Publications by authors named "J L Ward"

To reduce chronic school absenteeism and morbidity and mortality among school-aged children, the prompt administration of albuterol sulfate in schools remains vital. School-based stock inhaler programs are a practical approach to ensure equitable access to life-saving rescue medication for students. School and community partnerships can potentially strengthen program implementation and fidelity by integrating evidence-based practices into routine care.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Objectives: To investigate the prevalence of spine symptoms and spine disability, self-care and care seeking behaviors in a random sample of Indigenous adults residing in Cross Lake, northern Manitoba, Canada.

Study Design And Setting: Orally administered survey in Cree or English to a representative sample of Pimicikamak citizens from the treaty ( = 150/1931 houses) and non-treaty ( = 20/92 houses) land, between May and July 2023. Questions ( = 154) were derived from the 2018 First Nations Regional Health Survey, 2020 Canadian Community Health Survey, and 2021 The Global Burden of Disease study, covering demographics, spine symptoms, chronic conditions, activity limitations, general health, self-care, medication, and satisfaction with care.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Eight years after WHO adopted a resolution to eliminate hepatitis B by the year 2030, the disease remains a global public health concern, with vertical transmission of HBV being a major obstacle to this goal. Our study aimed to determine the HBV infection status of pregnant women in South Africa at a national level to evaluate the risk of vertical transmission and provide evidence for public health decision-making. We conducted HBsAg testing on 1,942 HIV-uninfected and 2,312 HIV-infected pregnant women from South Africa's public health sector in 2017, followed by HBeAg testing on HBsAg-positive samples.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Aims: Glucagon-like peptide 1 receptor agonists (GLP1RA), used to treat type 2 diabetes and obesity, have been associated with off-target behavioural effects. We systematically assessed genetic variation in the GLP1R locus for impact on mental ill-health (MIH) and cardiometabolic phenotypes across diverse populations within UK Biobank.

Materials And Methods: All genetic variants with minor allele frequency >1% in the GLP1R locus were investigated for associations with MIH phenotypes and cardiometabolic phenotypes.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Many bacterial toxins exert their cytotoxic effects by enzymatically inactivating one or more cytosolic targets in host cells. To reach their intracellular targets, these toxins possess functional domains or subdomains that interact with and exploit various host factors and biological processes. Despite great progress in identifying many of the key host factors involved in the uptake of toxins, significant knowledge gaps remain as to how partially characterized and newly discovered microbial toxins exploit host factors or processes to intoxicate target cells.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF