Malawi Medical Journal最新文献

{"title":"Investigating Knowledge and Determinants of Birth Preparedness among Pregnant Women in Mangochi District.","authors":"Peter Malipa, Innocent Lanjesi, Richard Abuduo, Macdonald Gondwe, Towera Maureen Maleta, Linda Mipando","doi":"10.4314/mmj.v37i4.9","DOIUrl":"10.4314/mmj.v37i4.9","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Introduction: </strong>Birth preparedness (BP) has been globally endorsed as an essential component of safe motherhood programs to reduce delays for care, so as to reduce maternal and neonatal mortality rate. In spite of the benefit of BP, no study has been documented that assessed the knowledge and determinants of birth preparedness in Mangochi District, Malawi. Therefore, this study aimed at investigating knowledge and determinants of BP among pregnant women attending antenatal clinic in Mangochi District, South-east Malawi.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted involving 382 respondents for the quantitative component and five focus group discussions for the qualitative component. Simple random sampling was used to select respondents in the study area for quantitative data collection while purposive sampling was used for focus group participants. A researcher-administered questionnaire was used to collect quantitative data.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>A total of 382 mothers participated, achieving a response rate of 99.5%. Majority of women (97.6%) had heard about BP. Of the total mothers, 73.3% had adequate knowledge on birth preparedness. However, from the focus group discussion conducted, pregnant mothers pointed out communication as a barrier in accessing health care services as most of the health care workers could not communicate to them in Yao, which is the dominant local language in the study area. Among the factors associated with birth preparedness were religion (r=-0.013, p<0.05), maternal education (r=-0.017, p<0.05), maternal occupation (r=-0.044, p<0.05) and husband occupation (r=-0.000, p<0.05) showed statistically significant association.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>About 73 % of pregnant women in this study had adequate knowledge in birth preparedness. The factors most associated with birth preparedness were maternal and husband occupation, maternal education and religion. There is a need to continue providing health education on birth preparedness to all women in the reproductive age band.</p>","PeriodicalId":18185,"journal":{"name":"Malawi Medical Journal","volume":"37 4","pages":"255-261"},"PeriodicalIF":0.9,"publicationDate":"2026-01-29","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12976447/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147513086","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Barriers and Enablers to All-Oral Multi-Drug Resistance Tuberculosis Treatment Adherence in Traditional Authorities Chimwala and Chowe, Mangochi District, Malawi.","authors":"Margaret Nyalugwe, Towera Maleta, Evetta Chisope","doi":"10.4314/mmj.v37i4.7","DOIUrl":"10.4314/mmj.v37i4.7","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>The Malawi National Tuberculosis Program (MNTP) switched the MDR-TB treatment regimen from a combination of injectable and oral anti-TB drugs to an all-oral regimen in 2018. This has increased the pill burden and increased the treatment period from 12 to 18 months. The change was necessitated by the need to minimize amikacin-induced side effects which include vertigo, convulsions, and numbness. However, the longer treatment period and pill burden may affect treatment adherence.</p><p><strong>Objective: </strong>The purpose of the study was to assess factors that influence adherence to the all-oral drugs for MDR-TB.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>This descriptive qualitative study employed 10 in-depth interviews, 2 focus group discussions and 7 key informant interviews with patients, guardians and health workers. Participants were identified through purposive sampling from Traditional Authorities Chowe and Chimwala in Mangochi district. Data analysis was done through a thematic approach.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Patients expressed satisfaction with the newly-introduced oral treatment for MDR-TB owing to the fewer side effects the treatment has, absence of pain from injections, desire to accomplish plans, delivery of drugs close to patients through drones, and home visits by health care workers. However, some patients highlighted barriers to adherence such as delayed food provision, and delayed transport refunds by the Malawi National Tuberculosis Control Program through its partners. Other barriers were medication stockouts, bad weather, and traveling away from home. Participants recommended that to improve adherence, interventions should include involving ex-MDR-TB patients and guardians in giving out MDR-TB adherence messages, and intensifying community sensitisation on MDR-TB.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>MDR-TB treatment non-adherence is associated with patient factors, economic factors, access to health facility factors and environmental factors. Addressing the barriers is key to preventing MDR-TB relapse and new infections.</p>","PeriodicalId":18185,"journal":{"name":"Malawi Medical Journal","volume":"37 4","pages":"243-249"},"PeriodicalIF":0.9,"publicationDate":"2026-01-29","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12976446/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147512920","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Predicting public health impact: Linking ResearchGate presence to Scopus performance through machine learning.","authors":"Ramin Rahmani, Heidar Mokhtari, Abbas Doulani, Mohammad Karim Saberi","doi":"10.4314/mmj.v37i4.10","DOIUrl":"10.4314/mmj.v37i4.10","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>ResearchGate as a main scientific social medium and Scopus as a known citation database have main role in sharing research output among specialists in different disciplines.</p><p><strong>Objective: </strong>This study aimed to evaluate the performances of Iranian researchers in occupational health field and correlate some related variables. It also used regression analysis as one of machine learning approaches for predicting researchers' scientific performance.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>This descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted in 2024 on ResearchGate and Scopus indicators of Iranian researchers in the Occupational Health Engineering affiliated in Iranian universities (n=213). Data were extracted from ResearchGate and Scopus and the researches' demographic information was collected from Iranian Scientometrics Information Database in medicine.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>149 researchers (70%) were active in ResearchGate. 144 researchers (96.6%) had RG scores with the mean rate of 11.70. in ResearchGate, they shared total 4,275 research items with the mean rate of 28.89 items per researcher. With total 24,235 citations, the mean rate of citations per paper was 169.48. Of them,143 (95.9%) had ResearchGate h-indexes with the mean rate of 5.38. In Scopus, 198 researchers (93%) had total 2,935 published documents in the database with mean rate of 14.82 documents per researcher. 186 researchers (87.3%) had total 18,749 citations with the mean rate of 100.80 citations and mean h-index amounted to 4.41. Researchers with more shared documents in ResearchGate had better performance in Scopus. Linear regression analysis showed that the researchers' presence in ResearchGate can predict their citation counts (R2=.82, β=.911, p=.000) and h-indexes (R2=.83, β=.900, p<.001) in Scopus.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>Iranian researchers in the Occupational Health Engineering field fairly use the capacities of ResearchGate for influencing their research output. However, their interactions in social media tools should be encouraged for more reach and influence of their scientific productions.</p>","PeriodicalId":18185,"journal":{"name":"Malawi Medical Journal","volume":"37 4","pages":"262-268"},"PeriodicalIF":0.9,"publicationDate":"2026-01-29","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12976444/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147513125","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Experiences of the caregivers on the healthcare and psychosocial services available for cerebral palsy children in Mangochi district in Malawi.","authors":"Felistas Chiundira, Anania Matenje, Ruth Masese, Jim Mtambo, Patrick Mapulanga, Towera Maleta, Chifundo Manong'a, Beverly Laher, Winnie Chilemba","doi":"10.4314/mmj.v37i4.5","DOIUrl":"10.4314/mmj.v37i4.5","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Children with cerebral palsy require multidisciplinary and holistic care to manage their medical needs and maximise their developmental and educational potential. Exploring experiences of caregivers on healthcare and psychosocial services available for children with cerebral palsy is key in addressing gaps existing in provision of quality health care and psychosocial services both at community and hospital settings.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>We conducted a qualitative exploratory descriptive study. Twelve caregivers of children with cerebral palsy were interviewed face-to-face using interview guides at Mangochi district. Twelve caregivers of children with cerebral palsy were interviewed face-to-face using interview guides at Mangochi district. Purposive and snowball sampling were used to select the study participants.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>The findings of the study showed that some of the participants received inadequate information related to the etiology and prognosis of cerebral palsy, alternative treatments, and information related to childcare at home. There was also a lack of follow-up and home visits by health care workers. The majority of participants received informal psychosocial support from their relatives and friends. However, there was lack of formal psychosocial services, such as counselling services, unavailability of support groups, and lack of assistive devices. Challenges encountered by children with cerebral palsy and their caregivers were related to inadequate finances, transport challenges, and lack of basic needs, which resulted in the inability to provide necessities to children with cerebral palsy and inability to take their children to the hospital for regular physiotherapy services. In addition, caregivers face physical strain and burden during care.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>The study found that there was inadequate provision of health care and psychosocial services to children with cerebral palsy. The study recommends the provision of comprehensive cerebral palsy information to caregivers, the formation of support groups, conducting outreach clinics and home visits to children with cerebral palsy, and provision of assistive ambulation devices by healthcare professionals and the department of social welfare.</p>","PeriodicalId":18185,"journal":{"name":"Malawi Medical Journal","volume":"37 4","pages":"231-235"},"PeriodicalIF":0.9,"publicationDate":"2026-01-29","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12976435/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147513151","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Human Immunodeficiency Virus Misdiagnosis in a Patient Presenting with Clinical Features of AIDS in Malawi: A Case Report.","authors":"Mictum Miggo, Innocent Khuliwa, Denilson Eugenio, Mathews Saindi, Thokozani Nankhonya, Richard Kamalizeni, Emma Kamoto, Felistus Kazingatchire, Patience Chikuse, Hamstone Lwesha, Johnstone J Kumwenda","doi":"10.4314/mmj.v37i4.12","DOIUrl":"10.4314/mmj.v37i4.12","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>A 27 year old man presented with a history of weight loss and generally feeling unwell for more than 2 years. He had several negative HIV rapid tests. His wife had a positive HIV test in 2023 during screening while she was pregnant with their first child. When HIV RNA test was requested, it was positive with a viral load of 1,740, 000 copies/ml. In patients in high HIV prevalence settings suspected to have HIV infection with repeated negative rapid antibody diagnostic tests, HIV RNA testing should be requested to exclude infection.</p>","PeriodicalId":18185,"journal":{"name":"Malawi Medical Journal","volume":"37 4","pages":"272-274"},"PeriodicalIF":0.9,"publicationDate":"2026-01-29","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12976445/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147513156","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Epidemiology of hepatitis B and C viruses among pregnant women at Queen Elizabeth Central Hospital (QECH), Blantyre Malawi.","authors":"Charles Bijjah Nkhata, Alexander J Stockdale, Memory N Mvula, Milton M Kalongonda, Martha Masamba, Isaac Thom Shawa","doi":"10.4314/mmj.v37i4.2","DOIUrl":"10.4314/mmj.v37i4.2","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Viral Hepatitis is a serious public health concern globally with an estimated 1.3 million deaths annually due to hepatitis B and C viruses. Prevention of mother to child transmission is a critical step toward elimination of hepatitis B and C. The main aim of this study was to assess the prevalence of HBV and HCV among pregnant women at Queen Elizabeth Central Hospital in Blantyre.</p><p><strong>Method: </strong>A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted among consecutive pregnant women attending routine antenatal care, and/or admitted at QECH in last quarter of 2021. Of the 114 pregnant women, 84 women consented to participate. Serum was tested for HBsAg and Anti-HCV markers using rapid diagnostic tests (RDT) and compared to Enzyme Linked Immunosorbent Assay (ELISA).</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Of the 84 consenting pregnant women, the median age was 25.0 years (IQR: 21.0, 33.0). Hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) was detected in 6.0% (n=5/84, 95% CI: 0.03-6.4) of participants using ELISA and in 1.2% (0.2-6.4; n=1/84), using RDTs, while none tested positive for anti-HCV antibodies. There were no significant associations between HBV infection and any of the socio-demographic characteristics or assessed risk factors.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>The prevalence of HBV (6%) and HCV (0%) in this population was lower than reported in previous studies of the general Malawian population, where HBV seroprevalence was estimated at 8.1% and HCV below 1%. We highlight potential underdiagnosis using RDTs for HBV, an ongoing significant rate of HBV infection, and a very low prevalence of HCV. Accessible screening and treatment for all positive pregnant women remains essential to eliminate vertical transmission.</p>","PeriodicalId":18185,"journal":{"name":"Malawi Medical Journal","volume":"37 4","pages":"211-215"},"PeriodicalIF":0.9,"publicationDate":"2026-01-29","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12976436/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147513114","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Professor Genesis Chorwe-Sungani talks to Thengo Kavinya on his career.","authors":"","doi":"10.4314/mmj.v37i4.13","DOIUrl":"10.4314/mmj.v37i4.13","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":18185,"journal":{"name":"Malawi Medical Journal","volume":"37 4","pages":"279"},"PeriodicalIF":0.8,"publicationDate":"2026-01-29","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12976440/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147513072","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Artificial intelligence and task shifting:Opportunities for strengthening health systems in Malawi.","authors":"Jobiba Chinkhumba","doi":"10.4314/mmj.v37i4.11","DOIUrl":"10.4314/mmj.v37i4.11","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Low-income countries including Malawi face persistent challenges in health service delivery primarily due to a critical shortage of human resources for health (HRH). Artificial intelligence (AI) technologies are gaining traction as tools to support diagnosis, treatment monitoring and health systems efficiency. In this paper, we discuss the potential role of AI in supporting health workers through task-shifting strategies and explore circumstances under which AI-led diagnosis and monitoring could substitute for human providers in a safe, ethical, cost-effective and affordable manner. We highlight opportunities in areas with large service delivery constraints such as radiology, pathology, prevalent and chronic disease monitoring. We discuss the use of discrete choice experiments (DCEs) to investigate preferences of patients, providers, and policymakers on AI integration into healthcare. Finally, we outline policy implications for Malawi. While AI is not a panacea, we argue that it could be an important adjunct to the health workforce if strategically deployed, regulated, and aligned with health system priorities.</p>","PeriodicalId":18185,"journal":{"name":"Malawi Medical Journal","volume":"37 4","pages":"269-271"},"PeriodicalIF":0.9,"publicationDate":"2026-01-29","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12976439/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147512953","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Pathological and Control Aspects of Avian Coccidiosis: A Review","authors":"Zahraa Saleh Mahdi","doi":"10.65639/kjvm.25.095","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.65639/kjvm.25.095","url":null,"abstract":"Poultry coccidiosis is a major protozoa disease resulting from the intracellular (apicomplexan) parasite Eimeria . The life cycle of Eimeria include extracellular and intracellular stages that cause a strong inflammation that damages tissue by increasing oxidative stress and lipid peroxidation, clinical symptoms seen include green, yellow, or brown bloody stools, inactivity, being off feed, losing weight, decreasing feed intake, decreasing production, emaciation, having pale wattles and comb, anemia, and dying suddenly. Gross lesions showed haemorrhagic and inflated intestine.The histopathological lesion showed congestion of blood vessels with loss of epithelial lining layer and edema of mucosal layer with Submucosal necrosis. Villi loss is associated with significant haemorrhages.Oocysts within the villi with lymphoid tissue hyperplasia.. The diagnosis can be done by gross and post-mortem lesion, microscopic examination of feces and molecular technique can be used for diagnosis of coccidiosis, to prevent and treat this condition, a variety of anticoccidial medications and vaccinations have been employed.","PeriodicalId":18185,"journal":{"name":"Malawi Medical Journal","volume":"1 3","pages":"52-57"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-12-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147892362","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Elucidating Astragaloside IV's Anti-Glioma Action via Network Pharmacology, Molecular Docking, and Experimental Evidence for PI3K/AKT Pathway Inhibition","authors":"Ting Wang, Jing Han, Rong Su, Zhuanxiong Wang, Shuping Qiu, Zhe Jing, Xiaoqiang Gao, Xiaojun Liu","doi":"10.47310/jpms2025140904","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.47310/jpms2025140904","url":null,"abstract":"Objective: To investigate astragaloside IV's (AS-IV) anti-glioma effects and mechanisms. Methods: Potential AS-IV targets were screened using SwissTarget, Super PRED, and PharmMapper databases. Glioma-related targets were identified from GeneCards, OMIM, and TTD. Intersection genes underwent Gene Ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) enrichment analysis. Anti-glioma mechanisms were investigated using A172 and U251 glioma cell lines. Cells were treated with AS-IV at 20, 30, or 50 mg/mL. MTT assessed proliferation. Cell scratch and transwell assays evaluated invasion. Flow cytometry analyzed cell cycle distribution and apoptosis. Western blot measured expression of cell cycle, apoptosis, epithelial-mesenchymal transition, and PI3K-AKT pathway-related genes. Results: Network pharmacology and molecular docking predicted AS-IV anti-glioma targets were associated with the PI3K/AKT pathway. AS-IV inhibited A172 and U251 cell proliferation and invasion dose- and time-dependently. It arrested the cell cycle in G0/G1 phase and induced apoptosis. AS-IV upregulated P21, Bax, and E-cadherin expression while downregulating CDK4, CDK6, Bcl-2, Vimentin, P-PI3K, and P-AKT. Conclusion: AS-IV exhibits anti-tumor effects against glioma cells, potentially by inhibiting the PI3K/AKT signaling pathway. This leads to apoptosis induction, proliferation suppression, cell cycle arrest, and invasion inhibition.","PeriodicalId":18185,"journal":{"name":"Malawi Medical Journal","volume":"14 09","pages":"23-33"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-10-05","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147897142","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}