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Background Exposure to the sunlight contributes largely to the production of vitamin D. However, vitamin D deficiency is a reality in tropical countries, despite enjoying enough sunlight, especially bearing women in their last trimester whose foetuses exclusively depend on their reserves. This work aimed at demonstrating the state of vitamin D in mother–baby pairs and associated factors in one of the University Hospitals in Rwanda. Methods This cross-sectional prospective study was performed on mother–baby pairs at Kigali University Hospital. Mother’s serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D levels were considered as outcomes compared with demographic, clinical and biological markers. Correlation analysis was conducted in order to assess the association between serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D levels for the couple mothers–babies. Results Approximately 38% of women and 65% of neonates had deficiency in 25-hydroxyvitamin D ( Conclusions There was a high rate of vitamin D deficiency in mothers and their babies. Babies born from women with deficiency were likely to develop low levels of vitamin D. This stresses on the need to strengthen the interventions for preventing vitamin D deficiency in the couple mothers–babies such as supplement in vitamin D before and after delivery, improving the quality of meals and regular contact with sunlight.

Background.The prevalence and distribution of endocrine disorders in children in Africa are not well known because most cases are often undiagnosed or diagnosed too late. The awareness of this led to the launch of the Paediatric Endocrinology Training Center for Africa (PETCA) designed to improve quality and access to health care by training paediatricians from Africa in paediatric endocrinology.Methods.The fellowship is undertaken over an 18-month period: six months of clinical and theoretical training in Kenya, nine months of project research at the fellow’s home country, and three months of consolidation in Kenya. Upon completion, certified paediatricians are expected to set up centers of excellence.Results.There have been two phases, phase I from January 2008 to October 2012 and phase II from January 2012 to April 2015. Fifty-four fellows from 12 African countries have been certified, 34 (phase I) and 20 (phase II). Over 1,000 patients with wide ranging diabetes and endocrine disorders have been diagnosed and treated and are being followed up at the centers of excellence.Conclusion.The successes of the PETCA initiative demonstrate the impact a capacity building and knowledge transfer model can have on people in resource-poor settings using limited resources.

Background Menarche age is an important indicator of reproductive health of a woman or a community. In industrial societies, age at menarche has been declining over the last 150 years with a secular trend, and similar trends have been reported in some developing countries. Menarche age is affected by genetic and environmental cues, including nutrition. The study was designed to determine the age at menarche and its relation to childhood critical life events and nutritional status in post-conflict northern Uganda. Methods This was a comparative cross-sectional study of rural and urban secondary school girls in northern Uganda. Structured questionnaires were administered to 274 secondary school girls, aged 12 – 18 years to determine the age at menarche in relation to home location, nutritional status, body composition and critical life events. Results The mean age at menarche was 13.6 ± 1.3 for rural and 13.3 ± 1.4 years for urban dwelling girls (t = -1.996, p = 0.047). Among the body composition measures, hip circumference was negatively correlated with the age at menarche (r = -0.109, p = 0.036), whereas height, BMI and waist circumference did not correlate with menarche. Paternal (but not maternal) education was associated with earlier menarche (F = 2.959, p = 0.033). Childhood critical life events were not associated with age at menarche. Conclusions Age at menarche differed among urban and rural dwelling school girls and dependent on current nutritional status, as manifested by the hip circumference. It was not associated with extreme stressful childhood critical life events.

Growth faltering in vertically HIV-infected children may be an early marker of infection or progression of disease. Pediatric HIV infection is associated with linear and ponderal growth retardation. Differing trajectories of infant and child growth are associated with different patterns of disease and mortality in adulthood. Studies conducted largely in industrialized countries have identified multiple primary and secondary factors involved in growth failure. It has been estimated that ∼50% of HIV-infected children experience abnormal growth patterns. Height velocity (height-for-age Z-score) is the growth index most closely associated with clinical progression, immune reconstitution and declines in viral replication among US children receiving potent antiretroviral therapies (ART). Height growth may also be an important predictor of survival regardless of HIV status. In these children the growth failure and pubertal delay may be the clinical features of endocrine dysfunction. Growth delay can be exacerbated by a variety of treatable infections, endocrine, nutritional, and immunological disorders. It is well known that growth impairment is a marker of advanced disease and requires proper evaluation. Timely diagnosis and appropriate treatment of these conditions may lead to improvement or even normalization of growth. Antiretroviral therapy which is a core treatment in HIV infection may be associated with endocrine dysfunction with consequences on growth. Growth retardation and pubertal delay are always seen in children with advanced infection and are often related to the pro-inflammatory milieu found in advanced AIDS. Therefore, HIV-infected children with advanced disease should undergo periodic growth evaluation, including growth hormone levels, IGF-1, IGFBP-3, and androgens, in order to identify subclinical endocrine dysfunction. Growth in HIV-infected children generally improves with ART. Pediatric care providers should implement appropriate preventive, screening, and therapeutic strategies to maximize survival and quality of life in these children.

Type 1 Diabetes Mellitus (T1DM) is a growing concern worldwide; while there has been a great improvement in the knowledge, epidemiology and management of this condition in the developed worlds, there has been little or no improvement in sub-Saharan Africa. The true burden of this disease is not even known, but a difference in the pattern and outcome of T1DM in the sub-Saharan Africa compared to the western World seems to be present. Moreover, much of the available data is not population-based and is of limited value for making generalizations about Diabetes in children of Sub-Saharan Africa. Despite the limitations, there is evidence that these populations may be important for studying the aetiology and natural history of Type 1 diabetes. Effective management and/or prevention of diabetes and its complications in Sub-Saharan African children should adopt multidisciplinary approaches. In order to improve care for diabetes patients in developing countries, specialized clinics need to be established.