Publications by authors named "A V MacDougall"
The Wash'Em process was developed to improve the design of handwashing behaviour change programmes during outbreaks and humanitarian crises. It aims to rapidly create evidence-based, contextualized handwashing programmes. Wash'Em was widely used during the COVID-19 pandemic.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFIntroduction: Cladribine is a deoxyadenosine analogue that can penetrate the blood-brain barrier. It is used to treat multiple sclerosis (MS). However, the mechanistic understanding of the effect of this highly effective therapy on B cells and plasma cells in the central nervous system compartment is limited.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFVitamin D dysregulation can occur in people living with HIV, disrupting calcium homeostasis, and bone turnover. We aimed to investigate the potential mechanisms by which vitamin D regulates bone turnover in adolescents living with perinatally-acquired HIV (ALWH) in Southern Africa. A pre-planned secondary analysis was performed of baseline data from the vitamin D for adolescents with HIV to reduce musculoskeletal morbidity and immunopathology trial (PACTR20200989766029) which enrolled ALWH (11-19 yr) taking antiretroviral therapy for ≥6 mo, and recorded socio-demographic, clinical and dietary data.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFArticle Synopsis
- Inflammation and infections, like malaria, can alter micronutrient biomarker levels, impacting nutritional status assessments, particularly the concentrations of ferritin, which indicates iron deficiency.
- A study pooling data from eight surveys of children aged 6-59 months across several African countries revealed that current or recent malaria infection was linked to a 44% increase in inflammation-adjusted ferritin levels.
- The research also indicated that factors like age and malaria prevalence in the area influenced the relationship between malaria infection and ferritin levels, suggesting further investigation is needed to understand these dynamics.
Background: Depression is a global crisis and a major concern in mental health interventions, particularly in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), where it significantly impacts disability, quality of life, and economic stability. These chronic stressors have been used to argue for scaling up the detection and treatment of depression as a public health and development priority.
Aim: This study aimed to explore illness narratives of depression among patients' and to gain insights into multifaceted suffering, its impact on persons' lives, and help seeking.