Open research Africa最新文献

This qualitative study investigates how organizational structure and performance monitoring influence academic staff performance in selected private chartered universities in Western Uganda. Using a phenomenological design, the study explored the lived experiences and perceptions of 10 academic leaders, including deans and senior lecturers, across various faculties. Participants were purposively selected for their strategic roles in academic administration, with qualifications ranging from Master's degrees to PhDs in fields such as Education Management, Science Education, and Clinical Medicine. Data were collected through in-depth interviews and thematically analyzed. Findings revealed that highly centralized structures, lack of autonomy, and inconsistent monitoring mechanisms contribute to diminished staff morale and reduced teaching effectiveness. However, faculties led by deans with advanced academic qualifications and more inclusive leadership approaches demonstrated stronger performance cultures, improved staff engagement, and better alignment with institutional goals. The study highlights the critical role of academic leadership, structural clarity, and transparent performance monitoring in enhancing academic productivity. It recommends rethinking internal governance frameworks to foster participatory management and accountability within Uganda's private university sector.

Background: Cognitive Stimulation Therapy (CST) is a non-pharmacological intervention developed for dementia that is useful in Africa but has not been studied widely. We reviewed the existing evidence regarding CST among older people living with dementia in Africa.

Methods: A systematic literature search on CST among older people with dementia in Africa from 2003-2021 was done in MEDLINE (PubMed), CINAHL (EBSCOhost), and PsycINFO. A narrative approach was taken to chart, synthesize and interpret the data using Microsoft Excel.

Results: After removing duplicates using Endnote, a total of 122 studies were retained and screened first by title, then abstract, and finally by full text. Six articles matched the inclusion/exclusion criteria. CST has been adapted and piloted in two African countries (Nigeria and Tanzania). CST studies in Africa indicate improvements in clinical outcomes including cognition and quality of life. Although there are some barriers to overcome, CST may be applicable to an African context.

Conclusions: CST is feasible, adaptable, and acceptable in the African countries it has been implemented in. Some cultural barriers, such as religious affiliation and respect for older people, should be overcome. Further research is needed to further evaluate the efficacy of CST in various African contexts.

The clinical importance of non-malaria febrile acute illness (NM-AFI) in patients with a negative parasitological test has become apparent, with the progressive reduction in malaria transmission in endemic regions. Bacterial pathogens, for example Streptococcus pneumoniae and Haemophilus influenzae, which contribute disproportionally to febrile illness, are now preventable by vaccines. However, there are no vaccines, and little is known about viral NM-AFI prevalence, proliferation, virulence, and transmission chains between hosts. Although the predominant viral causes of NM-AFI are established, it is unclear if there are other NM-AFI associated emerging infectious viral pathogens that previously remained undetectable by conventional diagnostic strategies, for example severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). Presumptive broad-spectrum antibiotic prescriptions to aparasitaemic patients not only drive drug resistance, but also lead to poor treatment outcomes. We hypothesized that insights on NM-AFI etiology, and consequently case management, could be improved by exploiting viral sequence diversity to identify viral pathogens present within metagenomics samples. We exploited simulated and existing infectious disease (Ebola, hepatitis C, chikungunya, and mosquito-borne arboviruses) metagenomic datasets to determine the composition of viral pathogens present, by implementing profile Hidden Markov Models derived from Swiss-Prot viral reference sequences for accurate pathogen detection and classification. Our analysis identified a combination of sequences from multiple viral etiological agents within the same disease sample. This approach provides a granular perspective of multiple viral etiological agents present within a single intra-host disease episode. It highlights prevalent viral strains that can subsequently be routinely detected using directed diagnostic tests to improve disease surveillance in endemic regions.

Background: Africa's research publishing sector is growing but remains largely fragmented and under-resourced, posing major barriers to the visibility, accessibility, and global integration of African research.

Methods: This paper presents a continent-wide mapping of Africa's research publishing ecosystem, drawing on five integrated datasets covering 1,169 publishers and 1,790 journals to assess the scale, thematic content, linguistic diversity, and the degree of openness characterising the African publishing landscape.

Results: The analysis reveals that the majority of journals are published by single-journal entities embedded within universities, learned societies, and research institutes. While this decentralised model allows for locally driven publishing and alignment with national research priorities, it is often constrained by limited infrastructure, inconsistent metadata practices, and lack of professional publishing support. Geographically, publishing activity is concentrated in a few countries, most notably Egypt, Nigeria, and South Africa - reflecting disparities in research investment and infrastructure across the continent. Disciplinary patterns reveal a strong emphasis on the social sciences and humanities, shaped by post-independence academic development and limited commercial interest in these fields. The predominance of English in journal publishing enhances global visibility but risks marginalising non-Anglophone scholarship. The study also explores the increasing role of commercial publishers in improving visibility and editorial standards, while raising concerns about data control, sustainability, and long-term ownership of African research outputs.

Conclusion: The paper concludes by highlighting the urgent need for coordinated, African-led investments in shared infrastructure, multilingual publishing strategies, and national indexing systems. These efforts are essential to enhance research equity, reduce dependency on external platforms, and ensure African knowledge systems are robust, inclusive, and visible in a rapidly evolving global publishing environment.

Background: Asymptomatic malaria is responsible for persistent malaria transmission. The prevalence of malaria in children under 5 years in Anambra State, Nigeria, is declining. The sustained transmission of malaria threatens to reverse this decline, as indicated by the high severe malaria cases during the rainy transmission season. We ascertained the prevalence of asymptomatic malaria using the malaria Rapid Diagnostic Test (mRDT) and the determinants of asymptomatic malaria.

Methods: A community-based cross-sectional study was conducted at the end of the rainy season in November 2024 among 130 consenting apparently healthy adults aged 18 years and above residing in the Nnewi North Local Government Area of Anambra State using a standardised self-administered questionnaire and a P. falciparum mRDT. The questionnaire sought information on the participants' sociodemographic and socioeconomic factors, malaria healthcare-seeking behaviour, use of malaria prevention measures, environmental conditions, and perceptions of malaria risk. A finger-prick was used for the mRDT kit. Data were analysed using Stata 17/BE. Binary logistic regression was used to identify the factors associated with asymptomatic malaria.

Results: Of the 130 participants, 26.15% (34/130) were confirmed to be infected with Plasmodium falciparum. There was an overreliance on personal feelings for malaria diagnosis. Covering water containers around a house could be an effective protective measure against asymptomatic malaria. The odds (odds ratio (OR): 0.29/0.27, 95% (CI): 0.07/0.06 - 1.24) of having asymptomatic malaria were lower in those who agreed that 'the cost of malaria prevention tools, such as Insecticide-treated nets (ITNs), insecticides and mosquito repellents, is reasonable' compared to those who did not.

Conclusion: The prevalence of asymptomatic malaria among semi-immune adult participants residing in the Nnewi North Local Government Area (LGA) was 26.15%. Having the financial means to access resources for malaria prevention can lead to healthier behaviours and actions that reduce malaria transmission.

Aflatoxin B ₁ (AFB ₁), a potent mycotoxin, is known to be an immunotoxic agent that causes various immune system disorders. It can cause immunosuppression by direct toxic effect on the host or by its ability to interfere with the immune response and thereby lead to secondary infections. The immunomodulatory effects of AFB ₁ and its metabolites have been reported in many studies. Yet, the exact mechanisms responsible for these immunomodulatory effects are still obscure. This review summarizes the current findings on the interaction between AFB ₁ and the host immune system, while also highlighting other potential mechanisms involved in AFB ₁-induced immunosuppression. These potential mechanisms include modulation of cytokine production, production of inflammatory mediators and their receptors, activation of pro-inflammatory pathways, alteration in cell surface receptors involved in T cell activation and regulation of apoptosis. The review also discusses the findings on natural products that have been found capable of inhibiting AFB ₁-induced immunosuppression in various animal models. With the latest exploration of natural products as a solution, the burden of aflatoxicosis in society is likely to subdue. Some of the promising natural products that have been highlighted to have ameliorative effects include grape seed proanthocyanidin extract (GSPE), bentonite clay, smectites clay and Spirulina plantesis among others. Considering the seriousness of aflatoxicosis in the public domain and lack of effective management approaches, there is an urgent need for more research to understand AFB ₁-induced immunotoxicity and possible remedies.

Background: Dinoderus porcellus Lesne (Coleoptera: Bostrichidae) is the main pest of stored dried yam chips that causes significant losses in less than 3 months. The assassin bug, Alloeocranum biannulipes (Montrouzier & Signoret) (Hemiptera: Reduviidae) and the African mahogany ( Khaya senegalensis (Desv.) A. Juss. (Meliaceae)), the ackee ( Blighia sapida K. Koenig (Sapindaceae)), and bridelia ( Bridelia ferruginea Benth. (Euphorbiaceae)) leaf powders have proven to be efficient in the control of this pest.

Methods: This study aims to evaluate the compatibility of the leaf powders of these medicinal plants and the predator A. biannulipes in the integrated management of D. porcellus under laboratory and farm conditions. Various leaf powders were tested at a concentration of 6% (w/w) with or without the predator. Infested yam chips without any treatment served as negative control and those mixed with a synthetic insecticide as positive control. The mortality rate of D. porcellus was recorded under laboratory conditions. While, the dynamic population of D. porcellus, their damage, and weight loss of yam chips were recorded 8 weeks after treatment under farm conditions.

Results: The results revealed that no combination of leaf powders and predators could induce complete mortality of D. porcellus like the synthetic insecticide. No significant difference in terms of the survival of A. biannulipes exposed to botanical powders was observed compared to the positive control. Under farm conditions, B. ferruginea leaf powder showed a sub-lethal effect on the predator A. biannulipes and no impact on the abundance of D. porcellus. However, the survival of D. porcellus was significantly reduced by the combination of K. senegalensis leaf powder and A. biannulipes, which did not allow the reproduction of the predator.

Conclusions: Our results suggest that an augmentative biological control program with the release of A. biannulipes after the introduction of K. senegalensis leaf powder is practicable for the management of D. porcellus in yam chips.

Chlamydia trachomatis ( C. trachomatis) is a common sexually transmitted infection (STI). In 2019, the World Health Organization reported about 131 million infections. The majority of infected patients are asymptomatic with cases remaining undetected. It is likely that missed C. trachomatis infections contribute to preventable adverse health outcomes in women and children. Consequently, there is an urgent need of developing efficient diagnostic methods. In this study, genome-mining approaches to identify identical multi-repeat sequences (IMRS) distributed throughout the C. trachomatis genome were used to design a primer pair that would target regions in the genome. Genomic DNA was 10-fold serially diluted (100pg/μL to 1×10 ^-3pg/μL) and used as DNA template for PCR reactions. The gold standard PCR using 16S rRNA primers was also run as a comparative test, and products were resolved on agarose gel. The novel assay, C. trachomatis IMRS-PCR, had an analytical sensitivity of 4.31 pg/µL, representing better sensitivity compared with 16S rRNA PCR (9.5 fg/µL). Our experimental data demonstrate the successful development of lateral flow and isothermal assays for detecting C. trachomatis DNA with potential use in field settings. There is a potential to implement this concept in miniaturized, isothermal, microfluidic platforms, and laboratory-on-a-chip diagnostic devices for reliable point-of-care testing.