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Evaluation of the divergent effects of pyrethroid and D-allethrin-based coils fumes in male Wistar rats
No full textMosquito coil fume is a cheap and commonly used method of reducing malaria incidence in third-world countries. The effects of fumes from pyrethroid and D-allethrin-based mosquito coils available in the Nigerian market were assessed in male Wistar rats. The rats were exposed to the insecticide fumes for 7, 14, and 21 days, while another group served as a control. The experiment consisted of seven randomly divided groups of six weight-matched animals per group. Plasma alanine aminotransferase (ALT), aspartate aminotransferase (AST), lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), cholesterol, phospholipids, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C), and high-density lipoprotein phospholipid (HDL-P) were evaluated. Lung-, liver-and kidney-reduced glutathione (GSH), glutathione peroxide (GPx), glutathione-S-transferase (GST), superoxide dismutase (SOD), malondialdehyde/lipid peroxidation (MDA) and lipid hydroperoxide (LOOH) were also evaluated. Histoimmunochemistry was used to assess lung p53 and Bcl-2 expressions. Pyrethroid and D-allethrin-based fumes induced a significant (p < 0.05) increase in plasma AST, LDH, cholesterol, phospholipids, and HDL-P, with a reduction of HDL-C levels. The fumes significantly and differently dysregulated antioxidant enzymes. The inhalations of the fumes induced significant (p < 0.05) increases in kidney MDA and LOOH levels, liver MDA by pyrethroid fume, and lung MDA by D-allethrin only, but lung LOOH by inhalations of both fumes. The increased expression of lung p53 and repression of Bcl-2 by both fumes were duration-dependent. The fume-induced disproportionate tissue function biomarkers, redox status, and apoptosis-related proteins. These effects are a possible panoply of divergent modes by which exposure to coil fumes can be deleterious to human health
Improving health professionals’ capacity to respond to the climate crisis in Africa: outcomes of the Africa climate and health responder course
No full textIntroduction: The fragile health systems in Africa worsen climate-related health impacts, making capacity building essential to strengthen adaptation and resilience. The Africa Climate and Health Responders Course was developed to address the urgent need for climate and health education among African health professionals. Organized by the Global Consortium on Climate and Health Education (GCCHE) in collaboration with ASPHA, Africa CDC, WHO AFRO, Project ECHO, and other regional partners, the course aimed to enhance awareness, communication skills, and preparedness in responding to climate-related health challenges. Methods: Delivered online via Zoom with over 11 sessions (September 17–October 22, 2024), the course featured expert lectures, case studies, and live discussions. Simultaneous interpretation in English, French, and Portuguese ensured broad accessibility. Participants who attended at least 70% of live sessions and passed the final exam received a certificate. A longitudinal survey was applied to understand the course impact. Results: The course attracted 7,572 registrants, with 89% from Africa. While 3,500 participants attended at least one session, only 1,657 participated (1,607 from Africa) attended 70% or more of the sessions and completed the final survey. Participants held positions in government (31%), Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) (27%), academia (24%), private sector (11%), and others (7%). Their main professional backgrounds were public health (33.2%), medicine (16.3%), and environmental health (13.2%). The majority of participants (66%, n = 1,100) had never received prior training in climate and health; among them, 36% (n = 392) were students and 64% (n = 708) were not students. Discussion: The course significantly improved participants’ self-reported confidence and perceived preparedness, with increases in: climate-health awareness (+22%); confidence in risk communication (+40%); preparedness for adaptation and resilience (+36-37%), and professional responsibility in climate-health action (+21%). These findings highlight not only the feasibility and effectiveness of virtual training in this context, but also the opportunity for scaling such initiatives to build a climate-resilient health workforce across Africa. Skilled professionals are key to fostering multi-stakeholder collaboration, integrating climate-health education, and engaging communities—efforts that require sustained investment in capacity building to institutionalize competencies and strengthen public health systems and policies over the long term
Calibration of clinical teaching and assessment in a bachelor of oral health programme
No full textCalibration in clinical programmes is a fundamental process that ensures consistency in teaching and assessing standards. Empirical evidence from a Bachelor of Oral Health programme at a South African university highlighted that, despite dedicated efforts to improve consistency in teaching and assessment practices, the absence of a formal calibration guideline impeded optimal coherence among clinical teachers. This study aimed to explore current calibration practices in clinical teaching and assessment within the programme to inform calibration initiatives and guide the development of a formalized calibration process. Framed within an interpretivist qualitative paradigm and guided by a case study design, the research was grounded in social constructivism and the concept of Communities of Practice. Purposive sampling included BOH academic staff, second- and third-year BOH students, and a senior member of faculty management at the Faculty of Dentistry. Data was collected through questionnaires, focus group discussions, semi-structured interviews, and document analysis, followed by Thematic Analysis. The following thematic categories emerged: Institutional and Faculty strategies for teaching excellence, established calibration practices, strengths in clinical teaching and assessment, challenges in clinical teaching and assessment, and opportunities for calibration and improving consistency. The findings revealed that while the BOH programme is guided by Institutional and National policy frameworks, including quality assurance protocols such as UWC's assessment policy, calibration efforts remained inconsistently applied. Workshops, rubric development, and reflective practices supported clinical teaching, but part-time staff lacked formal training, and ad hoc calibration activities lacked systematic follow-through. Established practices, including staff development sessions, mentorship, and informal discussions, helped enhance teaching and assessment practices; however, inconsistent engagement influenced variability. Students perceived a disconnect between theoretical teaching and clinical application, despite appreciating the continuity of having a single clinical teacher throughout their training and engaging in collaborative case-based learning. Opportunities to strengthen calibration included cocreating clinical protocols and assessments, developing part-time staff, and enhancing mentorship and collaborative spaces. The findings of this study offer actionable insights to inform both educational practices and the development of a formalized calibration process for clinical teaching and assessment. Such a process can promote greater consistency, fairness, and equity in student learning experiences. Furthermore, these insights have the potential to guide Institutional and Faculty- level improvements in quality assurance mechanisms, ultimately contributing to the broader goal of excellence in clinical education
A second order NSFD method for a malaria propagation model
No full textStandard numerical methods such as the implicit and explicit Euler and the Runge-Kutta methods have been used to approximate solutions of continuous-time transmission dynamics of many diseases. However, their convergence is conditional. Also, they do not always preserve the key features of the continuous-time model. Most times, they require a small time step which may increase the computational complexities especially for a long time horizon. In this paper we construct a nonstandard finite difference (NSFD) method to approximate the solution of a malaria propagation model. NSFD methods do not suffer from the drawback of time step restriction and preserve the physics of the problem under consideration. However their accuracy and rate of convergence remain a point of concern. In the construction of the NSFD scheme that we propose, we consider weights and denominator functions that depend not only on the time step but also iteratively on the state variables of the discrete model. This guarantees a second order convergence as opposed to earlier NSFD schemes which were independent of weights and their denominator functions were solely dependent of the time step. Numerical experiments confirm that the proposed scheme outperforms the first order NSFD in terms of accuracy and rate of convergence
Nourishing minds: understanding student dining preferences and perceptions of healthy eating in campus cafés
No full textCampus cafés significantly impact well-being and dietary behavior. This study examines food choices among university students, revealing that affordability, convenience, and proximity predominantly influence café selection. Although health awareness exists, nutritious options are often perceived as costlier and thus inaccessible within constrained student budgets. Limited appealing healthy choices contribute to poor dietary patterns, including low fruit and vegetable intake. Survey findings indicate minimal awareness of institutional nutrition initiatives, underscoring a communication gap. To address these issues, universities should improve affordability, diversify healthier menu offerings, and implement targeted nutrition campaigns to cultivate a food environment conducive to health and academic performance
An evaluation of on-package marketing and nutrients of concern of infant formula, follow-up formula, young child formula and commercially available complementary foods and compliance thereof by manufacturers in South Africa
No full textBackground: The long-term benefits of breastfeeding on both maternal and infant health are well known. Breastfeeding influences a child's ability to pursue further education and future income generation (Victoria et al, (2015). Research reveals that the promotion of commercial milk formula (CMF) has negatively impacted breastfeeding practices. It is for this reason that South Africa’s Regulation 991, aims to protect breastfeeding by restricting marketing tactics that can mislead parents into thinking that CMF is superior to breastmilk. The aim of this study was to determine the nutritional content specifically nutrients of concern in relation to the SA and WHO nutrient profiling models and compliance of young child formulas and commercially available complementary foods with marketing requirements in South Africa. Methodology: This is a cross- sectional descriptive study. Secondary photographic data of packaged products sold in South African supermarkets was used to assess compliance of infant and young child foods to the marketing requirements in R991 (n = 266) in addition to evaluation of the nutritional composition (n = 236). Results: Most products displayed some form of front-ofpack (FOP) marketing namely health claims, catchy terms/phrases, expert claims and digital means of making contact with the manufacturer. Cross-promotion (n = 81) was also evident among the five companies as the majority of products (83.3%) display identical label elements across products from different brands and different product categories (i.e. complementary food and/or follow-up formula) within the same brand. As for the nutritional composition, the paediatric juices (100%) and follow-up formulas (64.6%) had the highest rates of noncompliance with the South African Nutrient Profiling Model (SA NPM) due to excessive median sugar content. Overall, 64.8% of products met the SA NPM criteria, while only 51.2% complied with the WHO Nutrient and Promotion Profile Model. Conclusion: This study underscores the ongoing challenges in ensuring compliance with R991. Despite the regulation, the widespread use of FOP marketing suggests that some brands continue to use tactics that could influence parental perceptions of commercial milk formulas. Additionally, the high sugar content found in a significant proportion of these products raises concerns regarding their nutritional quality for infants and young children
A systematic review assessing the association between extreme temperature exposure and cardiovascular health outcomes in Africa
No full textThe African continent is grappling with a rising prevalence of cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) in conjunction with the growing threat of climate change and its associated extreme temperatures. This systematic review aims to assess the relationship between extreme temperature exposures (heat and cold exposure) and cardiovascular health outcomes in African populations. The Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines were followed in compiling this evidence. A comprehensive literature search was performed on PubMed-Medline, Scopus, Web of Science, and Google Scholar as the primary databases to identify relevant studies published from January 1990 to October 2024. Both hot and cold temperature extremes were linked to detrimental cardiovascular outcomes related to stroke. Exposure to sudden drops in minimum temperature exceeding 2.4 °C was linked with a 43 % higher risk of stroke. Elderly women (≥65-years) exposed to cold had the highest mortality rates and were more vulnerable to air pollution interactions during moderate temperatures (20–23 °C). Exposure to high temperatures (>37 °C) was associated with increased rates of heart failure and stroke. Hypertension was identified as a significant risk factor, with 37.6 % of stroke patients having pre-existing hypertension; notably, 86.2 % of these cases were linked to heat exposure. The highest CVD vulnerability was observed among females, older adults, and rural dwellers. The evidence presented in this systematic review suggests that exposure to both extreme cold and heat significantly contributes to the development of cardiovascular diseases. However, further studies are needed to validate and strengthen these findings
Strategies and responses to the effects of climate change on health systems in Sub-Saharan Africa: a scoping review protocol
No full textBackground Climate change is recognized as the greatest global health threat of the 21st century. Projections suggest that the Sub-Saharan African region will face more consequences of climate change than any other region globally. The health systems within the region have been affected by the negative effects of climate change. Mapping strategies and responses used in the region to address the effects of climate change on health systems in Sub-Saharan Africa could be a starting point for understanding evidence-based decision-making to inform best practices. Methods This scoping review will follow the methodological framework by Arksey & O’Malley. A wide range of databases will be searched to identify articles published on the strategies and responses to the effects of climate change on the health systems in Sub-Saharan Africa. Only peer-reviewed articles (original quantitative and qualitative studies, mixed methods, systematic reviews, editorials, and commentaries) published in English Language between 2010 and 2024 will be reviewed. All Book chapters and the grey literature (dissertations, conference proceedings, abstracts, reports) and publications primarily focusing on climate change strategies and responses without effects on health systems will be excluded. Covidence software will be used during study selection, data extraction, and summary. Deductive thematic analysis will be performed using predetermined themes from the objectives. Dissemination The results of this scoping review will be disseminated at local and international research conferences. Furthermore, the findings will be published in open-access journals targeting different audiences. The findings will also be shared with the Ministry of Health in Malawi for possible policy considerations
Re-imagining coloured identity in post-apartheid South Africa
No full textMy creative writing project is an examination of my identity as a person of colour living in post-apartheid South Africa. I would like to look at the construction of coloured identity as many different pieces instead of a whole. This will be done through a collection of poems that detail the many aspects contributing to the creation of identity. This writing project will show my identity not as one entity or one thing flattened on a page. Rather the purpose is to reveal piece by piece the fragments of identity that have been pulled apart, both literarily and figuratively, in the attempt to create a sense of self. The goal of this project is not to remedy the pieces or attempt to reconnect them. The end goal of this creative project is not to create a holistic and whole sense of self/identity. It is to perceive and understand the pieces that have separated from the whole. The pieces of identity include both the physical and the psychological self. Each of the two selves’ birth different parts of the larger identity, which in turn form connections with the outside world. There is the connection between self and race which must then extend outwards and include whiteness and blackness and as an obvious result between the two, colouredness. There is the connection to culture, religion, community and gender. Each of these are fundamental in order to create a larger sense of identity. Each of these different aspects have been broken off from my identity and sense of self. They have each acted as shards and have come to grow in unnatural and unwelcoming places. As they have grown comfortable, they have proved difficult to remove and sand down in the reimagining of a new identity. The title “Splintered” refers to these sharp pieces of self both physical and psychological that have been broken into smaller pieces. In re-imagining coloured identity each of these splinters will be revealed and given their own freedom to appear as they would like across the pages of this creative project
The influence of South Africa’s model of devolution in Kenya, Zimbabwe and Zambia: Why and how did the model, concepts and texts migrate?
No full textThe constitutional migration of models, concepts and texts is an old phenomenon. In Africa, developing countries are encouraged to learn from each other, especially since most African countries are in transitional stages of development. That is in line with the project of the African Renaissance, which advocates that Africans themselves seek solutions to African challenges and that any assistance from the outside should be tailored to uphold African ownership. The South African Constitution is revered in Africa and beyond as modern and progressive. It is thus not surprising that a number of its constitutional provisions, for example the Bill of Rights or the devolution model, migrated to other African countries. The South African devolution model conspicuously migrated to Kenya, Zimbabwe and Zambia, as evidenced by the resemblances in devolution concepts and texts. However, there is little understanding of how such migration took place. Furthermore, the phenomenon of exporting and importing similar devolution models, concepts and texts has not been the subject of extensive research. Comparative federalism traditionally focuses on the analysis of written constitutions (mostly Western) and their similarities and differences, yet pays only limited attention to constitutional migration, transformation processes, and the import and export dynamics of constitutional migration in the African context. This is the void that this study seeks to fill. The research question in this study examines the influence of South Africa’s devolution modelin Kenya, Zimbabwe and Zambia, considering why and how the model, concepts and texts migrated. The research consists of a desktop study of both primary and secondary sources, including systematic, qualitative and in-depth interviews with key actors who were involved in the constitution-making processes of South Africa, Kenya, Zimbabwe and Zambia