Publications by authors named "J Banda"

Objectives: Cyclic vomiting syndrome (CVS) remains a diagnostic challenge due to its nonspecific presentation despite consensus-based diagnostic criteria. There is a need for improved, evidence-based diagnostic criteria. We hypothesized that symptoms differ quantitatively between children with CVS versus other vomiting conditions and that current diagnostic criteria are not sufficiently sensitive for diagnosing CVS.

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  • Electronic phenotyping uses various data analysis methods, including machine learning and natural language processing, to define patient characteristics, but the current process is slow and labor-intensive.
  • Large language models could automate phenotype definition extraction but have reliability issues and potential risks of generating misleading information.
  • The study aims to create a standard evaluation set for assessing large language models' outputs and to test different prompting methods, showing promising results that still need human validation to ensure accuracy and efficiency in phenotype extraction.
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Supplementary methods of mortality surveillance are needed in settings with incomplete death registration. Local perceptions of mortality levels might be useful indicators of excess deaths. Early in the COVID-19 pandemic, we developed a survey question asking respondents to evaluate the recent frequency of funerals in their community relative to a pre-pandemic baseline.

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We investigated behavioral responses to COVID-19 in Malawi, where a first wave of the pandemic occurred between June and August 2020. Contrary to many countries on the African continent, the Government of Malawi did not impose a lockdown or a stay-at-home order in response to the initial spread of SARS-CoV-2. We hypothesized that, in the absence of such requirements to restrict social interactions, individuals would primarily seek to reduce the risk of SARS-CoV-2 transmission during contacts, rather than reduce the extent of their social contacts.

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  • Type 2 diabetes (T2D) and obesity are linked to low levels of natriuretic peptide (NP) and reduced NP guanylyl cyclase receptor-A (GCA) in muscles and fat tissue.
  • Research in mice shows that lack of ANP/GCA leads to metabolic issues and prediabetes, causing insulin resistance and poor endurance.
  • ANP/GCA is crucial for maintaining mitochondrial function and oxidative capacity in skeletal muscle, suggesting it plays a key role in the development of prediabetes.
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