Publications by authors named "Allen Ross"
Background: Narcissistic personality disorder (NPD) is associated with a complex interplay of genetic, neurobiological, and environmental factors. In this case report, we discuss the association between adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) and the development of NPD in adulthood.
Case Presentation: Here, we report a clinical case of NPD to illustrate how ACEs, particularly physical and emotional neglect, combined with early life parental overvaluation, can impair emotional regulation and self-worth, contributing to the development of narcissistic traits.
Background: To investigate the sociodemographic, anthropometric, biochemical, lifestyle and cardiometabolic risk factors associated with type 2 diabetes (T2D) among First Nations Australians.
Methods: A systematic review of prospective cohorts and cross-sectional studies was conducted. Electronic data sources (MEDLINE/PubMed, Embase, CINHAL, and PsycINFO) were searched for peer-reviewed articles until August 2023.
Importance: Cancer prevention and care efforts have been challenged by the COVID-19 pandemic and armed conflicts, resulting in a decline in the global Human Development Index (HDI), particularly in low- and middle-income countries. These challenges and subsequent shifts in health care priorities underscore the need to continuously monitor cancer outcome disparities and statistics globally to ensure delivery of equitable and optimal cancer prevention and care in uncertain times.
Objective: To measure the global burden of 36 cancers in 2022 by sex, age, and geographic location and to project future trends by 2050.
Article Synopsis
- Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples are at a higher risk for common mental disorders, largely due to socio-economic challenges and experiences of racism and discrimination, indicating the need for targeted mental health interventions.
- The study utilized data from the 2018-19 National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Survey and calculated how various risk factors contribute to depression and anxiety, identifying significant factors like income, access to cultural affiliations, and health services.
- It found that specific risk factors accounted for substantial percentages of depression (45%) and anxiety (39%) cases, highlighting the importance of improving economic and cultural support systems to alleviate mental health issues in these communities.
Article Synopsis
- The study examines rising obesity rates among women of reproductive age in ten Asian countries due to urbanization and lifestyle changes, using data from 2000 to 2022.
- Key risk factors identified include marital status, age, wealth, television habits, and urban living, which collectively account for 73.3% of obesity cases.
- The study highlights the importance of education and lifestyle interventions, particularly in wealthier urban areas, to combat obesity, with a specific focus on Pakistan and the Maldives.
Article Synopsis
- - The study examines how intimate partner violence (IPV) affects childhood health outcomes, highlighting its significant role in child morbidity and mortality in sub-Saharan Africa.
- - Analyzing data from 37 countries, findings reveal that children under 5 years old with mothers exposed to various forms of IPV had notably higher odds of developing health issues like undernutrition, diarrhoeal disease, and acute respiratory infections.
- - The results emphasize the importance of addressing IPV as a means to improve child health and survival rates, indicating that maternal experiences of violence lead to detrimental health impacts on their children.
Article Synopsis
- * The study analyzed data from 35 countries in SSA and found that significant contributors to neonatal deaths include delayed breastfeeding initiation and lack of maternal education, among others.
- * The findings indicate that these key factors account for nearly 40% of neonatal deaths, with consistent patterns observed across different SSA regions, highlighting the need for targeted interventions.
Background: Identifying the critical modifiable risk factors for acute respiratory tract infections (ARIs) and diarrhoea is crucial to reduce the burden of disease and mortality among children under 5 years of age in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) and ultimately achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). We investigated the modifiable risk factors of ARI and diarrhoea among children under five using nationally representative surveys.
Methods: We used the most recent demographic and health survey (DHS) data (2014-2021) from 25 SSA countries, encompassing a total of 253,167 children.
As research on parasitic helminths has entered the post-genomic era, research efforts have turned to deciphering the function of genes in the public databases of genome sequences. It is hoped that, by understanding the role of parasite genes in maintaining their parasitic lifestyle, critical insights can be gained to develop new intervention and control strategies. Methods to manipulate and transform parasitic worms are now developed to a point where it has become possible to gain a comprehensive understanding of the molecular mechanisms underlying host-parasite interplay, and here, we summarise and discuss the advances that have been made in schistosome transgenesis over the past 25 years.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: In countries with high child mortality rates, such as Nigeria, early intervention for common childhood illnesses (e.g., pneumonia and malaria) is essential for improving clinical outcomes.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFObjective: To conduct a systematic review of experimental or quasi-experimental studies that aimed to improve the nutritional status of children under 5 years of age in Ethiopia.
Design: Embase, MEDLINE/PubMed, Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature (CINAHL), PsychINFO, and Academic Search Database were used to locate peer-reviewed studies, and Google Scholar and Open Dissertation were used to locate grey literatures. All searches were conducted between 2000 and November 2022.
Article Synopsis
- Identifying modifiable risk factors linked to childhood stunting in sub-Saharan Africa is crucial for creating effective interventions and meeting Sustainable Development Goals.
- The study analyzed recent data from Demographic and Health Surveys (2014-2021) across 25 SSA countries, focusing on children under 5 years old.
- Key findings highlighted that severe stunting in children was most strongly associated with maternal education, dairy consumption, unclean cooking fuel, home births, and low household income, accounting for over half of the severe stunting cases.
Background: Schistosomiasis, a disease caused by parasites of the genus , remains a global public health threat. This study aimed to validate the diagnostic performance of a recently developed gold immunochromatographic assay (GICA) for the detection of infection in a rural endemic area of the Philippines.
Methods: Human clinical samples were collected from 412 subjects living in Laoang and Palapag municipalities, Northern Samar, the Philippines.
Developing programs that ensure a safe start to life for Indigenous children can lead to better health outcomes. To create effective strategies, governments must have accurate and up-to-date information. Accordingly, we reviewed the health disparities of Australian children in Indigenous and remote communities using publicly available reports.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: The neglected zoonosis, schistosomiasis japonica, remains a major public health problem in the Philippines. The current study aims to develop a novel gold immunochromatographic assay (GICA) and evaluate its performance in the detection of infection.
Methods: A GICA strip incorporating a saposin protein, SjSAP4 was developed.
Background: Despite the advancement in our understanding of cholera and its etiological agent, Vibrio cholerae, the prevention and treatment of the disease are often hindered due to rapid changes in drug response pattern, serotype, and the major genomic islands namely, the CTX-prophage, and related genetic characteristics. In the present study, V. cholerae (n = 172) associated with endemic cholera in Dhaka during the years 2015-2021 were analyzed for major phenotypic and genetic characteristics, including drug resistance patterns.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFMapping Local Variations and the Determinants of Childhood Stunting in Nigeria.
Int J Environ Res Public Health
February 2023
Introduction: Understanding the specific geospatial variations in childhood stunting is essential for aligning appropriate health services to where new and/or additional nutritional interventions are required to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and national targets.
Objectives: We described local variations in the prevalence of childhood stunting at the second administrative level and its determinants in Nigeria after accounting for the influence of geospatial dependencies.
Methods: This study used the 2018 national Nigeria Demographic and Health Survey datasets (NDHS; N = 12,627).
Objective: Schistosomiasis is a neglected tropical parasitic disease caused by blood flukes of the genus Schistosoma. Schistosoma japonicum is zoonotic in China, the Philippines, and Indonesia, with bovines acting as major reservoirs of human infection. The primary objective of the trial was to examine the impact of a combination of human mass chemotherapy, snail control through mollusciciding, and SjCTPI bovine vaccination on the rate of human infection.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFArticle Synopsis
- Immune responses targeting sialidase are crucial for protection against cholera and show age-related differences, with adults producing stronger responses than children after infection.
- The study involved 50 cholera patients and evaluated their immune responses specifically to sialidase, LPS, and cholera toxin over 18 months.
- Nutritional status and co-infections significantly influenced immune responses, with stunted children exhibiting lower anti-sialidase antibody levels compared to healthy peers, while parasitic infections enhanced these responses in adults.
Background: Type 2 circulating vaccine-derived polioviruses (cVDPV2) from Sabin oral poliovirus vaccines (OPVs) are the leading cause of poliomyelitis. A novel type 2 OPV (nOPV2) has been developed to be more genetically stable with similar tolerability and immunogenicity to that of Sabin type 2 vaccines to mitigate the risk of cVDPV2. We aimed to assess these aspects of nOPV2 in poliovirus vaccine-naive newborn infants.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe current study developed and evaluated the performance of a urine-based enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) for the screening of infection in a human cohort ( = 412) recruited from endemic areas, Northern Samar, the Philippines. The diagnostic performance of the urine ELISA assay was further compared with the Kato-Katz (KK) technique, serum-based ELISA assays, point-of-care circulating cathodic antigen (POC-CCA) urine cassette test, and droplet digital (dd)PCR assays performed on feces, serum, urine, and saliva samples, which were designated as F_ddPCR, SR_ddPCR, U_ddPCR, and SL_ddPCR, respectively. When urine samples concentrated 16× were assessed, the SjSAP4 + Sj23-LHD-ELISA (U) showed sensitivity/specificity values of 47.
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