Publications by authors named "Darren Gray"

Background: Zoonotic schistosomiasis, caused by Schistosoma japonicum, is prevalent in China, the Philippines and Indonesia. Rapid point-of-care (POC) diagnostics are attractive and promising tools for evaluating the efficacy of intervention strategies for schistosomiasis control.

Methodology: The diagnostic potential of five recombinant antigens was tested by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) using sera from individuals with positive Kato-Katz (KK) results for S.

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Background: Opisthorchis viverrini (OV) and soil-transmitted helminths (STH) are two of the most common helminths contributing to the Neglected Tropical Disease (NTDs) burden in the Lower Mekong Basin. Although mass drug administration is the cornerstone of control programs to reduce morbidity caused by these infections, this approach has limitations in preventing re-infections. Elimination requires additional measures such as reservoir host treatment, improved hygiene and health education to reinforce MDA's impact.

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Background: Bhutan has achieved a substantial reduction in both malaria morbidity and mortality over the last two decades and is aiming for malaria elimination certification in 2025. However, a significant percentage of malaria cases in Bhutan are imported (acquired in another country). The aim of the study was to understand how importation drives local malaria transmission in Bhutan.

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Article Synopsis
  • * The study aims to evaluate the acceptability and impact of two versions of the "Magic Glasses" programs among schoolchildren in Cambodia, Lao PDR, and Thailand, specifically focusing on soil-transmitted helminths (STH) and Opisthorchis viverrini (OV).
  • * A cluster randomized controlled trial will be conducted, assessing initial and sustained acceptability through questionnaires and discussions, while measuring the impact on students' knowledge, attitudes, and
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Background: Nowadays, metabolic syndrome has become a major health threat, and affects over one billion people globally. It also plays a great role in the growth of diseases like type 2 diabetes, coronary diseases, stroke, and other chronicity. It increases the risk of cardiovascular disorder and stroke by three to ten times and diabetic mellitus by ten times.

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Women in developing countries still face enormous challenges when accessing reproductive health care. Access to voluntary family planning empowers women allowing them to complete their education and join the paid workforce. This effectively helps to end poverty, hunger and promotes good health for all.

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Background: While undernutrition has been identified as a common risk factor for tuberculosis (TB), its impact on treatment outcomes has yet to be investigated in high TB burden and low-income countries such as Ethiopia. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the effect of undernutrition on treatment outcomes among patients with TB in northwest Ethiopia.

Methods: A retrospective cohort study was conducted using data from different hospitals in northwest Ethiopia, for the period from July 2017 to August 2023.

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Soil-transmitted helminths continue to be a serious problem causing disease and morbidity globally. Children, mostly school-aged, are more at risk of these infections. The main strategy for control remains to be the mass drug administration (MDA) of antihelminthic drugs.

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Background: The aim of this study was to compare the diagnostic performance of native antigen ELISAs and ADAMU-AE/CE commercial ICT test kits in subjects either exposed to infection or with clinically diagnosed alveolar (AE) or cystic (CE) echinococcosis.

Methods: A total of 370 subjects with a previous clinical confirmation of CE or AE from northwestern China were recruited. Serum samples were also obtained from 3923 children/teenagers during a community survey.

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Article Synopsis
  • Schistosomiasis japonica is a severe disease caused by a parasitic worm endemic to regions like the Philippines, China, and Indonesia, with female worms producing an unusually high number of eggs, which contributes to disease severity.
  • Bovine hosts, particularly water buffalo and cattle, are key in the life cycle of the parasite, contributing up to 90% of the eggs in rural areas where humans and livestock coexist.
  • Developing veterinary transmission-blocking vaccines for these animals is essential for controlling the disease, and this approach should be paired with human health initiatives for effective public health outcomes, aligning with the One Health concept.
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Background: Soil transmitted helminth (STH) infections are estimated to impact 24% of the world's population and are responsible for chronic and debilitating morbidity. Disadvantaged communities are among the worst affected and are further marginalized as infection prevalence fuels the poverty cycle. Ambitious targets have been set to eliminate STH infections, but accurate epidemiological data will be required to inform appropriate interventions.

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Strongyloidiasis is a neglected tropical disease caused primarily by the roundworm Strongyloides stercoralis. Strongyloidiasis is most prevalent in Southeast Asia and the Western Pacific. Although cases have been documented worldwide, global prevalence is largely unknown due to limited surveillance.

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Child stunting due to linear growth faltering remains a pervasive issue in low- and middle-income countries. Two schools of thought have existed pertaining to the role of domestic livestock ownership (DLO) in child linear growth. On one hand, it is argued that DLO leads to greater income and financial security, resulting in better child-raising conditions, including greater animal-source food (ASF) consumption, having protective effects towards child stunting.

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Measuring body weight during therapy has received insufficient attention in poor resource settings like Ethiopia. We aimed to investigate the association between weight change during therapy and treatment outcomes among patients with multidrug-resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB) in northwest Ethiopia. This retrospective cohort study analysed data from patients with MDR-TB admitted between May 2015 to February 2022 at four treatment facilities in Northwest Ethiopia.

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Background: The Philippines reports a high prevalence of soil-transmitted helminth (STH) infections despite the implementation of nationwide mass drug administration since 2006. The spatial variation of STH infections in the Philippines was last described using the 2005-2007 national STH and schistosomiasis survey. This study aimed to identify sociodemographic and environmental factors that drive STH transmission and predict high-risk areas in the Philippines.

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Hypertension increases risk of stroke and other cardiovascular diseases, however, its prevalence and determinants in South Asian urban communities using country representative community-based datasets is lacking. This study evaluated prevalence of hypertension and it's determinants among urban residents of three South Asian countries. Urban population data from demographic and health surveys in Bangladesh, India, and Nepal were extracted.

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Undernutrition is a key driver of the global tuberculosis (TB) epidemic, yet there is limited understanding regarding the spatial overlap of both diseases. This study aimed to determine the geographical co-distribution and socio-climatic factors of undernutrition and TB in Ethiopia. Data on undernutrition were found from the Ethiopian Demographic and Health Survey (EDHS).

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Article Synopsis
  • The CoDe-STH trial in Dak Lak, Vietnam, tested whether community-wide mass drug administration (MDA) is more effective than school-based preventive chemotherapy (PC) alone in reducing soil-transmitted helminth (STH) infections in schoolchildren.
  • The study involved 64 primary schools, randomly assigned to either the school arm (targeted PC) or community arm (MDA), with children receiving a single dose of albendazole for deworming.
  • While both approaches reduced hookworm prevalence similarly, the community arm showed a significantly greater reduction in infection intensity, demonstrating the advantage of community-wide treatment in managing STH infections.
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Context: Nutritional interventions substantially improve tuberculosis (TB) treatment outcomes and prevent complications. However, there is limited evidence about the connections between having nutritional support and TB treatment adherence.

Objective: The aim of this study was to determine the effectiveness of nutritional support in improving treatment adherence among patients with TB.

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Background: Soil-transmitted helminth (STH) infection is driven by a complex interaction of demographic, socioeconomic and behavioural factors, including those related to water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH). Epidemiological studies that measure both infection and potential risk factors associated with infection help to understand the drivers of transmission in a population and therefore can provide information to optimise STH control programmes.

Methods: During October and November 2019, we conducted a cross-sectional survey of the prevalence and intensity of STH infection and associated risk factors among 7710 primary-school-age children from 64 primary schools across 13 districts in Dak Lak province, Vietnam.

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New technologies are required to combat the challenges faced with manufacturing commercial quantities of oligonucleotide drug substances which are required for treating large patient populations. Herein we report a convergent biocatalytic synthesis strategy for an Alnylam model siRNA. The siRNA chemical structure includes several of the unnatural modifications and conjugations typical of siRNA drug substances.

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The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic continues to impact mental health and wellbeing globally. There is a lack of scientific documentation highlighting the mental health impact of COVID-19 in Bhutan. We present the mental health burdens and control measures taken, and suggest ways to further strengthen mental health services in Bhutan.

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Background: Schistosoma japonicum remains endemic in China and the Philippines. Substantial progress has been made in the control of Japonicum in both China and the Philippines. China is reaching elimination thanks to a concerted effort of control strategies.

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Background: Soil-transmitted helminth (STH) infections are a significant public health problem affecting over 900 million people globally. Health education has been shown to complement mass drug administration (MDA) for the control of these intestinal worms. We reported recently results of a cluster randomised control trial (RCT) showing the positive impact of the "The Magic Glasses Philippines (MGP)" health education package in reducing STH infections among schoolchildren in intervention schools with ≤15% STH baseline prevalence in Laguna province, the Philippines.

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