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Introduction: Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of morbidity and mortality in patients on maintenance hemodialysis. We investigated the pattern and correlates of cardiac lesions in a group of Cameroonians on chronic hemodialysis. Methods: This was a cross-sectional study conducted at the Yaoundé General Hospital's hemodialysis unit, involving 45 patients (29 men, 64%) on maintenance hemodialysis for at least three months using a native arterio-venous fistula. Cardiovascular risk factors, biological, electrocardiographic and echocardiographic data were collected. Results: Hypertension (29%), chronic glomerulonephritis (24%) and diabetes mellitus (24%) were the main etiological factors of chronic kidney disease. Blood pressure was controlled in 14 (31%) patients. Nineteen (42%) patients had anemia and 5 (14%) had a calcium-phosphorus product >55 mg²/dl². All patients had at least one cardiovascular risk factors with hypertension (95%), anemia (42%) and highcalcium-phosphorus product (42%) being the most frequent. Thirty-eight (84%) patients had at least one cardiac lesion and 11 (29%) had three or more lesions. The cardiac lesions were left ventricular hypertrophy (60%), valvular calcifications (38%), heart failure (36%), conduction disorders (33%), pericardial effusion (13%), valvular diseases (11%) and ischemic heart diseases (2%). Left ventricular hypertrophy was significantly associated with a longer duration on dialysis and low hemoglobin level (both p<0.047) while cardiac failure and valvular calcifications were associated with advanced age and high interdialytic weight gain (both p <0.05). Conclusion: Cardiac lesions and cardiovascular risk factors are frequent in these patients receiving sub-optimal dose maintenance hemodialysis despite their younger age, suggesting an increased susceptibility to cardiovascular complications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: This article describes the setting-up process for nurse-led pilot clinics for the management of four chronic diseases: asthma, type 2 diabetes mellitus, epilepsy and hypertension at the primary health care level in urban and rural Cameroon. Methods: The Biyem-Assi urban and the Bafut rural health districts in Cameroon served as settings for this study. International and local guidelines were identified and adapted to the country's circumstances. Training and follow-up tools were developed and nurses trained by experienced physicians in the management of the four conditions. Basic diagnostic and follow-up materials were provided and relevant essential drugs made available. Results: Forty six nurses attended six training courses. By the second year of activity, three and four clinics were operational in the urban and the rural areas respectively. By then, 925 patients had been registered in the clinics. This represented a 68.5% increase from the first year. While the rural clinics relied mainly on essential drugs for their prescriptions, a prescription pattern combining generic and proprietary drugs was observed in the urban clinics. Conclusion: In the quest for cost-effective health care for NCD in sub-Saharan Africa, rethinking health workforce and service delivery has relevance. Nurse-led clinics, algorithm driven service delivery stands as alternatives to overcome the shortage of trained physicians and other issues relating to access to care. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To inform public health policymakers that the generation of local evidence-based knowledge is key. Research capacity in low- and middle-income countries (LMIC) to generate medical knowledge is often weak and insufficiently resourced and efforts to tackle these challenges are not standardized. Continuous research training can equip researchers with the required knowledge and research skills, but its effectiveness largely depends on the quality and pertinence of the training methods used. We aim to assess the effectiveness of the Cameroon HIV/AIDS Research Forum (CAM-HERO) 2022 Research Methodology and Bioethics Training with the objective to describe the knowledge gained and the self-efficacy of health professionals and clinical scientists. A survey was conducted during the oneday training among health professionals and clinical scientists. Participants took an online selfadministered questionnaire before and after the training related to the topics taught. The questionnaire consisted of two parts: 1) 18 Multiple Choice Questions (MCQs) to assess knowledge and 2) Nine items to evaluate self-efficacy using a five-point Likert scale. Mean scores were calculated, analysed, and compared using paired t-test for the pre- and post-test results. A total of 30 participants (57% women) completed the sociodemographic form. The median age (IQR) of participants was 33.5 (13.3) years. We registered 38 respondents for the pre-test and 33 respondents for the post-test. There was a rise in knowledge mean score from 13.0 to 14.8 (p=0.001) and an improvement in the perception of self-efficacy with a mean score increase from 2.9 to 3.7 (p < 0.001). Knowledge and perception of self-efficacy on research methodology improved among participants after the training. These results suggest that the CAM-HERO 2022 training had an immediate positive impact on skills and selfefficacy. Hence, we recommend the implementation of this training on a larger scale, periodically, and with long-term follow-up to evaluate its impact. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: over one third of total Disability-Adjusted-Life-Years lost in Kenya are due to noncommunicable diseases (NCD). In response, the Government declared significant commitment towards improving NCD care. The COVID-19 pandemic increased the burden on the already overstretched health systems in Kenya. The aims of this study are to assess whether health care providers perceived NCD care to be optimal during the pandemic and explore how to improve responses to future emergencies. Methods: this cross-sectional online survey included healthcare personnel with non-clinical roles (public health workers and policy-makers) and those delivering health care (doctors and nurses). Respondents were recruited between May and September 2021 by random sampling, completed by snowball sampling. Results: among 236 participants (42% in clinical, 58% in non-clinical roles) there was an overall consensus between respondents on NCD care being disrupted and compromised during the pandemic in Kenya. Detracted supplies, funding, and technical resources affected the continuity of NCDs' response, despite government efforts. Respondents agreed that the enhanced personnel capacity and competencies to manage COVID-19 patients were positive, but noted a lack of guidance for redirecting care for chronic diseases, and advocated for digital innovation as a solution. Conclusion: this paper explores the perceptions of key stakeholders involved in the management of NCDs in Kenya to improve planning for future emergency responses. Gaps were identified in health system response and preparedness capacity during the pandemic including the perceived need to strengthen NCD services, with solutions offered to guide resilience efforts to protect the health system from disruption. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: sub-Saharan African countries contribute substantially to the global HIV disease burden. Despite this burden, and the promises that prevention could deliver, the implementation and uptake of HIV prevention programmes are still low. The study used the decision support system model to explore the potential impacts of prevention implementation on HIV burden (incidence) and service delivery. Methods: an operational research technique known as discrete event simulation model was used to capture an individual patient's pathways through the HIV care process from diagnosis to treatment and monitoring. The regular monitoring, over a 5-year period, including all the activities and resources utilized at each stage of the pathway were analysed, and the impact of increasing prevention measures for an HIV treatment service in a treatment centre in Nigeria was tested using the simulation model. Results: forty-three patients currently access the Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP) and Post Exposure Prophylaxis (PEP) annually, with a 20% and 80% split in the number of patients offered PrEP and PEP, respectively. Scenarios-based on increasing the number of people offered PrEP and PEP from 43 to 250 with a 50/50 split were tested. The outputs revealed improved preventive care by averting new HIV cases, reduction in service demand and utilization, but an increase in the required human resource as well as financial burden. In the next 5 years, the cumulative averted HIV cases are expected to increase from 2 and 5 people (baseline) to 24 and 20 people for PrEP and PEP, respectively. The potentially averted 2 cases per infected persons based on the basic reproductive number of HIV. Conclusion: the effective implementation of PrEP/PEP programme offers an additional safety measure to prevent HIV transmission in at-risk individuals and possibility of ending HIV epidemic. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The association between blood pressure (BP) and diabetic kidney diseases in Africans has been less well investigated. We assessed and compared the strength of the association and discriminatory capability of systolic (SBP), diastolic (DBP) BP, pulse pressure (PP) and mean arterial blood pressure (MAP) for nephropathy risk in sub-Saharan Africans with type 2 diabetes. Methods: Participants were 420 consecutive individuals (49% men) with type 2 diabetes receiving chronic care in two main referral centres in the two major cities of Cameroon. Logistic regression models were used to compute the odd ratio (OR) and 95% confidence interval (95% CI) for a standard deviation (SD) higher level of SBP (25 mmHg), DBP (13), PP (18) and MAP (16) with nephropathy risk. Discrimination was assessed and compared with c-statistics and relative integrated discrimination improvement (RIDI, %). Results: The adjusted OR (95% CI) for nephropathy with each SD higher BP variable were: 1.45 (1.15-1.84) for SBP, 1.33 (1.06-1.66) for DBP, 1.35 (1.06-1.71) for PP and 1.42 (1.13-1.78) for MAP. C-statistic comparison showed no difference in discrimination of models with each of the BP variables (p-values B 0.69 for c-statistics comparison). However, RIDI statistic always showed and enhancement in models discrimination when other BP variables were replaced with SBP, although such an enhancement was marginal for MAP. Using BP combination modestly improved models? discrimination. Conclusion: SBP was the best predictor of prevalent nephropathy in this population, while DBP was the less effective. This may have implication for kidney disease risk stratification and protection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Glycated haemoglobin (HbA1c) is the best surrogate of average blood glucose control in diabetic patients, and lowering HbA1c significantly reduces diabetes complications. Moreover, immediate feedback of HbA1c measurement to patients may improve control. However, HbA1c is unavailable in most parts of Africa, a continent with one of the highest burden of diabetes. To translate these evidences, we are conducting a multicentric project in 10 health care facilities in Guinea and Cameroon to evaluate the feasibility and one-year benefit of affordable HbA1c measurement with immediate feedback to patients on diabetes control and related outcomes., Participants: We consecutively enrolled patients with diabetes mellitus independently of the type of disease. We hypothesised an average 1%-decrease in HbA1c in a 1000-patient study population, with a 20% increase in the number of patients reaching treatment goals within 12 months of intervention and follow-up., Findings to Date: A total of 1, 349 diabetic patients aged 56.2±12.6 years are enrolled (813 in Cameroon and 536 in Guinea) of whom 59.8% are women. The mean duration of diabetes is 7.4±6.3 years and baseline HbA1c is 9.7±2.6% in Guinea and 8.6±2.5% in Cameroon., Future Plans: To investigate whether the introduction of routine HbA1c measurement with immediate feedback to patients and provision of relevant education would improve diabetes control after one year. The impact of the intervention on diabetes associated-complications and mortality warrant further assessment in the long term.