Non communicable diseases and infections refuse to go away despite current knowledge and scientific advances.

Abstract

It is a pleasure to welcome you to this first issue of African Health Sciences for 2014. We bring you papers on non-communicable diseases, infections, herbal medicine, reproductive health and medical education. The paper by Adisa and Fakeye 1 , introduces us to an interesting component of patient management in type 2 diabetes, that is, adherence to the medication. More than 75% of the patients were not aware of the indication for the prescribed medicine. Possible barriers to nonadherence included lack of knowledge, poor attitude, high cost, confusing doze of medicine, and premature discontinuation due to side effects. Saudi authors have studied the 'impact of mild versus moderate intensity aerobic walking exercise training on markers of bone metabolism and hand grip strength in moderate hemophilia patients'.2 On the other hand, Ugandan authors 3 describe histopathological types of cancer of the esophagus , while Chinese authors 4 report on the anti-human gastric cancer effect of astragalosides.