Sociodemographic associated factors with non-disclosure of HIV sero-status to sexual partners in Maputo, Mozambique.

The HIV prevalence in Maputo city is 16.2%. There is a lack of data describing associated factors with disclosure or non-disclosure of HIV-positive sero-status to sexual partners.

Combining legal epidemiology and implementation science to improve global access to medicines: challenges and opportunities.

Laws and policies affecting access to medicines have been in the global health spotlight for decades, yet our understanding of their effects remains substantially underdeveloped. The emerging field of legal epidemiology combined with the methods of implementation science presents an opportunity to help address this gap. Legal epidemiology refers to the scientific study and deployment of law as a factor in the cause, distribution, and prevention of disease and injury in a population.

A systematic scoping review of medicine availability and affordability in Africa.

Background: The most recent World Medicines Situation Report published in 2011 found substantial medicine availability and affordability challenges across WHO regions, including Africa. Since publication of the 2011 report, medicine availability and affordability has risen on the international agenda and was included in the Sustainable Development Goals as Target 3.8.

Comparing COVID-19 physical distancing policies: results from a physical distancing intensity coding framework for Botswana, India, Jamaica, Mozambique, Namibia, Ukraine, and the United States.

Background: Understanding the differences in timing and composition of physical distancing policies is important to evaluate the early global response to COVID-19. A physical distancing intensity monitoring framework comprising 16 domains was recently published to compare physical distancing approaches across 12 U.S.

Policy considerations for scaling up access to HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis for adolescent girls and young women: Examples from Kenya, South Africa, and Uganda.

Adolescent girls and young women (aged 15-24 years; AGYW) continue to carry a disproportionate burden of HIV in sub-Saharan Africa. Pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) helps reduce the risk of acquiring HIV for persons at substantial risk, including AGYW. As countries plan for the rollout of PrEP across sub-Saharan Africa, PrEP policies and programs could address the unique needs of AGYW.

In a Protest Nation - Integrative Policy Negotiation Should be a Core Public Health Competency.

The year 2020 was been a year of protest in the United States the likes of which we have not seen in decades. In many ways, America's history is a history of protest, but its history also shows the power and potential of demonstrations and dialogue to lead to broad coalitions for policy and public health action. The U.

A framework policy analysis of national health insurance policymaking in sub-Saharan Africa.

National health insurance (NHI) is a financing mechanism established by a national government with the goal of covering all or almost all of its citizens. A number of low- and middle-income countries have established NHIs as part of a strategy to progress towards universal health coverage. The establishment of an NHI presents a potentially significant shift in national health sector governance, but little is available in the literature regarding how policymaking authority and health governance is shared between NHIs and ministries of health (MOHs).

Strengthening policy coding methodologies to improve COVID-19 disease modeling and policy responses: a proposed coding framework and recommendations.

Background: In recent months, multiple efforts have sought to characterize COVID-19 social distancing policy responses. These efforts have used various coding frameworks, but many have relied on coding methodologies that may not adequately describe the gradient in social distancing policies as states "re-open."

Methods: We developed a COVID-19 social distancing intensity framework that is sufficiently specific and sensitive to capture this gradient.

Strengthening health policy development and management systems in low- and middle- income countries: South Africa's approach.

The development and management of health policies, strategies and guidelines (collectively, policies) in many low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) are often ad hoc and fragmented due to resource constraints a variety of other reasons within ministries of health. The ad hoc nature of these policy processes can undermine the quality of health policy analysis, decision-making and ultimately public health program implementation. To identify potential areas for policy system strengthening, we reviewed the literature to identify potential best practices for ministries and departments of health in LMICs regarding the development and management of health policies.

Subcellular targeting is a key condition for high-level accumulation of cellulase protein in transgenic maize seed.

Ethanol from lignocellulosic biomass is being pursued as an alternative to petroleum-based transportation fuels. To succeed in this endeavour, efficient digestion of cellulose into monomeric sugar streams is a key step. Current production systems for cellulase enzymes, i.

Manganese peroxidase from the white-rot fungus Phanerochaete chrysosporium is enzymatically active and accumulates to high levels in transgenic maize seed.

Manganese peroxidase (MnP) has been implicated in lignin degradation and thus has potential applications in pulp and paper bleaching, enzymatic remediation and the textile industry. Transgenic plants are an emerging protein expression platform that offer many advantages over traditional systems, in particular their potential for large-scale industrial enzyme production. Several plant expression vectors were created to evaluate the accumulation of MnP from the wood-rot fungus Phanerochaete chrysosporium in maize seed.