School of Medicine

The Use of Photomicrographs and Real Specimens in Teaching Biology in Secondary Schools and its Effects on Students Performance, Kenya

2025-09-11T07:00:15Z

The Use of Photomicrographs and Real Specimens in Teaching Biology in Secondary Schools and its Effects on Students Performance, Kenya Jerono, Caroline; Samikwo, Dinah; Ouma, Peter The study focused on examining the effect of teaching secondary school biology using photomicrographs and real specimens to enhance students’ academic performance in secondary schools in Kenya.it employed the constructivism theory which emphasizes that in a constructivist environment, learners are able to build their own understanding by use of their previous knowledge to create new ideas. A teacher in a realism classroom is just but a facilitator who guides the active learners towards making their own conclusion. Students’ previous knowledge is prompted to ascertain what they know before a concept is taught. That would enable the teacher to correct any misconception that would arise and therefore concepts would be built on factual knowledge leading to learning of new concepts. The target population was 1490, where 298 form one Biology student and 18 teachers were used as the respondents. The Quasi –experimental design was used in the study where a pre-test Standardized Biology evaluation test (SBET) was administered to all the study participants. Then a treatment offered and later a post-test Standardized Biology evaluation test (SBET) to both groups corresponding to treatment given. The target population was 1490, where 298 form one Biology student and 18 teachers were used as the respondents. The population of interest were identified using stratified sampling and simple random sampling techniques. The Standardized Biology Evaluation Test SBET, a questionnaire for teachers TQ and for students SQ and checklist instruments were used as data collection instruments to generate data. For establishment of consistency of the questionnaire, Cronbach’s Alpha coefficient that estimates the reliability of the instrument was used which gave Cronbach’s coefficient alpha of 0.89 for students and 0.84 for teachers. The data analysis were carried out using descriptive statistics and inferential statistics (t-test) guided by SPSS and excel. The study found out that the students in the experimental group outperformed those in the control group. The study recommended that the Teachers Service Commission (TSC) should provide the use of real specimens teaching approach in secondary schools in order to improve performance in KCSE Biology Examinations. http://41.89.164.27:8080/xmlui/handle/123456789/2369

The impact of sulfadoxine–pyrimethamine resistance on the effectiveness of intermittent preventive treatment for the prevention of malaria in pregnancy in Africa: an updated systematic review and meta-analysis

2025-09-11T06:49:02Z

The impact of sulfadoxine–pyrimethamine resistance on the effectiveness of intermittent preventive treatment for the prevention of malaria in pregnancy in Africa: an updated systematic review and meta-analysis van Eijk, Anna Maria; Stepniewska, Kasia; Khairallah, Carole.et al. Resistance of Plasmodium falciparum to sulfadoxine–pyrimethamine threatens the antimalarial effectiveness of intermittent preventive treatment during pregnancy (IPTp) with sulfadoxine–pyrimethamine (ITPp-SP) in sub-Saharan Africa. We updated an aggregated-data meta-analysis to assess the associations between sulfadoxine–pyrimethamine resistance and the effectiveness of IPTp-SP to inform policy. journal of The Lancet Infectious Diseases

Incidence rates of malaria, meningitis, and mortality in children younger than 5 years: a prospective cohort study in Ghana and Kenya before the roll-out of the RTS,S/AS01E malaria vaccine from 2016 to 2022

2025-09-10T08:47:22Z

Incidence rates of malaria, meningitis, and mortality in children younger than 5 years: a prospective cohort study in Ghana and Kenya before the roll-out of the RTS,S/AS01E malaria vaccine from 2016 to 2022 Asante, Kwaku Poku; Bozonnat, Marie-Cécile; Miloje, Savic.et.al. The RTS,S/AS01E malaria vaccine was introduced in selected communities of Ghana, Kenya, and Malawi in 2019 under a WHO-coordinated pilot programme. The scarcity of background disease incidence rates might hamper the assessment of vaccine safety and effectiveness. We aimed to determine the incidence rates of malaria, meningitis, and death, and health outcomes leading to hospital admission in children younger than 5 years enrolled before RTS,S/AS01E implementation. Interim results from EPI-MAL-002 up to Oct 5, 2018, were reported previously. Here, we report results from the final analysis of the pre-vaccine introduction study.

Safety of RTS, S/AS01E malaria vaccine up to 1 year after the third dose in Ghana, Kenya, and Malawi (EPI-MAL-003): a phase 4 cohort event monitoring study

2025-09-10T08:33:59Z

Safety of RTS, S/AS01E malaria vaccine up to 1 year after the third dose in Ghana, Kenya, and Malawi (EPI-MAL-003): a phase 4 cohort event monitoring study Haine, Valérie; Oneko, Martina; Debois, Muriel.et .al. RTS,S/AS01E has been successfully administered to over two million children since 2019 through the Malaria Vaccine Implementation Programme (MVIP). In this Article, we report the safety results of a study evaluating RTS,S/AS01E safety and effectiveness in real-world settings. The Lancet Global Health

Plasmodium falciparum Parasitemia Does Not Diminish Neutralizing Antibody Responses After mRNA COVID-19 Booster Vaccination in HIV-infected Adults

2025-09-10T08:16:52Z

Plasmodium falciparum Parasitemia Does Not Diminish Neutralizing Antibody Responses After mRNA COVID-19 Booster Vaccination in HIV-infected Adults Samandari, Taraz; Achola, Millicent; Hutter, N Jack. et.al mRNA vaccines have emerged as powerful tools for the prevention of infectious diseases, but subclinical malaria may reduce vaccine immunogenicity. We evaluated neutralizing antibody responses in asymptomatic HIV-infected adults with and without polymerase chain reaction-confirmed Plasmodium falciparum who received either monovalent mRNA-1273 or bivalent mRNA-1273.222 (WA-1 and BA.4/5) booster vaccines. In previous studies, a 50% pseudovirus inhibitory dose neutralizing antibody (ID50) titer of 1000 correlated with 96% efficacy in preventing COVID-19. We observed ID50 geometric mean titers >22 000 in both parasitemic and nonparasitemic participants 1 month after boosting. We conclude that COVID-19 mRNA vaccine antibody responses are unimpaired by concurrent asymptomatic parasitemia. The Journal of Infectious Diseases

Hybrid versus vaccine immunity of mRNA-1273 among people living with HIV in East and Southern Africa: a prospective cohort analysis from the multicentre CoVPN 3008 (Ubuntu) study

2025-02-17T07:29:57Z

Hybrid versus vaccine immunity of mRNA-1273 among people living with HIV in East and Southern Africa: a prospective cohort analysis from the multicentre CoVPN 3008 (Ubuntu) study Garrett, Nigel; Tapley, Asa; Hudson, Aaron; Et al. With limited access to mRNA COVID-19 vaccines in lower income countries, and people living with HIV (PLWH) largely excluded from clinical trials, Part A of the multicentre CoVPN 3008 (Ubuntu) study aimed to assess the safety of mRNA-1273, the relative effectiveness of hybrid versus vaccine immunity, and SARS-CoV-2 viral persistence among PLWH in East and Southern Africa during the omicron outbreak. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.eclinm.2024. 103054

Radiological study of the ossification process of medial clavicular epiphysis: The influence of sex and laterality

2024-11-19T14:08:19Z

Radiological study of the ossification process of medial clavicular epiphysis: The influence of sex and laterality Marera, Dominic; Satyapal, Kapil Sewsaran Radiological examination of bones such viz, clavicle have been developed to estimate the age of an individual without valid identification, or when suspected of providing inaccurate age. However, there is a paucity of information on the influence of sex and laterality on age the estimation process. Therefore, the aim of this study was to evaluate the impact of sex and laterality in the ossification process of the medial clavicular epiphysis within the South African and Kenyan population.

Radiological study of the ossification process of medial clavicular epiphysis: The influence of sex and laterality

2024-11-12T15:36:02Z

Survival and Risk Factors for Late Preterm and Early Term Neonates Compared to Full-Term Infants at Garissa County Referral Hospital, Kenya

2024-11-05T08:11:28Z

Survival and Risk Factors for Late Preterm and Early Term Neonates Compared to Full-Term Infants at Garissa County Referral Hospital, Kenya Amolo, Tom; Raballah, Evans; Olayo, Rose; Esendi, C.Gladys; Otieno, Walter Preterm birth constitutes a significant health burden in Kenya, yet there is hardly any targeted research looking at the survival and specific risk factors associated with birth of late preterm neonates (LPNs) and early term neonates (ETNs), particularly in Garissa County. While studies on preterm birth determinants have been done in Kenya, factors specifically influencing LPNs and ETNs births and their survival relative to their full-term counterparts remain understudied. Studies done on preterm in general have identified maternal age, history of preterm birth, pregnancy-induced hypertension, and prolonged premature rapture of the membrane among others as significant risk factors, but their relevance to LPNs and ETNs specifically has not been fully investigated. This study aimed to address these gaps by determining maternal as well as fetal risk factors associated with LPN and ETN births compared to full-term neonates (FTNs) born at Garissa County Referral Hospital. Further, it sought to identify predictors of survival across these neonatal groups. The study conducted at Garissa County Referral Hospital employed a prospective cohort design. Mother-neonate dyads were enrolled using convenience sampling method until the required sample was achieved. Data was collected using pretested and validated questionnaires. STATA version 17 was used for analysis. Multinomial logistic regression analysis was performed to determine Relative Risk Ratio. The P-value was set α=0.05 and P<0.05 was considered statistically significant. Survival rates were estimated using Kaplan-Meier survival analysis. Bivariate Cox regression analysis was employed to identify independent predictors at p<0.20. However, since all variables had p-values >0.02, multivariate Cox regression was not conducted. The study revealed that maternal age (P=0.042), occupation (P=0.024), ethnicity (P=0.021), religion (P=0.016) and absence of previous abortion/still birth/premature deliveries (P=0.015) were maternal related factors associated with birth of LPN, ETN and FTN. Birth weight was associated with LPN (P<0.001), while FTN had higher likelihood of delayed initiation of breastfeeding (P=0.038) but were less likely to have feeding difficulties compared to LPN and ETN (P=0.012). A comparison of fit model with the complete set of predictors with an intercept-only, or null model revealed that P-values for maternal (P=0.0175) and fetal (P<0.001) related risk factors were less than Fisher’s value of 0.05, hence the null hypothesis was rejected. The Kaplan-Meier survival analysis revealed high survival rates across all gestational age categories, with 100% survival among LPNs. In conclusion, the study showed that maternal- and fetal-related risk factors associated with LPNs and ETNs are distinct from those of FTNs.

Organisation, staffing and resources of critical care units in Kenya

2024-11-04T08:26:45Z

Organisation, staffing and resources of critical care units in Kenya Wambui Mwangi, Ronnie Kaddu, Carolyne Njoki Muiru, Nabukwangwa Simiyu, Vishal Patel, Demet Sulemanji, Dorothy Otieno, Stephen Okelo, Idris Chikophe, Luigi Pisani, Dilanthi Priyadarshani Gamage Dona, Abi Beane, Rashan Haniffa, David Misango, Wangari Waweru-Siika, Kenya Critical Care Registry Investigators To describe the organisation, staffing patterns and resources available in critical care units in Kenya. The secondary objective was to explore variations between units in the public and private sectors. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0284245