Development and validation of an assessment approach for competency-based nursing education in low-income settings: A consensus study.

Aim: To report the development and validation of an assessment approach for competency-based nursing education in low-income settings BACKGROUND: Adopting a competency-based curriculum has been linked with the resource-intensive, programmatic assessment approach. However, implementing this approach in low-income contexts has challenges. Nursing education institutions in low-income contexts reported difficulties implementing programmatic assessment.

Context of assessment in competency-based nursing education: Semi-structured interviews in nursing education institutions in a low-income country.

Organisational considerations are essential when proposing the implementation of an educational innovation like programmatic assessment. Currently, most recommendations by regulatory bodies to adopt curriculum reforms do not take into consideration the characteristics and context of low-income countries. This paper explores the contexts of four nursing education institutions in a low-income country that recently adopted the programmatic assessment approach in their programmes.

Unleashing Nature's Allies: Comparing the Vertical Transmission Dynamics of Insect-Specific and Vertebrate-Infecting Flaviviruses in Mosquitoes.

Insect-specific viruses (ISVs) include viruses that are restricted to the infection of mosquitoes and are spread mostly through transovarial transmission. Despite using a distinct mode of transmission, ISVs are often phylogenetically related to arthropod-borne viruses (arboviruses) that are responsible for human diseases and able to infect both mosquitoes and vertebrates. ISVs can also induce a phenomenon called "superinfection exclusion", whereby a primary ISV infection in an insect inhibits subsequent viral infections of the insect.

Estimation of population age structure, daily survival rates, and potential to support dengue virus transmission for Florida Keys Aedes aegypti via transcriptional profiling.

Aedes aegypti is an important vector of dengue virus and other arboviruses that affect human health. After being ingested in an infectious bloodmeal, but before being transmitted from mosquito to human, dengue virus must disseminate from the vector midgut into the hemocoel and then the salivary glands. This process, the extrinsic incubation period, typically takes 6-14 days.

The primary health care environment and the performance of advanced antenatal care trained nurse-midwives in South Africa.

Transfer of learning in the workplace depends on various factors, one of which is the work environment. The aim of this study was to describe the interplay between the primary healthcare work environment, the performance of advanced antenatal care trained nurse-midwives, and birth outcomes. A cross-sectional, quantitative study was conducted in two purposely selected districts in South Africa.

Generating prophylactic immunity against arboviruses in vertebrates and invertebrates.

The World Health Organization recently declared a global initiative to control arboviral diseases. These are mainly caused by pathogenic flaviviruses (such as dengue, yellow fever and Zika viruses) and alphaviruses (such as chikungunya and Venezuelan equine encephalitis viruses). Vaccines represent key interventions for these viruses, with licensed human and/or veterinary vaccines being available for several members of both genera.

Assessment approaches in undergraduate health professions education: towards the development of feasible assessment approaches for low-resource settings.

Background: Feasible and effective assessment approaches to measuring competency in health sciences are vital in competency-based education. Educational programmes for health professions in low- and middle-income countries are increasingly adopting competency-based education as a strategy for training health professionals. Importantly, the organisation of assessments and assessment approaches must align with the available resources and still result in the fidelity of implementation.

Diosgenyl glucosamine conjugates increase pro-apoptotic and selective activities in cancer cell lines.

Background Information: Antiproliferative and apoptotic activities have been attributed to the phytosteroid diosgenin ((25R)-spirost-5-en-3β-ol; 1). It is known that combining glucose with two rhamnoses (the chacotrioside framework) linked to diosgenin increases its apoptotic activity. However, the effects of diosgenin glucosamine glycosides on different cancer cell types and cell death have not been entirely explored.

Rapid molecular assays for the detection of the four dengue viruses in infected mosquitoes.

The pantropic emergence of severe dengue disease can partly be attributed to the co-circulation of different dengue viruses (DENVs) in the same geographical location. Effective monitoring for circulation of each of the four DENVs is critical to inform disease mitigation strategies. In low resource settings, this can be effectively achieved by utilizing inexpensive, rapid, sensitive and specific assays to detect viruses in mosquito populations.

The effects of whole-body muscle stimulation on body composition and strength parameters: A PRISMA systematic review and meta-analysis.

Background: This systematic review and meta-analysis set out to determine the efficacy of whole-body muscle electrostimulation on body composition, strength, and muscle power in active and non-active adults (aged ≥18 years).

Method: This review was reported in accordance with the Protocol Statement of Preferred Reporting Element Guidelines for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis included controlled trials; whole-body electromyostimulation trials with at least 1 exercise and control group; participants >18 years old. Outcome measures were defined as standardized mean differences for muscle mass, body fat mass, strength, and power.

Immunogenicity of a single fractional intradermal dose of Japanese encephalitis live attenuated chimeric vaccine.

Background: Japanese encephalitis (JE) is endemic in Asia and the western Pacific. Vaccination is recommended for travellers to endemic regions, but the high cost of the vaccine is a major barrier to uptake.

Methods: A quasi-experimental, pre-post intervention clinical trial without a control group was conducted to assess the immunogenicity and safety of intradermal (ID) JE vaccine.

Detection of Dengue Virus 2 with Single Infected Mosquito Resolution Using Yeast Affinity Bionanofragments and Plasmonic SERS Nanoboxes.

Dengue disease is an emerging global threat triggered by dengue virus (DENV) transmission, primarily by the mosquito . The accurate surveillance and sensitive detection of DENV in mosquito populations are critical for the protection of human populations worldwide that are in the habitat of these mosquito species. There are four DENV serotypes with DENV2 reported to cause the most severe complications.

Japanese Encephalitis Emergence in Australia: The Potential Population at Risk.

In Australia, Japanese encephalitis virus circulated in tropical north Queensland between 1995 and 2005. In 2022, a dramatic range expansion across the southern states has resulted in 30 confirmed human cases and 6 deaths. We discuss the outbreak drivers and estimate the potential size of the human population at risk.

Rapid detection of kdr mutation F1534C in Aedes aegypti using recombinase polymerase amplification and lateral flow dipsticks.

Insecticide resistance monitoring is essential in assessing the efficacy of vector control measures. However, gold standard PCR-based molecular analyses for insecticide resistance detection are often hindered by time-consuming sample processing, as well as considerable infrastructure and resourcing requirements. In this study, we combined a novel one-step sample preparation reagent with a rapid isothermal molecular test that detects a knock down resistance (kdr) mutation (F1534C) that enables pyrethroid resistance in Aedes aegypti mosquitoes.

Analysis of Aedes aegypti microRNAs in response to Wolbachia wAlbB infection and their potential role in mosquito longevity.

The mosquito Aedes aegypti is the primary vector of a range of medically important viruses including dengue, Zika, West Nile, yellow fever, and chikungunya viruses. The endosymbiotic bacterium Wolbachia pipientis wAlbB strain is a promising biocontrol agent for blocking viral transmission by Ae. aegypti.

Reporter Flaviviruses as Tools to Demonstrate Homologous and Heterologous Superinfection Exclusion.

Binjari virus (BinJV) is a lineage II or dual-host affiliated insect-specific flavivirus previously demonstrated as replication-deficient in vertebrate cells. Previous studies have shown that BinJV is tolerant to exchanging its structural proteins (prM-E) with pathogenic flaviviruses, making it a safe backbone for flavivirus vaccines. Here, we report generation by circular polymerase extension reaction of BinJV expressing zsGreen or mCherry fluorescent protein.

The Emergence of Japanese Encephalitis in Australia and the Implications for a Vaccination Strategy.

Japanese encephalitis (JE) is the leading cause of viral encephalitis in Asia. Until 2022, only six locally transmitted human JE cases had been reported in Australia; five in northern Queensland and one in the Northern Territory. Thus, JE was mainly considered to be a disease of travellers.

Endoscopic submucosal dissection or piecemeal endoscopic mucosal resection for large superficial colorectal lesions: A cost effectiveness study.

Background And Aims: Endoscopic management is preferred to surgical management for large superficial colorectal lesions. However, the optimal endoscopic resection strategy (piecemeal endoscopic mucosal resection [pEMR] or endoscopic submucosal dissection [ESD]) is still debated from an economical point of view. To date, in France, there is no Health Insurance reimbursement rate for the hospital stays related to ESD.

Persistence of antibodies, boostability, and interchangeability of Japanese encephalitis vaccines: A systematic review and dose-response meta-analysis.

Background: The burden of Japanese encephalitis (JE) is substantial and is arguably one of the most serious viral encephalitic diseases with high case fatality and no specific treatment. JE vaccines are the only available mean to prevent the disease; however, the long-term persistence of antibodies, boostability, and interchangeability between different vaccine classes are not well understood.

Methods: To summarise the evidence, PubMed, Embase, and Cochrane CENTRAL were systematically searched from their inception to March 2021.

The distinguishing NS5-M114V mutation in American Zika virus isolates has negligible impacts on virus replication and transmission potential.

During 2015-2016, outbreaks of Zika virus (ZIKV) occurred in Southeast Asia and the Americas. Most ZIKV infections in humans are asymptomatic, while clinical manifestation is usually a self-limiting febrile disease with maculopapular rash. However, ZIKV is capable of inducing a range of severe neurological complications collectively described as congenital Zika syndrome (CZS).