Publications by authors named "Aaron Neal"

Unexplained fever poses significant diagnostic challenges in resource-limited settings like Bamako, Mali, where overlapping endemic diseases include malaria, HIV/AIDS, yellow fever, typhoid, and others. This study aimed to elucidate the infectious etiologies of acute febrile illnesses in this context. Acute febrile patients of any age were enrolled after informed consent or assent.

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Measles is vaccine-preventable extremely contagious disease caused by the measles virus. High vaccination coverage is needed to prevent outbreaks of disease. Although molecular surveillance of measles is critical to characterize outbreaks and track viral evolution, few whole-genome sequences of measles virus from West Africa are available despite continual outbreaks in the region.

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  • The text references a correction made to a previously published article, indicated by its DOI (Digital Object Identifier) number.
  • The correction implies that there were inaccuracies or updates needed in the original content of that article.
  • This ensures that the information presented in the scientific literature remains accurate and reliable for readers and researchers.
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  • Accurate diagnosis of enteric fever is difficult in low- and middle-income countries due to overlapping symptoms with other illnesses; this study evaluated the effectiveness of the TUBEX TF test in Indonesia.
  • Out of 301 patients clinically diagnosed with enteric fever, only 16.6% were confirmed through blood culture or PCR, with common symptoms including fever and abdominal pain predominantly in school-aged children.
  • The TUBEX TF test showed mixed results, with high sensitivity but low specificity, leading to over-diagnosis; acute IgG testing proved more reliable for identifying true cases of enteric fever.
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  • - Ongoing HIV transmission is a major health concern in Indonesia, prompting the development of a new multiassay algorithm (MAA) to identify recent HIV infections using various biomarkers.
  • - The study analyzed plasma samples from 140 HIV-positive adults across 19 hospitals, revealing that 12.5% of newly diagnosed individuals were classified as having recent infections.
  • - Drug resistance mutations were found in two individuals, highlighting the challenge of managing ongoing HIV transmission, particularly among those infected with drug-resistant strains in Indonesia.
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Background: Discrimination of bacterial and viral etiologies of childhood community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) is often challenging. Unnecessary antibiotic administration exposes patients to undue risks and may engender antimicrobial resistance. This study aimed to develop a prediction model using epidemiological, clinical and laboratory data to differentiate between bacterial and viral CAP.

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Objectives: Workforce diversity is an ongoing challenge in the field of clinical child and adolescent psychology. This article discusses individual, institutional, and nonspecific factors that contribute to a lack of diversity among clinical child and adolescent psychologists and offers suggestions to diversify and advance the field of clinical child and adolescent mental health.

Method: Seventeen professors, licensed psychologists, faculty, and clinicians in the field of clinical child and adolescent psychology answered questions about workforce diversity and who is permitted access to the field.

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Introduction: The effectiveness of community-based participatory research (CBPR) partnerships to address health inequities is well documented. CBPR integrates knowledge and perspectives of diverse communities throughout the research process, following principles that emphasize trust, power sharing, co-learning, and mutual benefits. However, institutions and funders seldom provide the time and resources needed for the critical stage of equitable partnership formation and development.

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Introduction: Tuberculosis (TB) is a major public health concern in Indonesia, where the incidence was 301 cases per 100,000 inhabitants in 2020 and the prevalence of multi-drug resistant (MDR) TB is increasing. Diagnostic testing approaches vary across Indonesia due to resource limitations. Acid-fast bacilli (AFB) smear is widely used, though Xpert MTB/RIF has been the preferred assay for detecting TB and rifampicin resistance since 2012 due to higher sensitivity and ability to rapidly identify rifampicin resistance.

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Dismantling racism and oppression in adolescence requires sound measurement and rigorous methods. In this commentary, we discuss the measurement of institutional and structural racism and approaches to operationalizing structures and systems in adolescent research. Drawing on a recent framework for the conceptualization, measurement, and analysis of institutional racism and health (Needham et al.

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Background: The emergence of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) variants may have contributed to prolonging the pandemic, and increasing morbidity and mortality related to coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). This article describes the dynamics of circulating SARS-CoV-2 variants identified during the different COVID-19 waves in Mali between April and October 2021.

Methods: The respiratory SARS-CoV-2 complete spike (S) gene from positive samples was sequenced.

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As Indonesia's rifampin resistance testing rates are lower than global testing rates per the 2020 WHO global tuberculosis (TB) report, prevalence of multidrug-resistant TB may be underestimated. Our study aimed to evaluate prevalence and patterns of TB drug resistance (DR) within Indonesia. We conducted a cross-sectional analysis of baseline data collected from 2017-2018 as part of a cohort study of adults with presumed pulmonary TB at 7 DR-TB referral hospitals in Indonesia.

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In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, COVID-19 vaccines have been developed, and the World Health Oraganization (WHO) has granted emergency use listing to multiple vaccines. Studies of vaccine immunogenicity data from implementing COVID-19 vaccines by national immunization programs in single studies spanning multiple countries and continents are limited but critically needed to answer public health questions on vaccines, such as comparing immune responses to different vaccines and among different populations.

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Blood culturing remains the "gold standard" for bloodstream infection (BSI) diagnosis, but the method is inaccessible to many developing countries due to high costs and insufficient resources. To better understand the utility of blood cultures among patients in Indonesia, a country where blood cultures are not routinely performed, we evaluated data from a previous cohort study that included blood cultures for all participants. An acute febrile illness study was conducted from July 2013 to June 2016 at eight major hospitals in seven provincial capitals in Indonesia.

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  • Reinfection with SARS-CoV-2 is common, but the level of protection from previous infections, especially against Variants of Concern (VOC), is not well understood.
  • A 49-year-old unvaccinated man experienced two different SARS-CoV-2 infections about six months apart; the first was severe (B.1.466.2 variant), requiring ICU care, while the second (Delta variant) was mild and did not need hospitalization.
  • The case suggests that as antibody levels wane, reinfection can occur, highlighting the need for more research on how prior infections might influence the severity of future infections.
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  • The study aimed to identify the causes of childhood community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) through a thorough diagnostic approach between July 2017 and September 2019.
  • Conducted in hospitals across three Indonesian cities, it involved children aged 2-59 months who were hospitalized with pneumonia, excluding those with certain medical histories.
  • Of the 188 children studied, 25.5% had bacterial infections, 16.5% had viral infections, and 40.4% had mixed infections, with non-type B and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) being the most common pathogens, particularly during the rainy season.
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  • The text indicates that there is a correction to a previously published article in the PLOS Neglected Tropical Diseases journal.
  • The specific article being corrected is identified by its DOI: 10.1371/journal.pntd.0007927.
  • Details about the nature of the correction are not provided in the given text.
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HIV prevalence in Indonesia is increasing, and only 64% of infected individuals know their status. In a prospective cohort of 1,453 hospitalized patients with unexplained fever, 46 (3.2%) had HIV, including 15 (1.

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Internalized racism, or the acceptance of negative stereotypes about one's own racial group, is associated with psychological distress; yet, few studies have explored the longitudinal impact of internalized racism on the psychological well-being of African American emerging adults. Furthermore, racial identity's role as a protective factor in the context of internalized racism remains unclear. This study examined the longitudinal impact of internalized racism on psychological distress (depressive and anxiety symptoms) and the moderating role of racial identity beliefs among 171 African American emerging adults.

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Diagnostic testing plays a critical role in addressing the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, caused by Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). Rapid and accurate diagnostic tests are imperative for identifying and managing infected individuals, contact tracing, epidemiologic characterization, and public health decision making. Laboratory testing may be performed based on symptomatic presentation or for screening of asymptomatic people.

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Objectives: This qualitative investigation examined how Black emerging adults cope with their worst experiences of racism at multiple levels (individual, cultural, and institutional).

Methods: A sample of 189 Black emerging adults (M age = 19.34, 68.

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Ability to rapidly and accurate diagnose pathogens during disease outbreaks is essential for public health. Diagnosis depends largely on laboratory capacity, which can be challenging in resource limited settings. We report Mali's experience involving four research laboratories in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

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Delayed parasite clearance time observed in Southeast Asia provided the first evidence of resistance to artemisinins. The ex vivo ring-stage survival assay (RSA) mimics parasite exposure to pharmacologically relevant artemisinin concentrations. Mutations in the C-terminal propeller domain of the putative kelch protein Pf3D7_1343700 (K13) are associated with artemisinin resistance.

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