Livingstone College

Anaemia remains a major comorbidity among children living with HIV (CLHIV) in sub-Saharan Africa, yet sex-specific risk factors are poorly characterized. This study investigated the prevalence and sex-based determinants of anaemia among CLHIV in the Southern Province, Zambia. A retrospective cross-sectional study was conducted using medical records from 321 CLHIV aged 0–14 years. Data on demographic, clinical, and anthropometric variables were analysed. Sex-stratified multivariable logistic regression identified factors associated with anaemia (Hb < 10.9 g/dL). Overall anaemia prevalence was 47.0% (151/321), with a higher, though not statistically significant, burden in males (52.6%) than females (41.9%). Younger age was a strong, independent risk factor across both sexes. Distinct sex-specific determinants were identified. In males, no statistically significant association between CTX use and anaemia was observed (Adjusted Odds Ratio, AOR = 3.04; 95% CI: 0.95–9.74). Care provided by an aunt was significantly associated with lower odds of anaemia compared to other caregiving arrangement (AOR = 0.10; 95% CI: 0.01–0.90). Poor anthropometric indices (height and weight) were significantly associated with anaemia in both sexes. The study findings reveal a high prevalence of anaemia among CLHIV in Zambia, with nuanced sex-based differences in its determinants. The findings advocate for differentiated, gender-sensitive intervention strategies. For boys, careful review of CTX prophylaxis is warranted, while for girls, enhancing supportive caregiving environments may be protective. Integrating these sex-specific approaches into paediatric HIV programs is crucial for reducing the anaemia burden and improving clinical outcomes.

Children with learning and special educational needs and disabilities (LSEND) require coordinated multidisciplinary services to achieve early identification, timely intervention, and sustainable continuity of care. Although one-stop, co-located multidisciplinary models seek to reduce fragmentation and caregiver burden, evidence from low- and middle-income countries indicates that co-location alone is insufficient unless referral pathways, internal coordination, and follow-up mechanisms are functional. This qualitative descriptive study examined barriers to accessing multidisciplinary team (MDT) services at the One Stop Centre of Livingstone University Teaching Hospital (LUTH), Southern Province, Zambia. Eighteen purposively selected participants were interviewed individually, including 2 nurses, 2 special-education teachers, 2 police officers, 2 caregivers, 2 physiotherapists, 2 psychologists, an occupational therapist, 2 paediatricians, 2 social workers, a psychiatrist, and 2 learners with special educational needs were interviewed with parents present. Interviews were transcribed verbatim and analyzed manually using inductive thematic analysis with two independent coders, consensus meetings, peer debriefing, and member checking. Findings are presented mapped to an operationalized continuum of care entry, internal navigation, intervention capacity, follow-up/referral-out, and post-visit continuity and illustrate how barriers at each stage undermine access and sustained engagement. Key constraints included ineffective referral and low awareness at entry; poor internal coordination and information flow; shortages of trained specialists and equipment limiting intervention capacity; weak follow-up and outbound referral systems; and transport costs, stigma, and caregiver psychological burden that undermine post-visit continuity. The paper concludes with pragmatic, evidence-grounded recommendations to strengthen processes and supports at LUTH so the One Stop Centre can fulfil its potential as an accessible MDT hub for LSEND in Livingstone and Zambia at large.

Hypertensive heart disease (HHD) is characterized by pressure overload-induced cardiac remodeling, in which mitochondrial dysfunction has emerged as a central contributor to pathophysiology. Mitochondria occupy roughly one-third of the volume of a cardiomyocyte and serve as the primary source of ATP for the constantly active heart, while also regulating calcium homeostasis, redox balance, and apoptotic signaling. Chronic hypertension imposes energetic and oxidative stress on cardiomyocytes, disrupting mitochondrial structure and function. Key mitochondrial quality control processes including organelle fusion-fission dynamics, biogenesis, and mitophagy become dysregulated in HHD, leading to impaired energy production and heightened cell injury. This unstructured review discusses the physiological roles of mitochondria in cardiac muscle and examines how altered mitochondrial dynamics contribute to hypertensive cardiac damage. We detail mechanisms of mitochondrial dysfunction in HHD, such as excessive fission, cristae disruption, and oxidative stress, and how these changes are exacerbated by aging. Age-related mitochondrial remodeling such as loss of cristae and decreased organelle volume may synergistically worsen hypertensive cardiac injury. We further integrate findings from recent studies in animal and human models, including advanced three-dimensional ultrastructural analyses and molecular investigations that illuminate new aspects of mitochondrial network organization, the mitochondrial contact site and cristae organizing system (MICOS), cristae maintenance complex, and quality control pathways in HHD. Understanding mitochondrial dysfunction in HHD reveals potential therapeutic avenues targeting mitochondrial quality and dynamics to preserve cardiac function in hypertension.

Despite the substantial increase in sustainability reporting scholarly research, the comprehensive evaluation of scientific production in this area is scarce. This study combines the bibliometric and content analyses of sustainability reporting research to fill this gap. We map the development, conceptual structure, and thematic evolution of sustainability reporting scholarly research based on 1,053 Scopus peer-reviewed articles written by 2,071 scholars comprising 69 countries and published from 2000 to 2022. The findings suggest that sustainability reporting has witnessed exponential growth, moved from a “paucity” stage in 2000 to the “saturation” stage in 2022, and is still ongoing. The collaboration among institutions producing sustainability reporting research reflects “locally-centralized-globally-discrete” cooperation. The collaboration between developed and developing world research organizations can be termed the “North-South” divide. Authors have disciplinary or thematic similarities in their research interests (i.e., homophily impact). The study has explained the thematic categories and topics of interest in sustainability reporting. Based on our findings, we provide an agenda for future research directions. The study’s findings are of interest to scholars and practitioners in business, finance, and accounting.

SummaryBackgroundPrimary prevention of cardiovascular disease (CVD) is guided by risk-prediction tools, but these rarely account for the risk of dying from other conditions (ie, competing mortality risk). In England and Wales, the recommended risk-prediction tool is QRISK2, and a new version (QRISK3) has been derived and internally validated. We aimed to externally validate QRISK3 and to assess the effects of competing mortality risk on its predictive performance.MethodsFor this retrospective population cohort study, we used data from the Clinical Practice Research Datalink. We included patients aged 25–84 years with no previous history of CVD or statin treatment who were permanently registered with a primary care practice, had up-to-standard data for at least 1 year, and had linkage to Hospital Episode Statistics discharge and Office of National Statistics mortality data. We compared the QRISK3-predicted 10-year CVD risk with the observed 10-year risk in the whole population and in important subgroups of age and multimorbidity. QRISK3 discrimination and calibration were examined with and without accounting for competing risks.FindingsOur study population included 1 484 597 women with 42 451 incident CVD events (4·9 cases per 1000 person-years of follow-up, 95% CI 4·89–4·99), and 1 420 176 men with 53 066 incident CVD events (6·7 cases per 1000 person-years, 6·66–6·78), with median follow-up of 5·0 years (IQR 1·9–9·2). Non-CVD death rose markedly with age (0·4% of women and 0·5% of men aged 25–44 years had a non-CVD death vs 20·1% of women and 19·6% of men aged 75–84 years). QRISK3 discrimination in the whole population was excellent (Harrell's C-statistic 0·865 in women and 0·834 in men) but was poor in older age groups (<0·65 in all subgroups aged 65 years or older). Ignoring competing risks, QRISK3 calibration in the whole population and in younger people was excellent, but there was significant over-prediction in older people. Accounting for competing risks, QRISK3 systematically over-predicted CVD risk, particularly in older people and in those with high multimorbidity.InterpretationQRISK3 performed well at the whole population level when ignoring competing mortality risk. The tool performed considerably less well in important subgroups, including older people and people with multimorbidity, and less well again after accounting for competing mortality risk.FundingNational Institute for Health Research.

In sport psychology, organizational culture is usually depicted as shared, consistent, and clear—the glue that holds people together so they can achieve success. There is, however, growing discontent in sport psychology with this idea of culture and extensive critiques in other academic domains that suggest this perspective is limited. Accordingly, the authors draw on narrative interviews with participants (n = 7) from different areas of sport and use Martin and Meyerson’s three perspective (integration, differentiation, and fragmentation) approach to culture alongside thematic analysis to reconstruct three “ideal cases” that exemplify each perspective. The findings emphasize a different pattern of meaning in each actors’ narrative and suggest the need to develop a broader, more inclusive concept of culture, so as not to minimize or dismiss cultural content that is not obviously shared, clear, or created by leadership; a course of action that can enhance both research and practice in the area.

Lawrence O Flowers* Author Affiliations Biology Department, Livingstone College, United States Received: August 08, 2020 | Published: August 20, 2020 Corresponding author: Lawrence O Flowers, Biology Department, Livingstone College, United States DOI: 10.26717/BJSTR.2020.29.004833

Dissemination is the act of dispersing information or materials to a broader audience to improve awareness and knowledge.Dissemination protocols are equally paramount for science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) intervention programs.STEM intervention programs are typically multifaceted academic programs that focus on paramount objectives designed to ultimately enhance the nation's economic competitiveness on the global stage.Additionally, a key focus of SIPs is to broaden the participation of underrepresented groups to improve diversity in STEM education and careers.Effective dissemination schemes are advantageous to directors and principal investigators interested in their program's sustainability as well as to achieve the broader impacts of the STEM program.Also, the calculus behind crafting effective dissemination plans is that it contributes to the overall success of the SIP.The cost-effective dissemination framework discussed in this article is designed explicitly for STEM intervention programs but can also apply to a variety of organizations and settings.This article offers practical and scalable dissemination strategies for faculty, administrators, and intervention program support staff.Also included in this article is an example of a logic model.

Brand marks are important representations of organizations. Over time, due to a variety of reasons, brand marks may cease to be effective representations and require redesign. In recent years, a number of sport organizations have undertaken efforts to design new or update existing brand marks. In this research, a detailed examination of the opinions and intentions of fans, stakeholders, and the public regarding the Florida State University (FSU) Athletic Department’s redesign of FSU’s primary logo is described, assessed, and discussed. Subscribe to JASM

Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death in men and women; in particular, coronary artery disease or ischemic heart disease, leading to myocardial infarction (MI), affects 1.9 million Americans yearly and makes up more than half of all cardiovascular events in men and women &lt;75 years of age. Prolonged clinical outcomes of acute MI are: cardiac remodeling (muscle hypertrophy, lumenal dilation, and scar formation), cardiac dysfunction, arrhythmias, and re‐infarction. Current treatments include: lifestyle changes, drugs such as cholesterol‐modifying medications or surgical procedures including coronary artery bypass surgery or angioplasty. A new “drug” field, known as therapeutic revascularization, is emerging which uses growth factors, including fibroblast growth factors, to help treat coronary artery disease. FGF2 is composed of different protein isoforms, low molecular weight (LMW) localized to the cytosol and nucleus or high molecular weight (HMW) found in nucleus, that are translated from the Fgf2 gene, and is implicated in many processes including cell survival, angiogenesis, and cell growth. Our previous research demonstrates that FGF2 can acutely protect the heart during an ischemic event, by reducing cardiomyocyte death (involves the LMW and HMW FGF2) and improving cardiac function (linked to LMW FGF2). Yet, the question remains as to the long‐term biological actions of FGF2 following a heart attack; in particular, the effects of the individual FGF2 isoforms in ischemia‐induced cardiac remodeling, dysfunction, and revascularization. To test this, wildtype (WT) mice (containing all FGF2 isoforms), mice with no FGF2 (Fgf2KO), mice expressing only LMW isoform (HMWKO), and mice expressing only HMW isoforms (LMWKO) were subjected to no ischemia or 60 minutes of ischemia followed by 6 weeks of reperfusion. Echocardiography was performed at baseline and specific times of reperfusion to assess changes in left ventricular (LV) mass (measure of cardiac remodeling) and cardiac function. Revascularization of the heart following an MI was assessed via immunohistological techniques using a cell marker for vascular smooth muscle cells (primary antibody for alpha‐smooth muscle actin) or endothelial cells (primary antibody for GSI lectin) to differentiate large vessels (arterioles/venules) from capillaries, respectively. Mice expressing all FGF2 isoforms (WT) had worse cardiac function following MI. Mice expressing all FGF2 isoforms (WT) as well as mice only expressing the LMW isoform (HMWKO) had increased LV mass. Angiogenesis (capillary levels) was elevated in mice expressing all FGF2 isoforms (WT), but no increase in larger vessel density was observed following MI in any of the genotypes. The findings suggest that the FGF2 isoforms have differential roles in the long‐term “clinical outcomes” following an acute MI.Support or Funding InformationRJH was supported as a Dalton Zannoni Fellow of the American Society of Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics (ASPET) with funds generously provided by ASPET and the University of Cincinnati. This work was supported by AHA 14GRNT20450150 (JJS) and NIH R01 HL075633 (JJS).