Osteoarthritis (OA) is a progressive chronic disease affecting the articular joints, leading to pain and disability. Unlike traditional views that primarily link OA to aging, recent understanding portrays it as a multifactorial degenerative disease of the entire joint. Emerging research highlights metabolic and immune dysregulation in OA pathogenesis, emphasizing the roles of obesity, dyslipidemia, and insulin resistance in altering joint homeostasis. Recent studies have increasingly focused on the complex role of white adipose tissue (WAT) in OA. WAT not only serves metabolic functions but also plays a critical role in systemic inflammation through the release of various adipokines. These adipokines, including leptin and adiponectin, have been implicated in exacerbating cartilage erosion and promoting inflammatory pathways within joint tissues. The overlapping global crises of obesity and metabolic syndrome have significantly impacted joint health. Obesity, now understood to contribute to mechanical joint overload and metabolic dysregulation, heightens the risk of developing OA, particularly in the knee. Metabolic syndrome compounds these risks by inducing chronic inflammation and altering macrophage activity within the joints. The multifaceted effects of obesity and metabolic syndrome extend beyond simple joint loading. These conditions disrupt normal joint function by modifying tissue composition, promoting inflammatory macrophage polarization, and impairing chondrocyte metabolism. These changes contribute to OA progression, highlighting the need for targeted therapeutic strategies that address both the mechanical and biochemical aspects of the disease. Recent advances in understanding the molecular pathways involved in OA suggest potential therapeutic targets. Interventions that modulate macrophage polarization, improve chondrocyte function, or normalize adipokine levels could serve as preventative or disease-modifying therapies. Exploring the role of diet, exercise, and pharmacological interventions in modulating these pathways offers promising avenues for reducing the burden of OA. Furthermore, such methods could prove cost-effective, avoiding the increase in access to healthcare. 

Obesity, Metabolic Syndrome, and Osteoarthritis Require Integrative Understanding and Management

Cellular metabolism is a crucial determinant of immune cell fate and function. Extensive studies have demonstrated that metabolic decisions influence immune cell activation, differentiation, and cellular capacity, in the process impacting an organism’s ability to stave off infection or recover from injury. Conversely, metabolic dysregulation can contribute to the severity of multiple disease conditions including autoimmunity, alloimmunity, and cancer. Emerging data also demonstrate that metabolic cues and profiles can influence the success or failure of adoptive cellular therapies. Importantly, immunometabolism is not one size fits all; and different immune cell types, and even subdivisions within distinct cell populations utilize different metabolic pathways to optimize function. Metabolic preference can also change depending on the microenvironment in which cells are activated. For this reason, understanding the metabolic requirements of different subsets of immune cells is critical to therapeutically modulating different disease states or maximizing cellular function for downstream applications. Fatty acid oxidation (FAO), in particular, plays multiple roles in immune cells, providing both pro- and anti-inflammatory effects. Herein, we review the major metabolic pathways available to immune cells, then focus more closely on the role of FAO in different immune cell subsets. Understanding how and why FAO is utilized by different immune cells will allow for the design of optimal therapeutic interventions targeting this pathway. 

Fatty acid oxidation in immune function

Malaria remained a significant public health challenge in sub-Saharan Africa, with Uganda, particularly its northern region, bearing a high burden of the disease. This article examined the persistent malaria crisis in Northern Uganda, focusing on the interplay between inadequate healthcare infrastructure, limited access to medical services, and systemic inefficiencies in healthcare delivery. Northern Uganda’s healthcare infrastructure, weakened by historical conflicts, poverty, and underdevelopment, presents significant barriers to effective malaria control. Geographic isolation, socioeconomic inequities, and cultural practices further constrained access to healthcare, while human resource shortages, supply chain disruptions, and fragmented health services undermined the quality and continuity of care. The article utilized a comprehensive review of existing literature and data to analyze these challenges and proposed potential solutions. Strategies such as strengthening healthcare infrastructure, enhancing access to care, improving healthcare delivery, and fostering collaboration among stakeholders were essential for reducing the malaria burden and improving health outcomes in the region. Keywords: Malaria Control, Healthcare Infrastructure, Northern Uganda, Access to Care, Systemic Inefficiencies 

Challenges of Malaria Control in Northern Uganda: Infrastructure, Access, and Healthcare Delivery

Discoverability of African Journals by Google Scholar and Inclusion in Scopus

Type 2 innate lymphoid cells (ILC2s) have emerged as pivotal regulators in the pathogenesis of diseases, with their roles in inflammation, metabolism, and tissue homeostasis becoming increasingly recognized. This review provides an overview of the current understanding of ILC2s in inflammation and metabolic disorders, including their functional contributions. Moreover, we will discuss how these cells adapt their metabolic processes to support their function and survival and how their metabolic requirements change under different physiological and pathological conditions. Lastly, we will review recent omics studies that have provided insights into the molecular and cellular characteristics of ILC2s. This includes transcriptomic, proteomic, and metabolomic analyses that have elucidated the gene expression profiles, protein interactions, and metabolic networks, respectively, associated with ILC2s. These studies have advanced our understanding of the functional diversity of ILC2s and their involvement in metabolic disease. 

(Multi-) omics studies of ILC2s in inflammation and metabolic diseases

Immunometabolism has emerged as a rapidly growing field of research, holding significant promise for personalised medicine and precision immunotherapy. This review explores the intricate relationship between immune function and metabolic processes, emphasising their profound impact on various immune-related disorders. Understanding how metabolic dysregulation contributes to the pathogenesis of these disorders remains a critical research gap. Therefore, this review aims to bridge that gap by examining the key metabolic pathways involved and their specific implications in immune cell function. Key metabolic pathways, including glycolysis, mitochondrial metabolism, fatty acid metabolism, and amino acid metabolism, are discussed in the context of immune cell function. Dysregulation of these pathways can disrupt immune cell activation, differentiation, and overall function, contributing to disease pathogenesis. Understanding these metabolic alterations’ molecular mechanisms is essential for developing targeted therapeutic interventions. The review also emphasises the importance of personalised medicine in immune-related disorders. The unique metabolic profiles of individuals can influence treatment outcomes, highlighting the need for tailored approaches. Integrating metabolic profiling into clinical practice can enhance treatment efficacy and improve patient outcomes. Investigating the clinical significance of immunometabolism in diverse disease contexts will facilitate the translation of research findings into clinical practice. Moreover, refining treatment strategies based on individual metabolic profiles will contribute to advancing precision immunotherapy.

Unveiling the growing significance of metabolism in modulating immune cell function—exploring mechanisms and implications; a review

Strengthening healthcare infrastructure is an important strategy for building a sustainable healthcare system in Africa. This involves investing in facilities, equipment, and supplies, as well as training and retaining skilled healthcare workers. Additionally, improving healthcare infrastructure and investing in healthcare education and training can lead to significant improvements in health outcomes, such as reducing maternal and child mortality. This is critical for building a sustainable healthcare system. Through a literature review, we assessed the approaches to building a sustainable healthcare system in Africa from the perspectives of Japan’s and Switzerland’s healthcare systems. It was discovered that Japan currently has the highest life expectancy, which can be attributed to insurance policies, healthcare policies, and the integration of emerging technologies and clinical research into their healthcare system. Lessons that Africa must emulate from the Japanese healthcare system include ensuring universal healthcare coverage, improving the workforce, improving primary healthcare, prioritizing the aging population, and investing in technology, infrastructure, and research. Japans healthcare system is also sustainable thanks to its stable workforce and primary healthcare. Switzerland also has an exceptional healthcare system globally, with technical and socioeconomic advancements leading to increased life expectancy and population aging through a worldwide health policy approach, programs tackling professional responsibilities and interprofessional cooperation, and initiatives to support family medicine. By learning from Japan’s and Switzerland’s approaches, Africa will gradually achieve the Sustainable Development Goals and build a sustainable healthcare system.

Exploring strategies for building a sustainable healthcare system in AFRICA: lessons from JAPAN and SWITZERLAND

Objectives: This study aimed to map out African health journals using publicly-available information on major databases. Methods: The authors searched the African Journals Online Library (AJOL) and Scientific Journal Rankings (SJR) databases from their inception in 1998 and 1996 respectively to 17 October 2020, and identified African health journals. The authors extracted data on journal scope, PubMed indexation, open-access status, publishing fees, Journal Publishing Practices and Standards rating and bibliometrics. The data were compared with health journals from other regions using the Chi-square test and odds ratio. Results: AJOL had 173 health journals registered on its database. One hundred (57.8%) journals were actively publishing. Fifty-seven (32.9%) had a 1-star Journal Publishing Practices and Standards rating and 4 (2.3%) had 2-star ratings. 112 (64.7%) had no star rating. The journal scope spanned all aspects of health. Few health journals were PubMed (n = 20) or SJR (n = 22) indexed. On average, African journals had lower total publications (median [IQR]: 52.0 [29.0–74.8] vs. 140.0 [75.8–272.5]), total references (55.0 [19.5–74.8] vs. 160.0 [42.0–519.8]), and H-index (12.2 [5.0–14.0] vs. 39.1 [10.0–53.0]) (P=0.01) compared to other regions. Conclusion: African health journals face unique challenges that require targeted interventions.

/pdf/profiling-african-health-journals-a-bibliometric-study-1vkh1b3x.pdf

Profiling African Health Journals: A Bibliometric Study

: Africa serves as a rich research mine due to its significant contribution to the global burden of diseases. This study sought to analyze the trends in African journals as a means to further characterize the research landscape on the continent. The African Journals Online (AJOL) database was searched from inception to 17 October 2021 and 173 journals were identified. Journal titles were then used to search nine databases via the Web of Science core collection on 16 December 2021. Journal metadata was analysed using summary descriptive statistics. 58,952 articles published by 40 journals between 1972 and 2021 were found. 62.4% (n = 36,806) were original articles with 66.4% (n = 39,118) focused on general internal medicine and 44.5% (n = 26,251) were published by the South African Medical Journal. Most authors were located in South Africa, Nigeria, China, Morocco and the United States. Top 5 author-assigned keywords were Nigeria, COVID-19, HIV, Children and Prevalence. Most popular database-assigned keywords were Prevalence, Management, Risk, Children and Disease. The African research community makes significant contributions to the literature. However, the continued ability of researchers to embark on critical scientific investigations can be further improved by increased investment and collaborations.

Defining the contributors and scope of research in African health journals: a bibliometric analysis

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Unveiling the growing significance of metabolism in modulating immune cell function—exploring mechanisms and implications; a review

Exploring strategies for building a sustainable healthcare system in AFRICA: lessons from JAPAN and SWITZERLAND

Profiling African Health Journals: A Bibliometric Study

Defining the contributors and scope of research in African health journals: a bibliometric analysis