Do Microplastics Have Neurological Implications in Relation to Schizophrenia Zebrafish Models? A Brain Immunohistochemistry, Neurotoxicity Assessment, and Oxidative Stress Analysis.

The effects of exposure to environmental pollutants on neurological processes are of increasing concern due to their potential to induce oxidative stress and neurotoxicity. Considering that many industries are currently using different types of plastics as raw materials, packaging, or distribution pipes, microplastics (MPs) have become one of the biggest threats to the environment and human health. These consequences have led to the need to raise the awareness regarding MPs negative neurological effects and implication in neuropsychiatric pathologies, such as schizophrenia.

Mortality among persons with tuberculosis in Zambian hospitals: A retrospective cohort study.

Tuberculosis (TB) mortality in Zambia remains high at 86 per 100,000 populations, translating to approximately 15,000 TB-related deaths annually. We conducted a nationwide retrospective cohort study to understand predictors, time to death, and probable causes of mortality among persons on TB treatment in Zambia. We reviewed medical records for persons with TB registered in 54 purposively selected hospitals in Zambia between January and December 2019.

The Effect of Antipsychotics on Cognition in Schizophrenia-A Current Narrative Review.

The majority of schizophrenia-affected individuals display deficiencies in multiple cognitive domains such as attention, working memory, long-term memory, and learning, deficiencies that are stable throughout the disease. The purpose of this narrative review was to examine the effect of antipsychotics on several cognitive domains affected by schizophrenia. We searched MEDLINE, Elsevier, Scopus, and DOAJ databases for randomized controlled trials and other studies investigating the effects of typical and atypical antipsychotics on cognition in patients with schizophrenia in studies conducted in the last decade.

COVID-19 mortality sentinel surveillance at a tertiary referral hospital in Lusaka, Zambia, 2020-2021.

Deaths from COVID-19 likely exceeded official statistics in Zambia because of limited testing and incomplete death registration. We describe a sentinel COVID-19 mortality surveillance system in Lusaka, Zambia. We analyzed surveillance data on deceased persons of all ages undergoing verbal autopsy (VA) and COVID-19 testing at the University Teaching Hospital (UTH) mortuary in Lusaka, Zambia, from April 2020 through August 2021.

Target product profiles: tests for tuberculosis treatment monitoring and optimization.

The World Health Organization has developed target product profiles containing minimum and optimum targets for key characteristics for tests for tuberculosis treatment monitoring and optimization. Tuberculosis treatment optimization refers to initiating or switching to an effective tuberculosis treatment regimen that results in a high likelihood of a good treatment outcome. The target product profiles also cover tests of cure conducted at the end of treatment.

Metacognition in Schizophrenia Spectrum Disorders-Current Methods and Approaches.

Metacognition essentially represents "thinking about thinking", or the individual's capacity to control and monitor their own cognitive processes. Metacognition impairment in schizophrenia represents a core feature of the disease, and, in the last fifteen years, the subject has evolved into a growing study area concentrating on a wide variety of processes, such as clinical insight, autobiographical memory, cognitive beliefs, reasoning, and memory biases. Since metacognition is a complex subject, we wanted to focus on the different nuances of metacognition transposed into the lives of patients diagnosed with either schizophrenia or a schizoaffective disorder.

Genomic Analysis of Strains Resistant to Second-Line Anti-Tuberculosis Drugs in Lusaka, Zambia.

The emergence of pre-extensively drug-resistant tuberculosis (pre-XDR-TB) is a threat to TB control programs in developing countries such as Zambia. Studies in Zambia have applied molecular techniques to understand drug-resistance-associated mutations, circulating lineages and transmission patterns of multi-drug-resistant (MDR) . However, none has reported genotypes and mutations associated with pre-XDR TB.

Use of stool swabs in molecular transport media increases access to Xpert Ultra testing for TB in children.

Tertiary level hospital in Lusaka, Zambia. To measure concordance between Xpert MTB/RIF Ultra (Ultra) results of stool with and without transport media, and compare Ultra results from the two stool processing methods to Ultra and culture results using gastric aspirates (GA). This was a cross-sectional study collecting stool and GA from children 0-5 years presenting with signs and symptoms of TB.

The integration of tuberculosis and HIV testing on GeneXpert can substantially improve access and same-day diagnosis and benefit tuberculosis programmes: A diagnostic network optimization analysis in Zambia.

Diagnostic network optimization (DNO), a geospatial optimization technique, can improve access to diagnostics and reduce costs through informing policy-makers' decisions on diagnostic network changes. In Zambia, viral load (VL) testing and early infant diagnosis (EID) for HIV has been performed at centralized laboratories, whilst the TB-programme utilizes a decentralized network of GeneXpert platforms. Recently, the World Health Organization (WHO) has recommended point-of-care (POC) EID/VL to increase timely diagnosis.

Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Tuberculosis Testing and Treatment at a Tertiary Hospital in Zambia.

Globally, tuberculosis (TB) testing and treatment have declined dramatically during the COVID-19 pandemic. We quantified the change in TB visits, testing, and treatment compared with a 12-month pre-pandemic baseline at the national referral hospital's TB Clinic in Lusaka, Zambia, in the first year of the pandemic. We stratified the results into early and later pandemic periods.

Undernotification and underreporting of tuberculosis in Zambia: a national data quality assessment.

Background: Despite national implementation of several high impact interventions and innovations to bolster tuberculosis (TB) detection and improve quality of TB services in Zambia, notifications have been declining since 2004. A countrywide data quality assessment (DQA) of Zambia's National TB and Leprosy Programme (NTLP) was undertaken to quantify the degree to which undernotification and underreporting of TB notifications may be occurring.

Methods: The NTLP conducted a retrospective DQA of health facilities in high burden districts in all ten Zambian provinces.

Expression of mycobacterium tuberculosis induced SOCS3 and STAT3 and the implications on innate immunity in TB patients vs healthy contacts in high TB/HIV endemic setting: A cross-sectional analytical study.

Background: Mycobacterium tuberculosis (TB) remains a disease of global health concern and a leading cause of mortality arising from an infectious agent. Protective immunity to TB remains unclear. Suppressor of cytokine signaling-3 (SOCS3) and signal transduction and activator of transcription-3 (STAT3) genes have shown potential to influence innate immunity.

A 10-year Review of TB Notifications and Mortality Trends Using a Joint Point Analysis in Zambia - a High TB burden country.

Background: Zambia is one of the TB high-burden countries. It is important to track the progress being made towards enhancing case finding and reducing mortality. We reviewed routine TB notifications and mortality trends, over a decade from all facilities in Zambia.

Tuberculosis, HIV/AIDS and Malaria Health Services in sub-Saharan Africa - A Situation Analysis of the Disruptions and Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic.

Background: The unprecedented and ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has exposed weaknesses in African countries' health systems. The impact of shifted focus on COVID-19 for the past 2 years on routine health services, especially those for the epidemics of Tuberculosis, HIV/AIDS and Malaria, have been dramatic in both quantity and quality.

Methods: In this article, we reflect on the COVID-19 related disruptions on the Tuberculosis, HIV/AIDS and Malaria routine health services across Africa.

The WHO Global Tuberculosis 2021 Report - not so good news and turning the tide back to End TB.

Objective: To review the data presented in the 2021 WHO global TB report and discuss the current constraints in the global response.

Introduction And Methods: The WHO global TB reports, consolidate TB data from countries and provide up to date assessment of the global TB epidemic. We reviewed the data presented in the 2021 report.

Interrupted time-series analysis of active case-finding for tuberculosis during the COVID-19 pandemic, Zambia.

Objective: To evaluate the impact of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic and the subsequent implementation of tuberculosis response measures on tuberculosis notifications in Zambia.

Methods: We used an interrupted time-series design to compare monthly tuberculosis notifications in Zambia before the pandemic (January 2019 to February 2020), after implementation of national pandemic mitigation measures (April 2020 to June 2020) and after response measures to improve tuberculosis detection (August 2020 to September 2021). The tuberculosis response included enhanced data surveillance, facility-based active case-finding and activities to generate demand for services.

Whole-Genome Sequencing Reveals Recent Transmission of Multidrug-Resistant CAS1-Kili Strains in Lusaka, Zambia.

Globally, tuberculosis (TB) is a major cause of death due to antimicrobial resistance. CAS1-Kili strains that belong to lineage 3 (Central Asian Strain, CAS) were previously implicated in the spread of multidrug-resistant (MDR)-TB in Lusaka, Zambia. Thus, we investigated recent transmission of those strains by whole-genome sequencing (WGS) with Illumina MiSeq platform.

Genetic Diversity and Transmission of Multidrug-Resistant Mycobacterium tuberculosis strains in Lusaka, Zambia.

Objective: Zambia is among the 30 high tuberculosis burden countries in the world. Despite increasing reports of multidrug-resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB) in routine surveillance, information on the transmission of MDR Mycobacterium tuberculosis strains is largely unknown. This study elucidated the genetic diversity and transmission of MDR M.

Tuberculosis treatment within differentiated service delivery models in global HIV/TB programming.

Introduction: Providing more convenient and patient-centred options for service delivery is a priority within global HIV programmes. These efforts improve patient satisfaction and retention and free up time for providers to focus on new HIV diagnoses or severe illness. Recently, the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic precipitated expanded eligibility criteria for these differentiated service delivery (DSD) models to decongest clinics and protect patients and healthcare workers.

A comparison of vitamin D and cathelicidin (LL-37) levels between patients with active TB and their healthy contacts in a high HIV prevalence setting: a prospective descriptive study.

Background: Studies from Asia and Europe indicate an association between vitamin D deficiency and susceptibility to TB. We performed an observational case-control study to determine vitamin D and cathelicidin (LL-37) levels and their association with active TB in newly diagnosed and microbiologically confirmed adult TB patients in Zambia, a high HIV prevalence setting.

Methods: Both total vitamin D and LL-37 were measured using ELISA from serum and supernatant isolated from cultured whole blood that was stimulated with heat-killed Mycobacterium tuberculosis.

Tuberculosis care cascade in Zambia - identifying the gaps in order to improve outcomes: a population-based analysis.

Objective: Tuberculosis (TB) remains a leading cause of morbidity and mortality in Zambia, especially for people living with HIV (PLHIV). We undertook a care cascade analysis to quantify gaps in care and align programme improvement measures with areas of need.

Design: Retrospective, population-based analysis.