and brain entry site in experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis
Get PDFThis research article was published by Lazarevic et al. Fluids and Barriers of the CNSThe choroid plexus (ChP) has been suggested as an alternative central nervous system (CNS) entry site for CCR6+
Th17 cells during the initiation of experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE), an animal model for multiple
sclerosis (MS). To advance our understanding of the importance of the ChP in orchestrating CNS immune cell entry
during neuroinflammation, we here directly compared the accumulation of CD45+ immune cell subsets in the
ChP, the brain and spinal cord at different stages of EAE by flow cytometry. We found that the ChP harbors high
numbers of CD45int resident innate but also of CD45hi adaptive immune cell subsets including CCR6+ Th17 cells.
With the exception to tissue-resident myeloid cells and B cells, numbers of CD45+ immune cells and specifically
of CD4+ T cells increased in the ChP prior to EAE onset and remained elevated while declining in brain and spinal
cord during chronic disease. Increased numbers of ChP immune cells preceded their increase in the cerebrospinal
fluid (CSF). Th17 but also other CD4+ effector T-cell subsets could migrate from the basolateral to the apical side of
the blood-cerebrospinal fluid barrier (BCSFB) in vitro, however, diapedesis of effector Th cells including that of Th17
cells did not require interaction of CCR6 with BCSFB derived CCL20. Our data underscore the important role of the
ChP as CNS immune cell entry site in the context of autoimmune neuroinflammation
Study of Socio-economic Drivers and community perceptions on Invasive Alien Plant Prosopis juliflora in Northern Tanzania
Get PDFThis research article was published by International Journal of Advances in Scientific Research and Engineering (ijasre), Vol 9 (12)Prosopis juliflora (P. juliflora) is an invasive plant introduced in Tanzania for restoration and greening the degraded
sites. Since its introduction in Tanzania, there has been no assessment about its associated socio-economic drivers
and community perceptions in those areas of introduction. In this study, we generated information on socio-economic
drivers and community perceptions on this invasive alien plant in Northern Tanzania. We employed multistage
stratified random sampling technique for obtaining the sites for data collection within the effective study area. We
used Focus group discussion (FDG) to collect data on social economic drivers and community perception on P.
juliflora. The results indicate that, community had variation on knowledge about P. juliflora. However, its presences
in block A, D, E, F, G and H are driven by the need of shade tree and fuel wood. Community perceive that it is
causing effect like displacement of other plants, injuries to both human and domestic animals especially to those
blocks (D, E, F and G) with its high density. Together with those effects, communities perceive not to eradicate P.
juliflora in their environment unless there will be a substitute species with comparable characteristics and providing
similar services obtained from it. In conclusion, the economic and social services obtained from P. juliflora are the
major drivers of it to be embraced in the invaded area and majority of communities has decided to live with it in
Northern Tanzania. We recommend quick awareness creation to the communities in those invaded areas is inevitable
Water defluoridation using Al/Fe/Ti ternary metal oxide-loaded activated carbon by capacitive deionization
Get PDFThis research article was published by Royal Society of Chemistry, 2023Capacitive deionization (CDI) is an environmentally friendly water treatment technology with low energy consumption. For a long time, activated carbon has been a preferred electrode material for CDI owing to its availability, easy preparation, low cost, and tunable textural properties. However, an unmodified carbon electrode does not significantly prefer anions, leading to unnecessary energy consumption for treating fluoridated water. Therefore, in this study, activated carbon materials loaded with trimetallic oxides (Al/Fe/Ti) at different mass ratios were prepared by a co-precipitation method in a temperature range between 23 and 27 °C to improve fluoride ion (F−) selectivity. The as-prepared composites were characterized by X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, and energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy analysis. The process parameters were investigated and optimized based on experimental data using the response surface methodology (Box–Behnken design). In competitive F− removal CDI experiments, the F− concentration was reduced from 5.15 mg L−1 to 1.18 mg L−1, below the allowable limit of 1.5 mg L−1 set by the World Health Organization. The metal oxide-modified activated carbon surface (AC–Al4Fe2.5Ti4) showed significantly improved electrochemical properties and enhanced capacitance compared to the unmodified one. The modified electrode material also showed the advantages of high removal efficiency and excellent regeneration performance after continuous electric adsorption–desorption cycles. Therefore, activated carbon–Al4Fe2.5Ti4 is a potential CDI electrode material for water defluoridation applications
Soilless urban gardening as a post covid-19 food security salvage technology: A study on the physiognomic response of lettuce to hydroponics in Uganda
Get PDFThis research article was published by Elsevier in 2023This study was conducted to assess the performance of vegetables using a non-greenhouse hydroponic system as a sustainable urban farming technology to increase food security (in terms of vegetable production and availability). Leafy lettuce (red and green) was grown using non-circulating hydroponics under a complete randomized design. The effect of hydroponics on growth and yield of the vegetables was studied. Six parameters were studied: plant height, length of the root, number of leaves, weight of lettuce, moisture content and dry matter. Data was collected 20 and 40 Days after transplanting and analyzed using T-test at 5% significance level with Origin Pro software (version 9.0). Soil-based cultivation was used as the control experiment. A significant difference (P < 0.05) existed at yield for lettuce grown under soil and hydroponics for; dry matter content (0.02, 0.01), fresh weight (0.03, 0.02) and root length (0.01, 0.02) in that order. Based on number of leaves which is the key edible part of the vegetable, hydroponics has the potential to perform as equally well as conventional farming. Further research can be done to study the nutritional composition of the lettuce and performance of the other vegetables using the system
Artisanal and small-scale mining in Tanzania and health implications: A policy perspective
Get PDFThis research article was published by Elsevier in 2023The mineral sector, especially its small-scale subsector, has become significant in the emerging
economies of the Global South. Tanzania is the focus of this policy exposition paper because, aside
from Ghana and South Africa, Tanzania is ranked 4th in Africa in terms of its mineral deposits and
small-scale mining activities. The focus is also on artisanal and small-scale mining (ASM) because
ASM operations have significantly increased in recent times across this mineral-rich country of
East Africa. This is done against a negative backdrop-labelling of ASM as unsustainable, envi-
ronmentally unfriendly, inefficient, and illegal. Tanzania has made some progress to respond to
some of the challenges in the mining sector to improve the micro and macroeconomics of the
country. Some areas remain challenging including the lack of proper environmental health ed-
ucation for the ASM miners; the lack of clear national-level policies to guide health-related
matters in the ASM subsector, and the small capital investment of the ASM subsector to sup-
port healthy mining practices. The details related to the persistence of these challenges are not
well known, particularly those that pertain to policymaking. This article attempts to evaluate the
policy environment of the ASM subsector in Tanzania and propose appropriate actions for the
future of mineral resource policymaking in Tanzania
Catalytic hydrothermal liquefaction of orange peels into biocrude: An optimization approach by Central Composite Design
Get PDFThis research article was published by Elsevier B.V. in 2023Global instability, persistent increase in pump-price, inflation and depletion of fossil fuel resources amidst the continuous discharge of greenhouse gases from fossil fuels combustion call for urgent attention. The application of novel catalyst towards an improved biocrude production and enhanced biomass conversion are required for effective performance of hydrothermal liquefaction of biomass feedstocks. In the present study, iron supported carbon nanospheres (Fe/CNSs) catalyst has been developed using wet impregnation approach and explored for its catalytic potency in improving yield of biocrude using an optimization approach; central composite design. Hydrothermal liquefaction (HTL) was adopted as a process route where the catalyst dosage (3-6 wt.%) and the reaction temperature (330-430 oC) were optimized on the constant weight of orange feedstock (10 g), reaction time of (15 mins) and solvents’ ratio of 3:1 (acetone to ethanol). The performance of the catalyst was found to be aided with the even dispersion of the Fe on the surfaces of the CNSs support and improved surface area. The effects of reaction temperature were observed to be more progressive on biocrude yield formation over the catalyst loading. The optimum biocrude yield, solid residue, biomass conversion and gas yield were obtained to be 71.09 wt.%, 28.18 wt. %, 71.82 wt.% and 40.14 mL/g at 430 oC and 3 wt.% catalyst loading. The obtained analysis of variance suggests a good correlation between the experimental and predicted data in all responses. The selectivity of Fe/CNSs catalyst to high yield of phenolics and aromatic compounds in the biocrude suggest that, the biocrude can be further be upgraded into transportation fuel through hydrodeoxygenation process. The findings have further suggested the viability of the developed Fe/CNSs as an effective catalyst for improved HTL products in a batch reactor
The removal of ciprofloxacin from synthetic wastewater in constructed wetland
Get PDFThis research article was published by Elsevier in 2023Considering the health effects of antibiotics in the environment, effective monitoring and treatment technologies are needed to mitigate social and environmental impacts. The present study was carried out to investigate the efficiency of the constructed wetland (CW) on the removal of Ciprofloxacin (CIP) from aqueous samples. Experiments were conducted in pilot scale CWs planted with single plants of Cyperus alternifolius, Canna indica and one planted with both plant species. Analysis of CIP concentrations in the influent and effluent samples was done using Cary 60 UV–Vis spectrophotometer, while physical-chemical parameters were monitored for the influent and effluent samples. The removal efficiency of physico-chemical parameters was ˃70% for Nitrate, ˃60% for Phosphate, ˃70% for BOD and ˃77% for COD. The maximum removal of CIP (77.1%) was observed in CW planted with Cyperus alternifolius during a 7 days hydraulic retention time (HRT). The results of this study show superior performance of Cyperus alternifolius than Canna indica. There was no significance difference (p > 0.05) produced by mixing the two plants in a CW. However, mixing of plants especially ornamental plants in CWs brings good visual impression of the systems while treating the wastewater. This study demonstrate that CW can remove antibiotics from wastewater. The best performance depends on best selection and best combination of the plants