Progress towards elimination of viral hepatitis: a Lancet Gastroenterology & Hepatology Commission update.

The top 20 highest burdened countries (in disability-adjusted life years) account for more than 75% of the global burden of viral hepatitis. An effective response in these 20 countries is crucial if global elimination targets are to be achieved. In this update of the Lancet Gastroenterology & Hepatology Commission on accelerating the elimination of viral hepatitis, we convene national experts from each of the top 20 highest burdened countries to provide an update on progress.

The global fatty liver disease Sustainable Development Goal country score for 195 countries and territories.

Background And Aims: Fatty liver disease is highly prevalent, resulting in overarching wellbeing and economic costs. Addressing it requires comprehensive and coordinated multisectoral action. We developed a fatty liver disease Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) country score to provide insights into country-level preparedness to address fatty liver disease through a whole-of-society lens.

Global reporting of progress towards elimination of hepatitis B and hepatitis C.

Background: The 69th World Health Assembly endorsed the global health sector strategy on viral hepatitis to eliminate viral hepatitis as a public health threat by 2030. Achieving and measuring the 2030 targets requires a substantial increase in the capacity to test and treat viral hepatitis infections and a mechanism to monitor the progress of hepatitis elimination. This study aimed to identify the gaps in data availability or quality and create a new mechanism to monitor the progress of hepatitis elimination.

Burden of disease due to liver cirrhosis in Mexico.

Background: Liver cirrhosis is a major cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide. In Mexico, it is one of the six leading causes of death.

Objective: To analyze epidemiological data derived from the Global Burden of Disease study and their relationship with risk factors associated with the development of chronic liver diseases in Mexico.

The Burden of Proof studies: assessing the evidence of risk.

Exposure to risks throughout life results in a wide variety of outcomes. Objectively judging the relative impact of these risks on personal and population health is fundamental to individual survival and societal prosperity. Existing mechanisms to quantify and rank the magnitude of these myriad effects and the uncertainty in their estimation are largely subjective, leaving room for interpretation that can fuel academic controversy and add to confusion when communicating risk.

Measuring contraceptive method mix, prevalence, and demand satisfied by age and marital status in 204 countries and territories, 1970-2019: a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2019.

Background: Meeting the contraceptive needs of women of reproductive age is beneficial for the health of women and children, and the economic and social empowerment of women. Higher rates of contraceptive coverage have been linked to the availability of a more diverse range of contraceptive methods. We present estimates of the contraceptive prevalence rate (CPR), modern contraceptive prevalence rate (mCPR), demand satisfied, and the method of contraception used for both partnered and unpartnered women for 5-year age groups in 204 countries and territories between 1970 and 2019.

Global and regional needs, unmet needs and access to hearing aids.

This article aims to estimate the global and regional needs, unmet needs and access to hearing aids, as well as the morbidity that can be averted by their use. The study was based on Global Burden of Disease data. Study sample: Hearing impaired individuals "in need" of a hearing aid were defined as those in the moderate, moderately severe, and severe categories.

Association between Complex Pulmonary Disease and Mycobacteria in Home Water and Soil.

Nontuberculous mycobacteria (NTM), including complex (MAC), are emerging pathogens that can opportunistically cause debilitating pulmonary disease in susceptible human hosts. Potential sources of exposure in homes include point-of-use water sources, such as taps and showerheads, as well as gardening soils. The relative human health impacts of NTM in these home environments remain poorly understood.

Patient Willingness to Have Tests to Guide Antibiotic Use for Respiratory Tract Infections: From the WWAMI Region Practice and Research Network (WPRN).

Introduction: The majority of consultations for acute respiratory tract infections (RTIs) lead to prescriptions for antibiotics, which have limited clinical benefit. We explored patients' willingness to have blood tests as part of the diagnostic work-up for RTIs, and patient knowledge about antibiotics.

Methods: Patients at 6 family medicine clinics were surveyed.

Qualitative study of primary care clinicians' views on point-of-care testing for C-reactive protein for acute respiratory tract infections in family medicine.

Objective: To explore clinicians views of the barriers and facilitators to use of C-reactive protein (CRP) point-of-care tests (POCT) in US family medicine clinics for the management of acute respiratory tract infections (ARTIs) in adults.

Setting: Five family medicine clinics across two US states.

Participants: 30 clinicians including 18 physicians, 9 physician residents, 2 physician assistants and 1 nurse practitioner, took part in the study.

Shared Mycobacterium avium genotypes observed among unlinked clinical and environmental isolates.

Our understanding of the sources of Mycobacterium avium infection is partially based on genotypic matching of pathogen isolates from cases and environmental sources. These approaches assume that genotypic identity is rare in isolates from unlinked cases or sources. To test this assumption, a high-resolution PCR-based genotyping approach, large-sequence polymorphism (LSP)-mycobacterial interspersed repetitive unit-variable-number tandem repeat (MIRU-VNTR), was selected and used to analyze clinical and environmental isolates of M.

Environment or host?: A case-control study of risk factors for Mycobacterium avium complex lung disease.

Rationale: Mycobacterium avium complex lung disease is an increasingly common and chronically debilitating problem. Several host traits have been suggested or confirmed as risk factors. Potential environmental and behavioral risk factors have also been proposed.

Comparison of Seasonal Infection of Citrus Roots by Phytophthora citrophthora and P. nicotianae var. parasitica.

Excised feeder roots from mature citrus trees located in climatically different regions were infected with zoospores of Phytophthora citrophthora and P. nicotianae var. parasitica at different times of the year under identical laboratory conditions.

First Report of Entyloma Polysporum on Sunflower (Helianthus annuus) in Southern California.

During a period of wet weather from December 1996 to March 1997, commercial plantings of sunflower in San Diego County, CA, were infected by a leaf smut, Entyloma polysporum (Peck) Farl. The fungus was observed on sunflowers grown in a greenhouse in San Diego County and also on sunflowers from nurseries in Ventura and Riverside counties. Although the disease was first noticed in 1996, the infection was not of economic significance so no attempt was made to identify the causal agent.