The role of the social sciences and humanities in pandemic preparedness responses: insights gained from COVID-19, HIV and AIDS and related epidemics.

The COVID-19 pandemic, particularly from 2020 to mid-2022, debilitated the management of the HIV epidemic in Africa. The multiple effects included well-documented HIV service interruptions, curtailment of HIV prevention programmes, the associated marked increase in both the risk for HIV infection among key populations and vulnerability of sub-populations (e.g.

Autism and social anxiety in children with sex chromosome trisomies: an observational study.

: Recent studies suggest that an extra sex chromosome increases the risk of both autism and social anxiety, but it unclear whether these risks are specific to particular karyotypes. : We considered diagnostic data from an online psychiatric assessment (DAWBA - The Development and Well-Being Assessment) and questionnaire responses completed by parents of children with 47,XXX (N = 29), 47,XXY (N = 28) and 47,XYY (N = 32) karyotypes. Analysis focused mainly on 54 children who were diagnosed prenatally or on the basis of other medical concerns in childhood (Low Bias subgroup), to minimise ascertainment bias.

EULAR recommendations for the management of antiphospholipid syndrome in adults.

The objective was to develop evidence-based recommendations for the management of antiphospholipid syndrome (APS) in adults. Based on evidence from a systematic literature review and expert opinion, overarching principles and recommendations were formulated and voted. High-risk antiphospholipid antibody (aPL) profile is associated with greater risk for thrombotic and obstetric APS.

Overview of the 2016 South African Health Review.

The Global Report on Urban Health: Equitable, Healthier Cities for Sustainable Development, issued in March 2016 by the World Health Organization and the United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat), emphasises the need for enhanced governance and leadership to achieve universal health coverage and the Sustainable Development Goals. Noting that a healthy population forms the foundation for 'sustainable economic growth, social stability, and full realisation of human potential', the report presents 'practical, proven solutions for working across sectors to tackle these … health challenges', and includes examples of such successes in South Africa.

CD3 limits the efficacy of TCR gene therapy in vivo.

The function of T-cell receptor (TCR) gene modified T cells is dependent on efficient surface expression of the introduced TCR α/β heterodimer. We tested whether endogenous CD3 chains are rate-limiting for TCR expression and antigen-specific T-cell function. We show that co-transfer of CD3 and TCR genes into primary murine T cells enhanced TCR expression and antigen-specific T-cell function in vitro.

Engaging trainees in shaping the future of health policy.

This paper presents an analysis of the views and ideas generated at a recent health policy discussion for doctors in training. This provides an illustration of the creativity and enthusiasm that trainees can bring to the policy sphere by providing unique insights and a fresh perspective.

Specificity for the tumor-associated self-antigen WT1 drives the development of fully functional memory T cells in the absence of vaccination.

Recently, vaccines against the Wilms Tumor antigen 1 (WT1) have been tested in cancer patients. However, it is currently not known whether physiologic levels of WT1 expression in stem and progenitor cells of normal tissue result in the deletion or tolerance induction of WT1-specific T cells. Here, we used an human leukocyte antigen-transgenic murine model to study the fate of human leukocyte antigen class-I restricted, WT1-specific T cells in the thymus and in the periphery.

The promiscuous receptor.

Objective: To determine the effectiveness of vitamin D therapy in patients with asymptomatic, prostate-specific antigen (PSA)-progression of prostate cancer.

Patients And Methods: Twenty-six patients with locally advanced or metastatic prostate cancer were treated with vitamin D. Vitamin D therapy was discontinued on disease progression as assessed by symptoms or serum PSA increase.

Faith-based intervention in depression, anxiety, and other mental disturbances.

Objective: To determine if the effects of using the Steps to Freedom would be beneficial for a group of individuals who attended a Christian Conference.

Methods: A user-friendly 12-item questionnaire was used to monitor the outcomes of Steps to Freedom addressing six symptom/behavioral problems and six function areas. In addition, the Symptom Checklist-90 R (SCL-90-R) questionnaire was employed to document the validity of the shorter questionnaire.