International Journal of Medical Sociology and Anthropology

International Journal of Medical Sociology and Anthropology ISSN 2756-3820 Vol. 14 (1), pp. 001-008, January, 2025. Available online at www.internationalscholarsjournals.org © International Scholars Journals

Full Length Research Paper

Sustainable Agriculture for Health: A Study on Cassava and Sweet Potato Production in HIV/AIDS Affected Smallholder Farms in Zvishavane, Zimbabwe

Dadirayi Manyumwa^1, Robert Baars² and Koos Kingma²

¹Corresponding author: Bindura University of Science Education, P. Bag 1020, Bindura, Zimbabwe.
²Van Hall Larenstein University of Applied Sciences, P.O. Box 411, 6700 AK Wageningen, the Netherlands

Accepted 21 November, 2024

Abstract

This study explored the role of cassava and sweet potato, promoted by the NGO Africare, as a labour saving mitigation strategy in AIDS affected and drought prone Zvishavane District. The study focused on the impact of AIDS on livelihood assets, the current food production and food security, household income, and household coping strategies. A case study among 16 households was conducted. There was a low production of sweet potato whilst cassava was hardly grown, despite the strong promotion of both crops because of their labour saving effects. There was no significant contribution of these crops to food security and income. The households continued to lose productive assets to meet medical expenses and food requirements after the introduction of these crops. The sweet potato cultivation also increased the workload of women who were already burdened with the care giving role. It was recommended to support sweet potato production, which HIV/AIDS affected households are familiar with, to strengthen the community initiative of bartering with maize to meet their food requirements.

Keywords: Food security, HIV/AIDS, sustainable livelihood framework, Zimbabwe.
 

International Journal of Medical Sociology and Anthropology ISSN 2756-3820 Vol. 13 (8), pp. 001-009, August, 2024. Available online at www.internationalscholarsjournals.org © International Scholars Journals

Full Length Research Paper

The transition from pediatric to adult age in patients with Dravet Syndrome: A study on the current management pathways and the challenges ahead

Francesca Bisulli¹, Francesca Darra², Carlotta Stipa³, Lucio Corsaro⁴, Emanuele Corsaro⁵, Lorena Trivellato⁶, Gianluca Vaccaro⁷

¹MD, PhD, Associate professor of Neurology, Department of Biomedical and NeuroMotor Sciences, Alma Mater Studiorum – University of Bologna. ²MD, Associated Professor in Child Neuropsychiatry, Department of Engineering for Innovation Medicine, University of Verona, Italy. ³IRCCS Istituto delle Scienze Neurologiche di Bologna, Full Member of the European Reference Network for Rare and Complex Epilepsies (EpiCARE), Bologna, Italy. ⁴Advisor – BHAVE, Via Giambattista Vico 1, 00196 Rome, Italy. ⁵Health, Digital and Marketing Research – BHAVE, Via Giambattista Vico 1, 00196 Rome, Italy. ⁶Anthropologist Research Advisor – BHAVE, Via Giambattista Vico 1, 00196 Rome, Italy. 7Methodological Advisor – BHAVE, Via Giambattista Vico 1, 00196 Rome, Italy.

Received July 3, 2024; Accepted August 10, 2024 and Published September 06, 2024

Abstract

Dravet Syndrome (DS) is an infantile onset drug-resistant developmental and epileptic encephalopathy, often associated with comorbidities including intellectual disability, behavioral disorders and gait problems. Epileptic seizures usually begin in the first year of life and persist into adulthood, resistant to antiseizure medications.  Within the complex care pathway faced by these patients and their families, the transition from pediatric care centers to adult centers represents a critical phase of the patient's journey. If not managed optimally, transition can have significant repercussions on the quality of care and patient management. We conducted a mixed-methods investigation, involving a quantitative survey of 54 neurologists and neuropsychiatrists from 28 national reference centers, and a qualitative survey with 5 specialists and 3 caregivers of patients with DS. The study aimed to investigate the transition of patients from child neurologist clinics to adult clinics exploring management methods, challenges, and unmet needs of patients and their caregivers. The results indicate that transitions to adult centers are currently heterogeneous and often unstructured, with significant implications in terms of the quality of care provided. Particularly, structured transition programs are available in only 70% of centers, and many patients remain in pediatric care beyond adulthood due to perceived better care quality and stability concerns. Additionally, around 19% of patients abandon adult care centers within a year of transition.  In order to improve the quality of care and the quality of life for patients with this syndrome, it is essential to listen to the requests of their caregivers, including continuity in patient management, psychological support and planning for the future of their loved ones. The overall fragmented nature of transition strategies highlights the need for initiatives to provide greater structure and continuity in care pathways. 

Keywords: Dravet Syndrome, transition, patient journey, rare disease, unmet needs, drug-resistant epilepsy.

International Journal of Medical Sociology and Anthropology ISSN 2756-3820 Vol. 13 (8), pp. 001-008, August, 2024. Available online at www.internationalscholarsjournals.org © International Scholars Journals

Full Length Research Paper

Investigating Sleep Heart Rate and Circadian Variability in Children with Temporal Lobe Epilepsy in Egypt

Mohammed Al-Biltagi¹*, Osama Abd Rab Elrasoul Tolba¹, Tarek mohamed Elgohary¹, Osama Abo Elmagd Elkholy² and Rasha Abdelgelil Abdelwanis¹

¹Pediatric Department, Faculty of Medicine, Tanta University, Tanta, Gharbia Governate, Egypt.
²Neuropsychiatry, Faculty of medicine, Alexandria University Egypt.

Accepted 03 July, 2024

Abstract

The aim of this study was to measure interictal circadian rhythm variability of heart rate (HR) in Egyptian children with temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE) using a 24 hours ECG recording. A group of 40 children suffering from partial epilepsy subdivided into group A with 21 children who had controlled temporal lobe epilepsy and group B with 20 children suffered uncontrolled temporal lobe epilepsy. A third group of 40 healthy children was studied as a control group. An ambulatory two channel-5-lead electrocardiography (ECG) recording was performed in both epileptic children and the controls. A computer assisted analysis of heart rhythm and heart rate variability recorded over a 24 hours period of normal daily activity of the children was done. There was lower heart rate variability (HRV) in temporal lobe epileptic children than in normal controls. Also the HRV was lower in children with uncontrolled TLE than in children with controlled TLE. There was a disturbance of the autonomic nervous system (ANS) function in epileptic children with reduction of the vagal tone compared to normal children as indicated by the differences in HRV which suggests that the parasympathetic component of the ANS is strongly implicated in the pathogenesis of epilepsy.

Keywords: Egyptian Children; Heart Rate Variability; Sleep Circadian Rhythm; Temporal Lobe Epilepsy.

International Journal of Medical Sociology and Anthropology ISSN 2756-3820 Vol. 13 (8), pp. 001-005, August, 2024. Available online at www.internationalscholarsjournals.org © International Scholars Journals

Full Length Research Paper

Conceptual Frameworks and Operational Issues in Understanding Health Determinants

Rajan R. Patil

School of Public Health, SRM University, Chennai, India. E-mail: [email protected]. Tel: 9445811610.

Accepted 12 July, 2024

Abstract

Health is determined by many factors ranging from one’s immediate physical-psycho-socio environment to the political milieu of the society that an individual lives in. When we look through the biomedical paradigm of health, disease could be explained through a set of micro-level physiological, bio-chemical and pathological changes in the body which are triggered by internal or external environment. When we broaden the horizon and contextualize health through social medicine paradigm, the whole gamut of constellation of macro level determinants also known as social determinants of health come to the fore. The Social determinants are generally outside the realm of individual control for example, the politics, policies, International agreements like General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATTS), Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS), KYOTO protocol etc affect health so also national upheavals like civil wars, communalism, fundamentalism within the country, all of which effect health. This paper tries to drive home the point that while all determinants of health have their own importance, however it is important that we prioritize determinants as actionable and explanatory determinants. Actionable determinants are those predictors of health that easily lend themselves to direct action. Explanatory determinants are factors or philosophies or models that help us in further understanding health as theoretical construct. Innovative efforts need to be made to convert more and more explanatory health determinants into the ambit of actionable health determinants to evolve innovative interventions to demonstrate that action on social determinants of health is feasible.

Key words: Social determinants, causation, risk factor.

International Journal of Medical Sociology and Anthropology ISSN 2756-3820 Vol. 13 (8), pp. 001-004, August, 2024. Available online at www.internationalscholarsjournals.org © International Scholars Journals

Case Report

Euthanasia: Autonomy, Ethics, and Societal Implications

Sehrish Pirani* and Shirin Badruddin

School of Nursing and Midwifery, Aga Khan University, Pakistan.

Received 8 April, 2024; Accepted 19 May, 2024

Abstract

This study examines the ethical dilemma of euthanasia, focusing on the associated controversies. It provides a detailed analysis of a clinical scenario, considering health-related quality of life, patient autonomy, and various legal, social, and religious perspectives. A four-quadrant approach is utilized for this analysis.

Key words: Euthanasia, quality of life, autonomy, four quadrant approach.
 

International Journal of Medical Sociology and Anthropology ISSN 2756-3820 Vol. 13 (8), pp. 001-005, August, 2024. Available online at www.internationalscholarsjournals.org © International Scholars Journals

Full Length Research Paper

The Intersection of Culture and Reproductive Ethics: A Yoruba Perspective on Fetal Humanity

Olanrewaju Abdul SHITTA-BEY

Department of Philosophy, Faculty of Arts, Lagos State University, Nigeria.

Received 24 October, 2023: Accepted 9 January, 2024

Abstract

The question of when life begins in the foetus remains a serious philosophical debate which cuts across philosophies and philosophers of all intellectual traditions. Principally, the question has led to the evolution of different schools of thought in western bioethics discourse. However, in spite of the numerous responses generated in reaction to the personhood of the foetus, no particular answer has been accepted, that is, none of the answers has addressed the issue adequately, hence the focus of this paper on the Yoruba intellectual tradition. In Yoruba cultural thought, there is a clear conception when the life of the foetus begins, and this conception arguably addresses some of the inadequacies inherent in western perspective on the issue. Therefore, we examine the Yoruba ontological creation theory because it is with a clear knowledge of this that we can appropriately understand the Yoruba conception of when life begins in the foetus. And given this understanding, we argue that the Yoruba conception takes care of the inadequacies inherent in western theories.

Keywords: Foetus, Yoruba, Orisa Nla, western bioethics, humanity, Emi, creation.