12 research outputs found
Diabetes research in Kenya from 2000 to 2020: A scoping review
No full textBackground: The prevalence of diabetes is on the rise globally, with likely disproportionate increase in Sub-Saharan Africa. In Kenya, diabetes has been acknowledged as one of the top non-communicable diseases needing prevention and control. Research can contribute to diabetes prevention and control: however, the landscape of diabetes research in Kenya
remains understudied.
Methods: PubMed, MEDLINE, Scopus, PsycINFO, CINAHL, Google Scholar and ProQuest were searched for relevant articles. We included studies on humans, reporting on any type of diabetes, conducted in Kenya between 2000 to 2020.
Results: From the search, 983 records were retrieved out of which 102 met the study inclusion criteria. Most studies were: conducted in Nairobi (38%) and between 2013-2020 (82%); non-public health, i.e., on diabetes control, (71%); cross-sectional (65%); descriptive (71%); facility-based (71%); and funded by organisations/institutions from high income
countries (73%).
Conclusion: Despite the recent increase in research outputs, there is still limited diabetes research being conducted in Kenya necessitating more research in the country and particularly outside Nairobi to inform prevention and control efforts. Specifically, more focus should be given to etiological and intervention studies (which use longitudinal and randomised controlled trial designs) community-based and public health research. Finally, increased local funding for diabetes research is require
Postharvest Storage Practices of Maize in Rift Valley and Lower Eastern Regions of Kenya: A Cross-Sectional Study
No full textAn assessment of local farmers’ knowledge, attitude, and practices on postharvest maize storage and management was carried out with a view of understanding its role in maize contamination with mycotoxins and postharvest losses in Rift Valley and Lower Eastern Regions of Kenya among 165 and 149 farmers, respectively. Differences between the two regions were analyzed using the Chi-square test, Fisher exact test, and two-sample t-test. The median quantity of maize harvested by farmers in the two regions after shelling was 585 kg. A median of 20 kg of maize was put aside as a result of rotting before shelling, and there was a significant mean difference in maize set aside as a result of rotting between the two regions (107.88 kg vs. 31.96 kg; t (306.25) = 5.707, P value <0.001). The quantity of discoloured and mouldy maize consumed ranged from 0 to 90 kg; 7 (2.2%) respondents consumed mouldy maize, 36 (11.5%) fed it to cows, and 19 (6.1%) fed it to poultry. A small percentage (3.5%) believed mouldy maize is safe for human consumption, 23.6% for animal consumption, while 15.0% considered it safe for brewing, with the differences between the two regions being statistically significant (P value <0.05). Nearly half of the respondents (48.4%) kept maize on cobs indoors, 47.1% left it in the field without covering, and 33.1% consumed and sold maize while still green, with more farmers from Lower Eastern practicing this. The results of the study suggest that there were poor postharvest practices and low awareness levels among maize farmers and that this can lead to postharvest losses due to Fusarium spp. infection and mycotoxin contamination that poses a threat to human and animal food safety. This calls for interventions on better postharvest practices
Prevalence of Fasciolosis in Cattle, Sheep, and Goats Slaughtered in Slaughter Slabs in Trans-Nzoia West, Kenya. and Knowledge of Livestock Handlers
No full textBackground: Fasciolosis is known globally to be an important helminthic disease of ruminants caused by liver fluke species of the genus Fasciola, and it is one of the most neglected tropical zoonotic diseases that can lead to human infection. It has the widest geographic spread of any emerging zoonotic disease, and it occurs in many countries of the world. Objectives: The study aimed at determining the prevalence of fasciolosis in ruminants slaughtered in Trans-Nzoia West. Specific objectives were to establish the trend of fasciolosis in ruminants, ascertain the relationship between fasciolosis prevalence and rainfall patterns and assess the knowledge of meat sellers and farmers about fasciolosis. Methodology: A 5-year secondary data retrospective study was carried out in Trans-Nzoia West, Trans-Nzoia County. The study population consisted of ruminants slaughtered, meat sellers and livestock farmers.Results: A total of 104,221 cattle, sheep and goats were slaughtered in the five-year period in which 6,098 (5.85%) were infested with fasciolosis with a prevalence of 6.52%, 6.08% and 4.10% in cattle, sheep, and goats respectively. Most meat sellers (72.2%) were able to identify fasciolosis in infested livers, 88.9% reported liver flukes infestation resulted in the loss of income while 58.3% were not aware of nutrition depletion associated with fasciolosis. Of the farmers interviewed, 52.9% grazed in swampy areas, 66.7% dewormed after 3 months, 78.4% had heard about fasciolosis and 80.0% did not know the cause of fasciolosis. The majority (95.0%) were not aware of the snail species spreading liver flukes while 77.5% did not know that fasciolosis was a zoonotic disease.Conclusion: Fasciolosis was prevalent in the area and caused great economic loss to the meat sellers. Most farmers were not aware of its cause and zoonotic nature. Recommendations: Fasciolosis control should be approached from a multidisciplinary angle and farmers should be educated on it and its zoonotic nature. Keywords: Fasciolosis, Prevalence, Knowledg
Climate change and human health in sub-Saharan Africa: evidence mapping and interpretative review.
No full textClimate change is a global threat. Research on climate change and health is increasing in sub-Saharan Africa but few synthesis of current evidence have been conducted.
This study aims to conduct evidence mapping and interpretative review to 1) explore the current scope of empirical studies on climate change and human health with regards to the WHO global research priorities for protecting human health from climate change in SSA (Phase 1 – evidence mapping); 2) comprehensively collate potential climate change causal pathways of NCDs in SSA (Phase 2 – interpretative review). Related research questions will be: 1) How does current empirical evidence on climate change and human health in SSA map onto the WHO global research priorities?; and 2) Based on known NCD risk factors, how might climate change exacerbate their occurrence
Climate change and human health in sub-Saharan Africa: evidence mapping and interpretative review.
No full textClimate change is a global threat. Research on climate change and health is increasing in sub-Saharan Africa but few synthesis of current evidence have been conducted.
This study aims to conduct evidence mapping and interpretative review to 1) explore the current scope of empirical studies on climate change and human health with regards to the WHO global research priorities for protecting human health from climate change in SSA (Phase 1 – evidence mapping); 2) comprehensively collate potential climate change causal pathways of NCDs in SSA (Phase 2 – interpretative review). Related research questions will be: 1) How does current empirical evidence on climate change and human health in SSA map onto the WHO global research priorities?; and 2) Based on known NCD risk factors, how might climate change exacerbate their occurrence
Experiences and perspectives of Technology-enhanced learning and teaching in higher education - Serbian case
No full text© 2018 The Author(s). This paper presents different approaches, experiences and perspectives of using technologies in higher education institutionS. Particular case studies of application of social media (especially wikis), game-based learning and various technology-enhanced learning tools in different courses at several Serbian institutions are presented. In-house developed intelligent tutoring System Protus and possibilities to enhance it by software agents and eye-tracking are also shown in detail. Our experiences of using different technology-enhanced learning tools and mechanisms showed that educational processes must be modernized and enhanced by technological progresS
Examining health sector application and utility of program-based budgeting: County level experiences in Kenya
No full textIntroduction
In 2012, Kenya enacted a new Public Finance Management Act to guide the public-sector planning and budgeting process. This new law replaced the previous line item budgeting, with a new program-based budgeting (PBB) process. This study examined the experience of health sector PBB implementation at the county level in Kenya.
Methods
We carried out a systematic review of the literature documenting the health sector application and utility of PBB in low- and middle-income countries. We then collected empirical data to examine the experience of health sector application of PBB at County Level in Kenya.
Results
In the financial year 2017/18, counties utilised the PBB approach for health sector planning. The PBB approach was perceived by keys stakeholders; to have improved the alignment of technical priorities with budgetary allocation, and to have increased transparency, accountability and openness of the process. Its challenges included lack of clear tools and guidelines to support implementation, low capacity at county level, political interference and the organisation of the public sector electronic financial management system around line item budgeting system.
Conclusion
PBB is potentially a useful tool for aligning health sector planning and budgeting and ensuring the Annual Work Plan is more result oriented. However, realisation of this goal would be enhanced by the developing clear tools and guidelines to support its implementation, building capacity for county health sector managers to better understand the PBB application, and reforming the public-sector budgetary management system to align it with the PBB approach
Welcoming the book "In sunshine and shadow: reflections on lithuanian immigrant life"
No full textXX a. niekaip nepalieka mūsų ramybėje. Jis užvaldė istorinę atmintį savomis ir svetimomis patirtimis, kurios vis randa būdų prabilti į žmonių protus ir širdis. Praėjusi epocha nevirsta vakarykščiu pasauliu labiausiai dėl knygos galios. Pasakyti dalykai virsta parašytais, ir tai kuria ne tiesioginio, bet vis dėlto artimo bendravimo su žmonėmis iš tolimų laikų ir dar tolimesnių kraštų galimybę. Susitikimą su vadinamųjų dipukų (angį. displaced persons) kartos Australijos lietuviais per knygą įgalino šiame žemyne 1944 m. gimusi Evė Puodžiūnaitė-Viks (Wicks), 2018 m. išleidusi, jos pačios žodžiais tariant, atminties paveldo (angl. memory heritage) knygą „Saulėje ir šešėlyje: pamąstymai apie lietuvių imigrantų gyvenimą“ ("In Sunshine and Shadow: Reflections on Lithuanian Immigrant Life"). Knyga išleista 2018 m., bet Lietuvos skaitytojus ji pasieks šių metų Knygų mugėje. Knygą sudaro devyni skyriai: „Įžanga. Piligrimės kelionė“, „Mano mamos žemė“, „Prieglobstis po Pietų Kryžiumi“, „Saldi pradžia“, „Dievaičių gerbimas“, „Pergalės ir vargai“, „Trūkstami veidai“, „Nuo pavergtos tautos iki nepriklausomybės“, „Motulei Žemei ir Aušrinei“. Reikšminiai žodžiai: Antropologinis tyrimas; Atminties kultūra; Atsiminimai; Australija (Australia); Australijos lietuviai; Evė Puodžiūnaitė-Viks; Imigrantai; Išeivija; Lietuviai imigrantai; Lietuvių emigracija; Tapatybė; Anthropological research; Australian Lithuanians; Emigration; Eve Puodžiūnaitė Wicks; Identity; Immigrants; Lithuanian Australians; Lithuanian emigration; Lithuanian migrants; Memories; Memory cultureThe article overviews that memory heritage book of Eve Puodžiūnaitė-Wicks, "In Sunshine and Shadow: Reflections on Lithuanian Immigrant Life" (2017). This book - aesthetic, empathic and perfect for slow reading - gives a voice to one group of Lithuanian immigrants in Australia. These are the people who were forced to leave Lithuania at the start of WWII. The author was born into a family of so-called "displaced people", but she found out most about the experiences of her parent’s generation through anthropological research into the experience of Lithuanian immigrants in the new land. Her studies led to this book being written, the main of which is to demonstrate that each nation and community, no matter where it lives, deserved respect. The work is unique in that it is prepared in Lithuanian and English. Thus, the message is sent to both Englishspeakers and Lithuanian readers
Philosophy, theurgy, and the gods
No full textStraipsnyje aptariama Jamblicho ir Algio Uždavinio teurgijos sampratos, pažymint, kad A. Uždavinio atlikti tyrinėjimai labai svarbūs atskleidžiant teurgijos reikšmę Jamblicho filosofijoje, parodant jos santykį su egiptiečių, chaldėjų ir neoplatonizmo mąstymo tradicijomis. Teigiama, kad A. Uždavinys savo knygoje „Filosofija ir teurgija vėlyvojoje antikoje“ reflektuoja teurgijos reikšmę ir svarbą Jamblicho filosofijoje, pastebėdamas, kad žodį „teurgija“ Jamblichas, kaip ir jo bendraminčiai platonikai, vartojo kalbėdamas apie ryšį tarp dievų ir mirtingųjų. Pažymima, kad A. Uždavinio žodžiais, teurgija reiškia dieviškus veiksmus, kurie atliekami skirtinguose išreikštos tikrovės lygmenyse, būtent dėl to ne tik neoplatonikų chaldėjų hieratinė mistagonija gali būti laikoma teurgija, bet ir visos sakramentinės procedūros, kurios sulaukia tiesioginės aukštesnių būtybių paramos. Autoriaus teigimu, teurgija - tai būdas susieti senovę ir Platoną. Nagrinėdamas Jamblicho teurgijos sampratą, autorius pažymi, kad jei teurgai nori patirti dieviškumą savais kūnais aukštesniame lygyje, jie, pasitelkdami asketiškas ir panašias praktikas, turi apvalyti ne tik kūną ir žemesnes sielas, bet ir savo protus. Konstatuojama, kad pagal Jamblichą žinios, kurias mes įgyjame žemėje, garantuoja mums vietą danguje, o tai reiškia, kad mūsų racionalios sielos yra susitelkusios universalioms galioms, o proto dėka galime keliauti tarp dviejų karalysčių: eterinės bei tos, kurią vadiname Vieniu. Daroma išvada, kad teurgija suteikia taiką, pasitenkinimą, galią, saugumą, ir dieviškąjį statusą. Reikšminiai žodžiai: Egiptiečių mąstymas; Egipto mąstymo tradicija; Filosofija; Jamblichas; Teurgija; Vėlyvoji antika; Egyptian thinking; Egyptian thinking tradition; Iamblichus; Late Antiquity; Philosophy; Teurgy; TheurgyThe article discusses Iamblichus' and Algis Uždavinys' concepts of theurgy, pointing out that studies performed by Uždavinys are very important in revealing the importance of theurgy in Iamblichus' philosophy and showing its relationship with the traditions of Egyptian, Chaldean, and Neoplatonist way of thinking. It is argued that in his book "Philosophy and Theurgy in Late Antiquity" Uždavinys reflects the significance and importance of theurgy in Iamblichus' philosophy, noting that Iamblichus, just like his like-minded Platonists, used the word "theurgy" in relation to the connection between the gods and the mortals. It is noted that, in the words of Uždavinys, theurgy refers to divine acts performed at different levels of expressed reality, which is why not only the hieratic mystagogy of Neoplatonic Chaldeans can be considered theurgy, but also all the sacramental procedures that receive direct support from higher beings. According to the author, theurgy is a way of linking the past times and Plato. While studying Iamblichus' concept of theurgy, the author states that if theurgists want to experience divinity with their own bodies at a higher level, they must purify not only the body and the lower souls but also their own minds, using ascetic and similar practices. It is stated that according to Iamblichus, the knowledge that we receive on earth guarantees us a place in heaven, which means that our rational souls are concentrated on universal powers, and through reason we can travel between two kingdoms: the ethereal one and the one we call One. It is concluded that theurgy provides peace, satisfaction, power, security, and divine status
