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Background Stillbirth remains a prevalent issue worldwide, particularly affecting low-income and middle-income countries, where it brings immense sorrow and suffering to families, especially mothers. Sadly, support for women coping with this loss is inadequate, particularly in regions like Africa, where literature on women’s experiences of stillbirth is lacking.Methods This qualitative study employed a narrative design guided by William Worden’s Four Task Theory to explore the experiences of 15 women who had experienced stillbirth, selected through purposive sampling. Semistructured interviews were conducted face to face with participants, and thematic analysis was used to analyse the data.Results The study identified three overarching themes and nine subthemes, revealing participants’ perspectives on factors contributing to stillbirth, the experiences of women dealing with this loss and their accounts of the care provided by healthcare professionals focusing on communication, response and logistical aspects.Conclusion Mothers revealed a multitude of challenges following the loss, underscoring the imperative of providing them with essential support to navigate these difficulties. Future research should delve into coping strategies and interventions aimed at enhancing the coping mechanisms of these mothers.

BackgroundMalaria is one of the leading causes of morbidity in the world. It is a significant health concern in most developing countries, including Ghana. Even though there are several orthodox medications used for decades in treating malaria effectively, a substantial number of individuals in developing countries are resorting to the use of herbs in the treatment of malaria. The study aim at exploring the practices of herbal management of malaria among trading mothers in Shai Osudoku District, Accra.MethodsA qualitative approach with an exploratory, descriptive design was adopted in analyzing the research problem. Purposive sampling technique was used to select twenty (20) participants to partake in a face-face interview, guided by a semi-structured interview guide. The data were transcribed verbatim and analysed by adopting content analysis.ResultsTwo significant themes and seven subthemes were generated following the analysis of this study. The main themes were; preferences for herbal malaria treatment and the practices and effectiveness of herbal medicine used for malaria treatment. It was worth noting that the women's cultural beliefs did not influence their preference for herbal malaria treatment. The main challenge associated with the herbal malaria treatment was inappropriate dosage specification.ConclusionThis study discovered that several factors influenced participants' preferences for malaria treatment. Participants further listed some traditional ways of treating malaria which implies that there is herbal malaria practice. However, literature in this area is inadequate, and most herbs lack specifications for use. It is therefore recommended that future research focus on scientific herbal malaria treatment. Also, regulating bodies should ensure that quality herbal drugs are sold for consumption.

Reseña de Shai Cohen, El poder de la palabra: la sátira política contra el Conde-Duque de Olivares, Madrid, CSIC [Anejos de la Revista de Literatura, 90], 2019, 181 pp. ISBN: 978-84-00-10492-4

Interview with Shai Shaham, who studies glia–neuron interactions in C. elegans at The Rockefeller University. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Acute kidney injury (AKI) is a highly fatal complication of malaria. We used the Kidney Disease Improving Global Outcomes (KDIGO) and Pediatric Risk, Injury, Failure, Loss, End-Stage Kidney Disease (pRIFLE) guidelines to assess AKI among children. One hundred children with Plasmodium falciparum malaria were recruited from the St. Andrew’s Catholic Hospital. Admission and 48-h serum creatinine were estimated. Weight and height of the participants were measured, and AKI status determined with the KDIGO and pRIFLE guidelines. A questionnaire was used to collect the socio-demographic and clinical data of participants. Two percent and 5% of the participants had AKI according to the KDIGO and pRIFLE criteria, respectively. Per the KDIGO guidelines, 1% of the participants had Stage 2 and 1% also had Stage 3 AKI. Four percent had Stage 1 (risk) and 1% had Stage 2 (injury) AKI per the pRIFLE criteria. Participants with AKI were dehydrated, and neither had sepsis or on antibiotics when the KDIGO guideline was used. Participants who had AKI were dehydrated, with 80% having sepsis and 40% on antibiotics when the pRIFLE criteria were used. There was no association between the KDIGO and pRIFLE criteria with respect to AKI status of participants (k = -0.029, P = 0.743). Two percent and 5% of the study participants had AKI when the KDIGO and pRIFLE guidelines were used respectively. One percent of the participants had Stage 2 and 1% also had Stage 3 AKI per KDIGO; 4% had Stage 1 (risk) and 1% had Stage 2 (injury) AKI per the pRIFLE.