105064 research outputs found
Sort by
The Genital Tract and Rectal Microbiomes: Their Role in HIV Susceptibility and Prevention in Women
No full textIntroduction: Young women in sub-Saharan Africa are disproportionately affected by HIV, accounting for 25% of all new infections in 2017. Several behavioural and biological factors are known to impact a young woman's vulnerability for acquiring HIV. One key, but lesser understood, biological factor impacting vulnerability is the vaginal microbiome. This review describes the vaginal microbiome and examines its alterations, its influence on HIV acquisition as well as the efficacy of HIV prevention technologies, the role of the rectal microbiome in HIV acquisition, advances in technologies to study the microbiome and some future research directions.
Discussion: Although the composition of each woman's vaginal microbiome is unique, a microbiome dominated by Lactobacillus species is generally associated with a "healthy" vagina. Disturbances in the vaginal microbiota, characterized by a shift from a low-diversity, Lactobacillus-dominant state to a high-diversity non-Lactobacillus-dominant state, have been shown to be associated with a range of adverse reproductive health outcomes, including increasing the risk of genital inflammation and HIV acquisition. Gardnerella vaginalis and Prevotella bivia have been shown to contribute to both HIV risk and genital inflammation. In addition to impacting HIV risk, the composition of the vaginal microbiome affects the vaginal concentrations of some antiretroviral drugs, particularly those administered intravaginally, and thereby their efficacy as pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) for HIV prevention. Although the role of rectal microbiota in HIV acquisition in women is less well understood, the composition of this compartment's microbiome, particularly the presence of species of bacteria from the Prevotellaceae family likely contribute to HIV acquisition. Advances in technologies have facilitated the study of the genital microbiome's structure and function. While next-generation sequencing advanced knowledge of the diversity and complexity of the vaginal microbiome, the emerging field of metaproteomics, which provides important information on vaginal bacterial community structure, diversity and function, is further shedding light on functionality of the vaginal microbiome and its relationship with bacterial vaginosis (BV), as well as antiretroviral PrEP efficacy.
Conclusions: A better understanding of the composition, structure and function of the microbiome is needed to identify opportunities to alter the vaginal microbiome and prevent BV and reduce the risk of HIV acquisition
Efficacy Of Waxing Innovations To Extend Shelf Life And Preserve Postharvest Quality Of Mango Fruits
Get PDFMango (Mangifera Indica L.) is one of the major fruits produced in Kenya mostly for the domestic market, and to a small extend for export markets. Mango is widely adapted to different Agro-Ecological Zones and its production is mainly by smallholder farmers who depend on it for their livelihoods. However, there are many challenges which have inhibited realization of the full potential of mango in Kenya. High postharvest losses estimated to be 40 – 50% is one of the challenges facing mango value chain actors. The high losses result from various factors including poor harvesting practices, pest and diseases, lack of postharvest technologies, among others. Various postharvest technologies such as controlled atmosphere storage, refrigeration, modified atmospheric packaging, among others have been used with great success, but are out of reach for small holder farmers who are resource constrained. Waxing of fruits is an old practice which has been demonstrated to have benefits on various fresh commodities such as avocados, mangos, citrus, apples, loquats, among others. However, application of waxing technologies in mango fruit has not been tried commercially in Kenya. This study was conducted to evaluate the efficacy of two waxing options on prolonging the shelf life of two popular mango varieties in Kenya under different storage conditions. Fruits for the study were harvested from 6 – 10-year-old trees on commercial farms in Machakos County. In the first experiment, ‘ngowe’ and ‘apple’ mango fruits were harvested at mature green stage and transported in padded crates to the postharvest laboratory where they were sorted for uniformity, washed with disinfected water, brushed gently with Decco Clear (food brush sanitizer), dipped in hot water (45-55C) and placed on wire shelves for air drying. Each variety was then batched into five groups for different treatments. The treatments included Shellac wax (3% and 5%, w/w), Mango wax, Mango wax+prochloraz (fungicide) and
x
untreated (control). The fruits were then packed in open carton boxes and stored in different storage conditions including ambient (25C) and simulated commercial cold storage (12C). A random sample of three fruits was taken from the different treatments and storage environment for analysis of attributes associated with ripening. The ripening attributes measured included physiological (respiration and weight loss) and physical (peel/flesh firmness and peel/pulp color).
In the second experiment, the best performing treatment(s) from each storage option in experiment 1 was selected and applied on the mango fruits (‘ngowe’ and ‘apple’) to establish their effect on postharvest quality attributes. The parameters measured included total titratable acidity (TTA), total soluble solids (TSS), total sugars, beta carotene and vitamin C. Completely Randomized Design with factorial arrangement was used as the study design. Results from the study showed waxing to have a significant (p<0.05) effect on shelf life of mango fruits. Waxed fruits had an extended shelf life of 3 and 4 days at ambient storage conditions for ‘ngowe’ and ‘apple’ mango fruits respectively and for 6 days under cold storage (12C) for both varieties. Waxing suppressed the rate of respiration for both mango varieties in the different storage conditions compared to the control. Under ambient storage conditions, untreated ‘apple’ mango fruits had a high respiratory peak of 85.09ml/kg hr (day 10) compared to a low average peak of 51.55ml/kg hr (day 14) for the treated fruits. Weight loss was significantly reduced by waxing. Control ‘apple’ mango fruits under ambient storage conditions lost 12.4% of the initial weight compared to an average of 7.75% weight loss for the treated fruits by end of the storage period. Similarly, in the case of cold-stored fruits, untreated ‘apple’ mango lost 5.5% compared to an average of 3.7% for the treated fruits by end of storage period. Other ripening related physiological and physical changes followed a trend that correlated positively with water loss and respiratory activity. Wax treated fruits maintained relatively higher hue angles (peel and pulp) and higher firmness (peel and pulp) throughout the storage period compared to control fruits.
In the second experiment, results showed waxing to be effective in delaying the rate of loss of the fruit’s quality attributes for both ‘ngowe’ and ‘apple’ mango fruits. Brix levels for the treated fruits remained relatively low especially for the fruits in the cold storage. Control ‘apple’ mango fruits had a high brix level of 20.88 ºbrix by day 15 compared to a lower average level of 19.05ºbrix for the treated fruits, by end of storage period (day 28). The other parameters (total titratable acidity, vitamin C, beta carotene and sugars) for the waxed fruits were also retained longer, showing a positive correlation with water loss and respiration. The results from this study show that waxing is an effective postharvest technology which can be used as an alternative technology to extend shelf life and maintain postharvest quality of mango fruits during storage, transportation or marketing.
Key words: Cold storage, Ambient, Mango wax, Shellac wax, Shelf life, Postharvest quality
An evaluation of access to Voting Rights for Persons with Mobility-impairment in Nairobi County
Get PDFThe study examined access to voting rights for persons with mobility-impairment in four constituencies within Nairobi County in Kenya. Voting rights are protected in international, regional and national law. Article 29 of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD), underscores the equal right of PWDs to participate in political life. Article 2(5) and (6) of Kenya\s Constitution has domesticated these provisions as part of Kenya’s legal system. Consequently, Article 54 of Kenya’s Constitution guarantees PWDs reasonable access to all places. These broad provisions have been implemented by Section 3 of the Elections Act, 2011 and Section 29 and 30 of the Disability Act, 2012. The state has a duty to protect voting rights for PWDs and those with mobility-impairment in particular. However, these are general provisions that have not guaranteed PWDs full participation in the voting process in a manner that is consistent with democratic principles.
The aim of the study was to establish how persons with mobility impairment exercised their voting rights during the 2017 general election. Respect for the right to vote for PWDs is only observed on paper since they experience insurmountable challenges in the process. These challenges not restricted to the actual voting period include: inadequate laws and policies, illiteracy and poverty, stigma and cultural attitudes, physical accessibility in registration and access to electoral centre’s. The low voter turnout among persons with mobility-impairment in the 2017 elections in Kenya is simply a manifestation of the greater likelihood of experiencing voting difficulties.
The study was based on three hypotheses: first Kenya’s laws are inadequate in as far as the protection of voting rights for persons with mobility impairment is concerned. Secondly, persons with mobility impairment face many barriers that impact their exercise of voting rights. Thirdly, structures and systems put in place to enable persons with mobility impairment exercise their voting rights have not been successful. The study used qualitative methods especially descriptive survey research design to assess the level of participation in voting for persons with mobility impairment in Kenya for the year 2017. The justification for the study was that persons with mobility impairment are not considered in schemes designed to facilitate free and fair elections. Two primary data collection instruments were employed to collect information from the respondents, the questionnaire and the interview guide.
The questionnaire was specifically distributed to persons with mobility impairment, while the interview guide was used to collect data from IEBC, the Association of Physically Disabled Kenya (APDK) and Kenya Institute of Special Education (KISE). In the 4 constituencies less than 30% of persons with mobility impairment were able to vote owing to architectural and other physical barriers, attitude barriers, lack of information and communication, ineffective legal, policy and regulatory environment, lack of transport to polling stations and fear of political violence. Some recommendations to improve access to voting rights for persons with mobility impairment would include addressing some of the challenges articulated above. In particular, the following would be key; introduction of electronic voting, special queues, early voting and mobile polling stations for persons with mobility impairment. Enhancement of awareness campaigns, amendment of electoral laws, construction of disability-friendly buildings with wide doors, low tables, increase the number of polling stations, recruitment of staff sensitive to persons with mobility impairment and enforcement of existing laws to address political violence
Political Activism And Democracy: The Use Of Online Spaces By The #thisflag Movement In Zimbabwe
Get PDFThis study is about Political activism and democracy. Specifically, it studied hashtag this flag movement in Zimbabwe, commonly referred to as “the #ThisFlag Movement”. The study was carried out between April 2016 and August 2018. The research is guided by the following objectives: To do an appraisal of the #Thisflag movement on the use of online spaces; To do an assessment of people’s reactions generated by videos on Facebook, To identify how hashtags were used in delivering a message from the #ThisFlag movement and lastly to examine the effectiveness of online activism for democracy in Zimbabwe. The study was guided by the Public Sphere theory and Relative Deprivation theory. The research used Convergent Parallel Mixed methods approach. Data was gathered from a sample of 10 videos downloaded and purposely selected. The sampled videos were subjected to content analysis and semiotic analysis. In addition, three key informants that is, the founder and, activist of the movement, prominent city of Harare Mayor and Movement for Democratic Change – Alliance Secretary for elections were interviewed. The video speeches were transcribed into text to allow for content and semiotic analysis. Content analysis focused on the comments generated by the videos in order to generate the various themes and public opinion of activism and democracy in Zimbabwe. Content analysis also enabled the researcher to use descriptive statistics through the number of reactions generated. Semiotic analysis was used to compliment content analysis by enabling the deconstruction of images, signs and sounds in the videos selected as well as the comments. Using codes and themes generated from content analysis it emerged that #ThisFlag movement used the online space for freedom of expression, mobilisation and a space to air out emotions towards the existing government. The use of emotional appeal resonated with the participants as they responded with the emotions in the videos. The use of the online space saw the inclusion of the diaspora community to participate in political discussions. The study found out that in as much as the activists called for freedom of expression, the participants largely viewed the videos and did not comment, like or share the videos. The participants were mostly passive audiences, and this was due to fear. The study, therefore, recommended for educational awareness on citizens human rights. Through educating citizens on their human rights will increase their participation in demonstrations as they will be fully equipped on their rights. The study also found out that the mobilisation strategies of the movement were effective and peaceful. This was noted from the success of the Zimbabwe shutdown movement. Thus, the study recommends the mobilisation strategies by the #ThisFlag for peaceful protests
Factors Contributing to Criminal Behaviour Among the Youth in North West Kisumu Location, Maseno Division,kisumu County
Get PDFIncreased incidences of crime across the country are becoming a matter of grave concern.
Of even greater concern, however, is the growing number of youths who are taking to
crime. The study aimed at finding out socio-economic factors that contribute to criminal
behavior among the youth; to establish whether family socialization practices have an
influence on criminal behavior among the youth; to investigate the influence of peer
groups on criminal behavior among the youth and to find out whether the media has an
influence on criminal behavior among the youth. The study adopted descriptive survey...........
Influence Of Strategic Plan Implementation On Students’ Academic Performance In Public Secondary Schools In Maara Sub County, Tharaka Nithi County, Kenya
No full textThe purpose of this study was to establish the influence of strategic plan implementation on students’ academic performance at public secondary schools in Maara-Sub County. This research project was guided by the following objectives: To establish the extent to which mission and vision statement influence students’ academic performance at public secondary schools in Maara-Sub-County; To examine influence of Continuous Assessment strategy on students’ academic performance at public secondary schools; To evaluate the extent to which physical facilities development strategy influence academic performance at public secondary schools; To assess the extent in which syllabus coverage strategy influence on students ’academic performance at public secondary schools. The study was guided by the Education Production function Theory proposed by Mace (1979). To ensure these objectives were achieved the researcher administered three categories of questionnaires to principals, Heads of Departments and students. Selected by random sampling the researcher used sample size ten (10) for principals, thirty four (34) for HODs and one hundred seventy three (173) for students were perceived rich respondents for this study. The results and findings of this study revealed that there is a statistically significant relationship between the vision and mission statement on student’s academic performance, (p<0.05). The findings also demonstrated that there is a statistically significant relationship between the administration of continuous assessments and student academic performance in Maara Sub County, (P<0.05). The study also shows there is a statistically significant relationship between syllabus coverage and students’ academic performance, (P<0.05). The fourth objective indicated that there is a statistically significant relationship between the physical facilities and student’s academic performance as indicated by (P<0.05).The study concluded that, the school strategic plan should be reviewed after every two years; this is because the results for the last three years were going downwards yet the schools confirmed that strategies were well outlined in the schools strategic plans. Interpersonal relationship between the stakeholders and the students was critical; this is because majority of students attested that the communication from parent association and BOM in regard to schools strategic plans strategies was not in Maara Sub County. The Ministry of Education should be involved in establishment of the schools strategic plan strategies to ensure that they are achievable and are in line with national goals. The study recommends that public secondary schools stakeholders, principals, teachers and students need to be educated on the importance of well document strategic plan and their impacts to school managements in Maara Sub County. The study recommended that the National treasury to enhance budgetary allocation to infrastructure development in education sector especially in public secondary in Maara Sub County. The study recommends that schools’ strategic plan need to be accompanied with proper managerial approaches such as leadership styles in enhancing quality of education in Maara Sub County. The study suggests similar study to be carried out on private secondary schools in same Sub County to examine the influence of strategic plan on students’ academic performance in Maara Sub County
Optimized Retention In Care Model For Newly Diagnosed HIV Clients In Kisumu County Referral Hospital
No full textPROJECT SUMMARY
Kisumu County is one of the 47 counties in Kenya. The county has an urban and rural background with a rich ethnic, racial and cultural diversity. The County has seven sub counties with fishing, farming and trade as the major economic mainstay. In 2015 The Kenya National HIV prevalence among people aged 15-49 years was estimated to be 5.9% with Kisumu having a prevalence rate of 19.9%, the county ranked third among the 9 counties that accounted for the highest number of new HIV infections in the Kenya. Kisumu County Referral Hospital is one of the high volume health facilities which offers HIV services in Kisumu city. KCRH has 17600 clients ever enrolled in HIV care with 5400 active HIV clients. This number could be higher were it not for clients who drop out right after HIV diagnosis. The metropolitan environment with mass transit of people makes it hard to track and retain the newly HIV diagnosed clients in HIV care and treatment posing a challenge in the achievement of 959595 UNAIDS targets for Kisumu County.
The project sought to use HIV clinic data to design and implement a retention in care model that aimed at retaining newly diagnosed HIV clients in care and treatment. The optimized RIC model was designed and piloted in KCRH for 6 months. Over that period, cases of newly diagnosed HIV positive clients who were lost to HIV care and treatment follow up reduced significantly, proving that program data can help to inform designing of innovative interventions that can significantly help to improve RIC among newly identified HIV positive clients without much strain on existing health system infrastructure.a
Department of Psychiatry, University of Nairobi, ; bDepartment of Mental Health, School of Medicine,
Moi University, Eldoret, Keny
Kutojitokeza Kwa Lugha Ya Kitamathali Na Urejeleaji Wa Kijinsia Katika Wimbo Ulio Bora
No full textUtafiti huu ulilenga kuchunguza kutojitokeza kwa lugha ya kitamathali na urejeleaji wa kijinsia katika Wimbo Ulio Bora kama matini lengwa, matini hii inapolinganishwa na matini chanzi Song of Songs. Kitabu hiki ni cha ishirini na mbili katika agano la kale kwa mujibu wa tafsiri ya King James Version. Katika utafiti huu, tamathali tulizojikita kwazo ni pamoja na tashbihi, sitiari pamoja na tashihisi. Tulibainisha tamathali hizi katika matini chanzi na vilevile jinsi ambavyo tamathali hizi zilivyohawilishwa katika matini lengwa. Jambo lingine ambalo tuliliangazia ni lugha inayorejelea jinsia ya kiume na ya kike katika matini chasili huku tukilinganisha na matini lengwa kwa lengo la kubaini ulinganifu katika kujitokeza kwa urejeleaji huo wa kijinsia. Utafiti huu uliongozwa na nadharia ya Newmark (1988) ya tafsiri ya masuala mahususi ya kitamaduni. Tuliangalia makundi matano ya masuala mahususi ya kitamaduni yanayopendekezwa na nadharia hii. Pamoja na kufanya hivi, tulichunguza jinsi masuala haya mahususi yanavyojitokeza katika matini lengwa kwa kuilinganisha matini hiyo na matini chasili. Utafiti tulioufanya ulikuwa wa maktabani kwa kuwa data tuliyokusanya ilikuwa data isiyo msingi ambapo tulitegemea habari zilizohifadhiwa kwa njia ya maandishi katika bibilia ya Kiingereza (tafsiri ya King James) na tafsiri yake katika lugha ya Kiswahili (Swahili Union Version). Matokeo ya utafiti huu yamedhihirisha masuala mbalimbali ya kitafsiri. Kwanza ni kwamba, lugha ya Kiingereza kupitia matini chanzi Song of Songs inadhihirisha urejeleaji wa kijinsia. Urejeleaji huu umejitokeza katika vitengo mbalimbali kama vile nomino, virai nomino, vivumishi pamoja na viwakilishi. Lugha ya Kiswahili kupitia kwa matini chanzi Wimbo Ulio Bora hata hivyo, inadhihirisha kwa kiasi kidogo tu urejeleaji huu wa kijinsia. Aidha utafiti huu vilevile ulizichunguza tamathali tatu husika (tashihisi, tashbihi na sitiari) kwa kutathmini kujitokeza kwa tamathali hizi katika matini lengwa ambapo matokea yalionyesha kuwa tamathali hizi zimekosa ulinganifu kwa kiasi kikubwa matini mbili husika zinapolinganishwa. Aidha, tulitafitia masuala mahususi ya kitamaduni kwa kuyagawa katika makundi yake matano kama anavyopenekeza Newmark (1988) na kisha kuchunguza mikakati iliyotumika katika kuyahawilisha masuala haya hadi lugha lengwa. Utafiti huu umebainisha kwamba kutojitokeza kwa lugha inayorejelea jinsia, ukosefu wa ulinganifu wa kitamathali na kidhana kunatokana na tofauti kati ya lugha mbili husika ambapo tamaduni zinazoambatana na lugha husika (Kiswahili na Kiingereza) zinadhihirisha mielekeo tofauti katika kuyadhihirisha masuala ya kijinsia, kitamathali na kidhana
Plasma and Urine Neutrophil Gelatinase Associated Lipocalin Levels as Markers of Acute Kidney Injury in Critically Ill Children Aged 1-12 Years at Kenyatta National Hospital (Nairobi).
No full textBackground
Acute kidney injury (AKI) refers to a form of kidney dysfunction that rapidly develops within
7 days or less, the resulting complications being metabolic, systemic and death in the
extreme. Kidney damage in AKI is due to ischemia, exposure to toxic substances,
inflammatory processes or obstruction of the urinary tract. Critically ill children are
susceptible to AKI, incidences range from 1 to 31%. Serum creatinine levels and/or urine
output are required to diagnose AKI. In critically ill patient’s population serum creatinine and
urine values are considered insensitive and additional tools are required to diagnose AKI.
Several AKI biomarkers have been fronted with Neutrophil Gelatinase Associated Lipocalin
(NGAL) receiving more attention, the goal is to maximize the opportunity for early
identification of AKI and intervention which translates to favorable outcomes.
Objective
To evaluate the potential of plasma NGAL and urine NGAL as a marker of AKI in critically
ill children aged 1 - 12 years at KNH.
Methodology
This was a prospective cross-sectional study carried out in a population of critically ill children
aged 1 -12 years admitted at Kenyatta National Hospital, pediatric unit. Forty-eight study
participants were enrolled, urine and blood samples were obtained from study subjects on
admission and another blood sample was collected 48 hours post admission. Admission and
48hour post admission plasma creatinine was estimated using Dirui reagents (Dirui industrial
company Shenzhen, China) Admission plasma and urine NGAL were analyzed using an NGAL
kit (Bio Porto Diagnostics A/S, Denmark). All analyses were done on Biolis 50i (Tokyo Boeki
Japan) chemistry analyzer. Data was analyzed using STATA statistical package and included both
descriptive and inferential analysis.
11
Results
A total of 40 subjects completed the study. Majority of the participants (75%) were aged
between 1 and 3 years, most (56%) were females. Seventy-one percent (n=34) of all the
admissions had respiratory tract infection as the underlying pathology. Nine participants met
the criteria for AKI giving a prevalence of AKI among critically ill children at KNH to be
28.5%, 95%CI [12.8, 41.8] based on plasma creatinine, as well as plasma and urine NGAL.
A strong positive and significant correlation between Plasma and Urine NGAL (r = 0.869)
was evident. Further statistical analysis showed that Plasma (p = 0.029) and Urine NGAL (p
= 0.000) are statistically significant markers of AKI in critically ill children aged 1-12 years.
Conclusion
Plasma NGAL and Urine NGAL can detect AKI and can predict up to 34.7% of the AKI ina
Department of Psychiatry, University of Nairobi, ; bDepartment of Mental Health, School of Medicine,
Moi University, Eldoret, Keny